Earlier this week, Aetherdrift, Magic: The Gathering‘s racing-themed set, was made available on MTG Arena. While many players may now be focused exclusively on casting Aetherdrift cards, starting their engines, and reaching max speed, a new feature was also added this week that encourages fans to engage with the game in different ways. That feature is MTG Arena‘s Achievements system, and it has some exciting opportunities for a wide variety of players to pursue.
The Achievements system in MTG Arena is made up of two parts: a series of goals for players to work towards and rewards tracks along which fans will progress as they complete those goals. Goals range from things like playing a certain number of games to performing specific game actions, and the rewards that can be earned by completing them include avatars, emote phrases, and beyond. Notably, the rewards that are granted for completing goals are strictly cosmetic, which means that MTG fans who are not interested in engaging with the feature do not need to worry about missing out on cards or currency.
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MTG Arena’s Achievements Increase Engagement
Prior to the release of Aetherdrift, players had three primary ways by which they could meaningfully “progress” in MTG Arena. Specifically, fans could work on building their collections, they could focus on climbing the ranks in Constructed and Limited, and they could advance along the seasonal Mastery Pass. This has changed with the addition of achievements, though, as the feature gives players a bevy of new goals to target.
Experimentation is Key to Earning Achievements in MTG Arena
While fans will hit some of those new goals while pursuing the previously-established paths for progression, such as those that center around reaching certain ranks and opening packs, others require that a concerted effort be made. For example, there is an achievement that instructs players to have a creature card with mana value 8 or greater enter from the graveyard, while another centers around winning a game on the same turn that six or more permanents are sacrificed.
Those types of achievements, which are unlikely to be earned without being specifically targeted, encourage players to become more invested and experiment with deck building, something that is not heavily emphasized by the established progression paths. Indeed, while Daily Quests may push fans towards playing certain types of decks in MTG Arena, such as a creature-focused deck or a color-specific deck, they do not require any real amount of experimentation. Moreover, the reward systems that have been in place generally incentivize winning matches, particularly the rank system, which can be at odds with trying out unconventional strategies.
Achievements Encourage Players to Play More Magic
Encouraging experimentation is not the only thing that achievements bring to the table, though, as they also can act as a reason to simply play more Magic. Prior to the addition of the feature, some MTG players may have felt as though there was little reason to continue playing after claiming all their daily rewards, as games that are played after that occurs contribute less to their overall progression. Achievements change that, as fans can continue to work towards earning them even after they have finished their daily quests.
The recommended section of the Achievements tab helps to promote this continued play, as it shows the achievements that the player is close to earning. Indeed, fans who previously might have ended a session immediately after hitting their daily goals may be excited to play more if they see an achievement on the horizon.
The Downside to Achievements in MTG Arena
While achievements seem like purely positive additions, some players may find that they make certain matches more frustrating. Indeed, an opponent conceding just before a goal is reached could be a cause of annoyance, particularly if putting the goal together is quite difficult. In fact, there are some goals that require game actions that are very likely to draw concessions immediately preceding their execution, such as the achievement that instructs players to have an opponent lose a game by having 10 or more Poison Counters.
This is a minor concern, though, and definitely does not nullify the benefits that achievements bring. That is especially true due to the fact that there is simply no rush to earning achievements in MTG Arena, and a concession delaying the acquisition of one does not have any real long-term consequences.
- Released
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September 27, 2018
- ESRB
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T for Teen // Blood and Gore, Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Wizards of the Coast, Wizards Digital Games Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Wizards of the Coast