What if I told you I could help you save as much as 80% on your Commander staples? On top of that, I can guarantee that these cards were printed by Wizards of the Coast in their original frame and with their original art. On top of all that, some of these discounted cards are on the Reserved List, and many local play groups and game shops are more than happy to allow players to sleeve up said cards.

Have I piqued your interest yet? I hope so because there has been a massive trend in the Magic economy that many players may be overlooking. I'm referring to the rapid appreciation of the gold-bordered cards printed in the World Championship Decks.

What Are World Championship Decks?

According to the Magic: The Gathering Wiki page, "World Championship Decks were specifically packaged versions of four of the top ranked decks used during the World Championships released by Wizards of the Coast for the years 1997 through 2004." The Wiki entry goes on to explain these cards were produced with gold borders and a different Magic back. They also included a gold stamp of the player's autograph (a nice touch).

This product offering must not have sold exceptionally well, especially toward the end of their run. When an Assistant Brand Manager for Magic was asked about the 2005 World Championship Decks, they responded, "We currently have no plans to release the 2005 World Championship Decks. We try to have a full product offering for our fans, and the increased popularity of the Fat Pack seems to have gobbled up the demand for a fourth Magic product (after Boosters, Tournament Packs, and Theme Decks)."

I'll let you consider the irony of the official statement as you attempt to count all the various Magic products printed today.

Unsanctioned Play Restrictions

It is a well-accepted fact that gold-bordered cards are not legal in sanctioned tournament play. I conducted multiple AI-augmented Google searches before I could find an official document with this stance. Finally, I uncovered a 55 page document entitled "Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules."

In section 3.3, under authorized cards, you'll find the following excerpt: "Cards that, unaltered, feature gold borders on their front or back... are not Authorized Game Cards."

That sums it up succinctly. To be an officially sanctioned tournament, unaltered gold-bordered cards aren't legal. Honestly, I couldn't tell you why. Years ago, when this rule was likely established, not everyone played with opaque sleeves. In that world, of course a non-standard Magic back would be a dealbreaker for any card. Currently, this whole "standard back" argument goes out the window thanks to the printing of Double-Faced cards. If I'm allowed to play Delver of Secrets in a sanctioned tournament, why can't I also play a gold-bordered Force of Will? Both have a non-standard card back... so what?!

As long as players are using opaque sleeves, such that no one can identify these cards out of a stack of normal cards, does it really matter?

Enter local tournaments and events. In many cases, stores will allow gold-bordered cards in order to make older formats more accessible to players. Premodern and Legacy particularly benefit from this ruling, especially considering the rampant rise in Reserved List prices. Commander events should be even more flexible when it comes to gold-bordered cards. To many players, the World Championship Decks are official, Wizards-produced cards and are therefore acceptable for game play.

I won't stand on this soapbox any longer. I'll simply leave you with this thought: in 2017, Mark Rosewater stated on his Blogatog that gold-bordered reprints violated the Reserved List. That stance must have changed in 2022 with the 30th Anniversary Edition. Perhaps the legality of these cards could also change one day?

The Hottest Gold-Bordered Cards

Whether they remain unsanctioned or not, it's worth being aware of some of the most desirable gold-bordered World Championship Decks cards. You may be surprised at some of their prices - some are significantly discounted to their black-bordered counterparts, offering a significant discount to these game pieces. Others actually sell for more than their original, black-bordered printing.

I've already touched upon the most valuable card from this collection of decks: Gaea's Cradle. The Urza's Saga version will set you back about $1000 for a played copy, whereas a played World Championships copy can still be had for under $300. That's a 70% discount!

As long as you're not playing in a sanctioned event, such as at a MagicFest or Pro Tour, that gold-bordered price tag to be far more attractive.

The next most expensive World Championships card is another Reserved List staple, Survival of the Fittest.

I recently built a Premodern deck that required four copies of this Enchantment. To acquire a set of Exodus copies would have set me back over $1000. Instead, I picked up some gold-bordered copies to round out my playset, and they cost me around $50 a piece. Once again, this represents a significant discount. As long as I'm avoiding an officially sanctioned event, it won't really matter.

Some other discounted Reserved List cards include Yawgmoth's Will, City of Traitors, Metalworker, Replenish, Volrath's Stronghold, Academy Rector, Grim Monolith and Powder Keg. Because a number of these World Championships Decks represented a time period that overlaps with the Premodern format, you'll find many Premodern staples are available in gold border.

Incidentally, there are a number of discounted gold-bordered cards that don't show up on the Reserved List. Force of Will is a big one, for example - copies from Alliances will set you back $65. Gold-bordered versions use the same classic art and frame, but can be purchased for just $20.

Again, I ask: does the gold border and alternative back invalidate a card's utility? At the Pro Tour, yes. At your kitchen table or local, proxy-friendly tournament? Definitely not!

Other non-Reserved List cards you can play at a modest discount include gold-bordered copies of Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox. While the markdown percent isn't as significant as it is with Gaea's Cradle and Survival of the Fittest, the World Championships versions of these cards still offer a 20-50% discount to their original, black-bordered counterparts.

Lastly, I want to touch on an interesting anomaly that I believe hints at an important market trend. Did you know that there are at least two cards (likely more) in World Championships Decks that sell for more than their sanctioned counterparts? I didn't believe it until I saw it either!

First, there's Sylvan Library. Gold-bordered copies sell for around $35, whereas copies from Dominaria Remastered (old frame, same artwork) sell for around $25. Granted, if you want the original Legends printing of the card, you'll have to pay much more. Considering there are a zillion reprints of this card, I'm intrigued to see gold-bordered copies selling for more than all the new copies Wizards of the Coast has printed.

More shockingly, however is the price delta on Llanowar Wastes.

Consider this market price comparison for copies of Llanowar Wastes.

• Commander 2019 - $0.40
• Apocalypse - $21
• World Championships Deck - $68

Come again? The gold-bordered printing of this card - that is to say, the unsanctioned version of Llanowar Wastes - sells at a 220% premium to the original, black-bordered printing! How could that be? It tells me there are at least some players out there who would prefer the gold-bordered printings of cards for their decks. Considering how poorly these World Championships Decks sold, especially in their later years, the print run of these must be tiny compared to full-blown premier sets.

Given this discrepancy, it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for any playable gold-bordered cards. Most of the time, they offer a discounted way of playing in an unsanctioned environment. In some cases, they may even offer upside simply due to their rarity.

Wrapping It Up

After developing an interest in Premodern, I joined the Discord channel to learn more about deck construction and have access to the buy/sell/trade market. While there, I observed many listings of gold-bordered cards. Previously, I had assumed that other than Gaea's Cradle, most gold-bordered cards were worth next to nothing given their violation of tournament rules.

That is clearly not the case, as more and more I see players actively seeking out gold-bordered cards for their decks. It inspired me to utilize World Championships Survival of the Fittests for my first Premodern deck, and I was greatly thankful for the discount! Instead of having to drop $1000 in cash, I used some store credit at an online retailer and acquired three gold-bordered copies for around $60 each - a much more attractive proposition!

Does this mean I can't jam my new deck in a "sanctioned" tournament? I suppose so. But what does a "sanctioned" tournament even mean nowadays? I'm not exactly traveling to Grands Prix or MagicFests monthly. Really, I just wanted a deck to battle folks through video chat or at my LGS - in this case, the gold-bordered cards are perfectly acceptable.

In fact, many sizable tournaments welcome gold-bordered cards. There is a major Premodern tournament taking place in Columbus called the Premodern Buckeye Brawl. The cap for the tournament was increased to 96 players to accommodate the explosion in format popularity. In this event's announcement, The Warp Gate proudly claims "Gold bordered and full colored proxies legal."

Because many original black-bordered cards are so pricey that it has become financially prohibitive, game stores have embraced discounted versions for the health of the format. I believe this trend is on track to continue, at least until gold-bordered versions also become prohibitively expensive. Until then, I plan to sleeve up these unsanctioned cards for personal enjoyment.