Since Arena Direct launched in June of last year, players have embraced the experience of earning physical Magic: The Gathering cards by playing MTG Arena. It's been a thrilling experiment in blending the digital and physical worlds of Magic—and one that's grown faster than we could've imagined.

But we've also learned a lot along the way.

With nearly a dozen Arena Direct events behind us, it's clear this format has become one of the most popular and engaging events on MTG Arena. Events regularly have strong participation and fans of the event will often enter multiple times throughout the weekend.

We've also learned some hard lessons on product fulfillment and how to build a program like this from the ground up. Armed with both engagement data and a better understanding of the costs associated with product fulfillment, we're making changes to better match player behavior while ensuring that we can sustainably manage the costs of the Arena Direct events.

Let's break it down by talking about the challenges we're trying to tackle and how we're addressing them. If you want to skip the to-do and explanation and read about the updated structure, click here.

Product Fulfillment

2024 was a learning year for our direct-to-player fulfillment. Early on, delays were frustratingly common as we built out support for the Arena Direct program. But thanks to some work behind the scenes, most 2025 winners received their rewards within 3–4 weeks of completing an event.

That said, we know it's not perfect. Some players have still experienced delays due to a variety of issues. To combat these disruptions, we've added more quality-assurance checks before each event goes live, and we've beefed up our Customer Support team to better address those edge cases.

With these changes in in place, Arena Direct support tickets are now resolved in under seven days on average (down from an average of sixteen days in 2024). In addition, customer satisfaction scores are up 40% from last year. We're pleased with this progress, but there's still room for improvement.

We're continuing to work with our shipping and fulfillment partners to improve delivery timelines globally. Logistics remain challenging, especially for international shipping, but we're committed to finding solutions to these problems.

Taxes

No one wants to think about taxes when they're winning cool Magic prizes, but we've received enough questions and seen enough challenges with the process from both the players and from our end that it's worth addressing. This is going to be an evolving situation, but let's talk about where we are today.

First, US players and international players will both need to continue to submit appropriate tax and identification information before claiming physical rewards. We're working with our partners to streamline that process as much as possible, but players must complete this prior to claiming their physical rewards.

Second, we're still exploring the best way to handle taxes for non-US players, a process that is more complicated than we originally thought. While we work with our partners to deliver a sustainable, long-term plan, Wizards of the Coast will continue covering US tax obligations for international players who win physical product. In cases where physical product is not available, Wizards of the Coast will substitute a Cash Prize, which will vary depending on the event. When a Cash Prize is substituted for physical product, any international winners' tax obligations will still be covered by Wizards. This short-term solution ensures players from across the globe can continue slinging spells in Arena Directs.

Arena Direct Structure Updates

We've run a variety of Arena Directs, and they've all been well received. From format types (Sealed and Draft) to varying rewards (Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, and Festival in a Box in the early days), Arena Direct offerings continue to engage players. We'll continue to try new things, but Sealed events with Play Booster boxes as prizes will be the core of what you can expect. We plan on running more events that reward Collector Booster boxes with their own structure, but availability will be on a set-by-set basis due to limited inventory.

Additionally, we'll be holding Arena Direct events for Universes Beyond releases, with the first event planned for June. These events will have adjusted entry costs to match the value of their rewards. To better reflect the value of the various physical rewards we offer, we're also updating our cash substitution policy to more closely align with product MSRP.

Now, on to the changes.

What's Changing

  • Players need to earn seven wins before reaching two losses to earn the top reward.
  • We've increased the gem rewards at every qualifying win total, including starting rewards at three wins instead of four wins, to support players who value repeat entries.
  • We've added MTG Arena packs as prizes to support digital collection building.
  • Play Booster events provide physical rewards at both six and seven wins. Collector Booster events provide physical rewards at seven wins.

Cash substitutions, when needed, will better align with the MSRP of the prizes rather than being a flat dollar amount. Event entries for Arena Directs are increasing from 5,000 gems to 6,000 gems. Entries for Arena Directs with Universes Beyond products as rewards will be 8,000 gems. Here are the detailed event structures for each type of Arena Direct.

First, here was the old structure for reference:

  • Entry: 5,000 gems
  • Rewards:
    • 0–3 Wins: No rewards
    • 4 Wins: 2,000 gems
    • 5 Wins: 5,000 gems
    • 6 Wins: 2 Play Booster boxes* or 1 Collector Booster box*

Play Booster Arena Direct

  • Entry: 6,000 gems
  • Rewards:
    • 0–2 Wins: No rewards
    • 3 Wins: 2,700 gems, 8 MTG Arena packs
    • 4 Wins: 5,400 gems, 16 MTG Arena packs
    • 5 Wins: 8,100 gems, 24 MTG Arena packs
    • 6 Wins: 1 Play Booster box*
    • 7 Wins: 2 Play Booster boxes*

Collector Booster Arena Direct

  • Entry: 6,000 gems
  • Rewards:
    • 0–2 Wins: No rewards
    • 3 Wins: 2,700 gems, 8 MTG Arena packs
    • 4 Wins: 5,400 gems, 16 MTG Arena packs
    • 5 Wins: 8,100 gems, 24 MTG Arena packs
    • 6 Wins: 10,800 gems, 32 MTG Arena packs
    • 7 Wins: 1 Collector Booster box*

Universes Beyond Play Booster Arena Direct

  • Entry: 8,000 gems
  • Rewards:
    • 0–2 Wins: No rewards
    • 3 Wins: 3,600 gems, 8 MTG Arena packs
    • 4 Wins: 7,200 gems, 16 MTG Arena packs
    • 5 Wins: 10,800 gems, 24 MTG Arena packs
    • 6 Wins: 1 Play Booster box*
    • 7 Wins: 2 Play Booster boxes*

Universes Beyond Collector Booster Arena Direct

  • Entry: 8,000 gems
  • Rewards:
    • 0–2 Wins: No rewards
    • 3 Wins: 3,600 gems, 8 MTG Arena packs
    • 4 Wins: 7,200 gems, 16 MTG Arena packs
    • 5 Wins: 10,800 gems, 24 MTG Arena packs
    • 6 Wins: 14,400 gems, 32 MTG Arena packs
    • 7 Wins: 1 Collector Booster box*

*Physical prizes are available while supplies last. In the unlikely event supplies run out, Wizards of the Coast, in its sole discretion, may replace this with a cash prize as outlined above.

Mark Your Calendars

These changes will take effect starting May 2, 2025, with the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Play Booster Arena Direct event.