MTG Arena huge update brings London mulligan, Mastery Pass, pet cats

Magic the Gathering: Arena just announced a fantastic (and massive) new update. We know when Core Set 2020 is arriving, quality-of-life improvements are coming, the London mulligan will affect all formats, and the Mastery Pass gives you a cat!

Core Set 2020

The core set we’ve all been waiting for is finally coming to Arena, with exact dates finally being released. July 1 will be an early access event, with Core Set 2020 fully releasing on July 2. Sealed starts up the same day, with draft being available on July 8. Also worth nothing, ranked draft will now stay available until the next set is released. Players have been asking for multiple ranked draft formats at the same time, and it’s now finally possible.

Quality-of-life changes

Cards being revealed is now less disruptive to gameplay in Magic: The Gathering Arena. No more worrying about timing out or missing something while the revealed screen holds up everything. Also, many players have complained about no automatic stop set on cards like Legion Warboss. That’s no longer an issue, as the game will automatically set a pre-combat stop for you if your opponent plays this card or something else with a similar effect.

Digital cats?

Ever wanted your own digital magic cat to cheer you on while you attack for game? Well, you got your wish with this update. By buying a Mastery Pass, you unlock the feline companion and its five colors. As you play, you can earn special upgrades for your pet. The pass costs 3400 gems.

To upgrade your kitty, you must complete portions of your Set Mastery Tree. This feature will replace Weekly Win rewards entirely. The tree is available until the release of the next set, as there will be a new tree for each set.

London mulligan & Historic format

The London mulligan (which we’ve all been anticipating) officially takes effect on July 2 for every Arena format. As far as collections go, collections will not be reset with this update. Every card you’ve collected, you keep. Cards that rotate out will now be available to use only in a special “Historic” format. This format will be Arena-only and will be best-of-one and best-of-three. However, Amonkhet and Kaladesh blocks will not be making a return for this format. They will not be available on Arena until the development team feels the format is ready for their high power level.

MTG Arena roundup

There are so many little details and special additions to this update. If you want to read every last detail of the update, check out Wizard’s official release. Overall, it looks to be a fantastic update to Magic: The Gathering Arena for players. What part of the update are you most excited about? Let us know down in the comments below, and keep checking back with us for more MTG content!