Luster Dragon #2 [1st Edition] #LOD-050

Luster Dragon #2 [1st Edition] #LOD-050 collector guide

About Luster Dragon #2

Luster Dragon #2 is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOD-050 in Legacy of Darkness (2003) as a Super Rare. It is a Level 6 WIND Dragon monster with 2,400 ATK and 1,400 DEF. At its Level it needs one Tribute to Normal Summon. Its ATK is the 5th highest of the 56 monsters in the set. Legacy of Darkness was a smaller 2003 set with a wave of Spirit monsters, including Yata-Garasu, alongside Injection Fairy Lily and Airknight Parshath. Ungraded, this printing ranks 30th of the 206 Legacy of Darkness cards we track. The top card is Yata-Garasu at €78.25.

Character and collecting appeal

Dragons are the most collected monster Type in Yu-Gi-Oh!, largely thanks to Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes. With no effect, its appeal is its artwork, its stats and its place in Legacy of Darkness.

Version and identification

This guide covers the 1st Edition printing. The words "1st Edition" are printed below the artwork on the left; copies without them are the Unlimited printing and usually sell for less. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read LOD-050. The code LOD-050, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOD-E050, and are priced separately. It is the Super Rare version. Super Rares have holographic artwork and a plain name. Legacy of Darkness has one other printing of Luster Dragon #2: LOD-050 (€3.74). 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 €7.58, a PSA 9 for €43.69 and a PSA 10 for €537.33. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 20%, and up 35% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €13.15 in September 2023, 42% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 59% over the same 12 months. 1st Edition copies sell for about 2× the Unlimited printing (€7.58 against €3.74).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 70.9× the ungraded price and 12.3× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. 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: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 20% in a year; a price well below its September 2023 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the 1st Edition run of an early English set, which will never be printed again; an active market (92 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €7.58 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €43.69. Ask the seller to show the code LOD-050, the "1st Edition" text and the Super Rare finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. At this price fakes are worth checking for: genuine cards have a small holographic seal (the Eye of Anubis) in the bottom-right corner, and the font, colours and card back should match a copy you know is genuine. Look up the certificate number of any graded copy on the grading company's website. Cards from 2003 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.