Zendikar Rising Championship: Congrats to Brad Barclay for winning the Zendikar Rising Championship.  The format for the event was Standard and Historic, with a Historic top eight.  Brad had a highly teched out Azorius control deck that dominated the top eight.  You can read about the event here.

Showcase Qualifiers:  There are two chances to qualify for the Magic Online Champions Showcase.  Saturday give Standard a go, if that's not your style, on Sunday there is a Pionner qualifier.  You can learn more about Showcase Qualifiers here. Showcase Last Chance events can be learned about here.

MOCS Season 1:  This began on Wednesday!  The info page for this is found here.

Terms of Use changes:  Wizards of the Coast sent out an email that said their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy have been updated.  It reflects the inclusion of Spelltable, organized play and dispute resolution.  You can read the new Privacy Policy here, and the new Terms of Use here.  It would be super nice though, if they just showed you what changed at the state of the document. 

Commander Legends League changes:  Player clocks are down to 40 minutes and the time to make picks in drafts has been reduced.  Peep the tweet!

Limited Showcase issues:  December 6th saw some issues on MTGO with the Limited Showcase.  It just didn't fire.  It eventually started at a later time, and three booster packs were given out as a token of apology. 
 

Standard: The Arena deck dumps are weird. Sometimes you get a cool looking deck like this Abzan Control list, and other times you get a best of one list with no sideboard that is just hanging out in the best of three queue. Sometimes you get someone's great netdeck, others, someone decided to play with their Brawl deck. I mean good for them, but there has to be a better way the featuring a deck with 4 sideboard cards and a dream right?

Abzan Control

 

4 Garruk, Cursed Huntsman 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 3 Heartless Act 4 Mythos of Nethroi 4 Cultivate 4 Extinction Event 3 Mazemind Tome 2 Castle Ardenvale 1 Castle Locthwain 3 Forest 4 Indatha Triome 7 Swamp 3 Temple of Malady 1 Bala Ged Recovery 3 Bloodchief's Thirst

2 Branchloft Pathway 3 Brightclimb Pathway 2 Felidar Retreat 3 Shadows' Verdict 2 Skyclave Relic

Sideboard: 2 Murderous Rider 1 Cling to Dust 2 Agonizing Remorse 4 Duress 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Bala Ged Recovery 3 Cragplate Baloth

Historic: I did want to show off the deck that Brad Barclay won the Zendikar Rising Championship with. It's pretty strong and having access to Grafdigger's Cage in the main makes playing God-Pharaoh's Gift a little more difficult.

Azorius Control

Brad Barclay

2 Narset, Parter of Veils 4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 4 Absorb 1 Aether Gust 4 Censor 1 Disdainful Stroke 4 Wrath of God 3 Baffling End 4 Cast Out 1 Search for Azcanta 4 Shark Typhoon 2 Grafdigger's Cage 3 Castle Ardenvale 2 Castle Vantress 4 Glacial Fortress

4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Irrigated Farmland 5 Island 4 Plains

Sideboard: 2 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Disdainful Stroke 3 Dovin's Veto 1 Essence Scatter 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Shatter the Sky 2 Timely Reinforcements 1 Baffling End 1 Seal Away

Legacy:Every so often it is nice to see a tribal strategy do well in Legacy. It's usually Death and Taxes that does it, so Goblins showing back up, with the help of Muxus, Goblin Grandee is nice.

Goblins

 

1 Gempalm Incinerator 3 Goblin Cratermaker 4 Goblin Lackey 4 Goblin Matron 2 Goblin Piledriver 3 Goblin Ringleader 1 Goblin Trashmaster 3 Goblin Warchief 2 Mogg War Marshal 3 Munitions Expert 1 Pashalik Mons 2 Skirk Prospector 2 Sling-Gang Lieutenant 4 Aether Vial 1 Arid Mesa 2 Badlands 2 Bloodstained Mire 4 Cavern of Souls 1 Karakas 4 Mountain

3 Rishadan Port 1 Scalding Tarn 4 Wasteland 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Sideboard: 1 Earwig Squad 1 Goblin Chainwhirler 2 Mindbreak Trap 1 Pyroblast 2 Pyrokinesis 1 Red Elemental Blast 2 Surgical Extraction 1 Tarfire 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Pithing Needle 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Karakas

Modern: I was at a loss for Modern decks this week, so I went with another tribal strategy.

Merfolk

 

2 Harbinger of the Tides 4 Kumena's Speaker 4 Lord of Atlantis 4 Master of the Pearl Trident 4 Merfolk Mistbinder 4 Merfolk Trickster 4 Silvergill Adept 3 Force of Negation 2 Spreading Seas 4 Aether Vial 3 Chalice of the Void 2 Smuggler's Copter 4 Botanical Sanctum

4 Cavern of Souls 3 Mutavault 7 Snow-Covered Island 2 Waterlogged Grove

Sideboard: 3 Dismember 1 Force of Negation 2 Spreading Seas 1 Chalice of the Void 4 Pithing Needle 4 Relic of Progenitus

Pauper: I did not imagine that Temur Land Destruction would rise up in a Fall from Favor dominated format, but here we are. Cascading in to land destruction spells off of Boarding Party or Annoyed Altisaur has to be great. Also there are not the right words in the right order to convince me that Bonder's Ornament as a 10 dollar card on MTGO is a good thing.

Temur Cascade

 

4 Arbor Elf 4 Llanowar Visionary 4 Mulldrifter 4 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss 4 Thermokarst 4 Utopia Sprawl 4 Wild Growth 2 Ash Barrens 13 Forest 3 Island 2 Mountain 4 Annoyed Altisaur

3 Boarding Party 3 Bonder's Ornament 2 Fall from Favor

Sideboard: 2 Ulamog's Crusher 2 Fiery Cannonade 2 Hydroblast 2 Pyroblast 2 Serene Heart 3 Weather the Storm 2 Gleeful Sabotage

Pioneer: Any deck with Whelming Wave in it is going to catch my attention. Sadly, Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath is cost prohibitive to some people, but I guess that is why Magic is a luxury item.

Simic Ramp

 

4 Arboreal Grazer 4 Cavalier of Thorns 4 Elvish Rejuvenator 2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer 4 Satyr Wayfinder 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 4 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath 2 World Breaker 4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 4 Whelming Wave 1 Blast Zone 2 Botanical Sanctum 4 Breeding Pool 4 Castle Garenbrig

7 Forest 4 Hinterland Harbor 1 Sanctum of Ugin 1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods 3 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard: 3 Back to Nature 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Orbs of Warding 4 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Blast Zone

Vintage: This is probably my last Vintage deck for a while. The format is more and more difficult to find exciting decks for, and it's not it's fault. When you have access to the most powerful cards of Magic's history it is hard to go away from that.

Izzet Breach

 

3 Dreadhorde Arcanist 1 Snapcaster Mage 1 Young Pyromancer 3 Dack Fayden 1 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Dig Through Time 4 Force of Will 3 Lightning Bolt 1 Mental Misstep 4 Pyroblast 1 Gitaxian Probe 1 Merchant Scroll 1 Ponder 4 Preordain 1 Time Walk 1 Treasure Cruise 2 Blood Moon 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet

1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 3 Island 2 Mountain 3 Prismatic Vista 3 Scalding Tarn 1 Strip Mine 2 Volcanic Island 3 Wasteland 3 Hullbreacher

Sideboard: 2 Brain Freeze 1 Surgical Extraction 3 Shattering Spree 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Underworld Breach 1 Lotus Petal 2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

 

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

Challenge Winners

Saturday Legacy - comeback - Elves
Saturday Modern - showcase
Saturday Pauper - Mogged - Mono Blue Monarch
Saturday Pioneer - Phill_Hellmuth - Sultai Reclamation
Saturday Standard - showcase
Saturday Vintage - showcase

Sunday Legacy - showcase
Sunday Modern - Sodeq - Dredge
Sunday Pauper - _against_ - Dimir Monarch
Sunday Pioneer - showcase
Sunday Standard - Good_Game - Dimir Rogues
Sunday Vintage - Jenara19

Other Event Winners

Pioneer Showcase Challenge - jessy_samek - Green Devotion
Legacy Showcase Challenge - slod - Snow Control
Vintage Showcase Challenge - laughingrock
Standard Showcase Challenge - O_danielakos - Dimir Control
Modern Showcase Challenge - Xwhale - Eladamri's Toolbox
Modern Champ Qualifier - kaktusowysmok - Goblins

Around the Web

MTGOTraders YouTube:  Did you know that MTGOTraders.com has a YouTube page?  Well if not, now you do, and you can find it here! 

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: Sea Gate Restoration fell off this week. 

Standard Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Brazen Borrower	$15.51	$15.02	$0.49	3%
Questing Beast	$6.30	$6.18	$0.12	2%
Bonecrusher Giant	$4.68	$5.83	($1.15)	-20%
The Great Henge	$7.13	$6.80	$0.33	5%
General Kudro of Drannith	$7.36	$7.59	($0.23)	-3%
Shark Typhoon	$12.44	$13.39	($0.95)	-7%
Vivien, Monsters' Advocate	$7.59	$7.34	$0.25	3%
Lurrus of the Dream Den	$9.42	$9.21	$0.21	2%
Teferi, Master of Time	$8.05	$9.71	($1.66)	-17%
Terror of the Peaks	$17.29	$17.22	$0.07	0%
Liliana, Waker of the Dead	$14.83	$16.03	($1.20)	-7%
Elder Gargaroth	$34.08	$34.88	($0.80)	-2%
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger	12.15	13.38	($1.23)	-9%
Klothys, God of Destiny	7.9	10.23	($2.33)	-23%
Heliod, Sun-Crowned	7.56	6.31	$1.25	20%
Ox of Agonas	6.01	5.61	$0.40	7%
Scourge of the Skyclaves	$29.11	$29.22	($0.11)	0%
Turntimber Symbiosis	$19.53	$20.60	($1.07)	-5%
Agadeem's Awakening	$13.53	$13.77	($0.24)	-2%
Skyclave Apparition	$14.67	$19.78	($5.11)	-26%
Shatterskull Smashing	$6.44	$5.98	$0.46	8%

Modern Staples:  Welcome back to the list Steelshaper's Gift and Engineered Explosives.

Modern Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Auriok Champion	$23.39	$15.79	$7.60	48%
Steelshaper's Gift	$16.22
Engineered Explosives	$5.38
Cavern of Souls	$20.20	$16.41	$3.79	23%
Mishra's Bauble	$9.71	$9.33	$0.38	4%
Aether Vial	$20.11	$17.17	$2.94	17%
Horizon Canopy	$12.64	$9.97	$2.67	27%
Tarmogoyf	$4.24	$5.58	($1.34)	-24%
Liliana of the Veil	$11.10	$12.39	($1.29)	-10%
Polluted Delta	$11.27	$10.92	$0.35	3%
Wooded Foothills	$6.06	$6.24	($0.18)	-3%
Flooded Strand	$6.06	$5.61	$0.45	8%
Bloodstained Mire	$6.42	$7.06	($0.64)	-9%
Windswept Heath	$5.09	$6.27	($1.18)	-19%
Thoughtseize	$8.12	$8.79	($0.67)	-8%
Cryptic Command	$5.12
Field of the Dead	$21.97	$20.75	$1.22	6%
Elvish Reclaimer	$19.56	$15.10	$4.46	30%
Force of Negation	$77.06	$81.07	($4.01)	-5%
Wrenn and Six	$66.70	$74.09	($7.39)	-10%
Prismatic Vista	$12.23	$15.15	($2.92)	-19%
Sunbaked Canyon	$15.02	$14.10	$0.92	7%
Seasoned Pyromancer	$36.75	$45.31	($8.56)	-19%
Fiery Islet	$9.31	$8.69	$0.62	7%
Urza, Lord High Artificer	$10.38	$11.90	($1.52)	-13%
Plague Engineer	$12.65	$13.21	($0.56)	-4%
Force of Vigor	$15.80	$13.38	$2.42	18%
Collector Ouphe	$5.13	$4.44	$0.69	16%
Nurturing Peatland	$4.73	$6.56	($1.83)	-28%
Ice-Fang Coatl	$7.42	$7.58	($0.16)	-2%
Giver of Runes	$14.69	$13.87	$0.82	6%
Hexdrinker	$6.33	$6.62	($0.29)	-4%
Flusterstorm	$8.52	$8.19	$0.33	4%
Archmage's Charm	$10.88	$9.54	$1.34	14%
Ranger-Captain of Eos	$9.28	$6.42	$2.86	45%
Silent Clearing	$6.25	$6.58	($0.33)	-5%
Chalice of the Void	$10.72	$9.90	$0.82	8%
Surgical Extraction	$17.50	$15.75	$1.75	11%
Dismember	$5.84	$5.71	$0.13	2%
Karn Liberated	$5.45	$5.17	$0.28	5%
Ensnaring Bridge	$8.97	$8.78	$0.19	2%
Boil	$10.87	$7.41	$3.46	47%
Gemstone Mine	$11.65	$13.30	($1.65)	-12%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	$7.55	$8.24	($0.69)	-8%
Scalding Tarn	$15.35	$17.41	($2.06)	-12%
Verdant Catacombs	$10.68	$14.30	($3.62)	-25%
Misty Rainforest	$15.09	$16.05	($0.96)	-6%
Arid Mesa	$4.77	$4.97	($0.20)	-4%
Marsh Flats	$4.49	$5.06	($0.57)	-11%

Eternal Staples:  With Muxus, Goblin Grandee being featured in this week's Legacy list, I figured it would be a good time to add the goblin to the table.  Show and Tell has come off the list.

Eternal Format Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Dark Depths	$5.32	$5.33	($0.01)	0%
Oko, Thief of Crowns	$22.58	$20.36	$2.22	11%
City of Traitors	$18.71	$19.42	($0.71)	-4%
Sphere of Resistance	$6.38	$6.29	$0.09	1%
Monastery Mentor	$7.72	$7.94	($0.22)	-3%
Allosaurus Shepherd	$48.75	$55.82	($7.07)	-13%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee	$5.11
Force of Will	$46.99	$45.66	$1.33	3%
Karakas	$10.56	$10.79	($0.23)	-2%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale	$42.16	$41.27	$0.89	2%
Demonic Tutor	$8.75	$8.31	$0.44	5%
Echo of Eons	$9.98	$8.53	$1.45	17%
Unmask	$8.20	$7.92	$0.28	4%
Misdirection	$11.62	$12.22	($0.60)	-5%
Rishadan Port	$12.92	$14.10	($1.18)	-8%
Entomb	$7.13	$7.03	$0.10	1%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow	$42.81	$39.14	$3.67	9%
Mox Diamond	$17.15	$19.29	($2.14)	-11%
Wasteland	$39.88	$43.12	($3.24)	-8%
Ancient Tomb	$17.93	$18.99	($1.06)	-6%
Lotus Petal	$21.44	$20.62	$0.82	4%
Earthcraft	$6.68	$6.63	$0.05	1%
Academy Rector	$5.32	$5.22	$0.10	2%
Grim Monolith	$14.32	$14.26	$0.06	0%
Exploration	$14.28	$13.74	$0.54	4%
Gaea's Cradle	$28.90	$28.57	$0.33	1%
Carpet of Flowers	$33.29	$29.28	$4.01	14%
Gilded Drake	$8.36	$8.40	($0.04)	0%
Black Lotus	$9.58	$8.59	$0.99	12%
Tropical Island	$10.67	$9.46	$1.21	13%
Volcanic Island	$11.79	$10.66	$1.13	11%
Underground Sea	$13.11	$12.52	$0.59	5%
Sol Ring	$10.09	$10.36	($0.27)	-3%
Null Rod	$6.45	$6.41	$0.04	1%
Doomsday	$20.22	$21.15	($0.93)	-4%
Mindbreak Trap	$22.56	$17.73	$4.83	27%

Pioneer Staples:  The smallest list remains stable for the most part this week. 

Pioneer Cards	Price	Last Time	Change	% Change
Soul-Scar Mage	$7.34	$8.35	($1.01)	-12%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger	$6.69	$5.83	$0.86	15%
Collected Company	$5.86	$6.40	($0.54)	-8%
Collective Brutality	$4.55	$5.16	($0.61)	-12%
Assassin's Trophy	$6.89	$7.85	($0.96)	-12%
Mana Confluence	$5.66	$5.31	$0.35	7%
Eidolon of the Great Revel	$7.81	$7.14	$0.67	9%
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper	$5.82	$5.69	$0.13	2%
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath	$77.12	$76.83	$0.29	0%
Teferi, Time Raveler	$36.71	$37.60	($0.89)	-2%
Finale of Devastation	$5.07	$6.16	($1.09)	-18%
Karn, the Great Creator	$36.93	$36.78	$0.15	0%
Dreadhorde Arcanist	$11.36	$13.91	($2.55)	-18%
Blast Zone	$14.80	$15.32	($0.52)	-3%
Omnath, Locus of Creation	$17.52	$18.33	($0.81)	-4%

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	$126.80	$129.46	($2.66)	-2%
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths	$72.95	$72.51	$0.44	1%
Theros Beyond Death	$158.83	$160.47	($1.64)	-1%
Throne of Eldraine	$140.15	$140.00	$0.15	0%
Treasure Chest	$2.35	$2.35	$0.00	0%
Zendikar Rising	$129.08	$137.50	($8.42)	-6%
Zendikar Rising Booster Pack	$2.97	$3.27	($0.30)	-9%

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	127.8
Snapcaster Mage	UBT	Mythic	101.48
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath	THB	Mythic	77.12
Force of Negation	MH1	Rare	77.06
Liliana of the Veil	UBT	Mythic	76.51
Ancestral Recall	1E	Rare	74.21
Karakas	UBT	Mythic	73.85
Mox Jet	1E	Rare	72.77
Wrenn and Six	MH1	Mythic	66.7
Cavern of Souls	UBT	Mythic	65.57
Hullbreacher	CMR	Rare	61.74
Time Walk	1E	Rare	61.72
Mox Emerald	1E	Rare	60.54
Noble Hierarch	UBT	Mythic	52.93
Dark Depths	UBT	Mythic	52.25
Karn Liberated	UBT	Mythic	51.38
Allosaurus Shepherd	JMP	Mythic	48.75
Force of Will	MED	Rare	46.99
Dockside Extortionist	C19	Rare	42.9
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	MS4	Mythic	42.82
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow	PZ2	Rare	42.81
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale	ME3	Rare	42.16
Opposition Agent	CMR	Rare	41.56
Mox Pearl	1E	Rare	41.21
Mox Sapphire	1E	Rare	40.12
Wasteland	TE	Uncommon	39.88
Lord Windgrace	PZ2	Mythic	38.19
Timetwister	1E	Rare	37.31
Mox Ruby	1E	Rare	37.28
Karn, the Great Creator	WAR	Rare	36.93
Seasoned Pyromancer	MH1	Mythic	36.75
Teferi, Time Raveler	WAR	Rare	36.71
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	UBT	Mythic	36.23
Liliana, the Last Hope	MS4	Mythic	35.48
Force of Will	EMA	Mythic	34.75
Demonic Tutor	UBT	Mythic	34.13
Elder Gargaroth	M21	Mythic	34.08
Force of Will	2XM	Mythic	33.99
Force of Will	VMA	Rare	33.93
Carpet of Flowers	UZ	Uncommon	33.29
Force of Will	MS3	Mythic	32.4
Purple-Crystal Crab	PZ2	Common	31.36
Platinum Emperion	UBT	Mythic	31.16
Celestial Colonnade	UBT	Mythic	31.08
Wasteland	TPR	Rare	30.97
Life from the Loam	UBT	Mythic	30.51
Wasteland	EXP	Mythic	29.75
Scourge of the Skyclaves	ZNR	Mythic	29.11
Gaea's Cradle	UZ	Rare	28.9
Jeweled Lotus	CMR	Mythic	27.74
Cavern of Souls	ZNE	Mythic	27.61
Wasteland	ZNE	Mythic	26.63
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria	MS4	Mythic	26.41
Lotus Petal	MS2	Bonus	25.97
Bitterblossom	UBT	Mythic	25.28
Heavenly Qilin	PZ2	Common	25.25
Creeping Tar Pit	UBT	Mythic	25.19
Auriok Champion	IMA	Rare	25.09

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 $25,957.  Last week the number was $25,630.  It's a small gain, of $327, but a gain! 
 

In Closing

I have played so much Commander this week.  While writing the news section I was actually taking a Gavi, Nest Warden deck through a queue, and managed to the win the game early thanks to Approach of the Second Sun.  I've also been working on a few decks to take advantage of The Walking Dead legends.  I'm really excited about Daryl and Michonne.  Glenn and Rick both seem a bit straight-forward, and I am hesitant to play Negan, considering well, his character.  I'm not sleeping well either, waking up after about 4 hours of sleep either in pain from a arm that fell asleep, with heartburn or needing to use the bathrom.  Getting old is not fun, and I strongly advise against it. 

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