15 Most Valuable Nemesis Cards

An Oft-Forgotten Release, Nemesis Delivered a Number of Notable Spells and Creatures That Have Stood the Test of Time

The second set in the Masques block was Nemesis, which was released in February 2000 and marked the debut of Magic in the new millennium. Wizards of the Coast celebrated Magic appearing in the next century with what is widely regarded as the strongest set in Masques block – admittedly not a high bar to clear.

Nemesis continued the themes of Rebels, Mercenaries, and Spellshapers, while also adding a new keyword to the lexicon: fading. Fading featured high-powered cards (for the time) with the drawback of only being on the battlefield based on the number of fading counters on the card. A number of the most valuable cards in the set feature the fading keyword due to their historical cachet as well as some of them still holding up in terms of sheer power 25 years after this set released.

While a number of the cards from this set have aged poorly (looking at you, Skyshroud Behemoth

), a number were notable threats at that time but don’t quite make the cut on this modern value-based list: Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero

was the engine for Rebel decks from this era, Saproling Burst

slotted perfectly into Fires of Yavimaya

decks (and also formed an instant-win combo with Pandemonium

), and Rising Waters

fueled a brutal control deck alongside the various Stax pieces and counterspells from sets of this era.

Due to the presence of such cards, this set is seemingly a bit more well-liked among Magic fans when compared to the sets that sandwiched its release (Mercadian Masques and Prophecy). Either way, there are some notable classic cards from Nemesis, several of which are worth a pretty penny on the secondary market. So don’t get it faded, and let’s explore the most valuable cards from Nemesis.

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

15. Rootwater Thief

Market Price: $2.38, Foil: $19.60

Kicking off the list is this two-mana Merfolk that can snipe any problematic card from your foe’s library if you connect with them via combat damage and pay . While not a game-breaking effect, this card becomes exponentially stronger in a singleton format like Commander.

A bit of trivia: This was the second Magic Invitational card release after Urza’s Legacy’s Avalanche Riders

. Such cards were designed by the winners of the now-defunct Magic Invitational tournament and have been absolute powerhouses over the years: Meddling Mage

, Shadowmage Infiltrator

, Ranger of Eos

, and Snapcaster Mage

all were created by winners of that tournament.

14. Terrain Generator

Market Price: $2.61, Foil: $30.54

A little-remembered nonbasic land from Nemesis is this uncommon that’s worth over $2.50 on the secondary market. This intriguing mana-ramping land lets you toss down a tapped land from your hand if you tap it and pay .

When combined with cards that allow you to play additional lands on your turn plus landfall cards, this nifty little nonbasic can serve as an unheralded hero of such strategies. If only the land came into play untapped!

13. Seal of Removal

Market Price: $3.13, Foil: $15.55

Seals were enchantments from Nemesis that recreated the effects of notable instants from years past, one in each color, and provided the effects of the following cards with the same casting cost: Disenchant

), Shock

) and this blue rendition, Seal of Removal

, which recreated Unsummon

These cards were an interesting twist on notable spells from Magic’s history and they also all shared striking artwork from longtime collaborator Christopher Moeller. All of these cards played notable roles, but the blue version is the only one that features multiple clunky infinite combos with Mana Echoes. The seals also perform well in Enchantress builds across multiple formats.

+1 other prerequisite

Infinite colored mana

Infinite colorless mana

12. Daze

Market Price: $3.13, Foil: $214.48

One of the best common-rarity counterspells ever printed, Daze is among the best cards from Nemesis and also ranks rather highly in terms of modern value today. Over $3 for a common, two-mana counterspell is pretty wild, but it’s just that good.

Surprising players with this card is still eminently satisfying for the caster and deeply infuriating if you’re the one getting foiled by it. As a free counterspell, it’s also among the best. This card is so strong, in fact, that it’s banned in the Pauper format for good reason: all decks in the format would be control decks boasting automatic four-ofs of this card if it were legal.

11. Seahunter

Market Price: $3.21, Foil: $36.36

The first of three “typal tutors” herein that can search your library for a specific card of a certain creature type is Seahunter, which focuses on the popular Merfolk type. Merfolk have long been a supported kindred creature type, dating all the way back to Magic’s first set Alpha via the O.G. creature lord Lord of Atlantis

Merfolk have come a long way since that card released, but Seahunter

from Nemesis can nab you any Merfolk you’d like from your deck for the low, low price of tapping it and paying . One such card that can be searched out is Thassa’s Oracle

, which can net you a surprise win or two if your foe isn’t expecting it.

10. Skyshroud Poacher

Market Price: $3.98, Foil: $40.03

A forgotten Elvish typal card, this 2/2 Human Rebel boasts tremendous artwork from legendary Magic artist Ron Spencer and allows you tap it and pay to nab any Elf card from your deck and place it directly into play.

Much like Seahunter

, this card is hugely impactful in the right deck, and seeing as it has never been reprinted, it’s no surprise to see it rank highly on this list. While it didn’t make the list of the 20 best Elf cards for Commander (due to it not being an Elf itself), it's certainly a highly synergistic card; the ability to put super-strong Elves directly into play is a major boon and one that has aged exquisitely 25 years after release.

9. Submerge

Market Price: $4.80, Foil: $60.95

Part of a series of cards that can be cast for free as long as an opponent (that’s any opponent, for you Commander players out there) controls an enemy-colored land, Submerge

is the most valuable of this series from the Nemesis set by far, as it hoses green Stompy decks with ease.

If you’re playing against a green deck, odds are your opponent will have a Forest in play. Ditto goes for you having an Island if you’re playing blue. As such, this card will almost never cost , which is good as that is far too steep a price for a Time Ebb

8. Ascendant Evincar

Market Price: $5.20, Foil: $30.34

One of the most important cards, story-wise, to the Nemesis set is this representation of Crovax (though it lacks his name due to WotC’s Magic card naming regulations at the time). While cards with abilities similar to this had existed, the fact that this card was designed to boost your creatures and weaken your foes’, as long as they were playing nonblack, was rather novel for the time.

Over the years, other versions of this card have been unveiled such as Kaervek, the Spiteful

from Core Set 2021 and – most notable of all – Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

in white from 2011’s New Phyrexia, which takes Ascendant Evincar

’s concept and cranks the power level up to 11.

7. Blinding Angel

Market Price: $5.64, Foil: $71.32

An Angel creature with an unusual ability, this 2/4 flyer for has seen scant reprintings over the years – only being found in Eighth Edition, Ninth Edition,and a Secret Lair Drop after its original Nemesis printing in 2000.

Perhaps it’s because this card can force unenjoyable play patterns; if your opponent can’t remove this card or block it, they'll be unable to attack you for the remainder of the game. Pretty annoying! With striking artwork and notable cachet due to being a chase card from the set upon its release, it’s no surprise to see this Angel worth over $5 on the secondary market.

6. Kill Switch

Market Price: $8.80, Foil: $89.47

An intriguing artifact hate card, this three-mana rare artifact from Nemesis allows you to tap down all other artifacts on the battlefield for the remainder of the game – so long as Kill Switch

itself remains tapped.

This is an eminently rare ability to find on a Magic card, especially with no drawbacks, save for paying a total of five mana to cast and tap it down permanently. Due to its novelty – and the fact that it’s never been reprinted – this card reaches a near-$9 price point on today’s secondary market.

5. Moggcatcher

Market Price: $10.51, Foil: $98.77

The last of three high-value “typal tutors” on this list is Moggcatcher

, a Human Mercenary that you can tap and pay in order to search your library for any Goblin and put it directly into play – no questions asked.

This card would pair perfectly with any of the 15 best Goblin cards for Commander, and it also features artwork from the best Goblin artist of all time – Pete Venters. As with any good Goblin-related card, the flavor text is brilliant and amusingly derisive toward Gobbos: “They’re not worth much, but they’re easy to catch.”

4. Kor Haven

Market Price: $10.72, Foil: $86.04

In a block chock-full of top-tier nonbasic lands, including the most valuable card from Mercadian Masques, Nemesis was no slouch in that department, as it contained this supremely strong attack-negating land that represented the home of the Rebels in the Masques storyline.

Imagine your foe has built up a supremely powerful Voltron creature with tons of abilities, and all it will take is one attack to end you. Simply slap this baby down with open and watch their face blanch over in disappointment and understanding, as you can capably stop that creature from ever dealing combat damage to you again.

3. Tangle Wire

Market Price: $12.10, Foil $164.97

And now we begin to see the sheer power level of some cards with fading. Tangle Wire

was a big-time threat in control decks in the Standard format upon its release. Being able to force opponents to tap down artifacts, creatures, or lands based on the number of fading counters on it was an important cog in slowing down aggro strategies at the time.

The sheer annoyance that this card created, especially when combined with something like Rising Waters

from the same set, means that players were rather displeased to see an opponent cast this against them. As such, WotC has never reprinted this card, save for in a From the Vault release and a Secret Lair Drop, leading to this card’s over-$12 price point.

2. Parallax Tide

Market Price: $18.64, Foil: $105.75

An extremely unusual card, this enchantment is one of five cards from Nemesis with “Parallax” in its name, which represented powerful cards that dealt with the fading mechanic. Blue’s entry on that list, surprisingly, targeted lands and could be used in concert with cards such as Rising Waters

and Tangle Wire

to completely ice out a foe from tapping a land for mana for multiple turns in a row.

This card also could be used to protect your own lands in a pinch, but it was usually more effective in control shells to remove opponents’ lands – an unusual effect on a blue card. The rarity of this effect, combined with this card’s scarcity (no reprintings) and generally high power level means its price point approaches $20 in 2025.

1. Parallax Wave

Market Price: $26.25, Foil: $191.02

The most valuable card from Nemesis is this powerful three-mana white enchantment that features a similar effect to Parallax Tide

, but instead of removing lands, it removes creatures – the bread-and-butter of Magic’s gameplay.

Parallax Wave

was a massively potent threat for the time, as it slotted perfectly into the juggernaut Rebel archetype. Fueled by Nemesis legendary Rebel Lin Sivvi

, this card in Rebel decks could act as a pseudo board removal, a protection spell in a pinch, or a targeted removal spell all in one – truly impressive utility – which is just what Rebel decks needed to dominate the metagame.

Much like other fading cards, this enchantment has never been reprinted, leading to its market price approaching $30.

From Friend to Nemesis

And there you have it. Nemesis might not be the most thrilling set in Magic history, but it played a pivotal role in competitive Magic at the time of its release, and several of its cards retain respect among long-time fans of the game.

Join us next time as we explore the final set of Masques block: the widely derided Prophecy.

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