What Does The One Ring Card Do? Post Malone's $2 Million Magic Card Explained

In its 30-year history, many thousands of "Magic: The Gathering" cards have been printed. Some feature elves, others dwarves, but for the race of men, who above all else, desire power, nine more were gifted. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made ... and Post Malone bought it for an absolutely eye-watering price. Here's why the powerful, one-of-a-kind card was worth up to $2 million dollars.

Yes, multiplatinum recording artist Post Malone is now the owner of a singular printing of the One Ring card created by Wizards of the Coast as part of the "Lord of the Rings"-themed "Magic: The Gathering" set. The One Ring itself was printed as a regular trading card and can be had for as low as $44 at the time of this writing. However, a single borderless art card with text printed in Black Speech was also printed with the "Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth" set. While many players assumed it might never turn up, it was found rather quickly. The player who found it had the card verified and appraised, then sold it to Malone for a cool $2 million.

The uniqueness of the card is what makes up the multimillion-dollar price hike over the regular printing. But the rules on the cheap one are the same. The One Ring is a Legendary Artifact that may be cast for 4 colorless mana. It has the property Indestructible, making it difficult to remove from play. Its caster gains protection from everything — yes, everything — until that player's next turn. The accompanying tap mechanic lets players put a "burden counter" on The One Ring, then draw cards for each counter on it. Players lose 1 life per counter each turn.

If you've listened to a lot of hip-hop, you'll know what most rappers prefer to spend their money on: cars, clothes, and jewelry. Post Malone, the rapper and songwriter best known for songs like "Sunflower" and "Circles," has all of those things, but he also regularly spends more than most people's yearly salaries on "Magic: The Gathering" cards. Over the past few years, he's become an unlikely figure in the game's community.

With his purchase of the one-of-a-kind The One Ring printing for $2 million dollars, a figure confirmed by a representative of the original owner, Malone has set a record for the most money ever paid for a "Magic" card. He previously held that record after spending $800,000 for a copy of Black Lotus, which until The One Ring was the rarest "Magic" card in existence.

Malone has been known to walk into a game shop and drop the cost of an SUV on some cardboard, and he's even teamed up with Wizards of the Coast to release several Post Malone-themed "Secret Lair" drops, a series of limited-edition alternative art cards featuring cards like Post, Son of Rich — a 2/2 Phyrexian Horror Minion with Lifelink. And, in October 2022, he hosted a game tournament in "Magic the Gathering Arena," the online version of the trading card game.

So, as noted by Polygon, when the original owner of the one-of-a-kind The One Ring pulled it out of a booster pack, it's no wonder Post Malone was the first person who came to mind as a buyer. The seller became an instant millionaire, and Post got a new centerpiece for his extensive "Magic" collection.