Will Commander come to MTG Arena? All we know so far
Looking to play Commander in MTG Arena? You're out of luck for now, but here's all we know about the digital version of the popular format.
Magic The Gathering is going from strength to strength in 2023, with new sets like Wilds of Eldraine and Lost Caverns of Ixalan, as well as crossovers with the likes of Doctor Who.
Many fans have been wondering, however, when the Commander format will be available as part of Magic The Gathering: Arena, the game's most popular online client. After all, Commander has become one of the game's most popular formats, drawing in players with its prebuilt decks and multiplayer setup for 3 to 5 players, making it an ideal party game instead of Magic's more traditional 1 vs 1 formats.
Here's everything we know about when Commander is coming to MTG Arena.
- Check our interview with a MTG artist who worked on Sauron for the Lord of the Rings set
Will Commander come to MTG Arena?
In a word - maybe. In Hasbro's fourth quarter 2022 earnings call from February of this year, Commander was named specifically by Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks.
"You know, there are formats like Commander, which is a four-player version of the game that’s highly social," Cocks explained.
"I’m enthused as I know Cynthia [Williams, President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming] and the team are of figuring out how we can get a true multiplayer experience beyond two players, for Magic digitally.”
In the months that followed, though, it's been radio silent on the Commander front for MTG Arena. Given how Commander differs from the formats already offered as part of MTG Arena, though, it could be a tough ask.
Commander uses 100 card decks, with no duplicates, and is focused on multiple players playing at the same time - that might be tough to implement within the Arena framework.
How to play MTG Commander online
Sadly, there's no way to play Commander through MTG Arena just yet, but we'll update this page as we hear more. Magic The Gathering Online, or MTGO, does offer the format though - meaning you can play it there, but it's a much older client than Arena and arguably more for experienced players.
The good news for budding Commanders is that Wizards does offer another way to play the format without needing to be in the same room - but you will need your own deck.
Spelltable is an app that can identify cards, track life points and damage, and even offer a turn indicator for players.
That's all we know about playing Commander in MTG Arena so far, but we'll update this as we get any word from Wizards of the Coast.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
