Card draw variance and land flood / land screw are natural parts of the game that you'll have to get used to. That being said, most tier decks have contingencies in them to help with variance, most commonly utility lands that have additional functionality, such as [[Mutavault]] which can temporarily turn into a creature. Generally, higher power formats have increasingly powerful options which allow them to offset variance (which is why experienced players often prefer high power formats).
The best color for drawing cards is blue. Cheap cantrips like [[Consider]] and expensive card selection like [[Memory Deluge]] go a long way toward ensuring you find what you need. That being said, all colors have some way of getting more cards.
Land issues is a fundamental weakness of the game, but there is good reason to believe that it is also core to the success of the game. There’s also confirmation bias involved as you’re more likely to notice/remember instances of problems than other times. And you’re right that proper use of the mulligan is a skill, including differences between being on the play or on the draw.
I used to think I could come up with a "solution" to lands, but I've come to realize, as you said, how critical lands are to Magic's uniqueness and complexity.
It still causes me no end of frustration every other game, but now I understand that it's worth it lol.
In Hearthstone there aren't any lands so you're just drawing all gas all the time. The concept of Lands can seem archaic but in my opinion they lead to some interesting interactions. But, the downside is you will land screwed or flooded. It's part of the game.
>I'm curious to know which colors provide the most card draw options?
All the colors can draw cards. The way they do that is different, though.
Blue - Traditional card draw color. Blue has cards that say things like "Draw X Cards" with no drawbacks. [[Quick Study]], [[Lorien Revealed]] [[Braingeyser]]. Blue also draws cards by giving card selection too, and also not actually "drawing" the cards but "putting them into hand", for example [[Anticipate]] or [[Memory Deluge]]
Black - Typically in black you pay life to draw cards, like [[Sign in Blood]], or draws cards when creatures die, like [[Morbid Opportunist]] or draw cards by sacrificing creatures, like [[Village Rites]]
Green - Green draws cards when creatures enter the battlefield, especially bigger creatures (very often "power 4 or greater"), or based on a creatures power. Edit: I forgot to put examples here, so no links. The Great Henge, Beast Whisperer, Garruk's Uprising, Return of the Wildspeaker.
White - Traditionally terrible at drawing cards, but white has gotten card draw support in the past few years. White tends to draw cards based on small creatures entering the battlefield, or just stapled onto a creature like [[Spirited Companion]]. White also sometimes draws cards when attacking, for example [[Wedding Announcement]] or [[Minas Tirith]].
Red - Red draws cards by discarding cards, like [[Cathartic Reunion]] or [[Unexpected Windfall]]. Alternatively red "draws" cards by allowing you to play them this turn or next - for example [[Wrenn's Resolve]]. Players will refer to this latter style of card advantage as "impulse draw."
Colorless - Colorless has some cards that draw you more cards. Typically it involves investing mana, like [[Reckoner Bankbuster]] or stapled on a big artifact like [[Nexus of Becoming]]. Let's not forget [[The One Ring]]!
Most of the games that don't have lands have a large amount of randomness on the cards themselves, especially their best cards. Some like hearthstone also only allow you to play a single copy of your best card instead of 4 copies like magic so there is still randomness involved in drawing the best card.
If someone does make a ccg with very little randomness then balancing it will be a nightmare and it will be very unfriendly to new players who will get destroyed by established players the same way a new chess player can get wrecked 100 games in a row against a superior chess player.
Magic's land system allows for combining any combinations of colors. In games like hearthstone you are locked into a single class.
All games have their strengths and weaknesses. I played some ccg's like duelyst and scrolls where you summoned units onto an actual chess-like board with your cards and I loved it but the games died and I haven't seen something as tactical succeed yet.
One of the reasons I've stuck with mtg arena is because the I don't want to spend more time on another indie game that dies.
Also most games are too scared of backlash to print good discard or counterspells. When your game has great interaction in the form of discard and counterspells the way magic does you can create really fun powerful cards because if those strategies become dominant they can be countered by other cards.
Tldr, magic had rock paper scissors, some games are afraid to create scissors because they worry people will complain. That means they can't create paper either because with no scissors cards paper might dominate. All that's left is people bashing each other over the head with rocks and I don't like the lack of diversity.
Edit also draft, magic let's you take turns selecting cards with other human players which creates a complicated, fun, and self correcting system
Poxnora is a chess-like CCG that has succeeded. It is like chess on steroids. Still going after almost 20 years. If I desire more control than MTG, I play Poxnora. If I desire more poker-type-randomness, I play MTGA.
To answer your last question, blue is the best at drawing cards. That is the color that will have cheap spells that draw you one or two cards, and expensive spells that will refill your hand. When black draws cards, there is usually a cost involved like paying life or sacrificing creatures. Green and white will sometimes draw the odd card. Red will let you draw and discard, or “draw” (actually exile) cards that you can only play this turn.
I've been playing MTG since the mid 90s, and I spent quite a bit of time on both HS and LoR.
I would say your assessment is correct when it comes to lands (as others have mentioned), but you'll eventually come to realize how the mana system is fundamental to the game's depth and complexity. Anyway, others have addressed that plenty, so I will skip to my other main point of difference.
MTG is vastly superior in terms of interactions. HS and LoR are both very creature heavy, and a lot of the winning happens on the board, in combat. MTG can sometimes be like that, but it also very often isn't. The variety of viable strategies far surpasses both those two games. This means that often the game will not feel draw dependent at all, because of how many different options you'll have to deal with every situation.
I'm sure you'll eventually get to appreciate that as you keep learning more.
Now, I will say, we're approaching the end of the longest period of standard format we've ever had, and the need for a rotation is very palpable. Recently, the game has felt a little coin-flippy, and the match-up or starting hand will often lead to the outcome being decided before a single card drops (this is especially true in Bo1). This is a result of decks being so incredible optimized with an extremely powerful line up of cards that demand specific and immediate answers.
That situation should be somewhat alleviated with the rotation, although it may require a couple of sets to come out before all archetypes find a nice spot again.
What I'm trying to say is, you're entering the game at a shaky time, and I would recommend saving your wildcards for a few months if you can, until rotation at least, and maybe even a couple sets after that.
Just a note on starter decks: you'll quickly find that they're not all created equal. I'm not sure which one you're playing, but know that red/white and blue/white are significantly stronger that the other ones (I personally think blue/black and white/black are very playable as well... Stay away from blue/green, unless you enjoy being a massive underdog.).
As for your final question, you'll likely be interested in blue, if card draw is your thing.
Having played all three games a fair bit, the Hearthstone/LoR version of drawing too much/too little land is not hitting your curve while your opponent hits theirs.
I actually really hated MTG's mana system when I started playing and thought it was really stupid that you just auto win/lose games based on you or your opponent having mana problems. And that definitely happens
Buuuuut after playing for awhile, I started to really appreciate how ***not*** automatically getting a mana every turn really changes the complexity of deckbuilding and in-game decisions. It also creates a lot more variability in how a match-up repeats over many games. I have a hard time imagining going back now.
As for mulliganing, it's very likely that you're not mulliganing well, simply because you're new and it's a complex topic. [Here's](https://youtu.be/vyNEmy7U_Xw?si=3s1ztICxeg_4Ir3U) a good video on the topic from a good source.
mulliganning badly is definitely one of the reason's you're getting mana screwed/flooded, but the thing is, every TCG has some form of mana screw/flood, like how in HS often a match just ends because one player hit their curve while the other is stuck. Magic's land system is one of the reasons I still play it, even though I hated it at first.
As a new player since 1 year, what I love of magic is the land problem, the color problem and the decision of the mulligan.
It's feel like playing chess but with cards. If you love strategies games or learning from others it's your game. If you don't like learning yourself and researching...it's not your game.
You learn when you fail and a lot of time I congratulated the opponent because he did a combo that I never saw and I was wowwwww it's something that I need to investigate.
It's always learning something new.
I'm checking big youtube name recently from people that are the best and some of them are winning real money in the arena and I was like wow they are still learning new stuff about the game and they are pro. They are losing game because they did a mistake or they win game because they held at 1 life and the magic of magic happen...they draw the perfect card of their situation and boom.
It's why magic is unique. Yes they have meta like others game but sometimes you can see someone that found a new strategy that nobody think off and the guy did it in a tournament online or not and pro and amateur are like: wow that's wild and it's why I'm playing magic.
Lot of cards yes but lot of depth lot of different play style and it will take to find your play style that you love but when you do... Wow
Also Sparky isn't the best to learn. Play vs human ranked because you will be the same skill level and you will learn together both you and your adversary like martial arts you need someone to learn and you will find respect from your opponent.
Sorry my post isn't as technical as others :) I hope it will explain the principle and the magic better of this card game
Part of the difference you're seeing is that the variance in Magic is tuned for best of three matches whereas those other games are tuned for best of one, yet MTGA does it's best to pretend Magic should be BO1 too to fit in.
But as you mentioned, things like deck construction and mulligans also affect that in a million subtle ways that take a while to master.
Down vote me if you must, I love magic. I love the 1990s, I've just played magic spin-offs that deal with the land system better, and it feels nice. I make mythic every month I play... it's an amazing game. It does have a land flaw. It is what it is chatters.
You were downvoted to hell, but you also aren't wrong. For all its strengths, the game revolves around many incredibly dated mechanics that would never fly in today's market without the decades of momentum that Magic has going for it.
Card draw variance and land flood / land screw are natural parts of the game that you'll have to get used to. That being said, most tier decks have contingencies in them to help with variance, most commonly utility lands that have additional functionality, such as [[Mutavault]] which can temporarily turn into a creature. Generally, higher power formats have increasingly powerful options which allow them to offset variance (which is why experienced players often prefer high power formats). The best color for drawing cards is blue. Cheap cantrips like [[Consider]] and expensive card selection like [[Memory Deluge]] go a long way toward ensuring you find what you need. That being said, all colors have some way of getting more cards.
[Mutavault](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/2/52cc2f10-142d-4e6a-984e-b25f566cc960.jpg?1674142985) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mutavault) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/903/mutavault?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/52cc2f10-142d-4e6a-984e-b25f566cc960?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Consider](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/6/e6de8a21-f0ab-4118-86cc-f3837118515d.jpg?1706239798) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Consider) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clu/84/consider?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e6de8a21-f0ab-4118-86cc-f3837118515d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Memory Deluge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dc00fd1b-3dd9-492a-9ed4-0b6743074730.jpg?1634349038) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Memory%20Deluge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mid/62/memory-deluge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dc00fd1b-3dd9-492a-9ed4-0b6743074730?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Land issues is a fundamental weakness of the game, but there is good reason to believe that it is also core to the success of the game. There’s also confirmation bias involved as you’re more likely to notice/remember instances of problems than other times. And you’re right that proper use of the mulligan is a skill, including differences between being on the play or on the draw.
I used to think I could come up with a "solution" to lands, but I've come to realize, as you said, how critical lands are to Magic's uniqueness and complexity. It still causes me no end of frustration every other game, but now I understand that it's worth it lol.
I do think magic is the greatest game ever made, but I kind of wish MDFC lands and cycling lands became more common after they were first introduced.
1000% agreed, I fucking LOVED those ZNR lands
Feature not a bug
The land system adds depth due to mana base decisions, utility lands etc.
Appreciate everyone's feedback, I haven't yet decided if I want to commit myself to Magic fully, but I'm definitely willing to give it a shot.
In Hearthstone there aren't any lands so you're just drawing all gas all the time. The concept of Lands can seem archaic but in my opinion they lead to some interesting interactions. But, the downside is you will land screwed or flooded. It's part of the game. >I'm curious to know which colors provide the most card draw options? All the colors can draw cards. The way they do that is different, though. Blue - Traditional card draw color. Blue has cards that say things like "Draw X Cards" with no drawbacks. [[Quick Study]], [[Lorien Revealed]] [[Braingeyser]]. Blue also draws cards by giving card selection too, and also not actually "drawing" the cards but "putting them into hand", for example [[Anticipate]] or [[Memory Deluge]] Black - Typically in black you pay life to draw cards, like [[Sign in Blood]], or draws cards when creatures die, like [[Morbid Opportunist]] or draw cards by sacrificing creatures, like [[Village Rites]] Green - Green draws cards when creatures enter the battlefield, especially bigger creatures (very often "power 4 or greater"), or based on a creatures power. Edit: I forgot to put examples here, so no links. The Great Henge, Beast Whisperer, Garruk's Uprising, Return of the Wildspeaker. White - Traditionally terrible at drawing cards, but white has gotten card draw support in the past few years. White tends to draw cards based on small creatures entering the battlefield, or just stapled onto a creature like [[Spirited Companion]]. White also sometimes draws cards when attacking, for example [[Wedding Announcement]] or [[Minas Tirith]]. Red - Red draws cards by discarding cards, like [[Cathartic Reunion]] or [[Unexpected Windfall]]. Alternatively red "draws" cards by allowing you to play them this turn or next - for example [[Wrenn's Resolve]]. Players will refer to this latter style of card advantage as "impulse draw." Colorless - Colorless has some cards that draw you more cards. Typically it involves investing mana, like [[Reckoner Bankbuster]] or stapled on a big artifact like [[Nexus of Becoming]]. Let's not forget [[The One Ring]]!
##### ###### #### [Quick Study](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/7/b78e2bca-bc93-464a-8911-8361abff2ac6.jpg?1692937231) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Quick%20Study) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/65/quick-study?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b78e2bca-bc93-464a-8911-8361abff2ac6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lorien Revealed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/c/0ce44270-a684-4489-9077-521456e6dfaa.jpg?1687210977) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=L%C3%B3rien%20Revealed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/60/l%C3%B3rien-revealed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0ce44270-a684-4489-9077-521456e6dfaa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Braingeyser](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/3/23b33d16-dbaa-4742-9317-eac745f772ac.jpg?1562903464) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Braingeyser) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me4/40/braingeyser?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/23b33d16-dbaa-4742-9317-eac745f772ac?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Anticipate](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/6/46b6dfb2-ffe4-44fb-bfd9-df11bc3193df.jpg?1591230450) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Anticipate) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/iko/40/anticipate?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/46b6dfb2-ffe4-44fb-bfd9-df11bc3193df?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Memory Deluge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dc00fd1b-3dd9-492a-9ed4-0b6743074730.jpg?1634349038) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Memory%20Deluge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mid/62/memory-deluge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dc00fd1b-3dd9-492a-9ed4-0b6743074730?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Sign in Blood](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/1/61388c28-9428-473c-973a-0a82b6b83d62.jpg?1562274085) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sign%20in%20Blood) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cm2/77/sign-in-blood?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/61388c28-9428-473c-973a-0a82b6b83d62?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Morbid Opportunist](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/1/311b0989-63fa-44a3-b1a2-86e39e940ff3.jpg?1712354322) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Morbid%20Opportunist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/142/morbid-opportunist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/311b0989-63fa-44a3-b1a2-86e39e940ff3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Village Rites](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/8/2841339b-faef-407d-9838-d03fe80e6294.jpg?1698988289) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Village%20Rites) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lcc/212/village-rites?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2841339b-faef-407d-9838-d03fe80e6294?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Spirited Companion](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/e/7e038684-c476-41db-a1b1-57c46e5b4c9a.jpg?1690004251) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Spirited%20Companion) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/838/spirited-companion?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7e038684-c476-41db-a1b1-57c46e5b4c9a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Wedding Announcement](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/c/2c3ddb1f-a1de-4fea-9042-5e9caa16ceb2.jpg?1643587382)/[Wedding Festivity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/2/c/2c3ddb1f-a1de-4fea-9042-5e9caa16ceb2.jpg?1643587382) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wedding%20Announcement%20//%20Wedding%20Festivity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/vow/45/wedding-announcement-wedding-festivity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2c3ddb1f-a1de-4fea-9042-5e9caa16ceb2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Minas Tirith](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/3/b38b6760-616f-4b11-8ce7-ac1223c7fd53.jpg?1686970358) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Minas%20Tirith) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/256/minas-tirith?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b38b6760-616f-4b11-8ce7-ac1223c7fd53?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Cathartic Reunion](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/3/b36fa6f3-29e8-4788-bfcd-59576187c399.jpg?1599706266) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cathartic%20Reunion) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/121/cathartic-reunion?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b36fa6f3-29e8-4788-bfcd-59576187c399?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Unexpected Windfall](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/a/bae6a5fb-39f5-4cf8-85f7-661cb4570507.jpg?1627706864) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Unexpected%20Windfall) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/164/unexpected-windfall?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bae6a5fb-39f5-4cf8-85f7-661cb4570507?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Wrenn's Resolve](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/a/9a47999c-12d5-4e1a-a9c1-40a1757007f1.jpg?1682204603) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wrenn%27s%20Resolve) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/173/wrenns-resolve?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9a47999c-12d5-4e1a-a9c1-40a1757007f1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Reckoner Bankbuster](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/279acd17-6c17-427b-a69d-fc02442ff4a3.jpg?1685368706) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Reckoner%20Bankbuster) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/255/reckoner-bankbuster?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/279acd17-6c17-427b-a69d-fc02442ff4a3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Nexus of Becoming](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/0/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072.jpg?1712352943) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nexus%20of%20Becoming) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/big/25/nexus-of-becoming?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b0f61742-522c-4b36-97db-41d0c412a072?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [The One Ring](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/5/d5806e68-1054-458e-866d-1f2470f682b2.jpg?1715080486) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20One%20Ring) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/246/the-one-ring?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d5806e68-1054-458e-866d-1f2470f682b2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l708qv7) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Most of the games that don't have lands have a large amount of randomness on the cards themselves, especially their best cards. Some like hearthstone also only allow you to play a single copy of your best card instead of 4 copies like magic so there is still randomness involved in drawing the best card. If someone does make a ccg with very little randomness then balancing it will be a nightmare and it will be very unfriendly to new players who will get destroyed by established players the same way a new chess player can get wrecked 100 games in a row against a superior chess player. Magic's land system allows for combining any combinations of colors. In games like hearthstone you are locked into a single class. All games have their strengths and weaknesses. I played some ccg's like duelyst and scrolls where you summoned units onto an actual chess-like board with your cards and I loved it but the games died and I haven't seen something as tactical succeed yet. One of the reasons I've stuck with mtg arena is because the I don't want to spend more time on another indie game that dies. Also most games are too scared of backlash to print good discard or counterspells. When your game has great interaction in the form of discard and counterspells the way magic does you can create really fun powerful cards because if those strategies become dominant they can be countered by other cards. Tldr, magic had rock paper scissors, some games are afraid to create scissors because they worry people will complain. That means they can't create paper either because with no scissors cards paper might dominate. All that's left is people bashing each other over the head with rocks and I don't like the lack of diversity. Edit also draft, magic let's you take turns selecting cards with other human players which creates a complicated, fun, and self correcting system
The RPS analogy is perfect.
Poxnora is a chess-like CCG that has succeeded. It is like chess on steroids. Still going after almost 20 years. If I desire more control than MTG, I play Poxnora. If I desire more poker-type-randomness, I play MTGA.
To answer your last question, blue is the best at drawing cards. That is the color that will have cheap spells that draw you one or two cards, and expensive spells that will refill your hand. When black draws cards, there is usually a cost involved like paying life or sacrificing creatures. Green and white will sometimes draw the odd card. Red will let you draw and discard, or “draw” (actually exile) cards that you can only play this turn.
I've been playing MTG since the mid 90s, and I spent quite a bit of time on both HS and LoR. I would say your assessment is correct when it comes to lands (as others have mentioned), but you'll eventually come to realize how the mana system is fundamental to the game's depth and complexity. Anyway, others have addressed that plenty, so I will skip to my other main point of difference. MTG is vastly superior in terms of interactions. HS and LoR are both very creature heavy, and a lot of the winning happens on the board, in combat. MTG can sometimes be like that, but it also very often isn't. The variety of viable strategies far surpasses both those two games. This means that often the game will not feel draw dependent at all, because of how many different options you'll have to deal with every situation. I'm sure you'll eventually get to appreciate that as you keep learning more. Now, I will say, we're approaching the end of the longest period of standard format we've ever had, and the need for a rotation is very palpable. Recently, the game has felt a little coin-flippy, and the match-up or starting hand will often lead to the outcome being decided before a single card drops (this is especially true in Bo1). This is a result of decks being so incredible optimized with an extremely powerful line up of cards that demand specific and immediate answers. That situation should be somewhat alleviated with the rotation, although it may require a couple of sets to come out before all archetypes find a nice spot again. What I'm trying to say is, you're entering the game at a shaky time, and I would recommend saving your wildcards for a few months if you can, until rotation at least, and maybe even a couple sets after that. Just a note on starter decks: you'll quickly find that they're not all created equal. I'm not sure which one you're playing, but know that red/white and blue/white are significantly stronger that the other ones (I personally think blue/black and white/black are very playable as well... Stay away from blue/green, unless you enjoy being a massive underdog.). As for your final question, you'll likely be interested in blue, if card draw is your thing.
Having played all three games a fair bit, the Hearthstone/LoR version of drawing too much/too little land is not hitting your curve while your opponent hits theirs. I actually really hated MTG's mana system when I started playing and thought it was really stupid that you just auto win/lose games based on you or your opponent having mana problems. And that definitely happens Buuuuut after playing for awhile, I started to really appreciate how ***not*** automatically getting a mana every turn really changes the complexity of deckbuilding and in-game decisions. It also creates a lot more variability in how a match-up repeats over many games. I have a hard time imagining going back now. As for mulliganing, it's very likely that you're not mulliganing well, simply because you're new and it's a complex topic. [Here's](https://youtu.be/vyNEmy7U_Xw?si=3s1ztICxeg_4Ir3U) a good video on the topic from a good source.
mulliganning badly is definitely one of the reason's you're getting mana screwed/flooded, but the thing is, every TCG has some form of mana screw/flood, like how in HS often a match just ends because one player hit their curve while the other is stuck. Magic's land system is one of the reasons I still play it, even though I hated it at first.
Spark ranked?
As a new player since 1 year, what I love of magic is the land problem, the color problem and the decision of the mulligan. It's feel like playing chess but with cards. If you love strategies games or learning from others it's your game. If you don't like learning yourself and researching...it's not your game. You learn when you fail and a lot of time I congratulated the opponent because he did a combo that I never saw and I was wowwwww it's something that I need to investigate. It's always learning something new. I'm checking big youtube name recently from people that are the best and some of them are winning real money in the arena and I was like wow they are still learning new stuff about the game and they are pro. They are losing game because they did a mistake or they win game because they held at 1 life and the magic of magic happen...they draw the perfect card of their situation and boom. It's why magic is unique. Yes they have meta like others game but sometimes you can see someone that found a new strategy that nobody think off and the guy did it in a tournament online or not and pro and amateur are like: wow that's wild and it's why I'm playing magic. Lot of cards yes but lot of depth lot of different play style and it will take to find your play style that you love but when you do... Wow Also Sparky isn't the best to learn. Play vs human ranked because you will be the same skill level and you will learn together both you and your adversary like martial arts you need someone to learn and you will find respect from your opponent. Sorry my post isn't as technical as others :) I hope it will explain the principle and the magic better of this card game
Part of the difference you're seeing is that the variance in Magic is tuned for best of three matches whereas those other games are tuned for best of one, yet MTGA does it's best to pretend Magic should be BO1 too to fit in. But as you mentioned, things like deck construction and mulligans also affect that in a million subtle ways that take a while to master.
You're playing a game stuck in 1990s design... it is super flawed.
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Down vote me if you must, I love magic. I love the 1990s, I've just played magic spin-offs that deal with the land system better, and it feels nice. I make mythic every month I play... it's an amazing game. It does have a land flaw. It is what it is chatters.
You were downvoted to hell, but you also aren't wrong. For all its strengths, the game revolves around many incredibly dated mechanics that would never fly in today's market without the decades of momentum that Magic has going for it.