The matchmaking is terrible. I don't want to play competitively every match. Some people just like to play this game casually, not be sweaty about it, not spend tons of money on it, not copy/paste top 8 decklists into a deck creator...some people just like to ENJOY things casually. That element of this game is destroyed through matchmaking. If you aren't coming to play with a proven deck in the top 8 of whatever format you're playing, you're wasting your time and money playing MTGA. You will not be matched with people who are also just looking to play some fun jank or anything really that's not the top tier decks of that format. This matchmaking system is designed to try to frustrate people into SPENDING MONEY. It's disgusting and it's a great case study for how capitalism will ALWAYS take something people love and destroy it for the sake of profit.

I'm assuming since the original post in 2020, this has totally fallen on deaf ears.

Ever since they've grown into a big business, they are just interested in the bottom line, which I totally get, but that's at the sacrifice of the enjoyment of the game for those who choose not to go the paper route at game shops ($$$$). Wait, do the game shops review each of our decks at the door and then pair us up with others who THEY feel would give us the best competition :)

This is the reason I quit hearthstone, the matchmaking/card draw algorithm was so blantant and obvious. I'm just about there with MTG Arena which HAS gotten more blatant over the years with their very own algorithm. It's really a shame because I enjoyed this game while it lasted. MTGA r.i.p. :(

Shuffler is fine...Pairing system works as intended...
Sure, WoTC, you go tell yourselves that!
When pretty much everyone on here, and major streamers say the very same thing: the shuffler, AND pairing system...is NOT fine!
Oh, and what is the point of "up-pairing", anyway? Like, I'm a diamond player and then for some unfathomable reason, I get paired against a top-20 mythic player?

And another thing: why does it take me about a minute to get matched up with someone (which btw, is often a higher-rank than I am, if I let it happen).

There is NO incentive for me to even play this mythic person! Proper incentive for me to play, would be: I beat them, we swap ranks. Outside of that, your pairing system is a joke!

Sent a load of complaints to WotC about Arena after update. Got standard “cookie cutter” response:

Thank you for contacting Wizards of the Coast Customer Service. I'm very sorry to hear that you've had some undesirable results while playing MTG Arena. I assure you that our algorithms, including matchmaking, the shuffler, coin flips, and others, have been tested at length and are working as intended. All players are on the same playing field using the exact same rules.

NO! It is not the same for everyone. Ithe game cheats you if you haven’t spent cash on it for a few days. It always sc**ws your draws, and even blatantly cheats to make you loose. I went against a deck with my destroyer deck: white/black with multiple destroys, target remove and mass exile cards, and peons that bounce back from graveyard. Whole game only got 3 mana and only pulled cards with cost 4+. That in of itself isn’t the cheating (even though it happens every sing game now), my opponent dropped a March from the Black Gates that amass’ orc 1, then dropped a Dreadhorde Invasion that amass’ zombies 1, and the orc just kept ramping. Just the orc twice every round. No Zombies. Finaly got a one ring out and wouldn’t you know. He had JUST THE PERFECT CARD to get rid of it. Draws from that point on were downhill. No more land and everything he drew just annihilated any creature I dropped. This was just one instance.

Dozen of other instances of NEVER drawing a creature. Never drawing a land. I could draw a buff card, but no creature to cast it on. I play a mono color deck and it is just the same. I play blue counter deck and am only paired with a black deck that has a ton of distress like cards to constantly discard, while opponent has a consistent land drop. I play mono-red haste and I am not putting any creatures and am paired with a blue counter deck that has tons of counters and landfall *****. The game is BROKEN.

Both me and my partner started recently. When All is One dropped, I started playing all common decks to see what they were like. I was paired (my commons deck)against decks full of Sheoldreds, Wandering Emperors, Liliana, Fleshgorgers and Titans/Fable etc. My partner made an all red common deck, and guess what? Nothing but Rare dual Lands, Elesh Norms, Wandering Emperors and more of the same. These were not just one or two matches; it was constant. Screenshots can be provided to the shills who have said "that's not how it works".

Wanted to do some science. Did another 3 rounds, the matchmaking is utter dogs*it. I don't even know how you f*ck up that bad at matchmaking. Im a bronze 4 and I went up vs 2 golds and whatever the h*ll a red ranked is. I advise no one to use this game until they fix things. Maybe lack of players will make them get off their lazy *sses

About to go 0-3 in draft as a bronze because I matched vs 2 golds and a Platinum. Congats arena, you just lost a customer. Get your sh*t together or watch your app die.

I dont understand if you've set it up so that if it takes too long it ignores rank or what but
you absolutely need to fix matchmaking to be even or I wont spend another dime. i'll just use
gold for everything. People playing straight mythic rare decks that are top tier taking all the gems in every mode isnt fun for anyone else and they dont spend money because they dont have to.

Dude,

I am at Bronze, have lost many game sin a row (Quick Draft) and they are matching me up against nothing but Gold/Platinum nd Mythic. GARBAGE!

I have to agree. There is no fun in playing anymore. The game seems completely broken. They didn't play test any of this well and it will be the last time I hand this game any cash.

This dog **** algorithm they use is making me hate the game all together. Used to make mythic on a regular basis and now I can't even get out of Plat. Until this **** is fixed, you can go **** yourself wizards. You won't see another dime from me nor will I be playing you're ******** rigged game.

Rigged AF! This is not a game of skill, it is a slot machine where the algorithm of the matchmaker determines who wins each match before it is played. If this product was regulated by any laws, the executives would be going to jail. DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THIS GAME!

Wizards. Stop groveling to the almighty dollar. Manipulating the randomizer and matchup in hoping that some one rage buys more of your ****** product is disgusting. Your track record is not so good. Bank of America finally sees it, and they don't give a **** about customers. but they do see terrible business practices. How about no manipulation what so ever and be happy with a few billion dollars less in profit or next thing I read in the news is how Hasbro dumps you cancerous *** to save their own. You have destroyed this beautiful game with your greed. By the way MTG employees, you should of did a little solidarity back when this cancer started to spread, but you sold out to the old mighty dollar like your heartless overlords. Hope you are happy with the outcome and potential unemployment as they do massive layoffs to save their own sorry *****. By the way, all of us costumers feel the same way, many are just fearful that you will retaliate with banning their accounts.

Every single deck I create, whether one color, two, three, five even. Don't know what the point is when the game magically finds a complete counter/anti deck to whatever I'm deciding to throw together at a futile attempt to make some wins happen. This is literally impossible to play. I wish this was a joke but believe me when I say it isn't. Been playing since MTGA released. This has been consistent and constant. I literally CANNOT make a deck of ANYTHING and expect random matchups. I will ONLY face decks that have a complete array of cards TAILOR SUITED to forcing me to lose. Also yes, the mana curve BS that apparently never afflicts my opponents, only me. So sick of this complete dumpster fire of a card game. Deleting it. ********* WotC.

I'm writing from my personal experience and reflects my POV only: I wonder how software engineers that work in this company sleep at night? this is what you do with your programming skills? instead of building an app to help humanity, you're building a 100% scripted game by a rigged matchmaker to take advantage of human weaknesses to make them become frustrated enough to spend more money on cards? is that the purpose of your life? I hope Wotc and Hasbro will go bankrupt soon, to whoever is considering playing this game, know that it will just cause you to spend money and have negative feelings constantly as this game is scripted, nothing is random, its sole purpose is to make you spend as much money as possible by any means possible

I made a few common/mix of common/uncommon decks with all basic lands. I got constantly paired against decks with playsets of Sheoldreds, Wandering Emperors, Lilianas, green Titans, Portal to Phyrexias and abundance of rare duals-who seemingly have perfect draws and counters.

Also don't mention unfair matchmaking in the Discord - that's where all the shills are.

make a mode that ranks decks of equal stature

I agree, this game is garbage rigging every match. Just give us RANDOM matching. I want it to be like playing in person, not some rigged ********. Wizards sucks.