Everything is kind of weird right now, and some publishers are adjusting due to COVID-19 concerns. While a lot of physical meetups and conventions have been outright canceled (either due to practicing social distancing guidelines or by force through legislation), digital meetups and events are springing up, including a recent change in Magic: Arena.
Starting yesterday, Wizards of the Coast has made the Brawlers’ Guildhall event (read: the Brawl mode) available for free with no entry fee, and it’ll run through April 16. Additionally, the Theros Beyond Death (the most recent set) ranked draft will run through that same time on top of the rotating ranked draft event. Wizards is also opening up Friday Night Magic at home events since many brick and mortar meetup stores have closed.
What does this mean? Well, more options. While more chances to play ranked draft will matter to a lot of hardcore players, Brawl is the real winner here. Frankly, Brawl should be an always-free, always-available mode, but Wizards isn’t ready to commit to that yet. As a member of the playerbase, I can only hope this is a permanent change after the window closes.
Either way, I’ll continue to bask in the glory of Temur Reclamation coming back to the meta!
Changes to March 2020 Event Schedule [Magic Arena Forums]
Source: Destructoid Magic: Arena team makes Brawl, Theros Ranked Draft more available due to coronavirus quarantine