Let's start with bullet point #1: How can Historic provide a fun, unique digital experience that didn't just feel like "Old Standard"? Well, the answer of "add new cards to Historic" may seem rather obvious, but we landed on a pretty awesome way to leverage MTG Arena's digital playground and growing catalogue of Magic cards.
Starting in November, we plan to add new cards to MTG Arena from across Magic's history for play in Historic formats and events. No restrictions on set, types, or rarities, no-holds-barred new. We also plan to do this regularly, starting with approximately 15–20 cards in November, with a reoccurring goal of adding more new cards every quarter after that. These cards will mostly come out independent of Standard sets (and we'll get to that in second).
We know players would love to see entire sets added to MTG Arena, but speaking candidly, the development time required to add hundreds of cards from older sets, knowing that only a few may have a positive impact on Historic, was more time than we could honestly commit. Adding full non-Standard sets may come eventually, but right now, we'd rather focus on adding meaningful cards on a timeline players can look forward to.
We are working with Magic R&D to help ensure the new additions create a fun and interesting format, but we're also interested in player feedback on which cards you'd be most excited to play with on MTG Arena. As we get closer to November, we'll be looking for direct input from players on which cards to prioritize, so be sure to keep an eye out!
