What's the difference between MTG offerings?
The best way to describe Magic Arena (MTGA) is to say it’s a new digital wave in MTG. Let’s list the main differences between the available offerings:
- MTGA is a new collectible card game (CCG) that focuses mainly on the Standard format and e-sports. It’s free to play and in open beta. There are no planned collection wipes. If you’re ready to jump into the battle straight away, this is the game you want. If you’re completely new you need to be ready for a steep learning curve to succeed. Available on PC during open beta, it’s possible to play on phones and tables, but only with a remote desktop setup.
- Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) is the previous WOTC digital game. It’s a trading card game (TCG). It focuses on replicating the paper experience. You will need $10 to open an account and will need to pay for cards you acquire from then on. You might want to play this game if you’re looking for formats that are not available in MTGA (Modern, EDH, Vintage, 2HG and so on).
- Magic Duels is a free-to-play game more focused on beginner-level players. It has a limited number of sets (from Origins to Amonkhet) and a curated cardpool from those sets with rarity restrictions. There will be no new sets, patches or updates, but Duels provides you with good tutorials and the possibility to play against the AI. It can be played on PC, iOS and XBox One. Unfortunately it’s not cross-platform. It’s best to graduate to MTGA once you’ve learnt how to play Magic using this game.
- Paper Magic is the granddaddy of most TCGs. If you like human interaction and MTG, paper has some of the most diverse selection of options for you. From kitchen table magic with friends to ProTour championships you’re likely to find something that may fit your wallet requirements and fancy.
If after playing MTGA, you’d like to attend your local game store for a pre-release, there’s a step-by-step guide that will help you get the most of your visit.
Meanwhile, let's move on to the discussion of what devices you can currently use to play Magic Arena.