The 37 Best Mythics to Craft on MTG Arena Ranked

Last updated on April 26, 2024

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Hello, planeswalkers! Step up and step into the Arena! MTG Arena, that is. The online platform is a great way to play Magic anytime and develop your playing and deck-building skills. They're not a requirement for a good deck, but mythic rare cards can be the bombs and strategy-accelerating cards you need.

MTG Arena is a free-to-play online MTG platform, with the option of in-game purchases. If you’re the kind of person who wants to enjoy Magic without emptying your wallet, then let’s optimize the little resources we get on the platform. On MTG Arena, there are wildcards of different rarity levels you can cash in for cards of the same rarity.

Let’s take a look at a list of the best ways to spend your mythic wildcards and develop solid decks.

What Are Mythics on MTGA?

The Meathook Massacre | Illustration by Chris Seaman

For this article, mythics refer to the mythic rare rating on cards. Mythic rares are indicated by a set symbol that’s an orange-red color. They’re a rarity level higher than rare and they appear on average once in every 7-8 booster packs. Because of their extra rarity, it’s necessary to plan your mythic wild cards appropriately to maximize your decks.

Below is my opinion of which mythic cards you should be using wildcards for and how each card ranks in importance. I have a slight preference for Standard-legal cards, as that’s the most commonly played format.

Quick note, I won't be including any mythics that also have a lower-rarity version on Arena. Approach of the Second Sun, for example, exists as a mythic in the Strixhaven Mythical Archive, but it's also a normal rare in Amonkhet Remastered. Same with Smothering Tithe, which was mythic in the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet, but rare in its original Ravnica Allegiance printing. Unless you have a strong art preference, it's best to save your mythic wildcards for cards that don't have a lower-rarity version.

#37. Bloodthirsty Adversary

All the Adversaries from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt are solid in many different builds. One of the most popular is Bloodthirsty Adversary for its speed and huge value in mono-red aggro decks, especially in Standard. You can attack and burn your opponent early, and then bring back one of those burn spells later to finish off the game.

#36. Sanctuary Warden

Sanctuary Warden is the type of creature that can stand alone in a control-style deck. After some early-game removal, you can play Sanctuary Warden and regain the draw and board advantage. There’s nothing so special about this card, but it's a reliable choice in non-Alchemy MTGA formats.

#35. Emiel the Blessed

Emiel the Blessed provides a wild amount of interaction and synergy opportunities. For 3 mana you can blink important ETB creatures or protect your most valuable creatures from targeted removal. Versatility is key in a match, and the optimal use of mana compared with ETB effects makes this a must-roster card in certain Historic builds.

#34. Timeless Lotus

For your mythic wildcards and deck development, I believe it’s always good and fun to have some high-powered mana accelerants to exploit. There are many choices, but I’ll choose Timeless Lotus. This is the kind of card you can turn into a huge endgame accelerator or even unlimited mana. It may not be the most consistent or used card, but it’s legal in all MTGA formats, so go wild!

#33. Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might / Temple of Power

All the gods from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan set can take decks to new levels. Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation can explode your board presence, and Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth can create huge ETB synergies. They’re wonderful cards, but I want to focus on Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might.

This mythic card can turn all your burn spells and pinging abilities into deadly blows. A shot of Play with Fire and two pings from Thermo-Alchemist, and now you’ve dealt a ton of damage quickly!

#32. Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

If you haven’t been paying attention to the current Standard meta, dinosaurs that cheat cards onto the battlefield are having a moment. Through mana ramping or some sort of other sneaking methods, the quicker you can get Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant onto the battlefield the better. The synergy of sneaking cards onto the battlefield is a surefire way to win matches.

#31. Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger

Escape is a wonderful way to use your graveyard and the flow of the game as an advantage. Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger can apply pressure on your opponent every time you play it or attack. I might have also included in this ranking the Elder Giant Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, but it has been banned in Historic.

#30. Snapcaster Mage

Snapcaster Mage is a superb addition to the skilled player’s toolbox. At instant speed, you can give one of your most important instants flashback until end of turn. If speed isn’t such a worry, you can flashback one of your bomb sorcery spells. However you plan it, Snapcaster Mage can maximize your important spells at an efficient cost and speed. Unfortunately, this card is only legal in Historic on MTGA.

#29. Raffine, Scheming Seer

Raffine, Scheming Seer is an unassuming great addition to many types of decks. It works very well in legendary decks and as a way to boost strong attackers like Illuminator Virtuoso. The card draw also greatly helps you stabilize your Esper decks in all non-Alchemy formats.

#28. Emeria’s Call

All the mythic MDFC lands from Zendikar Rising can have a wonderful impact on your matches. You get a “bolt land” (a reference to the 3 damage you take, like a Lightning Bolt to yourself) or an often useful mythic spell. My favorite of these cards is Emeria's Call because of its aggressive and token-creating nature.

#27. Stoneforge Mystic

Stoneforge Mystic was first printed with some mean equipment, and while Batterskull is an unlikely addition to Arena, the For Mirrodin! mechanic is a solid and fair way to maximize the Mystic's abilities. Give the artificer a Sylvok Battle-Chair, Blade of Shared Souls, or Dragonwing Glider and dominate.

#26. Magma Opus

When it comes to control decks you're going to need a magnum opus, so why not Magma Opus? This powerful sorcery can change many of the game’s elements in your favor with all its text and effects. To maximize this spell, you should build in ways to play it multiple times with cards like Lier, Disciple of the Drowned or Arcane Bombardment.

#25. Notion Thief

Stealing cards never felt so sweet. OK, it doesn't actually steal cards, but Notion Thief does an incredible job disrupting the decks that want to abuse card draw. Sometimes, you would like this thief in your Brawl sideboard, but that's not an option, so don't feel bad maindecking it, just make sure you cast it with flash for immediate effect. Build around it with cards like these, Dragon Mage, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and Faerie Mastermind.

#24. Chandra, Hope’s Beacon

I could have easily included Chandra, Dressed to Kill in these rankings for its speed and burn-ramp for aggressive decks. However, I want to suggest Chandra, Hope's Beacon for your mythic wildcard. It’s more expensive than many other planeswalkers, but the static ability combined with its loyalty abilities make this card a bomb of a planeswalker.

#23. Calix, Guided by Fate

Calix, Guided by Fate is the key in the ignition no one thought Selesnya enchantments needed. It fits perfectly into the curve and has unbelievable synergy in enchantment decks across all formats. You can pile on the counters and create copies of your most potent enchantments like Ossification or Weaver of Harmony.

#22. Bloodletter of Aclazotz

Bloodletter of Aclazotz is an interesting card in the mono-black metagame of most formats. It has a great static ability of doubling the damage you can do to an opponent during your turns. The 3 black mana () in its mana cost may keep it out of many decks, but if you can get this card on the battlefield it should raise some worry in your opponents. Unsurprisingly, this card also pairs well with Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal if you have a ton of mythic wildcards lying around.

#21. Serra Paragon

There’s no better way to say it: Serra Paragon is a guardian angel to cheap permanent decks. You can bring back important creatures like Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, removed permanents like Ossification, or even fetch lands to gain some extra life and mana. Serra Paragon is a great card to help aggressive decks counter a ton of removal.

#20. Atraxa, Grand Unifier

Atraxa, Grand Unifier is a multi-color deck delight. This card can quickly spiral the game out of control for your opponent. With some mana ramp like Invasion of Zendikar and removal to keep you alive like Sunfall, you should be able to crush your opponent with Atraxa, Grand Unifier.

#19. Liliana of the Veil

As with many of the planeswalkers on this list, Liliana has many solid mythical cards to choose from. Liliana, Dreadhorde General has a wonderful static and loyalty ability combo and Liliana, Death's Majesty has great graveyard synergies, but I want to focus on Liliana of the Veil.

This card is an early-turn planeswalker that can often alter your opponent’s aggressive strategy quickly. For this reason and because of its discard ability, Liliana of the Veil is a fan favorite in Standard. 

#18. Jodah, the Unifier

If you love legendary creatures or multi-colored decks, Jodah, the Unifier is your staple. If you can get this card and your board rolling, it becomes quite hard to stop. You get a massive pump for your legendary creatures and may even sneak one or two onto the battlefield. Plus, it’s legal in all MTGA formats!

#17. Questing Beast

Sometimes you don’t need game-ending bombs or overpowered planeswalkers to win games. Sometimes you just need solid midrange creatures to counter aggressive decks while not letting control decks build. Questing Beast is a wonderful example of this. It has so many keywords and a ton of text to help you take control of and hopefully win in the midgame.

#16. Nissa, Ascended Animist

Nissa is an incredibly powerful planeswalker, even the desparked form Nissa, Resurgent Animist. Nissa, Ascended Animist is my choice for a mythic wildcard because it can generate huge creatures or be a massive game-winning mass pump. This card gives you several ways to win a game and that value should not go unappreciated.

#15. Neheb, the Eternal

Neheb, the Eternal can take your Historic burn or storm decks to new heights. The mana that this card can produce on your postcombat main phase can give you a ridiculous advantage. Your opponent better have some good removal, or your burn spells will overwhelm them quickly.

#14. Bitterblossom

Who could forget about the fan favorite, Bitterblossom? The creation of a token creature each turn is so versatile that this card can be found far and wide. Join the party and build your flying faerie army or create tokens to sacrifice for even more mischief.

#13. Atsushi, the Blazing Sky

All the dragon spirits from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty are wonderful ways to spend your mythic wildcards. From Ao, the Dawn Sky helping you to fight off board wipes, to even O-Kagachi Made Manifest if you can control the game long enough to get the mana you need. Atsushi, the Blazing Sky may be the best one, as it fits so well into aggressive decks with the impulse draw or Treasure creation. If dragons are your thing and you play Historic, make sure to also check out the ancient dragons like Ancient Copper Dragon. 

#12. Terror of the Peaks

Terror of the Peaks is truly a terror on your opponent when you have a few other creatures to play. When you get intentional about triggering this dragon, players get wrecked. Plus, it has an early form of ward to ensure it doesn't need to attack to massively impact the game.

#11. Virtue of Persistence + Virtue of Loyalty

I found it hard to rank Virtue of Persistence and Virtue of Loyalty over each other. In the current Standard rotation, they both rock in their respective decks. Virtue of Persistence is great early removal that turns into a beast of a reanimator effect. Virtue of Loyalty can give you a token at instant speed and then a massive boost to all your small creatures.

#10. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

We have to highlight the big baddie from the newest Phyrexian cycle, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. This card is legal in every Arena format and creates a big advantage divide between you and your opponent. You can double up abilities triggered on your ETBs while silencing your opponent's.

#9. The Wandering Emperor

In Standard, if your opponent has 4 mana available and two of them can produce white (), you can be sure they’ll probably play The Wandering Emperor when you attack. It’s so common and so effective that this card has become a must-roster in decks that at least splash white. The instant removal is solid enough, but the other loyalty abilities just add to the reason you need this card.

#8. Portal to Phyrexia

If cheating in a massive bomb is your strategy, then Portal to Phyrexia is your card. This is the kind of mythic rare card that can completely alter a game. Remove your opponent’s creatures and constantly bring a creature back from the graveyard each turn. Devastating!

#7. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon will effectively work as a board wipe and then a solid planeswalker to work back from the board destruction. From the versatile, colorless mana cost to the wonderful loyalty abilities, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon is as solid a planeswalker as there is.

#6. The Great Henge + The Skullspore Nexus

The Skullspore Nexus and The Great Henge are hugely powerful legendary artifacts that deserve your mythic wildcards. They’re both expensive artifacts that have a cost reduction based on the greatest power among creatures you control. Once you get these artifacts on the battlefield, they start to boost all your next moves, from creating huge tokens and doubling power to ramping and giving counters. You can’t go wrong with either, but I believe The Great Henge is the better of the two.

#5. Crucible of Worlds

Crucible of Worlds is the kind of card that new or inexperienced players read as not very good. However, the amount of value you can get from all your lands is something most players don’t take advantage of. Fetch lands like Evolving Wilds help you to get the mana you need while also churning through your deck faster. There are a ton of amazing possibilities with Crucible of Worlds if you learn how to build around it.

#4. The Meathook Massacre

The Meathook Massacre is unfortunately banned from Standard, but for good reason. It’s so powerful that it greatly skewed the meta! This card gives you an effective and quick board wipe and allows you to control the game with the siphoning of life. I loved this card, and Explorer or Historic players should continue to rock it!

#3. Goldspan Dragon

No ranking list would be complete without Goldspan Dragon. The amount of mana you can create at crucial points of a match is ridiculous. The haste and ability to target Goldspan Dragon yourself should almost ensure you get some Treasure tokens to finish your opponent with endgame bombs.

#2. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

What’s not to love about Sheoldred, the Apocalypse? This card is so curve-friendly and can drastically alter the game. You can build around it to draw cards and skyrocket your life total or build defensively and slowly destroy your opponent with every one of their draws. I love this card and I don’t see it leaving the meta, of any format, anytime soon.

#1. Cavern of Souls

This ranking wouldn’t be complete without at least one mythic land to use your wildcards on. I get it, it hurts to use your wildcards on lands, but Cavern of Souls is worth it. This land will be key to typal decks on Arena moving forward. If you have a shared creature type in your deck, you need to be rostering four Cavern of Souls ASAP.

Resources to Help With Your Decisions

There's no doubt that there are disagreements around my rankings above. Maybe you felt that I left some cards out, maybe you disagree with the ordering, or maybe you see the uses of the cards differently than I do. I’m here to give you my humble opinion, but I also give you the resources I used to make my decisions. This way you can make up your mind and make the best decisions for yourself!

Draftsim’s own Arena Tutor can be a great asset. Its Metagame tab especially can show you the best decks in any meta, and you can use it to find which decks you can build with the mythics you already have. Download the application and get AI-powered insights into deckbuilding, drafting, and statistical tracking, and check out other players' decks and the mythics they use most frequently! I checked the Meta Deck Analysis on Arena Tutor every day while researching.

I also always use a few resources when researching a topic. If you don’t already know about them please check out Scryfall and EDHREC and find all the cards, descriptions, and deck ideas you could ever want.

Wrap Up

Cavern of Souls | Illustration by Alayna Danner

Thank you to everyone for journeying through the multiverses to find the mythic heroes, creatures, and spells to dominate your matches. Whether you're trying to build an ultra-competitive deck, or just want to know if this mythic card is worth drafting, I hope you enjoyed my findings!

If you did enjoy this article, make sure to take advantage of all of the information given by Draftsim. Check out all the wonderful articles, the Arena Tutor app, follow us on X, and join our official Discord.

Stay safe, and use those wildcards wisely!