How to play the MTG Arena Win Every Card Challenge

Win free cards in Arena.
Throne of Eldraine MTGA Streamer Event
Image via WotC Magic: The Gathering

For the first time in Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast is offering MTG Arena players a chance to win one copy of every card in Standard. 

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In celebration of the official release of MTG Arena, WotC has created a tournament in which players have full access to every card in Standard (up to four copies). Those who build the best decks and achieve 11 to 12 wins in the tournament before suffering two losses have a chance to earn free copies of cards. 

When does the Win Every Card Challenge start?

The Win Every Card Challenge can only be played in MTG Arena, not via tabletop or Magic Online (MTGO). The event launches in MTGA on Oct. 5 at 10pm CT and runs to Oct. 7 at 10am CT. 

If time expires and a player is still in the event, rewards will be based on the number of wins at the time of expiration. In other words, try to finish the tournament before Oct. 7 at 10am CT. 

What do I need to play?

There’s no cost attached to playing the Win Every Card Challenge. Registration is free and MTGA players will have access to every card in Standard (up to four copies) to construct a deck of their choice.

The tournament matches are in the best-of-one format and players are allowed two losses before being booted from the tournament. Each MTGA account has one chance to go all the way to 12 wins and take home the grand prize. 

How do I create a deck in MTGA if I don’t own the cards?

Constructing a Standard deck for the Win Every Card Challenge should be done through the in-game event page. This will give players access to cards they don’t have in their personal library. 

Players can construct any number of decks, up to 75 (including already existing decks). One deck is sufficient but two is recommended. Players are allowed to switch decks in between matches. 

What are the rewards?

The grand prize for the Win Every Card Challenge is one copy of every card in Standard for MTGA. Players who don’t walk away from the tournament with 12 wins, however, still have a chance to win some sweet rewards.

  • Zero to one win: One Throne of Eldraine Rare ICR plus Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • Two to three wins: Two ELD Rare IRCs plus Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • Four to five wins: Three ELD Rare IRCs plus Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • Six to seven wins: Four ELD Rare IRCs plus Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • Eight wins: Five ELD Rare IRCs plus Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • Nine to 10 Wins: One Sealed Event token plus five ELD Rare IRCs and a Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • 11 wins: One copy of every card in Throne of Eldraine plus one Sealed Event token and Golden Egg card sleeve.
  • 12 wins: One copy of every card in Standard plus one Sealed Event token and Golden Egg card sleeve.

What are the best decks?

The top-performing decks from part one of the event (Play Any Card) were Simic Ramp, Red-Deck Wins (RDW), and Bant Ramp. In the Standard meta via the pro level, Bant Ramp and Adventure themed decks are dominating the field. 

  • RDW had a 60 to 68 win percentage (includes Torbran Cavalcade and Mono-Red Aggro).
  • Simic Ramp had a 65 to 74 win percentage (Includes Oko/Nissa, Food and Stonecoil/Hydroid Krasis ramp).
  • Bant Field/Ramp had a 67 to 74 win percentage.

Simic and Bant are similar, with the difference being Teferi, Time Reveler. Other variations of Bant that have been performing well include Golos, Tireless Pilgrim in conjunction with little Teferi. 

On the MPL circuit, Reid Duke and Piotr “kanister” Głogowski reached the top four of the Sapphire Division with their own unique takes on Adventure builds. Duke is running a GW Adventure with a go-wide creature/token theme while Kanister is playing a Golgari Adventure focused on removal, control, and power. 

Related: Bant Golos dominates MPL Sapphire Division in ELD split

Mono-Red Aggro (RDW) is also a solid option, but beware that the Standard meta is shifting to compensate for Cavalcade of Calamity. Torbran, Thane of Redfell, however, is a must-have in the four-drop spot. Other foundational Red cards to include should be Experimental Frenzy, Fires of Invention, and Light up the Stage. 

Speaking of Fires of Invention, two other decks to consider that are tearing up the meta in MTGA best-of-three ranked are Grixis and Temur Fires. In Temur builds, don’t forget about Growth Spiral (card draw and ramp) and Drawn from Dreams. Grixis Invention contains a heavier amount of removal and board wipes, so be sure to balance the deck out to play to its strengths. 

Are there any tips I should know about?

The metagame for the Win Every Card Challenge will include a variety of janky builds. But the majority of players are going to run what’s hot at the moment. Either join the crowd or construct something that’s not being played. Always, however, take into consideration the current metagame.

  • Use every legal card in Standard (this includes planeswalker decks, Brawl decks, and buy-a-box promo cards. 
  • Create at least two decks, possibly building two variations of the same archetype to deal with threats like Enchantments/Artifacts or flying. 
  • In best-of-one, there’s no sideboard (unless playing a card that states a player can choose any card they own).
  • Get up to speed on the new mechanics in the Throne of Eldraine set (Adventure, Food, and Adamant).
  • Study what the MPL players are constructing in the ELD split.
  • Construct based on themes and synergy.
  • Don’t forget about the mana curve.
  • Untapped dual lands in Standard cost two life to cast. If relying heavily on these lands, be sure to build in some form of lifegain to compensate.
  • Watch VODs of top MTG streamers like Noxious, William Jensen, and Duke to witness various decks in action via Twitch or YouTube. 
  • If you missed the Play Any Card event, experiment with what you have in the MTGA non-ranked format.

Related: Here’s everything you need to know about the Throne of Eldraine release on MTG Arena

The MTG Arena Win Every Card Challenge starts Oct. 5 at 10pm CT.


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Danny Forster
Lead Magic: The Gathering/Teamfight Tactics scribe and staff writer for Dot Esports. Danny is a gamer beach bum residing in Spacecoast Florida and has been a journalist for seven years, of which five have been at Dot Esports. Prior media outllets Danny wrote for were Screen Rant and TheGamer. You can typically catch Danny playing TCGs and a variety of strategic games. He also hangs out on Twitter @Dannyspacecoast.