Deck Builders Toolkit

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

As it is Thursday, we suggest you consider heading out to a gaming store near you to get some quality Magic the Gathering play time in before Friday Night Magic.  Locally, OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario runs a Commander / EDH game on Thursdays.  Tonight however is a bit special with Commander being organised as a tournament with a new scoring system with Planechase Packs as prizes which is available in time for the Midnight release.

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Righto - onto some other news . . .

Ebay user 'iying2' somewhere in Naperville, IL, United States sells a lot of items, mostly women's fashions - shoes, handbags, etc. but recently had posted for sale four Magic the Gathering Deck Builders Toolkit (2012), three sealed and one with the outer seal opened.  Why are we interested in this ?  Because this product should not be available until latter this year - more specifically July 2012 - to correspond roughly with the release of the core set, Magic 2013.  This is due to the inclusion of some of the upcoming core set cards in this toolkit.  The items were removed fairly promptly from what we imagine was at the direction of Wizards of the Coast.

Yep - early Magic the Gathering spoilers . . .
Magic the Gathering Deck Builders Toolkit in a sealed Box (2012) - English

Let's review the images . ..
Arbor Elf and Evolving Wilds appears to be included in M13
There's a Baloth creature on the Magic 2013 booster pack.

With Arbor Elf (aka Lawn-Mower Man v.2) in the set, many players are speculating that Llanowar Elves are excluded.  Some gamers go so as far as to speculate the return of Ravnica dual or 'Shock' lands.  When these lands come into play, you can choose to pay 2 life, otherwise the land comes into play tapped. With Arbor Elf on the battlefield, a player could play Stomping Ground or Temple Garden, have it come into play tapped and then use the Elf to untap said land as the card type reads 'forest'.  Enough speculation for today, let's have a look at what you get when the Magic the Gathering Deck Builders Toolkit is officially release . . .

Each box contains:
• 285 Cards
• 125 "semi-random" Cards
• 4 Sealed Packs (15 cards per pack). Booster packs from a variety of recent Magic: The Gathering sets
• 100 Basic Land (to get you started with deck building)
• “Learn To Play” Guide
• Full Art reusable card storage box
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MTG Rules

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Playing Magic the Gathering is simply fun.  As this game has thousands of cards which interact rather differently with eachother, there may come a time when a particular game might not be fun as there may be some rules questions.  As we're casual magic players here at MTG Realm, we might not get to fairly complicated rulings but we do occassionally need to seek guidance or look up particular ruling on a card.

When it comes to that, there are some very handy resouces out there.  Check out these sites here if you ever get stuck :

•  Yawgatog’s Hyperlinked Comp Rules
•  Comp Rules by Example
•  Official Comprehensive Rules Website
•  24/7 Rules Chat with Judges
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While we are on rules, there has been some very recent developments on a new Avacyn Restored card - 'Cavern of Souls' which the mothership had provided an article on.

Without getting too deeply into this, Cavern of Souls does two things - one is simply provide a colourless mana to spend on a spell.  The second ability provides one mana of any color to your mana pool to feed into a delcared creature spell.  As Cavern of Souls enters the battlefield, you choose a creature type, and when you use the second ability to cast a creature of that type, that spell can't be countered.  The Gatherer ruling also provides this - The spell can't be countered if the mana produced by Cavern of Souls is spent to cover any cost of the spell, even an additional cost such as a kicker cost. This is true even if you use the mana to pay an additional cost while casting a spell "without paying its mana cost."

We suggest you read the article carefully if you are playing with Cavern of Souls and remember, it is never a bad thing while playing Magic the Gathering to clearly indicate to your opponent what you are doing or if you ask your opponent for clarification as to what he or she may be doing.
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Also of note is the Magic Judges blog which provides absolutely great content and resources.  Some of the articles posted may provide situations which may be rather clearly understood to you but we can say that every once in a while they hit us with a surprising rules situation which we come away better informed.  Here is an example of a recent article on the Judge blog . . .

You can’t play a land after you reveal a Miracle card but before you cast it.
Posted on May 9, 2012 by bimmerbot
There seem to be a lot of questions about the new miracle mechanic lately. To repeat, here is how it works: When you draw the first card in a turn, if it has miracle, you may reveal it. When you do, its ability triggers. Upon the resolution of the miracle triggered ability, you may cast the spell right away for its miracle cost, ignoring all timing restrictions for that spell. However, something you can’t ignore is the timing restriction on playing a land.

You can only play a land when 1) it’s your turn 2) it’s the main phase and the stack is empty and 3) you haven’t used your land drop for this turn. This means that you can’t play a land in order to help you pay for a card’s miracle cost. Most of the time, you will be revealing a card with miracle during your draw step, not your main phase. In addition, you can’t play a land while the miracle ability is on the stack, and you can only play a card for its miracle cost immediately as the triggered ability resolves; if you keep it revealed until your main phase, then play a land, it’s too late and you can only cast that card for its normal mana cost.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Jen Wong, Level 1 judge from Irvine, CA
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Savage Auras Video

Happy Monday MTG peeps,


Today, we have a series of posts showcasing the latest Magic the Gathering product, Planechase 2012.  In this post, we have a video of the Savage Auras deck.  Take a few minutes now and watch this vid as we discuss just how kick-butt this variant / casual Magic the Gathering format is and what a killer build Wizards had made with this enchantment / aura deck . . .

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Make sure you check out out (four) previous posts providing decklists / summary to all of the Planechase decks - Chaos Reigns, Night of the Ninja, Primordial Hunger, and Savage Auras.

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With the Savage Auras deck, your goal is building the perfect creature.  At the heart of this deck, is a variety of auras that upgrade the creatures they enchant.  Some auras, such as Mamoth Umbra and Indrik Umbra have 'totem armor' in addition to their other abilities.  Board wipers (Day of Judgement) or the Phenomenon card 'Planewide Disaster' which destroys all creatures will keep your critters with totem armor still on the game table.


We love that Sigil of the Empty throne is included in this build as it will generate ample 4/4 flying angel tokens to either attack with or chump block while you build your perfect game finisher.  If you want to tweak this deck and go over the top, include an 'Eldrazi Conscription' copy or two, but that is likely just a win-moar condition as this deck plays great.


The planes / phenomena cards in this package compliment the deck quite well - like Akoum (Zendikar Plane) which allows players to cast enchantments (you've got tons in this build) as though they had flash.


Pick up this Planechase 2012 deck or the other three and get ready for some seriously fun Magic the Gathering game.

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Chaos Reigns Decklist

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,


Today, we have a series of posts showcasing the latest Magic the Gathering product, Planechase 2012.  In this post, we have the Chaos Reigns Decklist.  Head over to the other posts for these decklists : Primordial Hunger, Savage Auras, and Night of the Ninja and our video breakdown of the Savage Auras deck we go.

Deck - Chaos Reigns (w/u/b/r/g)

Creatures (19): Guard Gomozoa, 2x Illlusory Angel*, Whirlpool Warrior, 2x Shardless Agent*, Noggle Ransacker, Primal Plasma, Ondu Giant, Kathari Remnan, 2x Bloodbraid Elf, Peregrine Drake, Fusion Elemental, Brutalizer Exarch, Etherium-Horn Sorcerer*, Enlisted Wurm, Enigma Sphinx, Maelstrom Wanderer*

Other Spells (17): 2x Armilliary Sphere, Fractured Powerstone*, 2x See Beyond, Arc Trail, Erratic Explosion, Beast Wihin, Cultivate, Rivals' Duel, Sunken Hope, Mass Mutiny*, Deny Reality, Bituminous Blast, Last Stand, Fiery Fall

Lands (24): Exotic Orchard, Rupture Spire, Shimmering Grotto, Terramorphic Expanse, Vivid Creed, 2x Plains, 5x Island, 2x Swamp, 4x Mountain, 4x Forest

Planes (8):  Grand Ossuary, Hedron Fields of Agadeem, Mount Keralia, Nepalia, Orzhova, Trail of the Mage-Rings, Truga Jungle, Windriddle Palaaces

Phenomena (2): Mutual Epiphany, Time Distortion


The "Chaos Reigns" deck puts the power of cascade in your hands—cast a spell, then cast another spell for free! Wield all five colors of mana and watch your opponents scramble to deal with every flavor of aggression.

The Planechase decks have brand-new eternal-legal cards, including a cycle of multi-color legendary creatures. Overall there will be 21 new cards in the set, with 6 appearing in each deck in different quantities.
Each box contains 10 over-sized cards (8 plane, 2 phenomena), a 60 card Magic deck, and a planar die, with an MRSP of about $20.
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The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.

Night of the Ninja Decklist

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,


Today, we have a series of posts showcasing the latest Magic the Gathering product, Planechase 2012.  In this post, we have the Night of the Ninja Decklist.  Head over to the other posts for these decklists : Primordial Hunger, Savage Auras, Chaos Reigns and th video breakdown of the Savage Auras deck we got.

Deck - Night of the Ninja (u/b)

Creatures (26): 2x Tormented Soul, 2x Augury Owl, Skullsnatcher, Inkfathom Witch, 2x Baleful Strix*, 2x Dimir Infiltrator, Mistblade Shinobi, Walker of Secret Ways, Wall of Frost, Cadaver Imp, Liliana's Specter, 2x Ninja of the Deep Hours, Sakashima's Student*, Glen Elendra Liege, Throat Slitter, Higure, the Still Winde, Okiba-Gand Shinobi, Dark Hatchling, Ink-eyes, Servant of Oni, Vela the Night-Clad*, Slilent-Blade Oni*

Other Spells (10): 2x Sai of the Shinobi*, Fractured Powerstone*, Quietus Spike, Whishpersilk Cloak, 2x Assassinate, Cancel, Concentrate, Farsight Mask

Lands (24): 2x Dimir Aqueduct, 2x Jwar Isle Refuge, Tainted Isle, Terramophic Expanse, 9x Island, 9x Swamp

Planes (8): Bloodhill Bastion, Gavony, Gavony, Glend Elendra, Kharasha Foothills, Norn's Dominion, Quicksilver Sea, Takenuma, The Zephyr Maze

Phenomena (2): Interplanar Tunnel, Morphic Tide


The "Night of the Ninja" deck lets you sneak behind enemy lines, disrupt their plans, and strike silently. Scouts and shinobi pair with disruption spells to keep opponents bewildered until it's too late.

The Planechase decks have brand-new eternal-legal cards, including a cycle of multi-color legendary creatures. Overall there will be 21 new cards in the set, with 6 appearing in each deck in different quantities.
Each box contains 10 over-sized cards (8 plane, 2 phenomena), a 60 card Magic deck, and a planar die, with an MRSP of about $20.
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The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.

Primordial Hunger Decklist

Happy Monday MTG peeps,


Today, we have a series of posts showcasing the latest Magic the Gathering product, Planechase 2012.  In this post, we have the Primordial Hunger decklist.  Head over to the other posts for these decklists : Savage Auras, Night of the Ninja, Chaos Reigns and the video breakdown of the Savage Auras deck we got.

Deck - Primordial Hunger (r/g)

Creatures (25): 2x Tukatongue Thallid, 2x Brindle Shoat*, Nest Invader, 2x Viridian Emissary, Wall of Blossoms, Hissing Iguanar, 2x Mudbutton Torchrunner, 2x Thunder-Thrash Elder, Gluttonous Slime, Nullmage Advocate, Thron-Thrash Viashino, 2x Beetleback Chief*, Penumbra Spider, Hellkite Hatchling, Mitotic Slime, Mycoloth, Thromok the Insatiable*, Preyseizer Dragon*, Dragonlair Spider*

Other Spells (11): 2x Flayer Husk, Fractured Powerstone*, Fiery Conclusion, Fling, Mark of Mutiny, Awakening Zone, Fire of Yavimaya, Overrun, Hellion Eruption, Warstorm Surge

Lands (24): 2x Gruul Turf, 2x Kazandu Refuge, Khalni Garden, Skarrg, the Rage Pits, Terramorphic Expanse, 11 Forest, 6 Mountain

Planes (8): Furnace Layer, Jund, Kilnspire District, Lair of the Ashen Idol, Orochi Colongy, Prahv, Selesnya Loft Gardens, Stensia

Phenomena (2): Reality Shaping, Spatial Merging


With the "Primordial Hunger" deck, your early threats become delicious snacks for your giant creatures, making them even more fearsome. Just when opponents think you're trying to swarm them, you'll summon a game-ending predator instead.

The Planechase decks have brand-new eternal-legal cards, including a cycle of multi-color legendary creatures. Overall there will be 21 new cards in the set, with 6 appearing in each deck in different quantities.
Each box contains 10 over-sized cards (8 plane, 2 phenomena), a 60 card Magic deck, and a planar die, with an MRSP of about $20.

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The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.
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Savage Auras Decklist

Happy Monday MTG peeps,


Today, we have a series of posts showcasing the latest Magic the Gathering product, Planechase 2012.  In this post, we have the Savage Auras decklist.  Head over to the other posts for these decklists : Primordial Hunger, Night of the Ninja, and Chaos Reigns.  Also make sure to check out the video breakdown of this, the Savage Auras deck we got.

Deck - Savage Auras

Creatures (18): Dreampod Druid*, Silhana Ledgewalker, Kor Spiritdancer, 2x Aura Gnarlid, Auramancer, 2x Armored Griffin, 2x Lumberknot, Thran Golem, Gowsing shaman, Bramble Elemental, Celestial Ancient, Elderwood Scion*, Auratouched Mage, Kron the Dawn-Clad*

Other Spells (18): Rancor, Hyena Umbra, Fractured Powerstone*, Quiet Disrepair, 2x Felidar Umbra, Spirit Mantle, 2x Boar Umbra, Snake Umbra, Cage of Hands, Ghostly Prison, Predatory Urge, Mammoth Umbra, Three Dreams, Sigil of the Empty Throne, Indrik Umbra*, Pollenbright Wings

Lands (24): 2x Graypelt Refuge, Krosan Verge, 2x Selesnya Sanctuary, Terramorphic Expanse, Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree, 9x Forest, 8x Plains

Planes (8): Akoum, Aretopolis, Astral Arena, Edge of Malacol, Grove of the Dreampods, Kessig, Onakke Catacomb, Talon Gates

Phenomena (2): Chaotic Aether, Planewide Disaster


The "Savage Auras" deck shapes light into ferocity. Summon predators and cloak them in protective Umbras to save them from destruction. Meanwhile your auramancy will give your creatures a myriad of death-dealing powers!

The Planechase decks have brand-new eternal-legal cards, including a cycle of multi-color legendary creatures. Overall there will be 21 new cards in the set, with 6 appearing in each deck in different quantities.
Each box contains 10 over-sized cards (8 plane, 2 phenomena), a 60 card Magic deck, and a planar die, with an MRSP of about $20.
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The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.
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Planechase 2012 Decks 2

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Happy Saturday MTG peeps,


In our previous post, we relayed a summary of the new Magic the Gathering Planechase 2012 decks to you straight from the mothersite.  Today, we wanted to bring you some fresh Planechase 2012 spoilers from Holland.  Gaming store Spelkwartier, located in Arnhem, Netherlands yesterday had posted scans of the back of each of the four Planechase decks which gives us a bit more information as to the flavour and strategy of each of these decks.  Let's have a peek - 


De nieuwe Planechase decks komen volgende week uit! Hier alvast een voorproefje!

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The "Chaos Reigns" deck puts the power of cascade in your hands—cast a spell, then cast another spell for free! Wield all five colors of mana and watch your opponents scramble to deal with every flavor of aggression.

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The "Night of the Ninja" deck lets you sneak behind enemy lines, disrupt their plans, and strike silently. Scouts and shinobi pair with disruption spells to keep opponents bewildered until it's too late.

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With the "Primordial Hunger" deck, your early threats become delicious snacks for your giant creatures, making them even more fearsome. Just when opponents think you're trying to swarm them, you'll summon a game-ending predator instead.

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The "Savage Auras" deck shapes light into ferocity. Summon predators and cloak them in protective Umbras to save them from destruction. Meanwhile your auramancy will give your creatures a myriad of death-dealing powers!

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Finally,
The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up known  Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.
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M13 Rumours

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Make sure you stay tuned to MTG Realm on Monday, when we crack open a Planechase 2012 (Savage Auras) deck and discuss it's contents, as well as how much better this Magic the Gathering casual format just got. 

As for today's post, some interesting news with regards to the upcoming core set, Magic 2013.  Late last evening, forum member KandykidZero provided some news to the gamer community when he had dropped by his local Target store and saw a M13 vendor brochure from Wizards of the Coast for the upcoming core set.  Essentially, there was an image of an Intro Pack and booster pack image.  We don't have to remind our regular MTG Realm readers to treat all Magic the Gathering spoilers we post here as rumour / speculation until officially previewed.  With that proviso, let's get to the grainy images KandykidZero had snapped . . .

Here's the foil rare card for the M13 intro pack :
Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis, 4BB
Legendary Creature - Demon, Rare
Flying
Exalted
Whenever Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis attacks alone, defending player sacrifices a creature.
5/5

KandykidZero also notes that it appears that the intro deck may now come with 2 boosters than the conventional one pack.  He also noted that the booster pack appears to be a cardboard casing for the booster pack, rather than the blister pack material.  The vendor brochure proclaims "New Look, Same Booster Pack!".  This sort of packaging may or may not only be for the large retail chains.  Don't ask about the weird two scoops of icecream on the vendor brochure, we can only speculate - perhaps players to buy an Intro Pack gets a large icecream (?).

Of note is the reference on the legendary creature card to Grixis, a plane on Alara.  Also of interest from our post yesterday is another black card with the exalted mechanic on it - Servant of Nefarox.

Anywhoos - speculate away in the comment below and make sure you drop back again on Monday when we can finally show you the Planechase pack we've been sitting on.
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DoTP Screens

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Following up on our recent post from Tuesday, we wanted to go through some interesting revelations from Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 (aka 'DotP 2013' or 'D13').  This digital game has Magic: the Gathering fans very excited about its release anticipated to roughly co-incide with the paper (card) release of the Magic 2013 core set.  In the past (and in no way guaranteed for the future), a number of new cards in the DotP release found it's way into the core set.  

Let's have a look at some of the screen shots now . . .

 

The main menu and deck manager screens with very slick background arts. 

 

Some screen caps for in-game damage.

 

We think that the very cool addition of Planechase in Duels of the Planeswalkers hits this one right outta the park.

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Righto - here's some cards which caught our attention - Angelic Benediction, Archaeomancer, Archon of Redemption, Chameleon Colossus , Fangren Firstborn, Fiery Hellhound, Fire Elemental, Indrik Stomphowler , Pyre Charger, Searing Spear, Servant of Nef(?), Silent Arbiter, Sleight of Hand, Turn the Tables

As well as some new cards -
Archaeomancer, 2UU
Human Wizard - Common
When Archaeomancer enters the battlefield, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/2

Servant of Nefarox(?), 2B
Human Cleric - Common
Exalted
3/1


Yep - there is some arguments here that the popular 'exalted' mechanic may be returning to the core set.  This recent tweet from MTG Aaron also lends well to this speculation.

And here is some of the marketing 4.1.1. for you . . .

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will be launching on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, Steam, and iPad for the first time ever, and Wizards of the Coast is kicking off the excitement with an exciting new gameplay trailer and collection of screenshots showing off each platform!

In Duels 2013, players can compete with friends or the AI as they travel across fantastic planes, take on encounters and mini-bosses, attempt to solve puzzling challenges, and team up with others in the updated Planechase multiplayer format. The digital game will also be the first place to check out new cards from the upcoming Magic: The Gathering 2013 Core Set.

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Finally,
The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up known  Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.
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Planechase 2012 Decks

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,
Fresh from the mothersite, courtesy of WoTC Monty are some details of Planechase 2012 Decks.  We here at MTG Realm personally know a few Magic the Gathering Players who can hardly contain themselves for this newest casual format addition.  In a few days time, we'll sit down with one of these rabid gamers to discuss the Planechase 2012 and dissect a deck for you.

The four Planechase Game Packs released on June 1, 2012: Chaos Reigns, Night of the Ninja, Primordial Hunger, and Savage Auras.  Each game pack contains a sixty-card Magic deck, a ten-card planar deck, a planar die, and a Planechase strategy insert with multiplayer rules.  Each deck has eight new plane cards and two new phenomenon cards, and these cards are not shared between decks; there are a total of 32 new planes and 8 new phenomena.  The MSRP for each deck is about $20 and and will be available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese on June 1, 2012. - 'nuff yattering - here's the decks . . .

The / "Savage Auras" deck shapes light into ferocity. Summon predators and cloak them in protective Umbras to save them from destruction. Meanwhile your auramancy will give your creatures a myriad of death-dealing powers!

 

The //// "Chaos Reigns" deck puts the power of cascade in your hands—cast a spell, then cast another spell for free! Wield all five colors of mana and watch your opponents scramble to deal with every flavor of aggression.

The / "Night of the Ninja" deck lets you sneak behind enemy lines, disrupt their plans, and strike silently. Scouts and shinobi pair with disruption spells to keep opponents bewildered until it's too late.

 

With the / "Primordial Hunger" deck, your early threats become delicious snacks for your giant creatures, making them even more fearsome. Just when opponents think you're trying to swarm them, you'll summon a game-ending predator instead.
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Finally,
The folks over at MTG Mint Card already have up known  Planechase 2012 singles for pre-order, so check 'em out.
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DotP 2013

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,In this, our second post for today, we wanted to bring you up to date with some Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 (aka 'DotP 2013' or 'D13').  This is of interest not only for digital / electronic gamers but also Magic: the Gathering fans of the traditional paper-based game as both DotP 2013 and Magic 2013 core set is anticipated to closely interwined as they may share a number of mechanics and cards.

Anywhoos, digital gamers are certain to be pleased with some of the new DotP 2013 features . . .
•  New decks and cards
•  A new 'boss' level featuring the Nicol Bolas
•  New puzzle challenges
•  The option to manually tap lands (which was not included in previous versions)
•  New Planechase multiplayer mode using the Phenomenon card type
•  Support for players using iPad support

 Here's the Gameplay Trailer which recently went up on the 'Tube . . .

Righto - here's some static images we've found rather interesting . . . Xathrid Gorgon, 5B
Creature - Gorgon, Rare
Deathtouch
2B T: Put a petrification counter on target creature. It gains defender and becomes a colorless artifact in addition to its other types. Its activated abilities can't be activated.
3/6

The DotP 2013 4.1.1. - ->

Developer: Stainless Games
Release: Summer 2012
Genre: Strategy
Platform: PS3/X360/PC/iP
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Website: http://www.duelsoftheplaneswalkers.com
Hot on the heels of the widely successful Duels of the Planeswalkers and Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 games, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will introduce 10 fresh decks, optional manual mana tapping, and other exciting features when it launches on iPad®, Xbox LIVE® Arcade, Steam® and PlayStation® Network.
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