Ancient One of the Deep Forest #MRL-018

Ancient One of the Deep Forest #MRL-018 collector guide

About Ancient One of the Deep Forest

Ancient One of the Deep Forest is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as MRL-018 in Magic Ruler (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 6 EARTH Beast monster with 1,800 ATK and 1,900 DEF. At its Level it needs one Tribute to Normal Summon. Magic Ruler was the third English booster set and brought Pegasus's Toon cards into the game. Magic Cards were later renamed Spell Cards and the set was reprinted as Spell Ruler, so Magic Ruler copies are the original printing. Ungraded, this printing ranks 317th of the 321 Magic Ruler cards we track. The top card is Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon at €223.11.

Character and collecting appeal

Beasts are one of the classic monster Types of the original series. As a Normal Monster it is collected for its artwork and its spot in the set rather than for play.

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 MRL-018. The code MRL-018, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRL-E018, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Magic Ruler has 3 other printings of Ancient One of the Deep Forest: MRL-018 1st Edition (€0.16), MRL-E018 and MRL-E018 1st Edition. 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 €0.12, a PSA 9 for €5.35 and a PSA 10 for €43.62. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 86%, and down 25% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €1.52 in December 2024, 92% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 23% over the same 12 months. 1st Edition copies sell for about 1.3× the Unlimited printing (€0.16 against €0.12).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 363.5× the ungraded price and 8.2× 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 December 2024 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 86% in a year. Past prices do not guarantee future ones. This is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.12 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €5.35. Ask the seller to show the code MRL-018, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. Cards from 2002 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.