Wizards of the Coast has been consistently improving and upgrading the CCG Magic: The Gathering Arena. The latest update for the game is themed around the improvement of the closed beta test, which has opened up to 100,000 more players, increasing the total size of the player count for the beta.
According to the official Magic: The Gathering website, 100,000 more players have been invited into the closed beta test. The codes are being sent out over the course of several weeks, giving gamers access to the closed beta.
In addition to the invites being sent out, there's also an all new test collection that the developers will be working on. The test collection will be available for CBT participants, which includes 10 pre-constructed decks. Keep in mind that in order to test out the effectiveness of these decks, it means completely wiping out the current deck data that closed beta testers have been using thus far. In fact, the post notes that there will be a full account wipe when the new starting collections are applied to the latest closed beta version.
Special cards like Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation have also been added to Magic: The Gathering Arena, allowing players to make use of the unique strategies that come along with those cards.
The new starting decks will consist of more than 300 unique cards from the Magic: The Gathering universe, this includes a rare new wildcard, two uncommon wildcards, and four common wildcards.
The gameplay itself is themed around collecting cards and deckbuilding, while players tee off in PvP matches, not unlike Hearthstone or Gwent.
The CCG genre has really picked up in recent years and has become a powerhouse sector in the gaming market. It's no surprise that the Wizards of the Coast wanted to get in on the action with one of the original tabletop card games.
Magic: The Gathering Arena has been in development for a while now, and the developers have been holding closed beta tests to hone the gameplay loops and ensure that the gameplay is both solid and fun.
One of the bigger challenges of dealing with closed beta tests is that it's important to find gameplay balances to ensure that some cards aren't overpowered or that players can't find an unbeatable combination of card plays, which can sometimes happen in games that aren't properly optimized.
If you're interested in the Magic: The Gathering Arena closed beta tests you can actually attempt to sign-up right now for the PC card game by visiting the website and putting in your e-mail address and date of birth. If you already have a promotional code you can put that in as well, but if you don't have a promo code you can sign-up to get added to the CBT pool and if there's a code available then you may want to keep an eye on your inbox for a closed beta code.
Magic: The Gathering Arena is due for release on PC, presumably later this year.
