Bound in Gold
27, Oct, 22

MTG Arena Is Getting Economy Fixing Gold Packs?!

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Article at a Glance

During the recent preview Livestream for The Brothers’ War, Wizards of the Coast announced all manner of bombshell reveals. With new cards, story details, and more Urzas than we know what to do with, The Brothers’ War is shaping up nicely. Alongside all the usual details which make MTG sets great, Wizards also announced a major update coming to MTG Arena. Arriving alongside The Brothers’ War launch, this update may finally fix some of MTG Arena’s economic woes. Or at least, this update is trying to… right?!

MTG Arena Gold Packs

MTG Arena Gold Pack
MTG Arena Gold Pack | Wizards of the Coast

Launching on MTG Arena on the 15th of November, alongside The Brothers’ War, MTG’s premier digital client will be getting Gold Packs. Unlike the traditional MTG pack, Gold Packs only feature six cards, however, they’re still well worth opening. That’s because Gold Packs in MTG Arena contain six rare or mythic rare Standard legal cards. Mercifully, Gold Packs do not include Alchemy rare or mythic rare cards. In theory, these new card packs should fix one of the biggest complaints with MTG Arena’s economy. Of course, rare and mythic cards are too difficult to obtain for the average player.

Unlike traditional MTG packs on Arena, which can be bought with either gold or gems, Gold Packs are somewhat different. Specifically, you can’t purchase Gold Packs individually. Instead, they must be earned by purchasing other packs on MTG Arena. Players must purchase ten Magic: the Gathering The Brothers’ War Boosters to earn a single Gold Pack. This applies to any The Brothers’ War booster, including standard packs and Mythic packs. Gold Packs can also be received as part of a bundle product. The Brothers’ War Pre-order pack, for instance, gives MTG Players 5 Gold Packs. 

Here’s a breakdown of exactly what’s included within The Brothers’ War Gold Packs, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast.

  • At least one card will be a mythic rare from any Standard-legal set.
  • At least two cards will be from The Brothers’ War set.
  • The final three cards will be rare or mythic rare from any Standard-legal set.

Will This Fix Anything? 

Greed
Greed | Fourth Edition

While the addition of Gold Packs to MTG Arena should help increase the accessibility of rare and mythic cards, we’re ultimately skeptical that this is the fix Arena really needed. Rather than providing a meaningful fix to the distribution of rare and mythic cards, Gold Packs instead feel like a band-aid fix. Cynical players may even suggest that since Gold Packs can only be obtained from purchasing other packs in the store, they’re merely a fresh incentive for players to spend more money. 

While it may be easy to latch on to this cynical perspective, Gold Packs are, at least, better than nothing. They may not benefit everyone. However, they will dramatically help players who don’t like playing Limited Draft of Sealed events. Since they can provide more gems than their entry fee, Drafting has long been seen as the best way to earn packs and currency in MTG Arena. While effective, this does require that frugal players be skilled at Draft events, enough to score five wins, at least. Unfortunately, this is not an easy thing for all MTG Arena players to do, not without extensive and expensive practice. 

Thankfully, for these players who don’t like or aren’t very skilled at Drafting, Gold Packs are undeniably helpful. Essentially providing 16 rare or mythic cards, rather than the ten they would have received before, Gold Packs are effectively free value. At the end of the day, it’s very hard to argue about getting added free value to purchases players were already making. Admittedly, yes, broader changes to Arena’s economy, like Wildcard conversion or trading, would be more beneficial. There’s no word on when, or even if, these changes will appear, however. Subsequently, we’re just happy to get something to help the Arena economy in the interim.

All the Usual Trimmings

MTG Arena The Brothers War Store
MTG Arena The Brothers War Store | Wizards of the Coast

Alongside Gold Packs, Wizards also announced the usual smattering of additions coming to Arena for a new set’s launch. This includes new loading screens, new player avatars, and a new battlefield. These might not be tremendously exciting to many MTG Arena players. However, they have at least been announced early for a chance. Subsequently, now we know that Mishra, Urza, and Titania will all be available as Avatars on MTG Arena. 

While it’s hardly a surprise to see, Wizards also showed off the first few levels of The Brothers’ War’s Mastery Pass. Filled full of packs and cosmetics, this Mastery Pass isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but it does at least give us a glimpse at the new pet. This adorable little fella should be a nice battlefield companion, modeled after one of Urza’s titanic war machines. Albeit one that’s probably not as adorable as Bjorn and their sorely missed adventures onto the battlefield. The Mastery Pass also reveals a new player emblem similarly styled around one of Urza’s war machines. 

MTG Arena The Brothers War Mastery Pass
MTG Arena The Brothers War Mastery Pass | Wizards of the Coast

Read More: The Brothers’ War Mechanics Are Truly Historic

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