Magic: The Gathering Arena

 PC
User Score
2.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 209 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 209
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 209
  3. Negative: 147 out of 209

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. MechaManekiNeko
    Aug 28, 2020
    6
    The gameplay itself can be a little slow, especially if your playing against someone who's not familiar with magic. Other than that the game is fun to play if you enjoy MTG. It needs to be said though, that the game is highly monetized (at fairly high prices too). You will need to invest cash if you want to make a deck with cards of your choosing that can compete in ranked matches (if yourThe gameplay itself can be a little slow, especially if your playing against someone who's not familiar with magic. Other than that the game is fun to play if you enjoy MTG. It needs to be said though, that the game is highly monetized (at fairly high prices too). You will need to invest cash if you want to make a deck with cards of your choosing that can compete in ranked matches (if your new to the game). They also have a draft mode which can be fun but boasts around a 10 dollar entry fee. Basically this game is the reason I wont ever spend money on WotC products again.… Expand
  2. Rafarodfer
    Apr 13, 2021
    9
    Estou gostando bastante do jogo, o sistema de batalha é muito bom, quando você começa o jogo ganha várias cartas e decks e pode conseguir mais coisas gratuitamente. Pode duelar contra seus amigos, pessoas desconhecidas e bots. Tem momentos que o jogo te coloca pra enfrentar jogadores com decks melhores ou vem uma sequencias de mãos ruis para você perder e querer gastar no jogo, porem nemEstou gostando bastante do jogo, o sistema de batalha é muito bom, quando você começa o jogo ganha várias cartas e decks e pode conseguir mais coisas gratuitamente. Pode duelar contra seus amigos, pessoas desconhecidas e bots. Tem momentos que o jogo te coloca pra enfrentar jogadores com decks melhores ou vem uma sequencias de mãos ruis para você perder e querer gastar no jogo, porem nem sempre isso acontece e você tem a liberdade de decidir se vai gastar ou não. Um dos melhores jogos gratuitos que já joguem e uma ótima forma de jogar Magic gratuitamente.… Expand
  3. djqualia
    Jan 12, 2021
    9
    I really enjoy MTG Arena. I used to play Hearthstone, and I appreciate the relative depth of Magic vs that (e.g. being able to play during other people's turns, and to bluff). I enjoy that there's always new sets of cards being added, with new mechanics, to keep things fresh. I just wish the mobile version was out already!
  4. supremememe
    Apr 4, 2021
    10
    Really confused by the bad reviews. Cheaper than 'paper' magic and MTGO by a large margin, and possible to play free if you know what colors/strategies you like to play and don't care about set completion. Or, if you're really good, you can really rack up free sh*t in draft formats (I'm not, but have had some hot streaks).

    Complaints about shuffler are complete eye rolls from me.    Really confused by the bad reviews. Cheaper than 'paper' magic and MTGO by a large margin, and possible to play free if you know what colors/strategies you like to play and don't care about set completion. Or, if you're really good, you can really rack up free sh*t in draft formats (I'm not, but have had some hot streaks).

    Complaints about shuffler are complete eye rolls from me. Sometimes you get mana screwed or flooded. Happens in paper all the time too. Just the nature of the game: there is a reason 'Opt' is consistently one of the best 1 mana spells in Magic (scry/draw). Go play hearthstone lol.

    Plenty of free packs and wildcards, easy to play a draft a week if you save your gold, and if you win you can keep going. Might be rough starting out, but as standard rotates out old sets you will naturally have many more options (as it's easiest to progress in the newest sets) if you stick with it.

    Overall the game is very responsive. Runs fine on my 6 year old 'gaming' desktop and fine on my i5 laptop with onboard video (obviously graphics turned to low, but no problem reading cards or even deck building.) Some card interactions and turn phases/priority checks are a little tedious in the client vs paper, but overall many things like shuffles being automated make for a much faster gameplay experience (tokens, +1/+1 counters, anthems etc). Queue times are extremely short for ranked until you hit mythic.

    Biggest complaint would be the sheer amount of net decking present but that is a problem that affects paper in 'current year'. Usually have no problem in ranked if you put together competitive 'jank' that is thoughtful of the current meta decks. Worth a try and brawl can be very fun if you get sick of standard. 'Best of 3' is also an option for some more thoughtful games versus hoping your deck lines up against the current meta with no sideboarding. Historic is shaping up to be an interesting format, but the price to entry is a little high if you're just jumping in now (you will need a lot of wildcards or know EXACTLY what your building for in your decks).

    Overall highly recommended if you like Magic the Gathering as a card game.    … Expand
  5. morof_r
    Apr 14, 2021
    9
    This game is really amazing, it's all of standard and historic Magic without compromise, including the very exciting drafts. The interface to build decks is very practical, it's easier than with real cards. In my opinion you get enough new cards without having to pay any real money. Also, the animations and sounds are a success.
    The only downsides for me are the boring tutorial and the    This game is really amazing, it's all of standard and historic Magic without compromise, including the very exciting drafts. The interface to build decks is very practical, it's easier than with real cards. In my opinion you get enough new cards without having to pay any real money. Also, the animations and sounds are a success.
    The only downsides for me are the boring tutorial and the fact that it's not very well optimised for macs, I had to do some weird manipulations I found online to get it to fit to my screen, and it sometimes crashes when I quit the game.
    For the people that say that the shuffler is rigged, you should go revise your probabilities. And I didn't experience rigged matchmaking or anything like that.
    In any case, try it, it's free!    … Expand
  6. juanparranda
    Nov 18, 2022
    0
    cada vez se hace un juego mas pay to win, con el tiempo quienes no son capacez de costear las cartas de nuevas ediciones evidentemente sufren de malos pairing, robos para nada aleatorio, donde claramente es un exceso de tierras o una completa nulidad de esta, nisiquiera el mulligan permite a los jugadores acomodar las manos, 5 de cada 6 partidas en mis manos aparecen dos tierras paracada vez se hace un juego mas pay to win, con el tiempo quienes no son capacez de costear las cartas de nuevas ediciones evidentemente sufren de malos pairing, robos para nada aleatorio, donde claramente es un exceso de tierras o una completa nulidad de esta, nisiquiera el mulligan permite a los jugadores acomodar las manos, 5 de cada 6 partidas en mis manos aparecen dos tierras para despues no volvera a salirme tierras, es mas que nada frustrante querer jugar un juego competitivo no para ser el mejor, si no para ir subiendo escalones acorde a los mazos pero que se encargue de hacer pasar malos ratos, estoy casi seguro que si alguien capaz de entrar a los datos del juego revisa el randomizador de los mazos esta manipulado, deprimente que solo piensen en el dinero y que reciban siempre top decks quienes tienen todos los comodines gastados en las nuevas ediciones… Expand
  7. ILikeBosch
    Sep 29, 2022
    4
    It has engaging gameplay loops that keep pulling you back in, but the sad reality is that this is just another game for whales to exploit lowly free-to-play users. If you don't buy cards in this game and construct a godlike deck made of countless rares and mythic rares, you're not getting out of Platinum ranked. You can get a mono aggro deck to Platinum easily, which speaks volumes aboutIt has engaging gameplay loops that keep pulling you back in, but the sad reality is that this is just another game for whales to exploit lowly free-to-play users. If you don't buy cards in this game and construct a godlike deck made of countless rares and mythic rares, you're not getting out of Platinum ranked. You can get a mono aggro deck to Platinum easily, which speaks volumes about the state of matchmaking. If you're playing standard casual, you're getting rocked by master players with cards f2p can't seem to find. Bronze to Gold ranked is almost all the same skill level, it's where free to play players go to grind their wins because they can't go anywhere else. Even if you do get out of platinum and into mythic, you're going to get destroyed by the "rigged" shuffler algorithm. It's not uncommon, and I mean this happens on a daily basis, to somehow draw up to 6 or even 7 lands in a row. I have lost count of how often this happens, and people were complaining about this "bug" as far back as launch many years ago. The fact that it hasn't been "fixed" seems to all but confirm all of the conspiracy theorists' thoughts about how this feature punishes free-to-play players into spending money. The algorithm pits you against players based on deck composition, so you're either getting people with the same deck, or people with the exact deck to counter your cards, and then sometimes it's down to who gets to go first in a game that decides the outcome.

    The economy is awful, often making it simply impossible for casual players to redeem wildcards to craft new decks. Rares and Mythic Rares are locked behind all-to-uncommon wildcards needed to create them, and copies of them once unlocked. This system may have been reasonable when there were only a handful of sets, but there are like 20 sets in MTG Arena now, if you don't specifically play standard, and even then, the handful of standard sets make up thousands of cards. If you're lurking on aetherhub or some other card builder site and you've spotted a popular mono white aggro deck or something that wins 55% of games, you're likely missing anywhere from 10-20 wildcards to make it. I've been playing casually off and on for a few years and I've still not been able to make more than a handful of new, fresh decks from scratch because MTG is so miserly with their rewards. Gold is locked behind dailies and weeklies, so once you've completed them, you can't make any more gold for the rest of the day. This is insane, as it restricts players for...playing the game. Card packs now cost 1300 if you want to guarantee a Mythic Rare in it. They strategically place this pack right next to the regular packs, and then hide Alchemy packs in-between so you could potentially buy an alchemy pack instead of a regular pack if you're not paying attention. The whole thing feels like a scam, and remains predatory toward casual players; this is ironic considering the entire game is marketed toward this demographic. The game is free to play, after all. Casual players don't drop whale fortunes on games.

    The one upside is that this display of shortsighted greed has made me want to explore paper Magic for the first time. If I'm spending money, I'd rather have something tangible with collectible value, and then I know I won't get screwed by statistically impossible land draw dysfunction every 6 games.    … Expand
  8. BenzoSt
    Jul 12, 2022
    8
    The gameplay of Magic Arena is faster, flashier, and more responsive than the older Magic Online game. But Arena isn’t necessarily better than Magic Online if your true goal is to improve your skill at real (paper) Magic; since Arena rewards players with loot for every game won, players disproportionately play fast, aggressive decks and also tend to concede games at the first moment theirThe gameplay of Magic Arena is faster, flashier, and more responsive than the older Magic Online game. But Arena isn’t necessarily better than Magic Online if your true goal is to improve your skill at real (paper) Magic; since Arena rewards players with loot for every game won, players disproportionately play fast, aggressive decks and also tend to concede games at the first moment their luck takes a turn for the worse. Sometimes custom formats are available, and these opportunities are my favorite way to play because they give me a chance to capitalize on my strong deck building skills.… Expand
  9. davey16
    Nov 15, 2021
    5
    I love the idea. Ive loved MTG for a long time but, the economy on it is horrible. Its no surprise that a game in this era of any kind is doing all its can to focus on profits. I get it. I dont have to like it, though. You can still make money and do things right for the customer but, they all chose not to these days. This is no different. MTG is a great game. This is a great idea. GreedI love the idea. Ive loved MTG for a long time but, the economy on it is horrible. Its no surprise that a game in this era of any kind is doing all its can to focus on profits. I get it. I dont have to like it, though. You can still make money and do things right for the customer but, they all chose not to these days. This is no different. MTG is a great game. This is a great idea. Greed keeps people out even more than the complexity of the game.… Expand
  10. encarvlucas
    Jun 22, 2022
    0
    Unplayable mess stuffed with predatory monetization and bad consumer practices. Bugs are rampant, server issues and constant crashes.
  11. JarlOfJarylton
    Sep 15, 2022
    0
    This game is the fattest, peanut riddled, frothy, piece of **** I've ever played in my life and I've played nearly any game you could think to name that is an RPG, RTS, MOBA, MMORPG, Isometric, ARPG.

    I have never. In my life — felt more raped after investing in a game, in my life. I mean that. DO NOT DO IT! Play the original!! HERE I'll give you the link    This game is the fattest, peanut riddled, frothy, piece of **** I've ever played in my life and I've played nearly any game you could think to name that is an RPG, RTS, MOBA, MMORPG, Isometric, ARPG.

    I have never. In my life — felt more raped after investing in a game, in my life. I mean that. DO NOT DO IT! Play the original!! HERE I'll give you the link https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgo OR GO FIND IT ON YOUR OWN IDC BUT TRUST ME YOU ARE MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE!!

    The so called, "Random Number Generator" Algorithm, that WOC uses is festered with intentional loss stratagems built into the code. Which can make you lose 20 times in a row with an AAA deck. You can be matched against counter decks, given 3 of the same creature in your opening hand along with 1 land and 3, 5-drops in 9/10 games in a row or a mixture of this all because WOC decides you have "won/played enough for today". Basically telling you to go f^(& yourself. I have never in 20 years of MTG competitively or for fun — seen this type of "randomness" and that says a lot. I have been witness to every type of Korean RNG algorithm you can imagine (BDO, BnS, TERA,, etc) and have never experienced treachery to this extent.

    No game should EVER, EVER intentionally, force a player to lose for ANY reason. Let the RNG system do it's FU$*#* job!!! SCUM!!    … Expand
  12. AutoNacho
    Jan 5, 2022
    1
    There was some huge chances to improve paper magic with this product that was completely missed. Firstly either my account is glitched or there is a pay wall I have not found- regardless on my account I am lucky to go first once a night if I play many many games, at this point I build decks to go second. Also the "shuffler" is terrible, generally copies of cards always clump together,There was some huge chances to improve paper magic with this product that was completely missed. Firstly either my account is glitched or there is a pay wall I have not found- regardless on my account I am lucky to go first once a night if I play many many games, at this point I build decks to go second. Also the "shuffler" is terrible, generally copies of cards always clump together, especially land chunks. It is so predictable if I draw two land I know the next three are land. This makes games where both players have a fair fight around 20-25% of games. Might as well download a coin flip app instead.… Expand
  13. infantryman9244
    May 18, 2022
    0
    This game caters to whales really hard. the shuffler algo is broken and will not be fixed even tho they have been told too many times. the "support" team is a joke only copy/paste responses. game is full of cheaters as well and yes you can cheat the game. i love the real card game but this shell of a game is a joke even the mechanics are broken! stay away from this game!!
  14. Niceguy3000
    Jan 13, 2022
    1
    The game is horrible. It predetermined whether you will win or lose before the match even starts. You can play 10 games and it will give you 3 mana in 11 turns each game. Even if you pay anything for the game, you will still lose. It is a complete cash grab. Nobody should play this game for learning purposes because it will teach you that no matter what, you’ll lose.
  15. UrbanEelf
    Apr 20, 2022
    7
    decent game decent game decent game decent game decent game decent game decent game
  16. UnblessedBe
    Sep 17, 2022
    0
    Wizards of the Coast took the best part of MTG out of the game....being able to communicate with your opponents. MTG is a social game yet this is a shell of what it is meant to be.

    A absolute joke of a game. Shame on Wizards of the Coast for this buggy garbage with zero chat functionality. Slow paced, buggy, trash. it's also so much fun playing against players who run down the clock on    Wizards of the Coast took the best part of MTG out of the game....being able to communicate with your opponents. MTG is a social game yet this is a shell of what it is meant to be.

    A absolute joke of a game. Shame on Wizards of the Coast for this buggy garbage with zero chat functionality. Slow paced, buggy, trash. it's also so much fun playing against players who run down the clock on you just out of spite wasting your time.    … Expand
  17. back1
    Jul 3, 2022
    0
    Pay to win game. It algorith will asure you won't open meta high used rares and mythic cards, and will get unfavorable matchups and draws unless you spend big bucks within the game. Extremely frustrating.
  18. TurgidTenthInc
    Aug 11, 2023
    2
    I'm a lifelong paper MtG player and I have to say that this isn't it. First, WotC clearly prioritized cosmetics and monetization over client stability and performance. That is all exacerbated by the decisions WotC has made with regard to format balancing in both digital and paper over the years. Gameplay wise, the game is in the worst shape it has been in for years. Don't botherI'm a lifelong paper MtG player and I have to say that this isn't it. First, WotC clearly prioritized cosmetics and monetization over client stability and performance. That is all exacerbated by the decisions WotC has made with regard to format balancing in both digital and paper over the years. Gameplay wise, the game is in the worst shape it has been in for years. Don't bother investing in the Historic format as WotC has reserved the right to nerf cards after you have acquired them without refunding or giving you the option to exchange them back for wildcards. You'll see the same handful of decks, especially in Bo1 ranked, every game. Currently if you don't have a maindecked response to a certain 4 mana indestructible artifact that draws you a ton of cards every tun, you will lose. That brings me to the biggest problem with the format: Alchemy. It is an abysmal format with terrible balance, very little interactibility thanks to perpetual effects, and basically just seems like an excuse for WotCto create stupidly pushed cards that you need to use wild cards on to be competitive, nerfing those cards, and then not refunding your wildcards. Remarkable. Stability and performance -wise, the game is somehow in the worse state than in was during its "beta" period. I get crash and stutters on a high end PC. There's no way to turn off the annoying 3D particle effects that nobody asked for as well. Despite all this, WotC has clear put tons of time and effort into more pets, and assorted cosmetics. Honestly this game has one of the most egregious live-service models I have ever encountered. I'll give the game a 2 because of the rare fun back an forth matchup, but with the rampant roping, those are increasingly hard to find.… Expand
  19. perp
    Dec 13, 2022
    0
    Do not play this trash game! Do not give wizards your money! Force them to fix it! The match making is garbage. The economy is garbage. The interactions do not work how they should. It is pay to win not only because you need to build a collection, but it's pretty blatantly obvious that if you pay more money the game favors you. As far as cash grabs go, it's 100% that. Do not waste yourDo not play this trash game! Do not give wizards your money! Force them to fix it! The match making is garbage. The economy is garbage. The interactions do not work how they should. It is pay to win not only because you need to build a collection, but it's pretty blatantly obvious that if you pay more money the game favors you. As far as cash grabs go, it's 100% that. Do not waste your time and spend your money on the physical game or if you need to play mtg online, play the online variant and not this dumpsterfire.… Expand
  20. Bethrezzzen
    Dec 21, 2022
    0
    Absolutely random donation dump. Artificially complicated and incredibly boring. Waste of time and money
  21. aburb
    Jan 4, 2023
    0
    The game gives an idea that it could be fun when you start but it is just very harsh and not enjoyable when you really get into it.
  22. dorble
    Jan 5, 2023
    0
    This game is really bad. I could give you an explanation of how and why but I don't need to. When you start this game it tricks you into thinking it is fun and cool with an intro that is NOT AT ALL what the actual game is like. Then you get into it. And the real game is awful. You'll feel it. Go ahead. Go suffer
  23. Sephrix
    Jan 11, 2023
    0
    First things first, I love magic. I've been playing almost every week for years with my friends at my local game store. I still love the game.

    Magic arena has almost destroyed my enjoyment of the game entirely since its release. If you are a new player, avoid this game entirely and instead talk to friends that play the game and see about getting into it that way. Trust me, it'll be more    First things first, I love magic. I've been playing almost every week for years with my friends at my local game store. I still love the game.

    Magic arena has almost destroyed my enjoyment of the game entirely since its release. If you are a new player, avoid this game entirely and instead talk to friends that play the game and see about getting into it that way. Trust me, it'll be more enjoyable.

    At first I thought this would be a wonderful practice tool as I was working towards more competitive play at the time but the more I played the more I realised this was going to be the worst thing to happen to magic ever.

    The meta has become a stagnant pool of the same cards put into the same 3/4 decks over and over. I played 20 games yesterday and 18 of them were against the same deck which is the defacto #1 deck in the meta with a 60%+ win rate. The meta was solved the day the sets became available online. It used to be a process of people finding fun jank to play with and sometimes things would stick but now it's a case of 99% of players online copy/pasting the exact same mythic deck that someone posted on untapped or whatever other tool people use to netdeck these days.

    I used to at least enjoy the games but with the cards wizards have printed lately there's no diversity in any of the metagames. It's the same cards over and over and over from standard through to historic because they were printed to be busted and sell packs and guess what, the cards are totally busted.

    I find myself constantly disappointed with arena despite being someone who has given it chance after chance to be redeemed.    … Expand
  24. PizzaWorm
    Feb 14, 2023
    9
    I'm aware the game has problems, but it's one of the most fun ways of playing Magic casually.
  25. netbattler15
    Mar 6, 2023
    6
    Magic the Gathering is the best card game ever created. I have played the game competitively for more than 10 years. Arena is essentially designed for me. I am not reviewing the current state of MTG formats as they exist outside (and inside) of Arena. Due to letting me play MTG, I start Arena at a 5.

    Arena launched as a barebones implementation of the game. You could play magic,    Magic the Gathering is the best card game ever created. I have played the game competitively for more than 10 years. Arena is essentially designed for me. I am not reviewing the current state of MTG formats as they exist outside (and inside) of Arena. Due to letting me play MTG, I start Arena at a 5.

    Arena launched as a barebones implementation of the game. You could play magic, sure, but not much more than that. Animations are a bit lackluster, match making can be slow at times, I've recently had some visual bugs.

    The economy is greedy. I have to spend about $100 quarterly to mostly (not entirely) keep up with the metagame, and that gives me no ability to sell out when I no longer have use for my cards.

    The feature roll out has been slow and drip fed. Features users have asked for for literal years get deprioritized behind new digital only formats that are incredibly unpopular (and require additional cards at additional cost).

    I can't give this game a 0 or a 1. Magic itself is too good for that. But I will give it a 6. It's worth it to play magic if you can't play in paper, but paper will always be better.    … Expand
  26. firezone
    Mar 24, 2023
    1
    i swear that the shuffler is rigged. some games i will get everything i need from off the top while others i struggle in even getting a single card i need. i played a event and around 8 out of 13 games i was stuck on 2 lands, at this point it feels like a slog just to play the game with how much net decking there is along with the alchemy cards . i wouldn't recommend this if you want toi swear that the shuffler is rigged. some games i will get everything i need from off the top while others i struggle in even getting a single card i need. i played a event and around 8 out of 13 games i was stuck on 2 lands, at this point it feels like a slog just to play the game with how much net decking there is along with the alchemy cards . i wouldn't recommend this if you want to play casual or don't want to spend much money on the game… Expand
  27. Martin_D
    May 26, 2023
    0
    Yeah, this game blows big time.
    25 lands in Your deck? - no lands drawn in 4 to 5 turns.
    19 lands in Your deck? - get flooded for 4 to 5 turns.
    Toxic community, shady business practices from WOTC and don't expect to have fun playing the game.
    But please, don' forget spend some money in the shop on Your way out!
  28. HappyGilmore
    May 27, 2023
    0
    I hope You know by now that You shouldn't believe any of these shill critics and fake reviews that actually endorse this game. If You've ever played paper Magic and have decided to play this trash game a few very important things will become evident quite fast. Arena is laughably and obviously rigged. The shuffler, the matchmaking, the cards in the booster packs and the games themselves.I hope You know by now that You shouldn't believe any of these shill critics and fake reviews that actually endorse this game. If You've ever played paper Magic and have decided to play this trash game a few very important things will become evident quite fast. Arena is laughably and obviously rigged. The shuffler, the matchmaking, the cards in the booster packs and the games themselves. Do Yourself a massive favor and never play this garbage. It might actually kill Your affection for the IRL version… Expand
  29. ChickensBrother
    May 31, 2023
    0
    Your interaction with this "game" will look like this on most days:

    1. Launch game 2. Jump into standard match to get some daily wins 3. Concede the mach before even looking at Your hand because the first 2-3 games of the day are rigged to be forced losses 4. Repeat steps #2 and #3 2-3 times 5. Get a forced win 6. Repeat whole process until satisfied with number of daily wins 7.    Your interaction with this "game" will look like this on most days:

    1. Launch game
    2. Jump into standard match to get some daily wins
    3. Concede the mach before even looking at Your hand because the first 2-3 games of the day are rigged to be forced losses
    4. Repeat steps #2 and #3 2-3 times
    5. Get a forced win
    6. Repeat whole process until satisfied with number of daily wins
    7. Alt+F4 game during Your last mach to rope someone, come back tomorrow

    Sounds like fun to You?    … Expand
  30. Cecil_Marche
    Jun 3, 2023
    0
    This game will make You hate Magic the Gathering if You ever held any affection for it. Play at Your own risk.
  31. CheckYourMate
    Jun 6, 2023
    0
    This game is garbage. It's rigged to a point where it's unplayable. Paper Magic would struggle to recreate the situations that happen in this game on a regular basis. For example: lets draw six cards with "Flow of Knowledge". You've just drawn six lands, count them wit me - six! Someone please tell me what are the actual mathematical odds of that happening? And it happened to me twiceThis game is garbage. It's rigged to a point where it's unplayable. Paper Magic would struggle to recreate the situations that happen in this game on a regular basis. For example: lets draw six cards with "Flow of Knowledge". You've just drawn six lands, count them wit me - six! Someone please tell me what are the actual mathematical odds of that happening? And it happened to me twice already, TWICE! Scummy game and a huge flaming middle finger to the community. Thanks wotc!… Expand
  32. Will1999
    Jun 7, 2023
    0
    What could be said that hasn't been said already by the scores of unhappy people critiquing this game. It's a tedious chore to play if You want Your daily gold done and You have to lose a set number of games whatever the makeup of Your deck might be. It's rigged harder than a Vegas casino. Thoroughly not enjoyable
  33. StarLord77
    Jun 16, 2023
    0
    Piece of garbage game, couldn't rate it low enough. The biggest offender for me is matchmaking. Constant mirror matches or just perfect counters to Your deck. Lose 4 games in a row and be grateful for getting a pity win over someone that had to mulligan down to four or just quits 20 seconds into the match. Opponents always top-deck perfectly to turn the match around. If You think: no wayPiece of garbage game, couldn't rate it low enough. The biggest offender for me is matchmaking. Constant mirror matches or just perfect counters to Your deck. Lose 4 games in a row and be grateful for getting a pity win over someone that had to mulligan down to four or just quits 20 seconds into the match. Opponents always top-deck perfectly to turn the match around. If You think: no way he top-decked a board wipe... Just guess what's in his hand. Uninstall...… Expand
  34. JezebelST
    Jun 20, 2023
    0
    "Professional" critics are worthless hacks that have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to reviewing games. The users are always on the receiving end and their opinion should count. Alas it never was and never will be the case. Go ... yourself hasbro. Same for wotc. Hate You both and hate this game.
  35. Lucius_18
    Jul 10, 2023
    0
    I play paper magic, mostly commander and I HATE this version of it. The game is rigged ladies and gentlemen, pure and simple. if You don't believe me just play, let's say 10 games in a row. You will witness situations so over the top it's laughable. And if by some miracle You actually win 5 or six games in a row - that's when the circus starts. Odds of probability? Yeah, right... wizardsI play paper magic, mostly commander and I HATE this version of it. The game is rigged ladies and gentlemen, pure and simple. if You don't believe me just play, let's say 10 games in a row. You will witness situations so over the top it's laughable. And if by some miracle You actually win 5 or six games in a row - that's when the circus starts. Odds of probability? Yeah, right... wizards are corporate shills for hasbro now. All that matters is the bottom line… Expand
  36. JessieJane
    Jul 11, 2023
    0
    Giving this game a positive review score just because one has sentiment for the cardboard version is not doing the community any favors... wizards should acknowledge that 5 years after release people still have a strong opinion about their product. And that opinion isn't favorable. The only reason to play this game is to learn the mechanics of MtG through the tutorial (which is superb forGiving this game a positive review score just because one has sentiment for the cardboard version is not doing the community any favors... wizards should acknowledge that 5 years after release people still have a strong opinion about their product. And that opinion isn't favorable. The only reason to play this game is to learn the mechanics of MtG through the tutorial (which is superb for new players) and then uninstall the game and switch over to real life. If You stick with the game for much longer after that Your in for disappointment, frustration, predatory practices and alchemy. Who even wanted alchemy in the first place?… Expand
  37. HgGyFl99
    Jul 12, 2023
    0
    In recent years we have noticed wizards becoming ever more greedy and disrespectful with their hardcore fan base. Voices of discontent are ignored or silenced. I guess they have to make inflated profit quotas for hasbro but it still breaks my heart to see what's happening to a card game that I've loved since high school. MtG Arena is the worst offender. Alchemy which no one wants to playIn recent years we have noticed wizards becoming ever more greedy and disrespectful with their hardcore fan base. Voices of discontent are ignored or silenced. I guess they have to make inflated profit quotas for hasbro but it still breaks my heart to see what's happening to a card game that I've loved since high school. MtG Arena is the worst offender. Alchemy which no one wants to play is being forced down our throats and cheated into the new player experience. Pointless, cumbersome mechanics enter standard and turn a fun streamlined experience into a slog. And of course micro transactions and booster packs that make You spend money on promises that won't be kept. How long will it be before MtgA stops making a profit, the servers go down and You'll be left holding a bag of digital garbage? If You're thinking of trying out this "FTP"game do Your future self a huge favor and just don't.… Expand
  38. TeWufi
    Jul 12, 2023
    0
    Community: Why don't real life booster packs include redeem codes for Arena?
    Wotc: FU! Give us Your money!
    Community: Why does cracking packs in game only yield crappy rares that You will not use in any of Your decks until You get to about 98% of that sets collection progress? Wotc: FU! Give us more money! Community: Why promote a dead, digital only format that no one wanted, no    Community: Why don't real life booster packs include redeem codes for Arena?
    Wotc: FU! Give us Your money!

    Community: Why does cracking packs in game only yield crappy rares that You will not use in any of Your decks until You get to about 98% of that sets collection progress?
    Wotc: FU! Give us more money!

    Community: Why promote a dead, digital only format that no one wanted, no one plays and no will play realistically because the cards get nerfed on a regular basis?
    Wotc: FU! We just want money! Who cares about what You want?

    Community: Why can't we crush unwanted cards into wildcards? Why is the game economy so bad?
    Wotc: Ok, FU! Just shut up and consume the crap we give You!    … Expand
  39. Magnus1
    Jul 13, 2023
    0
    Let's try an experiment together.
    Build a mono red deck and play 10 games. The matchmaker will pit You exclusively against other mono red decks, azorius and mono black decks.
    Now let us switch over to, let's say, mono blue. Result: mirror matches, graveyard hate and Hull-breaker Horror. Want to try rakdos? You will come up against full control 50% of the time. Oh excuse me? You wanted    Let's try an experiment together.
    Build a mono red deck and play 10 games. The matchmaker will pit You exclusively against other mono red decks, azorius and mono black decks.
    Now let us switch over to, let's say, mono blue. Result: mirror matches, graveyard hate and Hull-breaker Horror.
    Want to try rakdos? You will come up against full control 50% of the time.
    Oh excuse me? You wanted to have some fun playing MtG today? Tough luck a-hole!    … Expand
  40. jared3453453
    Aug 17, 2023
    0
    Just buy a cheap commander deck and go to your LGS, don't waste your time on this dumpster fire.
  41. Faded0cean
    Sep 6, 2023
    4
    This game sucks. The card balance needs to be fixed. There will be days where I can't win a game. Wizards of the coast needs to be better,.
  42. 13_triste
    Sep 11, 2023
    0
    If the game had a decent shuffler, would be one of the best free games.

    But, they don't
next
Page:

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PC Game of 2018
27
#27 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    100
    An excellent and faithful conversion of the iconic card game into a very welcoming computer free-to-play form. This is a hit. [Issue#300]
  2. Vandal
    Dec 18, 2019
    90
    This is the definitive Magic experience on PC. It’s free-to-play, but it’s incredibly well balanced and lets us enjoy it without hassle. If you enjoy card-based games, give it a try.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpace
    Dec 6, 2019
    80
    Magic: The Gathering Arena is an excellent entry point into the twenty-six-year-old franchise for new players and lovable for veteran players as well. While it’s generally a very fun experience, it’s not without technical issues.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »