MTG: Arena

Store redemption is down at the moment - APR 25 - In-Game Store/Code Redemption

Leviothan said:

How do you redeem codes in the MTG Arena? I tried that PlayWarSpark and the code on Twitch and it keeps failing to redeem. Just decided to try and get back into Magic.

Click to expand...

Yeah I never got the packs but the deck magically showed up after a bit for me.

I'm at a crossroads in this game with the release of WotS.

I'm FTP so far. I really don't want to spend the wildcards to build the mana base that will be rotating at the end of the year, but that leaves me playing entirely too sub-optimally to play constructed in any real way. I plan on buying the $5 pack when the M2020 set comes out to get those packs instead of the M2019 packs. I don't have nearly enough time to put into the game to grind anywhere past low platinum, but getting past low gold ranks is impossible without a meta deck.

What are your suggestions, magic vets? I don't want to pump money into the game, I prefer to daily for gold and buy packs that way.

Any pile can get to mythic with enough time meta or otherwise, but barring time investment and the desire to spend you can easily get to platinum with any mono colored aggro deck. I've done it each month since the only time I really play multicolor decks is with jank barring my r/g warrior dip.

Deathwing said:

I don't see how you can be FTP and compete on high ladder without a huge time investment. This is the foundation of a CCG. If they let you bypass this simple tenet, the game will fail. They need either your time or money in a non-insignificant amount.

Click to expand...

I get it. That is why I'm asking for suggestions on the best way forward. I've played Magic in some form off and on since Dark Ages, but I don't follow it closely enough to know the most likely included land types in the future or what meta decks have cards that will most likely survive the rotation.

Opened 50 Pre-Order and 12 from Gold.

Bolas PW, White Finale (x2), Black Finale x1, BlueFinale x1, Razeboar, and both Gideon PWs. Guess the game wants me to go White?

a_skeleton_02 said:

you will have to reconcile that unless you are an above average player with an above average time investment you will not do well in ranked as a F2P person.

If you are a good Magic player you can go F2P by drafting but you have to be a good Magic player.

Click to expand...

I was a good Magic player in the past, but I haven't put the effort into learning any limited formats in years.

I'm not opposed to doing research on limited if that is the only way to really get FTP value out of Arena.

I basically watch Kenji and CalebD all the time on Twitch anyways.

lawl. Just fucking around and won 8 in a row with this. I mean after people get wise to dreadhorde arcanist it may suck lol.


20 Mountain (RIX) 195
4 Ghitu Lavarunner (DAR) 127
4 Shock (M19) 156
4 Lightning Strike (XLN) 149
4 Viashino Pyromancer (M19) 166
4 Act of Treason (RNA) 91
4 Risk Factor (GRN) 113
4 Skewer the Critics (RNA) 115
4 Wizard's Lightning (DAR) 152
4 Dreadhorde Arcanist (WAR) 125
4 Samut's Sprint (WAR) 142

drop treason. add krenko

Caliane said:

drop treason. add krenko

Click to expand...

I keep treason only to let me steal stuff when they drop a huge creature. Its satisfying killing someone with their own ghalta. Krenko is great though and he'll probably get slotted in at some point. Samut is great with him.

LiquidDeath said:

I was a good Magic player in the past, but I haven't put the effort into learning any limited formats in years.

I'm not opposed to doing research on limited if that is the only way to really get FTP value out of Arena.

I basically watch Kenji and CalebD all the time on Twitch anyways.

Click to expand...

If you're wanting to play ranked and think you can't get through gold without a meta deck then you're probably below average considering the win rate requirements to advance. It takes around 20-25 hours at around a 54-55% win rate to hit platinum starting from bronze. Almost all the precon decks can net you a 50% win rate so improving upon them and your play shouldn't take much for F2P to reach those percentages and pretty low time investment each month.

Pop packs to build a specific deck and play ladder if that's your goal.

Otherwise play limited to face a fairly even playing field while building an overall collection.

Either direction isn't going to net you the ability to build more than a single meta deck in 1-2 months and that's just the facts.

I didn't really get any of the cards I wanted for any of my planned decks.
no arcanists, no feather. did get 3 tenth legionaires. no samuts. but thats common, so just crafted.

biggest "gets" were 3 gideon blackblades, 2 narrsets reversal, 1 oketra, 1 bontu, 1dragon-god, 1 roalesk, 3 viven champion of the wilds. 1 or 2 krenko. (could have sworn I only got 1, and crafted a second. but the tracker is saying both were from boosters.)
maybe a few other 1 offs, on mythics/rares Im either undervaluing, or just not interested in building a deck with.


I was hitting "priest of the forgotten gods" decks repeatedly in un-ranked play.
I don't have deck lists, or know exactly why it was so popular. most the same as before as I could tell, but with dreadhorde butcher added in.
Nasty ass deck. better have exile/targeted removal up the ass, to deal with it.


I tried making use of gideon blackblade in my decks. I dont like him. I was running boros variants. He was so easy to deal with. Super susceptible to "sacrifice".
.... but now I'm thinking on it. Gideon angels. Selesnya.
Resplendant angel is 1ww, and needs 3www to pump and get life link.
Gideon also is 1ww, and can give a target creature vigilance, LIFELINK, or indestructable till end of turn. So you can give resplendant angel, or something else lifelink a heck of alot faster then resplendants pump. especially with rally of wings, and the other +1/1 counters below.
Rally of wings 1w, untap all creatures you control. Creatures you control with flying get +2/+2 until end of turn.
Grateful apparition as well maybe?
Ajani the greathearted/shalai.

Something like this. anyone got any ideas where to adjust this?
//Creatures (18):
4 Resplendent Angel
3 Venerated Loxodon
4 Grateful Apparition
3 Law-Rune Enforcer
2 Tomik, Distinguished Advokist
2 Shalai, Voice of Plenty

//Planeswalkers (6):
3 Gideon Blackblade
3 Ajani, the Greathearted

//Non-creature Spells (12):
4 Prey Upon
4 Rally of Wings
4 Pledge of Unity

//Lands (24):
4 Temple Garden
10 Plains
6 Forest
4 Sunpetal Grove


This should pump like crazy.



This was the deck I was actually playing last night. it changed over the night, as I fiddled with it. this is where I ended up.
A mixing of the planned feather deck, along with my old attempts to get swiftblade vindicator boros working.
it was going ok at best. Better then old swiftblade. largely due to krenko, legionnaire all being viable targets for the pumps. So, the opponant couldn't just remove one. exile the swiftblade? well, to bad, you are getting a 7/5 legionnaire to the face. etc. or just in general people not ready for it. Example: turn 4, attack with tajic 3/2 and switfblade 2/2. Opponent blocks tajic with a 2/2. leaves swiftblade unblocked iirc... 3/3 swiftblade. samuts.. 5/4 swiftblade, samuts, 7/5 swiftblade, defiant strike, 8/5 swiftblade.

Losses were largely due to bad mulligans. flooded with pump spells, and no creatures. And, lack of targeted removal for butchers, priests. So first adjust, probably drop glass, for lava coil. as nice as glass is for this.

//Creatures (15):
3 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
4 Swiftblade Vindicator
2 Tajic, Legion's Edge
2 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
4 Tenth District Legionnaire

//Non-creature Spells (23):
2 Heroic Reinforcements
3 Unbreakable Formation
2 Glass of the Guildpact
4 Defiant Strike
4 Samut's Sprint
4 Reckless Rage
4 Sheltering Light

//Lands (22):
7 Plains
5 Mountain
2 Boros Guildgate
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat