initially criticized while in beta, but has shown dramatic improvements from 2013 to 2014. Reviews Pyramid Parallels to paper Magic All cards that enter circulation originate from sealed booster packs or other products available through the Magic Online store; on Magic Online, these packs are represented as digital objects tied to a player's account. Virtual packs are purchased from within the client at MSRP. Once purchased, packs may be opened, traded, or used as entry materials for events. Foil cards are available online. They are distinguished in their virtual form by a glossier appearance and an intermittent "shiny" animation. Since 2009. Some of the major events in Magic Online winners would be invited to (paper format) Pro Tour events, Between 2012 and 2017, the newly reformed Magic: The Gathering World Championship had a slot exclusively for the winner of the annual championship of Magic Online. Redemption Wizards of the Coast allows collectors who have assembled a full set of digital cards from a single expansion to exchange them for a factory set of paper cards for a $25 fee (plus shipping and handling). Regular cards and foil cards must be redeemed separately and cannot be mixed on a single redemption order. Each set is eligible for a period of as much as 4 years after the online release. This program was initially created in order to allay doubt and uncertainty over the investment into virtual cards. The redemption policy offers a medium of exchange between the digital card market and the physical card market, though this is one-way only as there is no way to convert paper cards to digital cards. However, during Pax Australia in summer 2013 Wizards of the Coast announced that "reverse redemption" (the ability to turn physical, paper cards to the digital cards of "Magic Online") is a potential upcoming improvement to stay ahead of increased competition in the digital card game market. In-game economy The client software for Magic Online may be downloaded for free from Wizards of the Coast's website, but to play the game, it is necessary to register an account. Registration costs $9.99 and comes with a new account package. This package has 5 event tickets, 20 new player points (used to enter special, "phantom" events), 5 avatars, and over 650 common and uncommon cards. Users may trade cards, sealed packs, event tickets, and in-game avatars (which are released for special events