Wizards of the Coast announced Alchemy, a new digital-first format coming to Magic: The Gathering Arena.

Alchemy will act as an entirely new game mode within Magic: The Gathering Arena that fully embraces the game's digital medium. Incorporating all of the Standard sets and cards, Alchemy will also insert cards made specifically for the new format which feature mechanics that be otherwise impossible in the regular tabletop version of the game. Alchemy will not be replacing the regular Standard mode, which serves as a one-to-one virtual version of Magic: The Gathering, but will simply provide fans looking to play with digital-only cards a familiar yet fresh experience. Standard will remain aligned with the paper format.

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Beyond the inclusion of digital-only cards, Wizards of the Coast was quick to reassure players that Alchemy will regularly rebalance cards roughly once a month, something which is impossible to do for the regular tabletop version of Magic. The publisher also confirmed that cards will never be banned from Alchemy as the developers would rather focus on balancing a problematic card rather than outright removing it from play. If a card is nerfed or buffed, the adjustment will not apply to the Standard version, meaning any tweaks will remain within Alchemy. The format will also rotate alongside Standard and will add supplemental cards around 4-6 weeks after the release of a new Premier set. All of these new cards will make use of digital-only mechanics.

As for the new digital-only cards coming to Magic: The Gathering, fans can expect a host of mechanics that could be implemented in other forms of the game. Some of the previews include cards like Toralf's Disciple with reads, "Whenever Toralf's Disciple attacks, conjure four cards named Lightning Bolt into your library, then shuffle." Another potential powerful card is Begin Anew which allows a player to "Destroy all creatures. Creature cards in your hand perpetually get +1/+1."

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This isn't the first time Magic: The Gathering Arena has experimented with digital-only mechanics. The trading card game recently added the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons set which debuted a small collection of cards that took advantage of the virtual medium. The new format was met by a mixed reception as some fans praised the game's experimentation with new features while others feared it may lean too heavily on randomized elements.

Alchemy will be added to Magic: The Gathering via an update on Dec. 9.

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Source: Wizards of the Coast