1. Buy as many Black Lotus cards as you can.
2. Wait until they appreciate in value (they will).
3. Sell to a collector.
4. ??? (Destroy excess copies to drive up scarcity?)
5. Profit!

Now all you need is the tens of thousands of USD to make the initial purchase and you're set!

(Got this idea from a spambot thread but didnt know where a joke/spam/troll post would go, apologies if this is in the wrong area)

How many copies do you need to own before destroying one could net you a profit? Regardless of how many you have, you're probably better off staging their destruction instead. Or you could go full Nigerian Prince and say you need people to send you money to buy the chemical that will take the paint off your lotuses.

Ooh good idea! Honestly I like making the joke of buying 5 Black Lotus cards and destroying the extra one because of the original YuGiOh! anime where Kaiba destroys the 4th Blue Eyes White Dragon, but nowadays I don't know how many people would get that.

The world of the YuGiOh! was really about the fantasy of TCGs. All these officially produced cards that somehow nobody's ever heard of. Combos that put you on the brink of death for 5 turns in a row without actually being doomed. Being able to jam all your dumb favorite cards into your deck and still winning. The wider world caring about TCGs...

Yeah; definitely highlighted more casual aspects of TCGs, but then again we all were casuals at one point in time, and the competitive culture of higher-level gaming certainly takes its toll on us (or at least me) ... I want to win, yeah, but I also want to be engaged in a battle of wits against my opponent, not just reach a lethal Storm count or have Exodia in my hand.