CGC Cards and JSA Certify Stunning Set of Artist Proof Power Nine Cards from Magic: The Gathering

CGC Cards™ and JSA® recently had the honor of certifying a very special group of Power Nine cards from Magic: The Gathering — Artist Proofs all signed by their respective illustrators, all with gorgeously painted backs!

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The Power Nine are a group of rare Magic: The Gathering cards that were introduced in the Limited Edition Alpha set. Consisting of Ancestral Recall, Black Lotus, the Moxes, Timetwister and Time Walk, the Power Nine are some of the most powerful cards in all of MTG — so powerful, in fact, that they were removed from the Revised printing after the release of Unlimited Edition. Later, they would be added to the "Reserved" list.

Seeing any of the Power Nine up close is a real treat, but these Artist Proofs from Limited Edition (Beta) are special. All nine of the CGC x JSA-certified cards have been signed by the artists who illustrated them, and each card’s back features hand-painted artwork of the card, initialed again by the artist. JSA’s experts have verified the authenticity of each signature, confirming that each artist signed their own cards. These examples of the Power Nine are nearly one of a kind and can be considered holy grails within the MTG collecting community.

This set of cards was on display at CGC Cards' booth at The National, which took place in Cleveland, Ohio on July 24-28, 2024. Here's a closer look at some of these special examples of the Power Nine:

Artist Proof Ancestral Recall signed and painted by Mark Poole

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Ancestral Recall is one of the most well-known examples of the Power Nine, right behind Black Lotus itself. The card is known for its ability to allow the player to draw three cards, giving them a significant card advantage, or forcing the opponent to draw three cards, forcing them to slowly mill their decks. Ancestral Recall’s famous artwork was created by Mark Poole. This example is signed by Poole and has a vibrant sketch of the artwork on the back.

Artist Proof Black Lotus signed and painted by Christopher Rush

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Black Lotus is, by far, the most coveted Magic: The Gathering card of all time. Its ability to generate three mana of a single color gave players a massive advantage in MTG matches, leading to its inclusion in the Power Nine. Besides this, players and collectors alike praise Black Lotus’s artwork. The beautiful Lotus flower and landscape was illustrated by Christopher Rush, one of MTG’s most renowned artists. This signed example has Rush’s re-creation of his famous work on the back with his initials.

The Moxes signed and painted by Dan Frazier

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The Mox Jewels — often simply called “Moxes” — are a set of five cards based on gemstones used in jewelry. The original Moxes are Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire and Mox Ruby. The Moxes joined the Power Nine because of their incredible deck acceleration abilities. Each of the Moxes gave the player one additional mana of a certain color (red mana for Ruby, green mana for Emerald, etc.), allowing for such extreme mana acceleration that it gave players an unfair advantage.

All five of the Moxes were illustrated by Dan Frazier, one of the most recognizable artists in Magic: The Gathering. Frazier illustrated 39 total cards in the Limited Edition (Beta) set, including all three variants of Swamp, Sunglasses of Urza, the color Wards and more. Each back of these Moxes includes a painted version of that card, all signed and initialed by Frazier.

Timetwister signed and painted by Mark Tedin

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Timetwister gets its name from its ability that allows the player to shuffle their hand, library and graveyard back into their deck, then draw a new hand. The catch is that the opponent must also do the same, effectively erasing any advantage the opponent may have had. Timetwister essentially reverses the clock on any ongoing MTG match, making it one of the most potent spells in Magic.

Timetwister was illustrated by Mark Tedin. The eerie artwork of a faceless mage commanding a magical hourglass while a paladin stands frozen in shock and fear commands the exact sort of reaction an opponent would have when faced with Timetwister’s effects. The back of this Timetwister card also has a beautiful painted version of the artwork.

Time Walk signed and painted by Amy Weber

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Last but not least, this Time Walk Artist Proof is signed and painted by Amy Weber. The strength of this card is that it allows the player to take an extra turn. Time Walk was extremely effective in a game where one turn can make all the difference. Time Walk effectively allowed players to turn the tide of battle with a single card.

About CGC and JSA

CGC, the world’s most trusted pop culture grading service, and JSA, the world leader in autograph authentication, recently joined forces to offer collectors a seamless solution for autograph authentication, expert grading and state-of-the-art encapsulation for comics and cards. CGC x JSA services are part of CGC’s massive expansion efforts in autograph collecting with the acquisition of JSA earlier in 2024, and together with CGC Signature Series represent the hobby’s most complete suite of authentication and grading services for autograph collectors.