<s>
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Online	I-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
adaptation	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
,	O
utilizing	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
to	O
preserve	O
the	O
collectible	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
card	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
run	O
on	O
mobile	O
(	O
iOS	B-Application
or	O
Android	B-Application
)	O
as	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
the	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Arena	I-Application
does	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
is	O
only	O
install-able	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
February	O
2007	O
,	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
has	O
over	O
300,000	O
registered	O
accounts	O
;	O
this	O
does	O
not	O
represent	O
the	O
true	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
since	O
people	O
are	O
allowed	O
to	O
register	O
multiple	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Worth	O
Wollpert	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
"	O
somewhere	O
between	O
30%	O
to	O
50%	O
of	O
the	O
total	O
Magic	O
business.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
is	O
played	O
as	O
an	O
electronic	O
analogue	O
to	O
the	O
physical	O
card	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
game	O
is	O
hosted	O
by	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
servers	O
,	O
which	O
apply	O
a	O
rules	O
engine	O
to	O
enforce	O
proper	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
logic	O
for	O
handling	O
card	O
interactions	O
is	O
provided	O
by	O
Perl	B-Language
scripts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LLS	O
initially	O
approached	O
Wizards	O
of	O
the	O
Coast	O
with	O
an	O
offer	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
online	O
version	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LLS	O
then	O
created	O
a	O
tech	O
demo	O
to	O
prove	O
to	O
WotC	O
that	O
an	O
online	B-Application
collectible	I-Application
card	I-Application
game	I-Application
could	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WotC	O
was	O
sufficiently	O
convinced	O
and	O
contracted	O
LLS	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
then	O
known	O
as	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
with	O
Digital	O
Objects	O
(	O
MODO	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
was	O
changed	O
from	O
MODO	O
to	O
its	O
final	O
commercial	O
title	O
:	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
launch	O
,	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
supported	O
Magic	O
cards	O
from	O
the	O
7th	O
Edition	O
onwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Invitational	O
was	O
held	O
online	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
played	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
each	O
year	O
from	O
then	O
on	O
until	O
2007	O
when	O
the	O
Invitational	O
was	O
moved	O
back	O
offline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knowing	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
translate	O
Magic	O
gameplay	O
online	O
through	O
the	O
work	O
LLS	O
had	O
done	O
,	O
WotC	O
started	O
to	O
work	O
at	O
redesigning	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
client	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
point	O
to	O
certain	O
intractabilities	O
in	O
later	O
maintenance	O
that	O
suggest	O
that	O
Leaping	O
Lizard	O
had	O
not	O
delivered	O
a	O
very	O
extensible	B-Architecture
program	O
that	O
,	O
by	O
nature	O
,	O
was	O
too	O
monolithic	O
and	O
hard	O
to	O
improve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
decided	O
to	O
maintain	O
version	O
2.0	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
but	O
to	O
start	O
a	O
new	O
development	O
team	O
to	O
rebuild	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
labors	O
of	O
this	O
new	O
project	O
would	O
be	O
called	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
version	O
3	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
February	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
version	O
3	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
supporting	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
player	O
base	O
through	O
multiple	O
servers	O
,	O
was	O
also	O
to	O
feature	O
an	O
updated	O
interface	O
and	O
expanded	O
in-game	O
guidance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
Series	O
played	O
via	O
the	O
client	O
,	O
which	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
prize	O
and	O
invitation	O
to	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
World	O
Championship	O
,	O
Brian	O
Kibler	O
had	O
won	O
enough	O
games	O
to	O
advance	O
into	O
the	O
final	O
rounds	O
of	O
play	O
regardless	O
of	O
whether	O
he	O
won	O
or	O
lost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
before	O
his	O
last	O
two	O
games	O
,	O
he	O
had	O
lost	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
servers	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
not	O
log	O
back	O
on	O
in	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kibler	O
took	O
to	O
social	O
media	O
to	O
complain	O
and	O
suggest	O
other	O
players	O
delete	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
from	O
their	O
computers	O
,	O
which	O
caused	O
the	O
average	O
cost	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
digital	O
cards	O
to	O
fall	O
11%	O
in	O
one	O
day	O
and	O
prompted	O
WotC	O
to	O
move	O
quicker	O
with	O
the	O
transition	O
to	O
Version	O
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
version	O
4	O
opened	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
wide	O
beta	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
16	O
,	O
2014	O
version	O
4	O
became	O
the	O
sole	O
client	O
for	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
the	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
first	O
10	O
years	O
of	O
"	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
"	O
sets	O
released	O
online	O
three	O
or	O
four	O
weeks	O
after	O
they	O
released	O
in	O
paper	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
appease	O
"	O
brick	O
&	O
mortar	O
"	O
retailers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
a	O
policy	O
of	O
shortening	O
this	O
delay	O
(	O
to	O
about	O
two	O
weeks	O
)	O
was	O
instituted	O
to	O
allow	O
professional	O
players	O
(	O
who	O
often	O
use	O
"	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
"	O
for	O
testing	O
)	O
to	O
prepare	O
for	O
Pro	O
Tour	O
events	O
(	O
which	O
usually	O
happen	O
two	O
weeks	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
set	O
)	O
and	O
to	O
"	O
increase	O
cohesion	O
"	O
between	O
paper	O
and	O
online	O
Magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
set	O
was	O
chosen	O
as	O
the	O
earliest	O
set	O
usable	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
because	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
designed	O
with	O
both	O
Limited	O
and	O
Constructed	O
play	O
in	O
mind	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
intended	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
three-set	O
block	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
cards	O
released	O
before	O
Mirage	O
,	O
special	O
MTGO-exclusive	O
compilation	O
sets	O
called	O
Masters	O
Editions	O
were	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
cards	O
in	O
a	O
given	O
set	O
were	O
previously	O
unavailable	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
missing	O
about	O
800	O
cards	O
from	O
the	O
pre-Mirage	O
and	O
Portal	O
sets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
generally	O
met	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
version	O
1	O
regarding	O
the	O
interface	O
and	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
3	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2008	O
was	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
step	O
back	O
graphically	O
to	O
version	O
2	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
its	O
life	O
it	O
was	O
highly	O
regarded	O
among	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
cards	O
that	O
enter	O
circulation	O
originate	O
from	O
sealed	O
booster	O
packs	O
or	O
other	O
products	O
available	O
through	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
store	O
;	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
these	O
packs	O
are	O
represented	O
as	O
digital	O
objects	O
tied	O
to	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2009	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
events	O
in	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
winners	O
would	O
be	O
invited	O
to	O
(	O
paper	O
format	O
)	O
Pro	O
Tour	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
2012	O
and	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
newly	O
reformed	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
World	O
Championship	O
had	O
a	O
slot	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
winner	O
of	O
the	O
annual	O
championship	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
during	O
Pax	O
Australia	O
in	O
summer	O
2013	O
Wizards	O
of	O
the	O
Coast	O
announced	O
that	O
"	O
reverse	O
redemption	O
"	O
(	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
turn	O
physical	O
,	O
paper	O
cards	O
to	O
the	O
digital	O
cards	O
of	O
"	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
"	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
potential	O
upcoming	O
improvement	O
to	O
stay	O
ahead	O
of	O
increased	O
competition	O
in	O
the	O
digital	B-Application
card	I-Application
game	I-Application
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
client	O
software	O
for	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
may	O
be	O
downloaded	O
for	O
free	O
from	O
Wizards	O
of	O
the	O
Coast	O
's	O
website	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
necessary	O
to	O
register	O
an	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
package	O
has	O
5	O
event	O
tickets	O
,	O
20	O
new	O
player	O
points	O
(	O
used	O
to	O
enter	O
special	O
,	O
"	O
phantom	O
"	O
events	O
)	O
,	O
5	O
avatars	B-Application
,	O
and	O
over	O
650	O
common	O
and	O
uncommon	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
may	O
trade	O
cards	O
,	O
sealed	O
packs	O
,	O
event	O
tickets	O
,	O
and	O
in-game	O
avatars	B-Application
(	O
which	O
are	O
released	O
for	O
special	O
events	O
as	O
promotions	O
)	O
with	O
other	O
players	O
through	O
the	O
"	O
Classifieds	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
acts	O
as	O
a	O
searchable	O
bulletin	O
board	O
on	O
which	O
players	O
post	O
buy	O
requests	O
for	O
certain	O
cards	O
,	O
or	O
notices	O
of	O
cards	O
they	O
own	O
that	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
trade/sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
other	O
suggested	O
methods	O
of	O
trading	O
existed	O
,	O
but	O
have	O
since	O
been	O
abandoned	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
Classifieds	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
other	O
methods	O
were	O
inefficient	O
and	O
prone	O
to	O
spam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Event	O
tickets	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
de	O
facto	O
unit	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	I-Application
;	O
demand	O
for	O
them	O
is	O
sustained	O
by	O
the	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
tickets	O
used	O
up	O
every	O
day	O
to	O
pay	O
for	O
tournament	O
entry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Play	O
Points	O
were	O
introduced	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
2015	O
and	O
are	O
a	O
secondary	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	I-Application
that	O
are	O
not	O
tradable	O
between	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
allows	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
cards	O
in	O
multiple	O
decks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
trading	O
away	O
unwanted	O
or	O
extra	O
cards	O
,	O
transaction	O
costs	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
are	O
very	O
low	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
inefficiency	O
that	O
the	O
market	O
does	O
have	O
is	O
that	O
since	O
the	O
ticket	O
is	O
the	O
main	O
unit	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	I-Application
,	O
the	O
bid	O
–	O
ask	O
spread	O
on	O
cards	O
is	O
effectively	O
fixed	O
at	O
one	O
ticket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
has	O
accumulated	O
a	O
secondary	O
market	O
composed	O
of	O
automated	O
traders	O
,	O
which	O
have	O
become	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
way	O
to	O
obtain	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
launched	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2002	O
,	O
the	O
current	O
set	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
was	O
late	O
Odyssey	O
block	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
preceding	O
Invasion	O
block	O
was	O
only	O
sold	O
for	O
a	O
very	O
short	O
time	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
,	O
formerly	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
World	O
Championship	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
held	O
each	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
held	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
World	O
Championship	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
been	O
held	O
as	O
an	O
independent	O
event	O
since	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2009	O
tournament	O
contained	O
only	O
8	O
players	O
:	O
the	O
winners	O
of	O
seven	O
end-of-season	O
championships	O
and	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Player	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
tournament	O
was	O
expanded	O
to	O
include	O
12	O
players	O
:	O
the	O
winners	O
of	O
ten	O
end-of-season	O
championships	O
,	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Player	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
and	O
the	O
winner	O
of	O
a	O
last	O
chance	O
qualifier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2017	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
featured	O
the	O
previous	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
winner	O
,	O
the	O
finalists	O
of	O
four	O
end-of-season	O
playoffs	O
,	O
the	O
winner	O
of	O
eight	O
opens	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
rest	O
were	O
filled	O
by	O
at-large	O
slots	O
until	O
the	O
event	O
had	O
24	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
qualified	O
players	O
of	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
seasons	O
(	O
finalists	O
of	O
each	O
season	O
's	O
playoffs	O
and	O
winners	O
of	O
two	O
opens	O
)	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
being	O
awarded	O
an	O
invitation	O
to	O
the	O
annual	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
,	O
win	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
other	O
prizes	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
premium	O
foil	O
set	O
of	O
every	O
card	O
on	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
booster	O
parks	O
and	O
gardens	O
and	O
a	O
half	O
years	O
ago	O
when	O
you	O
have	O
to	O
go	O
home	O
for	O
sale	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
invitation	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
Pro	O
Tour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
winner	O
will	O
additionally	O
receive	O
an	O
invitation	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
Magic	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Championship	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Platinum	O
Level	O
in	O
the	O
Pro	O
Players	O
Club	O
for	O
a	O
specific	O
period	O
(	O
roughly	O
a	O
year	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
