Getting Started on Magic Online (in 2022) | MTG Tutorial
Magic Arena is great for some players, but it has its share of issues, ranging from a limited card pool and limited number of formats to the proliferation of digital-only cards not available in paper and to the awkward (and, for some players, expensive) economy. If you're looking for a way to play more formats—Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, and Vintage—with more cards (Magic Online has almost all the cards from Magic's nearly 30-year history) and have control over your collection in a way similar to paper Magic (with buying, selling, and trading for singles), Magic Online is the best and only official option.
Unlike Magic Arena, whose primary goal is to recreate Magic as a video game, the goal of Magic Online is to represent the truest possible paper Magic experience in digital form. As a result, the client has a much more stripped-back look as compared to Magic Arena (you won't find flashy animations, for example), but you gain a ton more options, play experiences, and functionality as a result.
Unfortunately, since Magic Online isn't the most intuitive game (although it really isn't nearly as bad as some people make it out to be), there is a bit of a learning curve when you first start playing. Today, our goal is to help speed you up along that curve by covering everything you need to know about getting started on Magic Online, from downloading the client to the various things you can do within the client, acquiring cards and importing decks, playing games (along with some tips and tricks to make gameplay as fast and easy as possible), and winning (and, if you choose, selling) prizes.
Since we are covering a lot of ground, today's video is pretty long, but it has timestamps in the description and a pinned comment to allow you to jump to the parts that are more relevant to you. I tried to cover everything I could think of that a new player would need to know, but if you have a question, don't be afraid to ask in the comments. I'll do my best to help. Anyway, let's get to the video; then, after the video, we'll have some links to additional information along with some of the websites we discuss in the video.
Important Links / Places
- You can download the Magic Online client at www.mtgo.com. This is also where Wizards posts announcements and other information about Magic Online.
- If you're looking for text-based info on how to get started on Magic Online, you can check out Wizards of the Coast's new Magic Online player info and Cardhoarder's MTGO Beginner's guide (which was last updated in 2019 but still has lots of good info).
- It might be silly to link MTGGoldfish.com since you're reading this on MTGGoldfish.com, but if you're looking for metagame decks, budget decks, and Magic Online card prices, this is the place to go: www.mtggoldfish.com.
- Get your 4 tix of free bot credit from Cardhoarder here.
- Check out Cardhorder's free 5-tix card rental program here.
- Check out ManaTraders' free 7-tix card rental program here.
- Get free cards by searching for CardhoarderFree and GoatBotsFree in the trade tab on Magic Online.
- Recommended Magic Online bots (search in trade tab in-client or follow links for their websites): Cardhoarder, GoatBots, and MTGOTraders.
- Check out the expected value of various Magic Online events with Goatbot's EV calculator.
- If you're looking to turn your Magic Online tix into cash (or cash out your entire Magic Online collection), Cardhoarder can help.
- Shameless self-promotion: If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the MTGGoldfish YouTube channel to keep up on all the latest content and newest decks to play on Magic Online.
Conclusion
Anyway, I think that's all you need to know to get started playing on Magic Online in 2022. If you have a question on something I didn't cover (or need something explained further), don't be afraid to ask in the comments—I'll do my best to answer. Or, you can always reach me on Twitter @SaffronOlive or at SaffronOlive@MTGGoldfish.com.
