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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Mar 15 2023 12:18pm
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State of the Program for March 15th, 2023
 
In the News

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 are Dominaria United (10% left of regular, 15% left of foil)  and The Brothers' War (About Half-Gone).  Phyrexia: All Will Be One's redemption period starts today, March 8. 

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. 

Win Trading:  New steps are being taken to in order to deal with the bad actors that make Magic: The Gathering Online less fun for those of us that want to enjoy the game! By adjusting the contents of the Account Upgrade Kit, most notably the amount of play points in it, the hope is that those players will have their profit motive undercut in the smaller leagues with few play points in the Account Upgrade Kit.  To help new players, Phatom Sealed events are coming back.  You can read about the changes here

MOCS Season 1:  This season is ending soon, and qualifier points will leave your accounts on or after March 22, 2023. 

Challenge Change:  Modern 32 player challenges are moving to 64-player event prizes, starting this weekend!

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
April 5, 2023
Constructed Leagues End
April 18, 2023
Sealed Leagues End
April 18, 2023
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:

Ongoing -  Modern Horizons

March 17 - Limited Super Qualifier
March 18 - Vintage Showcase Challenge
March 19 - Legacy Showcase Challenge
March 16 - 22 - Last Chance Qualifiers

March 22 - Modern Horizons 2
April 5 - Dominaria Remastered
April 12 - March of the Machine Release

May 3 - Magic 30 Cube
May 10 - Vintage 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) FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
12:00 a.m.     Vintage Challenge
1:00 a.m    Limited 32 Challenge 32 Player Limited 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
12:00 p.m.   Limited Challenge Limited Challenge
2:00 p.m.   Pioneer Challenge Standard Challenge
4:00 p.m. Limited 32 Challenge    
6:00 p.m. Modern 32 Challenge Modern 32 Challenge  

 

Cutting Edge Tech

Standard: The hot tech this week, out of Europe, is Esper Legends, with Wedding Announcement in the main to fight off the Grixis midrange decks.  This worked out pretty well for players like Nico Bohn, Thoralf Severin and the rest of team behind this deck, who did finish 2nd, 3rd, 18th and 39th. 

Grixis Midrange won the event


Legacy:  Is the Izzet and Initiative metagames finally over?  Well, for Izzet, probably not, but at least we can look at the Elf list this week!  This list won the Sunday challenge on MTGO. 


Modern:  The Modern Horizons 2 elementals really make this deck sing.  I wonder how the format would look without Modern Horizons cards in it.


Pauper:  Cheap threats that can be cast before countermagic comes in to play and cheap burns spells to keep up pressure make a great deck!


Pioneer:  The Bring to Light decks are evolving!



 
Winner's Circle

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

Challenge Winners

Friday Modern - Boland - Izzet Murktide

Saturday Legacy - ht91122 - Sneak and Show
Saturday Modern 32 - jessy_samek - Izzet Breach
Saturday Modern - Showcase Challenge
Saturday Pauper - Cherryxman - Gruul Cascade
Saturday Pioneer - roter_Erzengel - Omnath to Light
Saturday Standard -  No event was reported for the day
Saturday Vintage - Miharu_Fuyumiya

Sunday Legacy - ferrarix - Elves
Sunday Modern - FerMTG - Temur Rhinos
Sunday Pauper - Tremer_Metere - Mono Red Sac
Sunday Pioneer - Showcase Challenge
Sunday Standard - karatedom - Esper Legends
Sunday Vintage - ManBoyChild

Other Event Winners

Pioneer Showcase Challenge
Modern Showcase Challenge

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 Stone Brain is new to the list this week. A couple of lands are back on the list as well this week.  Raffinie, Scheming Seer is back on the list this week. 

Standard Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Phyrexian Fleshgorger $7.81 $8.01 -$0.20 -2%
Brotherhood's End $9.92 $10.94 -$1.02 -9%
Cityscape Leveler $20.56 $20.47 $0.09 0%
Portal to Phyrexia $6.49 $6.45 $0.04 1%
Titania, Voice of Gaea $6.50 $5.66 $0.84 15%
Urza, Lord Protector $5.40 $5.40 $0.00 0%
One with the Multiverse $6.84 $6.90 -$0.06 -1%
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor $5.44 $5.36

The Stone Brain $5.58


Leyline Binding $20.56 $19.53 $1.03 5%
Liliana of the Veil $8.78 $9.00 -$0.22 -2%
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse $71.60 $61.35 $10.25 17%
Karn's Sylex $8.44 $8.26 $0.18 2%
Serra Paragon $6.32 $6.26 $0.06 1%
Memory Deluge $11.96 $11.27 $0.69 6%
Brutal Cathar $11.55 $14.20 -$2.65 -19%
Graveyard Trespasser $3.89 $5.23 -$1.34 -26%
Bloodthirsty Adversary $11.28


Shipwreck Marsh $7.51


Boseiju, Who Endures $55.04 $62.91 -$7.87 -13%
Otawara, Soaring City $11.88 $8.36 $3.52 42%
The Wandering Emperor $10.83 $10.21 $0.62 6%
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker $58.48 $56.89 $1.59 3%
Atraxa, Grand Unifier $79.84 $74.53 $5.31 7%
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines $10.07 $12.96 -$2.89 -22%
Jace, the Perfected Mind $5.48 $6.58 -$1.10 -17%
Ledger Shredder $15.12 $14.20 $0.92 6%
Unlicensed Hearse $14.35 $13.15 $1.20 9%
Xander's Lounge $6.08 $8.31 -$2.23 -27%
Raffine, Scheming Seer $11.99


Stormcarved Coast $9.32 $11.53 -$2.21 -19%
Wedding Announcement $30.65 $17.83 $12.82 72%
Cultivator Colossus $5.24 $5.66 -$0.42 -7%
Modern StaplesSurgical Extraction and Puresteel Paladin have come off the list this week.

Modern Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Engineered Explosives $22.17 $23.28 -$1.11 -5%
Grinding Station $5.05 $6.28 -$1.23 -20%
Cavern of Souls $10.30 $9.17 $1.13 12%
Aether Vial $4.92 $5.36 -$0.44 -8%
Magus of the Moon $4.91 $5.90 -$0.99 -17%
Orvar, the All-Form $20.47 $16.14 $4.33 27%
Polluted Delta $9.14 $7.70 $1.44 19%
Wooded Foothills $7.46 $8.94 -$1.48 -17%
Flooded Strand $9.37 $10.03 -$0.66 -7%
Bloodstained Mire $8.29 $7.11 $1.18 17%
Windswept Heath $4.85 $5.57 -$0.72 -13%
Thoughtseize $8.55 $6.53 $2.02 31%
Force of Negation $13.55 $13.63 -$0.08 -1%
Wrenn and Six $23.19 $21.78 $1.41 6%
Sunbaked Canyon $8.45 $10.18 -$1.73 -17%
Seasoned Pyromancer $10.52 $11.38 -$0.86 -8%
Force of Vigor $14.62 $19.33 -$4.71 -24%
Flusterstorm $10.25 $11.76 -$1.51 -13%
Archon of Cruelty $8.79 $9.54 -$0.75 -8%
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer $26.22 $34.26 -$8.04 -23%
Urza's Saga $44.08 $43.75 $0.33 1%
Solitude $27.09 $27.40 -$0.31 -1%
Endurance $26.34 $21.13 $5.21 25%
Grief $13.71 $10.18 $3.53 35%
Murktide Regent $12.94 $13.76 -$0.82 -6%
Fury $36.09 $35.10 $0.99 3%
Esper Sentinel $9.52 $9.05 $0.47 5%
Tourach, Dread Cantor $7.02 $5.10 $1.92 38%
Subtlety $10.39 $12.65 -$2.26 -18%
Dress Down $5.77 $6.12 -$0.35 -6%
Chalice of the Void $10.15 $11.12 -$0.97 -9%
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn $6.31 $5.64 $0.67 12%
Ensnaring Bridge $6.91 $6.72 $0.19 3%
Teferi, Time Raveler $14.99 $11.61 $3.38 29%
Scalding Tarn $6.38 $7.10 -$0.72 -10%
Verdant Catacombs $3.05 $3.00 $0.05 2%
Misty Rainforest $5.06 $5.86 -$0.80 -14%
Arid Mesa $3.47 $3.83 -$0.36 -9%
Marsh Flats $1.59 $1.44 $0.15 10%
Eternal Staples
Eternal Format Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
White Plume Adventurer $2.53 $5.05 ($2.52) -50%
Displacer Kitten $5.96 $5.67 $0.29 5%
Hullbreacher $6.34 $5.44 $0.90 17%
Opposition Agent $19.10 $17.89 $1.21 7%
Jeweled Lotus $6.33 $6.76 ($0.43) -6%
Jeska's Will $15.61 $17.28 ($1.67) -10%
City of Traitors $11.89 $9.73 $2.16 22%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee $9.78 $9.44 $0.34 4%
Helm of Obedience $17.25 $17.42 ($0.17) -1%
Force of Will $37.74 $36.04 $1.70 5%
Urza's Bauble $13.14 $10.27 $2.87 28%
Hydroblast $6.81 $7.16 ($0.35) -5%
Pyroblast $5.58 $5.35 $0.23 4%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale $8.67 $8.46 $0.21 2%
Enlightened Tutor $4.86 $5.23 ($0.37) -7%
Phyrexian Dreadnought $7.96 $7.72 $0.24 3%
Unmask $19.37 $16.04 $3.33 21%
Misdirection $10.26 $10.15 $0.11 1%
Snuff Out $18.40 $22.92 ($4.52) -20%
Submerge $5.54 $5.06 $0.48 9%
Daze $12.02 $13.78 ($1.76) -13%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow $9.06 $8.48 $0.58 7%
Stifle $10.55 $6.94 $3.61 52%
Mox Opal $6.87 $6.11 $0.76 12%
Mox Diamond $25.56 $24.96 $0.60 2%
Wasteland $16.27 $18.23 ($1.96) -11%
Ancient Tomb $20.53 $18.55 $1.98 11%
Lotus Petal $15.74 $16.00 ($0.26) -2%
Grindstone $18.16 $18.28 ($0.12) -1%
Grim Monolith $16.05 $16.47 ($0.42) -3%
Goblin Welder $8.37 $8.65 ($0.28) -3%
Exploration $8.22 $7.53 $0.69 9%
Gaea's Cradle $34.49 $35.87 ($1.38) -4%
Carpet of Flowers $5.65 $5.29 $0.36 7%
Gilded Drake $11.91 $11.97 ($0.06) -1%
Show and Tell $16.83 $15.46 $1.37 9%
Black Lotus $16.34 $16.94 ($0.60) -4%
Volcanic Island $15.74 $14.55 $1.19 8%
Underground Sea $5.81 $5.24 $0.57 11%
Null Rod $9.78 $9.02 $0.76 8%
Doomsday $13.49 $14.25 ($0.76) -5%
Paradigm Shift $13.27 $13.27 $0.00 0%
Pioneer StaplesJegantha, the Wellspring has fallen off the list.  Rest in Peace came off the list again too.  Sea Gate Restoration is off again as well. 

Pioneer Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
Indomitable Creativity $5.71 $5.97 -$0.26 -4.36%
Den of the Bugbear $8.54 $10.44 -$1.90 -18.20%
Tasha's Hideous Laughter $15.28 $20.80 -$5.52 -26.54%
Hall of Storm Giants $4.54 $5.89 -$1.35 -22.92%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger $4.19 $5.01 -$0.82 -16.37%
Collected Company $4.76 $5.37 -$0.61 -11.36%
Brazen Borrower $19.10 $17.25 $1.85 10.72%
Shark Typhoon $12.11 $16.99 -$4.88 -28.72%
Fiend Artisan $8.16 $6.74 $1.42 21.07%
Mana Confluence $12.53 $8.80 $3.73 42.39%
Esika's Chariot $10.46 $10.02 $0.44 4.39%
Darkbore Pathway $4.83 $6.61 -$1.78 -26.93%
Spirebluff Canal $6.89 $7.41 -$0.52 -7.02%
Leyline of the Void $5.89 $5.54 $0.35 6.32%
Lotus Field $7.48 $8.72 -$1.24 -14.22%
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord $4.43 $5.44 -$1.01 -18.57%
Necromentia $5.29 $5.38 -$0.09 -1.67%
Terror of the Peaks $4.61 $5.04 -$0.43 -8.53%
The Meathook Massacre $9.88 $9.98 -$0.10 -1.00%
Witherbloom Commander $9.52 $6.47 $3.05 47.14%
Karn, the Great Creator $17.15 $15.19 $1.96 12.90%
Emeria's Call $17.63 $20.07 -$2.44 -12.16%
Omnath, Locus of Creation $9.71 $10.43 -$0.72 -6.90%
Skyclave Apparition $7.59 $6.53 $1.06 16.23%
Roiling Vortex $9.29 $10.04 -$0.75 -7.47%
Agadeem's Awakening $5.87 $6.46 -$0.59 -9.13%
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 Time Change % Change
The Brothers' War $138.72 $135.98 $2.74 2%
Dominaria United $153.56 $144.32 $9.24 6%
Innistrad: Crimson Vow $91.49 $81.45 $10.04 12%
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt $111.20 $116.79 ($5.59) -5%
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty $162.32 $163.66 ($1.34) -1%
Phyrexia: All Will Be One $371.01 $398.38 ($27.37) -7%
Phyrexia: All Will Be One Booster $3.29 $3.14 $0.15 5%
Streets of New Capenna $74.50 $69.98 $4.52 6%
Treasure Chest $2.57 $2.48 $0.09 4%

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. 

The list is really small now. 

Black Lotus 1E Rare 247.43
Mox Jet 1E Rare 113.81
Ancestral Recall 1E Rare 99.75
Atraxa, Grand Unifier ONE Mythic 79.84
Time Walk 1E Rare 75.76
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse DMU Mythic 71.6
Mox Sapphire 1E Rare 70.39
Mox Emerald 1E Rare 66.55
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker NEO Rare 58.48
Mox Pearl 1E Rare 57.45
Atraxa, Grand Unifier ONE Promo 56.48
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse ONE Promo 55.99
Boseiju, Who Endures NEO Rare 55.04
Mox Ruby 1E Rare 52.36
Karakas UBT Mythic 51.7
Liliana of the Veil UBT Mythic 49.78
Aether Gale C14 Rare 48.31
Cavern of Souls UBT Mythic 47.99
Urza's Saga MH2 Rare 44.08
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth UBT Mythic 39.46
Demonic Tutor UBT Mythic 38.79
Force of Will MED Rare 37.74
Wasteland ZNE Mythic 37.54
Fury MH2 Mythic 36.09
Dark Depths UBT Mythic 36.05
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth UBT Mythic 34.7
Gaea's Cradle UZ Rare 34.49
Pramikon, Sky Rampart C19 Mythic 33.23
Timetwister 1E Rare 32.92
Snapcaster Mage UBT Mythic 32.7
Marisi, Breaker of the Coil C19 Mythic 30.94
Wedding Announcement VOW Rare 30.65
Flooded Strand ZNE Mythic 30.4
Jace, the Mind Sculptor MS4 Mythic 30.1
Solitude MH2 Mythic 27.09
Engineered Explosives UBT Mythic 26.84
Endurance MH2 Mythic 26.34
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer MH2 Mythic 26.22
Mox Diamond ST Rare 25.56
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.
 
In Closing

I spent the weekend playing World of Warcraft, thanks to a free play weekend.  I like the game still, but I am not really invested in doing story stuff, I just want to tame animals.  The changes that they have made to old content, I guess, scaling with your current aren't fun to me, sometimes I just want to solo raid content.  The new season of Fortnite is fine.  The new Battleground patch on Hearthstone was not.  Also the new spellslingers on Spellslingers are fun.  It's a shame Wizards of the Coast is just letting that game languish.  It really deserves better from the company than what they are giving it. 

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