Magic: The Gathering is the game that defined the collectible card game genre. From the desktop format, TCG quickly went online, firmly entrenched in the world of gaming and eSports. Online version of MTG gained an army of fans that prefer thoughtful strategy building and precise calculations instead of active battle and gunfights gameplay.
The big world of MTG is extremely friendly to newcomers, however to improve your skills you need to pass a long and fascinating way through endless online arena. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about MTG Arena game to quickly become a cool spellcaster and own a collection of unique creatures.
Take the first step
Where does every game start? With installing the Launcher, of course! Download the installer from the official website, run, select language and follow the installer.
Download the game: official website or Epic Games Store
After going through the basic steps, like accepting the license agreement and choosing the installation path, the launcher begins downloading the game itself. Once the download is complete, MTG will launch automatically and ask you to enter your date of birth, region of residence and personal information – all this will happen if you do not yet have an account in this game.
Play by the rules
After a basic “introduction” a blue firefly will appear, who wants to initiate you into the mysteries of the world of MTG Arena. The tutorial will start and the playing field and the introductory opponent, Kylea the elf, will appear in front of us.
In tutorial mode, Firefly will explain the basics of the game. To begin, he will ask you to play the Earth. Choose “Plain”, which is the “Base Earth” and wait for further instructions. In total, in the tutorial you have to go through 5 stages of battles with mystical opponents, which will reveal different aspects of mechanics and tactics in MTG Arena. It is highly recommended to complete the tutorial in full. MTG Arena is an incredibly complex game, filled with many creatures and spells, and you have a lot to learn before your skills reach the pinnacle of mastery.
Important: You’ll be rewarded with cards for each stage of the tutorial, so completing the tutorial will allow you to build a starter deck. Once you complete the tutorial, new decks will become available to you.
Learn the basics
As we have understood from the tutorial, there are several types of cards in MTG Arena. Mana cards, the same ones we “charged” our creatures with to get them onto the table, creatures themselves, and spell cards. They all have many different mechanics, conditions, and are separated by type.
There are a total of five initial deck types in the game, represented by different colors. During the tutorial, you just battled against each of them. In the tutorial, we were shown only the basics, and the real power and features of these decks will have to experience on their own skin during matches with real players.
- White decks have strong defensive abilities. They have a bit of everything: Heal, small units, and boosting spells. This is the deck we played in training.
- Green decks collect a huge number of strong creatures that have high damage and can withstand even the most destructive spells of the enemy.
- Blue is for creating control decks. Lots of spells that allow you to control not only your table, but also your opponent’s actions.
- Red decks don’t know much about defense, because their main strength is offense. Lots of cards with lots of damage bring chaos and destruction to the enemy’s table.
- Black decks are based on the skill of discarding cards. This mechanic allows you to accumulate power through discarded cards, and then unleash it at just the right moment.
More advanced players are able to combine cards of two or more colors in the same deck. This option will become available as you progress through the game, when 10 new tiles open up in the deck section.
Build your collection
Collecting cards is a fascinating activity in itself, not to mention its practical benefits. Cards are your ultimate weapon, so collecting basic, rare, and rarity cards will be your favorite thing to do in MTG Arena throughout the game. There are many ways to expand your collection:
- 1. Buying Sets
There are two types of currencies in MTG Arena: gold and gems. With these, you will constantly expand your collection by buying cards or sets (boosters, as they are often called by card game fans). Gold is obtained through in-game activities such as winning, completing daily quests, increasing your skill level, and other activities. Gems are a paid currency – you can buy them for real money or get for participation in some events.
- 2. Quests and Matches
Every day you’ll be able to earn cards and gold. There are three daily quests available in the game with 24 hours to complete. Victories against real players are also rewarded: the maximum reward of 750 gold and 6 cards is reached after 15 wins. Cards are randomly awarded, so there’s a chance for a cool mythic card!
- 3. Tree of Mastery.
Your main activity after completing your training. To begin, Firefly will ask you to take part in color trials to unlock new skill levels. As you progress, you’ll be able to complete quests and earn nice rewards.
- 4. Codes
You can get new card sets by using a special promo code in the store. For all new players, there’s an option to get free boosters each from previous expansion decks – and you can do it right now! Go to the Store, and enter the codes in the “Use Code” field.
- 5. Jokers
A very special tool that opens any card in the game at your will. With one condition: it must be as rare as the Joker. These cards will regularly drop from the boosters, and a special counter will tell you how many more sets you need to unlock before the next Joker.
What to do after training?
After you’ve completed the training, Firefly will offer to try your hand at color trials. This is one of the must-have activities that any novice spellcaster should complete. Follow the hints in the game, increase your level, and earn rewards. After completing the trials, your base decks will expand, and you’ll just determine which color you’re more into. And once you decide you’re ready to take down your first real opponent, hit play!
There are many different game modes in MTG. Standard, ranked, games against bots and mixes of the most popular modes. For those wishing to try alternative game mechanics, “Draft” and “Sealed Deck” have been invented. In these modes, the player gets sets of random cards and makes decks of them on the fly.
You can fight not only with random opponents, but also with your friends. Add a friend by clicking the icon on the bottom left of the screen, and after he accepts your invitation – challenge him! Click on your friend’s nickname, and then on the crossed swords icon in the upper right corner.
The world of Magic: The Gathering Arena is amazingly complex and rich. Every few months, additions with in-game events and hundreds of new cards are added to the game, and new decks and strategies appear.
An experienced game strategist and writer, a follower of the art of virtual worlds. With his guides, he shares not only the secrets of successful gaming, but also inspires readers to discover new horizons in the gaming industry. With his help, players gain not only knowledge but also confidence in their gaming skills, ready to overcome any challenges thrown at them by the world of virtual adventures.
