MTG - How To Screw Up Magic: The Gathering Arena - A Guide

[@Entropic_Alloy]

I would buy way more paper product if they included a code card for digital. I have zero interest in playing Magic Online because I have to pay twice for cards that I would rather own physically.

[@N8Maple01]

neoepochx I have largely felt the same way. The one thing I will say is: the secondary market for most cards on Mtgo is much cheaper than in paper.

[@L0j1k]

Exactly! I stick with Cockatrice because I dump so much money into the (poor-quality) paper cards, and I am not buying digital copies of those cards. I definitely am a big fan of the way Arena looks, so I'm really hopeful they find a way around the double jeopardy of buying cards twice. I am totally against paying for in-game items, including MtG cards. I am willing to shell out for software, and I've shelled out a hell of a lot of money for example for Star Citizen, but I won't pay twice to get both a paper and a digital MtG card. Not happening.

[@MultiTaz333]

Mtgo is cheaper than paper

[@Red-Tower]

joel quinn Might be cheaper, but poorly supported and just a terrible application. Xmage gets more updates than mtgo, and is practically the same application at this point. I still try to support paper as much as I can, because I enjoy the experience of sitting at a table with friends, family, and other fans of the game and having fun and being social through a shared hobby.

[@Tuf_frijoles]

neoepochx plus you don't own digital merchandise. Example: Magic Duels. I rather get codes like Pokemon does. They won't do it because they won't swallow their pride. The Pokemon company helped them set up the gamestyle back in the old days.

[@jma3554]

If they followed the Pokemon online model of booster codes I might actually buy sealed product instead of singles.

[@TheOrian34]

And that would be a great thing for them as well. Win win?

[@DrJack144]

They could mark online cards as redeemable or not redeemable. That'd fix the double dipping they're concerned about. Any booster code cards aren't redeemable. Problem solved

[@thesamuraiman]

Agreed

[@MidnaMistfire]

What do you mean redeemable or not redeemable?

[@DrJack144]

Woutva if you open some booster boxes in person and enter all those codes you can have a full set online too just from codes then pay $25 to redeem a set. Basically double dipping. So I'm saying the code cards should have some marker that they're not redeemable. Only cards opened online should be redeemable. It's make it even cheaper to play. For instance, maybe a redeemable Hazoret is 10 tickets, but a non-redeemable one is like 6 tickets.

[@unnamed628]

They're doing a pretty good job at following your advice so far!

[@grasshopper1153]

"The biggest obstacle Hasbro and WotC has to overcome, is themselves." Accurate.

[@braddenscott6932]

So I have been ignoring Arena until now. Did they beat themselves or have they decided that they should not strive to fail? I've noticed it is not on Steam, or I would have thrown money at them.

[@ab14967]

@@braddenscott6932 NOPE. They kind of fucked up. There is only Standard format, they haven't gone past PC, etc.. They pretty much did everything the Professor advised not to do, except for having connection with MTGArena and even then, it is only with decks and not packs or booster boxes. They also seem to have done the language thing too... so two out of all the shit the Professor told them to do so this can strive were done only. They fucked up well enough that Magic Online is still viable to play.

[@starstudio8402]

I didn’t even know hasbro owned WotC

[@amethystwyvern]

If they put Commander on this, I'll get it in a heartbeat.

[@repentorparish8681]

Bring 2hg back and I will play mtg again.

[@moultabix]

You mean Split second ?

[@TheBlackdragon936]

It's too bad they won't. They already said it will only be standard already.

[@andrewsparkes6115]

TheBlackdragon936 No, they didn't. They said they would, at release, only add the cards in Standard. They never said they wouldn't add old cards, and the assumption is that when Kaladesh et al rotates out of Standard, they'll stay in Arena too. It will only be "Standard-only" until Kaladesh rotates out, and I doubt they will remove cards people have paid for later on. So the initial card pool will be Standard-only. But the game itself will not be Standard-only. In fact, a major selling point of the promotion is that it uses AI to understand ANY past card, even when not programmed in directly. So, actually, could this be the start of a new Moderner Modern? I.e. Any cards available on Arena. If so, there's no reason they couldn't hold EDH matches using only this set of cards.

[@eating_a_cookie]

+Frédéric Moulié you mean mana ability?

[@Huenyan]

Brazilian here, hoping we can play together professor.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Me too!

[@AvatarOfDiablo]

You know what the best way to screw up the language selection of Magic: Arena is? It's not what you suggested, making it only English. It's making it so that whatever language your opponent is playing in is the language you see their cards in. Good luck playing with Huenyan when you see all of his card in Portuguese, and he/she sees all of your cards in English!

[@pyrolyzer2686]

Huenyan A

[@killerbeses]

Tolarian Community College ты прав, перевод на большинство языков и распространение по всем платформам очень важно. Им пора остановить все проекты и сделать нормальный ответ hearthstone, а то все остальное выглядит очень дёшево.

[@thepixelkings3491]

AvatarOfDiablo Bi-languals, unite!

[@harbear6276]

--Mtg - How to Screw up Magic: The Gathering Arena - A Guide -- The Professor roleplays as Wotc for 10 Minutes.

[@Kain2k7]

100% on point. I couldn't agree with you more. The potential has me excited. Here's hoping WotC don't screw this up!

[@crashtestcowboy1]

The ability to purchase paper & apply a code to receive the digital product should be priority #1. This will provide the revenue engine that will open up all other avenues, imo. Next should be exporting MTGO libraries to Arena, a task that doesn't need to be difficult. If there is a "grinding" ladder that allows players to advance free of charge this will also open doors to extra revenue once players get hooked, then micro-transactions can provide endless profit.

[@eravar2831]

Billy Richardson As the professor mentioned in his video, competitive pricing for online products is important. Yet, if you want codes like in Pokemon, you're gonna end up with some weird conversion rates. Let's be honest, WotC isn't gonna lower the price of their paper products. Despite Magic Arena, paper is still their main product, after all. So if you sell a pack online at 2.50, then you'll end up with 1 and 6/10 packs if you buy it irl? Furthermore, what about older sets, as the professor expressed interest in seeing? They're not printing out a whole new set just to add in these codes, and that just decreases the value of existing packs. I don't see an easy fix to this problem, which is why I think that creating that bridge should still play second fiddle to first improving the cross-platform and card base aspect of things.

[@crashtestcowboy1]

Good points, but I think you are over complicating it. Codes on packs give you a pack in game, free. Older products simply won't have this option, and can be offered in game for purchase. WoTC will see increased new sales that will pad the bottom line, older products do not offer this as the product is already sold, unless they do IRL set reprints (which could be a very good option.) People need to not be rooted in the old MTGO economy thinking & be open to better ways of doing things. If libraries can be exported, great! If not, it does not mean failure...it simply means your old game is old, and you can keep playing it or move to the new platform. People spent a lot of money on Duels to purchase all of the cards, should they expect to see all of them transferred? No. Why should it be different for MTGO?

[@BimdoeDoll]

If they pull a Pokemon you bet I'll start picking up packs like a mad man

[@kangamagic1206]

What you have to understand Bill is that Free-to-Play is not actually Free-to-play. In Magic terms, you can play "Free-to-play" if all you want is to build Tier 3 decks, but if you want to play competitively in a traditional Standard environment, you will have to shell out hundreds to thousands of dollars to keep up. This is how Hearthstone makes its money. It's not just simple accessories like in League of Legends. Hearthstone is "free to play, pay to compete", and Magic Arena will be the same. Also look for a return to mythics being the best cards for Standard. That is crucial for Hearthstone to make tons of money, and Hasbro execs will force Rosewater, Stoddard, and Co. to do just that.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Listen to the man WotC!

[@NizzahonMagic]

Buck Turgidson I don't think that's true. But Honestly in this case I wouldn't mins, because if they do everything he said, Arena really will be great.

[@ThePdroka]

Dealric17 I hope it's true

[@samuraiwarrior87]

they are not they already said arena is going to be the upgraded magic duels were you play with the latest sets you want to play with older sets stuck with the gross UI of magic online.

[@NizzahonMagic]

samuraiwarrior87 Right that's what they are saying now, but as the Prof says, if Arena is successful there is no reason not to move everything to it.

[@WnIyLkLvIiAsMt97]

Nizzahon Magic Yes there is. Get new players excited through Magic the gathering Arena, then get them excited for other game modes, then tell them, to play them, they at least have to buy magic the gathering arena, to milk some money, then (for 100% optimisation) make sure the two collections aren't linked in any kind of way, and that you need to gather them all again. This way you can gain maximum profit.

[@daodrassulravan5520]

I agree with exactly 120% of the professors points. And I am glad that Arena turned out to be so amazing. I just hope they actually do listen to feedback like this to improve on the already great idea. Also: Your take on this is absolutely hilarious. Thank you, professor. You genuinely made me laugh on a terrible, rainy, sad and very depressed day. So thank you, from all my heart.

[@dalechristopher3917]

They won't listen. The only thing they care about is money and pumping out new products.

[@AmideusTV]

Welp, looks like WotC watched this video and decided they wanted to destroy MTG Arena

[@saniwada]

The absolute worst thing they could do in my opinion is not allow transfer of collections from mtgo to magic arena. Whilst I may not have spent allot of money on mtgo myself alot of people have allot of money tied up in the program even though i've proably spent no more $50 on the program I would still be pissed if I cant transfer my suff over or unless Players of mtgo are given the value of their mtgo collection in the currency their using in arena.

[@kaszael]

I was thinking the same thing. I have just recently started playing MTGO and although I spent maybe just around 200$ on it (compared to the thousands I spent on paper cards, this is nothing) and that I mainly use it to play Modern, I don't think I'll spend one dime more on it unless at some point they tell us the collections will be transferable (when and if they introduce older sets/formats of course, so I might have to wait a few years). I haven't yet figured out how to have infinite money. It DOES look way easier on the eyes than MTGO though.

[@repentorparish8681]

Arena is going to replace mtgo but Hasbro/Wotc will never admit it. They will start putting most of there support into Arena and let mtgo die a slow death, so that they won't have to transfer collections. I would say mtgo has been dead since client 3.0 was released if you ask me though.

[@nelspaulson3099]

while you say that they have already admitted that they will expand the game to include limited formats like sealed and draft. Drafting is one of the most popular and money producing formats on MTGO. That alone should show that it should be more than Magic Duels.

[@saniwada]

Mathieu Leduc I think just about everyone subbed to this chanel has proaboy spent at least thousands on paper mtg...its worse than coke in that respect.

[@TheOrian34]

except you don't get your life destroyed by it, quite the opposite I'd say

[@spectersox]

I agree, playing it was great! Lots of possibilities for the platform. Great meeting you at hascon, thanks again for stopping to chat with me and my boy!

[@CommanderVoid]

Offer Magic Arena to North Korea. I want to 1v1 Kim Jong Un.

[@justharry2190]

I think he would just draft all the bombs

[@myanrueller91]

axe pix That's fine. I would draft a the removal.

[@isaacroachford-gould9349]

axe pix but he'd lack the mana to launch them.

[@Twiizzy0]

Voidmage Gamer He's gonna draft Gods wraith

[@Admu1984]

I migt be wrong, but in one of the wikileaks cables it was mention that he was addicted to World of Warcraft....So it's not impossible! :)

[@2684gamer2]

Thank you, we needed a big voice like yours!! Agreed! I saw the stream and after I finished watching I was sold. This is NOT another duels of the planeswalker. A lot of hope and hype for this.

[@bookofjulio]

As an Mac OS user I just want a non sketchy way to play Magic lol

[@Oridan1]

try windows

[@merezko4339]

Theres tabletop simulator in the mean time

[@bookofjulio]

Moctezuma I know but I'd rather have something official you know

[@bookofjulio]

Oridan1 WOW I better write that down never heard of it before.

[@MrKiddyIcarus]

Same here. I hope that is included in their priority list of other platforms.

[@postmachine]

the prof seems get pretty euphoric when comes to imagining all the possibilities for wizards to fuck this up. great phun

[@joshsatterwhite1571]

I really hope WOTC not only sees this, but takes it to heart. If they add older sets and more formats, I'll definitely get the game. If they don't I probably won't. I played most of the old Duels of the Planeswalkers games on both X-Box and PC, and I really don't need a rehash of them with a prettier face. We really need a replacement for MTGO.

[@zacharycramer4441]

My god this is so great and accurate. 2 years down the road they definitely watched it

[@Miko_of_the_North]

@ Tolarian you should do an update to this. I just got in to MTGA

[@rossgauld6421]

This is the second video THIS WEEK of yours that I have thought has been your best video yet

[@bornsideways]

What card game would you rather play? - *Hearthstone* with 1.324 cards or - *Magic* *Arena* with 16.000+ cards

[@christinabutterfield1801]

Bornsideways only 16 cards? Thats incredible

[@bornsideways]

Perhaps you should come back when you get a better joke :)

[@bornsideways]

I'm from Europe. There are other countries in the world besides the States you know.

[@torlumnitor8230]

Hearthstone f2p Mtga p2p I choose hearthstone.

[@christinabutterfield1801]

perhaps you should come back when you get that ten foot pole out of your ass. Learn to take a fucking joke

[@gatsbye53]

I just gotta say, The Professor's outfit is on point! Love that tie, and the shirt! The corduroy best has a nice weathered look that somehow really brings the ensemble together.

[@danielfeinberg9800]

Wow, they really did it

[@originalguckfoogle]

I am so hyped for this now that The Professor himself has complimented it!

[@Hades_Zerker]

WoTC is going to screw it up for sure

[@magicalyincorrect6143]

guess what...... you were right

[@gwynbleiddroach2589]

Magicaly INcorrect how did they screw it up? I haven't been following it, so I honestly don't know.

[@lilith1544]

Don't jinx us!

[@nikolastapakkis7021]

@@gwynbleiddroach2589 still too expensive to be viable. Yes the game is free but compared to hearthstone is way to expensive. Why would anyone leave HS if they have an existing collection to play Magic? Yes magic is a better game but most of us stopped because mtg was draining too much resources, if that is not fixed in mtg arena then it wont last long, people will try it for a bit and go back to HS.

[@the1ucidone]

Your tie is legendary. I also love how intelligent you are in the way that you speak.

[@sankethbhaskar4236]

I think it's OK that it's only standard rn, because it's sort of like the standard app, a package, it will be a fun magic experience. Eventually more sets can be added, but at that point, they should be ready to start phasing out mtgo. The biggest issue is the pricing! Please WotC don't screw it up!

[@JR-xv6mv]

Fixing the price would be easy. Just add a coupon for mtgo in every booster pack you buy. Fixed.

[@JM-nothing-more]

Jason Rohr no, they should disconnect the markets entirely and make Arena much cheaper than MTGO/Paper

[@TheGoodColonel]

You can both make the in-game buys cheaper AND give coupons in boosters.

[@nelspaulson3099]

I agree with early access being standard. You are looking for new players and that is the easiest constructed format to get into. over time you expand to modern and legacy. As the card pool grows , "casual" formats like commander and pauper will get access to the staples they need. the problem is with MTGO collections. Can a players collection be moved from one to the other? There is value to cards on MTGO right now. if they can't be moved then all the cards have 0 value in the near future. It really is a delicate situation.

[@bubbabear6162]

Sanketh Bhaskar yeah now. I want wizards to use standard as the test dummy to expand on any older formats. And if they can do cross platform play enough to get on my crapy tablet then wizards is, for once catering to the customer

[@IPL4Y2PWN]

Had a friend who went to Hascon, said he may have seen you on the escalator! Hope you had fun Prof!

[@fredlal]

been playing the game it fun but WHY NO FRIEND LIST lol

[@paulmccaffrey2985]

You have some brilliant ideas--I hope these guys listen to you and even hire you as a consultant. You're a great teacher! Thank you.

[@MrEmm]

1 year later and it seems they took your sarcastic advice on what not to do lol

[@marcwilliams1942]

I got arena a few months ago and really like it! Free play and also to draft. The hourglass ⌛ timer keeps the game flowing and I also love wining new cards

[@julienorsomething]

The main thing for me is definitely being able to transfer my collection over, otherwise it's a no go.

[@julienorsomething]

Sparka J You realize how immensely more successful the game would be if they included modern and legacy cardpools right?I don't see a reason for isolating a huge chunk of eternal players

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Not happening, 99% sure.

[@luizmarcosborajr]

i miss this videos professor! great video! congrats from Brazil!

[@ericofire]

I love it when you rant ❤️

[@materialknight]

My guess is that they don't give physical codes to get digital cards because the codes would eventually end up listed somewhere in the net (like in The Oracle itself), thus allowing players free digital cards. Personally, I'd rather have all available digital cards at once and pay a (cheap) membership. That and having all formats (even pauper and multiplayer ones) would be so awesome!

[@jamesrawls4173]

Oh yeah and never add a friend system, cause who actually wants to play with people they know

[@_donny_9473]

Professor is right about the Pokemon digital codes, I bought the paper packs at the store just for the code online then naturally added the paper cards to my binders of collections.

[@Oaktree0]

Just seems like a more living breathing Duels of the Planeswalkers, but until they build support for older formats I'm not too interested.

[@khaledchoucri1567]

Im really glad you mentioned the PTCGO booster pack code plan and really hope Wizard listens to that. I believe it would massively increase sales of both games.

[@nohandles406]

If it has the same pricing model as MTGO it will never ever get its feet off the ground. Wizards should really understand that people don't want to pay $4 for a pack of digital magic cards. They can increase their sales and player base by introducing a hearthstone style model.

[@MrBoosterfy]

please no, hearthstone is one of the most expensive digital card game out there. people will hand over their wallet to almost anything as long as it has blizzard on it.

[@nohandles406]

MrBoosterfy I disagree, it's entirely possible to play hearthstone for free. Sure it makes things a little grindy but at least you're playing and having fun without spending hundreds of dollars. I mean there are online cards that cost $50. That's just insane to me. It's a virtual product of a paper product that has no inherent value. I understand they have to keep the price semi high or people would all together switch to MTGO if it was say 90% less expensive. There has to be a middle ground somewhere.

[@Jimbo5900]

The difference between spending money in HS and MTGO is that, for the most part, on MTGO you can get a lot, if not all, of your money back if you decide you don't want those cards or don't want to play anymore. With hearthstone though you cannot get a single cent back (unless sold your account which would also mean losing any other titles associated to your account).

[@paulelephant9521]

You can easily play Hearthstone to a high level without spending a penny on the game. I spend around £100 a year and that gives me a more or less complete collection, allowing me to build any deck that i want to play. I'm not particularly bothered by the value of my cards, i get my moneys worth from playing the game, I just don't want to have to invest £100s before i can start playing decent decks. As a HS player I'm very interested in giving MTGA a try, but the price point will be a major consideration, and how WotC deal with card acquisition could make or break the game imo.

[@sandiman21]

Never before have I heard such eloquence from a man with his tongue planted in his cheek! Great vid, and exciting to learn a bit about Arena!

[@TwinkleTwilight]

As someone who's done a fair amount of coding (and is working toward making a game) I can say don't expect a full catalog any time soon, not for at least years after the official release of the game. Coding the interactions of a single asset takes weeks or even months (I imagine for this kind of game a single card could take hours or maybe a day or two) There are just way to many cards in magic to ever full upload them all in any short amount of time. Instead I think they should start with staples in popular formats like Modern and Legacy. Release them in similar ways as the paper game would get supplemental product. Something like Standard set, Modern Masters, Standard set, Legacy Masters, Standard set, Core Set, ext ext ext. That way you don't kill your dev team trying to round the clock code every card ever to catch back up, and after the first one or two rotations of this the top tier decks in vintage and modern are all there and you can start adding commander product to the game and maybe even Pauper Masters. Once The core cards of the more popular formats are all there then maybe consider flashback drafts where every card in a set is coded in. I just hope when/If they add other formats they don't try the silly way of adding in one set at a time, that would take forever and leave Arena Modern/legacy w/e looking very different to paper and that would alienate new players pretty hard. Not an English major, I apologize for any horror in my grammar.

[@studentofsmith]

I love your tongue-in-cheek delivery!

[@beaverdengaming3898]

You have a lot of good points here. My only issue is with your format and pricing concerns. They have already stated Arena is going to be completely free to play. It seems farfetched that they would add everything MTGO has to Arena and maintain the free to play status. As a business, they get a good deal of revenue from MTGO, so either MTGO will stay around and offer the full body of cards and formats, or Arena will replace it and no longer be free to play.

[@sethchapman1425]

Beaver Den Gaming free to play doesn't mean they can't charge for content to make it easier to obtain other cards.

[@donnyrozendal]

Just like Seth said. The game itself might be free to play, but obtaining cards might not. There might be in game purchases.

[@AlphaCocoAudio]

Hopefully they allow you to port your mtgo cards over

[@sanitydistortion]

They could do something similar to Hearthstone, where players are able to slowly expand their collection through just playing the game, or rapidly through purchases.

[@donnyrozendal]

That would be just fine.

[@TheBobtheratkiller]

I love the format of this video. Everything was spot on! I wish there was a love button.

[@rabidwallaby84]

Fun Fact: The very first MTG novel ever written was titled "Arena" - mtg.gamepedia.com/Arena_(novel)

[@infernocanuck]

I still have that book!! When I was a kid, I LOVED it. I re-read it... and the writing is.. not good, but the nostalgia was strong!

[@notrealatall337]

Honestly you, Projared, and Magic Man Sam have gotten me super interested in MTG. Unfortunately I don't have a game store relatively near me to attend Friday night magics and have been wanting to play a lot, and as being a massive heartstone fan having this available say on my phone would have me so excited and willing to dump money on it, so I really want this to be good.

[@stephenklien]

I liked this video because there's no "Huzzah!" button.

[@Thelorme]

You've hit the nail on the head for what needs to happen with Arena. The only point I might actually disagree with is the need to import all of the old sets of Magic. What I'm thinking is that if Arena is supposed to be for new and inexperienced players, you don't want to overwhelm them with 25 years of cards. Right now, Arena has the upside of funneling everybody into a 2-set Standard so even the new players can wrap their head around the pool of cards and possible decks and build something they like after a few packs. Arena would have to make it very clear that Standard is the preferred format (much like hearthstone does with its own standard, versus Wild) and that Modern/Extended/Legacy are for more advanced collections and players. And you made a really good point comparing the eventual magic drafts to hearhtstone drafts. I realized I never paid with money for a single one of those and sometimes would walk away with more gold than my entry fee. Going from that to paying 15$ to participate would feel horrible.

[@myztklk3v]

2 years later, pretty sure they listened to you and did mostly everything you said not to do.

[@Lannes03]

Thank You for the Recon Report Professor! Your Points are Spot On and I hope Wizards Appreciates Your well considered Advice. Great time to be playing the Game. Love it! : )))

[@newlgh]

1 year later.... standard only.

[@jdust4]

If you can transfer all your cards from MTGO and they keep MTGO open until all formats are on Arena I'm all for it.

[@rokmare]

The whole point of Arena is to replace MTGO why would they allow you to transfer your cards and get a leg up on new players.

[@assault410]

Frank Tse because people spent a lot of money on mtgo....

[@rokmare]

menloe games Telling new players to pay up in order to compete with MTGO collections is supporting a pay to win model from the start not a good way to promote a NEW game at laurch. Many people also spend money on magic duels when they stop supporting the game out of no where, this show how much wizards/Hasbro cares about people's digital collection.

[@rokmare]

Wizards have been keen on getting new players into the game and snobing older players that is why they are pushing standard format while removing modern and legacy from the pro tour. Also who are the intended audience for arena new players or old veterans? I see arena as a blank slate and not a continuation from MTGO. When did wizards said they were only supporting magic duels up to a certain set? I doubt people would have spend any money on the game if they announced from the get go.

[@rokmare]

menloe games I want arena to do well so veterans and new players can enjoy magic as well but I just can't trust wizards to deliver, veteran players have been tricked too many times. And from what I have seen in arena just scream causal and dumb down from the magic we love and people putting so much hype and expectation into this would end up disappointed given their track record.

[@derekbrown5384]

1000% agree with everything said in this video, thanks for making it.. and Lol, the dinosaurs comment at the end was fantastic

[@keithfilibeck2390]

Prof, here's a major problem with releasing this on consoles, updates to console games cost quite a bit of money, and a more drawn out affair, WoTC would be unlikely to update it forever to keep it up to standard.

[@daniggez]

They were doing it on Duels so...

[@keithfilibeck2390]

so nothing, Duels was always going to only be around for a year, WoTC is never going to cough up the money to patch the game with every set that comes out and every previous set not on the reserved list to recreate modern, they are a CHEAPO company who don't even employ in-house artists.

[@ReformedThe]

Keith Filibeck i hardly doubt this is the case. Especailly anymore. Syre maybe back when the PS3 Nd Xbox 360 first came out. But not anymore. The only thing you have to do is just get the patch apporoved by mocrosoft from what I hear from hi rez. And they patch their game everyother week. Game deveolpers nowa days are even more likely to release a half ass game that needs multiple patchs. And fpr a game developer to knowly spend that much money makes zero sense. Which is why what you said seems really really fishy. And the only article on it is over 5 yrs old and it's been reported since then they don't charge nearly as much anymore. And that it is in line with steams prices. Dont rely on 5 yr old information.

[@keylometers6342]

Keith Filibeck The lead creative for Magic did a recent talk and GDC17 (Game Ddvlopers Conference 2017) and he spefically said that they don't want in house artists so that way they can always hire new blood to make sure each new world is unique and different.

[@sethchapman1425]

Wizards already lost me on paper, mtgo, and screwed PS4 users on Duels. So if they don't want my money. Then by all means keep this off the PS4.

[@Piercingthesky1]

Prof you got your job back! I see the same office. I haven't watched your videos for about 8 months now or so

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Welcome back. Actually, I am a full time youtuber now.

[@Beastmlc123]

here in 2021 and still only draft and standard on here lol

[@vmcampos]

Laughs in Historic, Brawl, Historic Brawl, etc

[@reigh_leigh]

I'm really happy that you did a video like this, Professor. Everyone is saying these things, but when someone respected by WOTC says it, it has true meaning!

[@ryugakuroyami466]

Magic needs a YGOPro.

[@cullanmurray46]

Definitely excited for arena like you prof. Been wanting a cool magic online game for a long time

[@Miztickow]

Even if they don't implement all the past cards quickly, they can still implement the Commander format using standard cards fairly easily.

[@henrybleisch]

So happy to hear you liked it.

[@jamiehurricane]

I wish it were like the old battle chess, like when two cards fight there is a battle animation like dragon fights griffin...drool

[@challengerun269]

omg i forgot about that game. it was my favourite as a kid

[@SealofGleipnir]

3D Chess. Literally. It would be impossible to implement though. In chess you have a fixed amount of pieces. Allocating a team to individually model every character would be incredibly inconvenient and would probably bankrupt WoTC.

[@grasshopper1153]

Jamie, that is probably coming. A gamer named Disguised Toast did a video awhile back where he played Hearthstone through VR, and then a lot of people saw VR as a way to make card games 3D with awesome animations. The future probably holds these innovations for lots of digital games.

[@twincast2005]

I don't think there's any player who hasn't dreamed of such, but they would have to be rather short and entirely optional as having to watch the same endless animations again and again can become quite boring, as countless (Japanese) turn-based video games have taught us during the 90s and 00s.

[@rvnender]

Oh man. I wish I knew you were gonna be there. I was there on saturday. Would have loved to get a picture.

[@pitbullash]

MTGO will never close because of this cartoony duels 2.0...period!!! Wotc would lose a lot of money ,investment, from traders and pro's , mtgo is the place for eternal formats....pro players willNEVER play Arena....it will only be for casual players.

[@championofgods]

so we will see you in arena.

[@zygzygzyg]

Thank you for the disclosure at the start of the video.

[@szymonkoziarski2168]

I really hate how homogenized and gentrified it looks. It's like the art director looked at Hearthstone and said: "right, we have to do exactly the same thing!" without realizing why it works in Hearthstone. It's sad that Magic, once known for amazing art, now has one of the worst art directions on the market. Modern, mass-appealing, lacking any kind of charm or actual style.

[@starmorpheus]

Szymon Koziarski it's supposed to be a base layer to build off of, you can't say they weren't trying when designing it, of course over time the community will influence its appearance and appeal.

[@kangamagic1206]

you sir are a refined and intelligent man. Excellent points.

[@terryh.9238]

i pray the awful UI is only temporary. they need an artstyle that shows off the beautiful art on the cards, not hides it.

[@Fiskie666]

This looks and sounds like shitty kid game now. Where is the atmosphere of awe-inspiring illustrations and ancient secretes?!

[@age401]

Wow, for what I saw on the premiere, I hadn't thought of even giving it a chance. Actually, I thought Duels was fine~ok, and I really liked how it was -supposed- to evolve. But when I saw Arena, I was like "Well, it's Duels and H...", nothing for me there. So your short review really talked me into trying it out. Now, on a small note... Sony's been consistently down-thumbing cross-platform experiences like madmen for a while now. I own a whole lot of PSs and am about to have a change of heart on that regard because of that issue alone. So, here's one hoping. Thanks for your videos, keep it up grown man! ;D

[@myinternetmovie]

I came to this video cynical and ready to unsubscribe. Have a thumbs up.

[@marcusviniciusmarins2981]

I’m happy that u used Brasil as an exemple. A lot of players in here dont play MOL just for this.

[@Toxickbd]

Standard sucks

[@0clock275]

imthenaysayer Why?

[@natanoj16]

I read a really good article about that yesterday on how Ixalan is taking into account most of the complaints about Standard ^^

[@doorslammer633]

Mortenick Because it doesn't have dinosaurs. YET!

[@owendonnelly9665]

Please elaborate

[@CKG-hh2bw]

Ikr

I'm happy to see that the game really pleased you. Your thoughts on the next steps that Wizards must take regarding the game are perfect. I hope they do not miss it. I would love to play Magic Arena with you, I can even imagine how fun it would be! I hope this comes true one day.

[@PlayMTG]

You make good points here Prof. Good seeing you at Hascon! -Sam

[@ぬんぬんビム]

3:56 -- very true. I will 100% play this if I can just draft Urza block all day if I feel like it. If it's standard-only, probably a pass.

[@kainslance]

Prof you channeled your inner Rudy there. Great video all point legit. WotC should hire you

[@geneticon]

Hi Professor, Have you listened to Limited Resources this week? Ryan Spain addressed several of the things you brought up, especially their approach to how older formats will be handled. I highly recommend that podcast episode for this, promotes excellent discussion.

[@stephenandolino]

great video as always! Very excited for where Area can take the game!

[@dvorak2676]

"I would buy way more paper product if they included a code card for digital. I have zero interest in playing Magic Online because I have to pay twice for cards that I would rather own physically." I agree with this statement.

[@bluspidr]

In order to bring in non rotating formats and commander, there must be a way to trade in unwanted cards for an in game currency that can be used to buy packs or, more importantly, SINGLES. Obviously the exchange rate would be slanted in wizards favor (they are trying to make money) but in order for older formats to be immediately successful, people would have to be able to acquire the cards they need for the decks they want to play close to immediately, without having to deal with a player based secondary market (that would be out of control upon the first introduction of the formats while players scramble to get cards from a limited card pool, especially at first) or having to crack open packs hoping to get the cards they want. Card value would be based entirely on their rarity. This could attract players who cannot afford to play older formats to play them on Magic: Arena, making the program even more popular. That deck in modern or legacy you really want to play but were priced out of the format? That decklist for commander that you wish you could build, but are settling for less optimal cards that you could afford, or just the cards you have? Not so on Magic: Arena! Just trade in that stack of rares you don't need and the commons and uncommons you have that are more than the 4 card playsets of them you will ever need for the handful of cards you need to finish your deck to play the constructed deck you wished you could play in real life!

[@Derpy101]

Well done professor! You hit on the nose all that could go wrong with what Wizards hit on the nose! Hope they get you in the Beta ASAP!

[@rasmachris94]

Hit the nail on the head with that one; if magic had a paper code like pokemon tgc i would play both paper and online magic indefinitely, testing online before i went down to play at friday night or with friends. Since I've just started recently it would be a great means to test card combinations and themed decks etc.

[@NeiroAtOpelCC]

Very much agree with your assessment. My biggest worry is that they'll stick to standard or worse yet 1vs1 only in standard.

[@junoa117]

Wow that's a surprise and a relief to hear that it actually plays well. Only worried how they'll price it, and the irl cards to digital conversion is nice in theory but likely unrealistic to implement and not be exploitable

[@marwarlp]

Very good criticism and suggestions. Hope Wizards is listening!

[@williamhalkett4533]

Hi prof, Excellent review, I am pleased you are in the community to perhaps nudge wizards into making more rational decisions. By the sound of things, wizards wants to hold onto magic online, and I wonder if that affects their decisions in regards to arena. I remember a time when magic online cards were of a similar price to physical paper ones. Now, the market seems to have dropped to some 33% of the price of physical cards (with wide variances, of course). If magic arena were to replace magic online (either by choice of wizards, or by de facto means of players migrating to arena), that would crash the mtgo market. A chronicle fiasco all over! I know some players (and companies) have thousands of dollars invested into mtgo cards

[@Celticninja011]

lol 2019 and this guy still hits it right on the mark.

[@twarnold14]

As a primary commander player, that was the one format I hope they bring to Arena. But I also understand that each card can offer its own challenges to adding them to the game. That makes modern and commander more difficult to add than just the next set in standard. BUT you did bring up a good point. Start with the master sets. They offer a lot of desired older cards to be added to the game AND they are a draft experience! Arena offering original Modern Masters drafts? Or Eternal Masters since not many got to play it? Or Iconic Masters which they are clearly so excited about? Yeah, people will love that!

[@eddiechen9968]

I got it! Make a story time series with you reading your old works. Call it: "Tolarian Tea Time." PLEASE PROF IM DYING

[@davidorians9178]

Professor! Please please please make a decklist for commander dinosaurs! It would be absolutely stellar!

[@FilipeAguiarCarvalho]

I was awaited for this video since I saw the premiere of the game.

[@cartooncolee]

I love that you touched on the price because it's a huge turn off when they cost as much or more then actual physical cards.

[@richardraymond7025]

You make points hilariously well. Haha, I love it!

[@toomuchdesu7023]

nothing ever beats paper magic, the feel of the card, the interactions and friendships sparked but magic arena looks interesting

[@juangabrielcarrascomogrove5054]

Nice review, as always original and precise.

[@Munchprime]

It's funny to see how many of these came true. XD

[@DihCpsPsy]

Dude you just said everything!!! Please someone send this video to Wizard of the Coast!!! Thank you so much, I agree with everything you said!!! The best regardings from Brazil!

[@computersocsci]

I am very very anxious to hear pricing details for Magic Arena