Spoiler Season Continues:  The previews for the next core set have continued and if you are interested in seeing the cards, you can see them here. 

Mythic Championship 3 kicks off:  The next Mythic Championship will be broadcasting by the time this article goes live.  You can watch the action here, and follow along with all the competitor's decklists here. 

Promo Packs get an Update:  Paper players will get four card packs each with a foil promo stamped rare or mythic from the most recent set, a foil promo stamped rare, mythic or alternate art Planeswalker, a promo stamped alternate art basic, and one of five selected cards as a special season selection.  You can check out the list of cards here. 

War of the Spark Uncut Sheets:  After the Mythic Edition issues, some were promised uncut sheets from War of the Spark.  People can expect those to be shipping at the end of next week.  Details are on reddit. 

For those of you that don't know, or don't follow me on twitter, a few months ago, after years of needing help and not looking for it, I finally started to see a therapist.  I have been diagnosed with PTSD, Anxiety, and Agoraphobia.  The last one is what really hurts the most.  It's been nearly 4 years since I last left my city, and nearly 5 years since I have been as far away from my own house as a mile.  I've missed out on so much stuff in the real world because my brain processes and perceives nearly everything to be a danger to me, and it makes no logical sense. 

Getting help is a slow process, we've made some progress, and I have started to use exposure therapy as my method to get back out in to the real world, it's worked in a weird small way.  I'm going outside and confronting things, but at the same time I'm still just so anxious towards everything.  It sucks. 

So what have missed in the world of Magic?  The biggest thing that I have missed out on is also the best thing I have missed out on.  The actual gathering.  Yes, the costs of Grand Prix Magic Fests have skyrocketed out of control, and I probably wouldn't play in the main event anymore, but the road trips and seeing friends and making new ones, that part I have missed out on.  Twitter has helped with this, as I have met a virtual versions of a lot of great people, but lacking that real world connection hurts. 

I never played in a single PPTQ.  I never got to experience the old way of qualifying, hitting up random spots on weekends hoping to spike an event, then turn around and do well in a Regional PTQ. 

I haven't played in a paper prerelease in years.   Those used to be my most favorite events, but by the time my illness was ramping up, I was also growing tired of midnight release events.  Maybe I don't miss prereleases as much as I used to. 

I've missed one friend expand his store in Owensboro.  I've missed another friend expand their store to Elizabethtown.  I've missed a third friend open up a new cafe to add on to their current store, and finally, missed another friend reach for their dreams and open their own store.  While I don't miss the smartphone era of moving cards, I do miss the feeling of satisfaction of helping a friend move or unpack their inventory. 

Digital Magic has done such a wonderful job of filling the hole that my brain has caused me to have, as I get to play whenever I want, and be as competitive as I want to be as well, but there is something magical about actually sleeving some cards up, shuffling them and playing them on a table. 

Anyways, what I really wanted to say, instead of what I missed is this, I guess the end lesson of everything that I have learned so far since I started therapy. 

It's okay to get help.  I wish I had done so years ago now, but am glad that I finally sucked it up and admitted to myself that it's okay to get the help I needed.  While I still feel like curling up in to a ball and sobbing whenever a dog barks at me, or a stranger says hello, things are getting better, it's just a hard process, but it is so worth it. 

Standard: I am pretty glad that Standard is about to get an infusion of new cards.  While this format has been incredible, and one of the best Standard formats ever in my opinion, it has been pretty hard to find new decks to highlight here for the format.  Thankfully some brewers are still doing work and this week we get to see a sweet Chromatic Lantern based list. 

Chromatic

by Fulgence

1 Hydroid Krasis 4 Niv-Mizzet Reborn 1 Ravager Wurm 2 Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves 1 Despark 2 Growth Spiral 1 Mortify 2 Ral's Outburst 1 Tyrant's Scorn 1 Warrant // Warden 2 Angrath's Rampage 2 Casualties of War 3 Deafening Clarion 1 Enter the God-Eternals 1 Thought Erasure 1 Oath of Kaya 4 Chromatic Lantern 1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales 2 Teferi, Time Raveler 1 Blood Crypt 4 Breeding Pool 1 Drowned Catacomb 2 Gateway Plaza 1 Godless Shrine	2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Overgrown Tomb 1 Rootbound Crag 2 Sacred Foundry 1 Steam Vents 3 Sulfur Falls 1 Sunpetal Grove 1 Swamp 3 Temple Garden 1 Watery Grave 1 Woodland Cemetery	Sideboard: 1 Hydroid Krasis 2 Kraul Harpooner 1 Deathsprout 1 Mortify 2 Casualties of War 1 Deafening Clarion 1 Enter the God-Eternals 1 Thought Erasure 1 Oath of Kaya 1 Kaya, Orzhov Usurper

Legacy:  I just wanted to highlight a Wrenn and Six list after it got a ton of hype during spoiler season, so here is a Jund list with the new walker in it. 

Jund

by Egget

2 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Dark Confidant 3 Tarmogoyf 3 Abrupt Decay 2 Assassin's Trophy 2 Kolaghan's Command 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Punishing Fire 1 Angrath's Rampage 3 Hymn to Tourach 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 2 Thoughtseize 3 Liliana of the Veil 1 Liliana, the Last Hope 3 Badlands 3 Bayou 2 Bloodstained Mire 1 Forest	3 Grove of the Burnwillows 2 Swamp 1 Taiga 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Wasteland 1 Wooded Foothills 2 Wrenn and Six	Sideboard: 1 Ancient Grudge 2 Liliana's Triumph 2 Surgical Extraction 2 Choke 2 Damping Sphere 2 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Force of Vigor 2 Plague Engineer

 

Modern: JakesBaked went 5-0 with probably my most favorite deck in Modern, this sweet looking As Foretold list.  Taking full advantage of the zero casting cost spells in the format Ancestral Vision, Restore Balance and the newest, Crashing Footfalls.  Finale of Promise really pushes this deck over the top now, as you can buy back an Electrodominance and a free sorcery with it.  Just the greatest value you can find without stepping foot in to a Wal-Mart! 

As Foretold

by JakesBaked

4 Greater Gargadon 4 Simian Spirit Guide 3 Lightning Bolt 4 Ancestral Vision 2 Faithless Looting 2 Finale of Promise 4 Restore Balance 4 Serum Visions 4 As Foretold 4 Utopia Sprawl 1 Breeding Pool 1 Forest 1 Island 3 Misty Rainforest 2 Mountain 1 Scalding Tarn	2 Steam Vents 1 Stomping Ground 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Crashing Footfalls 3 Électrodominance 2 Prismatic Vista	Sideboard: 1 Abrade 1 Ancient Grudge 2 Dispel 1 Natural State 3 Ravenous Trap 2 Spell Pierce 3 Blood Moon 2 Weather the Storm

Pauper:  I think maybe the best thing about Modern Horizons for Pauper is that is made Snow-Covered Island a bit more affordable.  I mean I had an issue dropping lots of tickets on basic lands, but with snow on them.  In a post Gush, Daze and Gitaxian Probe format, things seem to be opening up.  Check out this Jeskai Tempo list!

Jeskai Tempo

by sakkra

1 Archaeomancer 4 Glint Hawk 4 Kor Skyfisher 4 Mulldrifter 3 Trinket Mage 4 Counterspell 2 Fire // Ice 4 Skred 4 Ponder 4 Preordain 1 Bonesplitter 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Ancient Den 4 Ash Barrens 1 Great Furnace 1 Snow-Covered Forest	10 Snow-Covered Island 1 Snow-Covered Mountain 1 Snow-Covered Plains 4 Arcum's Astrolabe 1 Ephemerate	Sideboard: 2 Lone Missionary 1 Standard Bearer 1 Celestial Flare 2 Electrickery 2 Hydroblast 3 Pyroblast 2 Serene Heart 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Weather the Storm

Vintage:  Gosh dang it seems as if Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis is a heck of a Magic card, even in the most powerful format in all of Magic.  Even Vintage doesn't seem to be safe from the Dredge menace. 

Dredge

by OptionParalysis

4 Bloodghast 4 Golgari Grave-Troll 4 Hollow One 4 Ichorid 4 Prized Amalgam 4 Shambling Shell 4 Stinkweed Imp 4 Cabal Therapy 4 Bridge from Below 4 Leyline of the Void 4 Serum Powder	4 Bazaar of Baghdad 2 Dakmor Salvage 2 Petrified Field 4 Force of Vigor 4 Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis	Sideboard: 4 Mindbreak Trap 4 Ravenous Trap 3 Sickening Shoal 4 Unmask

 

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

Sealed War Block MCQ:  Congrats to fandenunu for picking up the win! 
Pauper Challenge:  Entropy263 won the challenge with Grixis Tron.  
Legacy Challenge:  TheYostWithTheMost won the challenge with Sneak and Show!
Vintage Challenge:  OptionParalysis won the challege with Dredge, you can see the list above, and the rest of the lists here.
Modern Challenge:  kangurello won the challenge with Dredge as well! 
 

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! 

Over the Weekend:  Brian Kibler talked about the state of organized play in Magic and Hearthstone.  Interesting video here. 

Monday:  I discovered that Battle of Wits finished 11th in the most recent Modern Challenge.  Make sure to check out the link in the Winner's Circle!  Also Daniel Roberts wrote about the most important cards in Standard. 

Tuesday:  The original painting of Glowspore Shaman, an award nominated piece of art, sold for 4,700. 

Wednesday:  Andrea Mengucci talked about Karn, the Great Creator in Vintage.  Also Gabriel Nassif played a bunch of Modern leagues, and left some lists here, but peep that Ninja list. 

Thursday:  James Heslip wrote about a budget vampire deck for casual play 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: Hey Skarggan Hellkite comes on to the list, and Teferi, Heros of Domanaria and Assassin's Trophy fell off.  Lots of Standard staples are dropping, and War of the Spark cards and getting some love on the client now. 

Standard Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Arclight Phoenix	$19.01	$28.69	($9.68)	-34%
Teferi, Time Raveler	$19.28	$17.68	$1.60	9%
Hydroid Krasis	$17.46	$21.58	($4.12)	-19%
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper	$19.59	$22.57	($2.98)	-13%
Prime Speaker Vannifer	$8.18	$8.04	$0.14	2%
Seraph of the Scales	$8.43	$8.32	$0.11	1%
Firesong and Sunspeaker	$5.13	$5.13	$0.00	0%
Vraska, Golgari Queen	$6.35	$7.40	($1.05)	-14%
Finale of Devastation	$21.25	$13.30	$7.95	60%
God-Eternal Kefnet	$6.28	$8.32	($2.04)	-25%
Karn, the Great Creator	$8.55	$11.03	($2.48)	-22%
Finale of Promise	$21.45	$25.17	($3.72)	-15%
Ilharg, the Raze-Boar	$7.33	$9.32	($1.99)	-21%
Aggressive Mammoth	$5.11	$5.11	$0.00	0%
God-Eternal Oketra	$4.93	$6.37	($1.44)	-23%
Dreadhorde Arcanist	$7.34	$5.40	$1.94	36%
Skarrgan Hellkite	$6.39

Eternal staples:  Modern Horizons cards seem to be doing pretty well for now. 

Eternal Format Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Back to Basics	$8.85	$10.87	($2.02)	-19%
Cavern of Souls	$19.24	$16.73	$2.51	15%
Chalice of the Void	$18.39	$16.72	$1.67	10%
City of Traitors	$27.95	$29.71	($1.76)	-6%
Daze	$5.30	$5.10	$0.20	4%
Engineered Explosives	$13.53	$14.82	($1.29)	-9%
Ensnaring Bridge	$23.28	$26.04	($2.76)	-11%
Force of Will	$21.12	$19.79	$1.33	7%
Gemstone Mine	$11.56	$14.04	($2.48)	-18%
Horizon Canopy	$21.75	$17.76	$3.99	22%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	$28.77	$33.89	($5.12)	-15%
Karn Liberated	$15.06	$16.62	($1.56)	-9%
Liliana of the Veil	$21.79	$29.65	($7.86)	-27%
Liliana, the Last Hope	$11.08	$13.67	($2.59)	-19%
Auriok Champion	$19.94	$19.63	$0.31	2%
Mox Opal	$40.37	$30.57	$9.80	32%
Scalding Tarn	$21.65	$14.73	$6.92	47%
Surgical Extraction	$42.62	$41.67	$0.95	2%
True-Name Nemesis	$46.83	$49.88	($3.05)	-6%
Underground Sea	$9.21	$6.79	$2.42	36%
Wasteland	$17.74	$15.41	$2.33	15%
Mishra's Bauble	$16.94	$13.27	$3.67	28%
Snapcaster Mage	$11.94	$12.26	($0.32)	-3%
Trinisphere	$9.51	$13.01	($3.50)	-27%
Mox Diamond	$17.77	$17.56	$0.21	1%
Force of Negation	$30.31	$28.15	$2.16	8%
Wrenn and Six	$25.75	$27.64	($1.89)	-7%
Prismatic Vista	$11.09	$10.36	$0.73	7%
Giver of Runes	$6.25	$8.83	($2.58)	-29%
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis	$6.25	$8.50	($2.25)	-26%
Sunbaked Canyon	$5.50	$7.97	($2.47)	-31%
Seasoned Pyromancer	$9.33	$7.46	$1.87	25%
Fiery Islet	$4.57	$6.73	($2.16)	-32%
Urza, Lord High Artificer	$9.08	$6.10	$2.98	49%
Ranger-Captain of Eos	$8.71	$6.00	$2.71	45%
Hexdrinker	$5.88	$5.22	$0.66	13%
Flusterstorm	$3.45	$5.02	($1.57)	-31%

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 2019	$93.14	$90.46	$2.68	3%
Dominaria	$24.10	$22.92	$1.18	5%
Guilds of Ravnica	$68.79	$85.02	($16.23)	-19%
Ixalan	$18.05	$17.44	$0.61	3%
Ravnica Allegiances	$118.77	$119.84	($1.07)	-1%
Rivals of Ixalan	$17.53	$17.50	$0.03	0%
Treasure Chest	$2.57	$2.47	$0.10	4%
War of the Spark Booster	$3.08	$3.04	$0.04	1%
War of the Spark	$140.97	$151.41	($10.44)	-7%

The Good Stuff

The following is a list of all the non-promo, non-foil 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.

Name	Set	Rarity	Price
Black Lotus	1E	Rare	278.48
Mox Sapphire	1E	Rare	146.26
Mox Ruby	1E	Rare	106.7
Mox Emerald	1E	Rare	106.23
Ancestral Recall	1E	Rare	95.4
Mox Jet	1E	Rare	84.57
Mox Pearl	1E	Rare	73.95
Time Walk	1E	Rare	69.46
Lord Windgrace	PZ2	Mythic	62.91
Karn Liberated	UBT	Mythic	53.5
True-Name Nemesis	PZ1	Mythic	46.83
Timetwister	1E	Rare	44.66
Surgical Extraction	NPH	Rare	42.62
Surgical Extraction	MM2	Rare	42.5
Mox Opal	MS2	Bonus	41.95
Liliana of the Veil	UBT	Mythic	41.17
Liliana of the Veil	UMA	Mythic	41.15
Mox Opal	SOM	Mythic	40.37
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	A25	Mythic	40.31
Mox Opal	MM2	Mythic	40.25
Dark Depths	V16	Mythic	38.17
Engineered Explosives	UBT	Mythic	34.49
Unmask	V16	Mythic	34.29
Force of Will	MED	Rare	33.22
Liliana of the Veil	MM3	Mythic	31.76
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	EMA	Mythic	30.37
Force of Negation	MH1	Rare	30.31
Liliana, the Last Hope	MS4	Mythic	30.29
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	VMA	Mythic	30.26
Dark Depths	UBT	Mythic	30.09
Cavern of Souls	UMA	Mythic	29.87
Karn Liberated	UMA	Mythic	29.29
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	WWK	Mythic	28.77
True-Name Nemesis	C13	Rare	28.75
Ensnaring Bridge	A25	Mythic	28.69
City of Traitors	EX	Rare	27.95
Noble Hierarch	UBT	Mythic	27.5
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper	MS4	Mythic	27.35
Wrenn and Six	MH1	Mythic	25.75
Ensnaring Bridge	7E	Rare	25.27
Ensnaring Bridge	MS2	Bonus	25.13

 

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 15080.  Last week I reported the big number as $14730.00. This means either I messed up, which is likely, or that the big number has went up by 350.  Like Kevin Garnett screamed after winning the NBA Title, "Anything is possible!"
 

In Closing

I spent more time this week on Breath of the Wild, ignoring Arena quests and taking a full 4 days to go 2-3 in a Pauper league.  Spent some time dealing with storm related anxiety and will do so more today and over the weekend.  I can't get excited for the core set or Modern Horizons, because I can't afford to play with the cards yet, but in time, in time.

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