Curse of Darkness #IOC-106

Curse of Darkness #IOC-106 collector guide

About Curse of Darkness

Curse of Darkness is a Continuous Trap Card, printed as IOC-106 in Invasion of Chaos (2004) as a Rare. Invasion of Chaos, released in 2004, brought Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End and Dark Magician of Chaos. The Envoys went on to dominate competitive play, which makes it one of the most important sets of the early game. Ungraded, this printing ranks 121st of the 224 Invasion of Chaos cards we track. The top card is Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning at €143.91.

Version and identification

This guide covers the Unlimited printing, without the "1st Edition" text below the artwork. 1st Edition copies of the same card have their own, usually higher, prices. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read IOC-106. The code IOC-106, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as IOC-E106, and are priced separately. It is the Rare version. Rares have a silver-foil name and plain artwork. Invasion of Chaos has one other printing of Curse of Darkness: IOC-106 1st Edition (€1.71). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €0.65, a PSA 9 for €6.25 and a PSA 10 for €55.53. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 58%, and down 34% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €1.99 in July 2022, 67% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 31% over the same 12 months. 1st Edition copies sell for about 2.6× the Unlimited printing (€1.71 against €0.65).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 85.4× the ungraded price and 8.9× a PSA 9. That gap is small, so grading fees may outweigh the gain unless the card is for your own collection. Early English Yu-Gi-Oh! cards often have off-centre cuts and wear on the dark brown back borders, which is why high grades are hard to reach.

Investment potential

In its favour: a price well below its July 2022 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the first years of the English game, which are no longer printed; an active market (25 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 58% in a year. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.65 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €6.25. Ask the seller to show the code IOC-106, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Rare finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. Cards from 2004 often show white wear on the back edges and corners, so ask for photos of the back before you buy.

Card details and image from YGOPRODeck. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trademark of Konami; Search Cards is not affiliated with Konami.