State of the Program for April 2nd, 2021
Kaldheim Championships: Congrats to Arne Huschenbeth for winning the Kaldheim Championship. You can see his decklists in Cutting Edge Tech from the Standard and Historic event. For everything else from the championship, check out the event coverage here.
Strixhaven Previews: Strixhaven Previews are ongoing now, you can see the regular cards here. You can see the varients here, as well as the Mystic Archieve and the Japanese Alternate Arts of those cards as well. The set will be previewed through April 2nd, and then we start the Commander previews for Strixhaven on April 5th.
Jason Felix and the Fan Art: Wizards of the Coast released a statement in regards to a video that had been going around social media that alleges that Jason Felix traced a piece of fan art for the Mystic Archive version of Crux of Fate in Strixhaven. They are suspending work with Felix until the matter has been brought to a successful conclusion. You can view the video of the art here. Jason has apologized for using others arts as well. You can read that here.
Mystic Archive Mistakes: Art has been swapped on the Japanese Alternate art versions of Memory Lapse
and Ephemerate
. You can see that here. It does not appear that the correct art will be printed on the cards. You can see that news bit here.
Strixhaven Product Delays: Promo Packs for Strixhaven are going to be delayed due to production issues. In North America, retailers and players can expect them by the end of April, in other regions, by the end of May. This does not affect Buy-a-Box promos. In addition to promo packs being delayed, in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, prereleases will now be held on release day due to shipping delays. In Thailand, Bundles will be out in mid May. In the United States and Canada, Draft Boosters and Japanese language Set boosters will be delayed due to production issues. More are expected after the release date. You can read about the delays here.
All-Access Weeks: March 31st to April 14th sees the return of Mythic Event Tokens and the All-Access Weeks! The token is still 25 dollars, and while it doesn't add any cards to your account it does give you access to most cards on MTGO. (Some cards like Promos and Secret Lairs aren't included.) Along with All-Access Weeks, Super Qualifiers come back from April 3 to April 9. You can see the full schedule here, (or below) and can get info for Super Qualifiers here.
Nega-Cube: Designed by Natalie Weizenbaum the Nega-Cube is a cube that contains cards that are not in the most recent versions of the Moder, Legacy or Vintage Cube. It's a lower power cube, and you can see read about the archetypes here.
April Fool's: Secret Lair Seals was made by the illustrator for MTGGoldfish. New Historic was put on Arena, it was a format that played forty card decks with no 4 of maximum.
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
|
|
Zendikar Rising Redemption
|
Ends April 7th, 2021
|
|
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:
March 31 - April 7 - New Spotlight Cube
April 7 - April 14 - Another new Spotlight Cube
April 3 - Pauper Super Qualifier
April 4 - Vintage Super Qualifier
April 5 - Modern Super Qualifier
April 6 - Pioneer Super Qualifier
April 7 - Standard Super Qualifier
April 8 - Legacy Super Qualifier
April 9 - Modern Super Qualifier
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:
Standard: Featuring the decks that Arne Huschenbeth played to the championship this past weekend seems like an absolute no brainer! Congrats again!
Historic: Arne clearly has a wonderful taste in decks.
Legacy: It's been a while since I've seen any
Food Chain
decks in Legacy. Perhaps nature is finally healing?
Modern: This deck has made me feel really smooth brained, because I can for the life of me, can't figure out why
Mystic Subdual
is in the deck. It's like this is Faerie tempo.
Pauper: The cascade decks in Pauper are my favorite things in the format right now. I enjoy them greatly.
Pioneer: This
Pyre of Heroes
looks a lot like what
Birthing Pod
decks would look like now if there were a creature type restriction on the artifact.
Vintage:
The Winner's Circle is where I will recognize winners of the past events on MTGO.
Challenge Winners
Saturday Legacy - otaba - Aluren
Saturday Modern - Aluren85 - Eldrazi Tron
Saturday Pauper - Brivenix - Izzet Snow
Saturday Pioneer - canepis16 - Dimir Control
Saturday Standard - _Tia93_ - Dimir Rogues
Saturday Vintage - duke12
Sunday Legacy - trunk132 - Snow Bant
Sunday Modern - Justodeangelo - Heliod Company
Sunday Pauper - nathansteuer - Jund Cascade
Sunday Pioneer - dani_tb - Dimir Control
Sunday Standard - hcook725 - Gruul Adventures
Sunday Vintage - Venom1
Other Event Winners
Standard Champ Qual - bolov0 - Snow Red
Sealed Kaldheim Champ Qual - mahzinha_linda
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: Nothing new was added here.
Modern Staples:
Cryptic Command
is back on the list this week. Modern Horizons saw four new cards added to the list.
Hexdrinker
,
Ice-Fang Coatl
,
Nurturing Peatland
,
Silent Clearing
all came to the list this week.
Eternal Staples: I guess I forgot that
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
is still legal in Legacy, so it's been added to the Eternal list.
Pioneer Staples:
Spirebluff Canal
is new to the list this week.
Lotus Field
has jumped back on as well.
Kozilek's Return
is back on the list as well.
Dreadhorde Arcanist
has fallen off the list here.
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 |
$75.19 |
$80.84 |
($5.65) |
-7% |
| Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths |
$58.23 |
$66.72 |
($8.49) |
-13% |
| Kaldheim |
$137.89 |
$140.93 |
($3.04) |
-2% |
| Kaldheim Booster |
$2.99 |
$3.21 |
($0.22) |
-7% |
| Theros Beyond Death |
$110.46 |
$106.98 |
$3.48 |
3% |
| Throne of Eldraine |
$151.82 |
$137.80 |
$14.02 |
10% |
| Treasure Chest |
$2.40 |
$2.41 |
($0.01) |
0% |
| Zendikar Rising |
$126.71 |
$165.36 |
($38.65) |
-23% |
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 |
200.48 |
| Snapcaster Mage |
UBT |
Mythic |
103.99 |
| Karakas |
UBT |
Mythic |
92.45 |
| Liliana of the Veil |
UBT |
Mythic |
91.59 |
| Force of Negation |
MH1 |
Rare |
89.51 |
| Cavern of Souls |
UBT |
Mythic |
89.44 |
| Mox Jet |
1E |
Rare |
75.82 |
| Mox Sapphire |
1E |
Rare |
74.88 |
| Force of Will |
MED |
Rare |
73.86 |
| Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow |
PZ2 |
Rare |
72 |
| Ancestral Recall |
1E |
Rare |
70.71 |
| Time Walk |
1E |
Rare |
68.47 |
| Wrenn and Six |
MH1 |
Mythic |
62.72 |
| Mox Emerald |
1E |
Rare |
61.74 |
| Wasteland |
TE |
Uncommon |
60.94 |
| Wasteland |
ZNE |
Mythic |
57.83 |
| Carpet of Flowers |
UZ |
Uncommon |
57.77 |
| Wasteland |
EMA |
Rare |
54.95 |
| Dark Depths |
UBT |
Mythic |
54.09 |
| Scourge of the Skyclaves |
ZNR |
Mythic |
54.03 |
| Force of Will |
2XM |
Mythic |
53.35 |
| Wasteland |
EXP |
Mythic |
52.99 |
| Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth |
UBT |
Mythic |
52.54 |
| Force of Will |
VMA |
Rare |
52.42 |
| Force of Will |
MS3 |
Mythic |
50.53 |
| Wasteland |
TPR |
Rare |
49.93 |
| Force of Will |
EMA |
Mythic |
49.92 |
| Allosaurus Shepherd |
JMP |
Mythic |
49.15 |
| The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale |
ME3 |
Rare |
48.22 |
| Noble Hierarch |
UBT |
Mythic |
47.61 |
| Karn, the Great Creator |
WAR |
Rare |
47.6 |
| Jace, the Mind Sculptor |
MS4 |
Mythic |
47.1 |
| Demonic Tutor |
UBT |
Mythic |
46.51 |
| Auriok Champion |
IMA |
Rare |
45.61 |
| Karn Liberated |
UBT |
Mythic |
45.39 |
| Mox Ruby |
1E |
Rare |
42.12 |
| Verdant Catacombs |
ZNE |
Mythic |
41.94 |
| Mox Pearl |
1E |
Rare |
40.51 |
| Purple-Crystal Crab |
PZ2 |
Common |
39.84 |
| City of Traitors |
EX |
Rare |
38.6 |
| Hexdrinker |
MH1 |
Mythic |
38.15 |
| Teferi, Time Raveler |
WAR |
Rare |
38.15 |
| Auriok Champion |
5DN |
Rare |
37.41 |
| Seasoned Pyromancer |
MH1 |
Mythic |
37.12 |
| Platinum Emperion |
UBT |
Mythic |
36.55 |
| Brazen Borrower |
ELD |
Mythic |
35.49 |
| Underground Sea |
ME2 |
Rare |
35.47 |
| Liliana, the Last Hope |
MS4 |
Mythic |
35.47 |
| Timetwister |
1E |
Rare |
35.35 |
| Cavern of Souls |
ZNE |
Mythic |
33.95 |
| Ethereal Forager |
C20 |
Rare |
33.86 |
| Underground Sea |
ME4 |
Rare |
32.37 |
| Celestial Colonnade |
UBT |
Mythic |
32.37 |
| Misty Rainforest |
ZNE |
Mythic |
32.37 |
| Wooded Foothills |
ZNE |
Mythic |
32.35 |
| Heavenly Qilin |
PZ2 |
Common |
32.18 |
| Scalding Tarn |
ZNE |
Mythic |
31.01 |
| Verdant Catacombs |
EXP |
Mythic |
30.9 |
| Mox Diamond |
ST |
Rare |
30.62 |
| Verdant Catacombs |
MM3 |
Rare |
29.72 |
| Ancient Tomb |
ZNE |
Mythic |
28.8 |
| Scalding Tarn |
EXP |
Mythic |
28.72 |
| Cavern of Souls |
UMA |
Mythic |
28.39 |
| Cavern of Souls |
MM3 |
Mythic |
28.11 |
| Polluted Delta |
ZNE |
Mythic |
27.27 |
| Teferi, Hero of Dominaria |
MS4 |
Mythic |
26.41 |
| Verdant Catacombs |
ZEN |
Rare |
26.37 |
| Lord Windgrace |
PZ2 |
Mythic |
26.32 |
| Creeping Tar Pit |
UBT |
Mythic |
26.18 |
| Ancient Tomb |
EXP |
Mythic |
26.04 |
| Mox Diamond |
TPR |
Mythic |
25.76 |
| Elder Gargaroth |
M21 |
Mythic |
25.69 |
| Ancient Tomb |
TE |
Uncommon |
25.64 |
| Mox Diamond |
V10 |
Mythic |
25.61 |
| Estrid's Invocation |
PZ2 |
Rare |
25.59 |
| Bitterblossom |
UBT |
Mythic |
25.57 |
| Earthshaking Si |
PZ2 |
Common |
25.23 |
| City of Traitors |
TPR |
Rare |
25.05 |
| Life from the Loam |
UBT |
Mythic |
25.01 |
| Fulminator Mage |
UBT |
Mythic |
25 |
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 $29,335. Last week Pete sent me the number as well, just in case I needed it, and it was $28,418. We've gained a bit in the week that followed, going up $917.
In case you don't follow me on Twitter, or PureMTGO on Twitter, and come here the past two Friday afternoons expecting to see a new State of the Program and not seeing one, you wouldn't have known that I had Covid. That is where I have been the past couple of weeks. I had a mild case, as did my ex wife, and my son who also had it was under the weather for a couple of days. We're all much better now, I'm still recovering a bit, but it was the most sick I have ever been in my 40 years of life. This virus is no joke, and has led to me and my mother being quarantined by the health department until April 6th. I've missed a weekend with my son, but I should be able to get my next weekend with him next week. I never had issues with my lungs during this, coughing was mild at best, but the aches and pains and fatigue that I felt for 16 days was unbelivably bad.
Thankfully my mother got the vaccine for it before I caught it. I did wear a mask and isolate from her to keep her safe as possible.
Get your vaccine, wear your mask, wash your hands, be safe, this virus is not a lot of fun to go through.
When I wasn't asleep I was playing Final Fantasy Record Keeper or AFK Arena. I wasn't getting out of bed or trying to sit up for anything.
This series is an ongoing tribute to Erik “Hamtastic” Friborg.
