About the Show This Week
Added 2017-09-07 20:32:41 +0000 UTCHey All,
So we have a pretty cool opportunity this week; we are having OG co-host Ryan Spain on the show to talk about MTG Arena, aka "Magic Digital Next" aka the next step for Magic in the digital realm. Ryan works as a designer on MTG Arena.
Wizards reached out and asked about having him on the show to answer questions about MTG Arena, and about the future of digital Magic.
SO, he's coming on this week to do this. Pretty cool opportunity for us. This one will just be me and Ryan as we talk about how things are going to work going forward.
Here's where you come in: I want to know what type of questions you have about this big step for Magic.
I can't guarantee being able to ask every question because they are still early in the development stage for this product (it's in alpha right now), and that means that they aren't able to talk about every detail and every piece of information going forward, BUT, I want to take a pulse on what kind of questions you have as a Magic fan and user of Magic digital products.
So fire away here and I'll use it as a guide for the questions I ask Ryan on the show.
Also of note: The show will be up late this weekend or on Monday, as WotC has asked me to wait posting this info until then.
Thanks!
Marshall
Comments
If Arena and MTGO are going to exist side-by-side, will there be any interaction between the two platforms? It's already kind of weird for players to have separate paper and digital collections--will players now have two different digital collections?
Victor Munson
2017-09-10 06:09:32 +0000 UTCIn MTGO there is a visualization of the phases and you can set these "break points". Will this functionality be added? Also the gameplay seems to be more like magic duels.
Vaclav Pechtor
2017-09-09 08:01:32 +0000 UTCWill there also be a version for macOS, iOS, Android?
Vaclav Pechtor
2017-09-09 07:51:09 +0000 UTC<a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=mtg+arena" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://lmgtfy.com/?q=mtg+arena</a>
Ben Fulton
2017-09-09 00:30:25 +0000 UTCDo the designers envision Arena and MTGO to operate side-by-side indefinitely or will MTGO eventually be absorbed into Arena? If they continue side-by-side, which platform will be the priority for professional and other serious players? Will cards and other items of value be transferrable between the two or would we have to acquire the same cards again ?
Mary C
2017-09-08 23:41:31 +0000 UTCWhat is Arena?
Geoff Tindall
2017-09-08 23:07:22 +0000 UTCI may have missed this in the various announcements, but I don't think it was covered. Is it confirmed that there will be an AI in this game, and if so do you plan to have a gauntlet of NPCs similar to early Duels or Hearthstone or Hex? I'm a competitive player, but I also enjoy the novelty of playing against a challenging array of NPC decks with different personalities or game modes.
Ben Fulton
2017-09-08 18:51:01 +0000 UTCHi Hello, I've been a Value Vampire for the last year or so but finally decided to chip in and support the show. Thanks for all the hard work! LR listeners are always looking for small advantages. As I watched the Arena stream I began tracking cards coming off of the deck and into the battlefield. At certain times it was obvious that the opposing player top decked a land and then played it. Is this the type of information you are looking to gain from the closed beta? If so, I may know a guy. I'm excited for this project and extremely grateful to Marshall and Company for improving my Limited game. -Nicholas
Nicholas Koblick
2017-09-08 18:24:33 +0000 UTCIt's said that the program will be free-to-play, but obviously it will have to be monetized some way. Would be great to understand better how the program will work. Will you have to 'grind' to earn money to buy cards (or else pay if you want them quicker), ala Hearthstone?
Eli White
2017-09-08 17:51:29 +0000 UTC<a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena</a> Has all the information you need!
Timothy Rice
2017-09-08 17:07:39 +0000 UTCPC only at launch is confirmed, but they are planning to port later (It's in Unity so it's mostly a UI problem to solve rather than a hardware one)
Fukata
2017-09-08 16:27:34 +0000 UTC1) Does Wizards understand the way they handled Duels and its shutdown was wrong? Players invested in a platform they were told was going to be running for a long time and it was abandoned in a couple of years with no prior notice and very little visible concern given for the player base. I won't be investing any money in Arena for this reason, but I'm wary to invest my time in this if Wizards will discard it as quickly and as carelessly when the next shiny thing comes along. 2) Talk about draft on the client 3) Give us as much info as you can on pricing, monetization, how we get cards, etc.
Fukata
2017-09-08 16:17:46 +0000 UTCHi, I am really excited about this new opportunity to play magic. I am 95% a limited player and with mtgo I feel that its economy (secondary market, redemption, etc.) is probably limiting what you can offer in terms of tournament structure and prices. What is the limited experience that MTG arena will offer us?
Santiago Morello
2017-09-08 15:31:32 +0000 UTCHey Ryan, I noticed during the preview event that the text for Burning Sun's Avatar was different in Arena that it is on paper. In paper the card says that it "deals 3 damage to target opponent and 3 damage to target creature". In Arena, this was changed to: "3 damage to target opponent *or planeswalker*". How does this change in wording (which I assume was done to simplify gameplay) fit in to the stated goals of keeping the Magic ruleset exactly the same for Arena/paper?
Timothy Rice
2017-09-08 15:27:53 +0000 UTCHow does this new platform affect MtGO? Is the long range plan to have this usurp MtGO or will they coexist?
Jared Mazzant
2017-09-08 14:42:17 +0000 UTCRyan, having watched the Arena announcement, are there viewer focused twitch features in the works? I can imagine a twitch streamer activating a feed so that those watching the stream can more easily view cards that have been played, hands, the graveyard, etc. This may be way down the road or impossible. I found it really hard to follow the action watching the stream.
Ken Barker
2017-09-08 12:44:44 +0000 UTCThe beta being windows-only doesn't give a lot of confidence when other similar games had multi-platform betas from the start (Eternal, Heartstone, etc.). Will Arena at least launch with multi-platform support? Being windows-only is the biggest reason I barely ever play MODO, please don't lock us Mac users out of this one as well.
Heavenly Spoon
2017-09-08 11:51:47 +0000 UTCI'm sort of feeling like a chump having spent (lots of) money on MTGO now. As a limited only player, what good is everything I've earned in MTGO if this is the new pushed platform for standard constructed and draft formats? I really don't understand how these two programs are supposed to coexist. Ryan, please explain.
Terry Tidwell
2017-09-08 04:16:41 +0000 UTCIs there a draft/sealed component? Are the standard matches normal first to 2 wins? Are there sideboards in constructed? Also looks amazing so far.
Jason Power
2017-09-08 03:11:52 +0000 UTCThanks for coming back Ryan! I'm wondering, what is your favorite part of Arena? What are you most proud of? And what do you think will surprise us the most? Finally, could you elaborate a bit on the "chess clock" that was mentioned on the stream? How will it work?
Timothy Rice
2017-09-08 02:41:41 +0000 UTCHey Ryan, MTG Arena looks fantastic, and I'm really, really excited to give it a try but I have some concern about how this will live in the digital ecosystem next to MTGO. I've started building more resources in my account to play more limited and constructed, but I'm now reluctant to keep investing in my account when certain aspects may become obsolete in the future. Is there any information you can give to those of us who love the game, but fear we may be spending money in the wrong place. P.S Ixalan is looking amazing so far, I can't wait to get my hands on the cards at prerelease!
Christopher Stojanovic
2017-09-08 01:07:05 +0000 UTCHi Ryan, does the fact that you are answering questions about Arena on LR mean there is some limited-style content in the game? I played the version of Duels that had a proto-sealed format (2014 I think) quite a lot but beyond that the series has never held much interest for me. I draft on MTGO from time to time but can't justify it as much as I'd like from a cost perspective so I fill my time with Hearthstone arenas instead. It's not as good a game as Magic but but the cost/fun ratio is way better than MTGO. I never play constructed in either Magic or Hearthstone. Is arena targeted at purely limited players like me?
Jon Culver
2017-09-08 00:44:59 +0000 UTCHi guys! Wondering if there's going to be overseas servers for Arena? I get very frustrated with the extremely slow response and loading times trying to play MTGO here in Australia. It's actually a real issue as I time out on games a lot through no fault of my own. Plus it takes forever to fire up. Is my experience with MTG Arena going to be the same?
Strops
2017-09-08 00:44:23 +0000 UTCI have wanted to play magic on my iPad for a long time now but never liked the interface and lack of challenge in the current offering. Is the new app going to be able to easily set stops to retain priority at each stage of a turn? Is it going to share cards that I already own on MTGO? And will I be able to play between friends if we both have the software?
Brian Todd
2017-09-08 00:40:37 +0000 UTCHey Ryan, I'm curious about influences/inspirations for Arena. Games like hearthstone and Gwent have gotten a ton of popularity recently, and Valve is making a Dota2 card game. Are there any you can mention that might be references for structure of Arena? Or can you comment on the recent growth of the genre and maybe how that would relate to Arena?
Ben Frazier
2017-09-08 00:07:17 +0000 UTCHi Ryan. I am cautiously excited about Arena, but I am nervous about MTGO. I draft every set enough and sell back excess cards beyond enough to redeem. I then redeem the set and use it to have a singleton cardset of all of Magic to ensure I can build cubes and commander decks, etc. It is a core way in which I play and I would like to know your thoughts about this new set's impact on my redemption plan.
Philip Brissette
2017-09-08 00:03:24 +0000 UTCI know you're not *trying* to replace MTGO with MTG Arena, but are you worried at all that players will naturally gravitate towards one and that the other will stagnate and eventually die off?
Daniel Schneider
2017-09-07 23:54:52 +0000 UTCKinda detail-oriented here, but I really, really, really, dislike the way tapped cards are displayed in MTG Arena. As Magic players we've been conditioned over years and years that 'turned 90 degrees sideways' = tapped, and only turning the card 5 degrees, or greying it out or slapping a tapped arrow really just doesn't cut it for me. I know it was mentioned on stream that they tried a whole bunch of different things for tapped. Any chance we can see some changes to how tapped cards are represented in Arena?
Daniel Schneider
2017-09-07 23:53:07 +0000 UTCHow is a free-to-play draft and standard experience going to coexist with draft and standard on MTGO?
Daniel Jacobowitz
2017-09-07 23:51:28 +0000 UTCI have spent most of my online magic time playing and enjoying Duels of the Planeswalkers. It looks like this is the next iteration of that environment, so I have a couple of questions regarding the transition: Will any player purchases migrate from Duels to Arena, and/or will there be anything to look forward to for players who have invested a lot of time and money in Duels? In Duels the Steam, Android and iOS platforms were separated online, which meant I could not use multiple platforms to play the game without losing my library. It also meant a smaller pool of opponents. Will this be fixed in Arena? Thanks!
MoreDinosaurs
2017-09-07 23:51:04 +0000 UTCWhen will the future of Magic come to my Macbook Pro ?
Will Henson
2017-09-07 23:38:52 +0000 UTCOh my goodness, I have so many questions. First, let me start by saying thank you for coming back to LR to give us some detailed information about Arena. What I've seen so far has me very excited. It was mentioned on the stream that the plan is for Arena to have the complete "authentic Magic experience". Does this mean that all matches will be the 3-game sets (with sideboarding) that we've come to know and love? It was also brought up that the plan is to have Limited play available. Do you think that will look something like the draft leagues that we currently play in on MTGO? One of the big selling points in this announcement was that Arena will be "Free to Play". I know you can't go into too much detail, but could you let us know if that means we'll be able to draft for free? Changing gears, do you think it would be possible for Arena to have an API that 3rd party developers could tap into to enhance the user experience. I would love to be able to attach a program that would record my stats and compile that information for me. Similarly, will the game be designed to support the esports scene? Will it be possible to observe games that your friends are playing? Will replays be available, perhaps with the ability to look at what was in your opponent's hand?
Timothy Rice
2017-09-07 23:26:47 +0000 UTCAre there any plans for special pre-release or release events in Arena, using a digital version of the pre-release packs?
Ben Fulton
2017-09-07 23:22:34 +0000 UTC1) What ambitions are there for MTG Arena to bleed into real-world community events? Geographical events or scoreboards, regional competitions, etc? 2) What ambitions are there for MTG Arena to interface more with paper magic? Would it extend beyond MTGO's path to the Pro Tour? 3) Any plans to guide more varied play for players as many other mobile F2P games do (timed events that reward playing in a certain way or certain formats/decks, etc)? There's potential to level up the 'casual' quests (seen in Duels of the Planeswalker packages and prereleases) usually supported in paper magic by LGSes with a more modern mobile presence - how much emphasis would go to channeling that?
Zizhuang Yang
2017-09-07 23:05:21 +0000 UTCHi Ryan, What platforms will Arena be available on? Will its platform availability be like Duels or more like MTGO? Thanks!
Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley
2017-09-07 22:28:52 +0000 UTCHey Ryan. I watched the Arena reveal on twitch.tv and am excited about this new project. What are some of the challenges you have faced while working on the project that you can talk about? What kind of things are you personally looking forward to seeing in the game?
Jon
2017-09-07 22:26:08 +0000 UTCHi, Ryan. One of the biggest problems I have with MTGO existing alongside paper Magic is that I am asked to decide whether I should spend my dollar on a digital product or a paper product to get a similar experience. I am nervous that Magic Arena will introduce yet another similar experience demanding that same dollar. So, if there are no plans to eventually get rid of MTGO, is the Magic Arena experience different enough for players deeply invested in MTGO to make them want to spend money on it?
Ira Humphrey
2017-09-07 22:08:53 +0000 UTCHey Ryan, I saw that there were plans to import all standard legal cards to arena within the year, but are there any long-term plans to add modern cards? Thanks, Isaac
Isaac Rosenblum-Sellers
2017-09-07 22:06:22 +0000 UTCRyan, are there significant plans to engage players by skill in a manner that will stretch them. I've found on MTGO that I'm not good enough (yet) as a player to enjoy the experience. It would be cool to be able to enter drafts or sealed events with players in a closer ELO range.
Ken Barker
2017-09-07 22:00:44 +0000 UTCHello Ryan, I really enjoyed the live stream reveal, the game looks gorgeus and powerfully visual. My questions are the follow: 1- Would you tie the game to the Magic Story in some way? (like Duels) 2-It would be available on multiple languajes or just in English? 3-Can I have a squirrel avatar, please? Thanks and keep up working, I'm very interested in playing Arena.
Ferran Fons Titos
2017-09-07 21:50:26 +0000 UTCHello Ryan and Marshall I am very excited to see the free-to-play aspect of Arena, and as a vivid draft player, the only real question I have that needs answering is this: Will there be free drafts? Another, more debatable question: What are the biggest differences between Arena and MTGO, both visually and in regards to gameplay? Will WotC put more focus into Arena, making it a smooth, accessible game for the general public? My last question, and a more narrow one: Will you guys include achievements in this game? I've always loved the idea of getting rewarded not just with points, scores, tickets or Qualifier-tokens, but by being able to show off something great you managed to pull of. Turn-2-kills, Five counters on the same stack, these sort of things. Just curious. Keep up the great work, both of you. You've both increased the joy I find in Magic immensely.
Sigurd
2017-09-07 21:35:52 +0000 UTCWhat lessons do you feel the team has learned from MTGO and Duels of the Planeswalkers (both mistakes made and successes) in order to make Arena an even better game? Also, are there any plans for multiplayer, to allow for two-headed giant or multi-way Commander games?
Ben Fulton
2017-09-07 21:30:50 +0000 UTCHi Ryan, simple question: what does this mean in terms of value for our current collections, singles moving forward, and will their still be a card marketplace similar to the current one? Thanks!
chitobein
2017-09-07 21:27:52 +0000 UTCIs Wizards intending for this to compete directly with Hearthstone? If so, will the prize support (finally) reflect this?
Andy Brookshire
2017-09-07 21:23:38 +0000 UTCHey Ryan, welcome back! Are there plans to integrate MTG Arena into Organized Play and use it as a platform for competitive magic? Are there plans to run Arean PPTQs or other large-scale events? So excited for this program and for the future of MTG!
TISH
2017-09-07 21:23:19 +0000 UTCIn Full Control mode, will you be able to set and unset stops like in MTGO, or something else that allows one to play with more control but not have to click through every. single. step?
Adam Ford
2017-09-07 21:21:31 +0000 UTCRyan, as far as you can talk about, what aspect of this project excites you most as a game designer, and what aspect excites you most as a limited player? Thanks.
Matthew Taylor
2017-09-07 21:21:02 +0000 UTC1) Will there be a Chess Clock or how will your time for a turn be calculated ? 2) Will cards that rorate out of standard stay in the client ? 3) Plans on connecting it to the paper game (aka. promo codes in boosters or Pro Tour invites for tournament winners)
Michael Deckert
2017-09-07 21:18:28 +0000 UTCoh boy, where to start... As of now, according to what I saw during the stream: - Standard Only, any plan supporting other format like Draft, Modern, Commander, Legacy, etc? - The game is F2P, no trade. Can you get the card you want directly, or you'll need to get through a bot like MTGO? Or just boosters and luck? Could there be a way, somehow, to transfer card we own in paper into the game?
Pier-Luc Tremblay
2017-09-07 21:17:50 +0000 UTCCROSS PLATFORM release?! Will this be available on MAC/PC and mobile at launch??
Robin Roepstorff
2017-09-07 21:13:59 +0000 UTCThe Magic Arena FAQ says, "MTG Arena will be available to download with no fee and is a free-to-play game. ***Players looking to enhance their game experience will have the opportunity to do so through play rewards and in-game purchases***, but purchases are not required to access the full depth of authentic Magic gameplay." Does this mean that (a) certain cards will be available only through purchase, and/or (b) people who buy boosters online will be able to have greater access to cards? What is meant by "enhanced experience" through "in-game purchases?"
Steve Klien
2017-09-07 21:12:53 +0000 UTCHey Ryan! My biggest concern about MTG Arena is EFFICIENCY. The (re)introduction of Leagues was SOOO good for MTGO! The ability to crank out a whole draft in around an hour makes "the old way" seem primitive. I am worried that WOTC's need to compete with games like Hearthstone will result in so many bells and whistles (i.e. fancy animations) that drafts will slow to an intolerable crawl. Is this concern warranted?
Matt Schneeweiss
2017-09-07 21:08:44 +0000 UTCWill there be any cross over with MTGO, or will it be completely separate?
Brian Thomas
2017-09-07 21:08:07 +0000 UTCWill this be easier to get the hang of for players who are used to paper magic? How so?
Luke Abramczyk
2017-09-07 21:07:18 +0000 UTCWill we get a solution for people that primarily play paper right now and don't want to purchase the same cards online?
David Fitzgerald
2017-09-07 20:59:35 +0000 UTCWhat aspects of the user experience is the Arena team focused on improving over MTGO to make it more user-friendly, intuitive, and fun?
Brien Howard
2017-09-07 20:55:42 +0000 UTCOne more quick one: 5. "Story Mode" is one of the things that I think Magic Duels did extremely well, and differently from any other Magic product. Is there a plan to continue that, or anything similar?
Seth Fellenstein
2017-09-07 20:54:57 +0000 UTCAs a (primarily) Limited player, why would I want to play Magic Arena instead of MTGO, where I am already invested and comfortable with the interface?
Delnai
2017-09-07 20:54:28 +0000 UTCHow exactly will time work in this UI?
Hogan Long
2017-09-07 20:53:12 +0000 UTCWhat will the cost be for drafting/sealed if they exist and what will the prizes be for such events? Will those events fire on demand? Is there any portion of the rules of magic that has to be sacrificed to make a more streamlined digital game? Will I love Magic Arena?
Matt Sada
2017-09-07 20:51:50 +0000 UTCSo many questions! As a mostly online player, I'll take any information you're willing to give, but I'll try to pick some out: 1. Will this be closer to Magic Online or Magic Duels? Is this a replacement for either? 2. What's the plan for the economy of the game? Is there an upfront cost to download the program, and/or a cost for events? Can you trade with other players (like MTGO), or do you get cards just from the store? 3. Will Arena be playable from smartphones or tablets? Is it being designed with that in mind? 4. Most importantly, CAN WE DRAFT?!? The lack of draft (or even sealed) events was the main reason I switched from Magic Duels to MTGO. Thanks for any answers, can't wait to try out the game!
Seth Fellenstein
2017-09-07 20:51:47 +0000 UTCIs the client going to better about preventing misclicks and helping players learn the game?
Alex Middeleer
2017-09-07 20:46:26 +0000 UTCIf so - what is to happen to people's collections, those who have supported and invested in MTGO these many years?
Kevin Keyser
2017-09-07 20:45:58 +0000 UTCIf not - can we expect there to any update/upgrade made to the aging MTGO client we have currently?
Kevin Keyser
2017-09-07 20:45:22 +0000 UTCWill there be metagame aspects to this like other digital games, for example, daily quests, achievements, etc? Similarly, will those be tied into the monetization mechanism for this game, or will it be pay to play like MtGO?
Leon
2017-09-07 20:44:47 +0000 UTCIs Arena replacing MTGO as the de facto digital MTG experience?
Kevin Keyser
2017-09-07 20:44:46 +0000 UTCWill anything similar to pre-release events take place on MtG:Arena? I've had to miss a couple due to prior obligations and it always bums me out, but having a more mobile version to see the new cards before release would be awesome!
Martin Gostisha
2017-09-07 20:44:31 +0000 UTCHow can I sign up for beta testing?
James Young
2017-09-07 20:43:30 +0000 UTCI'm going to be somewhat blunt about my question. Is WotC planning on setting MTGO players' money on fire?
Telemachus
2017-09-07 20:42:58 +0000 UTCHow many resources are being utilized for this effort compared to MTGO and Duels?
Andrew Keeton
2017-09-07 20:41:40 +0000 UTCWill they ever release a moblie brafting product?
Sage Aguilar
2017-09-07 20:40:54 +0000 UTCThis is a great question!
Matthew Hall
2017-09-07 20:40:24 +0000 UTCI have so many questions. Is MTG Arena existing alongside MTGO, like Magic Duels did? Does MTG Arena has full rules support like MTGO, or a simplified version like Duels? What is the cardset for MTG Arena? Is MTG Arena free to play with microtransactions? What are the modes of play in MTG Arena (draft, seasled, standard, modern, EDH, 2HG, etc)?
Matthew Hall
2017-09-07 20:39:16 +0000 UTCIs it realistic for us to ever expect a version of M:tG on mobile devices that fully encompasses all the complexities of the game? Or has Wizards focused on creating a great game first and incorporating as much Magic as possible second?
Phil Giampietro
2017-09-07 20:39:11 +0000 UTCWhat does MTG Arena have to offer for Limited players? How does this differ from Magic Online? What is the pricing model for Limited events?
Brian Chuchua
2017-09-07 20:38:45 +0000 UTCWhat platforms will this be available on? (PC, Mac, consoles, tablets, etc)?
astanix
2017-09-07 20:37:29 +0000 UTCWhat type of players are they targeting with digital next?
Sage Aguilar
2017-09-07 20:36:35 +0000 UTC
