MTGO Socials: Daybreak has set up forums for MTGO, which you can find here. In addition to the Forums, Daybreak has set up a Discord for MTGO.  You can get the invite here. MTGO has a Twitter account, and can now add an account for Facebook and Instagram. 

Redemption:  Redemption is up and running!  Remember that redemption runs now until supply is gone. Currently being redeemed is The Brothers' War (About Half-Gone) Phyrexia: All Will Be One, and March of the Machine.  As of May 23, 2023, Redemption Tokens are non-refundable! 

Challenge Schedule Changing:  Two Prelims on Friday nights are now becoming small Challenge events.This helps players in the Asia-Pacific region.  Saturday is also getting another Modern Challenge. Both of these are 32 player events. The Saturday 6 a.m. Standard Event is going back to a small event prize structure.   

Two-Factor Authentication:  *From last week* This is in Account Settings.  To turn it on you will be asked for your account password and a 6-digit code sent to the email associated with your account.  You can use either an email or authenticator based system.  This will help keep your accounts secure, you can read about the system here.

Lord of the Rings:  *From last week* The previews for the next set, Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth have started after the weekly Twitch show did a deep dive on the mechanics and previews of the cards. This set will be Modern legal, and on June 13th Daybreak will have an article telling us what will be on MTGO.  You can check out the mechanics article here, and the galleries for regular, variant and commander cards as well!  The price of a Lord of the Rings booster on MTGO will be 4.99. 

All-Access:  *From last week* Starts on the 31 and lasts until June 14th.  There will be two super qualifiers and four showcase challenges during the token's life!  In addition, top 16 players and players that complete the swiss portion of the event with an x-2 record will get a set of Aftermath, and those in the top 4 will get a premium set!

Patch Notes: You can check out the notes for this update here.

I wrote a little bit about the Dimir Tempo decks in Pioneer that are splashing Arclight Phoenix to go along with all the cantrips.  

I think the first thing to learn about this deck is that it’s not a traditional Phoenix deck. This is a Dimir deck based around Ledger Shredder first and recurring Arclight Phoenix second. You get a lot of Convoke triggers with the Shredder, and Tainted Indulgence and Consider help to fill the yard with Phoenix. You have a lot of cheap cantrips to make recurring it easy and eventually overwhelm the opponent with card advantage.

Or they go off with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx on turn 4 and you’re so far behind that you question even playing Pioneer at all. That’s what happened in the second round of the Pioneer league that I played in. I get it, Nykthos is a really cool card, but my opponent put three copies of Cavalier of Thorns into play on the fourth turn, despite me having removal for two elves and it’s like, come on WotC do something. Aside from getting crushed in the second round, the deck played really well, but we had more instances of pilot failure with it. I got very impatient against Azorius Control and tried to force an Ashiok, Nightmare Muse. I ran it directly into a Make Disappear with one mana up, passing, with that one mana up, I was unable to counter their Teferi, Hero of Dominaria next turn.

I drew two Thoughtseizes off the top.

Yup.

Would more open mana and patient play in that crucial turn mattered?

Maybe!
 

After the bans, it is of course, time to look at the new state of the Standard format.  All the decks this week are from weekend events, ladder play and leagues! 

Azorius Superfriends:

Azorius Superfriends

 

1 Spell Pierce 2 Syncopate 7 Island 10 Plains 3 Ambitious Farmhand 3 Deserted Beach 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 1 Farewell 4 Lay Down Arms 2 Make Disappear 2 Memory Deluge 1 Otawara, Soaring City 2 Raffine's Tower 2 Silver Scrutiny 2 Soul Partition 3 Spara's Headquarters

2 Sunfall 2 Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim 2 The Eternal Wanderer 3 The Wandering Emperor 3 Thirst for Discovery 2 Wash Away

Sideboard: 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Negate 2 Boon-Bringer Valkyrie 3 Chrome Host Seedshark 2 Depopulate 1 Farewell 2 Hullbreaker Horror 2 Unlicensed Hearse

Mono Red:

Mono Red

 

4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Lightning Strike 17 Mountain 4 Bloodthirsty Adversary 3 Feldon, Ronom Excavator 4 Furnace Punisher 4 Invasion of Tarkir 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan 4 Mishra's Foundry 2 Nahiri's Warcrafting 4 Phoenix Chick

4 Play with Fire 2 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance

Sideboard: 3 Bloody Betrayal 2 Chandra, Dressed to Kill 2 Jaya, Fiery Negotiator 4 Lithomantic Barrage 2 Nahiri's Warcrafting 2 Obliterating Bolt

Azorius Flash:

Azorius Flash

 

4 Adarkar Wastes 5 Island 7 Plains 4 Seachrome Coast 3 Boon-Bringer Valkyrie 4 Deserted Beach 2 Destroy Evil 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 4 Errant and Giada 4 Faerie Mastermind 2 Fateful Absence 4 Giada, Font of Hope 2 Invasion of Gobakhan 2 Ossification

4 Serra Paragon 4 Steel Seraph 4 The Wandering Emperor

Sideboard: 2 Disdainful Stroke 2 Essence Scatter 2 Negate 2 Depopulate 2 Destroy Evil 1 Fateful Absence 2 Make Disappear 2 Surge of Salvation

Esper Legends:

Esper Legends

 

3 Go for the Throat 4 Caves of Koilos 4 Darkslick Shores 1 Plains 3 Seachrome Coast 2 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar 3 Dennick, Pious Apprentice 3 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 2 Ertai Resurrected 2 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor 4 Make Disappear 3 Otawara, Soaring City 4 Plaza of Heroes 4 Raffine, Scheming Seer

4 Rona, Herald of Invasion 3 Shattered Sanctum 4 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 3 The Raven Man 2 Toluz, Clever Conductor

Sideboard: 4 Disdainful Stroke 4 Cut Down 2 Kaito Shizuki 1 Loran of the Third Path 4 Wedding Announcement

Dimir Jace:

Dimir Jace

 

4 Dissipate 4 Go for the Throat 4 Syncopate 4 Darkslick Shores 4 Island 4 Swamp 4 Underground River 4 Breach the Multiverse 4 Cut Down 4 Jace, the Perfected Mind 4 Make Disappear 4 Memory Deluge

2 Mirrex 1 Otawara, Soaring City 4 Shipwreck Marsh 4 Siphon Insight 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

Sideboard: 3 Negate 4 March of Wretched Sorrow 4 Path of Peril 4 Sheoldred's Edict

 

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

Challenge Winners

Friday Modern - ezebessone - Jund

Saturday Legacy - Testacular - Mono Red Prison
Saturday Modern - Lennny - Izzet Murktide
Saturday Modern - Showcase Challenge
Saturday Pauper - AliEnWaRe_ - Golgari Initiative
Saturday Pioneer - Raest - Hidden Strings
Saturday Standard - Arianne - Esper Legends
Saturday Vintage - desolutionist

Sunday Legacy - Trohck - 4 Color Snow
Sunday Modern - gurig - 4 Color Elementals
Sunday Pauper - _against_ - Caw Gate
Sunday Pioneer - Showcase Challenge
Sunday Standard - Oscar_Franco - Azorius Friends
Sunday Vintage - Gn42

Other Event Winners

Pioneer Showcase Challenge
Modern Showcase Challenge
Legacy Super Qualifier

Standard Staples: Serra Paragon flew off the list, but a few more cards from Dominaria United came on.  Wrenn and Realmbreaker came off the list.  Despite being a big winner this past weekend, Raffine, Scheming Seer came off the list as well. 

Standard Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Cityscape Leveler	$32.23	$32.81	-$0.58	-2%
Portal to Phyrexia	$6.45	$6.88	-$0.43	-6%
Titania, Voice of Gaea	$6.69	$6.80	-$0.11	-2%
One with the Multiverse	$8.11	$8.33	-$0.22	-3%
The Stone Brain	$8.14	$7.17	$0.97	14%
Brotherhood's End	$6.95
Leyline Binding	$15.28	$17.58	-$2.30	-13%
Liliana of the Veil	$5.51	$5.51	$0.00	0%
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse	$22.10	$25.75	-$3.65	-14%
Timeless Lotus	$11.34
Nissa, Resurgent Animist	$60.34	$66.36	-$6.02	-9%
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin	$10.09	$10.94	-$0.85	-8%
Memory Deluge	$19.66	$20.44	-$0.78	-4%
Brutal Cathar	$9.61	$10.55	-$0.94	-9%
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar	$7.64	$7.01	$0.63	9%
Invasion of Gobakhan	$8.42	$11.62	-$3.20	-28%
Knight-Errant of Eos	$6.57	$8.86	-$2.29	-26%
Faerie Mastermind	$7.19	$8.28	-$1.09	-13%
Sheoldred	$6.99	$6.81	$0.18	3%
Invasion of Tarkir	$11.44	$10.76	$0.68	6%
Urabrask	$5.75	$6.20	-$0.45	-7%
Chandra, Hope's Beacon	$12.05
Elesh Norn	$6.52	$6.52	$0.00	0%
Boseiju, Who Endures	$28.57	$27.86	$0.71	3%
Otawara, Soaring City	$12.02	$12.18	-$0.16	-1%
The Wandering Emperor	$10.42	$10.28	$0.14	1%
March of Otherworldly Light	$5.06	$5.38	-$0.32	-6%
Atraxa, Grand Unifier	$38.59	$43.01	-$4.42	-10%
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines	$7.85	$7.79	$0.06	1%
Jace, the Perfected Mind	$6.82	$7.27	-$0.45	-6%
Ledger Shredder	$8.10	$7.83	$0.27	3%
Unlicensed Hearse	$10.25	$10.59	-$0.34	-3%
Stormcarved Coast	$12.64	$13.10	-$0.46	-4%
Wedding Announcement	$30.16	$31.36	-$1.20	-4%

Modern Staples:

Modern Cards	Price	Last Week	Change	% Change
Engineered Explosives	$12.72	$14.24	-$1.52	-11%
Lord of Atlantis	$5.43	$5.22	$0.21	4%
Cavern of Souls	$6.08	$6.56	-$0.48	-7%
Orvar, the All-Form	$21.49	$20.50	$0.99	5%
Polluted Delta	$6.32	$6.71	-$0.39	-6%
Wooded Foothills	$7.67	$5.43	$2.24	41%
Flooded Strand	$8.02	$7.87	$0.15	2%
Bloodstained Mire	$7.16	$4.54	$2.62	58%
Windswept Heath	$3.75	$4.29	-$0.54	-13%
Thoughtseize	$10.81	$9.52	$1.29	14%
Force of Negation	$16.04	$16.06	-$0.02	0%
Wrenn and Six	$14.95	$13.85	$1.10	8%
Sunbaked Canyon	$7.09	$6.54	$0.55	8%
Seasoned Pyromancer	$9.94	$9.44	$0.50	5%
Force of Vigor	$20.75	$19.81	$0.94	5%
Flusterstorm	$8.78	$9.10	-$0.32	-4%
Archon of Cruelty	$6.45	$4.89	$1.56	32%
Dress Down	$7.95
Grist, the Hunger Tide	$5.62
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer	$12.79	$11.34	$1.45	13%
Urza's Saga	$28.45	$31.29	-$2.84	-9%
Solitude	$18.65	$16.51	$2.14	13%
Endurance	$22.72	$20.26	$2.46	12%
Grief	$15.97	$10.26	$5.71	56%
Murktide Regent	$14.72	$17.36	-$2.64	-15%
Fury	$22.95	$19.37	$3.58	18%
Esper Sentinel	$10.03	$10.74	-$0.71	-7%
Subtlety	$10.59	$8.87	$1.72	19%
Chalice of the Void	$9.94	$9.64	$0.30	3%
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn	$6.94	$6.72	$0.22	3%
Teferi, Time Raveler	$13.30	$13.17	$0.13	1%
Scalding Tarn	$6.48	$6.96	-$0.48	-7%
Verdant Catacombs	$2.98	$3.20	-$0.22	-7%
Misty Rainforest	$5.18	$4.75	$0.43	9%
Arid Mesa	$2.59	$2.76	-$0.17	-6%
Marsh Flats	$1.06	$1.27	-$0.21	-17%

Eternal Staples:  Jeska's Will came off the list.

Eternal Format Cards	Price	Last Time	Change	% Change
Avenging Hunter	$14.65	$13.26	$1.39	10%
Kenku Artificer	$7.14	$8.44	($1.30)	-15%
Goliath Paladin	$10.70	$8.35	$2.35	28%
Guildsworn Prowler	$7.95	$5.95	$2.00	34%
Displacer Kitten	$6.68	$5.64	$1.04	18%
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes	$9.95	$6.37	$3.58	56%
Seasoned Dungeoneer	$9.66	$7.96	$1.70	21%
Caves of Chaos Adventurer	$10.50	$7.22	$3.28	45%
Hullbreacher	$12.29	$12.10	$0.19	2%
Opposition Agent	$22.11	$23.09	($0.98)	-4%
Jeweled Lotus	$8.22	$8.05	$0.17	2%
City of Traitors	$13.03	$11.82	$1.21	10%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee	$11.93	$11.89	$0.04	0%
Helm of Obedience	$14.97	$15.05	($0.08)	-1%
Force of Will	$41.07	$39.36	$1.71	4%
Urza's Bauble	$19.23	$16.00	$3.23	20%
Hydroblast	$7.37	$7.47	($0.10)	-1%
Pyroblast	$5.12	$5.11	$0.01	0%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale	$9.09	$8.71	$0.38	4%
Phyrexian Dreadnought	$10.71	$9.84	$0.87	9%
Unmask	$24.46	$22.02	$2.44	11%
Misdirection	$11.24	$11.24	$0.00	0%
Snuff Out	$15.89	$14.37	$1.52	11%
Submerge	$11.41	$10.81	$0.60	6%
Daze	$5.99	$6.57	($0.58)	-9%
Entomb	$5.66	$6.00	($0.34)	-6%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow	$7.82	$7.45	$0.37	5%
Stifle	$10.98	$10.76	$0.22	2%
Mox Opal	$7.94	$7.08	$0.86	12%
Mox Diamond	$27.30	$24.73	$2.57	10%
Wasteland	$14.69	$16.17	($1.48)	-9%
Ancient Tomb	$21.79	$20.72	$1.07	5%
Lotus Petal	$11.37	$11.32	$0.05	0%
Grindstone	$14.43	$16.54	($2.11)	-13%
Powder Keg	$12.24	$10.88	$1.36	13%
Grim Monolith	$16.15	$15.36	$0.79	5%
Goblin Welder	$5.81	$5.88	($0.07)	-1%
Gaea's Cradle	$31.84	$31.35	$0.49	2%
Gilded Drake	$13.00	$12.90	$0.10	1%
Show and Tell	$20.80	$24.17	($3.37)	-14%
Natural Order	$8.35	$8.48	($0.13)	-2%
Black Lotus	$14.85	$14.95	($0.10)	-1%
Volcanic Island	$15.22	$19.23	($4.01)	-21%
Underground Sea	$5.35	$5.41	($0.06)	-1%
Null Rod	$12.15	$11.44	$0.71	6%
Doomsday	$15.27	$14.96	$0.31	2%
Paradigm Shift	$12.45	$12.39	$0.06	0%

Pioneer Staples:  Rending Volley was on here for a very short time.  Ketria Triome cycled off.  Inspiring Vantage came off the list as well.  Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord is back in his coffin, or whatever it is he sleeps in.  Reckless Bushwacker has surged off the list.

Pioneer Cards	Price	Last Time	Change	% Change
Indomitable Creativity	$7.18	$8.21	-$1.03	-12.55%
Den of the Bugbear	$12.01	$12.07	-$0.06	-0.50%
Lair of the Hydra	$4.07	$6.18	-$2.11	-34.14%
Hive of the Eye Tyrant	$11.53	$14.25	-$2.72	-19.09%
Hall of Storm Giants	$6.30
Brazen Borrower	$19.50	$21.15	-$1.65	-7.80%
Castle Locthwain	$5.59	$9.11	-$3.52	-38.64%
Shark Typhoon	$17.69	$20.95	-$3.26	-15.56%
Fiend Artisan	$5.00	$5.77	-$0.77	-13.34%
Mana Confluence	$17.58	$17.19	$0.39	2.27%
Esika's Chariot	$9.42	$11.86	-$2.44	-20.57%
Blightstep Pathway	$16.17	$26.11	-$9.94	-38.07%
Hengegate Pathway	$6.71	$5.29	$1.42	26.84%
Darkbore Pathway	$3.08	$5.85	-$2.77	-47.35%
Spirebluff Canal	$6.00	$7.12	-$1.12	-15.73%
Mutavault	$4.25	$5.48	-$1.23	-22.45%
Cavalier of Thorns	$11.40	$9.94	$1.46	14.69%
Leyline of the Void	$6.02	$6.05	-$0.03	-0.50%
Lotus Field	$34.94	$15.09	$19.85	131.54%
The Meathook Massacre	$11.80	$10.58	$1.22	11.53%
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker	$33.09	$31.08	$2.01	6.47%
Magma Opus	$15.65	$15.59	$0.06	0.38%
Prismari Command	$8.85	$8.98	-$0.13	-1.45%
Witherbloom Command	$4.56	$7.13	-$2.57	-36.04%
Karn, the Great Creator	$17.92	$19.63	-$1.71	-8.71%
Emeria's Call	$15.51	$18.73	-$3.22	-17.19%
Omnath, Locus of Creation	$7.79	$7.70	$0.09	1.17%
Skyclave Apparition	$3.84	$6.11	-$2.27	-37.15%
Sea Gate Restoration	$11.60	$11.39	$0.21	1.84%
Roiling Vortex	$8.58	$9.44	-$0.86	-9.11%
Agadeem's Awakening	$5.00	$4.85	$0.15	3.09%

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!

Dominaria United	$92.10	$99.15	($7.05)	-7%
Innistrad: Crimson Vow	$88.93	$88.93	$0.00	0%
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	$103.71	$102.63	$1.08	1%
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty	$114.18	$111.10	$3.08	3%
March of the Machine	$184.31	$194.36	($10.05)	-5%
March of the Machine Booster	$2.86	$3.29	($0.43)	-13%
Phyrexia: All Will Be One	$228.93	$239.80	($10.87)	-5%
Streets of New Capenna	$48.73	$50.60	($1.87)	-4%
Treasure Chest Booster	$2.27	$2.28	($0.01)	0%

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	238.32
Mox Jet	1E	Rare	107.18
Ancestral Recall	1E	Rare	93.05
Time Walk	1E	Rare	69.23
Mox Sapphire	1E	Rare	65.74
Nissa, Resurgent Animist	MAT	Mythic	60.34
Mox Emerald	1E	Rare	59.78
Liliana of the Veil	UBT	Mythic	55.91
Mox Pearl	1E	Rare	54.17
Nissa, Resurgent Animist	MAT	Promo	49.68
Mox Ruby	1E	Rare	49.67
Karakas	UBT	Mythic	44.65
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	UBT	Mythic	44.34
Cavern of Souls	UBT	Mythic	43.68
Force of Will	MED	Rare	41.07
Demonic Tutor	UBT	Mythic	38.79
Atraxa, Grand Unifier	ONE	Mythic	38.59
Pramikon, Sky Rampart	C19	Mythic	37.22
Timetwister	1E	Rare	36.46
Dark Depths	UBT	Mythic	36.05
Lotus Field	M20	Rare	34.94
Wasteland	ZNE	Mythic	34.53
Staff of the Storyteller	ONC	Rare	33.9
Aether Gale	C14	Rare	33.82
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker	NEO	Rare	33.09
Snapcaster Mage	UBT	Mythic	32.7
Cityscape Leveler	BRO	Mythic	32.23
Gaea's Cradle	UZ	Rare	31.84
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth	UBT	Mythic	31.43
Flooded Strand	ZNE	Mythic	30.98
Wedding Announcement	VOW	Rare	30.16
Urza's Saga	MH2	Rare	29.49
Boseiju, Who Endures	NEO	Rare	28.57
Mox Diamond	ST	Rare	27.3
Breath of Fire	PZ2	Common	26.55
Staff of the Storyteller	ONC	Promo	26.07
Volcanic Island	ME3	Rare	25.78
Mox Diamond	TPR	Mythic	25.7
Mox Diamond	V10	Mythic	25.68
Jace, the Mind Sculptor	MS4	Mythic	25.14

 

In Closing

I was going to take the week off from the article and site, but in the end decided not to.  I do plan on taking off sometime soon.  I do need a real vacation. 

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