Not paper
Client is buggy, but hot-damn do I love Magic: the Gathering.
I love MTG. It's unlike any other card game. Nothing even comes close to just how tactile it feels tapping lands and cards, or building a deck that fits your identity as a player.
However, WotC/Hasbro is a pile of flaming dog shit company. I don't condone or support any of their horrendous business practices. Every year that goes by, MTG becomes more and more a cash grab, and pushes people out of being able to play it. It's already an insane game where pieces of cardboard cost thousands of dollars. But they keep wanting to make their shareholders more money so it keeps becoming even worse, to the point where it's a fortnite IP crossover hell hole.
I long ago sold my magic collection. I've been playing since the early days. Now I proxy everything.
So why do I play MTG Arena? It's actually a half decent client. There are some precon deck modes and other formats where you can ignore the gacha hell of the game and play for fun.
I still love the game itself, it's just the company managing it that deserves 0 praise at this point.
All that said, Arena is a good way to learn for new players, and can be a somewhat okay way to experience the game without having to break your bank.
I will probably always come back and forth to the game, but I cannot in good conscience ever recommend anyone spend a single dime on it.
Screw the company. Proxy your cards. Don't spend a single cent on these people. Play the game for free any way you can. Table top simulator, cockatrice, or ever arena are viable options.
TL;DR - good game run by evil corporation
However, WotC/Hasbro is a pile of flaming dog shit company. I don't condone or support any of their horrendous business practices. Every year that goes by, MTG becomes more and more a cash grab, and pushes people out of being able to play it. It's already an insane game where pieces of cardboard cost thousands of dollars. But they keep wanting to make their shareholders more money so it keeps becoming even worse, to the point where it's a fortnite IP crossover hell hole.
I long ago sold my magic collection. I've been playing since the early days. Now I proxy everything.
So why do I play MTG Arena? It's actually a half decent client. There are some precon deck modes and other formats where you can ignore the gacha hell of the game and play for fun.
I still love the game itself, it's just the company managing it that deserves 0 praise at this point.
All that said, Arena is a good way to learn for new players, and can be a somewhat okay way to experience the game without having to break your bank.
I will probably always come back and forth to the game, but I cannot in good conscience ever recommend anyone spend a single dime on it.
Screw the company. Proxy your cards. Don't spend a single cent on these people. Play the game for free any way you can. Table top simulator, cockatrice, or ever arena are viable options.
TL;DR - good game run by evil corporation
Surprisingly well built for an official trading card game app.
-Covers a lot of formats
-Pack opening feel relatively fair
-Seems to get into the newer sets for Standard quick enough
-Can play against CPU to test deck out
-Gives FREE good enough starter decks for all 1-2 color variations
Main flaws relate to the repetition. I'm generally not a fan of free to play "daily tasks" and making the tasks of getting cards limit to color decks gets old and feels more like a chore.
Also like others have said, when you play enough you start to see the repeition of decks that do well, especially in ranked.
-Covers a lot of formats
-Pack opening feel relatively fair
-Seems to get into the newer sets for Standard quick enough
-Can play against CPU to test deck out
-Gives FREE good enough starter decks for all 1-2 color variations
Main flaws relate to the repetition. I'm generally not a fan of free to play "daily tasks" and making the tasks of getting cards limit to color decks gets old and feels more like a chore.
Also like others have said, when you play enough you start to see the repeition of decks that do well, especially in ranked.