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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Apr 09 2021 12:00pm
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State of the Program for April 9th, 2021
 
In the News

Strixhaven Previews:  The main set has been fully spoiled and we wait now for the early access event in a week and then the release of the set on the 15th on MTGO and Arena, and the tabletop release on the 23rd.  You can see the full set here, and the variants here

Commander Previews:  Starting Monday and rolling right along with Strixhaven are the previews for Commander 2021.  Tied in with Strixhaven thems we have a deck for each school of the college.  You can check those decks out here.  If you want the card gallery you can see that here and variant gallery here

Spotlight Cube Series:  Andrea Mengucci is bringing the Mengucube to MTGO for the last special format of Kaldheim.  You can see a breakdown of the archetypes and a full list of the cube here

Showcase Challenge Weekend:  April 10th sees showcase challenges for Standard, Modern and Vintage.  Saturday sees them for Pioneer, Legacy and Kaldheim sealed. 

All-Access Week
:  This wraps up on the 14th.  If you're looking to take advantage of this for a Super Qualifier, there is a Modern one that is happening soon after publication fo this article! 
 
Arena State of the Game:  Coming after the Strixhaven update will be a The College Cup, a series of events where your school matters!  The Sealed Arena Open will be back on May 9th.  Best of 1 Formats will have a reduction in sideboard cards from 15, to 7.  You can see notes about the Mystical Archive and other store related things here and here

The Timeline

This is a list of things we have been promised, or we just want to see coming back. Another good source for dates and times is the calendar and the weekly blog, while the best source for known bugs is the bug blog which appears sporadically on MTGO.com. Not listed, but important: Wizards offers either one or two online MCQs each weekend, with qualifiers for limited MCQs running the days immediately prior to the MCQ.
 
Upcoming Events
Dates
Scheduled Downtimes
April 14, 2021
Constructed Leagues End
April 14, 2021
Sealed Leagues End
April 15, 2021
Next B&R
Unknown
Kaldheim Redemption
Ends June 23, 2021


2018 Magic Online Championship Series and other events
Complete details, including schedule, rules, and which online events qualify you for which online or paper events is here. In addition, Wizards will be offering these special formats:

April 7 - April 14 - MenguCube

Sealed Qualifier - April 25th - Time Spiral Remastered
 
Magic Online Format Challenges
These are high stakes events that happen every weekend. They cost 30 Tix / 300 play points, and last a number of rounds based on participation (assume 5-8), plus a single elimination Top 8. Details, including prize payouts, are here. Start times are:

TIME (PT) SATURDAY SUNDAY
12:00 a.m.   Vintage Challenge
2:00 a.m. Pauper Challenge  
4:00 a.m. Legacy Challenge Modern Challenge
6:00 a.m. Standard Challenge Pioneer Challenge
8:00 a.m. Modern Challenge Legacy Challenge
10:00 a.m. Vintage Challenge Pauper Challenge
2:00 p.m. Pioneer Challenge Standard Challenge
 



Cutting Edge Tech

Standard:  There was a little bit of inovation as the end of Kaldheim Standard came to events.  This deck uses Lukka to make sure it can get Koma and present a heck of a threat early in the game. 


Historic:  Before Strixhaven and the Mystical Archive comes along, Jund Sac was probaly the best deck in the Historic format.  Will the cards entering shake up the Arena format?  I'd say so this is, in essence the best Historic Anthology that Wizards of the Coast has ever added to the format. 


Legacy:  Hogaak still has a home, despite not being allowed in Modern for some time now. 


Modern: I do not know why this deck called out to me this week, but it seemed like a fine time to show off a control option in the format.


Pauper:  I cannot believe the price of Snuff Out these days. 


Pioneer:  Obosh seemed like one of the companions that should have gotten more love, and it's been nice to see it get some more play recently in Standard and Pioneer. 


Vintage:


 
Winner's Circle

The Winner's Circle is where I will recognize winners of the past events on MTGO. 

Challenge Winners

Saturday Legacy - musasabi - Food Chain
Saturday Modern - TSPJendrek - Esper Control
Saturday Pauper - kasa - Flicker Tron
Saturday Pioneer - Ptarts2win - Gruul Obosh
Saturday Standard - Ekeross - Temur Adventures
Saturday Vintage - Dead_style

Sunday Legacy - yoshiwata - Death and Taxes
Sunday Modern - Thiommimp - Izzet Blitz
Sunday Pauper - cicciogire - Jund Cascade
Sunday Pioneer - O_danielakos - Boros Prowess
Sunday Standard - Poyo_del_Mal - Sultai
Sunday Vintage - Mogged

Other Event Winners

Pauper Super Qualifier -
chrolony and zachattack23
Modern Super Qualifier - sicsmoo and MentalMisstep
Vintage Super Qualifier - discoverN and IamActuallyLvl1


Card Prices
Note: all my prices come from the fine folks at MTGOTraders.com. These are retail prices, and generally the price of the lowest priced, actively traded version. (Prices for some rare promo versions are not updated when not in stock, so I skip those.) You can get these cards at MTGOTraders.com web store, or from their bots: MTGOTradersBot(#) (they have bots 1-10), CardCaddy and CardWareHouse, or sell cards to MTGOTradersBuyBot(#) (they have buybots 1-4). I have bought cards from MTGOTraders for a decade and a half now, and have never been overcharged or disappointed.
 
Standard Staples: The Great Henge came off the list. Ketria Triome is gone as well.  We've got three new additions to the list from Kaldheim as well, and that's a bit odd considering Strixhaven is coming out next week.  I am not sure if this is a Commander related bump, but I know that Koma, Cosmos Serpent is seeing a bit more play in Standard.  The other two I haven't noticed an uptick in play of.  Terror of the Peaks is off the list.  Liliana, Waker of the Dead is gone as well. 

Standard Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Brazen Borrower $37.29 $35.49 $1.80 5%
Bonecrusher Giant $7.62 $10.33 ($2.71) -26%
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King $24.47 $15.41 $9.06 59%
Shark Typhoon $14.93 $13.08 $1.85 14%
Lurrus of the Dream Den $12.55 $12.42 $0.13 1%
Valki, God of Lies $40.76 $40.08 $0.68 2%
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider $10.15 $10.08 $0.07 1%
Goldspan Dragon $15.40 $14.92 $0.48 3%
Alrund's Epiphany $8.90 $9.43 ($0.53) -6%
Esika, God of the Tree $9.52


Koma, Cosmos Serpent $6.30


Halvar, God of Battle $5.28


Elder Gargaroth $23.35 $25.69 ($2.34) -9%
Stormwing Entity $7.66 $5.91 $1.75 30%
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 14.38 17.66 ($3.28) -19%
Klothys, God of Destiny 10.87 13.18 ($2.31) -18%
Heliod, Sun-Crowned 4.88 5.81 ($0.93) -16%
Ox of Agonas 11.82 13.78 ($1.96) -14%
Scourge of the Skyclaves $53.78 $54.03 ($0.25) 0%
Turntimber Symbiosis $14.08 $12.55 $1.53 12%
Agadeem's Awakening $8.58 $8.26 $0.32 4%
Skyclave Apparition $38.52 $36.21 $2.31 6%
Shatterskull Smashing $7.70 $8.38 ($0.68) -8%
Modern StaplesKaya's Guile is new to the list, but is this a Commander bump or not? 

Modern Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Auriok Champion $43.30 $37.41 $5.89 16%
Steelshaper's Gift $17.68 $12.09 $5.59 46%
Engineered Explosives $8.75 $8.48 $0.27 3%
Cavern of Souls $23.69 $22.66 $1.03 5%
Mishra's Bauble $20.04 $19.74 $0.30 2%
Noble Hierarch $5.64 $4.67 $0.97 21%
Aether Vial $18.74 $19.28 ($0.54) -3%
Trinisphere $5.04 $6.18 ($1.14) -18%
Horizon Canopy $13.06 $13.13 ($0.07) -1%
Tarmogoyf $7.57 $8.38 ($0.81) -10%
Liliana of the Veil $16.18 $18.27 ($2.09) -11%
Snapcaster Mage $6.04 $6.25 ($0.21) -3%
Polluted Delta $15.40 $15.92 ($0.52) -3%
Wooded Foothills $9.11 $10.29 ($1.18) -11%
Flooded Strand $10.15 $7.92 $2.23 28%
Bloodstained Mire $8.09 $8.49 ($0.40) -5%
Windswept Heath $7.73 $7.77 ($0.04) -1%
Thoughtseize $9.98 $11.83 ($1.85) -16%
Cryptic Command $6.28 $6.45 ($0.17) -3%
Elvish Reclaimer $10.06 $11.02 ($0.96) -9%
Force of Negation $98.38 $89.51 $8.87 10%
Wrenn and Six $61.17 $62.72 ($1.55) -2%
Prismatic Vista $14.05 $13.55 $0.50 4%
Sunbaked Canyon $14.68 $15.11 ($0.43) -3%
Seasoned Pyromancer $38.26 $37.12 $1.14 3%
Fiery Islet $12.31 $9.85 $2.46 25%
Urza, Lord High Artificer $7.77 $7.98 ($0.21) -3%
Plague Engineer $10.85 $14.05 ($3.20) -23%
Force of Vigor $16.50 $14.47 $2.03 14%
Giver of Runes $7.24 $6.77 $0.47 7%
Flusterstorm $6.98 $6.49 $0.49 8%
Archmage's Charm $7.32 $8.79 ($1.47) -17%
Ranger-Captain of Eos $7.32 $7.25 $0.07 1%
Hexdrinker $35.44 $38.15 ($2.71) -7%
Ice-Fang Coatl $9.22 $7.81 $1.41 18%
Nurturing Peatland $5.32 $6.32 ($1.00) -16%
Silent Clearing $5.46 $5.86 ($0.40) -7%
Kaya's Guile $7.43


Chalice of the Void $9.02 $9.65 ($0.63) -7%
Surgical Extraction $21.91 $21.36 $0.55 3%
Karn Liberated $7.04 $6.54 $0.50 8%
Dismember $5.95 $5.98 ($0.03) -1%
Emrakul,the Aeons Torn $9.87 $9.96 ($0.09) -1%
Wurmcoil Engine $7.32 $6.29 $1.03 16%
Ensnaring Bridge $10.29 $10.49 ($0.20) -2%
Teferi, Time Raveler $39.93 $38.15 $1.78 5%
Gemstone Mine $13.59 $11.06 $2.53 23%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor $12.11 $11.32 $0.79 7%
Scalding Tarn $17.36 $22.71 ($5.35) -24%
Verdant Catacombs $21.29 $26.37 ($5.08) -19%
Misty Rainforest $17.18 $17.83 ($0.65) -4%
Arid Mesa $8.46 $10.15 ($1.69) -17%
Marsh Flats $4.02 $5.31 ($1.29) -24%
Eternal Staples:  I added Snuff Out to the list because Pauper is an Eternal format.  Sol Ring is off the list. 

Eternal Format Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Hullbreacher $78.03 $104.45 ($26.42) -25%
Opposition Agent $28.86 $25.82 $3.04 12%
Dark Depths $5.77 $6.44 ($0.67) -10%
City of Traitors $37.93 $38.60 ($0.67) -2%
Sphere of Resistance $8.80 $9.12 ($0.32) -4%
Monastery Mentor $7.72 $10.55 ($2.83) -27%
Allosaurus Shepherd $42.65 $49.15 ($6.50) -13%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee $8.34 $8.41 ($0.07) -1%
Force of Will $71.22 $73.86 ($2.64) -4%
Karakas $8.59 $8.07 $0.52 6%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale $51.17 $48.22 $2.95 6%
Demonic Tutor $16.88 $16.43 $0.45 3%
Unmask $11.59 $12.85 ($1.26) -10%
Misdirection $11.60 $11.36 $0.24 2%
Rishadan Port $14.81 $15.06 ($0.25) -2%
Snuff Out $14.38


Submerge $12.14 $9.00 $3.14 35%
Daze $11.56 $12.02 ($0.46) -4%
Entomb $7.08 $7.62 ($0.54) -7%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow $68.55 $72.00 ($3.45) -5%
Mox Diamond $29.53 $30.62 ($1.09) -4%
Wasteland $62.65 $60.94 $1.71 3%
Ancient Tomb $21.88 $25.64 ($3.76) -15%
Lotus Petal $21.50 $22.26 ($0.76) -3%
Earthcraft $9.04 $9.17 ($0.13) -1%
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath $8.11 $7.74 $0.37 5%
Grim Monolith $15.92 $11.98 $3.94 33%
Exploration $11.90 $12.13 ($0.23) -2%
Gaea's Cradle $22.09 $16.50 $5.59 34%
Carpet of Flowers $60.38 $57.77 $2.61 5%
Gilded Drake $11.84 $11.76 $0.08 1%
Black Lotus $23.27 $23.35 ($0.08) 0%
Tropical Island $13.33 $15.39 ($2.06) -13%
Volcanic Island $12.45 $10.88 $1.57 14%
Underground Sea $16.17 $15.24 $0.93 6%
Null Rod $9.27 $9.18 $0.09 1%
Doomsday $27.04 $22.50 $4.54 20%
Paradigm Shift $10.48 $10.46 $0.02 0%
Mindbreak Trap $11.17 $12.48 ($1.31) -10%
Pioneer StaplesAssassin's Trophy's days aren't numbered yet.  Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet has been removed. 

Pioneer Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
Soul-Scar Mage $8.24 $7.18 $1.06 15%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger $11.91 $8.28 $3.63 44%
Collected Company $9.63 $8.97 $0.66 7%
Kolaghan's Command $4.86 $6.64 ($1.78) -27%
Liliana, the Last Hope $5.14 $4.67 $0.47 10%
Collective Brutality $6.53 $8.85 ($2.32) -26%
Assassin's Trophy $5.29


Eidolon of the Great Revel $8.15 $8.53 ($0.38) -4%
Mana Confluence $4.83 $5.08 ($0.25) -5%
Spirebluff Canal $7.85 $7.55 $0.30 4%
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim $9.96 $9.68 $0.28 3%
Lotus Field $5.37 $7.74 ($2.37) -31%
Thought-Knot Seer $6.45 $5.88 $0.57 10%
Kozilek's Return $7.66 $8.35 ($0.69) -8%
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper $8.56 $7.17 $1.39 19%
Rest in Peace $4.16 $5.30 ($1.14) -22%
Karn, the Great Creator $50.72 $47.60 $3.12 7%
Blast Zone $8.93 $8.96 ($0.03) 0%
Omnath, Locus of Creation $13.74 $15.91 ($2.17) -14%
Standard Legal Sets: This table tracks the cost of a single copy of every card in each Standard legal set, plus Treasure Chests and the current booster pack. I’ll keep tracking these because they are interesting (at least to me).  This is being kept as a small tribute to Pete!


Complete Set Price Last Week Change % Change
Core Set 2021 $73.05 $75.19 ($2.14) -3%
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths $58.84 $58.23 $0.61 1%
Kaldheim $155.43 $137.89 $17.54 13%
Kaldheim Booster $3.06 $2.99 $0.07 2%
Theros Beyond Death $105.03 $110.46 ($5.43) -5%
Throne of Eldraine $158.51 $151.82 $6.69 4%
Treasure Chest $2.38 $2.40 ($0.02) -1%
Zendikar Rising $169.90 $126.71 $43.19 34%


The Good Stuff
The following is a list of all the non-foil, non-promo cards on MTGO that retail for more than $25 per card. These are the big ticket items in the world of MTGO.  The list is interesting, at the least. This is interesting to me because a lot of these cards have been reprinted more than once, and they are still commanding a high price. 

Black Lotus 1E Rare 188.33
Snapcaster Mage UBT Mythic 104.13
Force of Negation MH1 Rare 98.38
Karakas UBT Mythic 92.45
Liliana of the Veil UBT Mythic 91.59
Cavern of Souls UBT Mythic 89.44
Hullbreacher CMR Rare 78.03
Mox Jet 1E Rare 75.71
Mox Sapphire 1E Rare 73.54
Force of Will MED Rare 71.22
Ancestral Recall 1E Rare 68.88
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow PZ2 Rare 68.55
Time Walk 1E Rare 67.2
Mox Emerald 1E Rare 62.8
Wasteland TE Uncommon 62.65
Wrenn and Six MH1 Mythic 61.17
Carpet of Flowers UZ Uncommon 60.38
Wasteland ZNE Mythic 57.35
Wasteland EXP Mythic 55.36
Wasteland TPR Rare 54.58
Dark Depths UBT Mythic 54.09
Scourge of the Skyclaves ZNR Mythic 53.78
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth UBT Mythic 53.62
Wasteland EMA Rare 51.67
Force of Will 2XM Mythic 51.57
Force of Will MS3 Mythic 51.31
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale ME3 Rare 51.17
Force of Will VMA Rare 50.88
Karn, the Great Creator WAR Rare 50.72
Jace, the Mind Sculptor MS4 Mythic 47.33
Force of Will EMA Mythic 46.79
Demonic Tutor UBT Mythic 46.51
Auriok Champion IMA Rare 45.55
Noble Hierarch UBT Mythic 45.49
Verdant Catacombs ZNE Mythic 44.67
Auriok Champion 5DN Rare 43.3
Allosaurus Shepherd JMP Mythic 42.65
Mox Ruby 1E Rare 42.25
Karn Liberated UBT Mythic 41.26
Valki, God of Lies KHM Mythic 40.76
Mox Pearl 1E Rare 40.75
Teferi, Time Raveler WAR Rare 39.93
Purple-Crystal Crab PZ2 Common 39.84
Wooded Foothills ZNE Mythic 38.81
Skyclave Apparition ZNR Rare 38.52
Seasoned Pyromancer MH1 Mythic 38.26
City of Traitors EX Rare 37.93
Brazen Borrower ELD Mythic 37.29
Polluted Delta ONS Rare 36.75
Cavern of Souls ZNE Mythic 35.74
Liliana, the Last Hope MS4 Mythic 35.47
Hexdrinker MH1 Mythic 35.44
Platinum Emperion UBT Mythic 35.36
Timetwister 1E Rare 35.35
Underground Sea ME2 Rare 33.79
Celestial Colonnade UBT Mythic 32.37
Heavenly Qilin PZ2 Common 32.18
Underground Sea ME4 Rare 31.98
Verdant Catacombs EXP Mythic 31.9
Scalding Tarn ZNE Mythic 31.17
Misty Rainforest ZNE Mythic 30.71
City of Traitors TPR Rare 29.96
Ethereal Forager C20 Rare 29.95
Mox Diamond ST Rare 29.53
Scalding Tarn EXP Mythic 29.24
Ancient Tomb ZNE Mythic 29.19
Cavern of Souls UMA Mythic 28.99
Opposition Agent CMR Rare 28.86
Verdant Catacombs MM3 Rare 28.46
Cavern of Souls MM3 Mythic 27.84
Mox Diamond TPR Mythic 27.68
Polluted Delta ZNE Mythic 27.27
Doomsday WL Rare 27.04
Mox Diamond V10 Mythic 27
Lord Windgrace PZ2 Mythic 26.89
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria MS4 Mythic 26.41
Creeping Tar Pit UBT Mythic 26.18
Ancient Tomb EXP Mythic 26.04
Fulminator Mage UBT Mythic 25.67
Bitterblossom UBT Mythic 25.57
Life from the Loam UBT Mythic 25.29
Earthshaking Si PZ2 Common 25.23
The big number is the retail price of a playset (4 copies) of every card available on MTGO. Assuming you bought the least expensive versions available, the cost of owning a playset of every card on MTGO is approximately a number that I cannot figure out still. I have actually asked Pete to do this for me, because Open Office is weird, and I have no idea what I am doing, and I am pretty close to just being a dog in a labcoat.

Nevermind, ignore all of that, Pete got it done for me, because he is just the dang best. The big number this week is $29,677.  Last week the big number was $29,335.  Even with the all-access token the number went up $342.

 
In Closing

Not an exciting week for me this week.  It wa just kinda there.  Still recovering from Covid, I'm not sick anymore, but I'm still improving every day. 

This series is an ongoing tribute to Erik “Hamtastic” Friborg.