Is the MTG Arena Wildcard Bundle Worth it?

Last updated on August 8, 2024

Unexpected Windfall | Illustration by Alayna Danner

The economy on MTG Arena isn’t completely straightforward, between gold, gems, wildcards, and more. What’s more, you can now buy wildcards directly in some of MTGA's bundles.

What do you actually get in these bundles, though? And is it worth paying cold, hard, cash on them? Let’s look at what you get for your hard-earned dollars and whether there’s a better option!

What Comes in a Wildcard Bundle?

Wild Growth | Illustration by Tony Szczudlo

Wildcard bundles come with just that! They’re a bundle of wildcards, found on the MTGA Store. You pay some money and you either get four rare wildcards, or four mythic rare wildcards that can be used to craft any rare/mythic on the Arena client.

There are some other one-time bundles that contain wildcards, too, such as the Spark Bundle, which comes with 4 of each wildcard, plus 1,500 gems and some cosmetics.

Are the Wildcard Bundles Worth It?

Looking at whether these bundles are worth it is entirely up to your own judgement. At the end of the day, if you’re happy to spend that money on wildcards to use on the Arena client, then they’re worth it! However, they have different values for different people, so you may want to evaluate how useful they are for you.

Breakdown of the Numbers

A bundle of four rare wildcards costs $9.99 and the Mythic wildcards cost $19.99. Looking at the cold numbers, that’s $2.50 per rare wildcard or $5 per Mythic rare wildcard. However, there’s no other way to directly get wildcards of any rarity, so it might be worth it to do that. However, for a lot of players, it may be more efficient to put that money elsewhere.

Other Ways to Use Those Funds In Arena 

The economy on Arena is complex, so this isn’t the only way to spend cash on the client. For the price of the rare wildcards you can grab 1,600 gems, and for the mythics you can get 3,400 gems. This would let you get 8 or 17 packs, respectively, with each pack bagging you at least one rare/mythic card, as well as contributing to the wildcard track and progress towards golden packs. The tradeoff here is that there’s an element of randomness when opening packs, compared to using wildcards to get the specific thing you’re looking for to finish off a deck. That said, the absolute amount you get for your money is without a doubt higher when buying Arena packs.

You can also use those gems to buy Draft entries on MTGA. When drafting, you get to keep the cards you draft, plus you also get the gameplay of drafting, too, which is fantastic!

What Could You Get At Your Local Game Store for the Same Price?

Comparing to your LGS is going to vary from store to store, but for the $20 you’re spending on those mythic wildcards in Arena, you’ll probably be able to buy into a draft, or at least pick up a handful of booster packs. If you do this, you’re going to end up with something physical to take away, and potentially get to sell valuable Magic cards you may find, whereas any money you put into the Arena client is essentially gone forever. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t put money into the client, but it’s something you need to consider before doing so.

Do Wildcard Bundles Make It Pay to Win?

There is some discussion around whether buying things like this makes Arena Pay to Win, but my stance is that it makes it Pay to Play. There’s a limit to where money gets you on the client, and you’re not going to qualify for the Pro Tour just by funneling cash into Arena. Of course, many players are entirely F2P, and can still do very well if they are.

Is There a Limit on Wildcard Bundles?

There’s no limit for the main wildcard bundles, but bundles like the Spark bundles are designed to entice new players in with above-normal value, so will be limited to once per account. It’s usually pretty well labelled if it’s a one-time purchase, though.

Wrap Up

Wildfire Eternal | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

If you’re wondering if it’s worth it to spend money on MTG Arena, whether on wild cards or anything else, it’s a personal choice, and one you should weigh up with other options.

Personally, I can’t see myself ever buying one of these wildcard bundles, but I’ve been playing since the closed Beta and have a nice collection already. There are definitely people out there who this is the right purchase for, but I think most people would prefer to put that money elsewhere, even if it’s just elsewhere on Arena!

Have you bought the wildcard bundles before? Or can you see yourself buying one? Let me know in the comments down below either way or on the Draftsim Discord.

Catch you next time!