Magic Arena Updates With New Direct Challenge Options, Deck Builder Improvements & Discord Integration

Wizards of the Coast

Magic: The Gathering Arena is getting new features this week, and today, Wizards of the Coast have announced the new changes coming for the popular digital card game. In the video below, Executive Producer Chris Cao talks about the new updates this week, including Direct Challenge customization, Discord integration, Deckbuilder improvements, as well as the addition of Korean and Japanese language to the game. Watch the announcement below:

Direct Challenge Customization

Magic Arena will be adding the option to play best-of-three with your friends through Direct Challenge. There will also be a new dropdown menu that will let players choose which Magic format they want to play with their friends. The ability to use coin-flip to decide which player goes first will also be added with the latest update.

DISCORD Integration

Magic Arena players will also be able to Direct Challenge players through Discord as the game will support Discord Rich Presence. It will also let you provide detailed status information to your friends —whether you're deck-building, choosing your pack 1, pick 1 in Draft, or climbing the ladder in Ranked Play. The Direct Challenge blade will also have a Discord Challenge option so it will be easier for you to play with your friends or members of your Discord servers.

Deck Builder Improvements

The latest update will improve the Deck Builder with multiple views and zooming options as well as changes to adding lands and the ability to sort your decks by format (Standard, Pauper, Singleton, etc.). The new "Crafting Mode" will allow players to see uncollected cards you can redeem your Wildcards on, giving players the ability to build a deck via Wildcards with cards that are not part of their collection.

Other Updates

In addition to these major changes, Magic Arena will also add Japanese and Korean languages, bringing the total to nine languages supported by Magic Arena.

They will also be improving the game's timer system with a "Resolve ALl" option for repeating triggers on the stack, as well as the ability to mass-select attackers and blockers.

These are cool new updates to Magic Arena and I can't wait to see them continually improve the game this year. Magic Arena may still be in beta mode but it's already getting a lot of positive feedback thanks to the improvements the developers have added to the game.

Related: Upcoming Magic: The Gathering Innovation Product Expected to Impact Modern Format