Balance Price
27 printings · 21 sets · first printed 1993
Balance has been printed 27 times across 21 sets, first in 1993 and most recently in 2024. Right now the cheapest printing is The List #EMA-2 at $0.77, while the most expensive is Unlimited Edition #3 at $71.94 — about 93× more. The median across 14 priced printings is $4.41. Reprint risk: HIGH RISK — Reprinted 27x, including dedicated reprint sets like The List, Eternal Masters.
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Every Balance Printing, Compared
Cheapest first · unpriced last| Printing | Year | Price | Dealer Buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| The List #EMA-2 (M) Cheapest | 2024 | $0.77 | $0.10 |
| Eternal Masters #2 (M) | 2016 | $2.03 | $1.30 |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #et6 (R) | 1996 | $2.35 | $0.45 |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #bl6 (R) | 1996 | $2.49 | $0.45 |
| Fourth Edition #6 (R) | 1995 | $2.90 | $0.30 |
| Secret Lair Drop #173 (M) | 2021 | $3.80 | $1.30 foil |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #ml6 (R) | 1996 | $3.98 | $1.15 |
| Revised Edition #3 (R) | 1994 | $4.83 | $1.50 |
| From the Vault: Exiled #1 (M) Foil | 2009 | $15.84 | $6.90 foil |
| Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border #6 (R) | 1995 | $16.99 | — |
| Collectors' Edition #3 (R) | 1993 | $28.98 | — |
| Foreign Black Border #3 (R) | 1994 | $29.97 | — |
| Judge Gift Cards 2004 #2 (R) Foil | 2004 | $33.26 | — |
| Unlimited Edition #3 (R) | 1993 | $71.94 | $44.00 |
| 30th Anniversary Edition #300 (R) | 2022 | — | $150.00 |
| 30th Anniversary Edition #3 (R) | 2022 | — | $5.75 |
| Vintage Masters #14 (M) | 2014 | — | — |
| Masters Edition IV #6 (R) | 2011 | — | — |
| Magic Online Promos #36278 (R) Foil | 2011 | — | — |
| Oversized League Prizes #17 (R) | 1997 | — | — |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #mj6 (R) | 1996 | — | $0.45 |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #pp6 (R) | 1996 | — | $0.85 |
| Pro Tour Collector Set #shr6 (R) | 1996 | — | $1.00 |
| Summer Magic / Edgar #3 (R) | 1994 | — | — |
| Intl. Collectors' Edition #3 (R) | 1993 | — | $11.00 |
| Limited Edition Beta #3 (R) | 1993 | — | $1,020.00 |
| Limited Edition Alpha #3 (R) | 1993 | — | $2,280.00 |
Prices are the latest nightly market price; a printing with no tracked price shows a dash. Dealer buylist is Card Kingdom's current offer via MTGJSON, shown where one exists.
Not legal in any tracked constructed format.
Legality is a property of the card, not the printing, so it is identical for all 27 versions.
Official Judge Precedents
3 PrecedentsBalance doesn't have targets, so permanents that can't be targeted, such as a creature with shroud or protection from white, are valid choices to be sacrificed.
Each type of object is counted during the corresponding part of the process. Cards in hand are counted after lands have been sacrificed, and creatures on the battlefield are counted after cards have been discarded. Thus, a land creature sacrificed to the first part of the spell would not be counted when determining how many creatures are on the battlefield for the last part.
First the player whose turn it is chooses which lands (if any) to keep, then each other player in turn order does the same. Each player will know the choices made by the players who chose before them. All of the unchosen lands are then sacrificed simultaneously. Then the process is repeated for cards in hand, except that no cards are revealed until all players have chosen what to discard, at which point those cards are all discarded simultaneously. Lastly, the process is repeated for creatures, and players will again know earlier choices made when deciding what to sacrifice. All of the unchosen creatures are then sacrificed simultaneously.