This year has been a banger for Magic, with Wizards of the Coast giving players more new sets and supplementary products than ever before. In the spirit of 2022, the year with the most Magic, we’re going to look at the best selling cards and products sold here at Card Kingdom in the past 12 months.
Best Selling cards in 2022
Before we dive in, I wanted to clarify the criteria we’re using to make this list. We’re looking at the raw quantity of cards sold for individual printings — not the cards that sold for the most amount of money, total. As a result, don’t expect even the most popular, crucial mythics on this list.
Also, there might be some no-brainers on the list, and even some repeats. While we could have pruned those from the list (or combined the repeats), we wanted to keep the data as pure as possible. Otherwise the list would miss key cards that matter to players or it would create an anti-climatic outcome.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into it!
No. 10: Arcane Signet | Streets of New Capenna (8,492)
I’m sure this is a huge shock given that Commander is the most popular way to play Magic and Arcane Signet is the most popular way to get colored mana out of a rock. While Wizards of the Coast Principle Magic Designer Gavin Verhey may regret Arcane Signet for the way it homogenizes deck building, at least it’s accessible.
The main interesting point here is that, out of all the different printings of Arcane Signet this year, the Streets of New Capenna one ended up this popular. So much for the set being a dud, am I right?
No. 9: Sol Ring | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (8,522)
Wow! Arcane Signet followed by Sol Ring? No one could have seen this coming (can you use surprise Pikachu when you’re talking about a different card game?).
Anyway, this card is run in almost every single Commander deck because playing it nets you mana, accelerating your game ahead of the competition. Just don’t ask whether it should be banned in the format, unless you want a stampede of very strong and different opinions.
No. 8: Secluded Courtyard | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (8,644)
OK, now we’re talking — a card that you may not have seen coming! However, this land’s popularity makes perfect sense. Players love building decks focused around a particular creature type, and Secluded Courtyard is the first land we’ve seen of its kind since Unclaimed Territory in Ixalan.
However, it’s important to note that, while similar, Secluded Courtyard is a strict upgrade over its counterpart since it lets you spend the colored mana to activate abilities of the chosen creature type, too. And while that’s technically power creep, players are mostly just happy to have a redundant land that can slot into their decks.
No. 7: Sol Ring | Streets of New Capenna (9,007)
Again already? I thought we’d get a bigger break than this… And what’s with New Capenna getting all this attention? The Commander set symbol must be particularly appealing, because the art sure is the same as always.
Next year, let’s all agree to buy one of the Warhammer 40,000 Sol Rings.
No. 6: Dragon’s Approach | Strixhaven (9,094)
Huh, probably could have guessed something like this would end up on the list. After all, this card’s whole shtick is to run more than a format’s limit usually allows. Dragon’s Approach certainly never burned down Standard, but Commander players sure love their big, flying, fire-breathing creatures.
Someone may have done the math on the optimal amount to run in Commander, but the real question is which dragon are you tutoring for? There are so many options that someone should make a list of the most popular dragons to get with the sixth most popular Magic card on Card Kingdom, Dragon’s Approach.
Sorry, that list doesn’t actually exist. Maybe it should, but we don’t need to get that meta today.
No. 5: Infernal Grasp | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (9,247)
Players don’t claim every scary creature dies to removal for nothing! This year, they really put their money where their mouth is.
Still, it’s hard to blame them. In the grand scheme of things, what is two life to remove a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse on your upkeep? You were going to lose that life anyway. This card is certainly going to see play for a long time.
And hey, maybe this means we don’t have to tell people to run more removal. Or maybe they’ll think this removal is so good that they can afford to run less… Yeah, you should probably keep telling everyone — but only after immediately losing a game to a threat no one had the answer for.
No. 4: Command Tower | Commander Legends (9,272)
Alongside Sol Ring and Arcane Signet, Command Tower is the starting point for almost every Commander deck. Even mono-color decks run it more than you might think.
What’s impressive here, though, is that players didn’t go for the Streets of New Capenna version! In fact, they threw it all the way back to 2020 and the original Commander Legends.
No. 3: Tamiyo’s Safekeeping | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (9,517)
So much for “dies to removal,” eh? All it takes is one green mana to annoy every player with interaction in your life. And apparently that’s quite a lot of you out there! As a control player, thanks.
At least I can take some solace in the fact that the one thing Tamiyo couldn’t keep safe is herself… Oh, is that too soon? My bad.
No. 2: Arcane Signet | Battle for Baldur’s Gate (9,781)
This is the last repeat, we promise (the list is almost over anyway)! But wow, everyone seemed to love the new art on this old(ish) classic. And I mean, this version is more fashionable.
The first Arcane Signet made a statement, but it’s a little too bulky to be anything but gaudy. This slimmed down version is perfectly elegant for the enterprising movers and shakers of Baldur’s Gate.
No. 1: Rat Colony | Dominaria (9,857)
Really? Rat Colony? It’s one thing to kill me with a swarm of creatures, but to do it with this nibbly, ever growing collection of fuzz balls is just rude.
Still, there is obviously something alluring about swinging with 19 different 20/1 rats. And if anyone lets a board state get messy enough where that’s even possible, they probably had it coming in the first place.
Best selling Magic products of 2022
Cards aren’t all there is in Magic, so we wanted to take a quick look at some of the other products you all seemed to like so much this year. But in the interest of brevity, we’re going to just go with the quick hits this time. Hope you don’t mind.
Best selling sleeves: Dragon Shield Mattes
While we’ll leave the community’s favorite color a mystery for the sake of not starting any arguments, it’s no surprise that Dragon Shield took first place with their matte sleeves. They look great and they shuffle so well. Plus, the empty boxes are perfect for the random commons that accumulate on your desk after buying that one booster pack at Target 15 times a month.
Best selling deck box: Eclipse Pro 100+
Simple, functional and affordable, these Eclipse Pro deck boxes earned this honor for a reason. When you have an endless number of decks and would rather splurge on that new mythic instead of accessories (and who could blame you), this product will be there to keep your collection safe.
Best selling booster pack: Double Masters 2022 Draft
What’s better than one rare or mythic per pack? Double Masters 2022, apparently! Despite being a premium product, the allure of getting twice as many powerful cards is strong indeed.
Best selling booster box: Battle for Baldur’s Gate Set Booster Box
Now this one caught me a bit off guard considering it released during a chaotic point of the year to a fair amount of criticism. And considering this was a draft set, it’s a bit of a surprise to see the set booster box outperform here.
Still, the alternate art treatment perfectly captured that original Dungeons & Dragons feeling, so it does make sense. Plus, despite what some people might think, the set is full of incredibly playable and powerful cards.
Best selling bundle: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty
It wouldn’t be a “most popular of 2022” list without the best set of the year showing up, right? And while players didn’t turn out as big for full boxes, they did want just one more grip of booster packs.
Best selling Commander decks: Warhammer 40,000, set of four
Anyone could have guessed this set of decks would win this category if you asked them, though seeing the entire set of four out perform any of the individual ones is a bit unexpected. However, having a full pod of these bad boys does make for an incredibly fun and flavorful experience.
End step
After all that, we have finally come to the end of the road (and year, basically). Thanks for sticking through to see how well your interests lined up with the rest of the community, and we hope to see you back in 2023! Have a happy new year, and don’t forget those resolutions!
Jason Krell is the content manager at Card Kingdom, meaning he helps make all of this possible. He is also an unabashed Esper control player, and he hopes the two things at least cancel each other out. He loves when everyone gets to do their thing in a game of Commander and spends way too much thinking about game design. Jason also comes from an esports journalism background, which probably explains a lot about his work.