Magic: The Gathering is confirmed for a Steam release, but can Wizards fix the problems the game currently faces?

While I’ve played both MTG and Magic: The Gathering Arena for a considerable amount of time now, I’m not blind to the problems both the physical and digital game face. It was recently confirmed that the game will arrive on Steam at some point in the future - possibly 2023 - and while that’s a good thing, there are other things to look at first.

If the current iteration of Magic: The Gathering Arena hits Steam, it may be review-bombed back to the proverbial Stone Age. While I’m not saying the actual gameplay is bad - far from it - I am saying that there are some facets of the game that need to be looked at. Unfortunately, not all of these will happen, but it’s worth talking about it regardless.

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Exploring issues that should be fixed before Magic: The Gathering Arena lands on Steam

I’ve played Magic: The Gathering Arena on and off since it’s early testing days, and I love having access to MTG anytime I want. That’s one of the best parts of the game - there’s never a time when I can’t find a player to battle online. That will only increase when the title comes to Steam.

I know so many people that simply won’t play a game if it’s not available on Steam - that logic doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s just how some people are. They want their achievements, and to show off how much they play a game like Magic: The Gathering Arena. That’s perfectly fine, though! Play where and how you want, after all.

Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams revealed earlier in December that a Steam version of the game is in the works. Here’s what she said:

“So in 2023, Arena will refactor our new player experience to improve onboarding for new players and help them quickly find the play experiences that appeal to them. This will reinforce our acquisition efforts and maximize the impact of our launch on Steam, which is the biggest gaming platform in the world outside of mobile.”

A lot of that sounds like corporate jargon, though. For those interested, they can find the Fireside Chat here. Cynthia Williams is correct, though, Steam is absolutely massive. The number of people I’ve seen that simply won’t use Epic Games Store because it’s not Steam is incredible.

But Magic: The Gathering Arena has other problems that really should be looked at before the game comes to Steam.

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What does Magic: The Gathering Arena need to do to improve the overall experience?

I want it to be perfectly clear that I love Magic: The Gathering Arena. That said, there are some pretty serious problems that need to be addressed. I’m certain that at least one of these won’t be changing anytime soon. Wizards of the Coast made it perfectly clear that they don’t think they are releasing too much.

Magic: The Gathering Arena gets it perhaps the worst of all, though. In addition to Jumpstart, events, and new expansions several times a year, they also have digitally remastered sets for Pioneer, Historic, or Explorer. There are just so many cards to consider that you ultimately need to spend money on.

You can grind out packs, though, with gold - and that's a much wiser choice than spending money.

That does lead me to another major problem that Magic: The Gathering Arena has at the moment: the experience for new players. When a beginner jumps into the game, sure, they’ll have some access to starter decks, and they’re okay. However, it is incredibly deflating to start a fresh account and get battered by people with perfectly crafted, and expensive, Tier 1 decks.

It happens regardless of whether you’re playing ranked or unranked. Now, I’m not saying this happens to everyone, but it definitely happens. It’s all connected to monetization, though. Can you play the game with a free account, not spend any money, and win? Of course, it’s possible.

Once upon a time, I lauded Magic: The Gathering Arena as having the best microtransaction experience in card games. It was so much better than titles like Hearthstone. But with more and more cards coming out, and as quickly as they are, it has started to become frustrating.

It slowly became harder and harder to get access to Wildcards - the method by which players can unlock specific cards that they need for decks. The most important thing has to be the experience for beginners - which has gotten better over the years - but there’s still more to be done. The addition of Golden Packs did genuinely improve the economy, but there are more issues that need to be addressed.

Golden Packs were introduced as a reward for purchasing packs, and contain six cards that are all rare or mythic rare - they also have duplicate protection. At least two of the cards will be from the current set as well (at the time of writing, this is The Brothers' War).

Between the overwhelming glut of cards, the digital-only cards/sets, and the trickle of Wildcards, it can feel like a very overwhelming game. Magic: The Gathering Arena is still an incredible offering, but Wizards will hopefully address a few of these issues before it comes to Steam.