MTG Arena’s meta has been juggled up once again, with Wizards of the Coast’s Dave Finseth explaining at length what to expect from the Timeless format, a brand-new addition to the existing ways to play the world’s most popular trading card game online.
Timeless Fun with MTG Arena’s Full Roster of Cards
Timeless is essentially built for MTG Arena, and will allow the game’s most powerful cards to be used once again in a lawless, free-for-all and almost lawless manner. Powerful cards from established decks such as Wilds of Eldraine Enchanting Tales and Strixhaven Mystical Archive will all be featured in Timeless, along with the newly-leaked Doctor Who cards, giving players who own them a little more leeway when they seek to play them.
Yet, it’s not just a consideration for what cards have been released, but also following and understanding evolving player needs. Wizard of the Coast ran a test during the Historic No Banned List and Historic Basically No Bans events throughout September and November, a preparation for the recent release, which saw a strong interest and demand from players to explore the options to blow the dust off their decks.
The new format is designed to offer a unique digital play experience and make it so that players can have access to an even vaster selection of cards. Although Timeless will allow for a much bigger pool of cards, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that the company will be actively looking to balance the format and three cards have been restricted, to name:
- Channel
- Demonic Tutor
- Tibalt’s Trickery
The picks are not chance selections either, as Wizards of the Coast has paid close attention to how the cards performed during the test events. Now, about the format! This version is played with 60-card decks and every card on MTG Arena will be legal.
This means that digital-only cards can be played here. Timeless wants to be fast, fun, and exciting, but it also wants to be competitive, which is the very soul of Magic: The Gathering as a game.
All About Making Timeless Format Fair and Competitive
There will be Best of One and Best of Three ranked queues, but there will also be unranked queues if you don’t want to compete as much. With the announcement now set, the question is – when can we expect to see Timeless on MTG Arena? Well, you need not look long for an answer as December 12, 2023, has been confirmed as the official go date.
Wizards of the Coast will also promote Timeless during Midweek Magic on December 12-14. On February 2-4, 2024, players will participate in the Timeless Metagame Challenge, establishing the new format as a serious and worthwhile option for new and existing players.
However, Wizards of the Coast will continue to restrict some cards as it ultimately wants to create a balanced and worthwhile option. If you are looking to start with MTG Arena, we recommend taking a look at our full MTG Arena codes list.