State of the Program for February 21st, 2020
World Champion Crowned: Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa added a World Championship trophy to his already crowded mantle this past weekend. You can find the tournament coverage here.
Challenger Decks Come Back: The popular preconstructed decks that serve as an entry point to Standard are coming back this year. You can check out the lists here.
Legacy Challenge Broke: The Legacy Challenge broke this weekend, with at least a 2 hour wait between rounds. It eventually finished, but a lot of players for their entry fee refunded.
Redemption Issues: Speaking of broken things, a lot of people got emails saying their redemption did not process on Wednesday. As of now, redemptions were processed on Thursday morning.
Jumpstart: 20 card booster packs, each with a theme, be it Phyrexians, Zombies, Cats, Pirates, or a ton of others. Almost 500 reprints and 37 new cards are coming to the game. Cards are Legal in Eternal formats. It's coming to Arena, but just like the new Secret Lairs, no mention of MTGO. Read the full details here.
Ikoria box toppers: From the twitch video today, Ikoria will have box toppers, much like Ultimate Masters did.
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 26, 2020 |
Constructed Leagues End
|
April 15, 2020
|
Sealed Leagues End
|
April 16, 2020
|
Next B&R Announcement
|
Unknown
|
Throne of Eldraine Redemption
|
Ends March 11, 2020
|
Theros: Beyond Death Redem
|
Starts February 12, 2020
|
Theros: Beyond Death
|
January 24, 2020
|
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
|
April 24, 2020
|
Core Set 2021
Zendikar Rising
|
Third Quarter 2020
Fourth Quarter 2020
|
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:
Saturday - Pauper PTQ
Sunday - Limited PTQ
Magic Online Format Challenges
These are high stakes events that happen every weekend. They cost 25 Tix / 250 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:
Event Type
|
Start Time
|
|
Saturday 6:00 am PT
Saturday, 8:00 am PT
|
|
Saturday, 10:00 am PT
Sunday 6:00 am PT
|
|
Sunday, 8:00 am PT
|
|
Sunday, 10:00 am PT
|
Standard: Sometimes looking at decks is a real tedious thing to do, especially when the format is solved. Thankfully, this list that I grabbed from a Hareyura event is off the wall bonkers!
Legacy:
Doomsday and the stacks that you make has always intimdated me, but this version seems a lot easier to figure out, which is great, because I am a dumb.
Modern: This is what I am currently playing in Modern, and let me tell you, it's a lot of fun! Also
Simian Spirit Guide shouldn't be a legal card in the format. I defended it forever, but wow, yeah it does nothing fair.
Pauper: I just closed my eyes and picked a Pauper deck. This is not one I would play, and I miss Izzet Blitz.
Pioneer: Check out Around the Web for a great primer on this deck!
Vintage:Oracle combo seems to be all over the place and the card has to be among the most impactful cards out of Theros Beyond Death right?
The Winner's Circle is where I will recognize winners of the past events on MTGO.
Challenge Winners
Pioneer - i_dont_know - Sram Auras
Pauper - SacredDevil - Stompy
Legacy - Pische10 - Snowko
Vintage - IamActuallyLvL1 - Painter
Standard - __Noob__ - Temur Reclamation
Modern - TSPJendrek - UW Stoneblade
PTQ Winners
Modern - Violent Outburst - Amulet Titan
Pioneer - SunofNothing - Dimir Inverter
MTGOTraders YouTube: Did you know that MTGOTraders.com has a YouTube page with videos added Monday, Wednesday and Friday? Well if not, now you do, and you can find it here!
Jeff Patterson wrote an excellany primer on Kethis combo, which is why I featured the list this week, you can check it out here!
Corbin Hosler wrote a great piece after Worlds.
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: Throne of Eldraine stuff seemed really soft this week, and both
The Royal Scions and
The Great Henge fell off the list.
Embercleave came back though!
Standard Cards |
Price |
Last Week |
Change |
% Change |
Brazen Borrower |
$37.49 |
$48.39 |
($10.90) |
-23% |
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King |
$8.01 |
$8.08 |
($0.07) |
-1% |
Questing Beast |
$7.67 |
$7.96 |
($0.29) |
-4% |
Alela, Artful Provocateur |
$7.87 |
$8.11 |
($0.24) |
-3% |
Chulane, Teller of Tales |
$6.53 |
$6.57 |
($0.04) |
-1% |
Fabled Passage |
$8.38 |
$9.38 |
($1.00) |
-11% |
Rankle, Master of Pranks |
$5.64 |
$5.96 |
($0.32) |
-5% |
Bonecrusher Giant |
$7.63 |
$6.54 |
$1.09 |
17% |
Embercleave |
$8.65 |
|
|
|
Arclight Phoenix |
$5.81 |
$7.03 |
($1.22) |
-17% |
Assassin's Trophy |
$5.81 |
$5.63 |
$0.18 |
3% |
Chandra, Awakened Inferno |
$16.74 |
$19.04 |
($2.30) |
-12% |
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord |
$10.41 |
$13.32 |
($2.91) |
-22% |
Leyline of the Void |
$9.06 |
$9.88 |
($0.82) |
-8% |
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger |
$8.53 |
$9.62 |
($1.09) |
-11% |
Ajani, Strength of the Pride |
$6.69 |
$7.24 |
($0.55) |
-8% |
Cavalier of Thorns |
$12.65 |
$17.89 |
($5.24) |
-29% |
Knight of the Ebon Legion |
$4.20 |
$5.85 |
($1.65) |
-28% |
Lotus Field |
$9.50 |
$7.98 |
$1.52 |
19% |
Hydroid Krasis |
$5.48 |
$6.90 |
($1.42) |
-21% |
Deputy of Detention |
$9.67 |
$6.90 |
$2.77 |
40% |
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper |
$6.78 |
$7.58 |
($0.80) |
-11% |
Spawn of Mayhem |
$4.34 |
$5.45 |
($1.11) |
-20% |
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath |
$48.29 |
$53.20 |
($4.91) |
-9% |
Heliod, Sun-Crowned |
$10.98 |
$16.43 |
($5.45) |
-33% |
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger |
$14.29 |
$9.01 |
$5.28 |
59% |
Ox of Agonas |
$5.17 |
$6.19 |
($1.02) |
-16% |
Teferi, Time Raveler |
$54.00 |
$54.45 |
($0.45) |
-1% |
Finale of Devastation |
$11.35 |
$11.45 |
($0.10) |
-1% |
Karn, the Great Creator |
$8.19 |
$9.13 |
($0.94) |
-10% |
Dreadhorde Arcanist |
$13.15 |
$13.53 |
($0.38) |
-3% |
Blast Zone |
$10.79 |
$11.27 |
($0.48) |
-4% |
Illharg, the Raze-Boar |
$4.54 |
$5.00 |
($0.46) |
-9% |
Gideon Blackblade |
$7.57 |
$7.51 |
$0.06 |
1% |
Niv-Mizzet Reborn |
$21.59 |
$22.67 |
($1.08) |
-5% |
Jace, Wielder of Mysteries |
$9.99 |
$11.11 |
($1.12) |
-10% |
Modern Staples:
Auriok Champion made a fool of me, and I should have taken it off last week, however, it is gone now, and can no longer hurt me.
Noble Hierarch has fallen off the list.
Trinisphere is back on the list. I wonder how long
Magus of the Moon will be on here.
Summoner's Pact? Also gone!
Primeval Titan long thought to be a winner in the new Modern has fallen off the list despite seeing a ton of run. Two cards from Modern Horizons are on the list with
Waterlogged Grove jumping back on and
Archmage's Charm hanging out as well.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is back, ready to annihilate boards.
Eternal Staples:
Dazes not here man.
Pioneer Staples:
Gideon of the Trials is back on the list. I imagine it's not the worst thing against Inverter decks or the Breach decks of the format. (Ulamog, the Ceasless Hunger) fell off the list as big mana Eldrazi threats continue to drop in popularity in the format.
Courser of Kruphix is also gone.
Spirebluff Canal is off.
Inverter of Truth had a pretty short stay.
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 2020 |
$192.72 |
$205.54 |
($12.82) |
-6% |
Guilds of Ravnica |
$49.37 |
$52.82 |
($3.45) |
-7% |
Modern Horizons |
$386.61 |
$359.08 |
$27.53 |
8% |
Ravnica Allegiances |
$70.05 |
$72.17 |
($2.12) |
-3% |
Theros Beyond Death |
$126.94 |
$138.19 |
($11.25) |
-8% |
Theros Beyond Death Booster |
$3.30 |
$3.40 |
($0.10) |
-3% |
Throne of Eldraine |
$175.04 |
$183.54 |
($8.50) |
-5% |
Treasure Chest |
$2.16 |
$2.16 |
$0.00 |
0% |
War of the Spark |
$183.08 |
$189.57 |
($6.49) |
-3% |
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 |
186.46 |
Mox Emerald |
1E |
Rare |
83.79 |
Wrenn and Six |
MH1 |
Mythic |
81.06 |
Mox Sapphire |
1E |
Rare |
77.94 |
Karn Liberated |
UBT |
Mythic |
76.55 |
Force of Negation |
MH1 |
Rare |
68.67 |
Mox Jet |
1E |
Rare |
66.44 |
Ancestral Recall |
1E |
Rare |
65.68 |
Snapcaster Mage |
UBT |
Mythic |
57.6 |
Teferi, Time Raveler |
WAR |
Rare |
54 |
Liliana of the Veil |
UBT |
Mythic |
52.45 |
Mox Pearl |
1E |
Rare |
51.85 |
Dark Depths |
V16 |
Mythic |
48.41 |
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath |
THB |
Mythic |
48.29 |
Unmask |
V16 |
Mythic |
46.45 |
Time Walk |
1E |
Rare |
45.95 |
Noble Hierarch |
UBT |
Mythic |
43.83 |
Mox Ruby |
1E |
Rare |
43.63 |
Dark Depths |
UBT |
Mythic |
42.08 |
Lord Windgrace |
PZ2 |
Mythic |
41.87 |
Jace, the Mind Sculptor |
MS4 |
Mythic |
41.58 |
Brazen Borrower |
ELD |
Mythic |
37.49 |
Liliana, the Last Hope |
MS4 |
Mythic |
34.68 |
Cavern of Souls |
UBT |
Mythic |
34.27 |
Force of Will |
MED |
Rare |
33.22 |
Mana Confluence |
EXP |
Mythic |
32.66 |
Timetwister |
1E |
Rare |
32.04 |
Celestial Colonnade |
UBT |
Mythic |
29.37 |
Tuvasa the Sunlit |
PZ2 |
Mythic |
27.77 |
Karakas |
UBT |
Mythic |
26.99 |
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria |
MS4 |
Mythic |
25.7 |
Tarmogoyf |
UBT |
Mythic |
25.24 |
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 $20,320. The last time we had a big number it was $20,795. It is a small loss, one that could placed, I am sure, a bit on the tanking of
Mox Opal, but a $475 loss regardless.
The big number was given to me by Pete on Tuesday, and the prices were done on Thursday. The rest of the article was worked on daily, while also being depressed. I won this week.
This series is an ongoing tribute to Erik “Hamtastic” Friborg.