MtG:PQ Q&A Session - July 2024

Magic:PQ Support Team

Hey, everyone!

Another round of questions and answers is here. This time y’all anticipated some of the updates we would bring with 6.8.0. Let’s see what they are about!

Lu

1. You ran an experiment offering non-duplicate Lost Caverns of Ixalan cards for Mana crystals. It would be good to hear if you plan to extend this to other sets. I’m especially interested in Legacy sets where there are Rare Vanguards that are pretty much impossible to get for Mana gems. For example War of the Spark has I think 18 Rare Vanguards, so there’s almost no chance of getting all these with non-dupe packs at 120 gems each.

   Answer: We appreciate you bringing this to our attention! Here’s the current status: We’re currently planning to extend the Epic Packs to newer sets. While we’re aware of the challenges in obtaining older cards as the game evolves, we’re exploring options to address this. Although we don’t have a finalized plan at this time, the new Legacy Crafting system is part of our ongoing efforts.

2. Hey with players who've got complete collections apart from say vanguards and Pma/2 there's no use for packs(unless they contain vanguards or pma/2) so opening packs provides crafting orbs, however when you have complete collections and over 100k crafting with nothing to craft(as vanguards aren't craft able), how about we do something crazy like allow us to trade packs in for gold runes or pink jewels so we can have fun with the game and get stuff needed, I also think you should consider this as some people spend money to get resources you then nerf and don't provide compensation for, this will lead to some of those players not spending money to get stuff out of fear of nerfs and no compensation.

   Answer: The 'overflowing' currency issue involves many factors, so we're carefully considering our approach. We're still working on a plan to ensure the changes will reach all areas of the game. We appreciate your patience as we strive to implement a comprehensive solution.

3. Now that PM2 are released, will PMA prices be adjusted lower than PM2 (like when every new set released) and how about making Color of Magic as weekly event?

   Answer: Even if Puzzle Masters and Puzzle Masters 2 have similar names, the sets are very different from one another thematically - both are permanently Standard (unlike regular sets) and will still be available for the foreseeable future. As for Colors of Magic, we don’t have a plan to change its particular schedule in the near future.

4. How about instead of nerfing mythic - mp chased cards, do more buffing the lackluster low playability mythic-mp cards? So there will be more chased cards for people spend with their resource.

   Answer: This is definitely something we have in mind and, actually, we’ve started doing it already with Splashy Spellcaster. We intend to continuously work on keeping the game balanced and interesting. One way to do it is buffing cards that were supposed to be good but have not found their place in the gameplay. One aspect to keep in mind is that we’ll do so based on data over time, so as not to create different issues with the metagame.

5. Some PVP events will have a pauper or peasant objective, restricting the rarity of cards used. It's a good objective for PVP (in PVE I like it less) but everytime you're sure to run into a deck that does not care for this objective. This really unevens the playing field, as in general the rarity of cards is connected to their power. Just like how certain card types or sets can be removed from the deck editor, can you please do the same for the mythic and masterpiece rarities whenever this objective comes up?

   Answer: Current and past events with this kind of objective require a strategic choice: playing with stronger cards and having easier matches (probably) or fine-tuning a restricted deck so you can conquer all objectives and still win. This dilemma is part of the design of this event.

   This doesn’t mean future events cannot present different takes on the game rules or event restrictions, right? The Commoner Cup signals the start of this kind of challenge. If it ends up being a successful experiment, who knows what our development team can come up with in the future?

6. Dear Webcore and 505 Go,

   Expanding Magic The Gathering: Puzzle Quest to cross-platform with Facebook Gaming would offer a multitude of benefits for both the game and its dedicated player base. By integrating with Facebook Gaming, the game can tap into a massive and diverse audience, providing a platform for increased visibility and attracting new players to the immersive world of Magic: The Gathering. Additionally, cross-platform compatibility would enable current players to enjoy seamless gameplay across various devices, enhancing accessibility and convenience. The social nature of Facebook Gaming would foster a stronger sense of community among players, encouraging collaboration, competition, and engagement. Ultimately, expanding to Facebook Gaming would not only elevate the reach and appeal of Magic: The Gathering Puzzle Quest but also create a vibrant and dynamic gaming ecosystem for players to connect, strategize, and enjoy the game together.

   Will you please consider expanding to cross-platform?

   Answer: You are right about what expanding to other platforms can bring and honestly, hearing about how our players support the growth of the games is really exciting. Our team has experience with multiple platforms and this topic has been passionately discussed, of course. However, we’ve decided this is not a priority for the moment - we aim to fix, rethink and refurbish some aspects of the game before tackling the challenge of publishing it in other ways.

7. In Magic Puzzle Quest we are limited to what color PWs are available in paper this limits to card colors that may be experimental like Green/White/Black for example. Would you ever consider creating your own walkers with unique never before seen color combos or abilities?

   Answer: In Magic Puzzle Quest, every keyword and card is already unique. While we reference the 'paper' version for flavor and role, Puzzle Quest is its own game with distinct elements, like mana generation through gem-matching, dedicated creature slots, and endless decks. These aspects allow us to reinvent abilities and cards, setting us apart from tabletop Magic.

   As for color combinations, while it’s possible, we wouldn’t implement them without careful consideration. The combination would need to fit the character’s lore. However, some combinations present challenges—such as the lack of Abzan(White/Black/Green), Sultai(Blue/Black/Green), and Naya (White/Red/Green) Planeswalkers, or their scarcity within certain color combinations. Despite these limitations, it's a tool we could potentially use in the future.

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Keep sending your questions to us! Until next month! o/

Mainloop25

We want Sultai!

Sultai! Sultai! Sultai!

Janosik

6. Dear Webcore and 505 Go,

   Expanding Magic The Gathering: Puzzle Quest to cross-platform with Facebook Gaming would offer a multitude of benefits for both the game and its dedicated player base. By integrating with Facebook Gaming, the game can tap into a massive and diverse audience, providing a platform for increased visibility and attracting new players to the immersive world of Magic: The Gathering. Additionally, cross-platform compatibility would enable current players to enjoy seamless gameplay across various devices, enhancing accessibility and convenience. The social nature of Facebook Gaming would foster a stronger sense of community among players, encouraging collaboration, competition, and engagement. Ultimately, expanding to Facebook Gaming would not only elevate the reach and appeal of Magic: The Gathering Puzzle Quest but also create a vibrant and dynamic gaming ecosystem for players to connect, strategize, and enjoy the game together.

Did facebook write this

Janosik

@Magic:PQ Support Team said:
the new Legacy Crafting system is part of our ongoing efforts.

Much kudos for this. I think it's really going to help players of all levels compete in Legacy.

Sarah

Really pleased with targeted legacy crafting! That’s been on my wishlist for a while.

Facebook gaming sounds like a nightmare though—remember all of the FarmVille spam we used to have to sift through? Seems like a step back into the past when we should be looking to the future.

ArielSira

"Answer: Current and past events with this kind of objective require a strategic choice: playing with stronger cards and having easier matches (probably) or fine-tuning a restricted deck so you can conquer all objectives and still win. This dilemma is part of the design of this event."

This was my question (number 5). I appreciate the new event, creating an even experience for all. But I feel different about the answer provided.

The puzzle aspect of the matches with a peasant or pauper objective is not about how to combat mythic loaded decks while restricting yourself; it should be just about restricting yourself. The part where the opposing player is not restricting themself is a twofold bad experience: they don't care about the puzzle aspect for themselves and make "following the rules" feel like a punishment for the other.

I understand some players just want progression rewards, but they can still do that if the actual node is simply pauper/peasant restricted.

Machine

@Magic:PQ Support Team The LCI epic packs are no longer available in the vault. I wasn't able to use them, as I still had many cards left to craft. Now that I'm almost done crafting LCI (and I still need one rare Vanguard), are there any plans to have the LCI epic pack available for some time? What's the reason you removed it from the vault in the first place?

Sarah

So! Slight change to the question I submitted this month: in the new TiS event, we saw much smaller groups of players competing on multiple leaderboards. This greatly reduced the amount of perfect-scores-tied-for-first-place on each leaderboard and gave people who missed a few ribbons a chance to earn meaningful prizes.

People were pretty thrilled about this on the discords.

Is this a change you’ll be implementing in other events moving forward?

@naabaldan I believe you are also hopeful about keeping the smaller pods? So that’s at least two players happy about it.

Janosik

It's kind of inconvenient the way that there isn't always a Q&A thread active.

Sarah

So! I guess you’ve just given up on the Q&As?

Machine

@Sarah said:
So! I guess you’ve just given up on the Q&As?

It seems these devs are going the same route like all the previous devs. An enthusiastic start, with less and less connection to the player base over time.

Let me try this once more @Magic:PQ Support Team , since you didn't reply to my question:

The LCI epic packs are no longer available in the vault. I wasn't able to use them, as I still had many cards left to craft. Now that I'm almost done crafting LCI (and I still need one rare Vanguard), are there any plans to have the LCI epic pack available for some time? What's the reason you removed it from the vault in the first place?

Sarah

@Machine Webcore is doing a pretty good job of speed running the disconnect. This might be a new record! Well done @Magic:PQ Support Team