The MTG Reserved List is Wizards of the Coast's promise, in its Official Reprint Policy, never to reprint certain cards "in a functionally identical form." It covers 571 cards from Alpha (1993) through Urza's Destiny (1999), including all ten original dual lands. The promise applies only to tournament-legal cards, so collector editions, oversized versions and digital copies fall outside it.
If you are pricing a Revised Underground Sea or Tropical Island, part of what you pay for is that promise. This guide covers what the promise says, what it leaves out, and how to price, grade and check a dual with those limits in mind.
What the Reserved List says
The Official Reprint Policy (the page is dated May 4, 2016) is the primary source. It says: "Reserved cards will never be printed again in a functionally identical form." Functionally identical means the same card type, subtypes, abilities, mana cost, power and toughness.
Four other points in the policy matter to buyers:
-
The list is closed. "No cards will be added to the reserved list in the future." And: "In consideration of past commitments, however, no cards will be removed from this list."
-
Premium printings are covered. "Starting in 2011, no cards on the reserved list will be printed in either premium or non-premium form." An earlier version of the policy had allowed premium printings.
-
Language does not matter. The policy applies to English and non-English cards alike.
-
Scope is narrow. "All policies described in this document apply only to tournament-legal Magic cards." More on that below.
Which dual lands are on it
The official list puts all ten original duals under the Limited Edition (Alpha) heading:
-
Badlands
-
Bayou
-
Plateau (listed twice, once for each artist: Brudi and Tucker)
-
Savannah
-
Scrubland
-
Taiga
-
Tropical Island
-
Tundra
-
Underground Sea
-
Volcanic Island
So there are ten duals but 11 entries. The same thing explains why counts differ: Star City Games counts 571 Reserved List cards, while the official list has 572 entries. SCG says the list covers rares from Limited Edition (1993) through Urza's Destiny (1999), and that Limited Edition commons and uncommons were taken off the list in 2002.
The promise applies to the card, not the set. A Revised Underground Sea is the same card as an Alpha one, so no new functionally identical, tournament-legal Underground Sea can be printed.
What Wizards has not promised
Collectors sometimes read the list as a promise that duals will hold their value. It does not say that. Here is what falls outside it:
-
Non-tournament-legal products. The policy covers tournament-legal cards only. It says Wizards "may print special versions of cards not meant for regular game play, such as oversized cards."
-
Digital. The policy does not apply to Magic Online or other digital releases.
-
Better or near-identical cards. Cardmarket Insight (Christian Tobehn, April 6, 2022) points out that nothing stops Wizards from printing cards better than Reserved List cards, and calls shock lands the "closest cousins" to the original duals. A card that differs in any way that counts toward "functionally identical" is fair game.
-
Prices. The policy says nothing about secondary market values.
As for whether the policy itself might change, Mark Rosewater's comment, as quoted by both Star City Games and Cardmarket Insight, was: "it's not going to change." That is a statement of intent, not a guarantee about prices, and a buyer should treat it that way.
Collector editions: dual land art without breaking the promise
Wizards has twice put dual-land artwork in collectors' hands without reprinting a tournament-legal dual. Both products matter for pricing because they are often listed next to real copies.
Collectors' Edition (1993)
Draftsim gives the release date as December 10, 1993, and describes the set as Beta reprints. Card Kingdom describes the cards as having "square-cut corners" and gold-bordered backs reading Collectors' Edition, and says "These cards are not tournament legal."
30th Anniversary Edition (2022)
Wizards announced 30th Anniversary Edition on October 4, 2022: $999 for four randomized 15-card packs, on sale November 28 at 30thEdition.wizards.com. The cards have a different back and "are not legal in any sanctioned Magic events." Nearly every card matches its Beta rarity. Wizards' retailer article adds: "Dual lands will appear twice as frequently as any other non-dual-land rare," in both the modern and retro frames.
How the printings price against each other
MTGGoldfish paper prices for Underground Sea, read October 29, 2026 (TCGplayer Mid; the page shows no date for the figures):
| Printing | Tournament legal | TCGplayer Mid | | --- | --- | --- | | Alpha | Yes | $8,000 | | Beta | Yes | $8,421 | | Unlimited | Yes | $1,600 | | Revised | Yes | $1,145 | | Collectors' Edition | No | $899 |
Collectors' Edition, which cannot be played in sanctioned events, sells close to Revised, which can. Some of a Revised Sea's price comes from playability and the Reserved List promise, but a lot of the demand is for the card itself. If you are buying to play, CE and 30A are the wrong cards. If you are buying to collect, they compete with Revised for the same money.
Proxies and counterfeits
Wizards' On Proxies, Policy, and Communication (January 2016; a 2026 editor's note says outdated language was removed without substantive policy change) sets out three positions:
-
"Cards used in sanctioned events must be authentic Magic cards."
-
"Wizards of the Coast has no desire to police playtest cards made for personal, non-commercial use."
-
Wizards will remove from the WPN "anyone who knowingly distributes counterfeit cards."
For buyers, this means proxies cover casual play without adding real supply. A proxy is not a substitute for an authentic card in a sanctioned event. The bigger risk is the other way round: when a card costs four figures and has no legal reprint, fakes are worth making. That risk is highest when you buy raw from someone you cannot hold accountable.
Does grading a Revised dual pay?
Usually not for value, though it does prove the card is real. PriceCharting's figures for Revised Underground Sea, read October 29, 2026, are built from eBay sold data using its own algorithm:
| Condition | PriceCharting value | | --- | --- | | Ungraded | $881.33 (about 2 sales a week) | | Grade 7 | $869 | | Grade 8 | $1,046.20 | | Grade 9 | $1,173 | | Grade 9.5 | $1,274 | | PSA 10 | $1,300 (about 2 sales a year) |
Ungraded eBay sales from October 26 to 28, 2026 ran from $725 (listed as heavily played) to $925.
Look at the individual graded sales on the same page from November 2025 to July 2026: PSA 5 copies sold for $499.99, $625 and $730. PSA 6 copies sold between $600 and $975 (for example $975 on 2026-07-30 and $695 on 2026-04-17). A BGS 5 sold for $694.41 on 2026-06-21. Mid-grade slabs traded at or below the ungraded aggregate. A low grade confirms the card is authentic, but it does not add a premium, and it can fix a number on the card that is below what an unslabbed copy brings.
Now the cost side. CGC Cards' fee page, read October 2026 (no effective date stated), lists:
-
Economy: $20 per card, declared value up to $1,000, 90 working days (estimated)
-
Standard: $55 per card, declared value up to $3,000, 10 working days
-
Bulk: $17 per card, declared value up to $500, 25-card minimum
CGC says turnaround times are "estimates only and are NOT guaranteed." A Revised Sea at current comps sits near the $1,000 Economy cap. If your honest declared value is above it, you are in the $55 tier before shipping and insurance, which you should add yourself.
For your own copy, run the numbers in our card grading break-even calculator. It compares how much more you net after grading against selling raw, using the costs and sale prices you enter. It does not predict grades, current prices or investment returns. The realistic way to use it is to enter the grade you think is likely, not the one you hope for.
When grading can make sense: your copy is clean enough to expect a high grade, where the aggregates sit above raw, or you are selling to buyers who will not take a raw four-figure card on trust. Keep in mind that PSA 10 sales run at about two a year, so the top grade is a thin market.
How to read dual land comps
The two aggregators disagree on the same card: $1,145 (TCGplayer Mid on MTGGoldfish) against $881 (PriceCharting's eBay-based ungraded figure). Neither is wrong. They measure different things from different marketplaces. To set a price you can use:
-
Use dated sold listings, not asking prices or undated mid prices.
-
Match condition. An "ungraded" aggregate mixes heavily played copies with near mint ones.
-
Match the printing. Revised, Unlimited and Collectors' Edition are different products at different prices, and listings mislabel them.
-
Compare graded sales grade by grade, and check how many sales sit behind each figure.
Dual land buyer checklist
-
Confirm the printing. Is it Revised, Unlimited or Collectors' Edition? CE has square-cut corners and a gold-bordered back reading Collectors' Edition. 30th Anniversary cards have a different back.
-
Decide whether you need it to be tournament legal. CE and 30A are collectibles and cannot be played in sanctioned events. Price them that way.
-
Match condition to dated sold comps. Do not anchor on the higher aggregate.
-
Weigh raw against slabbed. A mid-grade slab costs about the same as raw and mostly tells you the card is real. That is worth paying for if you cannot trust the seller.
-
Price in the grading fee before submitting. Check declared-value caps and run the break-even tool with a realistic grade.
-
Read the Reserved List as a reprint promise, not a price promise. It limits supply of tournament-legal copies. It does not set a floor on prices.
Related reading
Sources
-
Celebrate 30 Years of Magic: The Gathering with 30th Anniversary Edition, Wizards of the Coast
-
The MTG Reserved List: What Is It? What's On It?, Star City Games
-
Dancing Around the Fire: Circumventing the Reserved List, Cardmarket Insight
-
Everything You Need to Know About Collector's Edition in MTG, Draftsim
DISCLAIMER: PureGrail articles are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing on this site constitutes financial, investment, or legal advice. Collectibles are speculative assets and values can decrease significantly. Always conduct your own research before buying or selling. Past price performance does not indicate future results.
Note: This article contains AI-assisted content and has been reviewed in our editorial workflow.
