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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Feb 19 2021 1:00pm
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The President's Day Ban:  So much stuff happened on Monday.  Cards were banned a rule was changed and a card was unbanned.  I'm going to break it up by format instead of making one giant paragraph. 

Historic Changes: Omnath, Locus of Creation and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath were banned.  No wildcards went out, because you got those when they were banned in Standard! 

Legacy Changes
: Arcum's Astrolabe, Dreadhorde Arcanist and Oko, Thief of Crowns were banned. 

Modern Changes: Field of the Dead, Mystic Sanctuary, Simian Spirit Guide, Tibalt's Trickery and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath were banned.  

Pioneer ChangesBalustrade Spy, Teferi, Time Raveler, Undercity Informer, Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Wilderness Reclamation were banned. 

Vintage ChangesLurrus of the Dream Den was unbanned. 

Rules Changes:  The updated how cascade works.  It doesn't stop some of the interactions that we have seen in new cards like Emergent Ultimatum but it does help in the older formats.  Cascade's rule is now this (copy and pasted from the article): 

702.84a. Cascade is a triggered ability that functions only while the spell with cascade is on the stack. "Cascade" means "When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card whose converted mana cost is less than this spell's converted mana cost. You may cast that spell without paying its mana cost if its converted mana cost is less than this spell's converted mana cost. Then put all cards exiled this way that weren't cast on the bottom of your library in a random order."

This change was added to MTGO on the 17th.  The newly illegal cards were removed from MTGO and MTGA on the 15th. 

Black is Magic:  The final two cards of the Black is Magic Secret Lair have been revealed.  Joining the rest will be Sol Ring and Path of Ancestry.  Please read the design article and stories from Sydney Adams here

 
Premier Play Calander:  The MTGO schedule and Premier Play plages have been updated through May, and now included the Strixhaven Championship in June. 

Strixhaven Previews
:  Strixhaven previews started Thursday, they showed off a cycle of cards and the colleges of magic for students.  They also showed off a set of cards in alternate frames called the Mystical Archive.  So far they range in power from Opt to Demonic Tutor.  There will also be Japanese alternate arts of these cards.  These cards will come one in a Draft and Set Booster and at least 3 in a Collector booster.  I do not know how many will come in Japanese products.  The Japanese alternate art will show up in Collector Boosters in any language though.  This is going to be a powerful limited format, as the cards are legal in limited, but not in Standard unless they were already legal there.  They also shared packaging and Commander info.  Check out the main info here, and the alternate art info 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
February 24, 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
Begins February 24, 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:

February 17 - 24 - Modern Horizons Encore Draft.  You keep the cards you draft! 
February 24 - March 3 - Ultimate Masters Flashback
March 3 - March 24 - Vintage Cube
March 24 - March 31 - Time Spiral Remasted Supreme Draft
March 31 - April 7 - New Spotlight Cube
April 7 - April 14 - Another new Spotlight Cube
 
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

This section is goind to be short this week, since the only Wizards supported formats in the game that didn't get caught up in bans were Standard and Pauper, I am going to bring you two of those decks from those formats.  It feels off to feature decks from formats that are so fresh after a ban, as of this writing, most of the reported decks are with the banned cards in them anyways. 

Standard
: Mono White has risen up because of the amount of Sultai Ultimatum decks in the format. It is fast and hits hard, but with Sultai being responded to will the Mono White deck be able to stick around? 


Standard:  This deck just looked like fun.  I have no idea what I am doing in Standard anymore. 


Pauper:  I wish that Pauper had something banned in it again, because finding decks to highlight in the format is getting to be the same as Vintage.  It's really hard to do now.


Pauper: I will enjoy the Inside Out combo and am glad it is around, but I am mad at it for essentially, in my mind, taking over the OHKO deck mantle from Nivix Cyclops





 
Winner's Circle

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

Challenge Winners

Saturday Legacy - robgladiator90 - Snoko
Saturday Modern - maikage - Tibalt's Trickery
Saturday Pauper - LiturgijskaKnjiga - Defender Cascade
Saturday Pioneer - Gul_Dukat - Temur Reclamtion
Saturday Standard - Gobern - Boros Showdown
Saturday Vintage - s063

Sunday Legacy - Ark4n - Dimir Death's Shadow
Sunday Pauper - Mogged - Boros Monarch
Sunday Pioneer - Venom1 - Spirits
Sunday Standard - wambocombo2020 - Mono White Aggro
Sunday Vintage - ktmr-39

Other Event Winners

Modern Champ Qualifier - SpiderSpace - Tibalt's Trickery
Kaldheim Sealed Qualifier - medvedev
Legacy Champ Qualifier - JoseCabezas - Temur Delver


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 is off the table.  Vivien, Monsters's Advocate is off as well.
Standard Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Brazen Borrower $29.62 $27.30 $2.32 8%
Bonecrusher Giant $5.87 $4.69 $1.18 25%
Shark Typhoon $8.97 $6.44 $2.53 39%
Lurrus of the Dream Den $14.64 $8.17 $6.47 79%
Valki, God of Lies $44.93 $84.70 ($39.77) -47%
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider $13.65 $7.70 $5.95 77%
Goldspan Dragon $13.01 $10.30 $2.71 26%
Terror of the Peaks $5.32 $5.69 ($0.37) -7%
Elder Gargaroth $14.83 $17.10 ($2.27) -13%
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 23.31 17.6 $5.71 32%
Klothys, God of Destiny 10.17 7.47 $2.70 36%
Heliod, Sun-Crowned 6.08 4.85 $1.23 25%
Ox of Agonas 6.91 5.99 $0.92 15%
Scourge of the Skyclaves $33.57 $30.00 $3.57 12%
Turntimber Symbiosis $7.83 $12.00 ($4.17) -35%
Agadeem's Awakening $12.95 $14.60 ($1.65) -11%
Skyclave Apparition $22.20 $17.90 $4.30 24%
Shatterskull Smashing $11.82 $14.50 ($2.68) -18%
Sea Gate Restoration 5.86 7.69 ($1.83) -24%
 Modern Staples: Pact of Negation, no longer needed to protect silly combos has came off the list.  Tarmogoyf triumphantly returns!  Magus of the Moon does as well.  Field of the Dead will also come off the list next week, but may also be a part of the Eternal list if it ever catches on there.  Gemstone Caverns makes its way off the list as well no longer needed to power out silly combos. 

Modern Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Auriok Champion $28.21 $24.50 $3.71 15%
Steelshaper's Gift $22.68 $9.00 $13.68 152%
Cavern of Souls $23.12 $20.20 $2.92 14%
Mishra's Bauble $12.65 $12.00 $0.65 5%
Aether Vial $16.71 $17.00 ($0.29) -2%
Horizon Canopy $12.70 $9.13 $3.57 39%
Pact of Negation $2.32 $5.36 ($3.04) -57%
Tarmogoyf $6.31


Magus of the Moon $5.16


Liliana of the Veil $17.17 $11.50 $5.67 49%
Polluted Delta $7.74 $8.44 ($0.70) -8%
Wooded Foothills $7.20 $6.21 $0.99 16%
Flooded Strand $6.61 $6.00 $0.61 10%
Bloodstained Mire $8.10 $6.42 $1.68 26%
Windswept Heath $6.72 $5.74 $0.98 17%
Thoughtseize $10.19 $6.52 $3.67 56%
Field of the Dead $2.14 $12.40 ($10.26) -83%
Elvish Reclaimer $5.80 $7.25 ($1.45) -20%
Force of Negation $65.13 $96.60 ($31.47) -33%
Wrenn and Six $67.10 $58.40 $8.70 15%
Prismatic Vista $10.87 $11.30 ($0.43) -4%
Sunbaked Canyon $13.49 $13.60 ($0.11) -1%
Seasoned Pyromancer $46.70 $42.10 $4.60 11%
Fiery Islet $11.73 $9.32 $2.41 26%
Urza, Lord High Artificer $8.09 $7.73 $0.36 5%
Plague Engineer $12.60 $5.94 $6.66 112%
Force of Vigor $17.79 $11.80 $5.99 51%
Ice-Fang Coatl $4.07 $7.13 ($3.06) -43%
Giver of Runes $6.08 $7.99 ($1.91) -24%
Flusterstorm $9.73 $10.50 ($0.77) -7%
Archmage's Charm $4.41 $5.70 ($1.29) -23%
Ranger-Captain of Eos $6.49 $5.14 $1.35 26%
Silent Clearing $7.09 $5.14 $1.95 38%
Chalice of the Void $13.60 $9.71 $3.89 40%
Surgical Extraction $14.86 $14.40 $0.46 3%
Karn Liberated $5.61 $5.09 $0.52 10%
Emrakul,the Aeons Torn $7.04 $11.40 ($4.36) -38%
Ensnaring Bridge $8.22 $8.69 ($0.47) -5%
Gemstone Caverns $3.21 $10.90 ($7.69) -71%
Gemstone Mine $11.62 $20.60 ($8.98) -44%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor $8.59 $5.98 $2.61 44%
Scalding Tarn $17.96 $16.90 $1.06 6%
Verdant Catacombs $13.26 $11.00 $2.26 21%
Misty Rainforest $13.56 $15.40 ($1.84) -12%
Arid Mesa $7.31 $5.80 $1.51 26%
Marsh Flats $4.85 $4.02 $0.83 21%
Eternal StaplesOko, Thief of Crowns is going to come off the table next week. 
Eternal Format Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Hullbreacher $86.86 $69.90 $16.96 24%
Opposition Agent $27.75 $24.10 $3.65 15%
Dark Depths $5.01 $5.06 ($0.05) -1%
Oko, Thief of Crowns $2.21 $19.00 ($16.79) -88%
City of Traitors $25.21 $24.60 $0.61 2%
Sphere of Resistance $6.83 $8.05 ($1.22) -15%
Monastery Mentor $6.77 $5.75 $1.02 18%
Allosaurus Shepherd $29.73 $23.30 $6.43 28%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee $10.09 $7.22 $2.87 40%
Force of Will $66.29 $61.80 $4.49 7%
Karakas $7.38 $8.90 ($1.52) -17%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale $57.22 $57.30 ($0.08) 0%
Demonic Tutor $12.66 $13.00 ($0.34) -3%
Unmask $8.33 $7.72 $0.61 8%
Misdirection $12.68 $15.10 ($2.42) -16%
Rishadan Port $9.61 $9.08 $0.53 6%
Submerge $9.52 $11.20 ($1.68) -15%
Daze $9.97 $6.91 $3.06 44%
Entomb $7.22 $7.40 ($0.18) -2%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow $45.61 $46.10 ($0.49) -1%
Mox Diamond $16.99 $6.50 $10.49 161%
Wasteland $44.86 $37.70 $7.16 19%
Ancient Tomb $22.58 $18.90 $3.68 19%
Lotus Petal $19.59 $16.60 $2.99 18%
Earthcraft $8.31 $8.39 ($0.08) -1%
Grim Monolith $13.17 $14.90 ($1.73) -12%
Exploration $11.05 $12.10 ($1.05) -9%
Gaea's Cradle $21.12 $24.30 ($3.18) -13%
Carpet of Flowers $19.39 $30.90 ($11.51) -37%
Gilded Drake $9.90 $10.30 ($0.40) -4%
Black Lotus $25.56 $25.60 ($0.04) 0%
Tropical Island $11.08 $9.77 $1.31 13%
Volcanic Island $9.12 $10.90 ($1.78) -16%
Underground Sea $11.34 $12.30 ($0.96) -8%
Sol Ring $5.63 $7.75 ($2.12) -27%
Null Rod $8.28 $8.51 ($0.23) -3%
Doomsday $26.39 $23.40 $2.99 13%
Paradigm Shift $10.60 $10.30 $0.30 3%
Mindbreak Trap $17.83 $34.60 ($16.77) -48%
Pioneer StaplesLiliana, the Last Hope and Collective Brutality enter the list.  Thought-Knot Seer wanted in on the fun as well!  Teferi, Time Raveler will be moving to Modern. 

After being banned in Standard, Modern, Historic and Pioneer, Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath may not have a home on any table.  I am not sure if it sees much Legacy play. 

Pioneer Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
Soul-Scar Mage $11.07 $7.02 $4.05 58%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger $5.43 $7.15 ($1.72) -24%
Collected Company $9.85 $5.71 $4.14 73%
Liliana, the Last Hope $6.31


Collective Brutality $5.92


Assassin's Trophy $4.99 $5.48 ($0.49) -9%
Eidolon of the Great Revel $8.44 $7.97 $0.47 6%
Mana Confluence $3.95 $5.07 ($1.12) -22%
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim $6.38 $5.55 $0.83 15%
Thought-Knot Seer $5.25


Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath $10.32 $64.50 ($54.18) -84%
Teferi, Time Raveler $27.78 $42.10 ($14.32) -34%
Karn, the Great Creator $39.58 $24.70 $14.88 60%
Dreadhorde Arcanist $3.38 $15.60 ($12.22) -78%
Blast Zone $7.18 $7.93 ($0.75) -9%
Omnath, Locus of Creation $10.97 $12.80 ($1.83) -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 $63.42 $64.17 ($0.75) -1%
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths $59.36 $52.99 $6.37 12%
Kaldheim $143.92 $159.20 ($15.28) -10%
Kaldheim Booster $3.32 $3.37 ($0.05) -1%
Theros Beyond Death $104.69 $148.55 ($43.86) -30%
Throne of Eldraine $123.79 $136.60 ($12.81) -9%
Treasure Chest $2.38 $2.46 ($0.08) -3%
Zendikar Rising $138.47 $136.77 $1.70 1%


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 187.53
Snapcaster Mage UBT Mythic 101.69
Hullbreacher CMR Rare 86.86
Karakas UBT Mythic 84.57
Liliana of the Veil UBT Mythic 81.34
Mox Jet 1E Rare 79.54
Cavern of Souls UBT Mythic 77.68
Ancestral Recall 1E Rare 75.83
Time Walk 1E Rare 71.8
Wrenn and Six MH1 Mythic 67.1
Force of Will MED Rare 66.29
Mox Emerald 1E Rare 65.54
Force of Negation MH1 Rare 65.13
Mox Sapphire 1E Rare 65.11
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale ME3 Rare 57.22
Dark Depths UBT Mythic 49.66
Auriok Champion IMA Rare 47.28
Karn Liberated UBT Mythic 47.04
Noble Hierarch UBT Mythic 46.88
Seasoned Pyromancer MH1 Mythic 46.7
Jace, the Mind Sculptor MS4 Mythic 46.7
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow PZ2 Rare 45.61
Valki, God of Lies KHM Mythic 44.93
Wasteland TE Uncommon 44.86
Demonic Tutor UBT Mythic 41.7
Mox Pearl 1E Rare 40.67
Mox Ruby 1E Rare 40.57
Karn, the Great Creator WAR Rare 39.58
Platinum Emperion UBT Mythic 39.12
Force of Will 2XM Mythic 39.02
Timetwister 1E Rare 38.98
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth UBT Mythic 38.37
Purple-Crystal Crab PZ2 Common 36.72
Force of Will EMA Mythic 35.5
Liliana, the Last Hope MS4 Mythic 35.47
Force of Will MS3 Mythic 34.75
Wasteland EXP Mythic 34.38
Wasteland TPR Rare 33.58
Scourge of the Skyclaves ZNR Mythic 33.57
Lord Windgrace PZ2 Mythic 33.27
Force of Will VMA Rare 33.27
Wasteland ZNE Mythic 32.15
Celestial Colonnade UBT Mythic 31.68
Wasteland EMA Rare 31.11
Heavenly Qilin PZ2 Common 29.74
Allosaurus Shepherd JMP Mythic 29.73
Brazen Borrower ELD Mythic 29.62
Auriok Champion 5DN Rare 28.21
Teferi, Time Raveler WAR Rare 27.78
Opposition Agent CMR Rare 27.75
Dockside Extortionist C19 Rare 26.73
Scalding Tarn EXP Mythic 26.52
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria MS4 Mythic 26.41
Doomsday WL Rare 26.39
Creeping Tar Pit UBT Mythic 26.16
Black Lotus VMA Bonus 25.56
City of Traitors EX Rare 25.21
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 $25,644.  Last week it was $25,828.  A small loss from the cards added to the banned lists to be sure a loss of $184 regardless.
 
In Closing

I've been making the Good Stuff Table use a different font each week because I am a grown man the relies on gimmicks instead of writing well.  The teaser text is also a tribute, I'll change that eventually, but for now, it stays.  Prices were done on Wednesday. 

Lots of snow in my part of Kentucky this week.  Got lucky never lost power or other utilities, but the ice has caused some damage to the house, and the cold temps have kept the car from starting. 

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