Wizards of the Coast created a new team within Magic: The Gathering that will exclusively focus on casual players of the long-running trading card game.
Announced on Twitter by Magic: The Gathering Senior Game Designer Melissa DeTora, the team is dedicated to improving the game for players who may not be as invested as hardcore fans. “Our team is responsible for making Commander and other casual formats fun and balanced. Balance means something different for casual play than competitive play because of how much more diverse the experience is from player to player so our team will not focus on balance in the same way that Competitive Play Design does,” writes De Tora.
– How likely is the card to show up? Is it fun if it does shows up in high quantities?
– How much fun is this for the table (net fun)?
– How easy or difficult is it to include this in your deck?
– Does the card have enough interaction points and counterplay?— Melissa DeTora (@MelissaDeTora) October 21, 2021
DeTora goes on to explain the new team’s goal by posing a variety of questions that the designers will be evaluating. “Our primary focus will be finding rates and play patterns that makes the format most fun for everyone. Some things we consider as we playtest and balance cards: How likely is the card to show up? Is it fun if it does shows up in high quantities? How much fun is this for the table (net fun)?” continues DeTora. Further points of consideration include whether a card is easily included in a deck and whether it interacts well with opposing strategies.
While Magic: The Gathering as a whole is growing in popularity, its Commander format is proving steadily popular with new and experienced players. The format is monitored and governed by an external commission dedicated to balancing the game. Recently, one of Commander’s most popular cards, Golos, Tireless Wander, was controversially banned because it was “popular to play with and unpopular to play against.”
While fans of Magic: The Gathering may be excited to bring their less-informed friends to game night, they can also look forward to several high-profile crossovers. Orders for the Stranger Things Secret Lair drop recently opened, featuring art inspired by several key characters in Netflix‘s popular sci-fi drama series. If you missed out on this particular batch of limited-edition cards, more Secret Lair drops have already been confirmed for the coming months. Announced crossover sets include Fortnite, Street Fighter and The Lord of the Rings. Wizards of the Coast has yet to reveal when fans can order these highly sought after collections.
Source: Twitter
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