Asgard Gear Deck Box Review

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Today, we want to provide our unbiased review for the hand-made Loki Deck Box from Asgard Gear.  We've been rocking with this box for about a week now and have traveled with it from our lair thrice to develop an opinion. 

MATERIALS

• Exterior Casing  - material is natural wood - specifically Walnut.  We've exposed the box to our regular use and have certainly Rustled the Jimmies.  The shell is solid, durable and has not scuffed or taken on any visible signs of wear.

• Joints -  Not that that kind.  Given the thickness of wood, through dovetail joints are not very practical, so Asgard Gear went with box joints.  All joints have wood adhesive and we're impressed with the work with the tricky work required for clamping.

• Finish - Tung Oil.  Walnut is a beautiful wood but unless it gets appropriate finishing, it could look just kinda meh.  Tung oil makes the lovely grain here just pop.  Benjamin Moore has been producing Tung Oil (from the Chinese Vernicia fordii tree seed_ since about the 1930's.  In our opinion, this environmentally considerate oil delivers the very best finish availble.

• Embellishments - All exterior wood parts are laser cut giving a very clean look. The crisp Asgard Gear logo, and Beta model marking are aesthetically pleasing.

• Interior Casing - Acrylic plastic. Perfect choice of material to protect cards, sleeved or not, from acquiring any undesirable wear.  Sleeved cards fit perfectly and slide out easily like snot on hot glass.

• Closure - Separate flush-fitting top sliding closure secured with two neodymium magnets.  These rare earth magnets provide a strong fastening.  we could not get the lid dislodged with a highly scientific drop test from the height of a gaming table.  We have preference to mag closures over exterior clasps which are more prone to damage.

USE

• The Asgard Gear Loki holds our sleeved 100-card Commander decklist perfectly.  At the moment, it is holding our Emmara Tandris list and the literal crap-ton of tokens this list generates - beasts, snakes, saprolings and elves are all house comfortable inside and perhaps there is a comparative to Doctor Who's TARDIS somewhere here.

SUMMARY

This is a great deck box and we love the look of it.  The price for the Deck Box is about what we would expect to pay for a high quality card storage box.  We do not have any complaints at all but would suggest that Asgard Gear should consider looking into offering  gamers the opportunity personalise the deck box with their name, deck name or perhaps even a simple graphic.

GIVEAWAY !!

This weekend at the Magic: the Gathering - Aether Revolt PreRelease at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario, there are a number of very cool random prizes up for grabs including the Asgard Gear Loki Deck Box.  There will be draws every event for free entries to regular weekly events at the store, as well as a chance to win an Aether Revolt Planeswalker Deck (2 available), and the Deck Box.  

OMG! Games will be running events all weekend long -
• Saturday - 12:00 am (Friday Midnight), 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 7:30 pm

• Sunday - 11:00 am, and 4:00 pm (Two-Headed Giant)

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Origins PreRelease Prep

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Here in Central Ontario, we are now experiencing the first proper heatwave of summer.  For Magic: the Gathering players worldwide, things are also heating up as everyone is now looking to this weekend's Magic Origins PreRelease event.  Like most, here at MTG Realm, we are reviewing all the new cards after last Thursday's full reveal and are now evaluating the cards that would make for a strong sealed event.  As is tradition, we'll be off to our local gaming store, OMG! Games and hope to report a Top 8 success.  To find a Magic Origins event near you, pop on over to the 'Locator'.

We would highly recommend reading WotC staffer Gavin Verhey's article today (linky over here) on the mothersite to make the most of your PreRelease event.  For today's article, we want to confirm with you what to expect in the Magic Origins PreRelease Pack.

Magic Origins prerelease packs give players the opportunity to learn the origin of their favorite Planeswalker. There are five prerelease packs, one for each planeswalker's color - White (Gideon), Blue (Jace), Black (Liliana), Red (Chandra), and Green (Nissa). The pack's theme does not guarantee a specific Planeswalker card (obviously).

Each comes with a 7-card seeded booster pack that corresponds with that color. When registering for the Prerelease tournament, each player chooses one. The seeded booster pack will assist players in building a deck by providing a starting point in their chosen color. Each seeded booster pack contains a stamped premium promo card, which players may include in their tournament decks. The prerelease pack further contains 6 regular booster packs, 1 story booklet and 1 Spindown life counter. 

The TL/DR - Contents of the Magic origins PreRelease Pack:
• 6 Magic Origins booster packs
• 7-card seeded booster pack, with a stamped promo card
• Cool Planeswalker story booklet
• 1 Spindown life counter 

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Journey into Nyx PreRelease

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

In this post we wanted to cover off our adventures in last weekend's Journey into Nyx PreRelease event at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario.  It sort of all really started during Friday Night Magic when with just a few short hours away to the midnight event (we did not go), Magic: the Gathering players were yattering about some incredible rumours of Journey into Nyx 'god' packs being opened at PreRelease events in earlier time zones.  With several images being posted of players pulling all 15 gods from a pack, we were cautiously optimistic thinking Wizards of the Coast had yet again re-created another 'Zendikar Priceless Treasures' promotion.  In fact they did as they had claimed in this post to the motersite for which we say 'well done Wotc!'.
 

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As for our Journey into Nyx Pre-Release we attended on Saturday, everyone's choices for PreRelease packs were as follows :

Forged in Glory / White - Dawnbringer Charioteers
Forged in Intellect / Blue - Scourge of Fleets
Forged in Tyranny / Black - Doomwake Giant
Forged in War / Red - Spawn of Thraxes
Forged in Pursuit / Green - Heroes' Bane 
Contents:
• 2 Journey into Nyx packs
• 1 Born of the Gods packs
• 2 Theros booster packs
• 1 seeded booster pack
• 1 promo card
• 1 activity card
• 1 life counter
• 1 welcome letter
• 1 Hero Card

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Here's a short 'n' sweet video from OMG! Games -

 
We went with White (as did a large percentage of players) - here are our pulls -

• Dawnbringer Charioteers (Seeded Pack)
• Aegis of the Gods (Seeded Pack)
• Hydra Broodmaster (JOU Pack)
• Eidolon of Blossoms (JOU Pack)
• Fated Retribution (BNG Pack)
• Gift of Immortality (THS Pack)
• Arbor Colossus (THS Pack)

We did manage 2 wins and 2 loss which brought us just short of some prize packs unfortunately, but we're happy with our games and very happy to get our paws on some of the new cards.  We're popping over to MTG Mint Card to pick up additional Journey into Nyx cards which we were not able to pull just yet.
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BNG PreRelease Info

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

With prerelease events for Magic: the Gathering's latest card set, Born of the Gods taking place this coming weekend, many players are more than enthusiastic about getting the chance to game with the new cardboard.  Tomorrow (Wednesday), Born of the Gods will be available in Gatherer, the MTG card database which will allow players a tool in which to sort and evaluate the new cards in order to develop strategies not only for this weekend but also constructed going forward.  MTG Realm will be at OMG! Games as is our custom to take some video and perhaps get a few interviews from the players.  Also - if you have not already, don't forget to get your pre-orders in to MTG Mint Card soon.  You should also check out WotC Mike's PreRelease Primer if you've not been to one yet.

Anywhoos - there are a few players we know personally who have never taken their game from the kitchen table to organized play at the local gaming store.  This weekend offers an opportunity to that.  Most event organizers will have both Open Dueling and Sealed as part of the Born of the Gods PreRelease event. Open Dueling is great for newer players who may not have a lot of experience building a sealed deck.  This game format is also great for any players perhaps wanting to get in a quick game in between rounds in the tournament itself.  Open Dueling players each receive 1 Born of the Gods Intro Pack to play against each other.

For the main event, players each receive a Born of the Gods Prerelease Pack.  Each Born of the Gods Prerelease Pack contains items designed specifically for the chosen Hero's Path and contain the following:
• 2 Born of the Gods booster packs
• 3 Theros  booster packs
• 1 seeded booster pack
• 1 promo card which can be played
• 1 Master Your Destiny activity card
• 1 Spindown  life counter
• 1 Hero’s Path Welcome Letter
• 1 Hero card

There are five different Born of the Gods Prerelease Packs, one for each color. Each prerelease pack comes with a seeded booster pack that corresponds with that primary color. When registering for the Prerelease tournament, each player chooses which color they wich to play. The seeded booster will assist players in building a deck by providing a starting point as well as the a Born of the Gods Prerelease Promo Card, which players may include in their tournament decks.

Born of the Gods Prerelease Packs also include the fourth Hero card, used in the Hero’s Path. Hero cards are special cards that have a unique code which can be redeemed for a badge and achievement on PlaneswalkerPoints.com.

Players should save their Hero cards to use against the “Battle the Horde” Challenge Deck at Born of the Gods Game Day.  The Prerelease Packs are as follows;
• WHITE - Destined to Lead
• BLUE - Destined to Outwit
• BLACK - Destined to Dominate
• RED - Destined to Conquer
• GREEN - Destined to Thrive

The minimum deck size for Sealed Deck is 40 cards. Tournament organizer will allow players time to construct a deck, typically 30 to 50 minutes for deck building. 

Sealed Deck — Each player receives 1 Born of the Gods Prerelease Pack to build a deck.

Two-Headed Giant Sealed Deck — Each team of two players receives 2 Born of the Gods Prerelease Packs to build decks (one Prerelease Pack per player, the colors do not need to  be the same).
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Born of the Gods PreRelease

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

The mothersite has now wrapped up official Born of the Gods previews with the full list of new cards now posted to the card image gallery.  Here at MTG Realm, we have also updated our own Born of the Gods Spoiler List which includes all card text as well as images for rare / mythic rares.  Now that we have the full list, we've also finalized our pre-orders and popping on over to MTG Mint Card.  Next week we will start on the task of just how awesome the cards are, which ones look like traps to avoid and some prognostication as what may be rocking your game table for your format of choice.  For today's post, we want to bring your attention to Born of the Gods PreRelease events taking place next weekend on February 1st & 2nd.

If you have not already, be sure to check in with your local gaming store to determine all the wheres and whens.  If you're unsure where your nearest LGS is, just check the handy Wizards Store & Event Locator.  Next weekend, we'll be at our fav card shop, OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario, just across the street from Georgian College.  Expect posts, pics, perhaps gamer interviews and vids following the prerelease weekend.

If you are in the region, here's the 4.1.1. -

OMG! Games & Collectibles
130 Bell Farm Rd, Barrie, ON L4M 6J4
Tel. (705) 721-4263 

http://omggames.ca

Date & Times
Saturday Feb 1st
12:00am(Friday Midnight)
10:00 am
3:00 pm
7:30 pm
Sunday Feb 2nd
11:00am
4:00pm – Two-Headed Giant

Format - Sealed Deck — Each player receives a Prerelease Pack containing
2 Born of the Gods booster packs
1 seeded booster pack
3 Theros booster packs
1 Playable promo card
1 Master your Destiny activity card
1 Spindown™ life counter
1 Hero's Path Welcome Letter
1 Hero Card
Two-Headed Giant — Each team will receive Two Prerelease packs for constructing two decks with.

Cost & Prizes : $35 For all regular sealed events
4-0 record receive 16 packs Born of the Gods
3-0-1 record receive 12 packs Born of the Gods
3-1 record receive 8 packs Born of the Gods

$60 Two Headed Giant ($30/player) with prizes given out based on attendance.

They will also have a 5 Pre-Release Special, where $150 enters you in any five events.
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Theros PreRelease Event

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

This weekend, Magic: the Gathering players will converge upon local gaming stores around the world to participate in the Theros PreRelease event.  Similar to the Return to Ravnica block sets, gamers will have the opportunity to choose one of five Theros PreRelease packs which will contain just about everything you need for an amazing afternoon (or morning) of great gaming.  A few players we know will be attending more than one event to collect additional PreRelease Promos, cards, and a chance to win prizes.

Here at MTG Realm, we'll be going to our favourite Card Shop, OMG! Games here is Barrie, Ontario and will provide coverage of the Theros prerelease event so look for those posts after the weekend.  Anywhoos - here's the info you need to know if you find yourself in Central Ontario (just north of Toronto) this weekend -

OMG! Games
130 Bell Farm Rd., Barrie, Ontario
Close to highway 400 and Georgian College.
(705) 721-4263  www.omggames.ca
 

Date & Times
Saturday Sept 21st : 12:00am (Friday Midnight) / 10:00 am / 3:00 pm / 7:30 pm
Sunday Sept 22nd : 11:00am / 4:00pm (Two-Headed Giant)

Format - Sealed Deck — Each player receives a Prerelease Pack containing• 5 Theros booster packs• 1 seeded booster pack• 1 promo card• 1 Choose Your Path activity card• 1 Spindown™ life counter• 1 Hero’s Path Welcome Letter• 1 Hero Card

For these events, players may use the promo card included with the Prerelease Pack in their tournament deck.
Two-Headed Giant — Each team Two Pre-release packs for constructing two decks with.

Cost & Prizes
$35 For all regular sealed events
4-0 record receive 16 packs Theros
3-0-1 record receive 12 packs Theros
3-1 record receive 8 packs Theros

$60 Two Headed Giant ($30/player)

Prizes given out based on attendance.  Win against the Owners in swiss rounds and receive 2 additional prize packs.

5 Pre-Release Special – $150 enters you in any five events. 

 

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Dragons Maze FAQ

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

A happy Monday indeed as Magic: the Gathering players now have the entire list of the latest card set, Dragon's Maze.  Today on the mothersite, the remaning cards were loaded up on the Dragon's Maze Visual Spoiler page.  All 156 Dragon's Maze cards have now also been posted on MTG Mint Card as well which means we can finalise our pre-orders.  We've already got our name on a list for the prerelease at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario and we suggest you talk to your local games store for arrangements.  For today's post, we want to provide a summary of the Dragon's Maze (FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions document.  Drop by the mothersite for the full document.

Release Information
The Dragon's Maze set contains 156 cards (70 common, 40 uncommon, 35 rare, and 11 mythic rare). In lieu of a basic land card, each Dragon's Maze booster pack has a nonbasic land card, which can be one of the ten Dragon's Maze Guildgates, one of the ten Return to Ravnica or Gatecrash dual lands with basic land types, or the mythic rare Dragon's Maze card Maze's End.

Prerelease events: April 27–28, 2013
Launch Weekend: May 3–5, 2013
Game Day: May 25–26, 2013 

Reprinted cards - Guildgates, Feral Animist, Putrefy, Wind Drake.

Shocklands - All ten 'shocklands' from Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash are included within Dragon's Maze but are printed with thier original set symbol and are not considered reprints.

New Mechanic: Split Cards with Fuse
Split cards, featured prominently in the original Ravnica block, are back with a new twist: the fuse ability.  All split cards have two card faces on a single card. You can choose which half of the card you want to cast, pay that half's mana cost, and only that half will go on the stack. The characteristics of the half of the card you didn't cast are ignored while the spell is on the stack.  Fuse introduces a third option if you're casting a Dragon's Maze split card from your hand: cast the entire card as a single spell by paying both of its mana costs.

Returning Mechanics: Guild Keywords, Keyword Actions, and Ability Words
Return to Ravnica: detain (Azorius), overload (Izzet), unleash (Rakdos), scavenge (Golgari), and populate (Selesnya)
Gatecrash: extort (Orzhov), cipher (Dimir), bloodrush (Gruul), battalion (Boros), and evolve (Simic)

Cycle: Guildgates
The Dragon's Maze set includes a cycle of nonbasic lands with the subtype Gate. Each guild has a Gate card with Guildgate in its name that taps for mana of either of that guild's colors. These cards were previously printed in the Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash sets; they appear here with new art. 

Cycle: Gatekeepers
The Dragon's Maze set includes a cycle of Gatekeepers with enters-the-battlefield abilities that give you a bonus for controlling two or more Gates.

Cycle: Cluestones
There are one of these common artifacts for each Guild with a casting cost of 3.  They tap for either of that guild's mana or pay one of each guild mana and sacrifice to draw a card.

Cycle: Guild Champions
There are ten of these rare legendary creatures, one for each Guild.  They are Emmara Tandris (Selesnya), Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch (Rakdos), Lavinia of the Tenth (Azorious), Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker (Dimir), Melek, Izzet Paragon (Izzet), Ruric-Thar, The Unbowed (Gruul), Tajic, Blade of the Legion(Boros), Teysa, Envy of Ghosts (Orzhov), Varolz, the Scar-Striped (Golgari), and Vorel of the Hull Clade (Simic).

Cycle: Uncommon Fuse Spells
There are ten of these split cards featuring the new fuse mechanic which feature a different monocolour spell on each side. These are Protect/Serve (Azorius), Far/Away (Dimir), Toil/Trouble (Rakdos), Armed/Dangerous (Gruul), Alive/Well (Selesnya), Profit/Loss (Orzhov), Down/Dirty (Golgari), Give/Take (Simic), Turn/Burn (Izzet) and Wear/Tear (Boros).

Cycle: Rare Fuse Spells
There are five of these split cards featuring the new fuse mechanic which feature a different multi-colour spell on each side.  These are  Beck/Call (Simic/Azorius), Breaking/Entering (Dimir/Rakdos), Flesh/Blood (Golgari/Gruul), Catch/Release (Izzet/Boros), and Ready/Willing (Selesnya/Orzhov).
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RTR Pre-Rel Guild Packs

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Tonight at midnight, many local gaming stores will be packed with rabbid Magic the Gathering players all wanting to get their paws on the new Return to Ravnica cards.  This particular PreRelease has many gamers excited as WotC has special Return to Ravnica PreRelease Guild packs instead of the traditional booster packs.  

There is also the possibility of scoring some sweet RTR swag in the form card boxes, card sleeves, lanyards, and playmats from the tournament organiser.  These very slick-looking prerelease boxes will contain;

• 5 Return to Ravnica booster packs• 1 Guild Booster Pack
• 1 Promo Card
• 1 Achievement Card
• 1 Spindown™ Life Counter
• 1 Letter from the Guildmaster
• 1 Guild Symbol Sticker

The Guild booster will have cards from that Guild or that colour;
• Foil Prerelease promo (you get to play in tourney)
• 1 Rare
• 3 Uncommons
• 11 Commons

If you want to get some practice / oreintation in ahead of the PreRelease event, check out the Mythic Spoiler site or Cam's sealed decktool.

Here's the eye-cand now from Forum user Coffee4am (aka Hobby-4am) who posted contents of all five Return to Ravnica PreRelease Guild pacts.  It appears that each guild pack may have a Guildgate, which replaces the basic land with the other remaining randomised cards sharing that guild's colour and / or with that guild's watermark.  Here's a closer look -
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Azorius 

Selesnya
 

Golgar
i

Izzet
 

Rakdos 

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Avacyn Restored Helvault Promo

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

We know we've yattered about the Avacyn Restored prerelease 'Helvault' to no end (here and here), but wanted to remind you that if you were thinking about attending the Avacyn Restored prerelease event, check with your store to see if they will pre-register you as there is a limited number of those Helvaults available and lists may be filling up quickly.  Here's what these things look like in real life . . .

  . . . and here's some flavour and instruction for players and tournament organisersd -

The Helvault is a piece of Innistrad's moon that serves as a prision for the nefarious denizens of Innistrad.  Through the trickery of the demon Griselbrand, Avacyn is also trapped in the Helvault.  During the Avacyn Restored Prerelease event, players will work to open the Helvault, releaseing Avacyn and saving Innistrad.  Players break the seals that are holding the Helvault closed by completing the achievement cards provided by the tournament organiser.  When the last seal is broken, the Helvault is opened.

Avacyn Restored Prerelease Kit:

• 24 x Moonsilveer Spear Promo Cards
• 36 Avacyn Restored Booster Packs
• 18 Achievement Cards
• 5 DCI membership cards
• 1 small cardboard desk poster
• 1 large poster
• 1 instruction kit
• 1 Helvault

OMG! Games & Collectibles is hosting a number of Avacyn Restored Prerelease event.  Entry fee is $35 - you get SIX Avacyn Restored boosters in which to construct a 40-card deck, a foil prerelease promo card, and a shot at winning prizes.  Start times are as follows:

Saturday 28th April :
Midnight / 10:00 AM / 2:30 PM (Helvault release) / 7:00 PM

Sunday 29th April :
11:00 AM (Helvault release) / 4:00 PM (2-Headed Giant format)

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Tuesdays - MTG Drafts
Wednesdays - Boardgames / Heroclix
Thursdays - MTG Commander (EDH)
Fridays - MTG Canada's Largest FNM!
Saturdays - Competitive gaming
Sundays - MTG Legacy League
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Contact the store for more details -
Location:
OMG! Games and Collectibles
130 Bell Farm Rd
Barrie, Ontario
store@omggames.ca
(705) 721-GAME (4263)

Driving directions :
From the South:
Take Hightway 400 northbound to the Duckworth St exit, and turn right onto Duckworth St. Turn right onto Bell Farm Rd from Duckworth St. The store is just ahead in the plaza with the Pizza Hut on your right.
From the North:
Take Highway 400 southbound to the Duckworth St exit, and turn left onto Duckworth St. Turn right onto Bell Farm Rd from Duckworth St. The store is just ahead in the plaza with the Pizza Hut on your right.

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Avacyn Restored News

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

There is some very interesting changes afoot with the third and last Magic the Gathering set, Avacyn Restored, in the Innistrad block. Today on the Daily MTG page on the mothership, Helene Bergeot, the WoTC Organized Play Director had this announcement -

Starting with Avacyn Restored, the name of "Launch Party" will be phased out - but we will still encourage stores to run a variety of events for you, including drafts! At the same time, the League will still kick off the Friday of the release. Lastly, the foil participation cards previously distributed during the Launch Party event will be made available to you at the Friday Night Magic on release day.

We're not certain how the fan / player community will take this piece of news. As for ourselves, we've not attend the proper release / launch party tournament for the last two sets but really should defer judgement of this announcement to you the reader as well as the stores running the event - so pipe in below with the comment thingy - we really do want to hear your opinion. We personally do not see any reason at this time why your local games store could not save the foil participation cards could be saved as prize support for the next day's (non-sanctioned?) tournament unless there is some strict prohibition from Wizards.
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In other (perhaps happier) news, some items of note from a Avacyn Restore sales solicitation document - specifically, some additional prize support / goodies for the Avacyn Restored PreRelease tournament. Here's the text -

Unlock the secrets of the Helvault!
This event is unlike anything we’ve ever offered, and will give your Magic™ players the chance to participate in a unique experience that they will be sure to remember for years to come! Event Features: Format: The format for this Prerelease is Sealed Deck — six boosters of Avacyn Restored™ . Though the set is a part of the Innistrad™ block, it is a large set, which means that the Prerelease tournament will use only Avacyn Restored product.

Unique and Exciting Player Experience: This event will give Magic players the chance to open the mysterious Helvault right in your store. The Helvault is a vessel filled with additional player prizes that will take the righteous strength of your store’s entire community to unlock (instructions will be provided)!

Critical: The opening of the Helvault will be much anticipated by your Magic community. To make sure that we can work together to deliver this great experience, it is vital that you and your organizer(s) not open the Helvault until the event.

Additionally, each store will receive a limited number of Helvaults, so we encourage you to offer pre-regeistration for this event (not every Prerelease event will have a Helvault, so we strongly encourage you to offer pre-registration for this event).

Prerelease events are great for players of all experience levels:
• Add some open dueling to encourage your new players to participate!
• Core stores may now run 3 main events while Advanced may run 6.
Again, it’s vital to communicate to your players that not every main event will feature a Helvault.

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The Helvault Prerelease Kit contains one Helvault filled with bonus prizes to support up to 54 players and will be made available in addition to the Avacyn Restored Prerelease Kit. The Avacyn Restored Prerelease Kit will contain : 24 participation promo cards, and 18 achievement cards.

ALSO - we now have the names of the Avacyn Restored PreRelease promo card as well as the Buy-a-Box promo !

PreRelease card - Moonsilver Spear
Buy-a-Box promo - Silverblade Paladin

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Lastly, just another reminder of the Top 5 selling DKA singles - this data compiled by the folks over at MTG Mint Card.

1. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2. Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
3. Hellrider
4. Vault of the Archangel
5. Vorapede
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