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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
May 14 2021 12:00pm
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State of the Program for May 14th, 2021
 
In the News

Historic Anthology V:  It's being spoiled now, and so far we have 18 of the 25 cards that are going to be added to MTG Arena on May 27th.  For a list of what is spoiled now, you can go here.  Some highlights include Stifle, Urabrask the Hidden and Atarka's Command.  There is still another seven cards to be spoiled though and I imagine we are getting Kolaghan's Command to go along with the rest of the Dragon commands from Dragons of Tarkir. 

Strixhaven College Cup:  The event, on Arena sees players represent their favorite school from Strixhaven in a series of challenges over three weeks.  You earn points by using the sleeve, avatar and pet of your favorite school. In the events you will be able to earn the Japanese Alternate art styles for the Mystic Archive cards.  You can read the rest of the Arena announcements here

Legacy Cube Returns to MTGO:  After nearly a year of it being gone, the Legacy Cube is back on MTGO for two weeks! Last updated on the 10th of this month, you need to go here to check out the list of changes made to the cube. Not much in the way of MTGO news, but you can check it out here.  

That is it, nothing else happened this week! 

Oh gosh, I've been handed a note. 

It appears that a thing has happened. 

Professional Magic:  The dream of playing the game and seeing the world is over.  Except it's not over at all.  There will still be events that are close to Grand Prix Or Magic Fests and events close to Pro Tours, Set Championships or Mythic Championships.  There will still be a World Championship. 

What won't exist is the Magic Pro League or Rivals anymore.  A lot of people were very publicly fired on Thursday and that sucked.  The top Magic players also won't have a career path playing Magic anymore. There will no longer be salaried positions for players, there will no longer be appearance fees or fees paid out for pro points.  What will exist is tournament prize money. 

According to Blake Rasmussen of Wizards of the Coast yesterday's announcement and Weekly MTG stream are the first step in re-balancing where WotC spends it's organized play resources.  The organized play system was top heavy.  WotC has identified five pillars of play that they would like to support and have done so for years.  Elite play was the pillar that was taking to much.

The five pillars are Friendly play (game store level), Aspirational play (States, PTQs) Elite play (Grand Prix or Pro Tour) Festivals (CommandFest) Digital (MTGO and MTG Arena). 

The Play Studio is under new management and the people in charge of making the changes aren't ready to show off what is going to happen for the 2022-23 season.  The rest of this season and the 2021-22 season are still planed to go on.

You can read WotC's article here, and watch the twitch stream here.  I also used StarcityGames and Hipsters of the Coast as sources. 
 

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
June 2nd, 2021
Constructed Leagues End
Ends July 7th, 2021
Sealed Leagues End
Ends July 8th, 2021
Next B&R
Unknown
Kaldheim Redemption
Ends June 23, 2021


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:

May 12th - Legacy Cube
May 26th - New Cube

May 14th - Modern Qualifier
May 15th - Strixhaven Sealed Qualifier (3 a.m.)
May 15th - Strixhaven Sealed Qualifier (2 p.m.)
May 16th - Strixhaven Sealed Super Qualifier
 
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) SATURDAY SUNDAY
12:00 a.m.   Vintage 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
2:00 p.m. Pioneer Challenge Standard Challenge

 


Cutting Edge Tech

Standard: Remember Keruga, the Macrosage?  It saw a lot of play when Fires of Invention was Standard legal, and then when Companions were reworked it might have still seen play, but Fires was also banned in the same announcement?  Well surprise it's a Hippo companion!  This turbo land style deck looks to power out the mana quickly and then take advantage of that with powerful spells like Alrund's Epiphany which with Scute Swarm in play should end the game quickly! 


Historic:  This deck, a Boros Prowess deck without any copies of Sacred Foundry went on a 6 match winning streak in Historic on Arena.  This is basically a playset of Monastery Swiftspears away from being a really good Pioneer deck and a set of Arid Mesas away from being a really good Modern deck.  It could use some improvements, but I wouldn't be surprised if the player behind the deck was on a free to play account and just grinding away with a solid aggro deck. 


Legacy:  Mono Red Prison will always be a fun deck to highlight! 


Modern: There is, and always will be, something oddly comforting about Guillaume Wafo-Tapa (WaToO on MTGO) winning an event with a control deck.  While the addition of Counterspell to the Modern format next month is going to get the news, I think this might show how Counterspell may just be a piece of a toolbox instead of a automatic 4 of for a lot of players.  I mean outside of Logic Knot look at the counterspells here, they do something else besides counter a spell.  There is also one copy of Mana Leak here, but is counterspell better than it?  Probably but you have to rework the mana to make sure you have two UU up in Modern, which shouldn't be to hard. 


Pauper:  Pauper has become a format that finding new decks to highlight has been an issue for.  This week I am just highlighting a challenge winner's list. 

Pioneer:  I do not think that the Lotus Field combo deck is changing to much in Pioneer.  It appears to mainly still win with a Jace, Wielder of Mysteries after a Fae of Wishes fetches it.  However, there are versions popping up from time to time that look like this, and win with an Awakened land from Part the Waterveil or lock you out with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.  I adore this version because it allows you to cheat out a Lotus Field with Discontinuity on your turn, by casting it with the enters the battlefield trigger on the stack. 


 

 
Winner's Circle

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

Challenge Winners

Saturday Legacy - mei0024 - Humans
Saturday Modern - WatoO - Esper Control
Saturday Pauper - barff - Dimir Control
Saturday Pioneer - Curtisaxel - Selesnya Company
Saturday Standard - Lord_Beerus - Cycling
Saturday Vintage - Diem4x

Sunday Legacy - Chefen - 4 Color Zenith
Sunday Modern - apriolo1 - AmuLIT
Sunday Pauper - Beicodegeia - Dimir Control
Sunday Pioneer - No Result Published.
Sunday Standard - ht991122 - Rakdos Aggro
Sunday Vintage - discoverN

Other Event Winners

Strixhaven Sealed MOCS - nathansteuer
Strixhaven Sealed MOCS - Lennny


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: Extus, Oriq Overlord is on the list now.  Looking like we might be removing some Strixhaven cards soon. 

Standard Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Brazen Borrower $23.30 $21.83 $1.47 7%
Bonecrusher Giant $10.30 $10.30 $0.00 0%
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King $17.50 $15.01 $2.49 17%
Shark Typhoon $8.55 $9.86 ($1.31) -13%
Lurrus of the Dream Den $13.60 $14.92 ($1.32) -9%
Valki, God of Lies $65.40 $56.85 $8.55 15%
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider $12.20 $11.65 $0.55 5%
Goldspan Dragon $16.20 $16.19 $0.01 0%
Alrund's Epiphany $6.79 $7.15 ($0.36) -5%
Esika, God of the Tree $5.84 $5.73 $0.11 2%
Koma, Cosmos Serpent $6.77 $6.52 $0.25 4%
Halvar, God of Battle $5.14 $5.06 $0.08 2%
Elder Gargaroth $14.40 $14.76 ($0.36) -2%
Stormwing Entity $7.59 $8.46 ($0.87) -10%
Prismari Command $7.99 $7.84 $0.15 2%
Galazeth Prismari $4.57 $5.44 ($0.87) -16%
Magma Opus $8.24 $11.81 ($3.57) -30%
Elite Spellbinder $8.37 $6.54 $1.83 28%
Professor Onyx $8.46 $8.60 ($0.14) -2%
Sedgemoor Witch $8.16 $7.17 $0.99 14%
Vanishing Verse $3.14 $5.35 ($2.21) -41%
Velomachus Lorehold $5.35 $5.13 $0.22 4%
Kasmina, Enigma Sage $6.31 $6.71 ($0.40) -6%
Beledros Witherbloom $5.80 $5.94 ($0.14) -2%
Rowan, Scholar of Sparks $4.13 $4.95 ($0.82) -17%
Extus, Oriq Overlord $5.94


Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 11 12.29 ($1.29) -10%
Klothys, God of Destiny 14.4 12 $2.40 20%
Ox of Agonas 5.16 6.95 ($1.79) -26%
Scourge of the Skyclaves $36.50 $37.18 ($0.68) -2%
Turntimber Symbiosis $11.00 $11.38 ($0.38) -3%
Agadeem's Awakening $6.44 $7.21 ($0.77) -11%
Skyclave Apparition $26.20 $24.82 $1.38 6%
Shatterskull Smashing $5.05 $5.57 ($0.52) -9%
Modern StaplesNight's Whisper is on the list, but it might be because of Pauper play, and it might be on the Eternal list next week.  Trinisphere fell off the list. 

Modern Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Auriok Champion $18.20 $19.48 ($1.28) -7%
Steelshaper's Gift $8.28 $9.96 ($1.68) -17%
Engineered Explosives $7.42 $7.69 ($0.27) -4%
Night's Whisper $5.54


Cavern of Souls $17.10 $19.97 ($2.87) -14%
Mishra's Bauble $17.00 $16.66 $0.34 2%
Noble Hierarch $4.79 $6.05 ($1.26) -21%
Aether Vial $13.80 $14.11 ($0.31) -2%
Horizon Canopy $9.35 $11.15 ($1.80) -16%
Tarmogoyf $6.36 $7.24 ($0.88) -12%
Liliana of the Veil $18.30 $16.82 $1.48 9%
Snapcaster Mage $6.26 $5.08 $1.18 23%
Polluted Delta $9.54 $14.50 ($4.96) -34%
Wooded Foothills $8.68 $13.16 ($4.48) -34%
Flooded Strand $6.55 $7.63 ($1.08) -14%
Bloodstained Mire $8.26 $9.43 ($1.17) -12%
Windswept Heath $6.93 $8.43 ($1.50) -18%
Thoughtseize $9.76 $8.95 $0.81 9%
Cryptic Command $5.20 $5.19 $0.01 0%
Elvish Reclaimer $10.80 $11.90 ($1.10) -9%
Force of Negation $73.70 $92.19 ($18.49) -20%
Wrenn and Six $63.00 $67.30 ($4.30) -6%
Prismatic Vista $10.90 $13.42 ($2.52) -19%
Sunbaked Canyon $15.80 $17.56 ($1.76) -10%
Seasoned Pyromancer $35.30 $32.90 $2.40 7%
Fiery Islet $13.30 $16.57 ($3.27) -20%
Urza, Lord High Artificer $6.63 $5.65 $0.98 17%
Plague Engineer $7.67 $11.06 ($3.39) -31%
Force of Vigor $17.90 $19.07 ($1.17) -6%
Giver of Runes $5.97 $5.72 $0.25 4%
Flusterstorm $11.80 $9.30 $2.50 27%
Archmage's Charm $31.10 $16.35 $14.75 90%
Ranger-Captain of Eos $4.75 $5.96 ($1.21) -20%
Hexdrinker $20.30 $20.84 ($0.54) -3%
Ice-Fang Coatl $7.14 $8.42 ($1.28) -15%
Silent Clearing $4.04 $5.11 ($1.07) -21%
Kaya's Guile $15.60 $7.75 $7.85 101%
Chalice of the Void $9.33 $8.97 $0.36 4%
Surgical Extraction $16.70 $14.73 $1.97 13%
Karn Liberated $6.30 $6.85 ($0.55) -8%
Emrakul,the Aeons Torn $10.30 $10.26 $0.04 0%
Wurmcoil Engine $5.79 $5.98 ($0.19) -3%
Ensnaring Bridge $9.47 $9.43 $0.04 0%
Teferi, Time Raveler $35.00 $30.26 $4.74 16%
Gemstone Mine $8.95 $13.07 ($4.12) -32%
Jace, the Mind Sculptor $8.60 $9.71 ($1.11) -11%
Scalding Tarn $13.60 $17.55 ($3.95) -23%
Verdant Catacombs $17.50 $21.31 ($3.81) -18%
Misty Rainforest $13.90 $19.96 ($6.06) -30%
Arid Mesa $6.95 $7.59 ($0.64) -8%
Marsh Flats $4.07 $4.98 ($0.91) -18%
Eternal StaplesFood Chain is a new addition to the list. 

Eternal Format Cards Price Last Week Change % Change
Hullbreacher $60.20 $57.47 $2.73 5%
Opposition Agent $24.90 $26.06 ($1.16) -4%
Jeweled Lotus $16.90 $17.02 ($0.12) -1%
Dark Depths $6.80 $6.00 $0.80 13%
City of Traitors $42.30 $47.37 ($5.07) -11%
Sphere of Resistance $7.32 $7.02 $0.30 4%
Monastery Mentor $5.72 $7.45 ($1.73) -23%
Allosaurus Shepherd $37.60 $31.09 $6.51 21%
Muxus, Goblin Grandee $7.22 $7.86 ($0.64) -8%
Force of Will $83.40 $81.50 $1.90 2%
Karakas $13.50 $12.73 $0.77 6%
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale $49.30 $48.62 $0.68 1%
Demonic Tutor $17.70 $17.27 $0.43 2%
Food Chain $10.71


Unmask $10.13 $11.43 ($1.30) -11%
Misdirection $12.10 $11.46 $0.64 6%
Rishadan Port $17.71 $19.79 ($2.08) -11%
Snuff Out $13.17 $12.50 $0.67 5%
Submerge $32.70 $28.67 $4.03 14%
Daze $15.70 $16.20 ($0.50) -3%
Entomb $8.45 $8.54 ($0.09) -1%
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow $64.10 $61.13 $2.97 5%
Mox Diamond $42.20 $39.91 $2.29 6%
Wasteland $57.80 $62.23 ($4.43) -7%
Ancient Tomb $20.60 $22.27 ($1.67) -7%
Lotus Petal $30.10 $25.22 $4.88 19%
Earthcraft $4.95 $6.26 ($1.31) -21%
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath $6.01 $7.10 ($1.09) -15%
Grim Monolith $20.30 $19.91 $0.39 2%
Exploration $13.90 $12.98 $0.92 7%
Gaea's Cradle $25.10 $24.43 $0.67 3%
Carpet of Flowers $40.20 $35.06 $5.14 15%
Gilded Drake $12.30 $12.02 $0.28 2%
Black Lotus $14.40 $13.99 $0.41 3%
Tropical Island $10.60 $12.07 ($1.47) -12%
Volcanic Island $17.00 $13.26 $3.74 28%
Underground Sea $19.90 $14.71 $5.19 35%
Mox Jet $4.33 $5.02 ($0.69) -14%
Null Rod $11.40 $11.32 $0.08 1%
Doomsday $26.40 $25.28 $1.12 4%
Paradigm Shift $11.60 $11.73 ($0.13) -1%
Mindbreak Trap $11.00 $10.11 $0.89 9%
Pioneer StaplesLotus Field has seen a bit of a resurgence in play recently, so it's back on the list.  Chandra, Awakened Inferno is on as well. 

Pioneer Cards Price Last Time Change % Change
Soul-Scar Mage $8.46 $7.16 $1.30 18%
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger $7.80 $7.70 $0.10 1%
Collected Company $6.37 $7.49 ($1.12) -15%
Kolaghan's Command $4.53 $5.13 ($0.60) -12%
Liliana, the Last Hope $4.69 $6.34 ($1.65) -26%
Collective Brutality $4.73 $5.24 ($0.51) -10%
Arclight Phoenix $3.34 $6.25 ($2.91) -47%
Eidolon of the Great Revel $7.89 $7.78 $0.11 1%
Mana Confluence $5.01 $5.11 ($0.10) -2%
Spirebluff Canal $8.33 $6.52 $1.81 28%
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim $5.40 $6.76 ($1.36) -20%
Lotus Field $5.98


Chandra, Awakened Inferno $7.28


Kozilek's Return $7.49 $10.18 ($2.69) -26%
Thought-Knot Seer $4.31 $5.59 ($1.28) -23%
Kaya, Orzhov Usurper $7.15 $7.11 $0.04 1%
Karn, the Great Creator $47.70 $38.03 $9.67 25%
Blast Zone $12.00 $13.66 ($1.66) -12%
Finale of Devastation $5.92 $6.16 ($0.24) -4%
Dreadhorde Arcanist $4.58 $5.06 ($0.48) -9%
Omnath, Locus of Creation $17.70 $17.58 $0.12 1%
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 2021 $57.73 $56.79 $0.94 2%
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths $48.87 $48.81 $0.06 0%
Kaldheim $191.60 $169.86 $21.74 13%
Strixhaven: School of Mages $129.01 $137.52 ($8.51) -6%
Strixhaven: School of Mages Booster $3.26 $3.23 $0.03 1%
Theros Beyond Death $95.11 $94.41 $0.70 1%
Throne of Eldraine $139.95 $134.51 $5.44 4%
Treasure Chest $2.43 $2.49 ($0.06) -2%
Zendikar Rising $134.21 $134.23 ($0.02) 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 173.39
Snapcaster Mage UBT Mythic 103.01
Cavern of Souls UBT Mythic 94.04
Liliana of the Veil UBT Mythic 91.59
Karakas UBT Mythic 91.51
Force of Will MED Rare 83.4
Ethereal Forager C20 Rare 81.37
Mox Jet 1E Rare 77.61
Force of Negation MH1 Rare 73.67
Ancestral Recall 1E Rare 73.21
Time Walk 1E Rare 69.43
Mox Sapphire 1E Rare 65.68
Valki, God of Lies KHM Mythic 65.38
Mox Emerald 1E Rare 65.22
Wasteland ZNE Mythic 64.98
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow PZ2 Rare 64.06
Wrenn and Six MH1 Mythic 62.96
Wasteland TPR Rare 61.5
Wasteland EXP Mythic 60.97
Hullbreacher CMR Rare 60.24
Wasteland TE Uncommon 57.83
Force of Will 2XM Mythic 55.84
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth UBT Mythic 54.16
Dark Depths UBT Mythic 54.09
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale ME3 Rare 49.34
Jace, the Mind Sculptor MS4 Mythic 49.22
Mox Ruby 1E Rare 48.47
Karn, the Great Creator WAR Rare 47.72
Mox Pearl 1E Rare 44.21
Demonic Tutor UBT Mythic 43.88
Underground Sea ME4 Rare 43.52
Purple-Crystal Crab PZ2 Common 42.6
City of Traitors EX Rare 42.29
Mox Diamond ST Rare 42.17
Mox Diamond TPR Mythic 41.77
Wasteland EMA Rare 41.65
Karn Liberated UBT Mythic 41.43
Verdant Catacombs ZNE Mythic 40.94
Force of Will MS3 Mythic 40.81
Noble Hierarch UBT Mythic 40.25
Carpet of Flowers UZ Uncommon 40.18
Force of Will EMA Mythic 38.37
Force of Will VMA Rare 37.64
Allosaurus Shepherd JMP Mythic 37.55
Underground Sea ME2 Rare 36.66
Scourge of the Skyclaves ZNR Mythic 36.48
Mox Diamond V10 Mythic 36.04
Timetwister 1E Rare 35.29
Seasoned Pyromancer MH1 Mythic 35.25
Verdant Catacombs EXP Mythic 35.18
Teferi, Time Raveler WAR Rare 34.96
Misty Rainforest ZNE Mythic 34.91
Liliana, the Last Hope MS4 Mythic 34.39
Heavenly Qilin PZ2 Common 34.32
Platinum Emperion UBT Mythic 34
Ancient Tomb ZNE Mythic 33.99
City of Traitors TPR Rare 33.57
Celestial Colonnade UBT Mythic 33.33
Submerge NE Uncommon 32.7
Archmage's Charm MH1 Rare 31.05
Scalding Tarn ZNE Mythic 30.33
Lotus Petal MS2 Bonus 30.31
Lotus Petal TE Common 30.05
Scalding Tarn EXP Mythic 29.32
Cavern of Souls UMA Mythic 28.15
Lotus Petal TPR Uncommon 27.87
Cavern of Souls ZNE Mythic 27.84
Wooded Foothills ZNE Mythic 27.24
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria MS4 Mythic 27.2
Earthshaking Si PZ2 Common 27.02
Creeping Tar Pit UBT Mythic 26.41
Doomsday WL Rare 26.4
Misty Rainforest EXP Mythic 26.34
Cavern of Souls MM3 Mythic 26.24
Skyclave Apparition ZNR Rare 26.23
Ancient Tomb EXP Mythic 25.68
Bitterblossom UBT Mythic 25.57
Gaea's Cradle UZ Rare 25.13
Fulminator Mage UBT Mythic 25.07
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
 
In Closing

Prices were done on Thursday.  It was a solid if unspectacular week where me and my play group became obsessed with (Codie, Vociferous Codex:STX) in Commander. 

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