Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the feedback. We realize that the recent update has had some controversial changes, so we want to take the time to reply to the concerns from the community.
We’ve wanted to increase the number of Events in-game for some time; however, we don’t want to overwhelm players. With too many Events, the game can potentially feel like a grind for casual players. To that end, Trial of the Planes is meant to be an optional Event for those who are looking for a challenge. Rather than spending 60 Mana Crystals on a booster, you can enter Trial of the Planes, which guarantees a booster after your first win (plus a few other rewards along the way). We also know that some are upset that the rewards are not equal for all levels of play. That is intentional as the rewards are balanced for their tiers. If new players decide to jump into the Trial, they will benefit greatly from the booster you get for earning only 5 ribbons. Elder players in the Gold and Platinum tiers have a way to gather Mana Jewels.
We’ve also rebalanced rewards in several Events. Since the introduction of Coalition Events, we’ve noticed that the game is becoming more difficult for new players. With all the best rewards going to a few top coalitions, it becomes hard for new players to compete. To even out the playing-field a little, we’ve removed the guaranteed Mythics for top coalition rewards - and made leaderboards smaller for most Events. Smaller leaderboards let new players climb higher and get better rewards. If the reward we had in the prize pool wasn’t something you wanted or was something you already had, you now get a reward that should be more meaningful to you.
The release also added Mana Jewels and Masterpieces. We understand the frustration of getting duplicate cards, so we wanted to introduce a system that lets you target the cards you want. By rotating in a new set of cards every two weeks, you can target specific Mythics and Masterpieces while saving Mana Jewels. The Masterpiece collection also guarantees a steady rate of Mythics for players who don’t get them from opening boosters. We want to introduce Masterpieces carefully. Giving out too many Mana Jewels and Masterpieces could potentially upset the current meta. We want Masterpieces to be rare - rather than a staple of every deck. (That said, we’re continually adjusting rewards and Events based upon community feedback and metrics.)
So what about other duplicates?!? We’ve been discussing this frustration internally for some time, and we’re excited to say that we’re developing a new system for using duplicate cards. Converting them into Runes is fine for new players - but we want duplicate cards to be valuable for all players. We plan to have a new system for this in-game within the next few months. This is one of our highest priorities! Stay tuned for more details!
In the meantime, until this new system is released, if you happen to draw a duplicate Masterpiece card, our Customer Support team will compensate you with an Elite Booster, but please keep the duplicate in your inventory until our CS team has addressed the issue for you!
We want to ensure that players in each progression point have clear goals and objectives. The intent is that the first focus of new players is on obtaining more cards to build their collection, getting through the Story Mode, leveling their Planeswalker and learning the fundamentals of the game. Mid-game players should want to focus on participating in events, earning more cards, leveling their Planeswalkers and increasing their color mastery until they can reach Platinum tier. Mana Jewels are intended for elder players - helping them get new Mythics and Masterpieces to continue to lead the way! .
We are still dedicated and working hard on the game. You can rest assured that we read every bit of feedback, and we always go over the notes Brigby puts together. We want to make sure we are building a game that you love - we love it too, and we hope to address all of your concerns in a timely manner.
Thank you for playing Magic the Gathering: Puzzle Quest!