~ Happy Wednesday MTG peeps, Today's post to MTG Realm is not only about our fav game, Magic: the Gathering but also Dungeons & Dragons and a rather interesting post today on the Wizards of the Coast mothersite.
We last played D&D back in highschool (a very, very long time ago) and had not dipped back in since then. This, however did not detract from our appreciation of what a wonderfully engaging game this is, painted against the backdrop of a richly-detailed fantasy world. This sounds not too unlike a particular TCG we currently play, doesn't it? So, it stands to reason that Wizards of the Coast, the company at the center of Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and Avalon Hill may have some of its game environments share a small measure of similitude. Posted today is a supplement which Dungeons & Dragons players may adapt to their tabletop adventrues. Pop on over to this linky, even if you are striclty an MTG gamer to discover how a MTG Plane of Existence may bleed into another game format with Plane Shift - Zendikar.
Zendikar is a world rife with adventure opportunities. Bold heroes, covetous treasure hunters, and sages seeking long-forgotten lore can all fnd numerous ruins to explore, mysteries to uncover, and villains and monsters to slay. Contents of this supplement are broken out into - • The World of Zendikar • Races of Zendikar • A Zendikar Bestiary
From a storyline / vorthos point, we are most decidedly interested in going through ever page. Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc.. The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997.
Concerning that article we posted yesterday (linky over here) - well apparently we already need to update it. You may recall the announcement by Wizards of the Coast via Helene Bergeot, WotC director of organized play and trade marketing during Pro Tour Shadows Over Innistrad Madrid - well as one may have guessed, it did go over like a lead balloon with the Magic: the Gathering community and more specifically the professional / Platinum players. There was just about a half-hour ago (5:00 PM EST) another announcement from WotC reversing the earlier decision -
The nitty-gritty essential is that status-quo is to remain in effect for now with WotC to reassess plans for improving pro play before August. We think a lot of people are happy with this decision. Although we love our Friday Night Magic events and kitchen-table games, we've never bothered going to the big tournaments - a combination of perhaps finances, work schedules and a dash of apathy. Having said that, we do look to what the Pro / Platinum players are doing and writing about following the big tournaments to help adapt and chart our own strategies for this wonderful game. We applaud WotC for this.
Next up - More WotC stuff. This one involves a number of long-serving DCI Judges bringing a lawsuit against Wizards of the Coast which essentially claims that judges could be considered employees and as such be entitled to particular rights associated with that. The official WotC statement may be found right over here. The very awesome Evan Erwin had shot a tweet over with a link to a very good article by an attorney summarising the issues involved. As we are Canadian, having reference to some of the American mechanics and case law is appreciated. Pop on over to Jeremy Byellin's article over here on Reuters.
From what Mr. Byellin's excellent summary indicates, WotC may have some challenges ahead should the case proceed in light of the National Labour Relations Board decision in the BFI Case.
Hey - we hope to start talking about the game soon - so be certain to drop in again ! :)
There are quite a few things to yatter about, so let's get straight down to it.
Off the top - This last weekend of Pro Tour Shadows Over Innistrad in Madrid showed a rapid evolution of of the mono-culture of human white-x decklists from StarCityGames Baltimore. Good variety is an good indication of the health of standard constructed. Here is this varied array coming in at Top 8 - 1st White-Green Tokens, Steve Rubin 2nd Bant Company, Andrea Mengucci 3rd Esper Control, Seth Manfield 4th Esper Dragons, Shota Yasooka 5th Black-Green Control, Jon Finkel 6th Goggles Ramp, Brad Nelson 7th Black-Green Aristocrats, Luis Scott-vargas 8th Red-White Goggles, Luis Salvatto
Some rather important announcements of note which was given during the weekend's tournament which we will direct you to the summary posted at this link by Helene Bergeot, WotC director of organized play and trade marketing. The whole TL/DR is that there is significant changes on the wind which really boils down to money. Specifically, what is generally earned by Pro players at events and prize pools - call it a re-distribution of wealth almost (quite grossly speaking), which may or may not be good for the game as a whole. Some good discussions over here on Reddit by non-pro players (just like us) as well as a take by Brian Kibler (we highly respect that fella) over at this link. We suggest you join in the conversation over a the Reddit TCG MTG group.
Next up - More than $55,000 US worth of Magic: The Gathering cards were stolen from a Sioux City man's home Friday 8th April.
The take-away message here is that although there is an insurance claim in progress, Mr. Burson Jr may only be getting up to $2,500 which may have been an appraisal some time ago and before the collection grew to its present size. Please tell your local gaming store in South Dakota to be on the look out. :(
There is a Magic: the Gathering documentary called 'Enter the Battlefield' that follows seven Magic players. This is coming to Netflix and Youtube on April 26, 2016. One amy also tune in to twitch.tv/magic on April 25, 2016 to see the full documentary before it goes up.
Anywhoos - we are perhaps a bit ashamed to say that we are not at all interested in watching this (sorry). :(
Lastly,
Did you see what took first place is the SCG Standard IQ Catskill on 4/09/2016 - AFTER Hardened Scales rotated out of standard format ?? Yeah - a scaless version - weird and cool - kudos to Dan Ward !
~ Happy Thursday MTG peeps, It was probably the first Innistrad block (Innistrad, Dark Ascension, and Avacyn Restored) when we last played a truly mono-white decklist and not splashed any other colour. The Standard constructed game looks great to have another run at a mono-white build with humans. We are still contemplating scrapping together a list and have been spinning our wheels as to what to take to Friday Night Magic - mono-white humans or splashing blue (for Reflector Mage / Gerry Thompson style) or green for Tireless Tracker. A wonderfully useful article out today by Steve Horton over at Gathering Magic, may just help solve our decklist dilemma.
Anywhoos, as our topic in today's MTG Realm post is 'Tumblr Thursday', we should get around to it now. Here is a summary of what's been going on at our sister site, MTG Realm on Tumblr - ~ Photoset April 21, 2016
Magic: the Gathering - Of Crows and Ravens There are just under 40 Bird creature cards in MTG which are specifically Crows (by far the most) or Ravens. I personally loved being able to attach equipment to these evasive fliers. Here is some appreciation for these feathered friends - • Unamed Art (aka Raven Man) by Chris Rahn • Crow of Dark Tidings, Art by Tianhua X • Carrion Crow, Art by Aaron Miller • Unamed Art by Adame Minguez The Raven Man is a mysterious figure, who claimed to be a supporter of the father of Liliana Vess. He is able to transform in a flock of ravens. When Liliana’s brother Josu was poisoned by her father’s enemies, the Raven Man offered his assistance, though he warned that her family would not want her to use his cure. LIliana returned to the castle and despite the warnings of Lady Ana, she used the cure. Truly, it cured Josu of his affliction, but only at the cost of driving him insane and poisoning him anew. The Raven Man also seemingly orchestrated Liliana’s discovery of the Chain Veil on Shandalar. Because he appeared on several planes, Liliana suspects he is a planeswalker.
When Jace Beleren, under the influence of the Cryptoliths on Innistrad, tried to mentally assault Liliana in her mansion, the Raven Man protected her and tried to convince her to kill him. ~ Photo April 21, 2016
Magic: the Gathering - LAND SLIDEMischievous mutt Bannon (@bannon_the_mut) wants to help but is hindered by the absence of opposable digits. Magic: the Gathering - LAND SLIDE
Mischievous mutt Bannon (@bannon_the_mut) wants to help but is hindered by the absence of opposable digits. ~ Photoset April 20, 2016
Magic: the Gathering - Shadows Over Innistrad Ultra PRO Sweet looking playmat, deck box and deck protectors from Ultra PRO with Merciless Resolve art from Chase Stone. Cushioned playmat is 23 7/8" x 13 ½" with awesome grippy back and silky / sensuous smooth face. Deck Box fits your kick-butt deck of 80 sleeved cards (cards, sideboard, tokens), has a self-lock flip-back lid and a write-on stripe on top to put your street-name handle on. Deck Protector Sleeves and standard 66-mm x 91-mm with super-crisp artwork and crystal-clear card front. STORY TIME - Full storyline over here -
Upon his return from Zendikar, Sorin found Markov Manor in ruins, twisted into impossible shapes, its inhabitants embedded in the masonry. Nahiri had left this declaration in stone as a warning of her vengeance. Realising his past had come back to haunt him, he hoped to gather the aid of the other vampires to confront the threat to Innistrad. A diificult task, because he was shunned by his own kind. His search brought him to the remote estate of the powerful Olivia Voldaren, to entreat her aid in calling the bloodline. ~ Photoset April 18, 2016 225 notes
Magic: The Gathering - Custom Wooden 720 Cube Box Magic: The Gathering custom designed and fabricated wooden 720 cube box by MTGPayne. Laser engraved guild logos, gold leaf interior, custom mana dividers and sections to hold cards, tokens and dice.
~ Happy Wednesday MTG peeps, An interesting tweet from Magic: the Gathering's rules guru Matt Tabak had us looking closer at a teaser video posted by Lone Shark Games. Although we do not think that this is likely to be an MTG product, we will want to blog about it just the same.
UPDATE : confirmed Betrayal at the House on the Hill: Widow's Walk Expansion Teaser
This rather mysterious video was posted with the title of 'Project Riboflavin' with an indication to expect something for Halloween 2016. It is simply a static image of a demon / witch / unknown supposedly malevolent character looming over a rather spooky looking mansion. The video wraps up with well known logos from Avalon Hill, Lone Shark Games, and Wizards of the Coast.
Certainly not an indication of a MTG expansion but some were thinking about perhaps a one-off supplement product. The most popular speculation at this time is that this is a reboot, or follow-up from the board game, 'Betrayal at House on the Hill'. There may be a clue in the name 'project riboflavin', commonly known as vitamin B2 - rather clever eh, - Betrayal 2?
This board game was published by Avalon Hill and has players exploring a haunted house filled with all sorts of traps, clues, and other items. This game uses tiles and as such, one can expect a new twist every time it is played. Whatever this may turn out to be, colour us as excited to play. ~
~ Happy Monday MTG peeps, We took along a Boros Allies equipment build for Friday Night Magic at our local gaming store, OMG! Games for Friday Night Magic and although the decklist was almost matching that of the W/R Weapons Trainer list by Daniel Riley who took 3rd Place at the StarCity Games Invitational Qualifier in Wilbraham the previous weekend, it just did not perform well against the local metagame. To this end, we are eager to attempt to play something near and dear to our heart - the new post-Shadows Over Innistrad white weenies which is rather popular right now with Magic: the Gathering players. If you have been reading MTG Realm for any lenght of time, then you will likely know that Craig Wescoe is our MTG Spirit Animal. Craig has a wonderful article over at TCG Player titled 'How to Defeat the Humans' and we think it is worth a read to anyone wanting to take a humans decklist out to play or want to build against just such a list. It may not have come as a surprise to some that this list was as popular as it was during the first large tournament after the official release of Shadows Over Innistrad at SCG Open in Baltimore. It certainly was a surprise to us however just how much this archetype pushed into day two of the event capturing half of the Top 8 spots.
Wizards of the Coast was very smart in their planning to avoid having Hardened Scales (or functionally similar card) in the same standard constructed format as Thalia's Lieutenant - that may have broken the format, especially with a cheap bounce effect like Essence Flux to put the +1/+1 counter party over the top. With choices of Knight of the White Orchid, Hanweir Militia Captain and Always Watching the list practically build itself. Declaration in Stone is pretty sweet spot removal in white and even inclusions such as Bygone Bishop can be worked in to create clue tokens to feed into Angelic Purge to exile artifacts, creatures, or enchantments.
The core list is modified to include blue to be able to take advantage of the powerhouse that is Reflector Mage and the great utility offered by Ojutai's Command. We dread the oncoming hate for the popular deck and suspect the mono-white crowd to begin adaptation towards the U/W Humans list and start packing a full bookset of Negate. As Craig had indicated, one should expect more conditional board wipes like Languish to show up in non-human lists. This may go tit-for-tat with human players now packing blinks like Eerie Interlude to sidestep wipes until such a time as the original mono-white or white-blue human list has lost its oritinal virility. Anywhoos, we will want to grab this list by the horns and see where and how long this ride will take us.
As it is Friday, many Magic: the Gathering players will be making tracks to their local gaming store to participate in a Friday Night Magic event. We'll be heading out to our local shop, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario where both Standard and Commander are on tap. With the latest MTG set, Shadows Over Innistrad, now on tap, one can expect a lot of fresh new ideas for decklists in play. A reminder as well as this month's FNM promo is the very lovely looking Blighted Fen with alternate artwork from Jason Felix. We still have not yet put together a new list yet for Standard and expect to do some crazy building right after school today. Anywhoos, here is a round-up of MTG gaming miscellany borrowed from our sister site, MTG Realm on Tumblr - ~ Photoset April 14, 2016 41 notes
Have you seen just how awesome the Ultra PRO goodies look for Shadows Over Innistrad ? Here’s some gamer eye-candy. :) ~ Photoset April 14, 2016 65 notes
Magic: the Gathering - Power Rankings I’m a fan of the nice summary that the Channel Fireball produces in their Power Rankings - you can catch these over here - http://www.channelfireball.com/power-rankings/ Anywhoos - Week One after Shadows Over Innistrad and the the standard constructed power rankings are quite decidedly in the suit of White. :) ~ Photoset April 13, 2016 126 notes
Magic: the Gathering - MTG Jewelry Zsolt Székely, goldsmith and fellow Canadian (in fact, right here in my Province of Ontario), runs Precizió - Jewellery and Studio in Thorold and has some amazing pieces. Drop by to check out some lovely works from just about any Fandom you can imagine including something themed from your fav digital game (think Deadpool to Zelda) - http://www.facebook.com/precizio
Magic: the Gathering - Open that Armory Artist Steve Prescot knocks this illustration right outta the park. In other news, dude’s armory looks to be chock’d full ‘o’ badassery.
This Shadows Over Innistrad card did catch my attention as soon as it was previewed - sooo many possibilities - a red/white equip build, or a lovely tutor for Invocation of Saint Traft in a blue/white humans or spirits list - just tasty. ~
~ Happy Wednesday MTG peeps, Wizards of the Coast have been producing a Holiday Gift Box since 2012, and while it was certainly a big hit with Magic: the Gathering fans when it was first released strategically just before the year end Holidays, the appeal did wane with the last two releases. The most common complaint from consumers essentially distilled down to the durability of the box itself. We've heard and / or seen damage to the card storage box through use as well as product shipping. A number of fans had also registered irritation that last year's product, the Battle for Zendikar Holiday Gift Box included an image of highly desirable full-art lands whereas the product contained regular lands in the land pack. In defense of WotC, there was a good measure of communication and apologies for this print error prior to the product's release. It appears that Wizards of the Coast has addressed this now. WotC has indicated in this Wizards Play Networkvideo with WPN Community Manager, Michael Yichao and Global Brand Manager, Brian Trunk, that there are some siginificant changes coming to the design, as well as product release date.
Firstly, the release date - the previous four Holiday Gift Boxes were released in November of each year and corresponded to the 'large' fall set. This year, the product, now called 'The Magic: The Gathering Gift Box' is being released in May (just a month away from today's post). Secondly, the Gift Box design has changed to make it more robust than ever. The supportive neck of the box has been made taller so that the lid sits on the neck, higher off the bottom lip. This prevents the lid from overlapping and causing potential splitting at the corners. There is to be a disposable supporting brace designed to eliminate damage to the box and contents during shipping. In addition to this, it is reported that with the taller box neck, design allowed an 'easy-access window' to allow one improved access to the three rows of cards. Here is the video from Michael and Brian now -
The Shadows over Innistrad Gift Box releases May 13, 2016 for a suggested retail price of $24.99 (USD). Here is what you will find inside -
• 5 Shadows over Innistrad booster packs • Storage Box with capacity for over 2,000 Magic cards • 20 Shadows over Innistrad basic lands • 6 illustrated plastic dividers • Sticker sheet for customizing the dividers • 1 Alternate art card from the Shadows over Innistrad set
For reference, here are the previous gift box details and its promo card - 2012 Return to Ravnica, Dreg Mangler 2013 Theros, Karametra's Acolyte 2014 Khans of Tarkir, Sultai Charm 2015 Battle for Zendikar, Scythe Leopard 2016 Shadows over Innistrad, Ravenous Bloodseeker (spring release) ~
Here
at MTG Realm, we've been dreaming up several new decklists as well as
evaluating what Magic: the Gathering decks we do have that could be
modified for standard
format. One thing we do do after each set and format rotation is check
some of our ideas against what Japanese Professional MTG player Kenji
Tsumura (@KenjiTsumura) is doing. Kenji has a brilliant and strategic mind and has been posting new standard decklist ideas for quite some time.
Here is the first of two installments posted by Kenji and Hareruya MTG
(one of Japan's largest MTG stores). Please do take into account the
very volatile nature of this format as it evolves and develops - use
this as a solid guide to hatch your own ideas. Look for the first 7 lists over here.
8) Traverse Ramp 9) Angelic Pact 10) Investigation 11) UB Madness 12) Thing in the Ice 13) Floorboards 14) Super Friends
8) Traverse Ramp 4 Hedron Crawler 4 Thought-Knot Seer 4 World Breaker 4 Oath of Nissa 4 Traverse the Ulvenwald 4 Ruin in Their Wake 4 Explosive Vegetation 4 Hedron Archive 2 Chandra, Flamecaller 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 4 Evolving Wilds 6 Wastes 2 Mountain 12 Forest 9) Angelic Pact 4 Grasp of Darkness 4 Declaration in Stone 4 Bound by Moonsilver 2 Anguished Unmaking 2 Angelic Purge 4 Read the Bones 4 Languish 4 Demonic Pact 2 Ob Nixilis Regnited 2 Sorin, Grim Nemesis 2 Silkwrap 2 Westvale Abbey 4 Caves of Koilos 4 Forsaken Sanctuary 4 Shambling Vent 4 Plains 8 Swamp
11) UB Madness 4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 4 Heir of Falkenrath 4 Prized Amalgam 4 Stitchwing Skaab 4 Geralf's Masterpiece 4 Call the Bloodline 4 Just the Wind 4 Alms of the Vein 3 Sanitarium Skeleton 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Drownyard Temple 4 Choked Estuary 4 Sunken Hollow 4 Island 5 Swamp
12) Thing in the Ice 4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 4 Thing in the Ice 4 Archangel Avacyn 4 Declaration in Stone 4 Clash of Wills 4 Ojutai's Command 4 Planar Outburst 4 Epiphany at the Drownyard 1 Narset Transcendent 1 Jace, Unraveller of Secrets 2 Mage-Ring Network 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Port Town 4 Prairie Stream 1 Westvale Abbey 5 Plains 6 Island
13) Floorboards 4 Sanitarium Skeleton 4 Sinister Concoction 4 Call the Bloodline 4 Grasp of Darkness 4 Read the Bones 4 To the Slaughter 4 Languish 2 From Under the Floorboards 2 Tamiyo's Journal 2 Ruinous Path 1 Triskadekaphobia 4 Mage-Ring Network 21 Swamp
14) Super Friends 4 Oath of Nissa 4 Declaration in Stone 4 Languish 4 Planar Outburst 3 Oath of Gideon 2 Call the Gatewatch 1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer 1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar 1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar 1 Kiora, Master of Depths 1 Narset Transcendent 1 Nahiri, The Harbinger 1 Arlinn Kord 1 Chandra, Flamecaller 1 Sarkhan Unbroken 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited 1 Jace, Unraveller of Secrets 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis 1 Profound Journey 1 Island 1 Mountain 2 Swamp 2 Plains 4 Forest 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Canopy Vista 4 Llanowar Wastes 4 Caves of Koilos Singleton-much? on that last one eh? ~
Here at MTG Realm, we've been dreaming up several new decklists as well as evaluating what Magic: the Gathering decks we do have that could be modified for standard format. One thing we do do after each set and format rotation is check some of our ideas against what Japanese Professional MTG player Kenji Tsumura (@KenjiTsumura) is doing. Kenji has a brilliant and strategic mind and has been posting new standard decklist ideas for quite some time.
Here is the first of two installments posted by Kenji and Hareruya MTG (one of Japan's largest MTG stores). Please do take into account the very volatile nature of this format as it evolves and develops - use this as a solid guide to hatch your own ideas. Look for the other 7 decklists over here.
1) Punishing Frog 2) WU Humans 3) Delirium Red 4) Ever After 5) RB Vampires 6) Brain in the Shore 7) UW Flash
1) Punishing Frog 4 Groundskeeper 4 Mina and Denn, Wildborn 4 The Gitrog Monster 4 Molten Vortex 4 Vessel of Nascency 4 Magmatic Insight 4 Radiant Flames 4 Painful Truths 4 Drownyard Temple 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Llanowar Wastes 4 Cinder Glade 2 Smoldering Marsh 1 Swamp 4 Mountain 5 Forest 2) WU Humans 4 Town Gossipmonger 3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros 3 Thraben Inspector 4 Thalia's Lieutenant 4 Consul's Lieutenant 4 Knight of the White Orchid 4 Reflector Mage 4 Archangel of Tithes 4 Declaration in Stone 4 Always Watching 4 Prairie Stream 4 Port Town 2 Island 12 Plains 3) Delirium Red 4 Scourge Wolf 4 Sin Prodder 4 Thunderbreak Regent 4 Draconic Roar 4 Vessel of Volatility 4 Alchemist's Vial 4 Exquisite Firecraft 4 Arlinn Kord 4 Chandra Flamecaller 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Game Trail 4 Cinder Glade 2 Forest 10 Mountain
4) Ever After 4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 4 Zulaport Cutthroat 4 Deathcap Cultivator 4 Eldrazi Displacer 4 Brood Monitor 4 Vessel of Nasency 4 Traverse the Ulvenwald 4 Gather the Pack 4 Ever After 2 Catacomb Sifter 2 Caves of Koilos 4 Yavimaya Coast 4 Llanowar Wastes 4 Evolving Wilds 1 Canopy Vista 1 Island 2 Swamp 4 Forest 5) RB Vampires 4 Falkenrath Gorger 4 Ravenous Bloodseeker 4 Heir of Falkenrath 4 Assylum Visitor 4 Olivia, Mobilized for War 4 Incorrigible Youths 4 Fiery Temper 4 Lightning Axe 3 Indulgent Neonate 2 Avacyn's Judgement 2 Evolving Wilds 4 Foreboding Ruins 4 Smoldering Marsh 5 Swamp 8 Mountain 6) Brain in the Shore 4 Brain in a Jar 4 Nagging Thoughts 4 Anticipate 4 Grip of the Roil 4 Pieces of the Puzzle 4 Engulf the Shore 4 Adverse Conditions 4 Rise from the Tides 3 Part the Waterveil 2 Jace's Sanctum 4 Mage-Ring Network 19 Island
7) UW Flash 4 Dimensional Infiltrator 4 Rattlechains 4 Silumgar Sorceror 4 Thunderclap Wyvern 4 Archangel Avacyn 4 Clash of Wills 4 Scatter in the Winds 4 Stasis Snare 2 Ojutai's Command 2 Foundry of the Consuls 4 Evolving Wilds 4 Port Town 4 Prairie Stream 5 Plains 7 Island
We've already been collecting something rather close to Kenji's UW Flash and are looking forward to playing the list at our next Friday Night Magic Event at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario. :) ~
