In all honesty I didn’t even realize this game was a thing until its surprise launch on Steam last week. Which should come as shock as I feel (as a marketer) like the core/target audience for something like this. I’ve got disposable income, I’m a huge nerd, and I waste a ton of time on collectible card games (both paper and digital). But the more I played Magic Spellslingers, the more I realized I was not the target audience. Which isn’t a bad thing.

Magic Spellslingers is Wizards of the Coast’s foray into the mobile gaming sphere (if you ignore Arena’s mobile release) and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. A brand-new art style, and gameplay elements that mix Magic and Hearthstone results in a fun romp that leaves you hungry for more. After a quick tutorial you are thrust into a brand-new digital card game that will feel awfully familiar. As I mentioned above, you will find familiar faces, elements, and gameplay motes from Spellslinger’s predecessors.

You summon monsters to do your bidding, cast spells to burn your opponent, and wield powerful artifacts to tip the scales in your favor. Spellslingers sets itself apart from the others with a unique hero system, and trap cards that can be activated during both players’ turns. Other than that, veterans of card games will find themselves right at home here with all the expected mechanics making themselves known. The tutorial gives a solid knowledge base to newcomers which I found refreshing.

Heroic Intervention

The hero system in Magic Spellslingers is a cast of all the famous planeswalkers of its namesake. You’ll find everyone from Jace to Vraska with the roster sporting sixteen total, all with their own unique cards, abilities, passives, and starting health pools. Your hero has three cards completely unique to them which offer a great look into what your hero can and should be doing. Use these cards as a deckbuild crutch because they often let you maximize your hero’s unique ability. I won’t spoil much but each one offers an interesting take on deck building ranging from full aggression (Chandra) to steal your opponent’s deck and play it (Ashiok).

You can unlock these planeswalkers with keys, generated from building your collection. Every time you open a pack, win a card, or buy individuals from the shop you will gain progress towards unlocking your next key.

I will note that I found it frustrating that some of the planeswalkers were locked behind reaching a certain rank on the ladder. After the tutorial gifted me Chandra, I wanted to branch out to my preferred colors in Black and Green. I was dismayed to realize that I had to reach Bronze on the ladder (with my base deck) to unlock the privilege of playing the more “complex” planeswalkers. I understand this is a pseudo safety net for newer players and isn’t that big of a deal. Just something to be aware of.

On the Ranked Grind

As with any card game, what’s the point of playing if you can’t showcase that you’re the best? I found my time on the early ladder to be filled with opponents who had similar connections to me. I can’t tell you how many Chandra mirror-matches I endured on my way up. Once I reached the summit of Gold rank I did hit a wall. Almost every single deck I went against had something mine didn’t, financial backing. I suppose the internal MMR system matches decks of similar value against each other ala Magic Arena but Spellslinger seems to diverge from the norm. And this isn’t a bad thing, just a warning to my fellow players. Free to play will only get you so far on the ladder. If I come up with a deck that can get to mythic with little to no investment, I will share it. Just don’t let this tilt you like it tilts me.  

Is it Free to Play Friendly?

This isn’t praise, not exactly, but it is certainly more F2P friendly than Magic Arena. It’s above or on par with Hearthstone and eons behind Legends of Runeterra. You get a set of challenges that refresh daily and hourly which result in moderate currency rewards. There is also a reward for completing “X” challenges where you get to choose what you get. For instance, I am at 45/65 challenges completed and will receive an Illharg the Raze Boar legendary card. The shop offers daily deals which often sport individual cards, crafting materials, foils, and more. I haven’t spent a single cent on the game and feel that I can at least hold my own in most matches. I will continue to be F2P as I am working on a F2P walkthrough if there is any interest in that.

One of the most underrated features of Spellslingers is the team functionality. You can join or start your own team and people can join at will depending on the team restrictions. Teams are small communities that allow you to connect with other players, offer challenges, and allow you to crowdsource resources for crafting new cards. Say for example I am looking to craft a legendary black card, I canr equest essence from my team which makes the card easier to craft. Everyone who contributes gets 25 gold back per resource contributed. Seems like a fun way to get people to work together and share. Teams also have their own unique weekly challenges which get rewarded to everyone on the team upon completion.

Is this Excitement I’m Feeling?

I don’t know what exactly it is about Magic Spellslingers that draws me in. Could it be the art style, the familiarity, the ineffable hope of any new game? All I know is that I would l love to see what an expansion will do to the card pool, gameplay, and meta. It may not be the Magic the Gathering you know, or the Hearthstone you lament, but it is certainly worth a try. See you on the ladder!