September 26 marks the start of a new Standard rotation for Magic: The Gathering Arena, and some players are fuming over the decision to make older decks now cost twice as much to craft. With the release of Throne of Eldraine later this month, the Standard set rotation is set to begin, and this is where the problems begin.
For the unfamiliar, rotation is an annual occurrence where the four oldest sets within the current Standard set rotate out and are no longer usable in Standard decks. This will affect all cards from the Ixalan, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria, and Core Set 2019 card sets, while ushering in the new cards from the Throne of Eldraine set. All cards from those sets that are rotating out will remain in a player’s collection and will be usable in the new Historic format. However, this format has proved controversial with many players.
Currently, players can craft cards they need to fill out their collection through the use of Wildcards, which come in rarities corresponding to what exists in the game: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic Rare. The developers included the following statement in their blog post about the upcoming rotation:
“Starting after an update in November, crafting a Historic card will require you to redeem two Wildcards of the appropriate rarity instead of one. If a Historic card also appears in a current Standard set, players will be able to redeem one Wildcard for one copy of the Standard version, however, the Historic version will still require two.”
This is largely problematic for anyone who wishes to play the new Historic format, as it will cost double than Standard in terms of Wild Cards. Earning Wild Cards is a straightforward process that involves opening booster packs, and current estimates are as follows for acquiring a Wild Card of a certain rarity:
- Common – 1:3 packs
- Uncommon – 1:5 packs
- Rare – 1:24 packs
- Mythic – 1:24 packs
While the developers may be paying a significant amount of lip service to the idea of making this new Historic mode a place where players can go to compete, the reality is the opposite. By literally making the cost double that of Standard, the player base for Historic will be minuscule compared to Standard.
However, this is nothing new to veterans of the game, either on paper or online. This is how Wizards of the Coast has operated for decades, privileging Standard as the format most supported by the company. So while this rollout of Historic truly is half-baked, it's on par for how the company treats non-standard formats of play. This writer is shocked to say that even Blizzard treats its Wild format better within Hearthstone, which is saying a lot.
This is not likely to hurt the popularity of Magic: The Gathering Arena in the long run, though, as physical Magic players are always ready to spend on the Standard card sets following rotation.
Source: Magic.wizards.com, Fanbyte.com