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Happy Friday MTG folks,
We already yattered about the Scars of Mirrodin Game Day going down this weekend but wanted to give you another reminder.
The most common question we're getting is how to score those Mirrodin Beseiged cards. To get one of these cards, you bring along your standard-legal deck built with a minimum of at least ten watermarked cards from its affiliated faction in its main deck, and no watermarked cards from the opposing faction in its main deck or sideboard. The top 2 finishers with Mirran-affiliated decks receive a Peace Strider preview card from Mirrodin Besieged, and the top 2 finishers with Phyrexia-affiliated decks receive a Pierce Strider preview card. This is in addition to any top 8 prize cards you might win for their overall event finish.
Some decent ideas for an affiliated deck to consider if you are thinking of scrapping together for Game Day . . .
MIRRAN -
Metal Craft : green / white featuring Memnite, Mox Opal, Darksteel Axe, Gold / Copper Myr, Indomitable Archangel, Ezuri's Brigade.
Argentum Quest : Memnite, Ornithopter, Quest for the Holy Relic, Glint Hawk, Abuna Acolyte, Sword of Body and Mind, Argentum Armor.
PHYREXIA -
Poison : Ichorclaw Myr, Blight Mamba, Ichor Rats, Plague Stinger, Contagion Clasp, Hand of the Praetors, Putrefax
Anywhoos - All participants receive an exclusive Memnite promo card (while supplies last). The top 8 players each receive an exclusive full-art Tempered Steel promo card. The cards are awarded to the Top 8 players even if the tournament cuts only to the top 4 so what more enticement would you need to head on out to your nearest games store . .
For details about Scars of Mirrodin Game Day or where and when you can at a location near you, swing on over to the Wizards of the Coast mother-site - HERE.
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Date : 10/26/2010
Location : MTG Secret Lair disguised as a typical residential property
(Ding-Dong!) (peeks through window to ensure it isn't Duane Chapman, 'Dog' the Bounty Hunter, Boba Fett or my parole officer. It appears to be a Fed Ex delivery dude. Cautiously opens door)
Me : G'Day eh.
FedEx guy : Yeah. How ya doing? erm . . . 'Copy' . . 'Six', umm . . 'MTG Realm' ?
Me : Yep - That's me.
FedEx guy : Good. Package delivery.
Me : Dang that fast - I just got the on-line order confirmation from Fredericks of Hollywood yesterday.
FedEx guy : Uhh . . nope. It's from Wizards of . . . umm Seattle.
Me : (jumping) OMG, OMG, OMG - it's the Mirrodin Lunchbox ! Awesome Sauce ! OMG !
FedEx guy : yeah . . . OK. Right - sign here . . not 'copy' whatever - your real name please.
Me : OK. Totally cool. I use CopySix as an on-line handle - there's a lot phreaks out there.
FedEx guy : (mumbling quietly) There's a lot of freaks here too.
Me : Sorry - what ?
FedEx guy : Nothing - thanks. Have a great day.
Me : You too. OMG ! - Mirrodin Lunch Box NOM NOM NOM !
FedEx guy : (now running back to his delivery truck)
You may recall our very recent post from last Friday. Wizards of the Coast sent MTG Realm some krazy kewl swag. Here's the Scars of Mirrodin Lunch Box full of sweet Magic the Gathering goodness and topped with awesome sauce. MTG Realm will be giving some of this away in future contests on the site.
Here are the pulls from the packs which will be making its way down via a trade binder to Friday Night Magic : Chimeric Mass, Inexorable Tide, Kuldotha Phoenix, Memoricide, Molten Psyche, Myr Reservoir, Mox Opal, Precursor Golem, Shape Anew, Tempered Steel, Tower of Calamities and True Conviction.
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Finally - some news from MTG Mint Card - A decent deal where one may purchase any Scars of Mirrodin Card Sets, and score 2 packs of UltraPro 50 Deck Protector Sleeve for FREE. Move fast as this is good only until November 6th. Details here.
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Good Day and Happy Tuesday folks,
Today MTG Realm is yattering with Brett Parise, who operates the Magic on a Budget website. Why? Well not only is he a sponsor of MTG Realm but also a part of the Magic Community known to quite a few. Now residing in Orange County California, we've reached Brett to conduct a somewhat awkward but cool interview to know the fella.
MTG Realm (MTGR) : Good Morning or Good Night Brett. We're not sure what time it is out that way.
Magic on a Budget (MoaB) We could settle for "G'Day eh" don't you Canadians like saying that.
MTGR : Correct Sir, Let's flow with that. So the first thing Magic the Gathering Players usually talk about is when they started playing. As you do a fairly decent bit of business with selling Magic Cards, I will assume you play.
MoaB : Correct. I first started playing magic around 1995 when the revised edition came out. A lot of people were playing and talking about it so that Christmas my parents got me and my brothers some cards. Since then I have always played it as a hobby. More recently however I have been visiting a lot of FNMs and really enjoy the tactics and strategy behind it.
MTGR : Very cool, Friday Night Magic definitely one night I do rather look forward too. Most times we get handed our buttocks but that just gets the creative juices flowing in developing strategies against the local meta-game. Anywhoos, enough of our fails, how about your success. When did you decide to go into business for yourself? Was it after a head-bump or did you just get sick of working as a drone in CubeVille?
MoaB : Actually the decision to turn my hobby into a business was made a long time ago. I always thought I would be self employed and have even been supporting myself playing poker for almost a year. However the decision to transform my career from poker to magic cards was made late last year. While I still enjoy playing poker I find it more enjoyable to watch Magic on a Budget grow and become successful.
MTGR : Wow. We're talking about a fairly diverse background with you here. Starting a new business takes a lot of guts, smarts and support. What sort of support did you seek out for your venture?
MoaB : for support I always look to my family, who conveniently enough also happen to be my business associates. My older brother Rob helps me run the day to day operations of our small business. So you could say my family is definitely invested on the success of our venture.
MTGR : That's excellent. I remember as I'm sure most people do earning their very first pay check. I remember getting $5 for cutting the neighbours lawn which I immediately spent on sugar. It must have been a moment to get your first customer order - tell us about that.
MoaB : Our first customer wasn’t as memorable as many would think. It was a $150 order online for basically our entire mythic stock on our newest set. I never got to meet him face to face, but after that I knew that our prices and site was good enough to attract the more competitive players, which I had hoped would be the backbone of the site.
MTGR : Very Good. I should think it takes quite a bit of dedication. MTG Realm has been online since early 2008 and we are now looking at getting our 3-millionith visitor onto the site sometime late December or early January. I really did think I would still be doing this MTG fan site thing this long but now that I have, I'm starting to develop long term goals. What about Magic on a Budget? Where do you see yourself in the short and long-term future?
MoaB : Looking ahead to the next one or two years, the biggest goal really is expansion. After dealing in the industry for around a year, I have really got a renewed passion for magic cards and am glad I am in the industry. Once we receive that growth we will be able to do more promotions for our customers as well as bring on some additional staff to help with the day to day operations. As for expansion I would really like to just stay in the Magic realm of collectibles, and becoming one of the leading websites people turn too when it comes to getting affordable MTG cards.
MTGR : Bret, it was very cool to yatter with you. One of my kids wants the computer to do watch viral vids, do homework or something so I'm going to have to sign off with you. Thanks for your time today with the interview and the best of luck with Magic on a Budget.
MoaB : Thank-you for arranging this.
MTGR : I'll send some maple syrup and back-bacon down to you. Good Night.
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Good Monday Morning MTG peoples.
As MTG Realm is only an hour north of Toronto, we should yatter about the recent Grand Prix Toronto event which went down this last weekend at the International Center. The format for this was Scars of Mirrodin Sealed Deck / Booster Draft. For information on this event, check out the info post here. Let's cut to the punch line first - Canadian Jon Smithers is your GP Toronto Champion! Congratulations, Jon!
Players we know indicate the event was a solid success with approximately 1,400 players competing. The only bit of turbulence we heard was Mark Zadjner being escorted off the premises for threatening one of the judges. Mind you, this is still rumour and could not be immediately confirmed. There was also a complaint about the late start to the tournament and the horrible sound system used.
Some of the great cards Jon pulled for his sealed deck included Molten-Tail Masticore, Tempered Steel, Steel Hellkite, Kuldotha Phoenix with good support from Ferrovore and Origin Spellbomb. Across the final table from Jon was Brad Nelson who had performed well with help from Panic Spellbomb, Glint Hawk and Tumble Magnet among others.
Jon's build looked this -
Lands: 9 Plains, 7 Swamp, 16 lands
14 creatures : 1 Auriok Edgewright, 2 Glint Hawk, 1 Ichorclaw Myr, 1 Indomitable Archangel, 2 Kemba's Skyguard, 1 Leaden Myr, 1 Moriok Reaver, 1 Painsmith, 2 Perilous Myr, 1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, 1 Sunspear Shikari
10 other spells : 1 Accorder's Shield, 2 Arrest, 1 Flesh Allergy, 2 Livewire Lash, 1 Necrogen Censer, 1 Nim Deathmantle, 1 Revoke Existence, 1 Seize the Initiative
Brad build looked like this -
16 lands : 7 Mountain, 9 Plains
17 creatures : 1 Auriok Replica, 1 Barrage Ogre, 1 Chrome Steed, 1 Glimmerpoint Stag 2 Glint Hawk, 1 Gold Myr, 1 Golem Artisan, 1 Leaden Myr, 1 Myrsmith, 1 Necropede, 1 Oxidda Scrapmelter, 1 Razor Hippogriff, 1 Silver Myr, 2 Sunspear Shikari, 1 Vulshok Replica
7 other spells : 1 Arc Trail, 1 Barbed Battlegear, 1 Contagion Clasp, 1 Panic Spellbomb, 1 Strider Harness, 1 Trigon of Corruption, 1 Trigon of Rage
The final match went to game three with Jon being able to equip a Livewire Lash to his Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon. Jon swings with the help of a Sieze the Initiative to ensure enough poison counters were placed on Brad for the win. You can watch the match on GGSLive.
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Finally, we have from MTG Mint Card, a list of their top-10 selling cards for October. Three weeks after the Scars of Mirrodin release, these cards look to be the popular cards in standard.
1. Darkslick Shores
2. Myr Galvanizer
3. Myr Battlesphere
4. Contagion Engine
5. Tempered Steel
6. Genesis Wave
7. Seachrome Coast
8. Fauna Shaman
9. Memoricide
10. Kemba, Kha Regent
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Happy Friday MTG peeps,
Right now in where we live, the city is covered in a blanket of (very temporary and ephemeral) snow. Perhaps this may be the case in your neck of the woods. If so, give yourself some extra time to head off to your local game store / club for Friday Night Magic to avoid being late and getting the stinkeye from the organiser.
Today's post . . . light 'n' fluffy.
We are providing some images of some very lovely swag sent by Wizards of the Coast to some of the fan sites they work with. Check it out - the absoutely bomb-tastic Mirrodin lunchbox !
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Text from the letter included reads like this . .
Welcome to Mirrodin
This is the plane of metal. The Razor Fields chime with the sound of the golder blades of grass waving in the wind, and the rippling surface of the Quicksilver Sea reflects the gleaming light of the five suns. This plane is about to be a battleground.
The tribes of Humans, prides of Leonin and other Mirrans carry on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. Event the industrious little Myr are oblivious to the poison brewing just beneath the seemingly peaceful world.
The Phyrexian invasion force has been growing within the world since its first dawn. Now, Phyrexia seeks to re-make this world in its own twister image of perfection.
Before you, you'll find the tools to explore the looming conflict and choose the side with which to ally yourself. Will you aid the Mirrans in the defense of their home, or will you side with the Phyrexians and their desire for conquest? Look around for like-minded friends, or better yet, opposite-minded friends to engage in battles at work during lunch or at your favourite game store.
These Magic the Gathering Scars of Mirrodin Intro Packs introduce you to aspects of either faction and the booster packs let you delve even deeper into the plots and machinations of all involves. The website below will give you even more insight into the Mirrodin and the Phyrexian invaders.
wizards.com/mirran and wizards.com/phyrexian
Enjoy discovering the world of Magic and Mirrodin
Wizards of the Coast
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If KFC's Double Down can push droves of consumer's to rave reviews, how difficult would it be for Wizards of the Coast to sell you a fatter Fat Pack ? We will certainly see when Mirrodin Besieged is on 4th February, 2011.
MTG Realm has reviewed the latest Sales Solicitation flyer from Wizards and now brings you the reader some highlights . . .
NEW FAT PACK: The classic Magic Fat Pack receives a new configuration with the release of Mirrodin Besieged. Fat Packs will now contain nine boosters (instead of eight), 80 land cards (instead of 40), a Spindown™ life counter, a player’s guide, a card storage box, and two 60-card deck boxes.
NEW EVENT DECKS: New with Mirrodin Besieged are Event Decks. These 60-card decks come with a 15-card sideboard and are perfect for use in Standard play tournaments like Friday Night Magic or Game Day celebrations. They also come with a Spindown life counter and a reusable card box. Please note: The two versions being released for Mirrodin Besieged will be released on February 25, 2011 – just in time for Game Day!
INTRO PACK DISPLAYS: Unlike previous sets, there will only be four versions of the Intro Packs for Mirrodin Besieged (normally, there are five versions). There will be two decks to represent the Mirran faction and two decks for Phyrexia. The displays will still contain ten decks – two of each type plus two more selected at random.
Did you all catch that ? ? The new Fat Pack now has 40 additional land, two 60-card deck boxes AND one additional booster pack. Let's compare and review ->
Scars of Mirrodin Fat Pack
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MRSP) = $34.99
8 boosters, 1 card box, 1 player’s guide, 1 40-card land pack, 1 learn-to-play insert, 1 Spindown™ life counter.
Mirrodin Besieged Fat Pack
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MRSP) = $39.99
9 boosters, 1 card box, 1 player’s guide, 1 80-card land pack, 2 60-card deck boxes, 1 Spindown™ life counter.
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We want everyone to pipe in with your comments below -
Are you getting value with the extra $5 you will be paying ?
Considering the additional lands (we don't really care about), the extra booster pack (yep, we like) and the two deck boxes (we'd have to see 'em first), we think we like the deal.
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Happy Wednesday MTG fans,
Although this site is dedicated to standard environment casual magic, we certainly do not limit ourselves to having a look at what the Pro's or serious Magic players are brewing up. Today, we would like to do a very brief review of the recent Magic: the Gathering State and Provincial Championships, also known more commonly as the ' 2010's '. Sunmesa really needs to register a few more domain names as they still appear in the 2009's. btw - they also have a FaceBook page.
From reviews of TCG Players and StarCity Games websites and results, we can provide a summary of what hot and what's not at the standard format tournament scenes. We suggest you head on over to ManaNation and check out some of the first place finishers. First up, here is the list of the Top Twelve deck archetype finishes from all those tournaments.
Valakut Ramp
U/B Control
U/W Control
Eldrazi Green
U/G/R Force
Elf Aggro
U/R Force
W/U/R Control
Red Deck Wins
U/R Control
Kor Weenie
U/G/R Shaman
We suggest you go on line and determine what cards make up the above builds. For now, here is an not very concise list of what cards (on average) make up the top 3 decks . . .
Valakut Ramp : Primeval Titan, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Cultivate, Avenger of Zendikar, Summoning Trap, Explore, Khalni Heart Expedition, Terramorphic Expanse, Evolving Wilds, Lightning Bolt, Harrow, Wurmcoil Engine, Inferno Titan, Oracle of Mul Daya, Overgrown Battlement, Raging Ravine, Koth of the Hammer, Pyroclasm, Growth Spasm
U/B Control : Creeping Tar Pit, Darkslick Shores, Drowned Catacomb, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Mana Leak, 
Tectonic Edge, Doom Blade, Preordain, Frost Titan, Disfigure, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Grave Titan, Jace Beleren, Jace's Ingenuity, Ratchet Bomb, Stoic Rebuttal, Verdant Catacombs, Volition Reins
U/W Control : Eldrazi Temple, Eye of Ugin, Primeval Titan, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Mystifying Maze, Overgrown Battlement, Summoning Trap, Explore, Khalni Garden, Tectonic Edge, Wurmcoil Engine, Joraga Treespeaker, Cultivate, Growth Spasm, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Everflowing Chalice, All Is Dust, Terastodon
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Well since we are yattering about popular builds, we might as well provide a list of the Top 30 most played cards (mana / land cards not included) in all the decks played . . .
Tectonic Edge
Mana Leak
Primeval Titan
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Lightning Bolt
Explore
Summoning Trap
Cultivate
Preordain
Scalding Tarn
Celestial Colonnade
Glacial Fortress
Wurmcoil Engine
Overgrown Battlement
Joraga Treespeaker
Everflowing Chalice
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Misty Rainforest
Day of Judgment
Khalni Garden
Wall of Omens
Avenger of Zendikar
Arid Mesa
Terramorphic Expanse
Evolving Wilds
Frost Titan
Jace Beleren
Volition Reins
Mystifying Maze
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
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Lastly, if you are seeing any cards in the above list that is not yet in your collection, click on over to MTG Mint Card - you might as well take advantage of their 5% discount coupon - details on their Facebook page.
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Good Day and Happy Tuesday MTG peoples,
Here at MTG Realm, we like to push away from the game table and have a look around from time to time to see what is happening now strictly with our favourite card game but what may be happening on the peripheral to the game. To this end, we have some short tid-bits of news 'n' updates - we start with the overseers of Wizards of the Coast or rather their corporate masters, Hasbro . .
Magic, Games Again Key to Hasbro
business article from ICV2, Published: 10/18/10, Last Updated: 10/19/10 03:58am
Magic: The Gathering was cited in the company’s conference call as one of three Hasbro “mega-brands” that helped the company perform well in Q3, along with Nerf and Playskool. “Magic: The Gathering again this quarter was a standout performer,” Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said. “The team has done a great job reigniting this brand over the past few years.”
Iron Man and board games such as Operation, Scrabble, UBuild, Bop It, and games based on Toy Story 3 were also cited as strong performers in the quarter.
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Next up, books you can get at your local bookery shoppe . . .
Test of Metal: A Planeswalker Novel
MATTHEW STOVER (Author) In Stock.
Walk the Blind Eternities!
The New York Times best-selling author Matthew Stover brings his razor-sharp prose and hard-hitting characterization to the Multiverse of Magic: The Gathering®.
From the ashes of defeat, the planeswalker Tezzeret will rise again. Beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by the psychic sorcerer Jace Beleren, Tezzeret has lost control of the Infinite Consortium—an interplanar cabal he built from the ground up to achieve the sort of power and influence few in the Multiverse have ever achieved. Now he must turn to a former enemy for help: the dragon Nicol Bolas, perhaps the only being in the Multiverse powerful enough to get him back on his feet.
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Scars of Mirrodin: The Quest for Karn: Scars of Mirrodin Block
Robert Wintermute (Author)
This title will be released on April 26, 2011.
Mirrodin - a world of living metal, an artificial ecosystem created by the Planeswalker Karn to support organic life—is on the cusp of cataclysm. When the Planeswalker Venser goes in search of his former mentor, he learns Karn’s life hangs in the balance—and with him the entire plane of existence. For fans of the mega-selling trading card game, Magic: the Gathering®, the full story behind Scars of Mirrodin, a revisitation one of Magic’s most popular settings.
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Happy Monday MTG peeps,
As MTG Realm is a casual Magic the Gathering fan site, we know that your fav game may take you to a great number of varied locations such as your kitchen table, your school cafeteria, your work's lunchroom or even on-line. We also know from your eMails and correspondence that a great number of you also participate in a number of Wizards Play Network (WPN) sanctioned events, whether it is the very popular Friday Night Magic (FNM), a booster draft or Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) at a variety of locations. WPN sanctioned events are excellent because you get a chance to win some cool, alternate art foil card or other excellent prize.
The three main programs in WPN (Gateway, Core, and Advanced) had just recently changed on Friday, 15th October - and perhaps not for the best according to some players. In the past, Wizards of the Coast, through the Wizards Play Network provided stores, schools, libraries, and organizers everything they need to set up and maintain vibrant gaming communities. It has now changed to just stores with some qualifiers . . .
For organizers not associated with a store, Wizards will offer an Event Support Kit starting with the next set, Mirrodin Besieged. This kit will be identical to the Gateway Support Kit for Magic 2011 and will refresh with each new Core Set. Organizers not associated with a store will also have access to rated and casual sanctioned events. Why? Thihs straight from WoTC :
"Wizards of the Coast wants to build strong ... Magic communities in stores; attaching WPN levels and programs to retail venues creates a greater connection between players and the stores where they play. This change allows Wizards to better leverage the strengths of the WPN and our programs, maximizing their impact for stores and promoting the formation of vibrant player communities."
So, essentially, Organizers will no longer have WPN levels, and organizers will no longer receive WPN programs. Both these will be given exclusively to store locations.
We here at MTG Realm want to know if this may affect you and where you play. Do you have a club at school, in the armed forces, at your local library that formerly enjoyed WPN programs or does this affect you at all - perhaps you only play at a local games store - drop us a line in the comments below.
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Speaking of WPN promos, here are / were the latest FNM and Gateway promos . . .
FNM
September 2010: Qasali Pridemage
October 2010: Rift Bolt
November 2010: Gatekeeper of Malakir
Gateway
Magic 2011: Sylvan Ranger, Fling
Scards of Mirrodin: Golem's Heart, Plague Stinger
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The most common question we're getting is how to score those Mirrodin Beseiged cards. To get one of these cards, you bring along your standard-legal deck built with a minimum of at least ten watermarked cards from its affiliated faction in its main deck, and no watermarked cards from the opposing faction in its main deck or sideboard. The top 2 finishers with Mirran-affiliated decks receive a Peace Strider preview card from Mirrodin Besieged, and the top 2 finishers with Phyrexia-affiliated decks receive a Pierce Strider preview card. This is in addition to any top 8 prize cards you might win for their overall event finish.
