the FAQ was updated with a lot more information. https://playartifact.com/news/1721959164054855755/
There is a ton more info but I know the game being paywalled was the biggest concern. It sounds pretty damn good to me. I love that you can give Bots their own deck and practice against it.
Q. What game modes are available at launch?
We've organized game modes into three categories: Social, Casual, and Expert.
Social Play includes user-organized tournaments, private lobbies, and the ability for open play. Open play enables you to create a freestanding invitation for players within a Steam community or your friends list to challenge you. Players will be notified that you're available for a game. Open play enables players to easily find matches within their own communities.
Casual Play includes bot-matches, global matchmaking, and the casual constructed Gauntlet. Bots own all cards, so you can make a deck for the bot using any card released for Artifact, not just the cards you own, making them great for practice and learning. Global matchmaking lets you quickly find a constructed match against another player. The casual constructed gauntlet gives you a way to play a deck against a series of increasingly challenging opponents. There will be other casual Gauntlets in the future.
Expert Play are a series of Gauntlets that offer prizes and greater risk vs reward.
We are also running a Call to Arms launch event where you will attempt to build the longest win streak you can with one of six powerful preconstructed decks.
Q. Whoa, that's a lot of talk about entry fees... Remind me again what I can do for free?
Sure! We've written a lot about paid modes because they are complicated, not because they are the only or even the main way to play Artifact.
Bot matches are a way to playtest, improve your skills, or learn the basics without having to deal with a live opponent. The global matchmaking pool is a great way to test out new deck ideas or get familiar with new cards against real opponents. The free constructed gauntlet is a competitive mode where the opposition gets stronger the more you win. There's also the preconstructed Call to Arms event where you can play with powerful cards you don't own. We also expect to host a variety of other free, competitive gauntlets in the near future.
You can also invite anyone in your community to challenge you through open play and private lobbies.
One of the most interesting ways to play for free are user-created tournaments...
There is a ton more info but I know the game being paywalled was the biggest concern. It sounds pretty damn good to me. I love that you can give Bots their own deck and practice against it.