Eldritch Moon - Emrakul

~
Happy Monday MTG peeps,

The inaugural first episode of Access Magic went up today and as promised by Mark Rosewater and Jimmy Wong, we were treated to the first Magic: the Gathering Eldritch Moon spoiler.  The video not only contained a preview card but also the Eldritch Moon video trailer.  If you want to just watch the Eldritch Moon Trailer only, click on over here.
  
Here it is now in full -

Yep !! That's and Eldrazi.

As many had suspected (we did - check here), Wizards of the Coast has this big-arse'd tentacled freak (properly named Emrakul, the Promised End) pop up on Innistrad.  I imagine if The Hanweir Chronicle had a video interview with the denizens of that Plane, it would sound a lot like Antoine Dobson's 'hide yo kids' messaging.

Anywhoos, here are the crit stats for the big fella -

Emrakul, the Promised End, 13
Legendary Creature - Eldrazi
Emrakul, the Promised End costs 1 less to cast for each card type among cards in your graveyard.
When you cast Emrakul, you gain control of target opponent during that player's next turn. After that turn, that player takes an extra turn.
Flying, trample, protection from instants
An enigma as vexing as life itself.
illus. Jaime Jones # 006/205
13/13  

It's a good card, likely to be enjoyed by Standard and Commander players alike.  Some were hoping for a lot more, such as hexproof or indestructibility, but we are just fine as is.  This thing can come out early with a delirium-like ability to shave a bit off your casting cost.  Should it land on the game table without being countered, then the opponent's very next turn is nerf'd.  The flying, trample and 'protection from instants' all add up to rather admirable abilities as well.  We suggest you pick up cards such as Clip Wings and Stasis Snare before all the copies are purchased at your local gaming store.  

Wrapping up, we also suggest you pop on over to the mothersite, if you have not already done that, and read Kim Kreines Magic Story - 'Emrakul Rises' to coincide with today's Eldritch Moon preview.

~

Eldrazi Nibblers

~
Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

The much-anticipated Battle for Zendikar prerelease events are coming to a local gaming store near you this weekend!  If you've just moved to a new town (students), be sure to check out the Wizards of the Coast Locator to find a store with a Magic: the Gathering event.  If you happen to find yourself in Central Ontario (north of Toronto, drop by OMG! Games in Barrie, near Georgian College and a short drive away from Canadian Forces Base Borden.

We suspect that at the prerelease events, you will be seeing a lot of Eldrazi Scions at the game table - afterall, there are about 15 or so cards which produce these cute (dangerous?) creature tokens.  This leads us into our post today - a quick summary of Eldrazi Scions - here are the token cards you may pull from your sealed pack ->

T 2/14: Colourless 1/1 Eldrazi Scion
T 3/14: Colourless 1/1 Eldrazi Scion
T 4/14: Colourless : 1/1 Eldrazi Scion
Produced by these Battle for Zendikar cards - Adverse Conditions, Blight Herder, Blisterpod, Brood Butcher, Brood Monitor, Call the Scions, Catacomb Sifter, Drowner of Hope, Eldrazi Skyspawner, Eyeless Watcher, From Beyond, Grave Birthing, Incubator Drone, Spawning Bed and Void Attendant.

Eldrazi Scions are very similar to Eldrazi Spawn, but are 1/1 instead of 0/1 - w00t! They're created by Eldrazi-themed spells in a variety of ways and all have the ability "Sacrifice this creature: Add one colourless mana to your mana pool."

From left: Eldrazi Spawn of the Ulamog, Emrakul, and Kozilek lineages.  Below a quick reference of cards creating Eldrazi Spawn and from an indication within the art or the card name, the particular Titan to which the spawn are related.  Spawn were great for chump blocking and ramping into a ginormous Eldrazi monster.

Emrakul: Emrakul's Hatcher, Nest Invader, Skittering Invasion

Kozilek: Corpsehatch, Dread Drone, Essence Feed, Kozilek's Predator, Rapacious One, Skittering Invasion, Spawning Breath, Skittering Invasion, 


Ulamog: Awakening Zone, Brood Birthing, Growth Spasm, Pawn of Ulamog, Skittering Invasion, Spawnsire of Ulamog
~

PAX Eldrazi

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As it is Friday, we'll be heading down to our fav local gaming store, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario (by Georgian College in the City's north end) to try our hand at a few odd 'n' interesting home-brews - namely Izzet Heroic.  We hope to have a report next week as to how this decklist did against the local game.

Anywhoos, as we have no cash whatsoever, we will not be able to attend the MTG community's premier event of the year, PAX Prime 2015 in Seattle - but - through the wondrous miracle of the interweb, it will feel like we are (almost) there.  If you are like us, stay tuned to www.battleforzendikar.com for coverage of all things MTG at PAX this year.

As many had anticipated, there is a very strong Eldrazi theme to the festivities there - 

Like that huge Eldrazi creating chaos outside of the Annex - 

Righto - on to some Battle for Zendikar spoilers ! !  The first one comes to us as a proper spoiler, apparently from a Target supplier.

Hero of Goma Fada, 4W
Creature - Human Knight Ally, Rare
Rally — Whenever Hero of Goma Fada or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
"They seek to break us. Let us show them our strength!"

4/3

. . . . And the second one - a proper preview card from Wizards of the Coast.  Yep - Landfall is Back !

Guardian of Tazeem, 3UU
Creature - Sphinx, Rare
Flying
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, tap target creature an opponent controls. If that land is an Island, that creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
illus. Zack Stella # 78/274
C&D SRC

4/5

Stay tuned to MTG Realm here on Blogger as well as Tumblr as we will update you on the latest Battle for Zendikar (and Commander 2015 hopefully) spoilers 'n' previews coming out of PAX this weekend.
~

Eldrazi Invasion

~
Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

As it is Wednesday, we suggest to pop on over to the newest installment of Uncharted Realms on the mothersite.  There you will get to fill your boots with glorious Magic: the Gathering vorthos / storyline and a sense of what the next set, Battle for Zendikar may hold.  Today's short story is from James Wyatt and titled 'Slaughter at the Refuge'.  Here's the very tasty lead-in - 

Sea Gate has fallen, joining Sejiri and Bala Ged in annihilation in the wake of the Eldrazi. As the city teetered on the brink of destruction, the Planeswalker Gideon Jura went to find help: a thinker who could help the fleeing scholars of Sea Gate solve the "puzzle of leylines" that could tilt the odds back in the Zendikari's favor. He went to Ravnica and convinced Jace Beleren to return to Zendikar with him.

For Jace, though, extricating himself from the responsibilities of the Guildpact took some time—time that the refugees of Sea Gate did not have.

Great story!  The rest of this post is dedicated to all the epic Battle for Zendikar eye-candy.  Check out the following arts -

illus. Aleski Briclot

illus. Slawomir Maniak

illus. Tyler Jacobsen

illus. Dan Scott

illus. Winona Nelson

illus. Slawomir Maniak

~

DD: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi

~
Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Get Hyped now !
Today on the mothersite, WotC revealed the next Duel Deck product - Zendikar vs. Eldrazi !  This certainly is most cool, but for spoiler-nutters like us here at MTG Realm, even more so.  Why ?  In the last few Duel Deck products, there have been a handful of new Magic: the Gathering preview cards to be printed in the upcoming 'fall' set.  With this fall set already announced to be 'Return to Zendikar', we will be afforded a look behind the curtain and can now kick the speculation engine into full gear.  Foremost of course is the possibility (probability) of Eldrazi Titans or their goons invading the Plane of Zendikar.

Anwywhoos, if you are not aware, Duel Decks are a series of theme decks that started in 2007 with Elves vs. Goblins. They contain two 60-card pre-constructed theme decks designed and developed specifically to be played against each other by two people.  In later sets in the series changed this this to two foil mythic rares with alternate artwork, and between six and ten rares, as well as four non-foil cards with alternate artwork (except for Divine vs. Demonic, which had five). Many of the mythic rares were originally printed as rares, and have been changed mythic status for the duel deck. Some of the cards also have new flavor text.  For the record, Heroes vs Monsters contained six preview cards from Theros, which of course makes the product when it realeased the very first chance for players to game with the set's new cards.

Here's the 4.1.1. from the mothersite -

ANNOUNCING DUEL DECKS: ZENDIKAR VS. ELDRAZI

Drawing on the powerful mana that surges through the roiling land, Zendikar's forces have joined together to defend their plane.

The Eldrazi titans, trapped for thousands of years, have broken their bonds. Now their numberless spawn begin to overrun Zendikar.

Can Zendikar resist this onslaught? Or will the Eldrazi triumph?

Deck Design and Deck Development: Chris Millar and Sam Stoddard
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGZVE
Languages Available: English, Japanese
Release Date: August 28, 2015
MSRP: $19.99

~