it didnt appeal to anyone. everything in that game costed real money (the game, cards, packs, event tickets etc.) so it wasnt for casuals. it wasnt for competitive players either, there was no skill based matchmaking or even a fucking ranked ladder system. they did add some “skill level” later which went from 1 to 75 iirc. but it was an afterthought, an absolutely dogshit ranking system

i watched lifecoach play ranked draft (the one that costs money), go 5-0 against clueless noobs, and get rewarded with an event ticket and like 2 packs. dude is a multimillionaire and set for life, he doesnt even accept donations on his stream. how do you motivate him to keep playing with “ah you won here’s some money, go stomp more noobs for more money”?

the only redeemable thing in artifact was the automated tournament system. i played many draft tournaments in streamer lobbies, but when they realized that this game has absolutely no future, especially after valve backtracked their original no-nerf philosophy, they just stopped playing/streaming the game