1993 Magic: The Gathering Alpha Scrubland: The Dual Land That Commands Thousands

When Richard Garfield designed Magic: The Gathering in a small apartment and pitched it to a fledgling game company called Wizards of the Coast, he could not have imagined that individual cards from the first print run would one day sell for thousands of dollars. Yet here we are, more than three decades later, and the Alpha Edition Scrubland sits comfortably in the upper echelon of collectible trading cards. This unassuming land card, which produces either white or black mana with no drawback, has become one of the most sought-after pieces in the entire Magic ecosystem.

The Birth of Magic and the Alpha Edition

Magic: The Gathering debuted in August 1993 at the Gen Con gaming convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first print run, now known as "Alpha" (technically called "Limited Edition Alpha"), consisted of approximately 2.6 million cards across 295 unique designs. The cards were printed by Cartamundi in Belgium and featured the now-famous card back design with the blue and brown oval pattern.

Alpha cards are immediately identifiable by their distinctly rounded corners, which are more pronounced than any subsequent printing. This was actually a printing error of sorts; the cutting dies used for Alpha were slightly different from standard playing card dimensions. This mistake became a defining feature that makes Alpha cards instantly recognizable to collectors.

The set was sold in 60-card starter decks for $7.95 and 15-card booster packs for $2.45. It sold out almost immediately, shocking both Wizards of the Coast and the gaming industry. A second print run (Beta) followed quickly in October 1993, followed by Unlimited in December of the same year.

Understanding Scrubland and the Dual Lands

The Alpha set included ten "dual lands," each producing two different colors of mana. These cards were revolutionary in game design because they provided perfect mana fixing with absolutely no penalty. Unlike basic lands, which produce only one color, and unlike modern equivalents that typically enter the battlefield tapped or require life payment, the original dual lands simply tapped for either of their two colors. Period.

Scrubland is the white/black dual land. Its card text reads: "Counts as both plains and swamp and is affected by spells that affect either. Tap to add either W or B to your mana pool." The name "Scrubland" evokes a desolate borderland between civilization (white mana's domain) and darkness (black mana's territory).

The ten Alpha dual lands are: Badlands, Bayou, Plateau, Savannah, Scrubland, Taiga, Tropical Island, Tundra, Underground Sea, and Volcanic Island. (Notably, Volcanic Island was accidentally omitted from the Alpha print run entirely, making it a Beta-only card in the Limited Edition, and thus even more scarce in its earliest available form.)

Scrubland has traditionally been valued in the middle to lower tier of the dual land hierarchy. Underground Sea and Volcanic Island command the highest prices due to their color combinations being the most powerful in competitive play. Scrubland's white/black combination, while useful, has historically been less dominant in tournament Magic, keeping its price somewhat lower than the blue dual lands.

Current Market Values

Alpha Scrubland prices have been tracked extensively through auction results and marketplace sales. Here is what the market looks like:

Grade/Condition	Description	Approximate Value
PSA 10 (Gem Mint)	Flawless, perfect centering, pristine corners	Extremely rare, no recent sales
PSA/BGS 9.5 (Mint+)	Near-perfect, trivial imperfections	$7,500 to $10,000
PSA/BGS 9 (Mint)	Excellent condition, minor centering variance	$6,500 to $7,500
BGS 8 (NM-MT)	Light edge wear, good centering	$2,500 to $3,500
BGS 7 (NM)	Noticeable edge or corner wear	$2,000 to $2,700
Ungraded (LP/MP)	Lightly to moderately played, visible wear	$1,700 to $2,500
Ungraded (HP)	Heavily played, significant wear	$1,200 to $1,800

Recent notable sales include a CGC Mint+ 9.5 selling at Goldin Auctions for $2,310 in October 2025, and ungraded copies in lightly played condition selling on eBay in the $2,000 to $2,800 range throughout 2025.

Authentication: Spotting Fakes and Proxies

The value of Alpha cards has created a thriving counterfeit market. Here is how to protect yourself:

The Light Test: Hold the card up to a bright light source. Genuine Magic cards have an opaque blue-black core layer sandwiched between the front and back printing layers. Light should not pass through a real card. Counterfeits often lack this core layer and will appear translucent.

The Bend Test: Gently bend a Magic card lengthwise. Genuine cards have a specific flexibility and will spring back without creasing. This is a risky test for valuable cards, so use it cautiously or on less expensive cards from the same era for comparison.

Corner Rounding: Alpha cards have uniquely rounded corners that are more pronounced than Beta or Unlimited cards. The corner radius on Alpha is approximately 2.5mm, compared to roughly 2mm on later sets. If the corners seem too sharp for an Alpha card, it may be a rebacked Beta or Unlimited card.

Print Quality: Examine the card under magnification. Genuine cards show a specific rosette dot pattern from the offset printing process. The text should be crisp and clear, and the color saturation should match known genuine examples. Alpha cards tend to have slightly darker, more saturated colors than Beta or Unlimited printings.

Card Stock: Alpha cards have a distinctive feel and thickness. Experienced collectors can often identify genuine Alpha cards by touch. The card stock has a particular stiffness and surface texture that counterfeits rarely replicate perfectly.

Professional Grading: For cards at this price point, professional grading from PSA, BGS (Beckett Grading Services), or CGC is strongly recommended. These services authenticate the card and assign a condition grade, providing confidence for both buyer and seller. The encapsulation also protects the card from further damage.

Why Alpha Specifically?

Scrubland was printed in Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, and Revised editions. The dual lands were then removed from the game (on the "Reserved List" since 1996), meaning Wizards of the Coast has pledged never to reprint them. This fixed supply across four editions creates scarcity, but Alpha cards sit at the top of the pyramid for several reasons.

First, the Alpha print run was dramatically smaller than subsequent editions. Only about 2.6 million Alpha cards were printed total, and each rare card had approximately 1,100 copies printed. Compare this to Revised Edition (1994), which had a print run estimated in the hundreds of millions.

Second, many Alpha cards were played extensively in the early days of Magic, when no one imagined they would become collectible. Cards were shuffled without sleeves, bent, marked, and even thrown away. The number of surviving Alpha Scrublands in excellent condition is a fraction of the original print run.

Third, Alpha represents the true origin of Magic: The Gathering, now the most commercially successful trading card game ever created. Owning an Alpha card is owning a piece of gaming history.

The Reserved List: A Collector's Safety Net

One of the most important factors supporting Alpha dual land values is the Reserved List. In 1996, after reprinting many popular cards in the Fourth Edition and Chronicles sets (which angered collectors who saw their card values plummet), Wizards of the Coast created the Reserved List: a promise that certain cards would never be reprinted in tournament-legal form.

All ten original dual lands are on the Reserved List. This means that no matter how popular Magic becomes or how high demand grows, the supply of Scrublands from Alpha through Revised is permanently fixed. There will never be new copies. This supply constraint is fundamentally different from most collectible markets, where manufacturers can respond to high prices by increasing production.

The Reserved List has been controversial within the Magic community, with many players arguing it should be abolished to make powerful cards more accessible. However, Wizards of the Coast has repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to the list, most recently in clear terms that suggest it is not going anywhere. For collectors, this provides confidence that the supply side of the equation will not change.

Investment Outlook

Alpha dual lands have been among the most reliable stores of value in the trading card market. While they experienced a correction from the peaks of the 2020 to 2021 boom (when pandemic-era enthusiasm and stimulus money drove prices to unprecedented levels), they have held value better than many other segments of the collectibles market.

Scrubland, as a mid-tier dual land, offers an interesting entry point for collectors who want Alpha dual land exposure without paying Underground Sea or Volcanic Island prices (which can run $10,000 or more for similar grades). Its white/black color combination has become increasingly relevant in Magic's Commander format, the game's most popular casual format, which could drive additional demand over time.

The long-term fundamentals remain strong: a fixed, shrinking supply of genuine cards, a massive and growing player base for Magic: The Gathering, the Reserved List preventing reprints, and the increasing cultural significance of the game as it enters its fourth decade.

For collectors who appreciate the intersection of gaming history, scarcity, and tangible value, the Alpha Scrubland represents exactly the kind of card that has rewarded patient holders over the long term.

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