MTG card rarity: what the symbol color and the letter tell you
The color of the set symbol is the rarity. Black (or white) is common, silver is uncommon, gold is rare and red-orange is mythic rare — that is how the official Comprehensive Rules define it, and it has held for every Magic set since 1998.
Modern cards say it a second time in letters. After the collector number in the bottom-left corner there is a single letter — C, U, R or M — and it always agrees with the symbol.
The four colors and the two exceptions#
- Black or whiteCommon
- Letter
- C
- What to know
- Also the color of basic lands, which carry the letter L
- SilverUncommon
- Letter
- U
- What to know
- Easy to mistake for gold in a dim photo; the letter settles it
- GoldRare
- Letter
- R
- What to know
- Rare within its own set — not a statement about price
- Red-orangeMythic rare
- Letter
- M
- What to know
- Added with Shards of Alara in 2008; before that the top rarity was rare
- PurpleSpecial
- What to know
- Used only for the timeshifted cards of Time Spiral, per the official rules
Data as a table
| Symbol color | Rarity | Letter | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black or white | Common | C | Also the color of basic lands, which carry the letter L |
| Silver | Uncommon | U | Easy to mistake for gold in a dim photo; the letter settles it |
| Gold | Rare | R | Rare within its own set — not a statement about price |
| Red-orange | Mythic rare | M | Added with Shards of Alara in 2008; before that the top rarity was rare |
| Purple | Special | — | Used only for the timeshifted cards of Time Spiral, per the official rules |
The rules cover two historical cases that still trip people up. Before Exodus (1998), every expansion symbol was black, regardless of rarity, so a black symbol on an older card says nothing about how rare it is. And before Sixth Edition, core sets had no expansion symbol at all, apart from the Simplified Chinese Fifth Edition.
On any Magic card printed since 1998, the color of the set symbol is the rarity. On anything older, the symbol tells you the set and nothing else.
Reading the bottom-left corner#
The line of small print under the text box carries four facts, and on modern cards it is the most reliable way to identify exactly which printing you hold.
Step 1
Collector number
Printed as number over total, or as a number alone. The rules note that some cards carry a number above the listed total — cards unique to Planeswalker Decks, for example — so a high number points to a printing outside the main run.
Step 2
Rarity letter
C, U, R or M immediately after the number. The official rules define it as the rarity, so it settles any doubt about a symbol that is faded, tiny or photographed under bad light.
Step 3
Set code and language
A three-character set code and a two-letter language code, such as EN. Together with the collector number they name one printing in one language.
Step 4
Bullet or star
The separator between the set code and the language is a bullet on a regular card and a star on a premium one. It is the cleanest way to tell a foil from a non-foil in a photo.
The letters themselves are older than the printed line. Mark Rosewater’s 2009 column on R&D card codes lists the same rarity letters Wizards uses internally — C, U, R, M — plus L for basic lands, T for tokens and S for special, the sheet the timeshifted cards were printed on.
Rarity is not price#
Rarity says how often a card appears in packs of its set. It does not travel with the card: the same card can be uncommon in one set and rare in a reprint, and each printing carries the symbol of the slot it was printed in.
Most rares are cheap
A gold symbol guarantees scarcity within one set, not demand. The bulk of rares from any recent set sell for very little because nobody needs them.
Some commons are not
Cards that see play in popular formats can be worth far more than the mythics printed beside them. Demand comes from decks, not from the symbol.
The treatment matters more
Modern sets print the same card in several versions — foil, borderless, extended art and others. Two copies with the same gold symbol can differ hugely in price.
Older cards need the set
Before 1998 the symbol is black for every rarity, so the rarity of an old card comes from a set list rather than from the card in your hand.
To find what a specific printing sells for, match the set code, collector number and the star or bullet to completed sales of exactly that version. A price for the card name alone mixes every printing together and is close to meaningless.
Other games mark rarity differently#
Magic is unusual in coding rarity by color. Pokémon uses black and gold shapes in the corner, which are covered on the Pokémon rarity symbols page. One Piece prints a letter code, and Yu-Gi-Oh does not print rarity at all, so it has to be read from the foil.
Reference prices and math, not appraisals. Market prices here come from TCGplayer and Cardmarket via TCGdex and describe a card in general, not your copy. This site does not appraise or authenticate cards; every other number is one you enter or one we quote from a dated source.
Sources
Every figure above was read on the page below on the date shown. Grading fees and marketplace rules change without notice — check the source before you send anything.
media.wizards.com
Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, effective 25 September 2026 — rules 206.2 and 213.1
Checked Oct 12, 2026
Checked Oct 12, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell the rarity of a Magic card?
Look at the color of the set symbol on the right edge of the card, just under the art. Black or white is common, silver is uncommon, gold is rare and red-orange is mythic rare. Modern cards also carry a rarity letter after the collector number in the bottom-left corner.
What is the rarest rarity in Magic?
Among the standard four, mythic rare, with the red-orange symbol, introduced in Shards of Alara in 2008. A purple symbol marks a special rarity above that, but according to the official rules only the timeshifted cards of Time Spiral have ever used it.
What does the letter after the collector number mean?
It is the rarity: C for common, U for uncommon, R for rare and M for mythic rare. Basic lands use L, and tokens use T. The letter and the symbol color always describe the same thing, so the letter is the fastest check when the symbol is small or worn.
What does the star in the bottom-left corner mean?
It marks a premium printing. The set code and the language code are normally separated by a bullet point; on a premium card that bullet is replaced by a star. It is a quick way to confirm a foil when the shine alone is hard to judge.
Does a gold or mythic symbol mean the card is valuable?
No. Rarity describes how often a card appears in packs of its set, not what anyone will pay for it. Most rares sell for very little, while some commons and uncommons are expensive because players need them. Price depends on demand for that exact printing.
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