Distended Mindbender
29, Jul, 22

MTG Arena Has Finally Had a Huge Patch!

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Article at a Glance

With the launch of Explorer Anthology 1 and Historic Anthology 6, MTG Arena has had a substantial much-needed patch. While this patch has ushered in some surprising changes and forty new cards, it’s not all good news. Unfortunately, following the release of this latest update, players are complaining en masse about the game’s issues. Disappointingly, it’s not only new bugs that are the problem.

Matchmaking Gone Mad 

It of the Horrid Swarm
It of the Horrid Swarm | Eldritch Moon

One of MTG Arena’s most recently introduced issues is more of a pressing issue than most. The problem is so severe, in fact, that Wizards of the Coast has broken their vow of silence. If you’ve not encountered it yourself, this significant issue affects the Mythic Constructed leaderboard. The problem was first spotted by those over on Reddit, who discovered that their Mythic Rank was being displayed incorrectly. Some players were treated to a baffling bug that listed their rank as %111, while others saw their displayed rank had been dramatically changed. 

Somewhat remarkably considering their past track record, WotC was quick to respond to players’ concerns. In a tweet from the MTG_Arena account, Wizards confirmed that they are “currently aware of an issue affecting Mythic Ranks and are currently investigating.” Wizards of the Coast stated that they’d update players with more information once available.

Thankfully, it did not take long for that additional information to become available. After a short six hours, Wizards of the Coast updated players with a new statement to clear up confusion. After the launch of Explorer Anthology 1 and Historic Anthology 6, “the Mythic Constructed leaderboard began working off incorrect player standings.” This is what caused players’ Mythic Ranks to change dramatically. However, it’s not all bad news. 

In their post, WotC confirmed that they had the data from the Mythic Leaderboard before the update’s deployment. This allows Wizards to issue end-of-season rewards to players based on their standing before the update, as well as after. In the blog post, WotC stated, “Qualifier Weekend Day 1 entry tokens will be awarded to the top 500 players in Mythic Constructed ranked play prior to today’s maintenance.” Additionally, WotC will also be awarding Qualifier Weekend Day 1 entry tokens to the top 250 players in Mythic Constructed based on the in-client player standings at the end of the season. 

Players in the Mythic Constructed rank range of #501–1500 before the maintenance will also receive 20 Play-In Points. The Play-In Points will also be awarded to those who are Mythic Constructed rank #251–1200 based on the current in-client player standings. Thankfully, the Mythic leaderboard for Limited was unaffected by this issue. As a result, the rewards for this leaderboard will not be changed.

No End of Bugs

Scute Swarm
Scute Swarm | Zendikar Rising

Unfortunately, while Wizards of the Coast was quick to act on one major issue, several more have gone unaddressed. For example, the audio issue plaguing many players for months appears to have gone without a fix. While not everyone plays MTG Arena with audio, this is an incredibly frustrating issue for those that do. In my experience, the problem is not quite as bad as it was before, but it is by no means completely fixed. 

Alongside the persistent issue of missing audio tracks, the latest update has also introduced new bugs. Highlighted on the MTG Arena subreddit, it appears that, for some, the Exert attacking graphics are no longer displaying correctly. Additionally, there are reports of the Thopter pet no longer appearing in matches. Admittedly, these are not game-breaking bugs and glitches. However, they nevertheless harm the state of the game. 

Unlike the Mythic Rank matchmaking issue, Wizards of the Coast has not commented on these issues. This means there is no end in sight for when they may be patched out of the game. Previously we would have hoped that fixes to these issues would arrive in a significant patch, such as the one we’ve just had. Unfortunately, we are no longer sure that will be the case. 

Not All Doom and Gloom

MTG Arena's updated UI
Look at those tiny buttons in the top left corner! What are they doing up there!?

Thankfully, the latest MTG Arena patch isn’t all bad news. First and foremost, MTG Arena now has new cards to enjoy! Thanks to the launch of Explorer Anthology 1 and Historic Anthology 6, Arena players can now enjoy 80 new-to-Arena cards that are all fairly interesting, for the most part. The bundle to buy each of these Anthologies is even worthwhile from a value perspective

As well as new content, Wizards of the Coast also introduced a new menu screen to MTG Arena. This new UI is more compact, featuring icons rather than just text to denote each tab. While this is certainly more concise, these new menus are much harder to navigate on mobile devices. This is far from ideal since, on mobile, MTG Arena should be as accessible as possible as it has the broadest audience. It is currently unclear why Wizards of the Coast made this UI change or if they will fill any of the empty space they have created. 

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