| Historic (format) | |
|---|---|
| DCI Sanctioned | |
| Paper |
 |
| Magic Online |
|
| Magic Arena |
 |
| Rules | |
| Type | Constructed |
| Multiplayer |
|
| Add. rules | Best-of-one and Best-of-three |
- This page is about the format. For the game term, see Historic.
Historic is a constructed non-rotating format for Magic: The Gathering Arena that was officially announced by Wizards of the Coast on June 27, 2019.[1][2]
Description
Historic was implemented in November, 2019, as a format that allow Arena players to make use of cards that are no longer legal in Standard after rotation.[3] The format is exclusive to Arena, and is intended "to be a fun and casual way [that players] can continue to play with all the cards in [their] collection".[1] On the other hand, paper Magic and Magic Online use the Pioneer format.
Before R&D settled on Historic the name used for the rumored format was "Standard Plus".[4] The format includes a Historic Play queue (both best-of-one and best-of-three), Direct Challenge, practice matches with Sparky, as well as some rotating events that are not beholden to Standard (such as Pauper, Singleton, etc.).[1]
The introduction of Historic coincided with the first rotation for MTG Arena, and the release of the fall set of that year, Throne of Eldraine.[1]
Historic Anthology
Along with the Historic format, Wizards added “new” old cards to MTG Arena “from across Magic’s history” for use in the format. 15-20 new cards were added in November for the beginning of the new format ("Historic Anthology 1"), with the goal of adding more cards every quarter of the year.[5] Both the “new” cards and the cards rotating out of Standard (thus becoming Historic cards themselves) were announced to require two Wildcards each to craft—rather than the usual one.[6][7]
After feedback from the player's base, the decision to change Wildcard redemption rates for rotated cards was revoked. It was decided that redemption for all rotated cards would remain 1:1.[8]
The 20 new cards in Historic Anthology 1 were carefully selected to expand the format in interesting ways.[9] Some were nostalgia plays, some were fun build-arounds to enable new archetypes, and some were powerful new tools.[10]
Remastered sets
In 2020, Wizards off the Coast plan to begin adding "remastered" versions of older sets to Magic: The Gathering Arena.[11] The MTG Arena team, in conjunction with Magic R&D, will be looking at multiple sets and condensing them into a single larger set that only includes the most relevant cards, and adding that to the game. This will allow them to focus on what made these sets fun and exciting for players while delivering on the content much more quickly.
This is a long-term commitment that will eventually lead to additional format support beyond Standard and Historic working towards Pioneer.
References
- ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta — June 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ MTG Arena Admin (June 27, 2019). "Rotation Guide - Intro to Rotation, Upcoming Changes, and Historic Play". Mtgarena.com.
- ↑ Brett Teran (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena update: Introducing the Historic format". Magic Esports.
- ↑ Cody Gravelle (December 06, 2018). "Magic Arena Will Eventually Have A "Standard Plus" Format". Screenrant.com.
- ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Comes to MTG Arena in November with “New” Old Cards From Magic’s History". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 29, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta – August 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Cards Will Cost 2 Wildcards to Craft on MTG Arena for the “Health of the Game”". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 13, 2019). "MTG Arena Update on Historic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 13, 2019). "MTG Arena Historic Rollout". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ MTG Arena Development Team (November 6, 2019). "Introducing Historic Anthology". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 13, 2019). "State of the Beta - November 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.