Limited, that being Draft and Sealed, may be the most difficult MTG formats out there. Everyone’s playing with the same pool of cards, which, generally, means decision-making turn-by-turn has a much larger impact on the game’s end result. Additionally, players are required to build and draft their decks with limited resources, adding another aspect to these formats that aren’t quite the same in constructed ones.
That doesn’t mean other factors aren’t in play. Getting destroyed by an unbeatable bomb, getting mana screwed or flooded or simply opening a bad pool of cards are all somewhat uncontrollable factors that can have an impact on a game of Limited.
Ultimately, learning the ins and outs of a format, like what cards to play around, which cards line up well with a majority of the format, and what strategies are stronger than others takes time. Limited is also rather expensive to play if you’re not winning your entry fees back.
Fortunately for MTG Arena players, a new event is granting players an opportunity to try playing Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Sealed for free. The event is only for a limited time, however, so get in there while you have the chance.
Learning Limited is Expensive
While Premier Draft on MTG Arena is a fantastic way for experienced drafters to complete their collection, it can be an expensive affair if you’re learning how to play a draft format. For a hefty 1500 gems or 10,000 gold, you need to go 5-3 at worst to make your money back. 4-3 only loses you 100 gems which is still a great deal, but if your record is any worse, you’re taking a serious hit in in-game currency.
Sealed is even more unforgiving. You’ll always get 6 packs in prizing but, in order to make your 2000 gem entry back, you need to go 6-3 or better! Since players can open a pool of cards that is, frankly, terrible, a lot more luck is involved in MTG Arena’s sealed runs for rewards that are much harder to achieve.
Considering that Sealed formats tend to be the first day of the MTG Arena’s Arena Opens, knowing what’s going on in this format can be incredibly valuable. After all, if you want to Draft for money on the line, you need to pass the Sealed gauntlet first. Sadly, practicing Sealed on MTG Arena is difficult to justify unless you’re a god at the format. At that point, you probably don’t even need to practice.
Considering that the first Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Arena Open starts this weekend, there is ample reason for players to start practicing up their Sealed chops. How does this format feel different from Lord of the Rings Draft? What are the ‘unbeatable’ bombs that you may need to prepare for? What rares are worth splashing for and what should you leave behind? Fortunately, players now have an opportunity to play some Sealed for free!
Those brave enough to register for the Arena Open event this weekend have the chance to play for $2000 in Lord of the Rings Limited! As you may imagine, cashing out is difficult, with players needing to best Saturday’s Sealed events and two different drafts on Sunday.
MTG Arena’s Phantom Sealed Event
Starting today (June 27) at 2 P.M. PST, MTG players will have an opportunity to play Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Sealed for free! Unfortunately, these are Phantom events, which means you won’t get to keep the cards that you open. Furthermore, its unknown at this point whether you will get to play the event with multiple different pools, or just register for it once. That said, if the ladder is the case, registering multiple accounts to play with different pools can solve this problem. In both cases, this can help players gather information on what to expect for the Limited format.
As we stated earlier, this format is only available for a limited time. Players will only have access to this event until this Thursday (June 29) at 2 P.M. PST. On the bright side, there are prizes involved! With a few free cards and some cosmetics on the table, players practicing up their Sealed chops can walk away with an extra little something.
Even if you don’t have an MTG Arena account, it won’t cost you anything to create one. With MTG Arena now available on Steam, getting an account has never been easier. If you want to play a few rounds of Sealed for free, this could be a good shout.
Draft Resources
If you are trying to learn Lord of the Rings limited and are looking some resources to get you up to speed, we wrote a very early look at what cards seem to be overperforming in the format. Past that point, 17Lands.com is a great resource to look at what strategies seem to be performing best.
If you want to try sinking your teeth into Lord of the Rings Limited but aren’t a fan of MTG Arena, Magic Online could be a strong alternative. These accounts technically aren’t free, but Sealed, in particular, is a lot more financially feasible to practice on this platform.
Instead of going an unforgiving 6-3 in games to get your entry fee back, players in Limited Preliminary events only need to go 3-1 in best of three sets. This record actually gets you ahead a tad bit, granting qualifier points for big tournaments. Additionally, going 4-0 in a Preliminary gives you a lot more rewards than going 7-2 or better would in MTG Arena.
Sealed leagues are a bit more unforgiving, but Draft leagues reward players who go 2-1 with three packs, which makes another round of draft very inexpensive. It is technically a net loss, but your next draft will only cost about $2 if you keep the packs.
Either way, whether you jump onto MTG Online, or want to use this free phantom event to practice up for the Arena Open, or even just to have some fun, this upcoming Phantom Sealed event is a great way to experience the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set on a budget!
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