New MTG.com

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Scott Johns, Editor in Chief of the website, provided us with a sneak peak at the new look and new features coming with the website redesign in an article today titled The New MagicTheGathering.com.

The organisation of materials are to fall into catorigories such as
The Multiverse : contains a new flavour-based section,
Trading Card Game : provides product information and other materials formerly hosted as 'minisites'),
Daily MTG : contains the familiar Ask Wizards, Card of the Day, Magic Arcana, all of the current columns, and event coverage content. Will also include a new Booster Draft Simulator (which will provide card pools updated weekly), AND
Digital Games : ( ), and Publishing (currently the information contained within the 'Books' section).
In addition, a new public beta-version of the card database, Gatherer, is set to go live shortly. The new application is promised to provide a streamlined simple search, the option for advanced search with a whole menu of options (including Boolean operators), the chance to rate and comment on every Magic card ever made, the ability to view any search as a visual spoiler, and more.
The screen shots of the new & improved website also provided us with a few more spoilers of Shards of Alara art as well as flavour . . .

"Alara was whole once. But that was millennia ago. Where once there was a plane, now there are five: the Shards. The plane of Alara was a world rich with mana, a world in balance . . . until the Sundering. In a cataclysm of unimaginable proportions, alara was rent asunder in five separate worlds, each a refraction of the others."

First of all, this is awesome art.
Secondly, what the heck is that monster breathing thunderbolts ?

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We were also provided with a glimpse of two other Alara denizens -

Wings, sword, and all white and gold

. . . I will hazard a guess that this may be an angel .

Another image from the screen shots show this soldier of Knight of Jund . . . very nice.

This banner, however, was a bit more difficult to make out . . . It shows how the (old) minisites will incorporate into the new site design. This image shows the expected categories of flavour exploration, puzzle activities, visual spoilers as well as product information. The visual spoiler image provides 3 Alara cards with traditionally coloured subjects in white, red and blue. The product information thumb also possibly shows booster box packaging and a new intro-pack packaging.

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Lastly, a quick look at an image provided at the recent GenCon gaming convention in Indiana.

You will certainly recall the Esper wallpaper posted last week at MTG.
Did you get a close look at winged-creature lurking in the mists behind the Esper denizens ?

I am thinking that this is the same beast that was shown at GenCon. Wings, tail, hooves ?


It appears that Esper has a flier as well as wizards.

Until next time, Happy & Safe Gaming everyone !