Rainbow Flower #MRD-042

Rainbow Flower #MRD-042 collector guide

About Rainbow Flower

Rainbow Flower is an Effect Monster, printed as MRD-042 in Metal Raiders (2002) as a Short Print. It is a Level 2 EARTH Plant monster with 400 ATK and 500 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 401st of the 508 Metal Raiders cards we track. The top card is Gate Guardian at €301.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Plant monsters are a small Type that has grown in popularity with modern support.

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 MRD-042. The code MRD-042, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRD-E042, and are priced separately. It is the Short Print version. Short Prints look like Commons but were printed in smaller numbers. Metal Raiders has 3 other printings of Rainbow Flower: MRD-042 1st Edition (€2.03), MRD-E042 and MRD-E042 1st Edition (€2.97). 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 €0.86, a PSA 9 for €12.48 and a PSA 10 for €89.16. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 8%, and up 310% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €1.65 in December 2021, 48% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved sideways over the same 12 months. Of the 3 printings of Rainbow Flower we track, this one ranks 3rd by ungraded value. The most valuable is Metal Raiders MRD-E042 1st Edition at €2.97. 1st Edition copies sell for about 2.4× the Unlimited printing (€2.03 against €0.86).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 103.7× the ungraded price and 7.1× 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 December 2021 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 (27 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.86 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €12.48. Ask the seller to show the code MRD-042, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Short Print 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.