Magic: The Gathering Arena’s economy is challenging at the best of times and the Wildcard system plays a role in this. If you’re just getting started with the game then it’s best to understand exactly what the Wildcards are and how to get the best out of them.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Wildcard system in MTG Arena.
What are Wildcards in MTG Arena?
As usual, the higher the rarity of a Wildcard, the harder it is to obtain.
Thankfully, Wildcards on MTG Arena stop players from needing to purchase countless packs to acquire cards. Rather than enduring this Sisyphean task, players can instead simply trade a Wildcard in for what they want. Provided, that is, that you own at least one Wildcard of the needed rarity for what you’re crafting.
Through this process, Wildcards on MTG Arena effectively operate as a form of secondary market for the game. Don’t let this name fool you, however. Unfortunately, Wildcards cannot be traded with other players, not traded in for Wildcards of a higher or lower rarity. Their only use is to be used to craft a card of the correct rarity.
While Wildcards are a great feature to prevent players from needing to open packs, they’re not perfect. This is largely thanks to how difficult they are to obtain. Thanks to this, crafting cards via Wildcards can be a grueling process, unless you’re willing to put money into MTG Arena.
How to Obtain Wildcards on MTG Arena
The primary method of obtaining Wildcards on MTG Arena is via opening packs. Within this, there are two ways that you are able to obtain a Wildcard. The first, and most consistent method, is through the Wildcard wheel.
The Wildcard Wheel
Visible in the top right of your screen when opening packs, this pair of wheels ticks up with every pack opened. One wheel takes five pips to progress and rewards an uncommon Wildcard upon competition. The other wheel takes six pips to progress and rewards a rare, or mythic rare, Wildcard. It does not matter which type of pack you open as they all give Wildcard wheel progress.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works
- Uncommon Wildcard – Every 5 Pcaks opened
- Rare Wildcard – Every 6 Packs opened
- Mythic Rare Wildcard – Every 30 packs opened
Pack Opening
Alongside the consistent promise of the Wildcard wheel, you can also obtain Wildcards from packs directly. Thankfully, this Wildcard acquisition avenue is very easy to explain since it’s simply math and chance. So, here are the odds for finding each Wildcard in any pack you open.
| Rarity | Drop Rate | Chance |
| Common | 1:3 | 33.30% |
| Uncommon | 1:5 | 20% |
| Rare | 1:30 | 3.33% |
| Mythic Rare | 1:30 | 3.33% |
As a note, to make things a little more confusing, Wizards of the Coast has been nice to players. Rather than rolling the dice upon every single pack opening, the odds actually increase the more packs you open. This is good news for players, as it means the above drop rates may feel more consistent rather than random chance. Here is Wizards’ explanation of the system.
“Each Pack you open that does not redeem for a Wildcard of a particular rarity will increase the drop rate for Wildcards of that rarity for the next Pack. Once you acquire a Wildcard of that rarity from a Pack, the drop rates will reset to the base rate. The expected rate seen above represents that average number of packs needed to open to acquire 1 Wildcard of the respective rarity.” Wizards of the Coast
The Vault
As if packs didn’t provide enough opportunity for Wildcards already, MTG Arena also has “The Vault.” Thankfully, this system is rather simple, as once you collect four copies of a card, any extras will be converted into Vault process. After reaching 100% progression, the vault can be opened.
Inside the Vault, there are three uncommon Wildcards, two rare Wildcards, and one mythic rare Wildcard.
Wildcard Bundles
While not always available, Wizards of the Coast occasionally sells Wildcards via the MTG Arena storefront. Should you want to, this allows players to purchase Wildcards directly to bulk out your collection. Curiously, however, the amount of times you can purchase the bundle is limited.
In terms of pricing, previously, Wildcard bundles have sold for $9.99 and $19.99. The cheaper $9.99 bundle offers four rare Wildcards. Alternatively, the $19.99 bundle offers four mythic rare Wildcards.
Per individual card, this may not seem so bad, however, just be careful how you’re spending your money. MTG Arena is quite good for free-to-play players and isn’t really pay-to-win. Buying all the rares your heart desires can get very expensive very quickly.
Read More: Best MTG Arena Decks
