Table of Contents
Hello everyone! Today we’re going to do another Arena economy article! The Top 10 Mythic Rares to Craft was rather well received, but I saw a few comments saying that there’s a large subset of people who have no issues with Mythics, but tend to run out of Rares first! That was very surprising to me as I feel like I’m always flush with Rares and run out of Mythics, but I’ll provide what the people need!
Like last time, I’m looking at the top 10 best Mythic crafts for Standard based on win rate date, play rate data, how many you need, and how transferable they are to other decks.
Before I continue, this article was greatly helped by the data procured from Untapped.gg. If you’re interested in checking out their site and downloading their deck tracker, you can click right here.
Let’s get into it.
10. Showdown of the Skalds
Standard Naya Runes by Bohe
by Bohe
Standard
best of 3
2 mythic
30 rare
20 uncommon
8 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (15)
Sorceries (4)
Enchantments (18)
Lands (23)
60 Cards
$222.28
Sideboard
15 Cards
$79.39
- Win Rate: 55.4%
- Games Played: 32,000
- Quantity: 1-4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Low
To start off our list we have Showdown of the Skalds! This one is a bit of a bummer for me as I think it’s one of the best cards in Standard but has struggled to break in. Even now, only 1-2 decks actively look to play it which does make it’s utility lower than I’d like.
That said, it does see play as a 4 of in one of the current top decks, Naya Runes. Considering how powerful it is and that it’s currently seeing play in an excellent deck, I think this is a pretty safe craft.
9. Halana and Alena, Partners
Bo3 Naya White Aggro
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Aggro
best of 3
4 mythic
47 rare
4 uncommon
5 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (1)
Creatures (29)
Lands (24)
60 Cards
$226.04
Sideboard
15 Cards
$71.23
- Win Rate: 55.3%
- Games Played: 46,000
- Quantity: 2-4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Low-Medium
Next up on the list we have Halana and Alena, Partners. This inclusion is a bit of an ironic one for me because I initially slated this as just a Limited bomb and no constructed applications! Just goes to show, if a card is excellent in Limited, more often than not, it’ll be good in Constructed too.
I digress, Halana and Alena, Partners are quite powerful and see play in a few different decks like Gruul and Naya variants. That may seem like it has low utility then, but it does have a few distinct advantages compared to some other cards on this list. First off, most decks don’t need a full 4 copies so a few copies can go a long way. Second, unlike many of these cards, Halana and Alena, Partners aren’t rotating in September which gives them a significantly longer shelf life. With all these factors considered, the Partners are certainly a strong craft.
8. Ranger Class
Untapped Gruul Werewolves
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Tribal
best of 3
5 mythic
36 rare
7 uncommon
12 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (28)
Instants (2)
Enchantments (3)
Lands (23)
60 Cards
$167.44
Sideboard
15 Cards
$24.05
- Win Rate: 54.9%
- Games Played: 78,000
- Quantity: 2-4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Medium
Landing in our 8th place slot is Ranger Class! Ranger Class is somewhat the opposite of the previous two entries, it isn’t particularly powerful, but it sees play in a greater range of decks.
If you’re playing Green in your deck, there’s a strong chance you’ll have a few copies of Ranger Class either in the main board or as a sideboard option. Furthermore, a lot of decks don’t need 4 so having a couple or even one copy can be relatively helpful. My main concern with Ranger Class is that it eventually will be outclassed (get it?) by stronger options, but it’s utility will likely keep it coming back again and again.
7. Skyclave Apparation
- Win Rate: 58.9%
- Games Played: 75,000
- Quantity: 3-4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Medium
Next up on the list we have the extremely powerful Skyclave Apparation! Skyclave has been a Standard staple since it’s release, but there’s a lot of caveats to it. First off, although I listed it as seeing play in a variety of decks, it is predominately a Mono White card. Sometimes decks like Orzhov or Naya use it in the 75 which makes it have good utility, but that’s not a super common occurrence. Second, it isn’t irreplaceable like it used to be with the inception of Brutal Cathar which does a very similar thing and is less color intensive. Finally, Skyclave is rotating out in September giving it only 6ish more months of play to it.
All of these factors may sound like I’m talking down Skyclave, but it has a few striking benefits. One, Skyclave isn’t irreplaceable, but it is the best of the Banisher Priest bunch. Second, because it’s the best of the bunch, it has Historic applications as well so you can get more bang for your buck. With these two considerations, I find Apparition to be a strong craft in the current Standard environment.
6. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
- Win Rate: 59.4%
- Games Played: 87,000
- Quantity: 2-3
- Variety of Decks Using This: Low-Medium
Just missing out on our top 5 is Adeline, Resplendent Cathar. Adeline is an extremely simple case: it doesn’t see play in a wide swath of decks (but even that may be changing), but the card is just obscenely powerful.
Nearly a 60% win rate is pretty insane for any card and better yet, you don’t even need a full play set most of the time. Most lists play 2-3 which seems to be more than enough to make it an extremely strong inclusion in any deck that can afford to cast it.
5. Esika's Chariot
Untapped Mono Green Aggro
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Aggro
best of 3
0 mythic
28 rare
6 uncommon
26 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (20)
60 Cards
$122.5
Sideboard
15 Cards
$17.93
- Win Rate: 51.4%
- Games Played: 39,000
- Quantity: 4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Medium-High
Coming into fifth place is Esika's Chariot. I won’t mince words, Esika's Chariot is one of the best cards in Standard if not the best card in Standard. If you’re playing Green and not playing Enchantments, you should probably be playing 4 of these. The only reason the win rate with Chariot is only 51.4% is just the sheer variety of decks it can be played in!
That said, there are some downsides to crafting it. First off, it’s a mandatory 4 of in more lists which requires more resources. Second, as of this second, there actually aren’t too many Chariot decks which may be just a random happenstance, or it could be a meta shift away from the card. Third, it’s going to be rotating out in September. Lastly, because it was nerfed in Alchemy, it may be perpetually rendered unplayable in Historic (which may have been the case for un-nerfed Chariot anyway) which hurts the long term prospect of this craft.
All that said, Chariot is still an irreplaceable card and I have a strong feeling it’ll make a resurgence before it rotates. If you like Green, you should probably have your play set.
4. Elite Spellbinder
Untapped Azorius Tempo
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Tempo
best of 3
9 mythic
31 rare
7 uncommon
13 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (3)
Creatures (24)
Instants (7)
Artifacts (1)
Lands (25)
60 Cards
$268.56
Sideboard
15 Cards
$13.11
- Win Rate: 59.2%
- Games Played: 86,000
- Quantity: 4
- Variety of Decks Using This: Medium-High
Coming into fourth we have the World Champion himself, Elite Spellbinder. A lot of what I said about Skyclave Apparition applies here as well. It is mostly a Mono White card, but being a single White pip makes it a much stronger splash card compared to Skyclave. Furthermore, it is a truly irreplaceable effect so you’ll get a lot of utility out of it. Lastly, this does see play in Historic as well furthering your investment.
The only two downsides to Spellbinder is that you generally need 4 and it is rotating in 6 months, but that shouldn’t detract from you crafting this if you need it for a White deck.
3. Luminarch Aspirant
Bo3 Mono White Aggro
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Aggro
best of 3
4 mythic
30 rare
6 uncommon
20 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (35)
Artifacts (2)
Lands (23)
60 Cards
$85.64
Sideboard
15 Cards
$30.39
- Win Rate: 58.5%
- Games Played: 130,000
- Quantity: 4
- Variety of Decks Using This: High
Starting off our top 3 crafts we have Luminarch Aspirant! I hate to sound like a broken record, but everything I said about Elite Spellbinder applies here as well. The main difference is that unfortunately Luminarch Aspirant is nerfed in Alchemy which led to it no longer seeing play in Historic. This may seem like Spellbinder would be the safer craft then, but there’s two important things to consider.
One, Luminarch has seen a significantly higher volume of games played meaning it’s a more popular card. Two, once Standard rotation hits, I think it’s pretty likely they’ll revert the changes on the Standard cards to help bolster them in digital formats. If this is the case, Luminarch saw play in multiple Historic decks which make this an even better investment.
Moral of the story, if you’re playing White, 99% of the decks are playing Luminarch Aspirant (and likely the other White cards on the list), so it’s a very good craft regardless.
2. Wedding Announcement
Esper Midrange by Zan Syed – #5 Mythic
by MTG Arena Zone
Standard
Midrange
best of 3
8 mythic
32 rare
8 uncommon
12 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (15)
Sorceries (4)
Lands (24)
60 Cards
$469.66
Sideboard
15 Cards
$8.41
- Win Rate: 55.2%
- Games Played: 150,000
- Quantity: 2-4
- Variety of Decks Using This: High
Coming in as our runner up (and almost a functional first place) is Wedding Announcement. Unlike the other White cards on the list, this isn’t necessarily an auto include into decks, but it has turned into one due to it’s sheer power.
You can play this in anything from aggro to control, it’s an excellent sideboard option, it’s seen a massive amount of play, and best yet, it’s not going to rotate for awhile. That is the perfect storm of a good craft and for some decks you don’t even need 4! There is just too much going for this card to not make it a top pick for a craft so there’s absolutely no need to hesitate here.
1. Rare Lands
Out first place may have been obvious from the previous article, but I can’t overstate how much this leads the pack: Rare lands. Mana bases are what turns a budget deck into a competitive one, it’s as simple as that. Some rare lands you only need a copy or two and some you’ll need 4, but I will 100% always advocate to getting these before anything else in a deck. The only downside is that you can’t just blow all your wildcards on lands and get a good deck out of them, but they are the proverbial gate you have to cross to play most decks.
If you’re ever looking to craft an entirely new deck, make sure you always start with the necessary lands and work from there.
That’s it for the list! Do you agree with the order of the cards or think I missed out on a better Rare? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
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DoggertQBones
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