Destroyer Golem [1st Edition] #MRD-040

Destroyer Golem [1st Edition] #MRD-040 collector guide

About Destroyer Golem

Destroyer Golem is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as MRD-040 in Metal Raiders (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 4 EARTH Rock monster with 1,500 ATK and 1,000 DEF. Metal Raiders was the second English booster set. It added Summoned Skull, Gate Guardian, Mirror Force and Change of Heart, and many of its cards shaped how the early game was played. Ungraded, this printing ranks 458th of the 508 Metal Raiders cards we track. The top card is Gate Guardian at €301.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Rock monsters are usually high in DEF and built to hold the line. With no effect, its appeal is its artwork, its stats and its place in Metal Raiders.

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 MRD-040. The code MRD-040, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRD-E040, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Metal Raiders has 3 other printings of Destroyer Golem: MRD-040 (€0.22), MRD-E040 (€2.07) and MRD-E040 1st Edition. Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Starter Deck: Kaiba, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €0.51, a PSA 9 for €16.94 and a PSA 10 for €115.92. Our monthly prices for it go back to September 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 69%, and flat in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €6.31 in September 2021, 92% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 353% over the same 12 months. Of the 5 printings of Destroyer Golem we track, this one ranks 4th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Metal Raiders MRD-E040 at €2.07. 1st Edition copies sell for about 2.3× the Unlimited printing (€0.51 against €0.22).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 227.3× the ungraded price and 6.8× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. On cards from the early 2000s, the dark brown backs show every scuff and white edge, so top grades are scarce.

Investment potential

In its favour: a price well below its September 2021 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 (36 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 69% in a year; reprints in another set, which keep playable copies easy to find. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.51 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €16.94. Ask the seller to show the code MRD-040, the "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.