Hauling your giant Magic: The Gathering collection to a friend’s home for an evening of tabletop entertainment will soon no longer be necessary.
That is, of course, assuming you’ve invested enough time and money in the card game’s digital alternative to unlock an equally sizable stack, as it’ll soon be playable on the go. As announced by Wizards of the Coast yesterday, the first public availability period for Arena on mobile kicks off on January 28th. Do note, however, that likely due to Apple’s more stringent regulations concerning early access apps, this initial period will only be live on Android, with further details for iOS scheduled to come “later this year.”
On the plus side, the version due to land in a few weeks’ time on Google Play Store will be representative of the most recent build on PC, meaning all cards, formats and modes will be present and accounted for. Cross-platform support, too, will be accessible from day one, allowing PC and mobile users to mingle.
Due to the wide range of Android phones currently on the market, Wizards doesn’t provide an exhaustive list of eligible devices, though you can hit the link below for a sample containing the most popular and widespread models.
In related news, January 28th also marks the release date of Magic: The Gathering‘s first Standard expansion of 2021. Kaldheim draws inspiration from Norse mythology and introduces several new as well as returning mechanics. Traditionalists who prefer to own a physical product, on the other hand, will have to wait until February 5th to explore the plane’s eight realms. Regardless of preference, you can start prepping for launch now by perusing previous card previews over here. Enjoy!