Magic: The Gathering Launches Companion App

Wizards of the Coast has launched the official companion app for Magic: The Gathering. The app is available now for iOS and Android devices. The Magic: The Gathering Companion app looks to assist players and stores by making it easier for players to show up, play, and not worry about the rest. The Magic: The Gathering Companion app includes a built-in life counter, and as the official Magic app for store event, can set up and display event pairings and standings. Players can also use the companion app to run informal events with up to eight people at home.

Magic Companion is here! Use the app to easily join events remotely and in-person with your local game store - and other great features to help your games. Get in. Get matched. Get playing. Available on Android and iOS.

Read more about it here: https://t.co/MzxxMuCgYW pic.twitter.com/qcU6h7oTQF

— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) July 15, 2020

Wizards of the Coast says that the Magic: The Gathering Companion app is still in active development. More features will come to the app in the future.

The launch of the Magic: The Gathering Companion app comes in the same week that Wizards of the Coast released the new Jumpstart set. Jumpstart is a new way to play Magic: The Gathering that removes deckbuilding from the equation. Instead, players open up packs that contain decks pre-built around a theme. They then combine two themes into a ready-to-play deck.

While Jumpstart is a unique Magic: The Gathering format, it also introduces 300 new cards into the Magic: The Gathering Arena-only Historic format. Jumpstart is available for In Arena, players play Jumpstart by paying 2000 gold or 400 gems to participate in a Jumpstart event, available until August 16th. Players choose two of the 40 available themes to make their Jumpstart deck. They can then play in the event until it ends or they can resign at any point and create a new deck. Players keep the cards they pick to use in Historic format.

The influx of 300 new cards from Jumpstart into Historic comes at a critical time for Magic: The Gathering Arena. On August 1st, the game will host its second Arena Open tournament, where players can win up to $2,000. The tournament format is Historic, and these new cards, plus Monday's bans, will alter the metagame.

The Historic format will expand again in August when Arena introduces the Amonkhet Remastered set, marking the return of Amonket cards to the game. Amonkhet sets were available in Arena during its closed beta phase. Wizards removed the sets when Arena entered public beta about a year before introducing the Historic format to the game. Amonkhet Remastered adds another 300 cards to Historic, meaning the format will gain 600+ new cards over two months.