MTG mythic rares explained
Last updated: September 1, 2026
Mythic rare is the highest of Magic's four standard rarities, sitting one step above rare. If you've opened a booster and seen an orange set symbol, that's a mythic — and there's a bit more to them than "the rarest card in the pack."
How to spot one
Rarity is colour-coded in the set symbol on the middle-right of the card: black for common, silver for uncommon, gold for rare, and a burnt orange for mythic rare. It's the fastest way to tell a mythic at a glance. For everything the rest of a card's layout tells you, see reading a Magic card.
When mythics started
Mythic rare was introduced in Shards of Alara in 2008. Before that, rare was the top of the ladder. A typical modern set now has roughly 15 to 20 mythics, and a booster's rare slot is upgraded to a mythic somewhere around one pack in eight (it varies by product).
What earns the mythic slot
Wizards reserves mythic for cards that are exciting to open: planeswalkers, marquee legendary creatures, splashy bombs, and chase cards. The goal is a memorable "wow" when one turns up — so mythics skew toward big, flashy effects rather than quiet role-players.
Rarity is not power — and not price
This is the part that trips up new players. A mythic symbol doesn't mean a card is strong, and it definitely doesn't mean it's expensive. Plenty of mythics are near-worthless because nobody plays them, while some of the priciest cards in the game are rares — or even commons and uncommons — that see heavy competitive play. Price tracks demand and supply, not the colour of the symbol. We break that down in why MTG card prices vary, and the full rarity ladder lives in understanding MTG card rarity.
Browse mythic rares in stock — you can narrow by colour or price from there to find exactly the ones you're after.