MTGO Socials: Daybreak has set up forums for MTGO, which you can find here. In addition to the Forums, Daybreak has set up a Discord for MTGO.  You can get the invite here. MTGO has a Twitter account, and can now add an account for Facebook and Instagram. 

Two-Factor Authentication:  This is in Account Settings.  To turn it on you will be asked for your account password and a 6-digit code sent to the email associated with your account.  You can use either an email or authenticator based system.  This will help keep your accounts secure, you can read about the system here.

Redemption:  Redemption is up and running!  Remember that redemption runs now until supply is gone. Currently being redeemed is The Brothers' War,  Phyrexia: All Will Be One, and March of the Machine.  As of May 23, 2023, Redemption Tokens are non-refundable!  A limited amount of Dominaria United is back in stock.  You can check the new redemption page here.

64 player Single-Elimination Drafts:  Coming back with Vintage cube are large scale 64 player events.  These, of course, Single-Elimination.  Will be Vintage Cube, and start on August 25.

Prize Increases:  Prizes are now being paid out to the top 128 of Showcase Challenges.  Increases are a full regular set to 9-16.  A full regular set for players that finish the Swiss X-2.  33-64 will get 200 play points and 10 Treasure Chests.  65-128 will get 150 play points and 5 treasure chests.  Super Qualifiers are also getting a boost, 33-64 are getting 400 play points and 10 chests.  65-128 is getting 200 play points and 5 chests.  Players that finished that highly in Super Qualifiers since July 30, got a retroactive prize increase as well. 

Vintage Cube: Ryan Spain worked on the new version of the Vintage Cube, with help from Chris Wulf.  They made 108 changes to the cube and you can see the changes they made and the reasoning behind them here!

MOCS Season 2 Showcase:  8 of the best players on MTGO are getting together for the next Showcase.  It's this Saturday, features Legacy and Vintage Cube and can be watched on the Twitch channel. 

Patch Notes: You can check out the notes for this update here.

With the downshifts from Commander Masters coming in to the format, I wanted to take another look at Pauper and see if cool stuff was happening in the format.  I believe that it is, and I think we've seen the evolution of some format staples.  The Inside Out combo deck looks a bit more sleek.  Turbo Fog looks a lot more consistent and Mystical Teachings is starting to see play more.  I've long since said that Pauper needs to look at removing Monarch and Initiative, but maybe I'm wrong, maybe the thing tying everything together is an innocent 5 mana sorcery from the Lord the Rings set.  Lorien Revealed is fixing mana, cheating on Islands and allowing Blue decks to have a solid land searcher that isn't Ash Barrens.  Let's take a look at some of the refreshed decks in the format!

Bant Inside Out:

Bant Inside Out

 

2 Fathom Seer 4 Squadron Hawk 4 Tireless Tribe 4 Brainstorm 4 Circular Logic 2 Dispel 1 Dizzy Spell 4 Inside Out 3 Peek 1 Shadow Rift 1 Whiteout 1 Merchant Scroll 4 Preordain 2 Ash Barrens 8 Snow-Covered Island 2 Snow-Covered Plains

4 Birthday Escape 3 Glacial Floodplain 1 Loran's Escape 4 Lorien Revealed 1 Wedding Invitation

Sideboard: 1 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Dispel 1 Echoing Truth 1 Gigadrowse 4 Hydroblast 1 Prismatic Strands 4 Dust to Dust 1 Destroy Evil

Grixis Teachings:

Grixis Teachings

 

4 Augur of Bolas 4 Brainstorm 2 Cast Down 4 Counterspell 2 Diabolic Edict 2 Exclude 1 Fiery Cannonade 4 Frantic Inventory 3 Mystical Teachings 1 Snuff Out 2 Spell Pierce 2 Chainer's Edict 2 Ash Barrens 1 Dimir Aqueduct 8 Island 1 Mountain 2 Swamp

1 Cast into the Fire 2 Ice Tunnel 4 Lorien Revealed 1 Lose Focus 4 Tolarian Terror 3 Volatile Fjord

Sideboard: 2 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Capsize 1 Crypt Incursion 1 Dispel 1 Fiery Cannonade 2 Hydroblast 3 Pyroblast 1 Red Elemental Blast 3 Cast into the Fire

Turbo Fog:

Turbo Fog

 

4 Arcane Denial 4 Brainstorm 1 Dispel 4 Moment's Peace 3 Tangle 4 Weather the Storm 4 Pieces of the Puzzle 2 Stream of Thought 4 Ash Barrens 4 Forest 5 Island 4 Simic Growth Chamber

4 Thornwood Falls 4 Behold the Multiverse 4 Eureka Moment 3 Lorien Revealed 2 Quandrix Campus

Sideboard: 4 Aerial Volley 3 Blue Elemental Blast 4 Keep Safe 4 Relic of Progenitus

4 Color Ephemerate:

4 Color Ephemerate

 

3 Arboreal Grazer 3 Archaeomancer 3 Coiling Oracle 3 Mulldrifter 2 Sea Gate Oracle 1 Stonehorn Dignitary 3 Brainstorm 3 Counterspell 2 Ephemerate 1 Moment's Peace 1 Pulse of Murasa 2 Temporal Spring 1 Ash Barrens 1 Azorius Chancery 3 Forest 4 Island 2 Plains 3 Simic Growth Chamber 1 Thornwood Falls

1 Tranquil Cove 2 Avenging Hunter 2 Azure Fleet Admiral 4 Brokers Hideout 1 Dawnbringer Cleric 1 Idyllic Beachfront 1 Late to Dinner 1 Tangled Islet 2 The Modern Age 3 Wavesifter

Sideboard: 3 Aerial Volley 3 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Echoing Decay 2 Weather the Storm 3 Revoke Existence 3 Destroy Evil

Pioneer:

 

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

Challenge Winners

Friday Modern - nathanb1992 - Tron

Saturday Legacy - MadMaxErnst - Dimir Murktide
Saturday Modern - tibalt_of_red_sub - Dimir Mill
Saturday Modern - AlvaroTJ - Rakdos Evoke
Saturday Pauper - discoverN - Mono Blue Delver
Saturday Pioneer - billsive - Gruul Vehicles
Saturday Standard - Showcase Challenge
Saturday Vintage - Capriccioso

Sunday Legacy - Showcase Challenge
Sunday Modern - Bob49 - AmuLIT
Sunday Pauper - pepeteam - Affinity
Sunday Pioneer - oskiyaa - Rakdos Mid
Sunday Standard - AlfredTorres - Dimir Mid
Sunday Vintage - MissTrigger

Other Event Winners

Standard Showcase Challenge
Legacy Showcase Challenge

Standard Staples: Shipwreck Marsh is on the list. 

Standard Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Cityscape Leveler	$13.67	$15.22	-$1.55	-10%
The Stone Brain	$8.70	$8.70	$0.00	0%
Leyline Binding	$11.44	$11.68	-$0.24	-2%
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse	$29.92	$24.64	$5.28	21%
Liliana of the Veil	$6.47	$7.05	-$0.58	-8%
Nissa, Resurgent Animist	$23.80	$23.56	$0.24	1%
Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival	$9.68	$7.79	$1.89	24%
Memory Deluge	$9.26	$10.64	-$1.38	-13%
Shipwreck Marsh	$6.61
Sheoldred	$5.55	$5.59	-$0.04	-1%
Urabrask	$6.68	$7.49	-$0.81	-11%
Invasion of Gobakhan	$8.00	$10.09	-$2.09	-21%
Elesh Norn	$4.40	$5.34	-$0.94	-18%
Vorinclex	$8.73	$11.76	-$3.03	-26%
Boseiju, Who Endures	$36.37	$35.04	$1.33	4%
Otawara, Soaring City	$8.68	$8.04	$0.64	8%
The Wandering Emperor	$7.00	$6.57	$0.43	7%
Atraxa, Grand Unifier	$9.56	$8.78	$0.78	9%
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines	$9.37	$9.83	-$0.46	-5%
Jace, the Perfected Mind	$6.68	$6.13	$0.55	9%
Ledger Shredder	$6.65	$8.64	-$1.99	-23%
Unlicensed Hearse	$5.67	$7.74	-$2.07	-27%
Wedding Announcement	$19.73	$16.49	$3.24	20%

Modern Staples:

Modern Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Engineered Explosives	$13.68	$12.77	$0.91	7%
Blood Moon	$5.00	$5.46	-$0.46	-8%
Cavern of Souls	$4.82	$4.65	$0.17	4%
Orvar, the All-Form	$8.15	$9.40	-$1.25	-13%
Polluted Delta	$11.69	$12.28	-$0.59	-5%
Wooded Foothills	$5.66	$6.74	-$1.08	-16%
Flooded Strand	$8.61	$7.48	$1.13	15%
Bloodstained Mire	$5.03	$6.76	-$1.73	-26%
Windswept Heath	$5.40	$4.37	$1.03	24%
Thoughtseize	$5.98	$7.09	-$1.11	-16%
The One Ring	$70.13	$82.84	-$12.71	-15%
Orcish Bowmasters	$32.65	$29.56	$3.09	10%
Force of Negation	$32.53	$31.12	$1.41	5%
Wrenn and Six	$16.01	$14.32	$1.69	12%
Sunbaked Canyon	$14.64	$11.38	$3.26	29%
Seasoned Pyromancer	$4.81	$5.42	-$0.61	-11%
Force of Vigor	$12.56	$13.63	-$1.07	-8%
Flusterstorm	$12.15	$11.60	$0.55	5%
Archon of Cruelty	$6.29	$6.88	-$0.59	-9%
Grist, the Hunger Tide	$8.59	$7.29	$1.30	18%
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer	$20.14	$23.48	-$3.34	-14%
Urza's Saga	$35.15	$33.50	$1.65	5%
Solitude	$15.86	$15.93	-$0.07	0%
Endurance	$21.40	$21.84	-$0.44	-2%
Grief	$39.79	$40.06	-$0.27	-1%
Murktide Regent	$31.37	$17.44	$13.93	80%
Fury	$25.67	$25.17	$0.50	2%
Esper Sentinel	$7.09	$5.54	$1.55	28%
Subtlety	$35.01	$34.05	$0.96	3%
Chalice of the Void	$22.97	$19.37	$3.60	19%
Dismember	$5.73	$5.92	-$0.19	-3%
Teferi, Time Raveler	$12.50	$13.04	-$0.54	-4%
Scalding Tarn	$6.31	$7.12	-$0.81	-11%
Verdant Catacombs	$2.82	$2.79	$0.03	1%
Misty Rainforest	$4.69	$5.85	-$1.16	-20%
Arid Mesa	$2.66	$2.35	$0.31	13%
Marsh Flats	$1.25	$1.16	$0.09	8%

Eternal Staples:  Entomb is back on the list.

Eternal Format Cards	Price	Last Time	Change	% Change
Creative Technique	$24.00	$45.00	($21.00)	-47%
Avenging Hunter	$8.60	$8.06	$0.54	7%
Kenku Artificer	$16.94	$19.71	($2.77)	-14%
Summon Undead	$8.05	$8.26	($0.21)	-3%
Goliath Paladin	$5.60	$5.18	$0.42	8%
Displacer Kitten	$7.55	$4.69	$2.86	61%
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes	$5.06	$7.57	($2.51)	-33%
Seasoned Dungeoneer	$6.91	$9.33	($2.42)	-26%
Caves of Chaos Adventurer	$8.80	$8.35	$0.45	5%
Hullbreacher	$7.91	$7.52	$0.39	5%
Opposition Agent	$16.67	$12.79	$3.88	30%
City of Traitors	$12.04	$11.88	$0.16	1%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee	$14.65	$13.90	$0.75	5%
Helm of Obedience	$9.71	$8.96	$0.75	8%
Force of Will	$27.31	$29.06	($1.75)	-6%
Urza's Bauble	$7.50	$10.46	($2.96)	-28%
Hydroblast	$8.62	$7.28	$1.34	18%
Pyroblast	$8.04	$8.57	($0.53)	-6%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale	$7.20	$8.40	($1.20)	-14%
Phyrexian Dreadnought	$9.05	$9.05	$0.00	0%
Unmask	$15.72	$14.06	$1.66	12%
Misdirection	$11.38	$10.54	$0.84	8%
Snuff Out	$12.99	$15.06	($2.07)	-14%
Entomb	$5.48
Retrofitter Foundry	$7.59	$7.59	$0.00	0%
Stifle	$8.16	$6.12	$2.04	33%
Mox Diamond	$43.29	$45.22	($1.93)	-4%
Wasteland	$13.93	$12.34	$1.59	13%
Ancient Tomb	$13.85	$13.84	$0.01	0%
Lotus Petal	$12.14	$12.24	($0.10)	-1%
Grindstone	$16.51	$15.19	$1.32	9%
Powder Keg	$13.42	$14.33	($0.91)	-6%
Grim Monolith	$15.83	$15.83	$0.00	0%
Gaea's Cradle	$17.87	$22.99	($5.12)	-22%
Gilded Drake	$7.15	$8.83	($1.68)	-19%
Show and Tell	$18.73	$18.93	($0.20)	-1%
Black Lotus	$10.59	$13.58	($2.99)	-22%
Volcanic Island	$13.36	$10.80	$2.56	24%
Underground Sea	$23.22	$18.22	$5.00	27%
Null Rod	$24.44	$22.17	$2.27	10%
Doomsday	$16.05	$14.58	$1.47	10%
Paradigm Shift	$11.94	$12.10	($0.16)	-1%

Pioneer Staples:  Den of the Bugbear is back on the list. Lair of the Hydra has fallen off.   Omnath, Locus of Creation is off as well.

Pioneer Cards	Price	Last Time	Change	% Change
Den of the Bugbear	$5.54
Brazen Borrower	$10.18	$8.05	$2.13	26.46%
Arclight Phoenix	$5.54
Shark Typhoon	$6.29	$5.88	$0.41	6.97%
Mana Confluence	$7.57	$4.74	$2.83	59.70%
Blightstep Pathway	$8.29	$7.93	$0.36	4.54%
Hengegate Pathway	$6.21	$6.02	$0.19	3.16%
Spirebluff Canal	$5.69	$7.46	-$1.77	-23.73%
Inspiring Vantage	$5.83	$5.59	$0.24	4.29%
Lotus Field	$14.76	$17.06	-$2.30	-13.48%
Cavalier of Thorns	$4.94	$6.72	-$1.78	-26.49%
The Meathook Massacre	$13.48	$13.86	-$0.38	-2.74%
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker	$24.98	$26.16	-$1.18	-4.51%
Magma Opus	$5.26	$5.65	-$0.39	-6.90%
Karn, the Great Creator	$15.89	$14.53	$1.36	9.36%
Emeria's Call	$27.41	$25.11	$2.30	9.16%
Skyclave Apparition	$6.36	$7.01	-$0.65	-9.27%
Sea Gate Restoration	$17.28	$13.32	$3.96	29.73%
Roiling Vortex	$19.63	$21.14	-$1.51	-7.14%

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 Time	Change	% Change
The Brothers' War	$79.54	$81.58	($2.04)	-3%
Dominaria United	$91.58	$86.52	$5.06	6%
Innistrad: Crimson Vow	$57.77	$52.08	$5.69	11%
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	$76.49	$73.94	$2.55	3%
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty	$101.54	$99.44	$2.10	2%
March of the Machine	$134.87	$141.89	($7.02)	-5%
March of the Machine Booster	$1.78	$1.93	($0.15)	-8%
Phyrexia: All Will Be One	$180.28	$176.77	$3.51	2%
Streets of New Capenna	$40.09	$42.30	($2.21)	-5%
Treasure Chest Booster	$2.32	$2.50	($0.18)	-7%

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	257.85
Mox Jet	1E	Rare	112.92
Ancestral Recall	1E	Rare	93.93
Mox Emerald	1E	Rare	70.85
The One Ring	LTR	Mythic	70.13
Mox Sapphire	1E	Rare	69.54
Time Walk	1E	Rare	68.51
The One Ring	LTR	Mythic	68.02
The One Ring	LTR	Mythic	67.93
Mox Pearl	1E	Rare	58.66
Cavern of Souls	UBT	Mythic	57.78
Liliana of the Veil	UBT	Mythic	55.91
Mox Ruby	1E	Rare	52.39
Karakas	UBT	Mythic	46.44
Mox Diamond	TPR	Mythic	43.61
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	UBT	Mythic	43.39
Mox Diamond	ST	Rare	43.29
Timetwister	1E	Rare	40.81
Dark Depths	UBT	Mythic	40.3
Grief	MH2	Mythic	39.79
Demonic Tutor	UBT	Mythic	39.49
Mox Diamond	V10	Mythic	39.01
Force of Negation	2X2	Rare	36.65
Boseiju, Who Endures	NEO	Rare	36.37
Urza's Saga	MH2	Rare	35.15
Subtlety	MH2	Mythic	35.01
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth	UBT	Mythic	33.58
Reanimate	UBT	Mythic	33.48
Orcish Bowmasters	LTR	Rare	32.65
Force of Negation	MH1	Rare	32.53
Breath of Fire	PZ2	Common	31.63
Murktide Regent	MH2	Mythic	31.37
Orcish Bowmasters	LTR	Rare	30.97
Underground Sea	ME4	Rare	30.5
Underground Sea	ME2	Rare	30.17
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse	DMU	Mythic	29.92
Snapcaster Mage	UBT	Mythic	29.84
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse	ONE	Promo	28.93
Wasteland	ZNE	Mythic	28.52
Armored Whirl Turtle	PZ2	Common	27.88
Emeria's Call	ZNR	Mythic	27.41
Force of Will	MED	Rare	27.31
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer	MUL	Mythic	26.58
Unmask	V16	Mythic	26.11
Polluted Delta	ONS	Rare	26.05
Life from the Loam	UBT	Mythic	25.91
Fury	MH2	Mythic	25.67

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.
 

In Closing

The teaser text if from On Another's Sorrow - William Blake

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