[Update]: Explorer Anthology 2 and Alchemy: The Brother's War expansions have now arrived with staples and jank galore.

If you're tired of the current Standard meta and looking for something new and interesting to experiment with, you might be interested to hear that MTG Arena will be getting two mini-expansions on December 13th. However, instead of more Standard cards, the new additions will be launching for the Explorer and Alchemy formats.

Explorer Anthology 2, much like its predecessor, will bring with it 25 Explorer, Pioneer and Historic legal cards to mess around with. These include powerful format staples like Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Fiery Impulse, as well as a bunch of fun jank like Sliver Hivelord and Kozilek, the Great Distortion. You can check out the full list of cards over at the official card gallery.

As for the price tag, Explorer Anthology 2 will set you back 4,000 gems or 25,000 gold. While the price is a bit steep, it's important to mention that the anthology includes a full playset (four copies) of each card. So if you're planning to use even a couple of rares and mythics, the Explorer Anthology 2 is well worth the trouble.

On the other hand, if you prefer the Alchemy format or just like messing around with weird cards in Historic and Historic Brawl, you'll be happy to hear that the December 13th update will also bring with it the Alchemy: The Brother's War mini-expansion. Just like all of the previous Alchemy expansions, the new one will bring with it a variety of cards designed to support some of the underdeveloped mechanics from the main Standard set, as well as a couple of fun build-arounds to experiment with. You can check out the full list of cards, all neatly sorted by color, over at the MTG website.

The final thing worth mentioning is that Wizards of the Coast has just launched a small giveaway in order to apologize for the recent streak of server issues. Simply input "RepairAndRecharge" into the in-game store (or the MTG Arena website if you're on mobile) and you'll be granted 3,000 battle pass experience and 1,000 gold. Do make sure to hurry, however, as the giveaway will be ending on December 20th!

Have fun brewing up new decks, and I'll make sure to let you know once both Explorer Anthology 2 and Alchemy: The Brother's War finally arrive.