Black Lotus is the single most valuable card in the game of Magic printed in a standard set. Printed only in Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited, this artifact can provide a free mana boost for any deck. It is restricted in Vintage and banned in Legacy.
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Card interactions
Originally, Magic did not limit the number of copies of a card you could play in a deck; this allowed constant first-turn wins with decks comprised of twenty Black Lotus, twenty Channel, and twenty Fireball. The four-of maximum was quickly added to the rules to avoid this, and Black Lotus and Channel were later restricted or banned in their environments to make this even less likely.
Trivia
The smuggling of rare "black lotuses" was alluded to in the computer game Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn.[1]
Imitations
As one of the most famous cards of all time, the Black Lotus has inspired numerous, more balanced, cards with abilities that reference it in some way: