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Guides

Welcome to MTG Arena Zone’s guide section. This set of articles aims to help players from complete beginners with all that they need to start playing Magic: The Gathering, from learning about the client, to how to improve their gameplay.

  1. Quick Start Guide
    Just started — Getting cards — Getting resources — What next?
  2. Using Arena: Interface and Add-ons
    General interface — Collection interface — Game settings — Third-party tools
  3. Formats, Queues, Events
    Constructed — Limited — Ranked system — Playing with friends
  4. Playing a Match
    Turn timers — Holding priority — Visual cues — Stack — Auto tapper — Mana pool — Various
  5. Arena Economy in Detail
    More on getting cards — Bans and suspensions — Mastery passes — Growing your collection
  6. Inner Workings of Arena
    Common misunderstandings — Common rule confusions — Bugs — Shuffler and matchmaking
  7. Appendix A. Introduction to MTG
    Overview — Card types — Combat — Stack — New sets and rotation — Sideboard
  8. Appendix B. Common MTG Slangs
    Color combinations — Mechanics and effects — Dual-color lands — Various
  9. Appendix C. Improving at MTG
    Understanding Magic — Getting better at Limited — Coping with variance — Tools to build your own deck
  10. Appendix D. Major MTG Arena Change Timeline
  11. Appendix E. Overview of Advanced Search Options in Collection and the Deck Builder

Kiora, the Tide's Fury Art by Magali Villeneuve

Conjure Mechanic

Reminder Text A conjured card is added to the game. Description Conjure is a digital-only, Magic: The Gathering Arena exclusive keyword action mechanic first introduced in Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. Conjure creates cards out of thin air as a digital object that acts just like a…

Skyshroud Lookout Art by Olena Richards

Seek Mechanic

Reminder Text To seek a card, put one at random from your library into your hand. Description Seek is a digital-only, Magic: The Gathering Arena exclusive keyword action mechanic first introduced in Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. A card with this mechanic will have the game randomly…

MTG Color Naming Guide

MTG Color Combination Name Guide

One of the ways in which Magic: The Gathering (a.k.a. MTG or simply “Magic”) can be a hard game for new players to learn are the specialized names and terms that are frequently used by the playerbase at large. Among…

MTG Deck Archetype Naming Guide

MTG Deck Archetype Name Guide

Magic: The Gathering is known as a complex game that can often be difficult for new players to fully learn. This reputation has been earned not only because of the gameplay itself, but also because of the terms and jargon…

Thermo-Alchemist Art by Raymond Swanland

Historic on a Budget: Mono Red Burn

Hello my fellow planeswalkers! The Midnight Hunt has begun with our return to Innistrad! While I am still testing decks for the new Standard, I figured it was the prefect time to cover something that I have been asked often,…

MTG Arena

Major MTG Arena Change Timeline

Here are the important MTG Arena changes timeline, latest at the top. December 9, 2021 A new digital-only format called Alchemy is introduced to Arena. It’s a Standard alternative, featuring rebalanced cards that also exist in paper, and special additions.…

MTG Arena

Improving at MTG

Disclaimer This part of the guide contains an unusually high amount of personal experience and opinions. to be sort of the point of it. You can also view our entire range of strategy articles here. 1. Understanding Magic: a collection…

MTG Arena

Common MTG Slang

The corpus of Magic slang is formidable (and that list isn’t full either). So, here’s a somewhat more digestible arbitrary selection of terms considering the focus of this guide on Arena. 1. Colors and color combinations in deck naming Five…

MTG Arena

Introduction to MTG

A very basic yet verbose introduction to Magic: The Gathering. NB: if you want a more official introduction, it can be found here. Table of Contents The Golden Rule Game Overview Turn Structure Battle Setup Card Structure Core Card Types…

MTG Arena

Inner Workings of Arena

Common misconceptions and questioned rules Here are clarifications on some of the most common points where new players get confused about Arena and Magic. This section will repeat many of the things said in other parts of the guide. Arena-specific:…

MTG Arena

Playing a Match

Most of the in-match interface does not require commentary or is explained in the tutorial. Read on for some non-trivial details. Turn time and the rope You have limited time for a turn, which is extended for every action you…

MTG Arena

Using Arena: Interface and Add-ons

General Interface Overview Tabs along the top left Home tab has an overview of your quests and daily/weekly win rewards progress at the bottom, while the main space is taken by news and three game modes currently advertised by the…

Advanced Search Terms

Advanced Search

General Notes In addition to common filters at the top and advanced filters that open via the last “three sliders” icon, there the search field — a fairly powerful tool even if it falls behind the one at Scryfall. Hovering…

MTG Arena

Formats, Queues, Events

Magic: The Gathering is played in a variety of formats and modes that differ by rules, allowed card pools, and deck building principles and restrictions. Two main ways of playing Magic are Constructed and Limited. In Constructed you prepare your…

Theros Beyond Death Nyx Lands

How to Unlock Theros Beyond Death Nyx Lands

Theros Beyond Death has 15 new Basic Lands, comprising of 5 of the special full art Nyx lands and 2 of each of the normal bordered lands that usually come with each set release. All illustrated by Sam Burley, they…

Strixhaven Set Mastery Pass

Strixhaven Mastery and Mastery Pass

The Mastery system for the Strixhaven expansion is a way for players to receive in-game content through regular gameplay. It runs from April 15th, 2021 until the release of the next expansion Adventures in the Forgotten Realms on July 8th,…

Zendikar Rising Mastery Pass

Zendikar Rising Mastery and Mastery Pass

The Zendikar Rising Set Mastery system is a way for players to receive in-game content through play. It runs from September 17 until the release of the next expansion Kaldheim (estimated release date on January 21, 2021). Players earn rewards…

stained-glass-planeswalkers

MTG Arena Cosmetics Guide

MTG Arena has a wealth of cosmetics that allows you to customize your profile, individual cards and your deck. They have no effect on game play, and can be obtained though: Store: You can purchase cosmetics with both Gems and…

Chulane, Teller of Tales (ELD) Art by Victor Adame Menguez

Brawl Format Guide

Brawl is a singleton format in Magic: The Gathering that is a variant of the popular Commander (also known as EDH) that uses only Standard-legal cards. It will be officially supported on MTG Arena beginning October 26, 2019. In this…