Wizards of the Coast has disabled matchmaking within MTG Arena today due to a bug that times out players mid-match following the digital launch of Innistrad: Crimson Vow.

Maintenance for the Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW) release via MTG Arena remains ongoing despite it becoming available to play around 12pm CT. A bug is freezing gameplay during a match, no matter the format. WotC is aware of the bug and is “investigating” while disabling matchmaking for the time being. 

Scheduled maintenance was supposed to take around three hours. Players were able to unlock pre-orders and cash in Limited tokens around 12pm CT with the release of the VOW trailer. Despite being able to craft decks and Draft in Limited, gameplay came to a halt, with matches becoming frozen after a few turns. 

The release of VOW has the potential to shake up the Standard meta, despite Alrund’s Ephiphany still being a legal card within the format. And with several new archetypes to test out in the Limited format, MTG Arena players are anxious to try the new Blood token mechanic within RW vampires. 

An automatic grant for Limited players who had their MTG Arena Draft and Sealed events cut short due to the matchmaking bug is planned to take place, according to WotC. The offering is three VOW booster packs and 2,200 gems.

Update Nov. 11 at 5pm CT: WotC has reported that the matchmaking issue has been resolved and grants are getting released to affected players.

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