Magic: The Gathering Arena

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Magic: The Gathering Arena

by Mikhail Apr 22, 2019 | 1 Votes | 1 Played | 0 Reviews Your vote

9 rate

Platforms:

Genres:

Strategy , Card , MMO

Publishers:

Wizards of the Coast

Graphics:

3D

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Fantasy Setting , Player vs Player (PvP) , Collectible Cards Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free-to-play collectible card game based on the physical Magic: The Gathering card game. Here, you’ll challenge other players in strategic card battles as well as NPCs and earn more cards to add to your deck. Featuring outstanding graphics and high production value, it’s something you must experience. Play Now Similar Games Played Post a Review

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Community Graphics/Sound Conclusion

Summary

Card-collecting games are quite difficult to invest in. After all, every game has different mechanics and strategies, and they all have their own set of rules and intricacies. Learning everything from scratch is an arduous journey, even if they’re pretty simple to play. You can spend hours trying to master them and end up discovering new strategies and concepts.

Magic: The Gathering Arena has a bit of a learning curve, though the path to mastering the basics is made easy thanks to its lengthy yet fun and easy-to-understand tutorials. Though Magic: The Gathering (the physical card game) been around for over 20 years, it’s my first time playing it. Coming from the perspective of somone who’s played Yu-Gi-Oh, Urban Rivals, and Duel Masters for an unreal amount of time, Magic is one those CCGs where tactics, mana management, and the act of reading your opponent’s cards (at least those on the field) are an absolute must if you want to get far.

Featuring a robust progression system, a fun tutorial, and high production value, MTG Arena is a great game for anyone who wants to learn and get into the Magic: The Gathering craze. Though it’s a must for any CCG enthusiast, is it something you’d want to dive into? Before you start summoning angels, dragons, and elves, let’s check out what it has to offer:

Plotline

Magic: The Gathering Arena starts with a five-part tutorial featuring five NPCs you’ll have to duel against. In a nutshell, you start off as a beat up planeswalker freshly defeated by a serpent called Nicol Bolas who’s obsessed with power. In a way, you’ll have to get back on your feet, learn the game all over again by dueling four other characters on your way to exact revenge. This “short quest” to get back on your feet is actually the tutorial: here, you’ll learn about the game’s basics from the mana system up to using cards with complicated effects. You’ll be guided by an orb of light called Sparky who happens to be a great guide and decent teacher.

Gameplay

MTG Arena is basically Magic: The Gathering, with the same rules and cards. You’ll have land cards that dish out several types (and colors) of mana and you’ll use them to summon creatures to either attack or defend you. Moreover, they’re also needed for activating various spell cards and effects. The game has a heavy reliance on mana and you’ll need to check requirements before you can actually play your cards or otherwise. At times, you’ll be surprised or caught off-guard when you summon a creature, fully expecting to use an aura (a buff card) afterwards but ended up unable to do so due to mana constraints.

Like most card games, the goal is to reduce your opponent’s health points to zero. You can do this by attacking your opponent directly using your creatures or through card effects. From a newcomer’s perspective, MTG Arena is a polished experience coupled with smooth and deep gameplay. There’s a lot of strategic implications in most cards, as well as variables to consider. Games are fairly quick (it takes 10-20 minutes, more if both sides matched well), and it doesn’t have the same dragging and slow spiels like in Yu-Gi-Oh and sudden and abrupt endings like in Urban Rivals.

Unfortunately (for me), MTG Arena has been out for a couple of years and MTG itself has been around for more than 20 years. Although matchmaking does its best in pitting you against players who you’ll be evenly matched up with, it’ll be hard to win in PvP.

My first PvP duel was against a vastly superior opponent who obviously had been playing for a long time. Due to the game’s mechanics, the match was close and I would have managed to win if not for a card that destroys auras. In any case, you’ll have to deal with the veteran player-base by honing your skills quickly. To do so, it’s best to engage in practice duels and avoid playing in ranked matches.

MTG Arena has a robust and outstanding progression system. Whenever you level up, you’ll pick an area in a web which determines the type of cards you’ll receive. This makes it easy to build a deck centered around a particular mana types. Granted, you’ll have a lot of options to improve and add variety to your chosen starter deck! There are also events that dish out different cards and let you level up quickly.

Community

Magic: The Gathering Arena has a huge player-base. It doesn’t take more than 10 seconds to find someone to challenge. Moreover, you can discuss and get in touch with fellow players on the official forums and the game’s subreddit.

Graphics/Sound

For a card game, Magic: The Gathering Arena’s production value is astonishingly high. The graphics and presentation aspects rival that of most triple-A title. The voice acting in particular stands out. The art style (especially on the cards) is impressive and animations are a joy to look at. Overall, it’s a pleasant experience and is something most developers have to emulate.

Conclusion

Overall, Magic: The Gathering Arena is a polished online CCG experience you definitely have to try out. If you’re completely new, don’t be daunted by the veteran player-base and be intimidated at the prospect of learning a new CCG. Though it has a challenging learning curve you’ll need to go over, learning the game will treat you to countless hours of fun, strategic duels. So, start your journey to become a feared and respected planeswalker today!