Newcomers to Magic Arena might have come from the traditional TCG or completely new to the game itself. Thankfully for either player, Magic Arena has quite the intuitive take to the hit Wizards TCG. At the core of the game lies an in-depth tutorial, various reward offerings, and a couple of extra features. As expected of any first-timer, seeing all these at once can become quite overwhelming.

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Thankfully for them, getting a good grasp of Magic Arena's gameplay can make their Magic experience much more productive. And with the right steps in their first few hours, Magic Arena can quickly become an addicting experience.

10 Clear The Tutorial Games First

The Tutorial Boss in Magic Arena

Anyone new to Magic: The Gathering will fully appreciate Magic Arena for its in-depth Tutorial games. Newcomers to the digital game will meet Sparky, a glowing orb, that will guide players through a series of games until they face off against Nicol Bolas. After defeating him, new players should have more or less a clear sense of how basic mechanics work.

  • Skip the Tutorial. Returning players or those familiar with MTG do have the option to skip the tutorial. If they click View Account via the Gear Icon, they can skip the entire tutorial. And once they choose an avatar, they can click Skip Tour from the Gear Icon to access all play modes.
  • Go through the Tutorial. Thing is, all players might want to clear the Tutorial level - particularly to understand the more technical aspects of the digital game. These include the prompts the game will provide whenever players have the chance to cast Instants, or even "pausing" in an enemy phase to bluff them into thinking the player can prepare a counter.

9 Play Through All Color Challenges

The Color Challenge in Magic Arena

Once players clear through the Tutorial stage, they'll be able to access a wide variety of game modes. It's highly recommended they play through the Color Challenges, as these elaborate different styles of play per card color. There's one set of Color Challenges per Color, with the following properties:

  • Earn a Free Basic Deck. Going through a Color Challenge of one Color will give players a free deck to use. This will feature all the cards used in that deck for the particular Color Challenge.
  • Games against every other Color. These Color Challenges will give players the opportunity to fight decks of other Colors. There's one match for each Color, and the game will give a handy hint against the opponent if players lose any match.
  • Games end with a PVP. Each Color Challenge will end with a PVP match that completes the Challenge regardless of the result.

8 Grab Free Codes Online

The Redeem Code option in Magic Arena

Players experienced in Magic Arena will know that in-game events often give free Redeem Codes that players can use to get free goodies. To access this option, players should click the Store and see the Redeem Code window on the top-right corner.

While most Redeem Codes do have expiration dates, others remain active for one-time use. Players can check out resources such as Card Game Base for updated free codes. Most of these codes provide a ton of free Booster Packs, which in turn can give players access to a ton of free cards and, most importantly, Wildcards.

7 Remember The Game Economy

The Resources in Magic Arena

Before players have fun constructing their decks and testing them out in PVP, they should remember how the in-game economy works first. Similar to its physical TCG counterpart, Magic Arena is heavily reliant on drawing cards from Packs and build decks with the cards they've unlocked.

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Thankfully for players, the Wildcard system does let players construct cards of their choosing. Before players tinker with any of these, they need to remember these existing parts of the Magic Arena economy:

  • Gold. This is the main currency in the game, acquired through various means. Players primarily get Gold through winning games, but they can also get Gold when they win Quests or participating in Events.
  • Gems. This is the premium currency in the game, acquired when purchased with real money or winning Quick Draft events.
  • Vault. This is a hidden currency, which only shows up after filling it with 1,000 points. Players increase the Vault progress whenever they get a fifth copy of a card, with the point increase depending on the rarity of said card (1 Point for Commons, 3 Points for Uncommons). When opened, a Vault will give 3 Uncommon, 2 Rare, and 1 Mythic Rare Wildcards.

6 Hold Onto Those Wildcards

The Wildcards in Magic Arena

When players regularly open Packs, they fill up a meter with a specially-covered card. These are Wildcards, the resource in the game's crafting system. Each Wildcard can create a copy of any card with the same rarity.

Before players go gaga trying to make their dream cards, they do need to realize that they can only get a Wildcard whenever they purchase Packs - and Packs cost 1,000 Gold. Here are ways they can obtain a Wildcard in this manner:

  • Filling up the Wildcard bar. When players open a Pack, they fill up a set of bars. Once filled, the bar will give them a Wildcard of that value.
  • Card conversion within a Pack. When players open a Pack, there's a chance for each of its cards to become a Wildcard instead. (Common: 1 of 3, Uncommon: 1 of 5, Rare: 1 of 30, Mythic Rare: 1 of 30.)

5 Start Farming For That Gold

The Normal Play options in Magic Arena

Since dream decks need Wildcards to create missing cards, and with Wildcards only attainable via purchasing Packs, it makes sense for players to start farming for that Gold immediately. Thankfully for them, Magic Arena does offer a variety of game modes for players to enjoy.

  • Bot Match. Newcomers to the game will want to practice a few rounds in Bot Match to test their decks. They'll fight against the game's AI with simple decks. Since AI matches pose limitations to rewards earned, newcomers might just want to try the regular Play mode.
  • Play. This is a quick best-of-one match that isn't ranked. This PVP Mode is the fastest way for players to earn basic Gold and EXP rewards.
  • Brawl. Alternate to the Play mode, Brawl needs players to build a deck surrounding a Planeswalker or Legendary creature. Brawl will specify the specific cards or decks that aren't allowed in the mode.
  • Standard Ranked. This is the competitive ladder that follows the Standard format - meaning there will be card limitations.
  • Historic Ranked. This is the competitive ladder where players can use any cards they want from previous sets.

4 Consider Playing Draft Games In Events

The Drafting Options in Magic Arena

Players who want to get into specialized formats in Magic Arena might want to check out the Events tab. This contains the Draft game modes, where there are specialized rules to follow - and sometimes, even specific decks to use. Winning in this mode can net a lot of useful rewards, so players might want to try these out once they become more confident with their decks:

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  • Quick Draft. Players fight against an AI without any constraints or waiting. This is similar to the Bot Match, but players need to win seven times with only room for three losses.
  • Traditional Draft. Players fight other players in a best-of-three match.
  • Premier Draft. Players fight other players in best-of-one matches. They need to win seven times with room for three losses.

3 Score The Free Decks

The Free Deck Challenge in Magic Arena

Newcomers to Magic Arena have the opportunity to score more decks from the game through fulfilling certain conditions. These challenges can net unique combination decks, all of which have more playstyles to offer that are wildly separate from the mono-colored decks of the Color Challenges.

As with usual games, the free deck challenges happen once a day. If possible, players should time their completion of the free deck quests to become in-line with their daily quests. That way, they can take on the requirements of both challenges within the same set of matches.

2 Pull Off The Dailies, Weeklies

Various reward options in Magic Arena

Aside from free decks, players have various activities they can accomplish throughout a session, all of which netting different rewards:

  • Daily Quests. The game offers players up to three Daily Quests in a single day, each of which become unlocked a few hours after completing the one before them. Most Daily Quests offer Gold and EXP rewards that can net players more opportunities to score Packs.
  • Daily Wins. Players waiting for their Daily Quests can play matches to fill up their Daily Win rewards, which can net them rewards when accomplished.
  • Weekly Wins. Players can also obtain various rewards for completing Weekly Win goals. Similar to Daily Wins, finishing a set number of Weekly Wins can give them more rewards.

1 Check The Mastery Rewards

The Mastery Page in Magic Arena

Players who participate in Magic Arena matches can also fill up their Mastery EXP whenever they win matches. When filled up, this EXP nets a Mastery Level that can grant various rewards to users. If they're free players, they get rewards every few levels. However, players with the Mastery Pass (purchasable via Gems) get massive rewards per Mastery Level.

In addition to Mastery EXP, players who earn enough Mastery Levels can get a Mastery Orb. In the "Adventures of the Forgotten Realms," each Orb can unlock unique card styles and even card sleeves based on popular cards in the set.

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