15 Most Valuable Apocalypse Cards

Cromat | Illustrated by Donato Giancola

Apocalypse, the final set from Invasion block, released on June 4, 2001 and wrapped up the years-long Weatherlight Saga with the Phyrexians getting defeated by the Weatherlight crew, which boasted such notable Magic characters as Gerrard, Urza, Sisay, Tahngarth and Karn.

In gameplay terms, Apocalypse featured a bevy of enemy-colored gold cards, which hadn't been seen in Magic since Mirage block. The enemy color combos were meant to represent everyone (and everything) in Dominaria banding together to defeat the scourge of the Phyrexian threat.

There are a number of memorable cards from this nearly 25-year-old release, but which ones tip the scales the most when it comes to value? Let's take a look!

Note: All prices come via TCGPlayer's Market Price History over the past calendar year and are subject to change.

15. Dragon Arch

Market Price: $1.36, Foil: $13.43

First up is this uncommon artifact for that allows you to place a multicolored creature in your hand straight into play. A Quicksilver Amulet that only focuses on gold cards is still pretty sweet, as it gives your The Ur-Dragon a pretty steep discount.

While only slightly above $1 in value, this is one of only two non-rares on this list, and this five-mana artifact has only seen one reprint (in Double Masters 2022) since its debut in 2001's Apocalypse.

14. Life // Death

Market Price: $1.67, Foil: $24.18

The second and final uncommon card on this list is one of the “split cards” that were found in both Invasion and Apocalypse. The former featured ally-colored spells (such as Stand // Deliver or Spite // Malice), while Apocalypse continued the enemy-colored theme with spells such as Fire // Ice and this Golgari uncommon (before the term for spells had even been invented).

Any reanimation spell that puts a creature directly into play from your graveyard is always going to be a hot commodity on the secondary market (just look at one of the most valuable uncommons from Visions for proof). While this sorcery does cost than Reanimate, you also get the added bonus of tacking on a one-mana, one-turn Living Lands for all your lands if you need it.

13. Spiritmonger

Market Price: $2.17, Foil: $58.84

Upon release, Spiritmonger was far and away one of the best and most under-costed creatures in Magic history. This 6/6 Beast for was already under curve for the time, but then you tack on an easy-to-ping triggered ability and two useful activated abilities and you're looking at a Morphling-level creature (for the time).

Of course, as with most big-name creatures from Magic's past, Spiritmonger has been heavily power-crept out of being one of the best Golgari creatures of all time. In fact, it was even reprinted as an uncommon (shock/horror!) in 2023's Dominaria Remastered.

12. Unnatural Selection

Market Price: $2.21, Foil: $25.62

A repeatable activated ability for that can change its target's creature type until of end of turn is rife for experimentation and abuse via combos. This enchantment had never seen a reprint until a white-bordered version cropped up in Mystery Booster 2, and it's no surprise why.

While niche, this card can be used to foil any opponent's typal strategies, boost your own (especially if you're playing the Everyone's Invited Secret Lair Commander deck) or in a number of interesting infinite combos:

11. Desolation Angel

Market Price: $2.45, Foil: $68.47

Land destruction – and mass land destruction, in particular – is something that Wizards of the Coast was not shy about printing during Magic's early years. For instance, this five-mana Angel offers up a kicker cost that can destroy all lands in play.

This card formed a pair in Apocalypse with Desolation Giant, which was red and destroyed all other creatures if you paid its kicker cost. Both impactful abilities, but opponents having to contend with a 5/4 flyer with no lands makes the Angel the more valuable card in today's market.

10. Fervent Charge

Market Price: $2.60, Foil: $16.53

A Mardu card before the term existed, this four-mana enchantment has only been reprinted in Universes Beyond: Fallout, where it received numerous different treatments. As such, this card's value has fallen over the past few years, but it still firmly qualifies for this list.

Notching a +2/+2 boost to each of your creatures whenever they attack is a pretty meaty gain, and it pairs perfectly with any number of notable commanders that care about attacking all the time. While four mana is a lot to pay for this effect, it can be game-altering, especially if you have cards that allow you to chain together multiple combat steps in a row.

9. Cromat

Market Price: $4.90, Foil: $63.38

cards are always fun, and this legendary Illusion is no exception. With amazing art by notable Magic artis Donato Giancola of a creature whose appearance can't quite be pinned down, this 5/5 beauty boasts—count ‘em—five activated abilities. A WUBRG Morphling?!

Certainly, that's what Wizards was attempting to create with this Swiss-army-knife creature. While the mana investment into these abilities are far more involved than that notable creature's, you get the ability to gain flying, a repeatable +1/+1 boost, two protection methods (regeneration and placing on top of library), and the ability to destroy any creature blocking or blocked by Cromat. This Illusion makes for a fun and flavorful combination. “Slimy yet satisfying,” if you will.

8. Battlefield Forge

Market Price: $8.06, Foil: $89.99

The “painlands” cycle debuted all the way back in 1995's Ice Age. These lands provided untapped sources for two different-colored mana pips at the cost of one life. Despite being reprinted a few times over the years before Apocalypse came out (Fifth Edition, Sixth Edition, Seventh Edition), the series never received enemy-colored versions... until Apocalypse unveiled them in 2001.

And what a debut! Featuring great artwork across the board, the first entry into this series on this list is the Boros () one, Battlefield Forge. Like many of the painlands on this list, it has been reprinted to oblivion over the years, but the originals still retain a certain cachet via being “first” and boasting the classic retro frame design that has aged exquisitely.

7. Phyrexian Arena

Market Price: $9.55, Foil: $162.27

A top-75 Commander card on EDHREC, this simple, elegant card-draw engine was first printed in Apocalypse and immediately became one of the best – and most iconic – cards from the set.

Printed as a more moderately powered version of notably busted black card-draw enchantments, like Necropotence and Yawgmoth's Bargain (one of the most valuable cards from Urza's Destiny), this card remains an elegantly designed and highly effective card-advantage machine that fits into almost any black deck across multiple formats.

6. Pernicious Deed

Market Price: $12.60, Foil: $179.99

From a card that has seen myriad reprints over the years to one with relatively few, this three-mana Golgari enchantment boasts one of the most versatile and potent mass destruction abilities ever placed on a Magic card.

Depending on the amount of mana you're willing to spend, you can blow up an entire Commander table in one fell swoop. Or, if playing against an annoying token-generating deck, you can simply tap out, wait until that foe pops off with hundreds of annoying tokens, then crack your Pernicious Deed for and destroy their entire board. Sounds like fun (for you)!

5. Caves of Koilos

Market Price: $13.05, Foil: $97.97

The first of three straight enemy-colored painlands found herein, this one is of the Orzhov variety. Again, this has been reprinted over and over again since its debut, though Jim Nelson's original art has seemingly been supplanted by Julian rendition, which first appeared in 2022's Dominaria United.

4. Shivan Reef

Market Price: $14.97, Foil: $95.00

Izzet dual lands are always hot commodities among Magic players, as those two colors can combine to do some truly spectacular and silly things. Though it's been reprinted so many times, the original version of Shivan Reef retains a near-$15 price point as the original rendition of this iconic land.

3. Yavimaya Coast

Market Price: $15.07, Foil: $144.47

Much like Shivan Reef, Yavimaya Coast retains an impressive price point despite being reprinted many times over the years. Once the painlands saw a reprint in 2022's Dominaria United, the floodgates opened, and they have been reprinted in most – if not all – Commander bonus sheets since that set released.

2. Vindicate

Market Price: $15.61, Foil: $88.42

Much like Phyrexian Arena, this Orzhov instant's simple yet supremely elegant design has stood the test of time, nearly 25 years after it was first unveiled in Apocalypse. Destroying permanents used to cost back in Arabian Nights, so a permanent destruction spell for is a whopping 50% discount. This card cleans up so well.

Only reprinted a few times (Eternal Masters, Masters 25, Amonkhet Invocations, Modern Horizons 2), the original retro frame printing from Apocalypse is by far the most valuable version of this ultra-effective permanent destruction spell. A classic for a reason, though not quite #1 on this list…

1. Llanowar Wastes

Market Price: $18.11, Foil: $127.98

Unsurprisingly, on a list dominated by the presence of enemy-colored painlands, the top spot is taken up by the Golgari version: Llanowar Wastes. While the other painlands certainly have their uses, it seems that Llanowar Wastes taking the top spot is due to its popularity in the fan-created Premodern format, and, in particular, the longtime favorite Recurring-Survival deck (which employs the classic combination of Recurring Nightmare and Survival of the Fittest).

Either way, the original Apocalypse painlands are top-dollar cards, and their presence at the top of this list is clearly well deserved.

Apocalyptic Endgame

And there we have it! We bid farewell to Invasion block with this article and ponder the next steps. Shall we move forward with the new timeline creation found in Odyssey block? Or shall we bounce back to an earlier set? Perhaps we'll scoot decades into the future and explore another block entirely. Either way, stay tuned, as Magic finances remain a fascinating and liquid place. Cheers!

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