MTG: Arena: Hoping for a Mac Version

So, Magic the Gathering: Arena looks a lot like, basically, Magic done in the style of Hearthstone. Rules-wise, it's got all the complexity of Magic, but the manner in which one plays and earns cards is like Hearthstone.

I played Magic Online in college, which was the older translation of the game to the digital realm. While I imagine I've still got my account floating around out there, it required me to boot up Windows using Parallels, and while I could do that now, I'd really prefer that Wizards of the Coast just make a Mac client for the game.

While I enjoy Hearthstone, it has always been a kind of consolation prize kind of game compared to Magic. Magic was, in many ways, my first real fantasy influence (ok, maybe Myst and Disney cartoons really hold that spot,) and the core concepts of the game have remained dear to me.

Arena seems great, and so I'm hoping that we'll see a Mac client soon.

I've watched streams of the Beta and now the live version, and here's how I understand it working:

Like Hearthstone, communication is limited between opponents. Similarly, card trading itself is set aside in favor of earning the ability to get specific cards you want as you earn more packs. And you can apparently earn packs simply by playing, which removes one of the key reasons I've been hesitant to get back into the game.

I can imagine if a set I'm particularly excited about comes out I can dump some cash at the start, but I like the idea of gradually working toward the cards I want to get to fill out a deck. I also think I'd be more eager to try stuff like limited if there isn't a cash buy-in.

There were rumors a year ago that there would be a Mac client by the time the live version came out, but that's clearly not the case. I had hoped for years that they'd come out with a Mac version of MTG:Online, which never happened (as far as I know) so I'm a little hesitant to get my hopes up. But we'll see.

I could use a PC emulator or boot camp, but it's quite a hassle, and I don't know that I want to get Windows just for this one game.