Contents
Overview
Story Mode is a set of battles against pre-constructed enemy decks which teach game mechanics, provide challenges (especially for new players), and give rewards. Story Mode content is always available in Magic: the Gathering Puzzle Quest.
Beating the first chapter of the Origins story using Nissa, Sage Animist unlocks Events and Coalition game content.
Story Mode was the only content available when the game was originally released in 2015.
Rewards
Resources are given as rewards for each game played in Story mode. In addition to the Runes awarded for every game played (more for winning, naturally), Runes are earned for winning while completing the first optional objective. Crystals are earned by completing the second optional objective, and afterwards, by winning the same battle once with Planeswalkers of every color. Winning with colorless Planeswalkers does not advance the "win with every color" objective, but multiple-color Planeswalkers give a win for all of their colors.
Even though Story Mode battles are functionally equivalent to PvE battles, Story Mode is not considered a PvE event, and so games won do not count towards Quests that tally PvE wins.
Story Mode Levels
Story Mode has four levels, navigated via the arrows facing right and left at the top of the Story Mode screen. Each level has at least 4 chapters, and each chapter has up to 20 battles.
| Story mode level | Set(s) | Number of Chapters | Total Number of Battles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origins (Story) | Origins  |
6 | 79 |
| Training (Story) |                       |
22 | 73 |
| Battle for Zendikar (Story) | Battle for Zendikar  |
4 | 35 |
| Heroic Encounters (Story) | Origins |
6 | 30 |
Origins
- Main article: Origins (Story)
The Origins story features battles of increasing difficulty. In each battle, all of the opponents' cards are from the Origins set.
Training
- Main article: Training (Story)
The Training story features short chapters with specially designed battles to introduce players to the new mechanics of specific Card sets. The player is given pre-fabricated decks in these battles, including cards that they may not own or see elsewhere for quite some time.
Many Training chapters provide cards as rewards, and in some cases Card packs, from the corresponding card set. Like all new cards, these are helpful for players to improve their Decks and manage their Mastery level.
Battle for Zendikar
The Battle for Zendikar story features a tutorial (similar to Training) plus further chapters of increasing difficulty. The enemies' cards consist of mostly BFZ cards, and some Origins cards.
Heroic Encounters
Heroic Encounters feature a set of relatively high difficulty story battles, corresponding to the five Origins planeswalkers. Each level starts with the enemy getting some sort of advantage in the form of creatures and/or supports that are in play before the battle begins.
Strategies
- Early on, play to win and run through the initial rewards, as you will not have the card collections to meet all of the objectives early.
- The Training section should be given a high priority; it is designed to teach players the mechanics of the game and it earns card rewards which are needed for Events and later sections of the Origins Story games.
- Some Training chapters are harder; some are easier or more lucrative. An example of the latter is the War of the Spark chapter, completion of which yields five Vanguard
cards, three of them Green, which are quite powerful early on.
- Since the player is not using their own Planeswalker, there is no damage done that has to be healed in the event of a loss, and the card order is not fixed for some of the hardest games, so they can potentially be attempted repeatedly. But on the other hand, for those who prefer to pick the lowest hanging fruit first, the games will forever be there to try again, until completed.
- All rewards in a single Story mode battle can be earned in two games. To do this, you would meet the two optional objectives in addition to using a three color planeswalker (such as Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh) in a first game, and an opposing two color planeswalker (such as Huatli, Radiant Champion) in a second game to meet all five color objectives.
As of the 2021 Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set, all of the two-planeswalker combinations which cover all 5 colors are:
| First planeswalker | Second planeswalker | ||
|---|---|---|---|
  
|
Narset of the Ancient Way |  
|
One of Garruk, Cursed Huntsman, Nissa of Shadowed Boughs, Vraska, Golgari Queen, or Vraska, Relic Seeker |
|
|
Sarkhan Unbroken |
|
One of Daxos the Returned, Kaya, Orzhov Usurper, Kaya, the Inexorable, or Sorin, Grim Nemesis |
|
|
Tamiyo, Field Researcher |
|
One of Angrath, the Flame-Chained, Sarkhan the Mad, or Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor |
|
|
One of Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, or Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God |
|
One of Ajani, Unyielding, Calix, Destiny's Hand, or Huatli, Radiant Champion |