MTG Arena Historic Play Will Bring Back Old Cards (At a Price)

A new format called MTG Arena Historic Play is going to be added to the newest digital version of Magic: The Gathering, but it comes with a catch: the cards are going to cost twice as much in this new format.

If you haven't yet played MTG Arena, this game is a free-to-play digital version of the classic collectible card game. It's been in beta for a while now and is expected to launch sometime before the year is out, but that doesn't meant that the developers aren't launching new features! Among many other changes is the launch of MTG Arena Historic Play, a brand-new way to play with some of the older cards in the game.

MTG Arena Historic Play — How Does It Work?

According to the article announcing this new feature, the devs were concerned with three important points:

• It should feel distinct from other Constructed formats (namely Standard).
• There should be some competitive aspect to it (i.e. Ranked).
• Finding a balance for the long-term health of MTG Arena

Beginning in November, the devs will add 15–20 cards from Magic's history to Historic Play. While I'm sure there are fans out there who would like them to add whole blocks or sets, that simply isn't practical and is viewed as a massive time commitment for little perceived benefit from the devs.

Players who like to compete will have an option for Historic Ranked Play, and that won't be all there is to do; at least one event for MTG Arena Historic Play will take place every month starting in November 2019. The game is well known for hosting special events like the War of the Spark Chronicles that took place from May–June 2019.

The third bullet point is perhaps the trickiest, and that's why the developers are treading carefully here. After November, crafting a Historic card will cost two Wildcards of the appropriate rarity rather than just one. Historic cards in the standard set can still be picked up for the price of one Wildcard, but you'll need to spend two Wildcards to use it in Historic Play.

Players will have a bit of lead time as the price increase won't kick in until November. Historic sets are still available for purchase, but that will change, too — Historic sets will eventually be limited to the 45-pack bundle.

You can read the full article for all the fine details on MTG Arena Historic Play and the other changes coming in September. If you haven't yet played this game, you can try it out for free over at its official website.

What do you think of the addition of MTG Arena Historic Play? Do you like the digital versions of Magic: The Gathering or do you prefer playing with physical cards? Let us know in the comments below!