What is the most valuable card in Tempest?

Intuition usually leads, with Wasteland, Ancient Tomb, and Reserved List rares like Earthcraft and Grindstone close behind depending on condition.

Is Wasteland from Tempest rare?

No — Wasteland is an uncommon, which surprises many sellers. Its value comes entirely from decades of Legacy demand, not rarity.

Which Tempest cards are on the Reserved List?

The notable ones are Earthcraft, Grindstone, Aluren, Cursed Scroll, and Eladamri, Lord of Leaves. None of them can ever be reprinted in paper Magic.

Are there foil Tempest cards?

Not from booster packs — foils began with Urza's Legacy in 1999. Condition and grading are what create premium Tempest copies.

Tempest MTG Cards Worth Money: Value Guide

The Tempest cards worth the most money are Intuition, Wasteland, and Ancient Tomb, backed by Reserved List rares like Earthcraft, Grindstone, Aluren, and Cursed Scroll — one of the deepest value benches of any 1990s set.

Tempest opened the Rath Cycle in October 1997 and is arguably the strongest expansion of Magic's first five years. An enormous share of its cards went on to define Legacy, Vintage, and Commander, which is why even its uncommons and commons demand a careful sort.

Wasteland and Ancient Tomb: the format-defining lands

Wasteland — only an uncommon — became the defining nonbasic-land punisher of Legacy, and the Tempest original remains the copy players and collectors want most despite later reprints. Ancient Tomb, also uncommon, is the premier fast-mana land in Commander, Legacy, and cube; reprints have made the card accessible, but the 1997 printing carries its own weight.

Reflecting Pool debuted in Tempest as well, and while later printings supply most decks, original copies stay comfortably above bulk.

Intuition and the blue money

Intuition is the set's headline rare: a three-card tutor whose only significant reprints have been promos, keeping the Tempest copy among the priciest non-Reserved-List cards of the era. Time Warp also debuted here — reprints tamed its price, but the original still trades on first-printing appeal. Scroll Rack rounds out the artifact side, a Commander card-selection staple whose Tempest printing stays in steady demand.

The Reserved List core

Tempest sits squarely inside the Reserved List window, and several of its rares can never be reprinted.

Earthcraft — banned in Legacy for its infinite-token combo with Squirrel Nest; a Commander enabler with permanent scarcity
Grindstone — one half of Legacy's famous Painter's Servant mill combo
Aluren — the namesake of a beloved Legacy creature-combo archetype
Cursed Scroll — the dominant artifact of late-90s tournament Magic
Eladamri, Lord of Leaves — elf tribal royalty from the era before elf lords were everywhere

Sleepers, commons, and oddities

Lotus Petal is a common that still powers Legacy storm decks; played copies are cheap, but crisp ones and playsets move well. Humility is one of the most rules-warping enchantments ever printed and holds strong collector value for that reputation alone. Mogg Fanatic, Diabolic Edict, and Winds of Rath all have cube and nostalgia demand, and Dregs of Sorrow-tier rares are worth a price check purely because this set's floor is higher than most of its contemporaries.

Tempest predates booster foils, so value separates on condition. The live prices below — drawn from collections tracked on RareWell — reflect typical market copies, and near-mint examples of the top cards routinely clear them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most valuable card in Tempest?: Intuition usually leads, with Wasteland, Ancient Tomb, and Reserved List rares like Earthcraft and Grindstone close behind depending on condition.
Is Wasteland from Tempest rare?: No — Wasteland is an uncommon, which surprises many sellers. Its value comes entirely from decades of Legacy demand, not rarity.
Which Tempest cards are on the Reserved List?: The notable ones are Earthcraft, Grindstone, Aluren, Cursed Scroll, and Eladamri, Lord of Leaves. None of them can ever be reprinted in paper Magic.
Are there foil Tempest cards?: Not from booster packs — foils began with Urza's Legacy in 1999. Condition and grading are what create premium Tempest copies.