Category: Video Games

A Magic: The Gathering Beginner’s Guide for Newcomers

I’ve said it a ton over the last few weeks, but interest in Magic: The Gathering is at what feels like an all-time high. With the recently released Final Fantasy Universes Beyond crossover set, new players that may have never picked up a card are now inching ever so slowly towards one of the most addicting and time-consuming hobbies around. If you’re one of these people, or someone looking to dip your toes into the wonderful world of hundred-dollar cardboard, IGN has you covered with our Magic: The Gathering beginner’s guide.

Where to Start Playing in Person

For newcomers, the best place to start playing in person is with what we call “kitchen table” Magic. No formats, no banlist, no meta, just good old fashioned vibes. Find a starter kit you like, grab a friend, sleeve them up, and jump in. These starter decks are great ways to learn the rules. I’d also highly recommend picking up MTG Foundations, as this set is specifically designed with brand new players in mind.

Now that you’ve learned the rules, found the colors you like, and learned a strategy that suits you, you probably want to move up to playing at a local game store (LGS) in your area. Your mileage will vary, as some stores’ player bases favor certain formats over others. But for the most part, many LGSs will run the Standard format as their primary Friday Night Magic (FNM) event. To find an LGS near you, use the Wizards Event Locator to enter your address and distance you want to check.

MTG Formats

Every store is different, and not everybody enjoys playing the same formats all the time. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most popular formats:

  • Standard: This is the most entry-level 60-card, best-of-three format in Magic. You can use cards from the last two years, and cards will rotate out every Fall.
  • Limited: Limited formats are 40-card events where you don’t show up with your own preconstructed decks. The two options are Booster Draft, where pods of eight players will open booster packs and pick a card one by one, passing their pack to the next player until three packs have been drafted. Sealed is where you get six booster packs, open them, and build your deck from this pool.
  • Pioneer: Pioneer is the next step up in terms of power level from Standard. This format is non-rotating, and only cards from Return to Ravnica to current sets are legal. No supplementary sets are allowed, like Commander decks or sets like Modern Horizons.
  • Modern: Easily the most popular format among competitive players, Modern allows you to use cards from Mirrodin onward, save for Commander deck cards. Direct-to-Modern sets like Modern Horizons are legal, and are big contributors to the format’s current meta.
  • Legacy: Every Magic set is legal in Legacy, including Commander decks. This means it has some of the most powerful decks in the game, the most expensive, and is the most difficult to learn. If you’re starting out, you likely will not touch Legacy any time soon, if ever.
  • Pauper: One of my personal favorite formats, Pauper is essentially Legacy Lite. Every set is fair game, but you can only use common rarity cards. Many of Legacy’s strongest cards are common, like Brainstorm and Ponder, so Pauper is a great format to learn when you’re curious about these interactions.
  • Commander: Commander is the format most new and casual players are familiar with. Commander is a format where up to four players battle it out with 100-card decks, where each deck is built around their Commander (a Legendary creature of their choice). You can only build your deck using your Commander’s colors.

TCGPlayer Is a Great Place to Buy Cards

All Constructed formats have a list of banned cards to help balance out the meta and remove insane combos from their respective formats.

For the best place to pick up singles to round out your decks or find sealed product, I recommend Card Kingdom and TCGPlayer. These are the two biggest and most-trusted TCG vendors in the world.

Where to Start Playing Magic Online

MTG: Online

Magic: The Gathering Online has been around for years, and is a pretty good translation of in-person play to this online client. You can play every format available in paper, buy, sell, and trade cards with other players, and it’s the best way to grind out games to practice or learn different strategies.

MTG: Arena

MTG: Arena is the most recent online Magic client, launching in 2019. Taking visual cues from games like Hearthstone, Arena is my preferred way to play the Standard and Pioneer formats – Modern, Legacy, and other older non-rotating formats aren’t present on Arena. You can still do booster draft and sealed, however. Arena also has a handful of its own bespoke, digital-only formats. Aside from Standard, Pioneer, and Limited, here’s what’s exclusive to Arena:

  • Alchemy: This is essentially standard. It has the same rotation schedule and relatively the same card pool. However, Alchemy versions of preexisting cards have digital-only mechanics that wouldn’t be possible in paper, like Conjuring cards into your deck.
  • Historic: This is a non-rotating format, similar to Pioneer, that leans way harder into the client’s digital only mechanics. Conjure, Seek, and giving cards perpetual buffs or debuffs are the main draw.
  • Historic Brawl: Brawl is a less popular Standard variant of Commander, and Historic Brawl is exactly what you’d expect: Digital-only cards are available to build your Brawl deck with.

Where To Go From Here

There you have it! Everything you need to know to start playing Magic: The Gathering both in-person and online. Whether you’re the next best Pro Tour grinder or run the Commander tables at your LGS, there are countless ways to play and enjoy the most popular trading card game in the world. There are countless sealed products to buy and build your collection, and new sets are released every few months. For hardcore collectors, we’ve even helped track some of the most valuable cards to chase in the Final Fantasy Through the Ages collection. And if you’re looking for great gifts for that special Planeswalker in your life or interested in some of the best MTG accessories and supplies, check we’ve got a guide breaking down dozens of my personal recommendations.

Magic: The Gathering Accessories and Supplies

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Metro Gravity takes a little bit of Gravity Rush, and a dash of Sekiro to make a mean metroidvania, and it’s out now

Ever since Gravity Rush 2 came out eight years ago (let’s not focus too hard on how much time that actually is for my mental health), I have, unfortunately, not been able to stop thinking about it. It is a game with a world full of whimsy, video game ass mechanics, and, most interestingly of all, a plot that quite directly deals with topics like class. What more can you want! And yet a sequel has never materialised. Lucky for me, just yesterday a new gravity shifting game entered the scene: Metro Gravity.

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Forget Switch 2 Game Key-Cards – “Full On-The-Cart Physical Releases” Are What People Want, Says Publisher Lost In Cult

“We can make it work for you”.

It’s fair to say that Switch 2 Game-Key Cards haven’t gone down all that well with consumers.

While Japanese video game consultancy firm Kyos Inc insists that publishers are “thanking Nintendo” for the move following rising production costs of physical media, others are less keen on them; almost 70% of you said you wouldn’t be buying Game-Key Card releases, and many companies within the industry have said they dislike the approach.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Chains of Lukomoyre is a Slavic folklore, post-WW1 take on the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice

I know this is a PC games focused outlet, but I’d like to present to you the most PS3 coded game I’ve seen in a long while: Chains of Lukomoyre. Now, to be clear I mean this in the most loving of ways possible. That era of video games obviously set the foundations for the rinse and repeat we see in a lot of triple-A games these days, but there was still the occasional oddity out there that just had the right vibe. And I think Chains of Lukomoyre fits that vibe quite well.

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The Best Deals Today: Donkey Kong Bananza, LEGO Animal Crossing, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and More

We’ve rounded up the best deals for Saturday, June 21, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.

Donkey Kong Bananza Now Available to Pre-Order

This week’s Donkey Kong Bananza Direct was absolutely bananas, and if you weren’t interested in the game before, you probably are now. Bananza is set to be DK’s biggest adventure yet, and this time, he’s joined by a young Pauline. The two are tasked with heading to the very core of the planet, where wishes are supposedly granted. If you are looking for the next big game on Nintendo Switch 2, this right here is sure to be it. Donkey Kong Bananza is the best-selling game on Amazon at the moment, so be sure to lock in your copy to get it day one.

The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Chess Set

Chess is more popular than ever, especially with the rise of digital games. However, nothing beats a quality physical chess set that you can play at home. This Zelda-themed chess set features pieces sculpted after Link, Zelda, Ganon, and more, with a total of 32 different characters and enemies. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this is an excellent way to add some functional decor to your home.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance for $24.99

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is back at its all-time low price this weekend! SMT V: Vengeance is an enhanced version of the former Nintendo Switch exclusive SMT V, launched in 2019. The biggest feature available in this upgraded re-release is the all-new Canon of Vengeance route, which is essentially 40 hours of new story content.

Save Over 50% Off This LEGO Animal Crossing K.K.’s Concert in The Plaza Set

LEGO sets nowadays do not come cheap, especially for those with a larger number of pieces. A few years ago, Nintendo teamed up with LEGO for Super Mario, and that has grown to include both The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. This weekend, you can save over $45 off the LEGO Animal Crossing K.K.’s Concert Set, which is perfect for fans of all ages.

Super Mario Party Jamboree for $44.99

With the recent reveal of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, it’s no question that you are going to want to save anywhere you can. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Party Jamboree is set to cost $79.99, but you can upgrade from a Nintendo Switch copy for $20. This weekend, save your cash and pick up a copy of Super Mario Party Jamboree from Woot for only $44.99.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Out Next Week

After almost six years, the sequel to Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding is finally set to arrive this upcoming week. Following the events of the first game, Sam Porter Bridges is now tasked with venturing outside the United States, with both Mexico and Australia set as destinations. If you’re like me and incredibly excited for this game, you can even purchase the deluxe edition to play two days early on Tuesday, June 24.

Crucial T500 1TB Gen4 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD for $75.19

Most of us can always use a new SSD, and this deal from Crucial is quite good. Normally priced at $144, you can score this Crucial T500 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD for $75.19 this weekend at Amazon. You can use this SSD in a laptop, desktop, or even a PlayStation 5 to expand your storage for games, media, and more.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for $37.99

The latest Like a Dragon game stars everyone’s favorite ex-yakuza, Goro Majima, on an adventure to sail the seas as a pirate. When Majima wakes up unable to remember anything about himself, he embarks on a quest to regain his memories, and of course, in true Like a Dragon fashion, things get crazy. This is the lowest we’ve seen this game so far, so be sure to pick up a copy while you can.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

Following their hat and pricing controversies, Splitgate 2 studio 1047 Games have laid off an unspecified number of devs

Unfortunately, it’s that time of the month again. Yesterday, Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games shared a post on LinkedIn announcing that layoffs had taken place at the company. It was described as a “small group of valued 1047 Games team members,” but as is par for the course for games industry layoffs, there was no mention of how many have been laid off – though of course the usual spiel about “redirecting resources” to make the game better. You know, classic corporation speak.

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Splitgate 2 Dev 1047 Games Hit by Layoffs Amid Turbulent Launch, Co-Founders Say They Won’t Take Salaries ‘As We Lock in to Deliver the Next Phase of the Project’

Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games has confirmed an undisclosed number of layoffs, with the co-founders of the studio opting not to take salaries as they bid to turn things around.

The free-to-play ‘Halo with portals’ shooter launched under a cloud after co-founder and director Ian Proulx took to the Summer Game Fest stage wearing a hat that read ‘Make FPS Great Again.’ During his speech, Proulx called out Call of Duty in what was considered a marketing gaffe.

When Splitgate 2 launched, it did so with a battle royale mode and a heavily criticized $145 microtransaction bundle. Splitgate 2 saw a peak concurrent player count of 25,785 on Steam, well below Splitgate’s 67,724 peak concurrent player count. Steam user reviews remain on ‘mixed.’

Steam stats do not paint the whole picture, of course, given Splitgate 2 launched across consoles as well as PC. Indeed, 1047 Games has said Splitgate 2 has had over 2.5 million players. But clearly, things have not gone as well as the studio had hoped. In an interview with IGN shortly after launch, Proulx said he was “surprised” by the reaction, admitting “we didn’t expect this to be nearly as controversial as it was and we didn’t intend for it to be.”

Now, 1047 Games has suffered a round of layoffs, which it characterized as “a small group” of staff in a post on LinkedIn. Also in the post came confirmation that co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have opted not to take salaries, as the studio aims to improve the game.

Here’s the statement in full:

Today we parted ways with a small group of valued 1047 Games team members. We’re still perfecting the Splitgate 2 gameplay experience in response to community feedback, and we are redirecting resources to build the best game for our players. We are sad to see our teammates go, and we are actively working to help them secure new opportunities. Further, our co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have opted not to take salaries as we lock in to deliver the next phase of the project. Thank you to those who’ve built alongside us — we are sad to say goodbye and would not be here without you.

To everyone who’s playing Splitgate 2, we’re continuing to work hard to deliver more things we know you’ll love. We are committed to building this game for the long haul.

While 1047 did not specify how many were let go, or who exactly, a number of key staff have announced their departures across social media platforms. Meanwhile, Splitgate 2 had a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 10,059 on Steam, with 4,437 players on Valve’s platform at the time of this article’s publication.

Splitgate 2 secured a 7/10 in IGN’s review. We said: “Splitgate 2 is a decent successor to the original that expands on it, but never really surpasses it.”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

After a bit of a rough launch, Remedy promise that FBC: Firebreak improvements are on the way

As it stands, Remedy Entertainment’s latest entry into their Connected Universe, FBC: Firebreak, is not doing so hot. Across the board it’s not been received entirely positively (including by our own James, you can read his review here), not exactly the ideal launch for a live service game. All the same, it being a live service game might ultimately be its benefit thanks to the power of that mystical force called “updates.” In a Steam post shared by the FBC: Firebreak team, some planned improvements were outlined, which certainly sound like they’d make for a better experience.

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Grow a Garden Summer Update Propels Roblox Game to Astonishing Concurrent Player Record, Dwarfing Even Fortnite — Here Are All the Details

Grow a Garden has released its Summer update 1.11.0, propelling the Roblox game to comfortably the highest recorded concurrent player count in video game history. The patch notes are below.

The microtransaction-fueled free-to-play farming simulator had already shot past Fortnite’s concurrent peak of 15.3 million players, achieved during the Marvel-themed season finally back during Covid-era 2020, with an incredible 16.4 million concurrent players. At the time of this article’s publication, with players logging in for the Summer update, Grow a Garden was at an astonishing 21.3 million concurrents.

Grow a Garden Summer update official details:

Summer’s here! Introducing our biggest update so far with all new seeds, pets, gear and the limited time Summer Harvest event to celebrate the coming of summer.

Explore the all new Summer Season and join forces with other gardeners to participate in the Summer Harvest event. This update brings brand new seeds, pets, craftable items, all new weather, features, and so much more in this Grow A Garden update! 😎🌴🌞

In Grow a Garden you do exactly that: grow a garden. Each new player starts off with a plot of land and 20 Sheckles, the in-game currency, to buy simple seeds for vegetables like carrots. Your garden even continues to grow while you’re offline.

The 16-year-old who created Grow a Garden in just a few days remains creatively involved in what it’s become but is no longer the only name attached. Roblox experience management company DoBig Studios and popular developer Janzen Madsen (a.k.a. Jandel) and his network of creators at Splitting Point are now also involved.

Grow a Garden’s success is down to tight update strategies and events as reliable draws for Roblox players, and this Summer update is a perfect example. Other recent examples include bringing in a DJ for entertainment and organizing a mass dance party.

Check out IGN’s feature, Roblox’s Grow a Garden Towers Above Even the Biggest Steam Games — but You Probably Have No Idea What It Is, to find out more.

Grow a Garden Summer update 1.11.0 patch notes:

  • Summer Update & Summer Harvest:
  • The summer harvest event happens at the start of every hour. Gather your friends and submit as many summer fruits as possible to the cart! The more summer plants you submit in the 10 minute time frame, the higher tier of random rewards you can unlock – 1000 points minimum are required. There are all kinds of rewards including old event items. Don’t miss out…
  • The summer update brings a refreshed seed shop with lots of brand new seeds, new pets, new gear, and lots more!
  • Plants:
  • Feijoa
  • Loquat
  • Prickly Pear
  • Bell Pepper
  • Kiwi
  • Pineapple
  • Banana
  • Avocado
  • Green Apple
  • Cauliflower
  • Elephant Ears
  • Rosy Delight
  • Parasol Flower
  • Pear
  • Cantaloupe
  • Wild Carrot
  • Pets:
  • Mimic Octopus
  • Macaw
  • Orangutan
  • Flamingo
  • Crab
  • 8+ More
  • New Items:
  • Summer Seed Pack, 6 possible new seeds inside!
  • Reclaimer, destroy a plant and get the seed back!
  • Tanning Mirror, Help attract the sundried mutation during the Heat Wave event
  • Paradise Egg, 5 possible new pets inside!
  • Rare Summer Egg, 5 possible new pets inside!
  • Common Summer Egg, 3 possible new pets inside!
  • Events:
  • Heat Wave: when it’s hot crops have a chance to get the ‘sundried’ mutation
  • Gale: a rare and powerful gust of wind, chance to give the ‘windstruck’ mutation
  • Windy: blowing air, chance to give the ‘windstruck’ mutation
  • Tornado: multiple tornados at once, chance to give the ‘Twisted’ mutation
  • Windstruck, applied by the gale and windy events, 2x multi
  • Twisted, applied by the Tornado event, 5x multi
  • Sundried, applied by the Heat Wave event, 85x multi
  • Verdant, applied by the Scarlet Macaw, 4x multi
  • Paradisal, sundried + verdant , 18x multi

Cosmetics:

  • 20+ Summer Cosmetics!
  • Fixes, Changes, & QOL:
  • Crafting has been added permanently
  • Sam has gone on holiday…
  • Lightning rod moved to crafting
  • Made lots of performance optimisations & improvements
  • & lots more!

We’ve been covering Grow a Garden and creating guides to explain features such as how gear works, a weather and mutation guide, and the different seeds that are available to purchase. You’ll also find information on updates such as the Lunar Glow Event and recent Pet Egg update that took place last month, and more over in our Grow a Garden guide.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Talking Point: Do You Have A New Go-To Racer In Mario Kart World?

Cowtastrophe.

After the best part of a decade with Mario Kart 8, we’d wager that you had probably grown pretty close to your main. You know, your main. The character that you picked to sit behind the wheel, regardless of the situation, because their weight class, look, or general vibe matched your playstyle perfectly.

But then Mario Kart World came along and shook those mains up. A new batch of racers have been added to the mix, but a huge batch have also fallen off the roster (pour one out for the Koopaling mains out there). After two weeks of open-world racing, huge swathes of us have found ourselves pivoting to a new racer, either drawn in by the shiny new faces, or rebounding from the loss of our go-to picks.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com