Ok so while I am still NEW to MtG: Arena I (MagicA), I've been playing for a few days... TBH it's really NOT what I thought the experience would be. I decided to play the Tutorial and NEEDED HELP to defeat "Nick Bolas" because I could not AND STILL NOT understand how waiting for the NEXT card to be the RIGHT ONE is an actual reality to the game.
What do I mean?
Well simply put MagicA TELLS you in the Tutorial what you should do. Which is OKAY because honestly NEW Players don't know NOTHING about the game or have only heard of MtG and have some vague notion about HOW to play.
So the CARDS you GET are NOT RANDOM (from your Deck). They are SPECIFICALLY drawn in a certain order to help play through the PLOT of the Tutorial.
More or less the SAME, I watched a YouTube Video on how to BEAT "Nick Bolas" and the cards were pretty similar and where I was at and needed HELP, etc. was all VERY similar. Not 100% identical... But VERY similar. In fact the only difference between me and the YouTube video was "4 Points" that MY "Nick Bolas" had extra, so instead of "8" (in the YouTube video), mine had "12".'
Never the less, I had "3" cards with enough firepower to defeat him on the NEXT TURN.
So after doing this, I was rewarded with five (5) Decks: one of each color.
Now again MagicA is NOT like MtG. Again you have to follow the scenarios with again a SIMILAR "design". Like if you play "Black", you face-off versus "Green" FIRST and are rewarded by REMOVING "2" cards from your "Black Deck" and replacing them with IMPROVED cards.
So again it's MORE or less the SAME AGAIN.
You get cards that suit the match-up and again, I'm not convinced that it is ENTIRELY RANDOM... Because the opponent plays more-or-less the SAME strategy. I'm playing "Black vs. Blue" and Blue is pumping out a bunch of weak Flying creatures that I have a HARD time to Block or get rid of...
These "match-ups" (like I said) reward you with IMPROVEMENTS to your existing Deck (In my case, I was playing the "Black" Deck) and am 4/5 way to completing the "Black" "match-ups"... But I've lost like two (2) Matches already ... And MagicA tells you a "HINT" on how to WIN the battle after a loss.
So HOW can they tells you HOW to WIN, if the strategy in both Decks is the SAME and will play out with hardly any randomness???
I think it's FUN but annoying that you need to REPLAY a "match-up" if you LOSE.
And some "match-ups" are real "Aggro" Battles. Like "Black" vs. "Red"... I had to be SUPER AGGRESSIVE to WIN that "match-up". I guess this is their way to TEACH the Decks and Styles all the while keep players INTERESTED.
I'll be SUPER HONEST and say that MagicA is not for me.
But there is a reason that I am learning and it's to get a better grasp on HOW MtG is played not MagicA. Will MagicA live up to these expectations??? IDK. All I know is that I'm going to TRY to complete all 5/5 "Black" "match-ups" and see where that leads me.
If the "match-ups" are NOT RANDOM (and I firmly believe that they are NOT!) well then they suit their NATURE in "teaching" the various playstyles all the while in some kind of "Campaign"-related looking feel of a game.
After I LEARN what I need to... Will I continue to play MagicA??? The answer to that question is PROBABLY a "NO"! In any event... My motivation is my OWN and has it's reasons. But I'm not going to be a huge FAN of MagicA because my real interest is learning more about MtG!
Cheers.
Well it definitely SEEMS like the cards you start in-hand are "restricted" to the cards that the "match-up" wants you to use. I had THREE (3) "Raise Dead" cards (again "Black") and I've NEVER drawn in like 6 matches one of these cards...
Meanwhile when I REPLAY the "match-up" I seem to be using the SAME cards OVER and OVER again... Although I'll concede that knowing WHAT CARDS THE OPPONENT WILL PLAY... Does make the "match-up" easier because I can SAVE a "Destroy Target Creature" card that I got on Turn #2 ... For later when Jace plays his 5/5 Creature... So it DOES get easier and YES, they can FIX the "match-up" by giving you the fact that the opponent will ALMOST do the SAME thing each time you play.
So much for the RANDOMNESS and the OTHER cards that I could use in my Deck (like the "Raise Dead" cards (for example).
IDK how I feel playing a GAME where the outcomes of "match-ups" are PRE-DETERMINED by the fact that the game RESTRICTS which cards you will get!
Hmm... Very ... Umm... IDK TBH!!!