MTGA Exploit Allowing Cheating - WOTC Address It In A Questionable Way

Video By: KaeroMTG | MTG Arena Decks 

Magic: The Gathering Arena is no stranger to bugs. Usually, they're inconvenient but not necessarily game-breaking issues. However, there are a few that are currently allowing players to blatantly cheat and win games using bugs or glitches. So, today I would like to make players aware of what the exploit is, how it works (or doesn't work), and talk about the very poor way WOTC has chosen to deal with the problem.

The Exploit Explained

Just so everyone is on the same page (and to make you aware if you play Standard Ranked) I'll go over exactly what the bug is and how it's being used. Oh, and please don't go cheat on MTGA using it. The card causing all of the issues is Ninja's Kunai, which if it wasn't for this bug, wouldn't be seeing much play in the ranked scene. When the card is working properly, you can tap the creature it's equipping and sacrifice the Kunai to deal three damage to any target.

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However, what's actually happening is that when sacrifice the card, Arena is allowing you to also sacrifice any and all other permanents you control and deal three damage for each of them as well. For example, just the Ninja's Kunai, the creature it's attached to, and a few lands in play would deal 15 or so damage if you sac'd your whole board. And that's exactly what people are doing. Check out the video at the top of the page if you want to see it play out.

And for the record, the same thing happens with Blazing Torch. And again, I don't condone anyone using these cheats.

Wizards Of The Coasts' Solution

In response to the problem WOTC issued a tweet basically saying to report anyone you encounter using the cheat and they would suspend or ban that person's account. Here's the official tweet:

To me, this is a very strange way of dealing with the issue. First, there has been no fix that I'm aware of. Last I was on Arena (about three days ago), this was still happening. Next, it is ludicrous to allow the problem to keep happening and simply punish those who exploit it. To be clear, this issue is 100% on the WOTC end. The players using this aren't hacking or modding the system at all. That said, it's something they're obviously aware of and could go in and fix. But instead, they just leave it and use suspensions as a deterrent.

If you ask me, the reason is pretty obvious - They'd have to pay some amount of money to fix it. And blocking accounts is cheaper. Logically, there's no other reason I can think of. If you can think of another reason why the company would choose not to fix the bug comment down below and let me know.

Furthermore, I've seen many people playing Ninja's Kunai with new accounts. And if you sleuth around on Youtube you'll find that people are playing the bug, getting caught and simply making a new account to play while they wait out their punishment.

The Moral Dilemma

As mentioned, people are making new accounts and going to some pretty far lengths to continue to use this bug to win games. Some number of them are in casual play but there are also others who are using it in ranked matches and other events. What came as a surprise to me was that a chunk of the player base seems to feel like they have a right to use Wizards' blunder to their advantage. Here are a few comments I came across that illustrate the sort of thing I mean.

One user said this:

While another had this to say:

To me, the bug is completely different from Venerated Rotpriest or other fast combo-style decks. Granted every player has access to the same exploit, but that doesn't mean using it isn't cheating. Especially when the company could ban the cards long enough for them to fix the problem.

I'm usually not one to police other people's moral compass but I do take issue with people cheating at MTG. And I do think this is cheating. I feel I speak for a lot of the player base when I say that Magic is very important to me - I enjoy the challenge of the game, and the competition and I enjoy getting better.

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Having a card that's supposed to deal three damage deal 21 instead doesn't make you a better player and you shouldn't have to tweak competitive decks to deal with something that shouldn't be a problem to begin with. Simply put, using a glitch in the system to win games as soon as you reach seven permanents in play isn't cool. Obviously, some people disagree though. Comment down below and let me hear where you stand.

Conclusion

There you have it my friends - MTGA's latest exploit/bug and WOTC's reaction to it. I'm a little disappointed by how it's being handled but I'm not surprised. What I was surprised by was how it was being received by some of the player base and how many people were interested in playing decks build to exploit the glitch. That said, I've made my opinion known and I hope they fix the issue moving forward. Until then, get out there and play some MTG... Without Ninja's Kunai.