Free MTGA card game
Magic: The Gathering Arena is the digital version of the classic real-world MTG card game. The rules are the same, and as you would expect, you battle with other players by casting powerful spells and activating abilities.
Is MTG Arena on mobile?
Yes. Magic: The Gathering Arena is available on Android.
Is MTG Arena free?
Yes. It’s free to download and play. However, it follows the ‘freemium’ model. You can play for free, but there are opportunities to spend real money on gems or in-game currency.
The main difference from the controversial loot box system is that all gameplay content in Magic: TGA is accessible without spending real money.
Can I use my real cards?
No. You can’t. This is because physical cards don’t have unique identifiers that could be used to convert them into their digital counterparts.
Another divergence from the physical game is that there’s no card trading system within Magic: The Gathering Arena. Doing so would make it problematic for the developers to maintain a steady, manageable economy.
What’s the fastest way to level up?
If you play in Constructed Deck mode and win your battles, you can win booster packs. These let you add cards to your deck and improve it.
Quite simply, you must win your battles to increase your rank. There’s really no way around it. The system pairs you with similarly ranked opponents where the winner’s rank increases.
Our take
Whether or not you’ve played the physical MTGA game, the digital version adjusts well to the electronic format while retaining the gameplay of its real-world sibling.
What really makes it stand out from other card-based battle games like Hearthstone and Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, is that there’s no compulsion to spend money to progress.
Should you download it?
Yes. Even if you’re new to card battle games, the game lets you ease in gently before getting into ranked battles.