The brand new Magic: the Gathering Online technology, AutoErrata™, having just completed its Beta testing, received mixed reviews from testers. Many complained of the randomness caused by the instant modifications of cards, but Wizards remains stolid in pushing for its release.

AutoErrata™ is a promising new program that will soon be implemented into MTGO. It tabulates the use of all cards in Constructed and Limited, and sends its findings directly to the DCI. A new-formed branch of the DCI, tentatively called the Ministry of Errata, reviews the findings, and, when it sees fit, calls for the errata of cards. On the user's side, AutoErrata™ will recognize any assigned changes in a few seconds, and immediately modify all of the versions of the card that the user may own.

"'Why do you print bad cards?' and 'Why do you print broken cards?' are two questions that I have terrible, sometimes sexual, nightmares about," commented Wizards of the Coast employee and AutoErrata™ Beta tester Mark Rosewater. "With the event of AutoErrata™, I will once again sleep soundly; knowing that any screw-ups I make as a designer can be easily corrected."

The DCI was always capable of giving cards errata when necessary; but cardboard Magic made it unwieldy, requiring months to come into effect and being unnoticeable to many players. AutoErrata™ will make visible changes to the cards, and it works instantly, anyplace, anytime. The daemon checking for changes will function no matter what the user might happen to be doing at the time; whether trading, drafting, or even if they are in the middle of a game.

"It fucking sucks," said one tester who wishes to remain anonymous. "I was in the finals of a draft, dropped a Greed with all my guys for the win; and then this retarded program makes my opponent only lose one life per critter, so I'm left with an empty board and a living opponent. I can't believe Wizards is gonna get away with this shit."

The Ministry of Errata says that it will not use its new powers conservatively. "We're going to work hard to ensure that formats are not dominated by any particular deck, or even groups of decks. We want to bring magic back to a time when things were about fun, not competition. It can once again be a game of Wurms and Dragons and magical pixie dust. We're going to shake things up again and again, make players have to rethink their plans and consequently buy more cards."

"I love the idea of AutoErrata," remarked a tester known as 'Rancored_elf'. "I'm a rogue player who hates netdeckers. I think it's great that Wizards is trying to decrease the value of their cards while simultaneously increasing the value of mine."

When asked about what will happen to cardboard Magic, MTGO spokesman Randy Buehler had this to say: "We recommend that all players disband from the old and outdated form of magic and come over to the online version. However, if you absolutely must play Magic in real life, you should play within a short distance from a computer so that you can be refreshing the Oracle database as you play."

AutoErrata™ at work:

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

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• Special 6-Hour Errata Issued on Magic Online
• More to Come for Magic Online
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The brand new Magic: the Gathering Online technology, AutoErrata™, having just completed its Beta testing, received mixed reviews from testers. Many complained of the randomness caused by the instant modifications of cards, but Wizards remains stolid in pushing for its release.

AutoErrata™ is a promising new program that will soon be implemented into MTGO. It tabulates the use of all cards in Constructed and Limited, and sends its findings directly to the DCI. A new-formed branch of the DCI, tentatively called the Ministry of Errata, reviews the findings, and, when it sees fit, calls for the errata of cards. On the user's side, AutoErrata™ will recognize any assigned changes in a few seconds, and immediately modify all of the versions of the card that the user may own.

"'Why do you print bad cards?' and 'Why do you print broken cards?' are two questions that I have terrible, sometimes sexual, nightmares about," commented Wizards of the Coast employee and AutoErrata™ Beta tester Mark Rosewater. "With the event of AutoErrata™, I will once again sleep soundly; knowing that any screw-ups I make as a designer can be easily corrected."

The DCI was always capable of giving cards errata when necessary; but cardboard Magic made it unwieldy, requiring months to come into effect and being unnoticeable to many players. AutoErrata™ will make visible changes to the cards, and it works instantly, anyplace, anytime. The daemon checking for changes will function no matter what the user might happen to be doing at the time; whether trading, drafting, or even if they are in the middle of a game.

"It fucking sucks," said one tester who wishes to remain anonymous. "I was in the finals of a draft, dropped a Greed with all my guys for the win; and then this retarded program makes my opponent only lose one life per critter, so I'm left with an empty board and a living opponent. I can't believe Wizards is gonna get away with this shit."

The Ministry of Errata says that it will not use its new powers conservatively. "We're going to work hard to ensure that formats are not dominated by any particular deck, or even groups of decks. We want to bring magic back to a time when things were about fun, not competition. It can once again be a game of Wurms and Dragons and magical pixie dust. We're going to shake things up again and again, make players have to rethink their plans and consequently buy more cards."

"I love the idea of AutoErrata," remarked a tester known as 'Rancored_elf'. "I'm a rogue player who hates netdeckers. I think it's great that Wizards is trying to decrease the value of their cards while simultaneously increasing the value of mine."

When asked about what will happen to cardboard Magic, MTGO spokesman Randy Buehler had this to say: "We recommend that all players disband from the old and outdated form of magic and come over to the online version. However, if you absolutely must play Magic in real life, you should play within a short distance from a computer so that you can be refreshing the Oracle database as you play."

AutoErrata™ at work:

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

Related Stories

• Special 6-Hour Errata Issued on Magic Online
• More to Come for Magic Online
• Magic Online Gamer Goes Day Without Complaining