Wizards of the Coast is running a new set of events in Magic: The Gathering — Arena that really take the cake gingerbread.
Beginning Thursday, September 26, you can enter the “Play Any Deck Challenge” event, where you can play any card in Standard — regardless if you own it or not. And you can then gain entry into an even wilder event — the Win Every Card Challenge. This begins October 6, and if you get 12 wins, you get one copy of every Standard card — that’s from the Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, War of the Spark, Magic 2020 Core Set, and the new Throne of Eldraine, which releases the same day this event begins.
Events like these help engage the audience for digital card games — and entices them to spend. Research firm Newzoo estimates that the market for card games could hit $2 billion by 2020. Right now, Hearthstone is on top of the market. It came out in 2014, and it’s been the leader ever since. And being on mobile gives it an key foothold over other games like Arena. But Magic: The Gathering — Arena is carving out an important spot in the market, especially since it’s emphasizing esports with its digital offering.
Let’s take a look at these events.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
Play Any Deck (September 26)
How it works: You get access (not ownership) of 4 copies of every card in Standard. You then build any deck and take it into the event. You can build as many as you want, and between matches, you can change from one deck to another.
Entry free: None (many Arena events have fees, but like the current Standard 2020 event, this one does not have a fee).
Format: Standard Best-of-1.
Event record/duration: You play up to 12 games, regardless of wins or loses.
Win Every Card (October 6)
How it works: Same as in Play Any Deck. You get access (not ownership) of 4 copies of every card in Standard. You then build any deck and take it into the event. You can build as many as you want, and between matches, you can change from one deck to another.
Entry free: Again, no fee.
Format: Standard Best-of-1.
Event record/duration: 12 wins or 2 losses, whichever comes first. If you win your first 2 games, then lose 1 match, win another 3, then lose, you’re out, finishing 5-2.
Rewards: As Wizards details:
- 0-1 Wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 1 Throne of Eldraine Rare Individual Card Reward (ICR)
- 2-3 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 2 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs
- 4-5 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 3 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs
- 6-7 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 4 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs
- 8 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 5 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs
- 9 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 5 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs + 1 Sealed entry token
- 10 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 5 Throne of Eldraine Rare ICRs + 1 Sealed entry token
- 11 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 1 Sealed entry token + 1 copy of every Throne of Eldraine card
- 12 wins: 1 Golden Egg Card Sleeve + 1 Sealed entry token + 1 copy of every card in Standard
The next Magic: The Gathering expansion to hit Arena is Throne of Eldraine on September 26.
Correction, 11:23 a.m. Pacific: You do not need 5 wins to qualify for the Win Every Card challenge. That was old information that we didn’t update before publication. We apologize for the error.
