Magic: The Gathering Arena Reviews

Magic: The Gathering Arena is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
75 / 100
May 20, 2024

The core draft environment of Thunder Junction is fantastic. I love westerns and this set represents a weird west I am happy to explore. The new mechanics and themes are well designed and offer a ton of fun draft archetypes to play. Thunder Junction does have three separate extra card pools that are added into the draft set. The extra cards are very powerful and can lead the gameplay to the meaner side of MtG. If you're not prepared for this it could quickly sour your experience. While these extra cards did put a bit of a damper on my experience, the overall set is enough fun that I was ok with the occasional negative game. If you're looking for some weird west in your MtG, mosey on over to Thunder Junction and give it a try.

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80 / 100
Apr 22, 2024

Whether you're a fan of Fallout or Magic: The Gathering I think there is something for you to love with these four decks. For the experienced players, there are new mechanics that are powerful and interesting. For Fallout fans there's some of the most amazing Fallout artwork I've ever seen. I truly appreciate the care Wizards takes with their Universes Beyond products and I hope this continues. Despite the decks having a few design hiccups, they are fun to play and I personally love them as a pod being played together. Overall, I absolutely recommend these decks for any fan of Fallout or Magic: The Gathering.

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65 / 100
Feb 28, 2024

If someone told me that Murders at Karlov Manor was their favorite or least favorite set, I would understand why. I'm strangely medium on the set. The artwork and the setting are top notch. There's a lot of smart design decisions inside and I absolutely enjoyed my time with it. It's just… the more MKM I experienced, the less I liked face-down creatures. If the only thing you read is this summary, I implore you to try MKM as you might find the opposite. The core idea of unknown information within Magic: The Gathering has always been a unique offering. Wizards of the Coast are experts at crafting their games and Murders at Karlov Manor is not bad. It's just not my thing.

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75 / 100
Jan 11, 2024

If you're considering learning Magic: The Gathering, I recommend the Starter Kit 2023. While it feels like some corners have been cut, the overall product does a serviceable job of teaching new players the game. I'd like the included rules to be more tailored to the Starter Kit, but the games inside are a good showcase of what Magic can be. There is fun to be had within this kit. As for the claim, "The best way to learn to play." I don't think it quite lives up to that. The best way to learn to play Magic is still with a friend who knows the game, but the Starter Kit is still a decent way to get started too.

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80 / 100
Dec 20, 2023

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is a complex set with a lot of keywords and abilities on cards making it complex. Despite this, Lost Caverns of Ixalan is a lot of fun to play in Limited. Lost Caverns of Ixalan rewards players through rich drafting and deep gameplay. The artwork for this set is as always stunning. In addition to that, the Commander decks offer good value and gameplay, and I hope that this trend continues for the Commander decks. I can recommend Lost Caverns of Ixalan to anyone looking to dive into some Magic: The Gathering games.

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80 / 100
Sep 22, 2023

Wilds of Eldraine is a fantastic set, both for veterans and new players. The main set is fun to draft while being friendly to new players. The mechanics offer gameplay that keeps the set dynamic and lively. Matches of Wilds of Eldraine were always moving forward without becoming a slow stalemate. The "enchanting tales" offer bonus value to players while also supporting the flavor and mechanics of the main set. In contrast, the commander decks offer decent value to players looking for an entry point into commander, but aren't anything special from previous commander offerings.

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9 / 10.0
May 24, 2022

Overall, I think Streets of New Capenna hits the sweet spot for what a Magic set can be. It is weirdly experimental on the creative side and tries to afford a huge amount of possible play experiences due to some new mechanical design on the game side.

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Unscored
Sep 20, 2022

Dominaria Unita is an expansion that evokes the past with more than one stratagem. It is a set that serves as the basis for the long 2023 of Magic. For this reason, it can give the idea of "already seen", even if there is no shortage of novelties and useful cards to rebuild your collection from Standard. A good homecoming, though not exceptional, to celebrate thirty years of the game, pamper the nostalgic and remind new players how, and where, it all began.

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Unscored
May 12, 2022

Streets of New Capenna is a full-bodied expansion, which returns to the three-color mechanics and enhances many game formats.

Review in Italian | Read full review

GameSpace
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2019

Magic: The Gathering Arena is an excellent entry point into the twenty-six-year-old franchise for new players and lovable for veteran players as well. While it's generally a very fun experience, it's not without technical issues.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2019

Quotation Forthcoming

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9 / 10.0
Jul 17, 2023

In conclusion Magic: The Gathering Arena definitely earns the title of one of the best TCG games on the video game market. Since its release, it has seen a great growth, not only in the aspect of users, but also in the game making it not only a niche video game related to those who play Magic.

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7 / 10.0
Apr 11, 2021

Magic: The Gathering Arena fulfills the old dream of playing wherever you want, with decks designed by yourself, anytime and anywhere. With some gameplay and stability issues, it is far from perfect, but it does its job well in bringing all the richness and complexity of big screens to small screens. It is a very valid option to enjoy Magic, especially considering that it is a free application and has full integration with its desktop version.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 4, 2021

Playing MTG in the palm of your hand, flicking between cards with your fingers, that's the best way to play the digital version of this card game.

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