Gate Guardian [1st Edition] #MRD-000

Gate Guardian [1st Edition] #MRD-000 collector guide

About Gate Guardian

Gate Guardian is an Effect Monster, printed as MRD-000 in Metal Raiders (2002) as a Secret Rare. It is a Level 11 DARK Warrior monster with 3,750 ATK and 3,400 DEF. No monster in Metal Raiders has more ATK. 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 7th of the 508 Metal Raiders cards we track, one of the chase cards of the set. The top card is Gate Guardian at €301.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Gate Guardian is the giant monster of the Paradox Brothers in the anime. Summoning it means Tributing Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin and Suijin, so it is far more popular with collectors than with players. In play, it is a card for Special Summoning. It cannot be Normal Summoned, so it has to be brought out by its own conditions. Its text names Kazejin, Sanga of the Thunder and Suijin, so collectors often look for them together.

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-000. The code MRD-000, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRD-E000, and are priced separately. It is the Secret Rare version. Secret Rares have a rainbow-foil name and diagonal holographic artwork. Metal Raiders has 4 other printings of Gate Guardian: MRD-000 (€26.93), MRD-000 Reverse Foil Error (€301.65), MRD-E000 (€17.84) and MRD-E000 1st Edition (€93.28). 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 €128.07, a PSA 9 for €393.67 and a PSA 10 for €2,916. Our monthly prices for it go back to September 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 1%, and up 16% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €315.74 in November 2021, 59% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 180% over the same 12 months. Of the 5 printings of Gate Guardian we track, this one ranks 2nd by ungraded value. The most valuable is Metal Raiders MRD-000 Reverse Foil Error at €301.65. 1st Edition copies sell for about 4.8× the Unlimited printing (€128.07 against €26.93).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 22.8× the ungraded price and 7.4× 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: a price well below its November 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; lasting fame from the anime or the competitive game; an active market (170 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 €128.07 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €393.67. Ask the seller to show the code MRD-000, the "1st Edition" text and the Secret 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 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.