I’ve played Magic: The Gathering for 18 years. I’ve put in thousands of hours and spent more money than I want to admit. Arena is the only way I can play now, and it feels like Wizards is using that against us.

Let’s just be honest. MTG Arena isn’t built to reward skill or time. It’s built to squeeze your wallet.

The economy is trash. You need 20 or more rares and a stack of mythics just to build one real deck. Want to try something new? Too bad. No trading. No dust system. No refunds. Just keep buying packs and hope you pull something usable. In paper Magic, at least you could trade or sell. In Arena, you get nothing back. Just digital cards locked behind a paywall.

"It seems pretty difficult to build a card collection." — r/MagicArena
"This game is a money sink with no soul." — Twitter
"The algorithm is awful... it consistently gives you games you have no chance of winning." — MTG Arena feedback forums

Climbing to Mythic is a joke. You grind for hours every month just to get knocked back down and do it all again. There’s no real payoff. The meta is boring. Same decks on repeat. White lifegain. Mono red. Karn. Bolas. The names shift but the decks don’t. You either copy the broken deck or you lose.

Historic used to be creative. Alchemy ruined it. Now it’s just digital-only junk cards, overpowered garbage, and zero balance. No bans. No fixes. Just more broken mechanics shoved in to push new product.

This isn’t just me. A 2024 study by 1337.games ranked Arena the most unplayable game on Reddit. Out of all gaming communities, Arena had the highest number of complaints. Almost 30 percent of all posts on r/MagicArena called the game unplayable.

They made over 1.08 billion dollars last year. A huge chunk of that came from Arena. That money came from us. The players. And in return, we got a broken platform, a rigged ladder, and an economy that feels like a trap.

This is not the Magic we grew up on. It’s not what Richard Garfield created. Magic used to reward creative decks, smart play, and deep strategy. Arena rewards pay-to-win. It punishes innovation. It ignores player feedback. It sells nostalgia and gives you a slot machine.

I’m not writing this because I want a lawsuit or some payout. I’m writing this because I want the game fixed. I want to play a version of Magic that respects my time and money.

Here’s what we deserve:

A fair economy that rewards effort and gameplay

Monthly bans in all formats to shake things up

Real incentives for original decks, not just copying the meta

A better new player experience

Full transparency in matchmaking and the shuffler

If you’re reading this and you’re sick of getting screwed, reach out. I’m organizing. I’m done being quiet.

Email me: noreservations72032@gmail.com

I screenshotted this. If it gets deleted, I’ll post it again. This isn’t just my fight. There are thousands of us who feel the same way. The more of us that speak up, the harder we are to ignore.

We want the game back. The real one.
The one that treated players like people, not paychecks.

And yes, I know you can see who posted this. That’s fine. I’m not hiding. I meant every word.

— A ***-off player who still gives a *