Wizards of the Coast (WotC) released their MTG Arena State of the Game for April today, bringing some interesting changes, new events, and the long-awaited Player Drafts.
Player Drafts
Beginning Thursday, April 16, players can finally enjoy Draft featuring real opponents on MTG Arena.
- Player Draft will be available for Best-of-One and Best-of-Three drafts.
- Best-of-One bot drafts will still be available and will continue to rotate every two weeks.
- Best-of-Three bot drafts will no longer be available; all Best-of-Three drafts will be with players.
- If the current Bot Draft and Player Draft feature the same set, they will play in separate queues (players who drafted against bots will not be paired against players who drafted against other players).
- Player drafts will function like leagues; you’ll be matched against players outside of your draft pod.
Eight players will enter into a queue and confirm they’re ready to play, upon which drafting will commence. Picks will be similar to bot Draft, however picks must be confirmed rather than just clicking and dragging.
Players will have a “limited amount of time to make your choice that will scale depending on your current pack and pick,” meaning time will be allotted based on the number of cards still in the pack. Players who fail to select a card will be placed on Auto Draft.
Free Draft
Log into MTG Arena before April 30 and enjoy a free Draft.
- Both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three Ikoria Player Draft will be available on April 16.
- Your first Ikoria Player Draft is on WotC — no entry fee required! You can choose either Best-of-One or Best-of-Three.
Game Mode Name Updates
Premier Draft
- Best-of-One, Player Draft, Current Set, Ranked
Ranked Draft -> Quick Draft
- Best-of-One, Bot Draft, Set Rotates Bi-Weekly, Ranked
Traditional Draft -> Traditional Draft*
- Best-of-Three, Player Draft, Current Set, Unranked
*In Traditional Draft, you will now draft against other players, not bots.
Draft Schedule
- April 16 — June 2020: Ikoria Premier Draft
- April 16 — June 2020: Ikoria Traditional Draft
- April 17 — May 1: Core Set 2020 Quick Draft
- May 1 — May 15: Ikoria Quick Draft
- May 15 — May 29: War of the Spark Quick Draft
Upcoming Features
FNM @ Home
- April 17: Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Lair
- April 24: Singleton
- May 1: Artisan
- May 8: Pauper
- May 15: Historic Brawl
Beginning with the April update, players will be “eligible to receive an additional promotional code that can be redeemed for extra in-game rewards… in the form of a MTG Arena Promo Pack code.”
These codes can be redeemed for “two in-game cosmetic items — including card styles, avatars, card sleeves, and pets, some of which were previously unavailable.”
UI Improvements
- Consistent Badge Placement
- Improved Scaling
- Less “Noise”
Read the original article from Wizards of the Coast.