Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has released their monthly MTG Arena State of the Game for Strixhaven: School of Mages.
Sideboard Changes
With the launch of Strixhaven, sideboards for Best-of-One matches will be changing from fifteen cards down to seven.
According to WotC, sideboards serve two purposes in Best-of-Three games: to “better configure [your deck] against the deck your opponent is playing…” and to act as a wishboard, where cards can be “…brought into a game from outside of it with cards that have that kind of ability.” In Best-of-One, you won’t be altering your deck, so this change is intended to limit “wishboard” cards when the Learn mechanic is introduced to the metagame to avoid giving decks with access to the Learn an unfair advantage.
When using a Best-of-Three decklist in a Best-of-One queue, the 15-card sideboard will cut off at seven cards, as seen below.
Sealed Arena Open Returns
In coordination with the launch of Strixhaven, MTG Arena’s Sealed Open will be returning on May 8–9. The event will feature Best-of-One and Best-of-Three queues, and players will be able to practice in Best-of-One Strixhaven Sealed events right up until the start of the Arena Open.
Strixhaven College Cup
The Strixhaven College Cup will “challenge players to compete in various formats and represent their college of choice…” with “three ways to score points for your favorite college”:
- Adding your college’s sleeve to your deck (unlocked by taking this quiz).
- Using your college’s Avatar (unlocked through the Set Mastery web).
- Using your college’s Tome Pet (available through Mastery Pass).
The college most represented at the end of the competition will earn exclusive MTG Arena prizes.
Read the original article from Wizards of the Coast.