Mythic rares in MTG feature some of the biggest and baddest cards out there. From massive Creatures to unique Planeswalkers, mythic rares are often highly sought after. Mythic rarity on MTG cards first appeared in the Shards of Alara block and has been featured ever since. As expected, many of these mythic rares command hefty price tags as a result of lower supply and often higher demand. Below, we will be showcasing the current most expensive mythic rares in MTG.
Since we first made this list in July of 2023, the prices have changed rather dramatically. This is in large part thanks to Commander Masters, which has offered players a slew of new reprints. While the set is expensive, these reprints have still caused immense price fluctuations in the market. As a result of this, this list may look rather different compared to usual, if you’ve been keeping up with it.
This does come with a couple of caveats, however. First, we will not be including unique promotions or versions of cards that are more expensive. This includes the ultra-expensive Masterpiece and serialized cards. Second, we will be using TCGplayer market price when ranking these cards. Finally, all prices will be from the cheapest available printing, so long as that version is still of mythic rarity.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the most expensive mythic rares!
10 | Rick, Steadfast Leader
Price: $56
To kick off our list, we have a rather cheeky inclusion. Since they were sold exclusively as a Secret Lair card, the rarity of Rick, Steadfast Leader doesn’t really matter. That being said, they are technically still a mythic rare card, so we’re including them on this list.
To explain Rick’s $56 price tag, the card is exceptional in Human-typal Commander decks. Providing a substantial +2/+2 buff, and a pair of abilities, Rick, Steadfast Leader, makes Human-Typal even more deadly. Thanks to this, there’s definitely demand for this Secret Lair card. Unfortunately, however, due to how they were sold, there’s incredibly limited supply.
As you might expect, the limited supply has caused the price of Rick, Steadfast Leader, to steadily climb over time. Thankfully, however, in a few short months, this price should crash back down to earth. In Wilds of Eldraine, Rick will be getting reprinted with a Universes Within variant.
Following the trend of past Universes Within reprints, this may result in Rick, Steadfast Leader only being worth a few dollars at the end of the day. That is the hope, at least, as there are certainly a lot of players who want to enjoy this card.
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9 | Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Price: $59
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is arguably the best card still legal in Standard. As a four mana Creature with five toughness, the card dodges a lot of removal in Standard and Pioneer. It gains you life every time you draw cards, and makes your opponents lose life whenever they do the same. Sheoldred is the type of card that can run away with the game if not answered swiftly. It also makes it quite difficult for your opponent to dig for answers, as they lose life whenever they draw cards.
Sheoldred is a staple in almost every black-based midrange deck in Standard and Pioneer. The card even shows up in Modern Rakdos from time to time. Despite being a card that simply “dies to removal,” the rate on Sheoldred is high enough and the effects are strong enough to make this card a multi-format all-star. This card also managed to dodge the recent Standard bannings, putting it firmly as the card to beat in Standard in my opinion.
As a curious note, the cheapest variant of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse which is available right now is the Phyrexian text version. While these typically have been a premium treatment, clearly players enjoy actually being able to read their cards. If you want a copy of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse in English, the cheapest variant currently costs $61.88.
8 | Doubling Season
Price: $61
Doubling Season is more of a niche card used almost exclusively in EDH. That being said, this card is an elite card in EDH, and pairs especially well with Planeswalkers. Doubling Season does not care about the type of counter put on your permanents. Therefore, when a Planeswalker enters the battlefield, it will enter with double the loyalty counters as long as Doubling Season is in play. This makes it especially easy to use many Planeswalkers’ final abilities quickly.
In some cases, you get to use the Planeswalker’s ultimate ability immediately, and some of these abilities are backbreaking. For example, Tamiyo, Field Researcher lets you cast spells for free for the rest of the game, and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God can kill each of your opponents as long as they don’t control a legendary Creature or Planeswalker. Of course, Doubling Season also doubles the number of tokens you create. Any Commander deck built around tokens, such as a Hazezon Tamar EDH deck, can make great use of this card. Despite being reprinted multiple times, this card is still expensive thanks to its EDH demand.
Previously holding the number two spot in this list, Doubling Season has had quite the fall from grace. This is thanks to the card being reprinted in Commander Masters, increasing the supply. While this change is already great news for players looking to afford this card, the price may tumble even more. In the upcoming Wilds of Eldraine set, Doubling Season will be reprinted again in the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet. Should past precedent persist, this may cause this beloved Commander staple to plummet in value even more!
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7 | Jeweled Lotus
Price: $63
Jeweled Lotus is another card that is almost exclusive to EDH. The card is very reminiscent of Black Lotus, arguably the most iconic and most powerful Artifact ever printed. Jeweled Lotus, however, restricts you to only using this mana to cast your Commander. While this is restrictive, given that many EDH decks are built heavily around having their Commanders in play, Jeweled Lotus does its best Black Lotus impression in this format.
Adding three colored mana for free is extremely powerful, even if it’s restricted to being used to cast your Commander. There are also Commanders like Lurrus of the Dream-Den that work exceptionally well with Jeweled Lotus. Not only can Jeweled Lotus cast Lurrus on turn one, but Lurrus can immediately bring it back to be used later if Lurrus gets sent back to the Command zone. This card’s price shows just how popular EDH is and how much the format can drive prices.
As expected, as the release date of Commander Masters draws ever closer, the price of Jewled Lotus has fallen somewhat. Currently, based on pre-sale prices for Commander Masters, prices have dropped by $13! Subsequently, Jeweled Lotus has fallen a few places down this list since it was first written.
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6 | Chrome Mox
Price: $66
Chrome Mox is a mana-producing Artifact that is powerful in Legacy and banned in Modern. Unlike Mox Opal, Chrome Mox does not require other Artifacts to function. Instead, you have to exile a card from your hand to Chrome Mox’s Imprint ability, and Chrome Mox can then tap for any color of the Imprinted card. Where this card shines is in decks that want to turbo out powerful, non-Artifact cards as quickly as possible. Decks built around Initiative cards such as Seasoned Dungeoneer, or prison effects such as Blood Moon, make great use of Chrome Mox.
Chrome Mox provides these decks with a continuous source of colored mana. Unlike Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox can be used on subsequent turns for mana as well. Of course, exiling a card from hand is a real cost in terms of card disadvantage, so lots of decks won’t play the powerful Artifact. Still, the ability to play cards ahead of schedule is powerful, thus making Chrome Mox an elite card in Legacy and beyond.
5 | Imperial Seal
Price: $66
Imperial Seal was finally reprinted in Double Masters 2022 as a mythic rare. Having only been printed originally in Portal Three Kingdoms and then as a Judge promo, the card was extremely expensive until the Double Masters printing. Even with the Double Masters printing, the card is still worth a decent chunk of money.
What may be surprising is that there is a strictly better version of this card that is worth significantly less. Vampiric Tutor has the same text as Imperial Seal but can be cast at Instant speed, making it significantly better. In this sense, Imperial Seal, while still powerful, certainly has its price driven by having a lower supply.
Being able to search your library for any card is strong, and competitive EDH combo decks will often play this card for redundancy in a Singleton format. With Vampiric Tutor and Demonic Tutor as mostly better options, though, the card isn’t played significantly in most Constructed formats.
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4 | Emrakul, the Promised End
Price: $70
Thanks to Commander Masters, Emrakul, the Promised End is a new entry to the list of the most expensive mythic cards. Considering Commander Masters is all about reprints, it may seem rather odd, as surely the price should get lower, right? Wrong! Well… Half right, at least. If Emrakul, the Promised End got reprinted, they’d probably be a lot cheaper right now, however, unfortunately, they weren’t.
Being bizarrely excluded from the Eldrazi Unbound Commander Masters deck, Emrakul, the Promised End has recently seen a huge surge in demand. This has caused the price of the card to skyrocket, reaching up to a staggering $70! Over time, this price may fall down somewhat once interest in the new deck subsides. For the time being, however, this is one of the most expensive mythic cards around.
As a card themselves, Emrakul, the Promised End is an incredibly good time. So long as you can manage to cast them, that is. Able to take control of your opponent for a turn, Emrakul, the Promised End facilitates all kinds of game-ending and chaotic shenanigans, especially in Commander games. Thanks to this, it’s no wonder that MTG players are keep to enjoy this immense creature.
3 | Mox Opal
Price: $72
Yet another mana-producing Artifact, Mox Opal comes in at number three on this list. Mox Opal functions like an original Mox that can tap for any color of mana but comes with a restriction. In order to use Mox Opal for mana, you have to have two more Artifacts in play. For decks built around Artifacts, this is trivial. There’s a reason this card is banned in Modern. It’s quite easy to turn on, gives a big advantage to decks like Affinity by producing colored mana of any type, and works particularly well with Urza’s Saga.
Decks like Eight-Cast in Legacy abuse Mox Opal by having it virtually act as two mana towards cards with Affinity for Artifacts, like Thought Monitor. EDH decks with lots of Artifacts, like decks featuring Urza, Lord High Artificer, make good use of the card too. In Vintage, it pairs well with the original Moxen which can help turn on Mox Opal in short order. The card is excellent across the board, and it’s no wonder it’s high up on this list.
2 | Edgar Markov
Price: $73
Edgar Markov is similar to Doubling Season in that it almost exclusively sees play in EDH, but it’s much more restrictive in where it can be played. Edgar Markov is mostly played as a Commander and is only maximized if utilized in a deck with tons of Vampires. That being said, the card is an extremely powerful payoff for this strategy. What makes Edgar Markov so strong is that its ability to make more Vampires tokens whenever you cast Vampire Creatures happens even in Edgar is in the Command zone. Much like Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, the Commander continues to generate value even when not on the battlefield.
Edgar Markov, notably, has only seen normal-sized printings in Commander 2017 as a foil and as a Judge Promo. As such, this card holds a significant price tag, likely much higher than it would otherwise be if it were reprinted again soon. Given its low supply and power level as a Commander, Edgar manages to come in at number two on this list.
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1 | Mana Crypt
Price: $157
At the top of the list, we have one of the best mana sources ever printed. At zero mana, this card can go in any deck, and can immediately be used to add two mana to your mana pool. This card is very similar to Sol Ring, another one of the best Artifacts ever printed. Mana Crypt, as absurdly powerful as it is, does come with a drawback. Every turn cycle, you have to flip a coin, and if you lose the flip, you take three damage. In a long game, this damage adds up quickly.
Luckily, there are tons of ways to minimize the damage. In Vintage, this card is often paired with Tinker or Paradoxical Outcome. Not only does Mana Crypt help cast these cards quickly, but they each help make sure you don’t die to your own Mana Crypt. Tinker can sacrifice Mana Crypt to stop the damage flow, and Paradoxical Outcome can return it to your hand. Of course, both cards are fully capable of winning the game in short order, additionally minimizing its effects. Mana Crypt is simply unbelievable on rate, so as long as you are careful, it’s easy to reap the rewards from the additional mana provided and win the game before the drawback becomes relevant.
Conclusion
This list clearly showcases the popularity of EDH and its ability to drive prices. Most cards on this list are EDH staples. Cards like Jeweled Lotus are even relatively unfunctional outside of EDH, yet still hold significant price tags. It’s interesting to see how the format has evolved, and how much the format drives up demand for these cards.
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