An ode to the Black Lotus

Aaaah Black Lotus. The most beautiful flower out there!

Today is the third anniversary for my acquisition of this beauty

I know it has seen some battle. Maybe even some pavement! But it is a Black Lotus. And it is mine. I sometimes remember the Rifleman’s Creed – you know the “This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine…” Popularized in the movie Full Metal Jacket. I feel a bit of the same with my Lotus. It is not the most pristine card. It is not the most rare version. There are many other Unlimited Black Loti. But this one is mine.

Today – January second 2021 – it is exactly three years ago I concluded the deal, bought and picked up the card. It was not my first Lotus. I had an IE one before – but it was my first Lotus from one of the “real” sets.

At the time, I lived in Copenhagen, and had to take a short train ride (about an hour) to the neighboring town Næstved to pick up the card. I spend the entire ride thinking if I had made a mistake to conclude such a large deal. I had to spend a lot of money on a single card. Never before had I bought such an expensive piece of cardboard. It was the final piece I needed for my set of power, but I was still second-guessing the wisdom of my choice.

After concluding the deal, I must admit the train ride home was something special. And I had completely forgot my reservations on the deal.

I have held Loti in my hands before – both Unlimited, Beta and Alpha – but they had always been someone else’s. Now, when I sat there in the train heading back to Copenhagen, I couldn’t help but pull out my new treasure, de-sleeve it and simply sit there staring at it for almost the entire ride.

There is just something very special about this card. It is by no means my favorite card to play with – I don’t even consider it the best card. But the Black Lotus has such an esteem; such a history to its name, that even people who has never played the game, has often heard of it.

It is simply the treasure of every collection, in which it resides. Mythical in nature.

I will probably never be able to upgrade this specific piece of cardboard to one with black borders, and as such it is also a permanent part of my collection. And something my kids will probably inherit one day.

So here’s to the most beautiful flower the world has ever known!

Happy new years.

2 thoughts on “An ode to the Black Lotus

  1. Haha, I think the act of deesleving and just sitting and looking at my Lotus still occurs every few months. As a friend once told me (paraphrasing); the best thing with having a Black Lotus is that you have a Black Lotus 😉

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