Magic Arena

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free* digital online PC version of the collectible card game.

Wizards of the Coast has produced several online offerings over the years:
- the Magic 2015 app, available for mobile devices
- Magic: The Gathering Online, which is a decidedly not free online version of the card game, where you buy digital packs, have a digital collection, can trade with players and do everything you could with the physical version
- Duels of the Planeswalkers, two releases (2009 and 2012) for PC/Playstation/Xbox that simplified several facets of the game

So what makes Arena different?
- there's no simplification of the rules
- it's free to play
- it has cards only from Ixalan set forward (MTGO has all or most expansions)
- you have different daily quests (like "cast 20 creature spells" or "win 5 games") to unlock points, which you can use to open packs and grow your collection or participate in events like drafts
- no player card trading
- no choice of opponent (in 'ranked' games; you can play with friends casually in direct challenges)

a game in progress; image from here (which also has a good review of the game)

screenshot from one of my games in progress

Arena is an attempt to reach a more casual MTG audience.  I've tried Duels and Magic 2015, and I much prefer Arena.  Deck building is pretty easy, and the gameplay is fast and intuitive.  To keep the screen uncluttered, they present simplified versions of the cards on the battlefield, but when you hover over them, you get the full card information. You get preconstructed decks right off the bat, and earn more soon after.  The points you get for victories and quests are adequate to get a decent number of packs to grow your collection.  I love being able to sit down and play a quick 10-minute game (and the kids enjoy watching).  It's great for beginners, and fun for casual players like me.  It's greatly improved my skills and understanding of different card interactions and certain game rules.  All in all, I highly recommend it.

Interested?  Check it out an old trailer here and official site here.

*there are optional in-game purchases

A Magic Turn

Turns in Magic are critical to understand.  The Intro page gives a quick overview; this post gives more detail.

But first, a fundamental concept. During your turn, you are the active player.  In each step of each phase, you go first.  But after you choose what to do, your opponent(s) may choose to play instants, cards with 'flash', or use abilities.  And if you choose to 'pass' on a given phase, opponents can still perform allowable actions. In the same way,

101.4. If multiple players would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes any choices required, then the next player in turn order (usually the player seated to the active player’s left) makes any choices required, followed by the remaining nonactive players in turn order. Then the actions happen simultaneously. This rule is often referred to as the “Active Player, Nonactive Player (APNAP) order” rule.
Example: A card reads “Each player sacrifices a creature.” First, the active player chooses a creature they control. Then each of the nonactive players, in turn order, chooses a creature they control. Then all creatures chosen this way are sacrificed simultaneously. [from the official rules]

Understanding this "APNAP order" can be important in certain situations.  Now, on to turns.

Each turn has five phases. Each phase occurs even if nothing happens during it.

1) Beginning Phase

• Untap: 
• Untap any tapped cards you have on the battlefield.  
• No one can play spells or abilities during this step. 
• Upkeep: 
• Abilities that trigger at the beginning of your upkeep go on the stack. 
• Players can play instants and activated abilities. 
• Draw: 
• Draw 1 card from the top of your library (note: this step is skipped for the first turn of the first player). 
• Players can play instants and activated abilities. 

2) Main Phase

• Play up to one land (put it from your hand onto the battlefield).
• Cast spells if you can/want (by tapping lands to pay a spell's mana cost, putting it on the stack, and resolving its effect).
• Players can play instants and activated abilities.

3) Combat Phase

• Beginning of combat: 
• Any card effects that happen 'at the beginning of combat' happen now. 
• Players can play instants and activated abilities.
• Declare attackers:
• You choose which of your creatures will attack (if any).
• Tap creatures that are attacking. Creatures with 'defender', already tapped creatures, and creatures with summoning sickness cannot attack. 
• For each attacking creature, declare your target. You can target only your opponent(s) and/or their planeswalker(s). Once you're done declaring, players can play instants and activated abilities.
• Declare blockers:  
• Your opponent decides which of their creatures will block your attacking creatures (if any) and assigns one or more creature to block each attacker. 
• Only untapped creatures may block.
• Once your opponent is done declaring, players can play instants and activated abilities. 
• Combat damage:
• Unblocked attacking creatures deal damage equal to their power to the target (the defending player or planeswalker).
• Blocked attacking creatures deal damage equal to their power to the creatures blocking them.  If more than one creature blocks an attacker, you decide how to divide the attacker's damage among the blockers.
• If a creature has left the battlefield since it was declared a blocker, the attacking creature does NOT deal any damage to the defending player (even if all blockers have left the battlefield).
• The blocking creatures (the defenders) deal damage equal to their power to the creature they're blocking.  
• If a creature has become tapped since it was declared a blocker, it still deals damage normally.  
• If a creature receives damage greater than or equal to its toughness, it dies (goes to the graveyard).  
• If a creature receives less damage than its toughness, it remains on the battlefield with the damage still on it.  
• End of combat: 
• Any card effects that happen 'at the end of combat' happen now.
• Players can play instants and activated abilities.

4) Main Phase

• Play up to one land (if you haven't already done so).
• Cast spells if you can/want.
• Players can play instants and activated abilities.

5) End Phase

• End: 
• Any card effects that happen 'at the beginning of the end step' happen now. 
• Players can play instants and activated abilities.
• Cleanup: 
• If you have more than seven cards in your hand, choose and discard cards until you have only seven.  
• All creatures heal (the damage is removed from those still on the battlefield who have received less damage than their toughness)
• "Until end of turn" effects end.  
• Players CANNOT play instants and activated abilities. 
• Your turn is over.  Play passes clockwise; the player on your left now takes their turn and becomes the active player.

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The parts of the turn are nicely summarized on this image:

Originally from Wizards of the Coast; retrieved from this site

These turn & combat structure aids are helpful; re-posted as found on the 'Budget Magic' Facebook group:

One final comment: taking actions on other people's turns (through instants and activated abilities) can be an important strategic element to the game.  More on this later.

Stay on Target

Related to my previous post on removal, today we look at targets.

The official rules handle targets in section 115.  Of them, the following are most relevant for beginners:

115.1. Some spells and abilities require their controller to choose one or more targets for them. The targets are object(s) and/or player(s) the spell or ability will affect. These targets are declared as part of the process of putting the spell or ability on the stack. The targets can’t be changed except by another spell or ability that explicitly says it can do so.

115.10. Spells and abilities can affect objects and players they don’t target. In general, those objects and players aren’t chosen until the spell or ability resolves. See rule 608, “Resolving Spells and Abilities.”

Understanding targets is important; you'll see the word frequently on cards.  Some examples:

You see from the above that objects (creatures, enchantments, artifacts, planeswalkers, etc.) players, and spells can be targets. The phrase "any target" (like in Shock) means any legal target (damage can be done only to creatures, players, and planeswalkers).  Good stuff . . . but what about this guy:

He has 'hexproof', meaning he cannot be targeted by an opponent's spells or abilities.  This is powerful, but if you encounter it, remember rule 115.10: there are ways to affect objects or players without targeting them.  Examples:

Plaguecrafter forces all players to sacrifice a creature of planeswalker.  Since these objects aren't being targeted, objects with hexproof can be affected.  Similarly, Pharika's Libation targets and opponent, but not a creature or enchantment; it simply forces that opponent to sacrifice a creature or enchantment.  In each case, if that player has only one, then great!  The hexproof permanent is gone.  Planar Cleansing is even more powerful- it destroys everything in play except lands.  Since the word "target" is never used, it would destroy hexproof permanents as well.

Targeting is an intuitive concept once you get the hang of it, but know the nuances- especially where the hexproof ability is concerned.

Removal Spells

"This deck sucks.  It has no removal."  My friend, 'Burt,' provided this blunt feedback after I shared a deck design one day. And he was right!  Early in my Magic experience, I rarely included 'removal' spells when building decks, and it's a recipe for disaster.  This post looks at the concept of removal and the ways to do it in Magic.

Removal spells are those that counter your opponent's strategy by removing threats.  A threat is, simply, anything your opponent is trying to do.  Removal spells disrupt your opponent and force them to deal with setbacks.  All decks should have removal spells.

There are many ways to incorporate removal into your deck. Each color has removal spells; each have their pros and cons.  At a high level, there are ten ways to remove your opponent's threats:

1. Counter a spell
2. Discard/exile cards from an opponent's hand
3. Destroy/exile a permanent
4. Sacrifice a permanent
5. Neutralize a permanent (tap, turn to frog, can't attack or block, etc.)
6. Gain control of a permanent
7. Return a permanent to its owner's hand/library
8. Drop a creature's toughness to 0
9. Do lethal damage (or deathtouch) to a creature
10. Slow the pace

We'll look at each in turn, and provide examples.  As you look through each category, note that certain colors tend towards a given type of removal.

1. Counter a spell
An easy way to remove a threat is to never let it be resolved in the first place.  A counter spell must be cast when an opponent's spell is on the stack, and it nullifies the spell before it resolves.  Counter spells are the only way to disrupt instants and sorceries.

2. Discard or exile cards from an opponent's hand
Another way to remove threats before they happen is forcing your opponent to discard or (better) exile cards from their hand.  Be wary, though: some decks want to put cards in their own graveyard.

3. Destroy or exile a permanent
Once a permanent enters the battlefield, it can be destroyed or exiled. (Recall that a permanent is a land, creature, enchantment, artifact, or planeswalker- things that stay on the battlefield once they're cast).  These spells are powerful, and present in all colors except blue (because blue dominates in other areas).  When something is destroyed, it's sent to the graveyard.  As with discarding, there are times an opponent may want that to happen; for those situations, exile cards exist, which forego the graveyard entirely by removing a permanent from the game.

4. Sacrifice a permanent
A sacrifice spell generally gives the opponent a choice on which permanent(s) they take out. But these can be powerful, as they can take out creatures with hexproof or indestructible.

5. Neutralize a permanent
By neutralize, I mean leave it on the battlefield, but render it unable to perform its intended function.  Permanently tapping a creature, making it unable to attack or block, turning it into a smaller creature, stopping 'enter the battlefield' triggers, and preventing combat damage are some ways to neutralize powerful threats.

6. Gain control of a permanent
Nothing like taking control of that powerful creature your opponent just paid 6 mana to cast! This is really annoying to an opponent, whether it's for one turn or permanently.

7. Return a permanent to its owner's hand/library
Returning something to an opponent's hand (or library) is a temporary solution, but still holds value.  It gives you insight into what the opponent may do again, forces them to spend mana to cast the same spell again, and gives you an opportunity to counter it the next time they cast it.

8. Drop a creature's toughness to 0
Creatures can be taken out by dropping their toughness to 0.  This can be handy, especially as it can kill creatures with indestructible (which damage and destroy spells can't do).

9. Do lethal damage to a creature (or any damage with deathtouch)
Doing damage to a creature is the most common way to kill it.  Damage can happen in combat or through damage spells.  Once a creature takes damage equal to its toughness, it is destroyed (unless it has indestructible).  Deathtouch is a handy way to remove creatures, too.  If your creature has deathtouch, any creature to which it deals combat damage will be destroyed, even if it's less than the other creature's toughness.

10. Slow the pace
Some spells affect the number or type of spells that can be cast in a turn.  This can be extremely powerful against certain strategies.

Color Combinations and Removal
In reading through the above, you may have picked up on trends.  White can slow things down and destroy in certain conditions, blue has counter and control spells; black likes to discard or force sacrifice, red does damage and destroys lands, green destroys artifacts/enchantments or flying creatures.  There are generalizations, but you get the idea.  What happens when you combine colors?  Look at the multi-colored removal spells below and see if you can attribute the aspects of each spell to a certain color in its casting cost:

Final Thoughts
Playing Magic is the only way to get familiar with the different types of removal and their pros/cons in different scenarios. As you gain experience, you'll be able to:

• predict what type(s) of removal spells your opponent will have based on their deck color(s)
• determine what types and quantities of removals spells to include in your own deck

If you don't believe me about the importance of removal spells, make a deck without any and play a few times. The first time your opponent plays something you cannot answer, and you realize you've lost the game already (though 'official' defeat may be turns away), you'll get it.  You need to be able to address threats.  No deck can address them all, but you have to handle at least a few to be successful.