Rivals of Ixalan from Ultra PRO

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

The kitten's out of the clutch.  We do love to speculate a bit as to what the next Magic: the Gathering set may hold, not really from a collector's financial point of view, but that of furthering the Magic story and inspiration to brew the night away with imaginary cards that have not yet come to be.  Mark Rosewater has been leaving little nuggets on Blogatog suggesting what players may expect - such as the almost obvious hint to expect a Merfolk Lord in the upcoming Rivals of Ixalan set.  We also have previews which suggest a partial colour cycle of elder dinosaurs, and from the Creative Team at Wizards of the Coast, the chance of some named secondary characters seeing print as legendary creatures.  

We do now have official images from gaming accessory supplier Ultra PRO of the products associated with Rivals of Ixalan.  The art is incredible and our imagination is fired up.  Here is the round-up now - 

Rivals of Ixalan Playmats for Magic - Playmats from Ultra PRO with premium fabric top to prevent damage to cards during game play. Dimensions are approximately 24" x 13-½". Rubber backing lets the playmat lay flat and prevents the mat from shifting during use.  Crazy Hydra-Dinosaur - count ‘em three heads.  Our friend Jay Annelli (Vorthos Jay) keenly pointed out a striking similarity to Ghidorah. Ixalan landscape with happy dinos and of course Captain Beckett Brass leading a Brazen Coalition charge.

Deck Protector sleeves with matte clear front finish, for a smoother, professional shuffle feel. Sized 66mm X 91mm to store and protect standard sized cards.  Looks to be legendary Merfolk creature (hinted to a 'Lord'), Angrath the angry Minotaur dad, and quite likely the fabled vampire Elenda (Saint Elenda, Elenda of Garrano).

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Rivals of Ixalan Spoiler 12-14

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Yesterday at around noon, Wil Blanks (@HairlessThoctar) shot out a tweet indicating that gaming stores had received a flyer from possibly from a gaming distribution company supplying Magic: the Gathering products advertising upcoming Rivals of Ixalan products from Ultra PRO.  This was followed with another post yesterday afternoon from redditor TacticalRangers with an image of the full product offering poster.

There are some Rivals of Ixalan images already previewed, and some which are new, so let's review -

Already previewed is the images of the Minotaur (in all certainty Angrath), as well as the vampire, thought to be the legendary character Elenda of Garrano, also known as Saint Elenda (a good second guess may be that of Queen Miralda).  New Rivals of Ixalan art spoiler is the image of the Merfolk - possibly the Merfolk Lord which MaRo alluded to on his blog earlier.

Matte Deck Protectors
86652 - Angrath Minotaur
86653 - Elenda Vampire
86654 - Merfolk

Pro 100+ Eck Boxes
86658 - Angrath Minotaur
86659 - Elenda Vampire
86660 - Merfolk

The first playmat shows what may very well be Admiral Beckett Brass leading a charge of pirates.  The second most epic of images shows a three-headed dinosaur.  The last image appears to be a lovely landscape on Ixalan.

Playmats
86661 - Admiral Brass and Pirates
86662 - Three-headed Dinosaur
86663 - Ixalan Landscape

Pro Binder
86664 - Sun Empire warrior / dinosaur, Merfolk

Table Mats
86666 - 8 feet Rivals of Ixalan key art

86665 - 6 feet Rivals of Ixalan key art

Here is the full image of the Rivals of Ixalan Ultra PRO advertisement -

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Modern Masters 2017 Ultra PRO

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

If you are a fashionable and hip Magic: the Gathering player at the game table, half the effort should be the bling, which includes perhaps the Commander's Arsenal life counter (or Ultra PRO's 'Realms of Havoc' Dayoote or ShadoΦte) and of course a sweet playmat and card sleeves.  You may have noticed we did not mention a tacky Crown Royal velvet dice bag.  

Anywhoos, if you are looking forward to the upcoming Modern Masters 2017 release, go all in with some sweet artwork featuring Snappy, Gobby Guide or the Ranger (folks round here call him Strider).  Here is the Ultra PRO line-up for Modern Masters 3 being released March 17, 2017.

Modern Masters 2017 Playmats
playmats are sized approximately 24" wide x 13.5" tall, and made with a premium fabric top for a smooth, protective playing surface. The back of the playmats are lined with non-slip, textured rubber material for added grip and padding.
• Snapcaster Mage, illustrated by Ryan Alexander Lee 
• Ranger of Eos, illustrated by Ryan Pancoas
• Goblin Guide, illustrated by Filip Burburan

Modern Masters 2017 Snapcaster Mage Deck Box, illustrated by Ryan Alexander Lee Deck Boxes hold approximately 80 sleeved cards, featuring our full-view design with clean artwork presentation and include a bonus deck divider.

Modern Masters 2017 Snapcaster Mage Deck Protector, illustrated by Ryan Alexander Lee.  Limited Print Deck Protector sleeves are produced with archival-safe polypropylene materials and sized 66mm X 91mm to store and protect standard sized gaming cards.

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Conspiracy Draft Archetypes

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Conspiracy: Take the Crown is landing in a local gaming store near you this very weekend and Magic: the Gathering players who are fans of this draft-game format are looking forward.  For those out there, who like us, are not tip-top outside of constructed format, there are some good resources out there to help make this and following weekends fun.  First and foremost, pop on over to the mothersite to read Marshall Suttcliffe's really solid and helpful article 'First Look at Drafting Conspiracy: Take the Crown' for tips 'n' tricks.  Otherwise, scroll on down to the bottom for a nice summary we've found online.

For now, we want to bring you attention to the Ultra PRO product line-up for Conspiracy: Take the Crown set to keep your awesome pulls protected and looking slick while playing at the games table.

Playmat versions 1 - Queen Marchesa

Playmat versions 2 - Summoner's Bond

Playmat versions  - Grenzo, Havoc Raiser

Deck Protector / card sleeves - Kaya art

Deck Box - Queen Marchesa

Righto - back on track to drafting Conspiracy -

In limited, we've always thought of building sealed pool / draft akin to building our own game table monster - starting with creatures as the skeleton and other spells as 'fleshing' out the rest.  Beyond this horrible analogy, we're quite useless at strategy but we do know that certain colour combinations lend itself well to evasion, whether it is W/U flyers or Aggro Ramp with R/G.  We have noted in this set, there are a fair number of cards in black / white which lends itself more to becoming the 'Monarch' at your table and the benefits of additional card draw that come with that designation.

Redditor 'CountryCaravan' had put together a very decent guide over here which provides a decent primer and suggestions for colour archetypes to consider when drafting this set.  Good luck to all those gamers cracking Conspiracy packs this weekend.

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Playmat Palooza

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

The snowpocalypse of yesterday has now been mostly cleared off the local roads here in Barrie, which means we're definitely able to get off to Friday Night Magic at our local store, OMG! Games to take another stab at any weakeness in the metagame with a new rogue decklist we've just developed.  Heading into the weekend, there is a number of professional events which should make Magic: the Gathering fans happy - namely Grand Prix Baltimore, Grand Prix Milan as well as Star City Games Seattle Open with $20,000 available in the prize pool and features a $50,000 invitational.

Over on the mothersite, things will wind down for the next two weeks for the Christmas Holidays but fear not, here at MTG Realm, we still will have a number of MTG posts for you.  For today, we wanted to showcase a small sample of some rather cool playmats - let's go !

Ravnica Guilds Playmat, from  'R4ID'

Birthing Pod Playmat, from  'Zealot_Of_Freya'

Temple of Mystery Playmat (Noah Bradley art), from 'AnonymousListener'

Cock Magic Playmat (South Park inspired), from 'jasinner'

Waffle House Playmat, from '__hellbent'

Golden Girls playmat, from  'pyromosh'

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Commander 2014 Ultra PRO

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

A quick post ahead of of our regular one here on MTG Realm to update Magic: the Gathering fans on the Ultra PRO product offerings for the latest variant set, Commander 2014.

To be released on Friday 7th November 2014, these official gaming supplies will feature artwork of each of the new five Planeswalker Commanders on playmats as well as extended variant illustrations on the card sleeves -

• Nahiri, the Lithomancer, illus. Eric Deschamps
• Teferi, Temporal Archmage, illus. Tyler Jacobson
• Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath, illus. Daarken
• Daretti, Scrap Savant, illus. Dan Scott
• Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury, illus. Adam Paquette

The Commander playmats look great, feature roman numerals across the top (tracking damage or tracking Commander re-costs?) as well as a zone in which to place your Commander during game play.  The sleeves feature a foil-like 'Chrome effect' on the graphic as well.

For a better look at the artwork, pop on over to MTG Realm on Tumblr where we posted high-res images.

Let's have a look at these very cool items now -

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Ultra PRO M15 Product Line Up

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

This is our second post for today - as we had mentioned in our previous post (http://mtg-realm.blogspot.com/2014/06/m15-spoilers-6-25.html), we had a LOT of catching up to day with all the new Magic: the Gathering / Magic 2015 core set news, spoilers 'n' previews coming out.  There are two thingys we have to cover off in this post -

First up - The John Avon Kickstarter project - 

To celebrate 30 years of producing beautiful fantasy art for books, record covers and card games, John Avon, with his agent Guy Coulson, is putting together his collected works book, ‘Journeys to Somewhere Else’.

John Avon (born 1961 in Cardiff, Wales) is a fantasy and science fiction illustrator. His work has been used for book covers, CD covers, games, toys and advertising campaigns. He is best known for his artworks for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, of which he has produced over 200 paintings.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnavonart/journeys-to-somewhere-else-by-john-avon
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Second, and lastly - All the very cool Ultra PRO products for the Magic 2015 core set.

ULTRA PRO has been designing, manufacturing, and distributing gaming and collectibles accessories since 1952. They are recognized as the premier brand of protection and display products within the trading card game (TCG) and sports trading card industries.  Look for Ultra PRO products at your local gaming store and MTG Mint Card.

ULTRA PRO Magic: The Gathering® – Magic 2015 Deck Protector - SIX versions

ULTRA PRO Magic: The Gathering® – Magic 2015 Full-View Deck boxes - SIX versions

ULTRA PRO Magic: The Gathering® – Magic 2015 Play Mats - THREE versions

ULTRA PRO Magic: The Gathering® – Magic 2015 PRO-Binder - TWO versions

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Monday Miscellany

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

We're rather glad to have gotten out to OMG! Games on Friday as we kinda got simply buried over the course of the weekend but especially today.  The standard list we brought along (white weenie) did not too badly.  We think there are more highways closed than open in the region right now.  Anywhoos, for today's post, let's just roll through some miscellaneous  Magic: the Gathering items (of course with an interest to the upcoming Born of the Gods set).

First up - we want to give you a wrap-up of the full Ultra PRO Born of the Gods product line-up.  Be sure to check out MTG Mint Card for the best prices.

 

Xenagos Top-Loading Deck Box 86143
Xenagos 80ct Standard Sized Sleeves 86141
Kiora Top-Loading Deck Box 86142
Kiora 80ct Standard Sized Sleeves 86140
Born of the Gods 9-Pocket Pro-Binder 86149
Xenagos, God of Revels Playmat 86148
Phenax, God of Deceit Playmat 86147
Mogis, God of Slaughter Playmat 86146
Karametra, God of Harvests Playmat 86145
Ephara, God of the Polis Playmat 86144

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Lastly,
We know that Born of the Gods Game Day is not until the weekend of March 1st / 2nd but we just gotta say that (first place) champion prize playmat is pretty dang sweet.  The illustration by Michael Komarck really rocks.  Also - if you have a thingy for MTG Minotaurs, make sure your calendar is clear so you can play against the 'Battle the Hordes' Game Day deck.

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Theros Ultra PRO

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

This is our second post for today - if you've missed our recent Theros previews round-up, click on over here.  In this post, we wanted to cover off all the very lovely Ultra•PRO product line-up for the newest Magic: the Gathering set, Theros which is due out on 27 September.  We can't wait to order the Ashiok sleeves / box from MTG Mint Card.  Let's go!

Theros Deck Protector Sleeves, featuring art from the Theros Planeswalkers -
• Elspeth, Sun's Champion (UPR 86115)
• Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver (UPR 86116)
• Xenagos, the Reveler (UPR 86117)

Theros Full View Deck Boxes, featuring art from the Theros Planeswalkers -
• Elspeth, Sun's Champion (UPR 86118)
• Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver (UPR 86119)
• Xenagos, the Reveler (UPR 86120)

Theros Playmats, featuring all five gods of Theros -
• Heliod, God of the Sun (UPR 86121)
• Thassa, God of the Sea (UPR 86122)
• Erebos, God of the Dead (UPR 86123)
• Purphoros, God of the Forge (PR 86124)
• Nylea, God of the Hunt (UPR 86125)

Lastly, the Theros Ultra•PRO card Binder, featuring an alternate art Elspeth (UPR 86126) - shown above with the boxes.
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MTG Promo Round-Up

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

It's been a whilesince we last yattered about Magic the Gathering card promos - whether they are Gateway or Friday Night Magic, these alternate art card rock and are highly collectible. If you are new to the game, we suggest you get out and get involved - for more info, check out the this page on the mothership.


2011 Friday Night Magic Promos


January : Everflowing Chalice
February : Spellstutter Sprite
March : Wall of Omens
April : Artisan of Kozilek
May : Squadron Hawk
June : Rhox War Monk
July : Jace's Ingenuity
August : Cultivate
September : Teetering Peaks
October : Contagion Clasp

2011 Gateway Promos


Master's Call, Plague Myr, Signal Pest, Maul Splicer, Vault Skirge, Shrine of Burning Rage, Bloodcrazed Neonate, Curse of the Bloody Tome












While we are onto promo cards, check out what participants will score as a participation prize for this weekend's - the Innistrad Launch promo. We thought the original looked good, but check out the alt-art - very nice! We will likely try to get out to our local store, OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario to take in this event and get some great games in.

Lastly, there are some play mats you may want to get a hold of - Innistrad has the Lilianna playmat and there are also the Titan playmats out just now as well . . .

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Need to sink your fangs into the latest set ? - We suggest getting your Innistrad singles from the folks over at MTG Mint Card.

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