If you want to collect Magic: The Gathering, the sets most worth it today are Final Fantasy (with its Through the Ages supplement), The Lord of the Rings, Modern Horizons 3 and Avatar: The Last Airbender. They have the most demand, the best cards to play and values that hold. Below are the top eight, what it costs to complete them, their key cards, and how to build the binder and buy without wasting money. Reference prices in euros from the TCGJoin catalogue on 18 and 19 October 2026.
The 8 best Magic sets to collect
We measured every set the same way: the cost of one copy of every card in the main set (the "set value"), the cards that drive it and what the community asks for. Each set page has the full list with prices.
1. Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy: Through the Ages (June 2025)
It is the best-selling set in Magic history: according to Hasbro it sold 200 million dollars on day one, which took The Lord of the Rings six months. The main set has 309 cards and the complete Final Fantasy set costs about €352 in regular versions. The Through the Ages supplement, 64 Magic classics with art from the series, is worth almost twice as much (€599), led by Ancient Copper Dragon and Rhystic Study. For fans, Vivi Ornitier, Buster Sword and Sephiroth.
2. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (June 2023)
It was the best seller until Final Fantasy and is still one of the most valuable: about €502 for the complete set. The One Ring costs €96.76 in its regular version and over €1,000 in its special versions; Orcish Bowmasters is a staple in competitive formats.
3. Modern Horizons 3 (June 2024)
The set for players: cards built for Modern and Commander that climb in price when they make the winning decks. Completing it costs about €544, the second most expensive on this list, and Ocelot Pride is its most wanted card.
4. Avatar: The Last Airbender (November 2025)
The third best-selling set ever according to the Draftsim ranking. The complete set is around €271, with Badgermole Cub (€50.94) and Wan Shi Tong as the chase cards.
5. Edge of Eternities (August 2025)
Magic in space, with a 266-card main set that you can complete for about €339. Quantum Riddler is its most valuable card.
6. Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel Super Heroes (2025 and 2026)
The two Marvel sets are the easiest to start with: Spider-Man has 193 cards and costs about €167 to complete, and Marvel Super Heroes about €237. The Infinity Stones are the hook: The Soul Stone (€75.24) and The Mind Stone (€52.14).
7. Tarkir: Dragonstorm (April 2025)
The return to the dragon world, with Ugin, Eye of the Storms as the chase card. The complete set costs about €239.
8. Bloomburrow (August 2024)
A fan favourite for its animal art, ideal if you collect for the illustrations. Complete, it costs about €268 on the Bloomburrow set page, and Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is its priciest card.
The most wanted cards from these sets
- The One Ring · LTR 246 · Lord of the Rings · €96.76 (version no. 748: €1,080.23)
- Ancient Copper Dragon · FCA 12 · Final Fantasy: Through the Ages · €103.42
- The Soul Stone · SPM 66 · Marvel's Spider-Man · €75.24
- Rhystic Study · FCA 31 · Final Fantasy: Through the Ages · €69.33
- The Mind Stone · MSH 21 · Marvel Super Heroes · €52.14
- Badgermole Cub · TLA 167 · Avatar: The Last Airbender · €50.94
- Quantum Riddler · EOE 72 · Edge of Eternities · €49.98
- Ugin, Eye of the Storms · TDM 1 · Tarkir: Dragonstorm · €41.65
- Ocelot Pride · MH3 38 · Modern Horizons 3 · €38.07 (borderless no. 322: €74.85)
- Buster Sword · FIN 255 · Final Fantasy · €32.94 (version no. 351: €70.12)
- Vivi Ornitier · FIN 248 · Final Fantasy · €32.23 (version no. 321: €78.73)
- Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER · FIN 115 · Final Fantasy · €30.04
- Lumra, Bellow of the Woods · BLB 183 · Bloomburrow · €25.55
Each card has several versions: regular, extended art, borderless and, in some sets, serialized or special-ink ones. The regular one counts towards the set value; special versions can cost twice as much or ten times more. Every card page lists them all with prices.
How to build the binder for a Magic set
- A 9-pocket, side-loading, PVC-free binder: cards stay in and the plastic will not yellow them.
- Sort by collector number: you see at a glance which slot is missing.
- Count the pages before buying: Final Fantasy (309 cards) takes 35 pages on one side; Through the Ages (64), 8 more.
- Penny sleeves for rares and mythics, and a rigid toploader for anything worth over €20.
- Keep special versions apart or on the page of their regular card: pick one rule and stick to it.
To track it without spreadsheets, the TCGJoin collection has a binder per set: tap each card to mark it, and see the percentage done and the value of what you own. If your cards are loose, the Magic card scanner identifies the exact printing from a photo.
What to buy: packs, boxes or singles
It depends on what you want. To play and open packs, the Play Booster (14 cards, with at least one rare or mythic and a wildcard) is the cheapest, at a suggested 6.99 dollars in the United States for Final Fantasy and Avatar, according to Wizards. The Collector Booster (15 cards, almost all foil, with borderless and extended-art versions) costs 37.99 dollars and is where the rare versions appear, such as Final Fantasy's Chocobos numbered 1 to 77.
- To complete a set: one 30-pack Play Booster box and the rest as singles. You will never complete a set from packs alone.
- To own the best cards: buy them as singles. It is cheaper than chasing them in packs.
- To collect special versions: Collector Boosters, knowing that what you open is rarely worth what you paid.
- In Europe, singles are mostly bought on Cardmarket: check the reference price before you pay.
Before grading an expensive card, check its centering with the grading calculator. And to keep up with upcoming sets, there is the release calendar and every Magic set with its value.