{
  "id": 8035027,
  "title": "MTG Arena Commander Is \"Being Worked On\", but Not Coming Anytime Soon",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/mtg-arena-commander-is-being-worked-on-but-not-coming-anytime-soon",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-17T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/mtg-arena-commander-format-in-development"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Magic: The Gathering's Commander format is the most popular multiplayer way to play the game. Unlike traditional 1v1 play, Commander supports anywhere from three to a dozen players and features decks of 100 cards, all featuring a legendary creature as the commander. The format's popularity stems from its ease of casual multiplayer play, inclusivity, and flexibility. However, Commander is not supported in Wizards of the Coast's Arena digital platform due to several challenges. Scaling the format to accommodate four or more players, supporting long gameplay sessions, creating a new deckbuilding system, and tracking damage from commander cards are among them. Additionally, the card list is extensive, and the lack of rotation necessitates ensuring that all cards remain viable. In a recent interview, Wizards of the Coast's Senior Digital Product Manager Dave Finseth revealed that while the company is working on adding Commander to Arena, the task is enormous and may take considerable time. Finseth also mentioned that the company isn't certain whether all the necessary cards will be available for play. This news comes after Hasbro's CEO, Chris Cocks, revealed that the company is testing a video game version of Commander that would allow for more than two players to compete.",
  "summary": "Wizards of the Coast has confirmed 4-player Commander is in development for MTG Arena, but design challenges mean players shouldn't expect it anytime soon.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}