Are you looking to have the MTG Arena ranks explained? Well, good news, because that’s what we’re here to do. While we understand that not every Magic: The Gathering player enjoys the competitive side of things, there are those who hunger for cardboard-based blood, and can only be satiated with firm competition. The good news is that Magic: the Gathering Arena offers both.
Like many matchmaking systems in the gaming industry, MTG Arena’s ranks will pair you up against similarly skilled opponents. This allows you to hone and develop your skills while rising through the ranks. Thankfully, this system, like many, is fairly straightforward; however, it does have its notable quirks.
If you’re thinking about climbing the MTG Arena rank ladder and wondering what you should know, we’ve got you covered. Here are all the important details about MTG Arena’s ranks in 2023!
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MTG Arena Ranks
On MTG Arena there are six ranks that players can progress through. These ranks are available separately for both Constructed and Limited events. Taking their name predominantly from precious metals and materials, these ranks are as follows:
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Master
When first starting to play MTG Arena, players will be Unranked. After completing placement matches, however, players will enter the ranked ladder in the Bronze rank. Within this rank, there are four individual tiers, which progress from 4 up to 1. After winning the required number of games in Bronze 1, players will jump up to Silver 4.
After progressing through the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond ranks, MTG Arena players will enter the illustrious Mythic tier. A crowning achievement on MTG Arena, this rank is reserved for the best of the best players. Unlike the ranks before it, this rank doesn’t have a number of individual tiers. Instead, on MTG Arena, a player’s mythic rank is displayed as a percentage.
When in Mythic rank on MTG Arena, a higher percentage is better, however, it is possible to get beyond 100% Mythic rank. After surpassing this barrier, a player’s rank will instead change to a number. This number displays your position in the top 1200 Mythic players. If you reach Mythic rank 1 then congratulations are in order, as you’re the best player on MTG Arena.
MTG Arena Rank Progression
When first starting to play MTG Arena, players will be Unranked. After completing placement matches, however, players will enter the ranked ladder in the Bronze rank. Within this rank, there are four individual tiers, which progress from 4 up to 1. Within each of these theirs, there are a number of smaller steps that players must climb through.
While this ranking system is fairly straightforward so far, things do get a little more confusing. In order to help and hinder players’ progression through the ranks, wins and losses don’t always reward the same progression. This is especially true when playing Constructed Best of One. At Bronze rank, for instance, wins progress you two steps within your tier. After reaching the Platinum rank, however, a win will only reward a player with a single step.
Here’s a table to explain all the rank progression earned in the different types of ranked play.
Constructed Best of One
Rank | Steps Gained with Win | Steps Lost with Loss | Steps Needed to Advance a Tier |
Bronze | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Silver | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Gold | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Platinum | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Diamond | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Constructed Best of Three
Rank | Steps Gained with Win | Steps Lost with Loss | Steps Needed to Advance a Tier |
Bronze | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Silver | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Gold | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Platinum | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Diamond | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Limited Best of One
Rank | Steps Gained with Win | Steps Lost with Loss | Steps Needed to Advance a Tier |
Bronze | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Silver | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Gold | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Platinum | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Diamond | 1 | 1 | 5 |
After progressing through the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond ranks, players will enter the illustrious Mythic tier. A crowning achievement on MTG Arena, this rank is reserved for the best of the best players. Unlike the ranks before it, this rank doesn’t have a number of individual tiers. Instead, on MTG Arena, a player’s mythic rank is displayed as a percentage.
When in Mythic rank on MTG Arena, a higher percentage is better, however, it is possible to get beyond 100% Mythic rank. After surpassing this barrier, a player’s rank will instead change to a number. This number displays your position in the top 1200 Mythic players. If you reach Mythic rank 1 then congratulations are in order, as you’re the best player on MTG Arena.
Players who finish in the top 250 of Mythic-ranked competitors will qualify to participate in the Qualifier Weekend. This is a major step ward participating in the Arena Championship, which is held every four months.
MTG Arena Rank Rewards
Once a ranked season ends on MTG Arena, (which occurs roughly once each month) players will be rewarded for the rank they finish at. As you might expect, the higher the rank you achieve, the more rewards you will receive. Here’s a quick rundown of the rewards you can achieve.
- Bronze – 1 Pack
- Silver – 1 Pack + 500 Gold
- Gold – 2 Packs + 500 Gold + 2 Card Styles
- Platinum – 3 Packs + 500 Gold + 2 Card Styles
- Diamond – 4 Packs + 500 Gold + 2 Card Styles
- Mythic – 5 Packs + 500 Gold + 2 Card Styles
Alongside receiving additional rewards, a higher rank at the end of the season also means starting the next season in a better place. This should mean that you’re not stuck grinding out low-rank matches every time the season resets. Unfortunately, the rank decay that players experience isn’t an easy-to-understand linear equation.
Thankfully, however, this table should still tell you everything you need to know!
Season End Rank | New Season Rank |
Bronze tier 4 | Bronze tier 4 |
Bronze tier 3 | Bronze tier 4 |
Bronze tier 2 | Bronze tier 4 |
Bronze tier 1 | Bronze tier 3 |
Silver tier 4 | Bronze tier 3 |
Silver tier 3 | Bronze tier 3 |
Silver tier 2 | Bronze tier 2 |
Silver tier 1 | Bronze tier 2 |
Gold tier 4 | Bronze tier 1 |
Gold tier 3 | Silver tier 4 |
Gold tier 2 | Silver tier 3 |
Gold tier 1 | Silver tier 2 |
Platinum tier 4 | Silver tier 1 |
Platinum tier 3 | Gold tier 4 |
Platinum tier 2 | Gold tier 4 |
Platinum tier 1 | Gold tier 3 |
Diamond tier 4 | Gold tier 3 |
Diamond tier 3 | Gold tier 2 |
Diamond tier 2 | Gold tier 2 |
Diamond tier 1 | Gold tier 1 |
Mythic | Platinum tier 4 |
It Matters Where You Play
Currently, MTG Arena only has two ranked queues, Constructed and Limited, Despite this, however, there are many different formats that you can play. Almost all of these have their own ranked queue which contributes to your overall Limited or Constructed rank. Thanks to this, it can matter a lot about where you play, especially if you’re looking to rank up quickly.
If you’re looking to fast-track your way to ranked success, currently, your best bet is best-of-one Standard. Here, you can pilot an incredibly powerful Mono-Red deck that is also very quick to play. This allows you to blitz through matches and play the most games possible. So long as your win percentage is positive, this will see you climb the ranked ladder rather efficiently.
Similarly, MTG Arena players also have a choice when trying to climb the Limited ladder. With Quick and Premier Draft events both being an option, it’s up to you to pick who you Draft against. Typically, Quick Drafts against AI offer a safer bet for building around an archetype. Players, however, are uniquely prone to human error, potentially allowing you to draft an amazing deck.
Ultimately, while there are a variety of formats to pick between, you should play what you enjoy and are good at. If you’re a savant at Explorer, then jump into that ranked queue. Similarly, if you’re keen to crack open the Alchemy meta then hop into that ranked queue instead! Whatever you want to play, the ranked world is your oyster, so get playing!
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