MTG B&R Update July 2

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

First of all - a very happy Canada Day to all of our fellow Canadians.  There is a massive heat wave in Southern Ontario, so be sure you hydrate.  

A quick word about the updated Magic: the Gathering Banned and Restricted list announced today by Wizards of the Coast.  Essentially, just an adjustment to Legacy with the banning of Deathrite Shaman and Gixtaxian Probe.

Here's the full article link including observations of the metagame : https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/july-2-2018-banned-and-restricted-update-2018-07-02

For standard, no changes - here is the existing list -

Revised: January 19, 2018
• Aetherworks Marvel
• Smuggler's Copter
• Felidar Guardian
• Attune with Aether
• Rogue Refiner
• Rampaging Ferocidon
• Ramunap Ruins
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Project 'M' MTG Mobile Game

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Some Magic: the Gathering news from Seoul, South Korea.  Yesterday at the Seoul Duke City Hotel, game publishing company Netmarble hosted the 4th Annual NTP (Netmarble Together with Press).  

A total of 18 new mobile games were announced as part of the Netmarble lineup for 2018 which included Seven Knights 2, Icarus M, First Born, Harry Potter 'Hogwarts Mystery' and Magic: the Gathering 'M' (a code name).

Netmarble Chairperson Bang Jun Hyuk, Kwon Young-Sik, and Baek Young-Hoon provided some Alpha gameplay media which showed 3D images of this multi-player real time game for the mobile game market.

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Explorers of Ixalan

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving long weekend with friends and family.  We had definitely filled out boots with turkey and fixings and spent some quality time catching up.  Enough of that though for now - we do need to catch up on some news however.

Wizards of the Coast yesterday (no long weekend for our American neighbours) had surpirsed many Magic: the Gathering fans with word of a new logo.  Originally announced during last weekend's coverage of World Championship (we missed it), this is to be the new Magic: the Gathering logo moving forward on all products with the release of the 'Dominaria' set in March, 2018.

The gaming community was also informed that the classic card back will remain unchanged, which is not much of a surprise.  WotC staffer Matt Cavotta had a very insightful post on the mothersite as well - 

A logo redesign rings hollow when it's made solely to stir up interest in a stale brand. A logo change is warranted and has substance when it's made to reflect what is evolving or what has already evolved about the truth of the brand. With each change in Magic's logo, the new design has been a response and a reflection of the evolution of the brand.

We feel that Matt is spot on with those comments and do in fact rather like the new logo, although we think (as with all things), there are those not so happy with that. Righto - on to today's article topic - Explorers of Ixalan !

Please do pop on over to the article and YouTube video here for the full announcement.

Explorers of Ixalan is an out-of-the-box multiplayer Magic experience that challenges you to defeat your opponents along the way as you search for the lost city of Orazca.

Explorers of Ixalan is expected to be released late November, 2017 for a suggested retail price of $65 (USD) in the United States, which likely means a bit north of eighty bucks here in Canada perhaps.  Here's what you get for the coin - 

• 4 x 60-card decks
• 20 double-sided tokens
• 50 game tiles
• 40 counter pieces
• 4 deck boxes

The four decks follow the tribes we now have in the Ixalan story, with some similar themes -

• Legion of Dusk - White / Black - Midrange - flying and lifegain
• Brazen Coaltion - Blue / Black / Red - Aggro goodness
• River Heralds - Blue / Green - Fishy Prowess flavour
• Sun Empire - White / Red / Green - Ramp 'n' Stomp

Game cards include -
• Quest - Reward upon completion
• Site - Ongoing effects
• Event - Immediate one-time benefit

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Hour of Devastation Art Dump

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

That was an incredible volume of information Magic: the Gathering fans received so far this week.  More for our reference, but also yours, here is the table for all of the announced upcoming products from Wizards of the Coast.  Hour of Devastation, Commander, Ixalan, Merfolk-Goblins duel decks, Iconic Masters, Explorers of Ixalan, From the Vault Transform, Unstable (the next 'Un'-set!), Rivals of Ixalan one-off product, Masters 25, Dominaria, and the return of Core sets in 2019.

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Anywhoos, as the post title indicates, we have a number of Hour of Devastation art pieces we've found over at the 'Art of MTG' site linked here.  These look amazing and we cannot wait until we get Magic Story on these and cards.  We hope to return to this post to provide artist credit when we learn that information.

The summary here - a world-ending cataclysmic event prefaced by the arrival of the Elder Dragon Nicol Bolas, a plague of locusts, and the physical embodiment of a nightmare in the form of a Locust-god.  We have not idea as to the magic blue-ball sphere on a spear, but mygawd, it looks very cool.  Lastly, that plague / locust god also brought along some Zombie / Mummy friends, so there is pretty-near a 100% chance of seeing more zombies in the next set.

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Ixalan Sneak Peak

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Happy Wednesday (again),

Our second post for today in an effort to better organise the rather large amount of Magic: the Gathering information being released by Wizards of the Coast today as part of the big 25th Anniversary Celebration of this great game.

In this post - Ixalan and the second set Rivals of Ixalan

IXALAN

Releases SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

For centuries, the untamed jungles of Ixalan have hidden a coveted secret: Orazca, the city of gold. But no secret can remain undiscovered, and no treasure can be taken uncontested. Unfurl your sails, saddle up a dinosaur, and battle your rivals as you embark on a journey to claim the plane’s greatest fortune for yourself! 

STOP.

THE.

PRESS.

Lush tropic jungles, the Planeswalker Vraska, DINOSAURS(!), Pirates, and open seas.  Sign us the frack up.

RIVALS OF IXALAN

Releases JANUARY 19, 2018

The legendary city of Orazca has been found, but it will not be claimed without a fight. Now, you must outpace, outwit, and overpower your rivals as you vie for control of this ancient metropolis. Succeed, and you will wield the greatest power of the plane. 


EXPLORERS OF IXALAN
NOVEMBER 24, 2017


An out-of-the-box multiplayer Magic experience. Defeat your opponents as you search for the lost city.  This is a boxed set of Four 60-card decks (with no new cards).

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MTG Big Changes

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

The world is changed. I taste it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it. 

Well not quite, but big change is on the horizon.  Should you have popped over here before hitting up the mothersite, we are suggesting you would be best served in reading Mark Rosewater's article 'Metamorphosis' first (linked here).  The changes announced in the article is a portent of things to come which Magic: the Gathering players will have a lengthy discourse on.

The summary as MaRo organised into easy points for us to absorb are as follows -

Change #1
The Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets Will All Be Large Sets That Are Drafted Alone

Change #2
The Summer Set Will Be a Revamped Core Set

Change #3
A Different Approach to the Gatewatch

Change #4
The Masterpieces Series Will Revert to Being in Fewer Sets

Change #5
We're Changing Things Behind the Scenes

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Our Opinions 

As Wizards of the Coast MTG Rules Miser Matt Tabak indicated, the only constant (in the Multiverse) is Change, and we are fine with this.  

Four large sets per year, with no more small sets - No reservations here.

Consecutive large sets may or may not be focused on the same Multiverse Plane - From 1 to 3 different settings.  Gives us more time to soak in the storyline, and perhaps our refinement on how we employ those mechanics.

Revamped Core Set, with up to one-half of this new cards - We were never a big fan of core sets, but are certainly not adverse to them.  In the last few core sets, we were in fact rather happy with not only the cards but some of the associated spot-light stories.

Masterpiece Series - Too much of a good thing, like always skipping to desert, diminishes your appreciation of it.  The Kaladesh Masterpiece series was a good thing.  We think we could have skipped Return to Zendikar and Amonkhet.  

Gatewatch no longer on first string - Bench time is OK.  We've grown a bit weary of Team Gatewatch, but that is not to say we never want to get hooked in again at a later date.

The Behind the Scenes mention - great as this will create a second objective look (with hopefully no emotional investment) at newly developed cards and trouble-shoot for potential issues were it release that card into the wild.

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We don't really have much else to add other than we think the inviduals at Wizards of the Coast who determine code-words for future sets must be getting the old brown-bag let-down lunch as they are too much focused on food . . .

• Ham and Eggs

• Soup and Salad

• Spaghetti and Meatballs

• Milk and Cookies ( Milk and Core-kies ? )

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MTG News 4-18

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

There was some news of note for Magic: the Gathering gamers this morning on the Wizards of the Coast site which, if you had not already seen, should do so now.  Specifically, read Helene Bergeot's post on competitive play linked here (which also reveals the name of the new fall set), and the announcement of this year's Commander 2017, linked over here.

Let's get to the details of each now -

Command Tower, illustrated by Ryan Yee

Commander (2017 Edition)

This year's Commander (formerly Elder Dragon Highlander or 'EDH'), is to be release on 29th September and will feature FOUR and not the typical five pre-constructed Commander decks.  Previously, Commander products were based on the conventional colour where (white, blue, black, red, and green) and the combinations therein, but this year, it is to feature "some of Magic's most popular, and interesting, tribes".  The four new tribal-themed, 100-card decklists are to include 56 new, (never-printed before) cards.  With a suggested retail price of about $35 bucks (U.S.), it is to be released in Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, German and English. 

Fall Set Named

Director of Organised Play Helene Bergeot indicated that more details are forthcoming during the planned big June announcement, but did have the following important MTG news.  In summary, the fall set has been officially revealed as named IXALAN, and will be releasing on September 29, 2017. This set will be legal for the 2017 World Championship's Standard and Limited play. Pro Tour Ixalan is to be held November 3–5, 2017. Grand Prix Providence and Shizuoka will both be Team Sealed GPs as part of this release weekend.

You may recall our previous post about the fall set back in early December (linked HERE), where Trifecta Research had provided a number of short questions designed (what appears) to be a customer profile and purchase preferences / habits.  Also included where a number of mocked-up product images where the survey participant also provided opinion.  Among those images were booster pack images with the names 'Atlazan' and 'Conquest of Power'.  There was quite a bit of speculation around this of course in the weeks following.  It is clear now that Ixalan is the real set name.  Speculate away, but we here at MTG Realm think that this does very much sound like a mesoamerican theme.  Think Olmec culture and Gods such as the feathered serpent diety Quetzalcoatl. 

'NON-MTG image - Temple Sacrifice', by Concept Artist Jonathan Guzi

Moving forward with this name, it may be of interest that IXALAN.COM was a domain name registered 23rd September, 2016.  It is also unlikely that 'Conquest for Power' is to be the name of the second set in this block, but it is interesting that the domain RIVALSOFIXALAN.COM (Rivals of Ixalan) was registered on 17th March 2017.  Food for speculation there.


That is a wrap for today, catch up with you again soon.
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Magic - Ctrl Z

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

MTG Realm did not have a post yesterday - we had to sit down, lay down, breath deeply and calm ourselves down.  It actually took a full day to recover from the huge bombshell of an announcement yesterday from Wizards of the Coast (linked right over here).

Before we yatter any further about that, here are some nuggets of Magic: the Gathering related newsworthy items -

• Yesterday's Magic Story ('A Grateful Consulate') from James Wyatt was awesome !  Tezzert is still a dick but we've almost warmed up to Dovin Baan (whom we suspect has a stick in his posterior).

• WotC Staffer Blake previewed the Friday Night Magic Promo Card for January, 2017 - hint - do you like snakes ?

• Kaladesh Game Day is THIS WEEKEND.  Tune up your vechicles (erm, decklists we meant to say) and get on in with some standard format action at your local gaming store for a chance to win kewl prizes.  If you find yourself in Central Ontario, do drop in to OMG! Games in Barrie.

Righto - 
Speaking of Kaladesh and Standard format . . . 

The BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

When MaRo posted the 'Meamorphosis' article on August 25, 2014 announcing several very important changes to Magic: the Gathering, it was received with mixed reviews.  That is to say, some of the changes were quite welcome, and others not so much.  Essentially, the changes were :

• Magic Blocks were moving from three sets to two.

• Magic will have two blocks per year.

• Core Sets would no longer see print.

• The first set of each block would cause a standard format rotation (Spring and Fall)


That was then, this is now.

In yesterday's article from Aaron Forsythe ('Revisiting Standard Rotation'), Wizards of the Coast admits that "the twice-yearly rotation has resulted in a barrier to new or casual players" and that there would be an immediate return to an annual (once per year) rotation.

Click Image to Embiggen!

WOW - We are rather pleased with this.

Your Eldrazi just got another six month lease on life and if you fancy Kaladesh, then you'll be pleased to see that this block won't rotate until Fall 2018.  Which means you will have more time, and a somewhat larger card pool to develop a decklist than under the previous arrangement.

The Tl/DR -

Fall 2017: Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch, Shadows Over Innistrad, and Eldritch Moon rotate.
Fall 2018: Kaladesh, Aether Revolt, Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation rotate.

If you are looking for a more in-depth evaluation of the big announcement, we suggest you read Corbin Hosler's article 'A Changing Standard - Everything Old is New Again' over at TCG Player.
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MTG Announcements

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Or rather - Happy 'Announcement Day', as the folks over on the mothersite have called it for today.  As suggested by MaRo last week, there was to be product announcement today - Mark was not entirely accurate.  There were many new and wondrous Magic: the Gathering announcements today.  Here's the big picture you need right now - 

New on this list that we did not know anything, or at the very least - very little of are the supplemental products of Planechase Anthology, Commander 2016, Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis, and the fall set 'Kaladesh' with the second set of this block 'Aether Revolt'.  Wow - that's a lot to take in.  For today's post, we will just yatter a bit about Kaladesh block.

You will recall from the Magic Origins story, that Chandra is indeed a native of the Plane of Kaladesh - an ethnically diverse population with a background that would make Steampunk fans happy.  Automatons, thopters, other artifact creatures and devices are wrought with high precision and beauty and then imbued with aether which fuels the creation and brings it to life.  The aether is scarce and heavily controlled by the Consuls.

Given the key art here for Kaladesh as well as the names of the creative consultants provided in the product credits, we think it a distinct possibility that one should expect the further colouring of this world to have an (East) Indian feel to it.  Here is a blurb from the mothersite -

"Invent your Tomorrow" as we explore the plane we first caught a glimpse of in Magic Origins—Chandra’s home plane of Kaladesh. Imagination, invention, and ingenuity await when we debut Kaladesh at PAX West on September 2, 2016, and release it in stores September 30, 2016.

For Aether Revolt -

Aether Revolt. Ingenuity will only get you so far when the revolt comes. Releasing January 20, 2017.

New Bundle and Planeswalker Deck 

Each set will have two Planeswalker Decks, each built around a different Planeswalker. Those Planeswalkers will be characters relevant to that block. Each Planeswalker Deck will be a preconstructed 60-card deck and will be packaged with two booster packs from that block with an MSRP of $14.99. 

The Planeswalker Decks will premiere with Kaladesh, this year's fall set, where they will replace Intro Packs.  The decks will play into mechanical themes of the block, most often making use of a new keyword mechanic. The default will be that the decks will be two-color even if the Planeswalker is monocolor. 

• One copy of a mythic rare planeswalker
• Two copies of a rare spell that has an effect and also tutors for the specific planeswalker
• Three copies of an uncommon permanent that is enhanced by having the planeswalker on the battlefield
• Four copies of a common flavored to the Planeswalker

• Four copies of an appropriate common dual land

The name "Fat Pack" has always been a bit nondescript, so we're changing them to "[set name] Bundle." So with the fall set, we'll be creating the Kaladesh Bundle. It will have an MSRP of $42.99.

Here's what you can expect with the product:
• A card storage box
• 80-card land pack
• Ten booster packs
• One player's guide
• One Spindown life counter

• One rules reference card
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From the Vault: Lore

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Also, a very happy Birthday to any reader celebrating today - ensure you put yourself whole-heartedly into today's cake-day as you will not see another one for four years.

Anywhoos, there was an interesting teaser from MaRo on the 27th, with this just cryptic message.

As promised, WotC delivered the announcement to the next From the Vault set, to be hitting a gaming store shelf near you in August.  From the Vault is a series of box sets, released by Wizards of the Coast on an annual basis in late August. Each box set contains 15 tournament-legal, black-bordered, holographic foil cards with a common theme.  This year's theme is explained in the official announcement over here on the mothersite.

From the Vault: Lore

Delve deeper into the events that shaped the Multiverse - and show your opponents that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it! This limited-edition set includes cards from throughout Magic's history that are renowned for both their power and the stories behind them. Surprise your foes with blasts from the past they'll have to see to believe.

Contents and Details:

• Fifteen premium foil cards and one token, including three with new art.
• An exclusive Spindown life counter.
• A collector's guide.
• Each card has been printed using a foil process unique to the From the Vault series.
• From the Vault: Lore will be available worldwide in English only, and will have an extremely limited print run.
• All cards are black-bordered and tournament-legal. This means that these cards are legal for use in any tournaments where the original printings are still legal.

Use the hashtag #FTVLORE to discuss this product on Twitter!
Product Concept and Development: Sam Stoddard and Jeremy Jarvis, with contributions from Mark Purvis.
Release Date: August 19, 2016
Magic Online Release Date: October 10, 2016
MSRP: $34.99

Well that is rather exciting.  Let's get straight to dissecting and then some speculation !

First - the indication is that there is to be only three rather than six new arts as was the case in the most recent FTV sets.  Limited print run is the same story, so expect to purchase from retailers at a greatly increased price.

The preview art provided in most likely that of Momir Vig, Simic Visionary.  In face, we will say pretty much 100% certain - compare what the greenish fella is wearing -

As for speculation on the other cards, we do have this from the announcement - "renowned for both their power and the stories behind them".  We would expect a card with a solid showing in the Magic Fiction section of the mothersite - perhaps a card like Azusa, Lost but Seeking, for which there was an possibly leaked art some time ago -

The other bit is that there is one token card included in this From the Vault.  There are several prominent ones which come to mind such as Tuttuk the Returned, but here are our guesses - Dark Depths, Helm of Kaldra and Tolsimir Wolfbood.  What are your guesses on tokens and other cards for From the Vault: Lore ?

 

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Conspiracy 2

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Something unexpected happened today.  We were expecting an announcement for Magic: the Gathering fans sometime this week on the next 'From the Vaults' product from Wizards of the Coast but instead we have this announcement (linky to the mothersite here) on the next (and totally unexpected) Conspiracy set.  Perhaps we will not see a FTV product offering this year.  WotC certainly did not very forthcoming (until gamers asked) that Clash Packs and Event Decks were to be discontinued, so perhaps this Conspiracy set is to replace the FTV - who knows.  

Anywhoos, if you are new to the MTG scene, the first Magic: The Gathering – Conspiracy set which was released in June 2014, was the first-ever multiplayer-focused Magic booster set designed specifically to be drafted and from what we've heard from friends and online, players rather enjoyed the quirky and fun games this set made.  As you may know, we really are not fans of the draft format but were certainly head-over-heels on a number of cards from the original Conspiracy set which we gobbled up and prompted absorbed into a few of our Commander decklists. 

We are fans of the storyline and the lovely card arts of the first Conspiracy set, and are most definitely salivating for the second one now - thanks WotC for providing an illustration of Brago so we can dream upon and speculate - which we will now start.  Here's hoping that Brago comes back not as a Legendary Creature but a Planeswalker which we know pretty much impossible as a dead dude cannot have his 'spark' iginite.  :(

Here is the official announcement - 

Long May He Reign

Add deeper layers of gameplay to your next Magic draft and fight for King Brago — or plot his downfall. The Conspiracy: The Reign of Brago set builds on the revolutionary abilities introduced in the original Magic: The Gathering—Conspiracy set, with new cards that affect the draft itself and new Conspiracies that twist the rules against your foes and those who dare oppose Brago. Trade votes and spread your attacks to manipulate the game in your favor.

How will you defend the throne?

This set is designed for eight-player drafts followed by free-for-all games of three to five players each.

Set NameConspiracy: The Reign of Brago
Number of Cards: 221
Release Date: August 26, 2016
Official Three-Letter Code: CN2
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGCN2
Languages Available: English, Japanese, Chinese Simplified
MSRP: $3.99

Initial Concept and Game Design: Shawn Main (lead), Nik Davidson, Bryan Hawley, Ken Nagle, Matt Tabak

Final Game Design and Development: Ben Hayes (lead), Bryan Hawley, Jonathan Skolnik, James Sooy, Gavin Verhey
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Here is a quick summary of who, or rather what King Brago is for fans of vorthos / storyline -

Brago, also known as he 'King Eternal' on account that he has moved on from a corporeal being to that of a spirit, rules the High City of Paliano on the plane of Fiora.  When he finally took a dirt nap, courtesy of his friend Selvala, the Custodi which is a priesthood with ambitions to stay in power, kept Brago's spirit bound.  Although Brago's rule "persists beyond death itself", and "no matter is settled until King Brago offers an opinion", this new set's storyline may show Brago breaking away from the Custodi.

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Eldritch Moon Announcement

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

On the weekend, some people spent time playing Magic: the Gathering, while others watched Super Bowl 50.  We did both.  Starting off with Friday Night Magic at OMG! Games here in Barrie on Friday (duh), Saturday was a number of Commander games at our lair with the playgroup and Sunday was all about football.

Anywhoos, for today's post, we were going to get to our final Commmander 2015 video in our series of collaborative posts with Jon over at CommandTower.tk.  Then it happened - a big leak of Shadows Over Innistrad on Saturday (article over here).  We were to talk about the leaked cards in today's post, and then Wizards of the Coast announced the next set (after Shadows Over Innistrad) today on the mothersite.  So, that's it - the subject of today's post -

Very apropos for Innistrad we think - but wait - guess who is back - 

Yep!  Everyone's fav black coloured-aligned Planeswalker - Liliana.  The key art for the first set, Shadows Over Innistrad appears to show Jace, so why not Lili to follow up in the second set, Eldritch Moon.

The name Eldritch has been used several times before to describe arcane and sometimes malevolent spirits, such as describing Liliana's rune-like patterns on her skin as well as the cabalistic possession of the Chain-Veil.

Anywhoos, you may have also heard of the Eldritch Moon before - specifically in 2014, the name of a digital comic by Nashoba Hostina.  We would post an image of the Eldritch Moon digital comic book front page but it is copyrighted.  Wonder if WotC also knows that this name is already in use, or if it really matters - dunno - we are not copyright lawyers.

Righto - here's the 411 - the mothersite did not provide an expansion symbol in today's post, but perhaps there is a hint in the first "o" in the stylized 'moon' text.  Here is the info you will need to know - 

Set Name: Eldritch Moon
Block: Set 2 of 2 in the Shadows over Innistrad block
Number of Cards: 205
Prerelease Events: July 16–17, 2016
Release Date: July 22, 2016
Launch Weekend: July 22–24, 2016
Game Day: August 13–14, 2016
Official Three–Letter Code: EMN
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGEMN

Initial Concept and Game DesignKen Nagle (lead), Mark Rosewater, Shawn Main, Ben Hayes, Bryan Hawley, Kelly Digges


Final Game Design and DevelopmentSam Stoddard (lead), Dave Humpherys, Jackie Lee, Bryan Hawley, Melissa DeTora, with contributions from Matt Tabak.
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