Hey everyone, I’m back with another Deck Advisor update!

This week I spent more time making behind-the-scene changes documenting code, adding logging, performance improvements, etc., but I was able to make a few more visible changes, as well, which I will discuss below.

Here are the download links for the application’s installer program.

64-bit Version: https://clans.dailyarena.net/download/advisor/x64/DailyArenaDeckAdvisorSetup.msi

32-bit Version: https://clans.dailyarena.net/download/advisor/x86/DailyArenaDeckAdvisorSetup.msi

Due to the fact that I made some changes to the auto-updater functionality that are incompatible with another version that was briefly on the website, I would recommend re-installing it if you currently have a version later than 1.0.2.1 and earlier than 1.0.2.6 installed, as well as deleting any zip files in the folder at C:\Users\{{Your User}}\AppData\LocalLow\DailyArena\DailyArenaDeckAdvisor (your drive letter may be different).

Here are the features that have changed since the previous version:

Arena Standard

The “Arena Standard” format was added in release 1.0.2.1, but it was clear that the deck archetype information being pulled in for it did not cut the mustard. I’ve made some changes and now the decks for that format are being pulled from mtgarena.pro, instead. It’s pulling in data for decks after the release of the previous set (currently M20), sorted by win rate. This is still not completely ideal, but is definitely better than what we had last weekend.

Logging

A bunch of logging has been added to the Launcher, the Updater, and the Main Executable. These logs are dumped to the folder at C:\Users\{{Your User}}\AppData\LocalLow\DailyArena\DailyArenaDeckAdvisor (your drive letter may be different), and shouldn’t ever take up more than 50 MB of space. If you run into problems you can now send me the latest log file(s), which I can use to help debug issues!

Card Image Tooltips

When you hover the mouse over a card name in the application, a new tooltip now appears, containing the card image. If for some reason the card image is not available, it will show the Arena Import/Export string for that card instead. The images are cached locally to reduce network traffic, with a cleanup that deletes images that haven’t been used in 30 days.

Performance Improvements, Etc.

I’ve done another round of code cleanup/documentation, small bug fixes, and performance improvements. There are still more to come!

Github/Patreon

The project is now available on Github at the following location for those of you who would like to contribute to or just look at the code (more updates to the Github page will be coming soon!): https://github.com/jceddy/DailyArenaDeckAdvisor

A Daily Arena Patreon account has been set up at the following location for those of you who would like to contribute in another way…the first goal of the Patreon is to support a Code Signing Certificate subscription so we can get rid of the Windows Defender/SmartScreen nag popups: https://www.patreon.com/DailyArena

Future Enhancements

Here’s an update of the list of work planned for future development:

Github/Patreon – More updates to the Github and Patreon pages to add functionality.

– More updates to the Github and Patreon pages to add functionality. Optimization/Performance – More changes of this nature are in the pipeline.

– More changes of this nature are in the pipeline. Code Signing – I’d like to purchase a Code Signing Certificate and start signing the application’s executables with it so that Windows Defender/SmartScreen trust will start building up and we can get rid of the nag screens. Unfortunately the cheapest route to doing this costs around $100 a year, so that’s where I hope Patreon might help.

– I’d like to purchase a Code Signing Certificate and start signing the application’s executables with it so that Windows Defender/SmartScreen trust will start building up and we can get rid of the nag screens. Unfortunately the cheapest route to doing this costs around $100 a year, so that’s where I hope Patreon might help. Improved Replacement Suggestions – Currently the replacement suggestion algorithm is quite basic and just uses a fixed “score” on each card when making the suggestions, and especially when it comes to lands, it can leave something to be desired. For example, sometimes it will suggest Stone Quarry when Wind-Scarred Crag would be a better replacement, and it can over-suggest dual lands that always enter tapped when playing more basics would probably be better.

– Currently the replacement suggestion algorithm is quite basic and just uses a fixed “score” on each card when making the suggestions, and especially when it comes to lands, it can leave something to be desired. For example, sometimes it will suggest Stone Quarry when Wind-Scarred Crag would be a better replacement, and it can over-suggest dual lands that always enter tapped when playing more basics would probably be better. Settings/Options – Add a settings/options area or screen where different sorting options/criteria, font size, log file location (if non-standard), etc., can be selected.

– Add a settings/options area or screen where different sorting options/criteria, font size, log file location (if non-standard), etc., can be selected. Filters – Add filters to allow showing/hiding based on criteria like rarity count, resilience to rotation, only decks you have cards for, only decks you can complete with wildcards, etc.

– Add filters to allow showing/hiding based on criteria like rarity count, resilience to rotation, only decks you have cards for, only decks you can complete with wildcards, etc. Formats – We’ll need to add support for Historic after rotation, and it would be nice to get special event formats, as well.

– We’ll need to add support for Historic after rotation, and it would be nice to get special event formats, as well. Data Sources – The deck data has improved a lot over the past week, but I still want to look more into alternate/additional data sources for deck information.

– The deck data has improved a lot over the past week, but I still want to look more into alternate/additional data sources for deck information. Mac/Linux Support – I’d like to look into better support for using this application on a Mac or Linux machine, either through more guidance on running it via Wine, or perhaps creating a non-GUI version of it that can run natively on Mac/Linux that just dumps out reports.

– I’d like to look into better support for using this application on a Mac or Linux machine, either through more guidance on running it via Wine, or perhaps creating a non-GUI version of it that can run natively on Mac/Linux that just dumps out reports. User Documentation/Release Notes – No tool like this can really shine without having a set of documents that users can go to to get help using it, and to see what changes come with new releases. So far I’ve just done these weekly blog posts, but want to get something better put together (this will likely end up being part of the GitHub effort).

Free Account Progress Update

After another week of grinding with the free account I created to test the deck advisor, I have some updates on my progress using that account.

I’ve been holding steady in Silver on Traditional Ranked using my Mono-Red build, which I continue to improve:

Budget Mono-Red (Bo3)

Export to MTGA

I’ve found that the Boros Legion precon does a better job for best-of-one grinding in Play mode than the previous budget decks I built, so I’ve just been using that, lately.

Thank you to all the users who have tried out this application, and passed it on to your friends. I look forward to making further improvements, and putting together other useful tools like this in the future!

As always, feel free to send any questions, comments and criticisms to me here, on Reddit, on Twitter at @DailyArena or on Facebook via the @DailyArenaMTG page.

Cheers!

Joseph Eddy is a Father, Husband, Son, Brother, Software Developer, and Gamer. Magic is his favorite hobby, and he’s looking forward to seeing you all on Arena. He streams Magic Arena on a weekly basis (or more), but currently is unable to keep to a set schedule.