MTG Arena Multiplayer and Commander – Coming Soon?

Previews for the upcoming Alchemy set Alchemy: Karlov Manor – set to be released on March 5, 2024 – has started, and one of the cards that was revealed today got people talking about the potential for MTG Arena’s multiplayer feature once again.

But first, let’s take a look at the card – Juggle the Performance!

Juggle the Performance

As we all know, new Standard expansions in Magic get ported directly to MTG Arena. Any references to multiple opponents such as “each opponent” remain as they are, but we also know that Commander cards rarely make it across to MTG Arena unless it is part of a special set. Let’s put that aside for a moment because “each opponent” and “target opponent” are very different things for mechanics such as hexproof, and these multiplayer cards are specifically designed for tabletop Magic.

On the other hand, Alchemy cards are made specifically for MTG Arena, so any references to multiplayer is sure to raise eyebrows! The new card just revealed, Juggle the Performance, says the following:

Each player discards their hand, then conjures a duplicate of each of seven random cards from the library of the player to their right into their hand. The duplicates perpetually gain “Mana of any type can be spent to cast this spell.”

Yes, the card ability itself is weird – but the text – player to the right – is indeed something that is new and not usual for just a two player game. On a similar vein, 2 years ago, Ambergris, Agent of Destruction was revealed (made for MTG Arena) and even it saying “each opponent” had players speculating.

view card details

Could it be future proofing and templating for a potential multiplayer feature some time in the future? What proof do we have so far?

Hints at Hasbro Investor Reports

The previous online MTG game before MTG Arena, Duels of the Planeswalkers, certainly had a 2v2 mode (Two-headed Giant), but from the developers, they have always talked it down whenever players asked.

Talking to investors last year, then Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks reported that online multiplayer for Magic could be explored to grow their revenue.

MTG Arena Player Feedback Poll

More recently, MTG Arena also asked for feedback regarding additional formats and game modes – 4-player support and Two-headed Giant were some of the options.

Conclusion

Having said all that, it still looks like anything on that list is a long way away judging by recent lack of resources being invested into MTG Arena (layoffs, game issues, player communication, and so on).

Well, we can always hope! Let us know what you think in the comments below!