“Magic: The Gathering Arena” is a strategic, card-based, multiplayer online game developed by Wizards of the Coast. It was created based on the project “Magic: The Gathering” and features an isometric camera.
In this game, unlike the previous series, there is a new functional engine called the Game Rules Engine. It makes the game more realistic and exciting, and helps developers constantly add new features and improvements to the game.
Gameplay
Let’s talk a bit about the gameplay of “Magic: The Gathering Arena”. At the beginning of the game, each player will have their own deck of 280 cards. The number is equal for everyone. Each year, the number of cards will increase by a thousand. Land cards will generate mana, which will have five colors: white, black, red, green, and blue. After that, players choose which cards to use with the mana they have.
The number and variety of your actions during the game will directly depend on the number of land cards in your hand. There are different types of cards: creatures, flying creatures, and various spells. Spells also have a variety of actions: they can not only heal your creatures and give them additional power, but also damage your opponent’s creatures, freeze them, or even eliminate them.
Players take turns making their moves. Once the player going first places their cards on the playing field and decides what to do next, the battle begins. When it’s the opponent’s turn, your cards will defend themselves automatically.
Winning the game is not easy if you’re playing against a clever opponent who uses their cards wisely and efficiently. You not only need to try to attack and deal as much damage as possible to your opponent, but also come up with tricks and make strategic moves. This game is for those who play with their minds, not just brute force.
Of course, strength and skill are also important, because if your opponent has stronger cards than yours, winning will be incredibly difficult. But here, primarily, you need the ability to combine aggressive play with thoughtful and intelligent actions. In the end, the player who takes all of their opponent’s health points first will win.
The gameplay mechanics and style are very simple, but it will not be easy during the game. You need to know many nuances and details related to the characteristics of the cards and strategically planned moves. Full concentration on the game will help you win any battle.
The backstory of the game world
Both “Magic: The Gathering” and “Magic: The Gathering Arena” have the same game world. In essence, it is not just a game world, but a universe that includes other worlds, such as Kamigawa (Japanese mythology), Dominaria (the world of humans), Phyrexia (the world of machines), and many other worlds. And the most interesting part is that each world is inhabited by a different race that is completely different from the others.
Here, there are all kinds of creatures and beings that humans have imagined. You could say it’s a kind of mix of different characters from the entire gaming industry, from humans to machines and robots, from small elves or dwarves to incredibly dangerous monsters or demons. In short, as you may have already guessed, everything is here!
Card sets
From the very beginning, you will have access to a regular, standard deck with regular cards. Over time, you will improve these cards and add new ones to them. A deck consists of 60 cards. At the beginning of the round, you can choose the best cards, but then the game will randomly select them for you. Combine decks, test different combinations, gain gaming experience, and find the most unbeatable option.
Card upgrades are divided into four stages:
1) Common (black)
2) Uncommon (silver)
3) Rare (gold)
4) Mythic (dark red)
It’s simple and clear: the higher the level of a card’s upgrade, the stronger and more effective it becomes. Create different decks with a reasonable combination. You can also create a deck that is as cheap as possible in terms of mana, or one that is as strong as possible, regardless of mana. The choice is yours. The goal of the game is to win more and more often.
Monetization
In “Magic: The Gathering Arena,” developers have implemented two in-game currencies: gold and crystals. You can earn the first currency during battles, while the second one can only be obtained by donating real money. There are also many different items and boosters that can be purchased in the store. It is possible to live without investing money into the game, but if you want to constantly improve, donating will definitely help.
Although, honestly, it would be nice if all players played without donating. It would be much more interesting, as pure skills and skill would be the deciding factors. But developers also need to generate more and more revenue to continuously work on the project and make it better and better.
Multiplayer game modes
The game modes in “Magic: The Gathering Arena” are designed based on the player’s ability and capabilities:
1) Game with a regular deck. A regular battle without any money involved.
2) Ranked battle. Similar to the first mode, but in this mode, players earn ranking points after battles. The game has ranks that players can climb by earning ranking points. To do this, you need to win battles more often.
3) Game with friends. A game with a real player that retains all the features of the first two modes.
4) “Sealed deck.” One of the interesting and exciting modes. The player has 6 boosters, which they then reveal and build a deck from with 40 cards.
5) Events. This mode will be available to a much smaller audience of players, as entry requires real money. Access to events is available for a certain number of wins or losses. Participation will only pay off for the best players. Prizes will include several cards starting from “uncommon.”
6) Traditional draft. This mode also requires payment. Payment is made with gold and crystals. There are different events, such as time-limited ones, which will make the game more interesting. Players choose cards from initial boosters and then build decks with 40 cards.
7) Ranked draft. It is the same as the previous mode, but here the game is played for ranking points against real opponents. This is where the name of this mode comes from.
Developers have mentioned several times that in addition to in-game events, they plan to hold various major tournaments with significant prizes. The game will continue to develop in this direction and attract more and more fans who will play, enjoy, help developers, and make a tangible contribution to the continuous improvement of the game.
What can be said in conclusion? The game has been out for a long time and has established itself in the industry. Many players already play “Magic: The Gathering Arena” and have a general idea of the game. Before its release, everyone wondered how this new game would compete with the mobile gaming behemoth in this genre – “Hearthstone” by Blizzard Entertainment. But in reality, it turned out to be quite different. The game competes on equal terms with its opponent. Although the audience is noticeably smaller than that of “Hearthstone,” it doesn’t mean that the game is worse.
There are advantages as well as disadvantages. If you want to fully experience the game and understand its peculiarities, you will need to compare it with “Hearthstone” and play both. Then you will see that Wizards of the Coast has made a great effort and created a very worthy game. We can only thank them for being able to compete and create competition among mobile games in this genre. This is definitely a good thing, as competition will motivate developers of both games to constantly improve and make their products better and higher quality.
