Pithing Needle

As of Aug 8, 2026, the cheapest tracked printing of Pithing Needle is $0.39 (MID #257), and the most expensive is $79.60 (MPS #44, Foil). The benchmark price (cheapest playable nonfoil) is $3.33, up 753.9% over 7 days, down 4.0% over 30 days, up 692.9% over 90 days. All-time tracked high: $3.47 (2026).

Pithing Needle has 15 tracked printings across 11 sets, in nonfoil, foil and etched finishes, including alt art, borderless, inverted, promo pack, prerelease and extended art treatments.

MID #257

$0.39

CK $0.79 / $0.08 79%

MP $0.33 212 avail

PMID #257p Promo Pack

$0.43 +10%

CK $1.29 / $0.33 23%

MP $0.40 21 avail

RTR #231

$0.49 +26%

CK $0.99 / $0.30 39%

MP $0.20 224 avail

2X2 #312 Foil

$0.50 +28%

CK $1.49 / $0.45 10%

MP $0.60 17 avail

MID #378 Extended Art

$0.53 +36%

CK $0.99 / $0.15 72%

MP $0.48 39 avail

2X2 #312

$0.55 +41%

CK $0.79 / $0.20 64%

MP $0.45 71 avail

M10 #217

$0.55 +41%

CK $0.99 / $0.10 82%

MP $0.44 73 avail

MID #257 Foil

$0.60 +54%

CK $0.79 / $0.12 80%

MP $0.53 47 avail

MID #378 Extended Art Foil

$0.62 +59%

CK $0.99 / $0.15 76%

MP $0.45 24 avail

DBL #257 Inverted

$0.82 +110%

CK $1.49 / $0.38 54%

MP $0.76 12 avail

PMID #257p Promo Pack Foil

$1.15 +195%

CK $1.49 / $0.38 67%

MP $1.30 7 avail

RTR #231 Foil

$1.27 +226%

CK $1.99 / $0.60 53%

MP $0.88 25 avail

2X2 #397 Borderless

$1.39 +256%

CK $1.79 / $0.90 35%

MP $1.04 28 avail

RVR #463 Alt Art Foil

$1.49 +282%

CK $3.49 / $1.23 17%

MP $0.88 10 avail

10E #338

$1.52 +290%

CK $0.79 / $0.08 95%

MP $0.68 26 avail

PMID #257s Prerelease Foil

$1.82 +367%

CK $2.79 / $0.95 48%

MP $1.14 14 avail

RVR #463 Alt Art

$1.89 +385%

CK $2.49 / $1.15 39%

MP $0.90 40 avail

2X2 #397 Borderless Foil

$2.12 +444%

CK $2.49 / $0.75 65%

MP $1.43 11 avail

SLD #44

$3.33 +754%

CK $2.99 / $1.35 59%

MP $3.49 18 avail

2X2 #564 Inverted Etched

$3.56 +813%

CK $1.99 / $0.50 86%

MP $1.64 15 avail

SOK #158

$4.23 +985%

CK $3.49 / $1.30 69%

MP $1.54 77 avail

DBL #257 Inverted Foil

$4.95 +1169%

CK $3.99 / $1.60 68%

MP $4.33 4 avail

M10 #217 Foil

$5.16 +1223%

CK $3.99 / $1.60 69%

MP $1.57 6 avail

10E #338 Foil

$8.78 +2151%

CK $9.99 / $5.00 43%

MP $4.44 5 avail

SOK #158 Foil

$49.00 +12464%

CK $44.99 / $22.50 54%

MPS #44 Foil

$79.60 +20310%

CK $99.99 / $55.00 31%

MP $93.56 1 avail

Card Kingdom currently pays $55.00 cash for MPS #44 (Foil); the retail-buylist spread on that printing is 45% (wide).

• Oct 1, 2012 Activated abilities include a colon and are written in the form "[cost]: [effect]." Triggered abilities and static abilities of the named card work normally.
• Oct 1, 2009 Once Pithing Needle has left the battlefield, activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can be activated again.
• Jun 1, 2005 If you name a card that has both a mana ability and another activated ability, the mana ability can be activated but the other ability can't be activated.
• Jun 1, 2005 Pithing Needle affects cards regardless of what zone they're in. This includes cards in hand, cards in the graveyard, and exiled cards. For example, a player can't cycle Eternal Dragon or return an Eternal Dragon from their graveyard to hand if Pithing Needle naming Eternal Dragon is on the battlefield.
• Jun 1, 2005 You can name any card, even if that card doesn't normally have an activated ability. You can't name a token unless that token has the same name as a card.

Pithing Needle has been reprinted 26 times.

Set	Date	Rarity	Treatment	30 days	90 days
RVR #463	2024-01-12	Rare	Alt Art	$1.20	$1.69
RVR #463	2024-01-12	Rare	Alt Art	$1.50	$2.05
2X2 #397	2022-07-08	Rare	Borderless	—	—
2X2 #397	2022-07-08	Rare	Borderless	—	—
2X2 #564	2022-07-08	Rare	Inverted	—	—
2X2 #312	2022-07-08	Rare	Standard	—	—
2X2 #312	2022-07-08	Rare	Standard	—	—
DBL #257	2022-01-28	Rare	Inverted	—	—
DBL #257	2022-01-28	Rare	Inverted	—	—
PMID #257s	2021-09-24	Rare	Prerelease	—	—

Showing the 10 most recent of 26 printings.

Pithing Needle is the #6,414 most-played card on EDHREC, down 54 places over the last 30 days.