Magic: the Gathering Arena

Play it on: PC, Mobile
Current goal: 7 wins in my next draft

It’s been years since I last played Magic: The Gathering Arena. This week I couldn’t stop trying to sneak in matches wherever I could. That’s because of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set. In addition to being a beautiful homage to one of my favorite RPG series and a nostalgia trip that hits hard, it’s also just a lot of fun to play. I’me having a great time trying to put together Cid artifact decks and watching my summons completely flip momentum and break stalemates late in the game. (No, the Arena app still isn’t great on mobile but it’s good enough.)

I’m trying to get some more time to play IRL with other FF freaks, but in the meantime Arena is the perfect substitute, especially the limited draft modes where there are material stakes for winning/losing and less pressure to net-deck and roll with the perfectly optimized strategy. I do occasionally check draft guides but then a card like Garland, Knight of Cornelia pops up and I still try to craft a deck around it to embrace my 1980s NES homesickness. —Ethan Gach