15 Most Valuable Mercadian Masques Cards

What Hides Behind the Masques? Commander Staples, Rare Spells and Powerhouse Nonbasic Lands

After the immense power level and runaway synergies found within Urza’s Block, Wizards of the Coast decided to rein in Magic’s card design and produce far weaker cards than were found in the prior three sets – with Urza’s Saga and Urza’s Destiny in particular being notable for their tremendously powerful cards.

The result was Mercadian Masques, an admittedly intriguing set that featured a number of notable cycles – such as Spellshaper creatures, cards with free alternate casting costs, the recruitment-oriented Rebel creature type – that was dragged down by eminently unplayable cards such as the Monger cycle and cards like Enslaved Horror, Indentured Djinn, Wild Jhovall, and Hired Giant, among others.

However, Masques is surely a flavorful set with a number of notable cards that led to brand-new competitive archetypes in the Standard metagame, and several cards have stood the test of time and continue to be notable Commander cards or nostalgia-fueled combo-enablers. Let’s dive in.

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

15. Black Market

Market Price: $6.50, Foil: $99.93

Kicking things off is this enchantment, which relies on charge counters in order to produce one at the beginning of your first main phase based on the number of creatures that have perished during gameplay. Charge counters first debuted all the way back in the Legends set and have been featured regularly in Magic – as recently as 2024’s Murders at Karlov Manor Commander bonus sheet.

In a game of Commander, the amount of mana Black Market can produce for you skyrockets, especially when paired with board wipes and mass removal. While there are a number of clunky combos this enables (such as the one below), it works best in a simple play pattern of: kill stuff, control the board, and fire off a massive Exsanguinate after piling up the charge counters on this card.

14. Conspiracy

Market Price: $6.73, Foil: $29.95

Back-to-back enchantments that cost beginning this list is quite the coincidence, but they both have their roles in various decks; the high price points of both cards is likely due to their prevalence in Commander.

Conspiracy, in particular, has a game-warping impact with a rather unusual effect: giving all creatures you control a single creature type that overrides any other creature type they might have. This effect creates a number of infinite combos and seeing as it has only been reprinted in two sets (as a timeshifted card in Time Spiral and in 2024’s Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed), it’s not shocking to see its original printing hold a price point just under $7.

13. High Market

Market Price: $6.86, Foil: $72.57

Mercadian Masques was an important set for nonbasic land fans, as it boasted one of the strongest lands of all time, Rishadan Port, as well as a number of impactful nonbasics with interesting and heretofore unseen effects on a land in Magic history.

High Market was one such land, as it allows you tap it and sacrifice a creature to gain one life. While that might not seem like a huge gain, the ability to grab a benefit from a creature that’s about to die to removal, die in combat, get exiled or get stolen via an Act of Treason-style effect is highly impactful. As such, this land has seen myriad reprints in Commander products and its original printing retains a certain cachet, as well as a notably high price point.

12. Charisma

Market Price: $8.40, Foil: $22.35

One of only 13 (14 if you’re counting the Un-sets) cards with the mana cost of , this interesting Aura allows players to gain control of any creature that’s dealt damage by the creature Charisma is attached to – so long as it remains in play.

Pairing this with a creature that deals damage to all creatures can be a big play, allowing you to gain control of all creatures on the board in one fell swoop, or you can use it to make a creature semi-unblockable, as foes will likely be unwilling to block the creature this is attached to lest you steal their potent blocker. Never reprinted, this card also ranks among the five most valuable blue Auras of all time.

11. Crackdown

Market Price: $9.10, Foil: $56.50

With an effect similar to the one-mana artifact Meekstone, Crackdown actually doesn't impact white creatures, making it a notable sideboard cog in monowhite aggro decks focused on getting "butts in seats," an archetype that remained potent throughout the early days of competitive Magic.

Tapping down all beefy creatures indefinitely was a huge boon for decks that wanted to stay low to the ground, with Masques block powerhouse archetype Rebels being the most notable beneficiary of such an ability. Of course, there was an even better card for that archetype, a four-mana instant called…

10. Reverent Mantra

Market Price: $9.20, Foil: $70.40

The series of “free” spells from Urza’s block that allowed their caster to untap the number of lands needed to cast the spell clearly inspired WotC to delve into other ways of making spells free. As such, Masques block introduced a series of cards that allowed you exile a card from your hand that matched its color in order to cast it for free.

One of the most notable of those cards was Reverent Mantra. With amazing artwork by Rebecca Guay, this four-mana instant gave all creatures control protection of the color of your choice until end of turn – a strong effect – though it was this card’s alternate, free casting cost that made it an eminently important card in Rebel shells. Either as a last-ditch protection spell on defense or a finisher on offense, being able to windmill slam this for zero mana was certainly a huge play.

9. Snuff Out

Market Price: $9.40, Foil: $156.85

Speaking of free spells, it’s rather shocking to see one of the ten most valuable cards from Mercadian Masques be a simple common, but somehow WotC didn’t foresee that a card that can destroy any nonblack creature for the low, low cost of four life would do gangbusters in Commander (especially since the format didn’t exist yet in 1999).

Snuff Out has been reprinted a few times, but never in an easy-to-obtain release, as the most recent reprinting came in the 2024 Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder II Secret Lair Drop with awesome D&D-themed artwork. As such, the original common printing from Mercadian Masques retains importance among collectors – and a near-$10 price point over 25 years after its release.

8. Bribery

Market Price: $9.87, Foil: $149.99

There have been a litany of cards over the years that allow you to steal a creature from an opponent, whether that be temporarily with an Act of Treason-like effect, permanently via an Aura like Treachery (one of the most valuable cards from Urza’s Destiny) or permanently from a foe’s graveyard with something like Ashen Powder.

This five-mana sorcery from Masques is even more disruptive, however (especially in Commander), as it allows you to search an opponent’s entire deck and steal the biggest threat you can find – putting it directly into play. This is an eminently strong ability, and, as such, Bribery has only been reprinted a handful of times since its inception in ’99 – and only twice in actual wide-release sets (Eight Edition in 2003 and Commander Masters in 2023).

7. Unmask

Market Price: $11.79, Foil: $214.84

Part of the same spell series as Reverent Mantra, Unmask features some of the finest artwork ever to grace a Magic card, delivered by the inimitable rk post. While Thoughtseize is likely regarded as the premier black discard spell (as well as one of the best black sorceries) in Magic history, this sorcery from Masques deserves a shot at that crown.

Sure, it’s a two-for-one, as you have to exile a black card from your hand to play it for free, but sometimes the freedom of casting something when you’re tapped out is absolutely worth it – especially if you can nab the biggest threat from your foe’s hand. As such, this is the first card herein that hits double-digits in value on the secondary market.

6. Tower of the Magistrate

Market Price: $12.90, Foil: $115.43

The first of three nonbasic lands in the top six of Mercadian Masques’ most valuable cards, this one features a novel ability that has only been printed on a total of 15 cards in Magic’s history: “Protection from artifacts.” The first instance of this ability was Yavimaya Scion from Urza’s Legacy (not one of the most valuable cards there, though it is one of the most flavorful), and the second was this rare nonbasic land from Masques.

Having this as an activated ability makes it eminently useful, as it can protect any creature you have in play from various shenanigans related to opposing artifacts. This card also has highly striking stylized art from Thomas Gianni showcasing one of the most notable settings in the storyline of Masques block.

5. Misdirection

Market Price: $14.16, Foil: $294.99

Once again, blue mages can rejoice, as they have one of the best spells printed across the entire set. Following up from Urza’s block, which featured a plethora of amazing synergies for fans of blue magic, Masques debuted their entry into the free spell canon from the block – a wonderfully powerful version of a “redirection” spell (Deflection from Ice Age being the first).

While cards that have this effect have grown a bit cheaper over the years, from Shunt () in 2004’s Darksteel to Imp’s Mischief () from 2007’s Planar Chaos and finishing with Swerve () from 2008’s Shards of Alara, you can’t get much cheaper than free. Combine that with some fascinatingly surreal Paolo Parente artwork, and you’ve got the makings of a card with a hefty price tag.

4. Dust Bowl

Market Price: $14.43, Foil: $138.97

Wasteland is regarded as one of the best – and most irritating to play against – nonbasic lands in the history of Magic. But what if there was a card that allowed you to use Wasteland’s ability repeatedly, rather than as a one-time thing? Enter Dust Bowl!

Featuring striking (and terrifying) artwork from Ben Thompson of an impending dust storm barreling down on you, Dust Bowl does indeed cost three mana to activate in addition to sacrificing a land – a steep cost to be sure – but it allows you to destroy any nonbasic land you want at any point. This card was worth over $20 for quite a while, but it was reprinted as part of the Breaking News bonus sheet in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, making it far easier to get ahold of these days.

3. Squee, Goblin Nabob

Market Price: $15.51, Foil: $279.99

The beloved Goblin Squee, a notable part of the Weatherlight saga storyline that branched out across most early sets in Magic’s history, saw his first legendary creature card unveiled in Mercadian Masques to great fanfare.

While Squee had been featured heavily in flavor text over the years and even had a card with his name on it printed in 1997’s Tempest set (Squee’s Toy), he didn’t make his legendary debut until Masques in ’99. And what a debut! Squee was a hot commodity long after it released, and it also featured artwork from an artist (David Monette) with only two Magic credits to his name – both of which involved this little nabob. Now that’s dedication.

2. Food Chain

Market Price: $22.59, Foil: $246.29

One of only two cards from Mercadian Masques that hits the $20 threshold, Food Chain showcases the unusual design of cards from this set. Magic had not seen anything like this card when it debuted in 1999, and it remains an intriguing combo piece over 25 years after it was released.

Notably, this card goes infinite with another Squee card, Squee, the Immortal from Dominaria, allowing you to set up an infinite storm count or infinite ETB or leaves-the-battlefield triggers. Beyond that, this card is generally a useful mana-ramper in green decks of all shapes and sizes across myriad formats. As such, its impressive price point makes total sense.

1. Rishadan Port

Market Price: $39.87, Foil: $799.99

Unsurprisingly, the most valuable card from Mercadian Masques was a dominant competitive card from its era that found its way into almost all decks – seeing as it only requires a tap and to activate. And what do you get for that price? Why, the ability to tap any land in play you’d like!

This ability, not surprisingly, is exceedingly annoying to deal with and when found in multiples – as it was during its reign in the Standard format 25 years ago – it can get truly oppressive. This card was so dominant, in fact, that it was banned in the now-defunct Block Constructed format due to sheer ubiquity leading to identical, dull play patterns. But still, in terms of value, this card has only been reprinted one time (in Masters 25) and never again with its striking, colorful original artwork from Jerry Tiritilli. As such, a near-$40 price point seems about right.

Mask On, Masques Off

Mercadian Masques might not be discussed in the same reverent, hushed tones that the sets from its preceding block are, but it still remains a vital part of Magic’s past. Despite featuring a number of dud cards, this release will always hold a special place in this writer’s heart – as this is roughly when I started getting into the game some 25 years ago. Join us next time as we explore the priciest cards from the follow-up set to Masques: 2000’s Nemesis.