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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Feb 07 2020 1:00pm
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State of the Program for February 7th, 2019
 
In the News

World Championships Formats:  Players will draft in person pods, and then import their decks to Arena.  After Draft the format switches to Standard.  You can see the whole details as well as a broadcast schedule, and who is casting the event next week here

Crucible of Worlds Promo Bundles:  Want a sweet promo Crucible of Worlds without having to go to a viewing party?  Well do you also have 100 dollars you are willing to part with?  Yes to both of those questions?  Well you're in luck!  There are two packages you can buy from mtgproshop and they have a copy of the card, a playmat and a shirt.  You can pick those up here.

Players Tour Nagoya:  What a stacked top eight!  4 MPL members, 2 Rivals, and Kenta Harane took it down with Bant Spirits.  There was coverage of the event, which you can find here and text coverage here

Players Tour Brussels:  Joel Larsson won with Sultai.  Text coverage is here, video coverage is here.  Brussels also delivered a stacked top eight. 

Players Tour Phoenix:  Coverage of this event starts today.  You can catch that on the Magic The Gathering twitch channel.  It should be in the middle of the draft rounds when this article goes live, and after coverage numbers tanked last week, I wonder how they will go for this week. After the draft is Pioneer action and from early reports it looks like there is going to be a lot of Lotus Field coming in to play tapped and then untapped with Hidden Strings or Pore Over the Pages.

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 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:

Limited PTQ - Saturday
Standard PTQ - Sunday
 
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, 8:00 am PT 
Saturday, 10:00 am PT
Sunday 6:00 am PT
Sunday, 8:00 am PT
Sunday, 10:00 am PT

 

Cutting Edge Tech

Standard: Wilderness Reclamation seems really well positioned in Standard right now.  If Brazen Borrowers were not 200 for a playset, I would for sure try this deck out on MTGO. 


LegacyVeil of Summer is now seeing main deck play in Legacy decks, and geez, 2019 Magic was wild! 


Modern: I miss it when this deck would play Stone Rain and Molten Rain or Pillage in the main deck. 


Pauper:  This deck just looks like my idea of fun, I am not sure if it is any good or not, but it just looks like an absolute blast to play.


Pioneer:  I think this is the second best shell for the Walking Ballista and Heliod, Sun-Crowned combo in Pioneer.  The best one, to me at least, is the GW version with Collected Company.  I just wanted to appreciate that Pioneer has a playable Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx deck in each color.


Vintage: Gosh I really need to play more Vintage.  The format really is a lot of fun. 



 
Winner's Circle

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

Challenge Winners
Pioneer - rage_hs
Pauper - _goblinlackey
Legacy - tye8fl
Vintage - Perke
Standard - petomartinez
Modern - Antoine57437

Around the Web

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

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: I bought in to Arclight Phoenix this week, mainly for Pioneer play, and it's price has been going down a ton recently, so it seemed like a good time to do so.  Vraska, Golgari Queen fell off the list this week.  Cavalier of Dawn after a few strong weeks fell off as well, as it appears its Pioneer playability isn't high, and there just isn't a home for it in Standard really. There are only 5 cards on the Standard list from Theros Beyond Death.  Jace, Wielder of Mysteries is this week's big winner!

Standard Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Brazen Borrower $50.39 $50.12 $0.27 1%
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King $8.16 $9.04 ($0.88) -10%
The Royal Scions $5.43 $5.91 ($0.48) -8%
Questing Beast $8.34 $10.17 ($1.83) -18%
Alela, Artful Provocateur $8.64 $8.70 ($0.06) -1%
Chulane, Teller of Tales $7.12 $7.03 $0.09 1%
The Great Henge $3.23 $5.08 ($1.85) -36%
Fabled Passage $8.92 $8.76 $0.16 2%
Rankle, Master of Pranks $5.58 $6.87 ($1.29) -19%
Arclight Phoenix $7.35 $8.71 ($1.36) -16%
Assassin's Trophy $5.47 $6.27 ($0.80) -13%
Chandra, Awakened Inferno $20.80 $24.02 ($3.22) -13%
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord $16.36 $17.04 ($0.68) -4%
Leyline of the Void $11.46 $14.85 ($3.39) -23%
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger $12.61 $16.12 ($3.51) -22%
Ajani, Strength of the Pride $7.62 $6.78 $0.84 12%
Cavalier of Thorns $22.66 $34.15 ($11.49) -34%
Knight of the Ebon Legion $5.51 $7.32 ($1.81) -25%
Lotus Field $5.33 $5.17 $0.16 3%
Cavalier of Night $4.59 $5.08 ($0.49) -10%
Hydroid Krasis $7.68 $8.85 ($1.17) -13%
Deputy of Detention $5.07 $4.32 $0.75 17%
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper $8.37 $8.34 $0.03 0%
Spawn of Mayhem $6.35 $6.17 $0.18 3%
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath $50.63 $49.79 $0.84 2%
Heliod, Sun-Crowned $20.61 $23.44 ($2.83) -12%
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger $9.55 $5.37 $4.18 78%
Ox of Agonas $6.74 $8.69 ($1.95) -22%
Thassa's Oracle $3.50 $6.16 ($2.66) -43%
Teferi, Time Raveler $57.24 $68.17 ($10.93) -16%
Finale of Devastation $11.20 $12.18 ($0.98) -8%
Karn, the Great Creator $10.64 $11.31 ($0.67) -6%
Dreadhorde Arcanist $14.41 $16.20 ($1.79) -11%
Blast Zone $10.79 $10.67 $0.12 1%
Illharg, the Raze-Boar $6.02 $6.40 ($0.38) -6%
Gideon Blackblade $7.53 $7.57 ($0.04) -1%
Niv-Mizzet Reborn $27.68 $26.01 $1.67 6%
Jace, Wielder of Mysteries $16.79 $7.06 $9.73 138%
Modern StaplesWaterlogged Grove should have fell off this week, but knowing my luck, next week it will cross the five dollar threshold again and I would have to make a new entry for it, so it's just gonna stay.  Wrenn and Six has overtaken Force of Negation for the top Modern Horizons spot again. Summoner's Pact is new to the list and Magus of the Moon is so close to joining it I nearly put it on this week anyways.
 
Modern Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Engineered Explosives $7.83 $6.83 $1.00 15%
Auriok Champion $5.04 $4.78 $0.26 5%
Cavern of Souls $10.93 $12.16 ($1.23) -10%
Noble Hierarch $4.50 $7.08 ($2.58) -36%
Mishra's Bauble $20.01 $17.58 $2.43 14%
Aether Vial $8.56 $7.97 $0.59 7%
Once Upon a Time $9.12 $8.71 $0.41 5%
Horizon Canopy $8.36 $10.52 ($2.16) -21%
Tarmogoyf $5.27 $5.91 ($0.64) -11%
Summoner's Pact $5.40


Liliana of the Veil $12.36 $12.25 $0.11 1%
Polluted Delta $4.56 $4.59 ($0.03) -1%
Wooded Foothills $3.25 $4.46 ($1.21) -27%
Flooded Strand $3.23 $3.73 ($0.50) -13%
Bloodstained Mire $3.17 $3.91 ($0.74) -19%
Windswept Heath $3.61 $2.78 $0.83 30%
Thoughtseize $17.32 $16.95 $0.37 2%
Primeval Titan $6.20 $6.16 $0.04 1%
Field of the Dead $6.22 $7.20 ($0.98) -14%
Force of Negation $45.13 $53.02 ($7.89) -15%
Wrenn and Six $69.97 $71.56 ($1.59) -2%
Prismatic Vista $15.08 $15.50 ($0.42) -3%
Sunbaked Canyon $16.25 $12.59 $3.66 29%
Seasoned Pyromancer $18.79 $14.12 $4.67 33%
Fiery Islet $9.82 $10.55 ($0.73) -7%
Urza, Lord High Artificer $16.59 $18.34 ($1.75) -10%
Hexdrinker $5.92 $7.34 ($1.42) -19%
Plague Engineer $17.28 $19.86 ($2.58) -13%
Force of Vigor $15.35 $13.72 $1.63 12%
Collector Ouphe $11.90 $12.39 ($0.49) -4%
Nurturing Peatland $6.78 $8.14 ($1.36) -17%
Ice-Fang Coatl $15.76 $15.81 ($0.05) 0%
Giver of Runes $7.01 $10.14 ($3.13) -31%
Ranger-Captain of Eos $8.43 $8.21 $0.22 3%
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician $4.84 $6.31 ($1.47) -23%
Echo of Eons $6.73 $6.69 $0.04 1%
Watterlogged Grove $4.98 $4.97 $0.01 0%
Chalice of the Void $8.22 $7.75 $0.47 6%
Karn Liberated $7.75 $6.75 $1.00 15%
Surgical Extraction $11.69 $13.28 ($1.59) -12%
Ensnaring Bridge $7.43 $6.77 $0.66 10%
Gemstone Mine $13.76 $13.18 $0.58 4%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor $14.62 $14.54 $0.08 1%
Amulet of Vigor $5.28 $4.75 $0.53 11%
Scalding Tarn $12.25 $12.35 ($0.10) -1%
Verdant Catacombs $8.25 $8.37 ($0.12) -1%
Misty Rainforest $8.92 $11.24 ($2.32) -21%
Arid Mesa $3.04 $2.82 $0.22 8%
Marsh Flats $2.07 $2.14 ($0.07) -3%
Eternal StaplesLion's Eye Diamond came off the list this week.  Rishadan Port did the same.  Mox Opal has fallen off a cliff since the Modern ban, despite it being powerful in Vintage.  Show and Tell is off as well. Gonna have to really pick up some Force of Wills and give Vintage a try again.

Eternal Format Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Dark Depths $5.08 $4.91 $0.17 3%
Oko, Thief of Crowns $16.01 $14.11 $1.90 13%
City of Traitors $14.73 $15.11 ($0.38) -3%
Monastery Mentor $12.44 $14.62 ($2.18) -15%
Force of Will $29.44 $25.93 $3.51 14%
Land Tax $6.29 $6.13 $0.16 3%
Unmask $5.77 $8.00 ($2.23) -28%
Misdirection $7.95 $8.74 ($0.79) -9%
Daze $5.48 $6.00 ($0.52) -9%
Entomb $5.68 $6.13 ($0.45) -7%
True-Name Nemesis $5.64 $5.60 $0.04 1%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow $31.34 $37.07 ($5.73) -15%
Mox Diamond $13.29 $15.11 ($1.82) -12%
Altar of Dementia $6.53 $6.53 $0.00 0%
Grindstone $12.19 $12.14 $0.05 0%
Wasteland $18.97 $19.26 ($0.29) -2%
Ancient Tomb $9.03 $8.84 $0.19 2%
Lotus Petal $12.20 $10.38 $1.82 18%
Earthcraft $6.09 $5.95 $0.14 2%
Academy Rector $5.57 $5.54 $0.03 1%
Grim Monolith $8.53 $8.76 ($0.23) -3%
Exploration $17.78 $17.82 ($0.04) 0%
Gaea's Cradle $13.00 $12.90 $0.10 1%
Sneak Attack $6.48 $6.48 $0.00 0%
Carpet of Flowers $8.78 $10.00 ($1.22) -12%
Gilded Drake $5.21 $5.04 $0.17 3%
Time Spiral $7.01 $6.72 $0.29 4%
Black Lotus $5.40 $5.23 $0.17 3%
Volcanic Island $7.39 $8.50 ($1.11) -13%
Underground Sea $6.51 $8.36 ($1.85) -22%
Sol Ring $9.72 $9.07 $0.65 7%
Null Rod $7.06 $6.75 $0.31 5%
Pioneer StaplesBrimaz, King of Oreskos fell off this week, and if it weren't for an upward movement in price, Courser of Kruphix would have done the same. Grim Flayer is gone, Bomat Courier left, Goblin Rabblemaster is coming close to dropping off, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth came off, Rekindling Phoenix is waiting to turn back from ash, Abrupt Decay is waiting for Golgari decks to be a bit better, and Thassa, God of the Sea round out the cards that fell off the Pioneer chart this week. 

Pioneer Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
Walking Ballista $10.23 $13.17 ($2.94) -22%
Soul-Scar Mage $8.20 $7.24 $0.96 13%
Liliana's Influence $8.94 $8.76 $0.18 2%
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar $6.76 $8.78 ($2.02) -23%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger $5.48 $5.31 $0.17 3%
Courser of Kruphix $4.28 $3.61 $0.67 19%
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria $5.19 $6.47 ($1.28) -20%
Voice of Resurgence $4.56 $5.58 ($1.02) -18%
Kolaghan's Command $6.53 $4.83 $1.70 35%
Collected Company $17.12 $12.23 $4.89 40%
Liliana, the Last Hope $17.79 $13.52 $4.27 32%
Collective Brutality $7.69 $5.77 $1.92 33%
Emrakul, the Promised End $5.86 $6.07 ($0.21) -3%
Selfless Spirit $4.62 $7.93 ($3.31) -42%
Spell Queller $5.05 $4.32 $0.73 17%
Breeding Pool $5.76 $4.26 $1.50 35%
Stomping Ground $3.15 $3.56 ($0.41) -12%
Godless Shrine $2.44 $1.99 $0.45 23%
Sacred Foundry $0.37 $0.40 ($0.03) -8%
Watery Grave $2.31 $1.92 $0.39 20%
Mana Confluence $17.24 $24.22 ($6.98) -29%
Eidolon of the Great Revel $9.56 $8.16 $1.40 17%
Spirebluff Canal $5.32 $7.07 ($1.75) -25%
Chandra, Torch of Defiance $5.98 $9.27 ($3.29) -35%
Botanical Sanctum $7.43 $5.22 $2.21 42%
Scavenging Ooze $6.73 $11.20 ($4.47) -40%
Mutavault $17.34 $18.70 ($1.36) -7%
Goblin Rabblemaster $4.64 $8.95 ($4.31) -48%
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet $15.68 $18.01 ($2.33) -13%
Thought-Knot Seer $5.79 $5.17 $0.62 12%
Inverter of Truth $7.26 $11.72 ($4.46) -38%
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy $13.02 $12.25 $0.77 6%
Hangarback Walker $3.87 $5.37 ($1.50) -28%
Starfield of Nyx $4.92 $6.50 ($1.58) -24%
Rest in Peace $9.80 $12.55 ($2.75) -22%
Supreme Verdict $8.07 $7.75 $0.32 4%
Hallowed Fountain $2.60 $3.73 ($1.13) -30%
Steam Vents $1.91 $1.76 $0.15 9%
Blood Crypt $1.24 $1.84 ($0.60) -33%
Overgrown Tomb $0.68 $1.00 ($0.32) -32%
Temple Garden $1.51 $1.22 $0.29 24%
Elspeth, Sun's Champion $4.83 $5.87 ($1.04) -18%
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 $218.24 $239.45 ($21.21) -9%
Guilds of Ravnica $54.34 $56.43 ($2.09) -4%
Modern Horizons $331.16 $343.23 ($12.07) -4%
Ravnica Allegiances $73.69 $72.76 $0.93 1%
Theros Beyond Death $147.82 $150.17 ($2.35) -2%
Theros Beyond Death Booster $3.31 $3.40 ($0.09) -3%
Throne of Eldraine $184.66 $185.85 ($1.19) -1%
Treasure Chest $2.18 $2.17 $0.01 0%
War of the Spark $207.94 $213.21 ($5.27) -2%


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 207.56
Mox Sapphire 1E Rare 99.37
Mox Emerald 1E Rare 83.84
Karn Liberated UBT Mythic 80.7
Wrenn and Six MH1 Mythic 69.67
Mox Jet 1E Rare 67.6
Ancestral Recall 1E Rare 65.45
Teferi, Time Raveler WAR Rare 57.24
Liliana of the Veil UBT Mythic 52.45
Mox Pearl 1E Rare 51.82
Snapcaster Mage UBT Mythic 51.59
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath THB Mythic 50.63
Brazen Borrower ELD Mythic 50.39
Time Walk 1E Rare 48.93
Dark Depths V16 Mythic 48.41
Mox Ruby 1E Rare 46.84
Force of Negation MH1 Rare 45.13
Unmask V16 Mythic 45.01
Noble Hierarch UBT Mythic 44.17
Dark Depths UBT Mythic 42.08
Jace, the Mind Sculptor MS4 Mythic 41.58
Timetwister 1E Rare 36.69
Lord Windgrace PZ2 Mythic 35.09
Liliana, the Last Hope MS4 Mythic 34.68
Mana Confluence EXP Mythic 33.55
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow PZ2 Rare 31.34
Cavern of Souls UBT Mythic 30.12
Force of Will MED Rare 29.44
Celestial Colonnade UBT Mythic 28.75
Niv-Mizzet Reborn WAR Mythic 27.68
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria MS4 Mythic 25.7
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.

No number this week.  Real life hit my calculating pal, and I still can't figure out how to make Excel (Well, Open Office Calculator) do the sorcery that is needed to get the big number.  I am a dolt, but I am a welling meaning, hard working, trying dolt. 
 
In Closing

I think I finally found a Pioneer deck that I adore, but I can't figure out if the deck wants to have Thing in the Ice, Young Pyromancer or extra spells in those creature slots.  Arclight Phoenix has been a lot of fun for me in the format, and Treasure Cruise isn't nearly as important to the deck as people make it seem.  It's like chocolate sauce on really good vanilla ice cream.  Sure it doesn't need to be there, but it does enhance the flavors a bit. Still getting things done around the house, the hole in the ceiling is finally covered up, and a new floor is being installed in my entranceway, just slowly taking care of things, and that is super nice. 

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