Magic: The Gathering Arena, the digital version of the original collectible card game, is adding more live events for players stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was made on Wednesday through the game’s official forums, and the rollout of new services began Thursday morning.
“Because COVID-19 is keeping millions of people around the world indoors, we wanted to do a little something to help make social distancing a little more tolerable,” said a spokesperson for Wizards of the Coast. “To that end, we are making changes to the Magic: The Gathering Arena event schedule [...] to give you more ways to play Magic from the comfort and safety of your home.”
Effective immediately, the Brawlers’ Guildhall event returns, and will not require an entry fee. Additionally, a Ranked Draft for the current new set of cards — Theros: Beyond Death — is now live, in addition to the regular bi-weekly rotating Ranked Draft event. Both modes of play will be available until April 16.
Arena launched in September after a period in beta. It features simultaneous release events with the physical card game, and also offers players codes to unlock the cards they purchase in constructed retail Planeswalker decks. The experience of play is nearly identical to the physical card game, and fans can get started without spending any money.
For more on getting back into Magic: The Gathering, check out my feature story about returning to the game after a two-decade hiatus.