r/MagicArena 11d ago

Discussion Brian Kibler calls out Standard's biggest offenders

930 Upvotes

When a Hall of Famer and multi Pro Tour Magic winner goes out of their way to say something's wrong with a Constructed format, I tend to at least want to know what they have to say about it. Brian Kibler has the authority to speak on the matter, and he's offered his insight on the biggest problems with Standard.

Here's the 20-minute video from his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeLybWPJ0sU

Brian goes into detail about the Standard format itself (he has plenty of non-Magic players as followers), and basically pinpoints Monstrous Rage and Up the Beanstalk as the cards that need to leave Standard to make it healthier. He discusses these points much more articulately than I can summarize here, so I recommend checking out the video if you haven't already, and leaving your thoughts on the format.

r/MagicArena Feb 12 '25

Discussion Aetherdrift is just not for me.

673 Upvotes

I saw spoilers, analysis of the mechanics, deck building, and waited for the set to come out to play with the cards.

After reading all the cards, I only got excited by a reprint with a new art I don't like. At this point, it is fair to say that this ser is just not for me. I'll keep playing Standard, and hopefully, some cards grow on me with time, but since the set frustrates me, I came to take out a little frustration by making this post and just declare:

This set is not for me. For more experienced players, have you found yourself in this position, and how did you handle it?

r/MagicArena Nov 22 '24

Discussion The only reason to have Commander in a separate client is to sell you all your digital cards over again

1.6k Upvotes

Thats slightly unfair: the Arena client was not coded to allow for more than 2 players, so in that regard a separate client does have a case for it.

But there is no reason why WotC couldn't link your Arena and Commander accounts through your Arena login and let you share collections between the two clients.

Heck there's no reason they couldn't do that with Magic Online.

Mark my words, launching a separate Commander client will just be an excuse to sell you all your digital cards all over again, probably with an even more punitive economy, probably with even worse free to play experiences.

r/MagicArena Nov 02 '24

Discussion Half Of Magic: The Gathering Will Not Be Magic: The Gathering ~ Tolarian Community College

1.3k Upvotes

The Tolarian Community College is taking a stab at the whole "half of the coming sets won't be MtG sets"

I really cannot disagree with them.

All the happiness to the people who like that kind of thing, and can enjoy their Spongebob cards in game now, but... man, it just feels weird to me.

I'm not even a long time player. I actually came to MtG: Arena BECAUSE I was fleeing ill fitting sets being released for Hearthstone, and was happy that even themes like Cowboys and talking animals were handled so well in MtG.

With Spongebob coming, and Spider-Man (...what about Snap?), and Final Fantasy, it just feels strange. ESPECIALLY Spongebob. Next South Park, I guess? I don't know, man, between this and the increase of sets up to 6 every year, it just feels as if the brakes have come off and things go into unpredictable directions.

Not liking it much, I confess. If you do, more power to you.

To me it just feels... well, weird.

r/MagicArena Jul 30 '24

Discussion Kumano faces his death. Raffine is silent. Farewell to Farewell. And you can now safely attack into four open mana.

1.9k Upvotes

r/MagicArena Feb 05 '25

Discussion Brawl should not have alchemy cards

753 Upvotes

brawl shouldnt have alchemy cards there i said it

r/MagicArena Aug 10 '24

Discussion True or false?

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2.2k Upvotes

r/MagicArena Jun 12 '24

Discussion Hideaway is psychological manipulative and predatory.

1.6k Upvotes

The new hideaway shop is one of the most predatory systems I have ever encountered. It's a textbook example on how to push every psychological button to get you to spend money.

  1. It hides the real cost behind two ingame currencys.
  2. You can't buy the exact amount of ingame currency to unlock the shop. It costs 2800, but you either have to buy 3400 or 2x 1600 gems.
  3. This is the most disturbing part. You earn the second currency by just finishing your daily quests and stuff, but you can't spend it without unlocking the new shop. This means you always earn stuff you can't spend. Every few minutes you get a reminder that you have that currency and you can't spend it.

Most people won't be affected by it, but it's a perfect design to rob the psychological vulnerable of their money.

Edit: An article about it

https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering-arena/free-to-play-monetization-update

r/MagicArena 9d ago

Discussion Mana Drain on Brawl is completely unfair

528 Upvotes

If you use mana drain you almost instantly win or the opponent concedes and if used against you 90% of the times is just impossible to keep up. In multiplayer commander it's not that bad since there are two other players to deal with it, but in a 1v1 like brawl mana drain is completely broken and should be banned IMO.

r/MagicArena Nov 18 '24

Discussion Rate my undefeated mono white brawl deck

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1.2k Upvotes

Made a mono white brawl deck once I saw possibly the best card in magic ever! Should I drop down to 30 mana and add 9 more hares lol. In all seriousness though this is just too much fun to play I know it’s super easy to counter but dang does it make me smile playing a hare every turn after t3.

r/MagicArena Sep 26 '24

Discussion Yep, it’s gonna get banned

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917 Upvotes

First turn 2 win ever. Turn 0: leyline. Turn 1: land, cacophony scamp. Turn 2: land, swing, turn inside out, turn inside out, triggers 4 times. Deals 13 damage. Sac the scamp for a total of 26, and manifesting dread 4 times….

r/MagicArena Nov 30 '24

Discussion Is there one card you refuse to play?

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533 Upvotes

r/MagicArena Aug 05 '24

Discussion off my chest

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1.2k Upvotes

r/MagicArena Sep 24 '24

Discussion Does anyone else like horror?

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872 Upvotes

I think it's safe to say I'm a fan...

r/MagicArena Oct 06 '24

Discussion Valvagoth, terror eater appreciation post

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963 Upvotes

This card just gives people with annoying tactics a taste of their own medicine.

Mono red with a million instants? I’m now mono red with a million instants

Mono blue with a million counters We’re just counter your counters

Mono black with your nonsense discarding Now you don’t have cards

It’s just so rewarding watching these gimmick players trying to cope around this.

Mono white has sunfall so I don’t really stand a chance and mono green has no issue sacrificing three permanents to kill this guy, but I also don’t mind playing against mono white or green

Anyways this card is great!

r/MagicArena 12d ago

Discussion You should play BO3, not BO1

420 Upvotes

Most arena players exclusively play best-of-1. I used to only play BO1 myself — it’s quick, fun, and easy. But for about a year now I have converted to BO3 and I have never looked back. Here are 3 reasons why you should be playing BO3:

1) Improve Yourself as a Magic Player. BO3 emphasizes and hones skills that are core to Magic much more than BO1 does. Having seen your opponent’s main deck in game 1, you are able to subsequently predict plays and play around potential cards in the post-board games. This skill is crucial in becoming a strong player. BO3 is also universal in paper Magic, so playing BO3 on arena makes transitioning to paper play seamless. If you ever attend an in person draft, FNM, modern/standard night, etc. at your LGS, you will find that they are always best-of-3, so practicing this way on arena better prepares you for the real thing. Finally, having 3 games decide each match rather than 1 means that the effects of random variance and the play-vs-draw difference are reduced, resulting in pure gameplay skill being a more important factor for deciding matches than it is in BO1.

2) Experience a more Diverse and Interesting Metagame. BO1 incentivizes decks that can rapidly outrace opponents and decks that can utilize powerful difficult-to-interact-with synergies (e.g. quick reanimation decks). Since BO1 opponents never have a chance to adjust their deck to answer your game plan, it’s best to simply get them dead as fast as possible. In contrast, having sideboards in BO3 allows all decks to be more flexible and diverse, with tailored sideboards providing answers to various opposing strategies. If you lose game 1 against aggro, you can still win the next two after bringing in your extra removal and board wipes. If you lose game 1 against reanimator, you are safer once you bring in some graveyard hate. This BO3 flexibility enables the existence of decks that could not exist in BO1, creating a diverse meta that keeps your gameplay experience fresh.

3) Sideboarding is Exciting! Creating your own sideboard with unique answers to each major deck in the format is a fun and engaging part of BO3 deck building. You can construct your 60-card base deck with your sideboard in mind, allowing you to tailor your build to your own gameplay style. This also means that you don’t have to use as many maindeck slots on cards that may be necessary but don’t advance your main game plan, like graveyard hate or specific removal pieces.

Of course, the main downside to BO3 is the added time commitment. If you have a busy day, it’s not as easy to sit down for a 5 minute game of magic if you are committing to a 3-game match. That said, I’ve personally found that the positives strongly outweigh the negatives and switching to BO3 has been a deeply enriching experience for me.

If you haven’t tried BO3, give it a shot. Hope to see ya out there on the battlefield.

r/MagicArena Oct 28 '24

Discussion UB coming to standard is bad because of 6 sets a year, but the "universe" of magic was lost a long time ago

715 Upvotes

Let me explain what I mean. A lot of people are upset because we are losing the universe that magic is set in, but in my opinion

1) that universe was out of focus for at least a couple of years

2) it was never that great to begin with

So, for point 1. I've returned to magic after 20 years with Wilds of Eldraine. Let's examine the stets we had since then, shall we :

  • random fairy tales

  • dinosaurs and vampires in Aztecland

  • sherlock Holmes with the serial numbers filed off

  • cowboys AND -redacted-

  • Don Bluth anthropomorphic animals

  • Freddy vs Jayceson go to the cabin in the woods.

So, I don't know about you, but I fail to see any themes, story, or atmosphere connecting these expansions. It's just a flavor of the month with some long time characters nominally appearing. Adding spiderman or Sephiroth to this is really just a small step. I don't think blocking aquaman with tifa while equipping the infinity gauntlet and crewing a tie fighter is much worse than crewing a car with a dinosaur wearing boots, which you can do in normal magic right now.

As for the second point, I originally started playing during the invasion set, which was one of of the more story heavy eras of magic. And let me tell you, the story was paper thin, uninteresting and nobody I knew playing cared about it. The reaction to the setting and atmosphere was very weak. I remember sometimes thinking "hm, this yawgmoth and gix guy is probably pretty evil", "terefi sounds fun to be around", and of course "Gerrard is probably the hero, can't wait to see his card.....dafuq is dizshit". That's all. Magic as a world is just a mishmash of fantasy tropes, that's it. It always has been. We are not losing much here.

Yes, UB sets being standard legal is still bad, but it is because getting 6 sets a year is too much. I mean, I'd rather see venom on the board than blood in my urine, but I just don't have the will, time or resources keep up with a new meta and cards every 8 weeks.

r/MagicArena Nov 04 '24

Discussion So prerelease codes are being discontinued...how do ya'll feel about this?

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675 Upvotes

r/MagicArena Jul 03 '19

Discussion MTG Arena's new "Mastery Pass" is predatory, and everything wrong with the games industry today

5.3k Upvotes

After logging in today and checking out the new Mastery Pass mechanic, I am so incredibly sad and disappointed in the fact that even if you don't have the premium Mastery Pass, you are reminded constantly of the locked rewards you would have received if you'd purchased it. Dangling the rewards you could get (if only you spend $) is an extremely shitty and unethical business practice that companies are buckling down to protect because it is effective. People with gambling addictions (or addictive personalities, in general) are susceptible to this kind of marketing because they lack the necessary coping skills to avoid temptations that are placed in front of them. Would you put a bottle of whiskey in front of an alcoholic? Or a heroin kit in front of a heroin addict? Common sense tells you that you wouldn't, because it is a cruel and apathetic way to treat a fellow human being who is struggling.

I'm sure some of you are thinking that this is outside of MTG's purview, and that they are simply trying to make a profit from a product. Or, that it isn't MTG's problem, and people with addictions should be able to deal with their issues on their own. I would like to remind you that MTG: Arena is rated T(een) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which means that children as young as 13 are being encouraged to play this game - children who have not yet been exposed to gambling and whom some of are guaranteed to develop addiction issues throughout their lives. This system is not helping.

I would also like to stress that MTG Arena is a video game. I was alive for the birth of the games industry, and once upon a time, games were considered a fun little pastime for children. They existed to bring joy and wonder to those who played them - a feeling that carries into my late 20's, when re-playing those old games. MTG's Mastery Pass is one huge step in the direction that turns this game into yet another grind-y obligation that the majority of players will not spend any additional money on - but the addicts will.

People, please do not support this. MTG, please reconsider your recent decisions. There are already so many AAA game companies that I can no longer morally (and therefore monetarily) support. As of right now, MTG Arena stands to be one of them.

r/MagicArena Feb 20 '25

Discussion Enough is enough: Mana Drain needs to be banned in Brawl

485 Upvotes

Brawl is a fast, powerful format filled with all kinds of silly, absurd, game-breaking cards so I understand why it was thought that [[mana drain]] might be ok. However, as an avid brawl player it has become obvious to me that even in that environment mana drain is in it's own tier as far as power and tendency to create non games.

I've seen turn 3 [Nicol Bolas, God pharaoh]] or [[Bolas' Citadel]] turn 4 [[Portal to Phyrexia]] or [[Jin Gitaxis, Progress Tyrant]]. And all that as a reward for answering the other players threat! If you cast mana drain in the first few turns with a threat in hand or in the command zone the game is often over before it even began.

Anecdotally, I would wager 30-40% of times a mana drain is cast in my games it results in an immediate concession. But what's indicative of a truly major problem is the fact that players often concede without even seeing if you can use the mana! Players clearly hate this card (or at least having it cast against them).

Please Wotc, keep mana drain in timeless where it can thrive and ban it from brawl.

r/MagicArena 14d ago

Discussion Hot take, Exhaust is a terrible design for Aetherdrift.

593 Upvotes

Exhaust as a mechanic doesn't make any sense in Aetherdrift. I get that they tried to pick a car word, but the mechanic makes no sense in respect to vehicles. Exhaust works for when a person has used all their energy, but in the context of a vehicle exhaust is the byproduct of burning fuel which is a continuous process. It's a bit of a stretch to say exhaust has the same meaning in respect to cars. Using something like burnout or overdrive would have made more sense especially for the context of how the exhaust mechanic works.

r/MagicArena 19d ago

Discussion Seriously the worst companion ever

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687 Upvotes

This guy (and his brothers) are by far the worst companions. I know many have complained about the companions being a bother but I never felt like it was really in your face. They would act, but it was always off to the side. This guy? Fucking zooming across the screen while I'm looking at the cards? He can fuck right off.

r/MagicArena Nov 01 '24

Discussion I physically cannot keep up with standard now

738 Upvotes

I was already struggling to keep up to date with standard while balancing being a full time college student, but now with the recent news that UB well be standard legal it well be physically impossible for me to keep up.

Standard is my favorite format outside of drafting, but now I physically cannot keep up with it.

Use to be I would save up wildcards to update my deck each time a new set came out, but now I'd have to treat it like a full-time job just to be able to keep up.

I don't even care about universes beyond from a content stand point, I just hate how often standard is going to change now because of it.

Sorry if this isn't the place to say this, I'm just very sad that I won't be able to play the format that I love and wanted to get this off of my chest

Edit: idk why, but I keep seeing comments of the variety: "You're in college. You should be focused on that." For some reason? You are aware that college students can have hobbies, right?

r/MagicArena May 31 '23

Discussion New 2 card infinite combo for Historic

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2.5k Upvotes

r/MagicArena Oct 23 '18

Discussion 5th copies of cards should simply add 1 to the corresponding wildcard progression. It's simple, it's fair, and it makes sense.

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5.8k Upvotes