In the News

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.
 

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:

Modern Horizons drafts - prerelease June 6^th 
Modern MOCS Prelim - May 12, 2019
Standard MCQ - May 11, 2019
Limited MCQ - May 10, 2019
Magic Online Championship - May 17-19, 2019

 

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:
 

The Hot Take Corner

Sometimes I'll write an opinion piece here, other times it will be strategy based or just whatever I am playing.  This week though, it's time for some hot takes! 

On Mythic Edition:  It's weird to me, seeing how well eBay is built, and the juggernaut that it has become as a global marketplace site and still have issues with 12000 copies of a highly wanted product. Now, to me the Mythic Edition is a slap at the face of the global network of game stores that propped Wizards of the Coast up for nearly 25 years, they lose From the Vaults for what became Masterpieces, nearly had their businesses ruined (at least that is what hobby shop owners tell me) from the masterpieces, and then those turn into Mythic Editions.  I'm all for premium products.  In the sports card world, I have spent upwards of 1500 dollars on a pack of cards before, but the difference there is I could walk into my local card store and ask for a pack, I can't do that with Mythic Edition.  Wizards would still make millions if Local Game Stores sold these, they just wouldn't make as many millions. 

On Compensation:  So customers wanted to give you money to get cards that they could play with.  With the 12000 promise you can't just print more to fill demand, but giving players uncut sheets did two things, it tanked the value of an uncut sheet, and gave players something that they couldn't play with.  Yeah some of these are going to be hung up and they will make for killer decorations.  Some of them will become non factory cut cards and sold for a premium, but how many are going to be stored in their tubes and just forgotten about? Why not give players something they could have played with?  I would have pushed for a foil set of War of the Spark to reach these upset consumers.  It's still pretty cool, but also lets the players actually play.  Lacking foil sets, if you're going to put anything back in to production, why not hook these players up with the Japanese alternate art Planeswalkers?  I'm glad people are getting compensated though, it's nice to see someone acknowledge their mistake and try to make things right. 

On Yuuya:  Good.  It's been 12 hours since his suspension and removal from the MPL and Hall of Fame was announced, and it's incredibly weird to me that people are putting on a cape for a cheater.  Yes, Yuuya was a master.  Yes, there is probably untold amounts of pressure to keep up performance to remain in the MPL, but to say that there is a racial bias because of his disqualification and suspension?  Please!  Stop tripping all over yourselves to defend a cheater.  The sleeves as presented by Yuuya and CyGames are clearly marked, and they are clearly marked in a pattern.  There isn't a conspiracy from Wizards of the Coast to get rid of Japanese players.  The judges at Mythic Championships aren't incompetent buffoons, they are well trained, well respected, and do their jobs well.  Removal from the MPL and Hall of Fame is unfortunate, but it's clear to me that members of the MPL are held to a higher standard, and this sends an incredible message that cheating will not be tolerated, but one will also have a chance to make up for it if they decide to come back to the game after the suspension is over. 

On Arena:  I actually opened my virtual wallet for this set, and was sad when I did, because I didn't open up any Mobilized District, Dreadhorde Invasion, Sarkhan the Masterless, The Elderspell or Chandra, Fire Artisan. Rest assured I got a playset of Silent Submersible, Planewide Celebration, Single Combat and others.  Playset is doing a lot of heavy lifting since these are bulk rares that will not see play.  I get that there is a feel bad from crafting cards, in some people's minds at least, but there is a feel worse in opening cards that will not get added to a deck and sit to rot in your virtual binder.  If I can't trade or craft, fine, whatever I've come to accept it, I just wish I could play Magic the way I wanted to.  Oh...yeah I still can, thanks MTGO!
 
On the Play Lobby Beta:  I did not apply to this, because of many reasons, the first being I don't feel competent doing anything tech related.  However it is super great to see MTGO getting a facelift, and it's even better to still see the huge amounts of passionate employees that Wizards of the Coast has on the MTGO team. Maybe WotC really was telling the truth when they said Arena and MTGO would coexist? 

Standard:While the Starcity Standard events over the weekend were filled with Nexus of Fate, Esper Control and Mono Red decks, Zac Elsik was busy finishing second in a 142 person MCQ with a UW Planeswalker Prison deck. This list is the updated list of what he played, and shows that Standard is far from solved! 


Modern:  War of the Spark has been pretty powerful for Modern already.  Neoform has given rise to a deck that can potentially win on turn one, Ilharg, the Raze-Boar has given Through the Breach decks something new to play with, and Teferi, Time Raveler has made an impact for the UW control decks of the format.  Mono Green Tron looks more like Karn tribal now, thanks to Karn, the Great Creator and even Niv-Mizzet Reborn has sparked the interest of brewers, as seen in this week's deck.  While Modern is getting the shakeup from War of the Spark, remember that Modern Horizons is on the, well, horizon as it comes out next month! Cavedan also had a great week, as they finished 5-0 with a cool looking Neoform Counters list as well!


Legacy: War of the Spark is helping out Legacy too. Karn, the Great Creator is seeing playing.  Ugin, the Ineffable is also getting some love.  With that said, it seems like sharing this list is picking the lowest hanging fruit, but whatever, the decklist looks like a lot of fun and something I would play in the format! 


Vintage:  Vintage didn't get left out of the War of the Spark as Narset, Parter of Veils has taken up spots in Xerox decks already.  I expect Teferi, Time Raveler to see some play in the format as well!