---

Introduction
Editorial Section
Discussion Items
Card Price Tables *spoilers*
Card Price Graphs *spoilers*
Tournament Details
Spoiler Section *spoilers*
Conclusion

Introduction:
Welcome to another week of prices, spoilers, news, charts and article tweaks!  I've spent more time this week pounding out some new features and shining up some old ones!  Hopefully you all enjoy them!
[top] 

Editorial Section:

I started this article right after the PR2 tab was unveiled and when we did not have the details on how they would be awarded.  I have decided to follow it up with information that we have now, as well as things we can do in the future.  

I am going to start this article off with some sincere thanks before I get to my point.  However, my point is tied closely to a marriage of the two concepts for which I am going to be expressing my appreciation.  Ready?  Good.  Let us get down to biddnes. 

Thanks:
The first order of business is to express my appreciation for Mike Gills, Worth Wollpert and whoever else signed off and worked on these promos (developers, QA'ers, et al).  This is a very, very good thing.  Looking at these cards I am filled with longing.  I really have not had this feeling about an MTGO card in few years.  Sure, I have *wanted* the duals.  I have enjoyed the fetchlands... but that almost carnal desire for these promo cards is more profound than any feeling I've had for MTGO in a good long while.  And for that, I both thank and curse (but in a good way) those who brought these amazing digital objects to our world.  Kudos all around!  If you have not seen these bad-boys, man oh man are you in for a treat.  I scrolled through the promos on beta for over an hour.  Looking at the art, watching the brighter foil effect... and I am still in awe.

Secondly, I would like to thank Worth (again, and all the other WotC's that made it happen), as well as dangerlinto from ClassicQuarter.com and Heath from mtgotraders.com for their respective parts of initiating and running the Tempest Pre-con contest.  This was a fantastic idea and a neat way to get the community into the Tempest release mindset.  I hope we can do something like this for the other sets that come out on MTGO only as well.

(Update: we are now in the midst of the next pre-con contest.  A great time to do a status check on this article)

Promos:

Now it is time to start tying those two accolades into a single coherent point:

So what does this all mean, Basil?  Quite simply that the groundwork has been laid for something amazing to happen.  We have customized products (MED1&2 and the 'New' precons).  We have, finally, viable promotional cards.  So let us put the peanut butter with the jelly, the Chickin in a Biscuit with the EZ-Cheeze, the bree with the cracked wheat cracker...  let's combine the good individual things into an even greater thing. 

MTGO only promo cards.  With art only available on MTGO.  I'm not talking about Hazezzon Tamar style promos. I'm talking new MTGO versions of Orim's Chant, Meddling Mage (update: make this Deed), and even good ol' Force of Will type of promos; but not just any promo.  MTGO Centric promos.  Cards that the MTGO medium can actually use; just made, commissioned and released *exclusively* for MTGO and its player base.  And no, Gleemox does not count.  Although it DOES drive home the point that MTGO can get cards that MTGP cannot.  Another aspect of this are the foil card in MED, Tempest, et al.  There are no MTGP equivalents of these cards.  Just another mark in the ‘for’ column I guess. 

And while we're at it...

Mayhaps we could also inject some strong cards that could be used in their respective elements that don't yet exist on MTGO.  Cards that certain players might be salivating over. put up some polls about cards that Tribal players might want, or that Prismatic players would love.  Again, something that works for MTGO and is based on improving the MTGO experience would be a double whammy.  It would simultaneously increase interest in MTGO events AND garner some good will from the players and prospective players of those formats. 

The main thing I would be worried about is tying them to the now running MTGO Player Rewards program.  Namely because the Player’s Reward Program is still US centric which would be a major drawback to trying to do these promo cards.  While I am on the topic of the Player Reward Program, I am ecstatic that I can earn reward on MTGO now.  However, I am equally frustrated that it is U.S. only.  Not even Canada, just U.S.  I realize that it would be extremely hard to be in the legal ‘all clear’ for every single country all the time.  Regardless of that, they really should work on getting more and more countries in as they can.  I have to believe that some of the countries with a large MTGO playing populace could fund the legal legwork to bring the promos to their respective countries.

Vanguard:
Also, I feel like this is a good time to announce the passing of a format.  Vanguard, the once beloved format is now extinct.  It will evidently continue to have casual play support in the casual room but new Avatars will not have any vanguard abilities and the format itself will stop being a supported format at any tournament level.  WotC is replacing it with a 60-card Standard Singleton format, which they have yet to officially name.

Conclusion:
That is many topics all wound around a strange theme of MTGO specific things.  The upshot of course is that we have precedence for getting MTGO only things and we now have a precedence of getting good promos.  Putting those two things together would be a great way to let players get in to older sets while giving MTGO a bit more draw

Of course, MTGO only promos might further infuriate the MTGP playing populace.  They are easily skittish it seems as there are now rumors that WotC short prepared M10 in Paper to force players into MTGO.  Ya Really.  I read it on the internet and everything so it must be legit.
[top]

Discussion Items:
Death of Vanguard:
In a move that surprised very few (I hope) WotC has officially ended support for any form of tournament Vanguard.  A move I fully endorse as the format had been dying for a good long while.  It's to be replaced by....

Pick the name for the new Standard Format!
A new format looms on the horizon, and we get to name it, kinda, I guess.  We'll see where this leads.

MED3!?  Really?
If I told you MED3 sold more on day 1 of it's release events than either Conflux or Alara Reborn, would you believe me?  Well, it did!  I'm with you on the "no, really?" factor of that information.

Some redemption out of stock:
Which ones?  No idea the announcement didn't say.  My guess?  M10.  No idea about anything else though...  using the method of 'look in the store and figure it out' nets me the following ones missing: Conflux Regular, Shards Foil, Dissension Foil, and Ravnica Regular.  Hopefully that's all of them.

Pre-Con Contest (BIG PRIZES!!!)
WotC has fired up the precon contests again and the prizes are fantastic!  You can find the contests here: ClassicQuarter and here: PureMTGO. 

[top]

Price Tables: 

[top]

Price Graphs:

 

[top]

Tournament:
MED3 events are in full swing and going strong!  So strong in fact that prices for MED3 have tanked super hard.  Good news for those looking to nab some duals, that's for sure!
[top]

Spoilers: 

 

[top]

Conclusion:

Hopefully the tweaks I've been doing over the past few weeks have been for the better and the article as a whole has increased in usefulness!  As always, I look forward to feedback of all kinds!

See ya in 7!
[top]