Commander 2018 Spoilers

~
Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Perhaps not so happy as we were doing so well and then, approximately six hours ago, approximately noon (Monday, July 23,  2018), Moscow time, all four Commander 2018 decks were spoiled on the Russian online social media and social networking service 'VK' (or 'CKontakte').  

Commander 2018 is scheduled to be available for sale on August 10, 2018, and although official Magic: the Gathering previews from Wizards of the Coast are currently taking place, the kitten is out of the clutch now.  As hundreds (thousands?) of MTG fans already seen these, we are posting as well.  Before we get further, if you are new to this awesome Magic: the Gathering format, here is an informative blurb -

Commander is a unique and exciting way to play multiplayer Magic, featuring lots of legendary creatures and big, game-changing spells. Your deck is built around a single legendary creature (the "commander," which can be cast multiple times), and can use only cards within that creature's color identity. A Commander deck must be exactly 100 cards, and can't contain more than one copy of any card other than basic lands, making it a fun challenge for a creative deck builder. Play in a multiplayer free-for-all and maximize your commander's strengths to make sure you're the last one standing!

Commander (2018 Edition) brings back a very special category of commanders: planeswalkers! Yep, instead of a creature, each deck is led by a powerful planeswalker and built to take full advantage of their unique abilities. Most planeswalkers can't be used as commanders, but these four have been designed specifically to fill that role, so you can battle with a true legend of the Multiverse by your side.

~

Here are the four Commander 2018 decklist names and the new Commanders ::

Exquisite Invention - Artifacts theme
• Saheeli, the Gifted ( Blue / Red ), illustrated by Ryan Pancoast

Nature's Vengeance - Lands matter theme
• Lord Windgrace ( Black / Red / Green ), illustrated by Bram Sels 

Adaptive Enchantment - Enchantments theme
• Estrid, the Masked ( Green / White / Blue ), illustrated by Johaness Voss

Subjective Reality - Top Deck theme
• Aminatou, the Fateshifter ( White / Blue / Black ), illustrated by Seb McKinnon

~

Art of Ravnica

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As it Friday, we suggest you would be well served by getting out of the scorching heat and head to your local gaming store.  We are going to OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario this evening to see what exciting new decklists have been created with the release of the Magic: the Gathering Core Set 2019 the other week.  We also will bring along some very cool Ultra PRO random draw giveaways.

The big news yesterday evening was this announcement from publisher VIZ Media.

The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica, scheduled for publication in January, 2019.  This is an art book that will explore the vast and vastly powerful, the City of Ravnica.  

James Wyatt, Magic creative writer at Wizards of the Coast partnered with VIZ Media have produced a number of lovely hardcover art books featuring the incredible images and lore of Magic: The Gathering.  Here is the list of previous 'The Art of Magic: The Gathering' publications -

• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar (2016)

• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad (2016)

• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Kaladesh (2017)

• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Amonkhet (2017)

• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ixalan (2018)


• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria (2018)

~

Dominaria Cycles

~
Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Wizards of the Coast has done an absolutely solid job of delivering Dominaria card previews given that this upcoming Magic: the Gathering set’s Release Notes were let loose prematurely.  Another experience that we are completely loving is the series of stories that Wizards had commissioned author Martha Wells to produce.  Please do check out the very latest post here -

Return to Dominaria Story, Episode 5
Gideon, Liliana, and Jhoira muster their forces for the showdown with Belzenlok, but first must solve a mystery at Tolaria West.

Before we get on to today’s post (‘cycles’), we need to matter about the very awesome wall scrolls we’ve been seeing.  The first one we saw was the 25th Anniversary Magic: the Gathering wall scroll, which showed all the expansion symbols - big time nostalgia.  It looks though that this may only be available through Japanese retailers.  The other wall scrolls, which are avdailable here in North America from Ultra PRO are the Dominaria Saga Wall Scrolls - History of Benalia, Rite of Belzenlok and Antiquities War.  Very awesome and full of nostalgia as well for many players.

Anywhoos, we really want to talk about cycles.  Why? Uncertain. Perhaps it provides us with a sense of purpose and completion when looking at a set, perhaps we did way too many connect the dot puzzles as a kid.  Here are a few cycles in the upcoming Dominaria set.

Mono-Colour Devotion : This is a full colour cycle of rare creature spells with three of the same colour - Benalish Marshal, Tempest Djinn, Dread Shade, Goblin Chainwhirler and Steel Leaf Champion

Legendary Sorceries : self-explanatory - Urza's Ruinous Blast, Karn's Temporal Sundering, Yawgmoth's Vile Offering, Jaya's Immolating Inferno and Kamahl's Druidic Vow.

Allied Colour Legendary Dudes : Cycle of allied colour legendary uncommon creatures - Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage, Rona, Disciple of Gix, Garna, the Bloodflame, Hallar, the Firefletcher, and Shanna, Sisay's Legacy

Enemy Colour Legendary Dudes : Cycle of enemy colour legendary uncommon creatures - Arvad the Cursed, Adeliz, the Cinder Wind, Slimefoot, the Stowaway, Tiana, Ship's Caretaker and Tatyova, Benthic Druid.

Memorials - cycle of uncommon utility taplands which may be sacrificed for an effect - Memorial to Glory, Memorial to Genius, Memorial to Folly, Memorial to War and Memorial to Unity

Enemy check lands - cycle of rare (Innistrad) taplands tapping for one of two colours. These enter the battlefield tapped unless you control one of those two types already.
~

Global Series: Jiang Yanggu vs. Mu Yanling

~
Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

We wanted to take a look back at the Valentine's Day Mini–Announcement Day, posted by Blake Rasmussen to pick up on a product announcement which was folded into the article.  Specifically, Global Series: Jiang Yanggu vs. Mu Yanling, aka "GS1".  Here is the original text -

Finally, we're trying something a little new with a pair of Chinese-market-specific Planeswalker Decks featuring new Planeswalkers created particularly for China. Now, don't worry, you'll have an opportunity to get a similar English version of the same product created for international audiences. Both will release on June 22, 2018.

Wizards of the Coast had brought together a team of Chinese artists, writers, and folklorists to craft a brand-new branch of Magic story and play, rooted in Chinese aesthetics and mythology, culminating in two  60-card decks that feature two new Planeswalkers Jiang Yanggu and Mu Yangling, their themes and story.  For an MSRP of $30, here is what you get -

• Two 60-card decks, with 2 foil Planeswalker cards
• One foil double-sided token
• Informational insert

Magic: the Gathering fans speculation to date have focused on themes and stories in line with that provided within Portal Three Kingdoms, released in the Spring of 1999.  This set was designed specifically for the Asian market in mind and focused on the historical tumultuous period of conflict of Wei, Wu, and Shu kingdoms near the end of the Han Dynasty in 184 AD.  Real events such as the Yellow-Scarf Rebellion and Battle of Red Cliffs as well as a host of characters such as Cao Cao, Lord of Wei, Liu Bei, Lord of Shu, and Sun Quan, Lord of Wu, were adapted to cards.

Our personal speculation is that although there may be a nod to Portal Three Kingdoms, we do not expect any reprints (Imperial Recruiter, Imperial Seal, Borrowing 100,000 Arrows, etc.), but would rather see popular myths and stories adapted to the set.  Some fokelore we speculate that may see representation in this set :

•  Sun Wukong - the Monkey King ! Should such a card see print, consider us head over heels with our socks knocked off.

• Moonfolk - not the Kamigawa block, but perhaps something along the line of an immortal Hou Yi and his evil student Feng Meng.

• Nian - A monster with mountain walk or island walk.

• Dragons (a full cycle), Lions (Rui Shi), and a white serpent from Hangzhou.

• A full cycle of 12 Zodiac creatures.

Looking very much forward to the start of previews for Jiang Yanggu vs. Mu Yanling, and even more to any storyline Wizards of the Coast hopefully will have.
~

2018 Challenger Decks

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As announced last month, and greatly anticipated by Magic: the Gathering players, Wizards of the Coast previewed the decklists for the standard legal Challenger decks.  Landing on a shelf at your local gaming store on April 6, 2018, Challenger Decks are the quick window into Standard and are intended for players who want to skip deckbuilding and jump into Standard at their local Friday Night Magic.  There are four decks built from some of the best strategies in Standard :

• Counter Surge - 2-color black and green 
• Hazoret Aggro - 1-colored red 
• Second Sun Control - 2-color white and blue 
• Vehicle Rush - 3-color red, white and black 

For an MSRP of $30, each Challenger Deck comes with a complete sixty-card main deck and a fifteen-card sideboard and is intended to be playable and competitive at a local level right out of the box. All cards will have been previously printed in Standard and are Standard-legal.  These decks are a great purchase for newer players looking to get into Standard but can also appeal to veteran players thanks to the powerful cards in each deck.

Each deck contains:
• 60-card main deck
• 15-card sideboard
• A box capable of holding 75 sleeved cards
• Spindown life counter
• Quick reference guide

Reviewing the decklists - 

We did anticipate that Wizards would be delivering a strong first showing with the Challenger Decks - in a two word summary - 'expectations exceeded'!  We are still looking for our socks which were knocked right off.  We assumed that the number and quality of rares (and there are a LOT), would be throttled back a bit in deference to the secondary / singles market environment, and we were completely wrong.  

There may be a few rumblings from some quarters regarding this, but the general consensus is that any dip in singles prices at this time would recover in time.  Having just said this, anticipating an ever-changing marketplace, there may not be a full recovery of (yesterday's) price before those cards do rotate out of standard.  


The big take-away here we think is that those players who may have been hesitant about playing standard due to entry price (for a competitive decklist), may now join in the fun, provided the retail prices remain stable and close to the suggest price.

~

Mini-Announcement Day

~
Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

There was a slew of very interesting announcement today by WotC Blake over at the mothersite.  Titled 'Valentine's Day Mini-Announcement Day' (linked right here), this post is jam-packed with a lot of things to yatter about.

Before we get to that - Viz Media just posted the very next book in the popular story and illustration series - 
 
The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria

This book follows up on previous offerings timed with set releases for Zendikar, Amonkhet, Innistrad, Ixalan and Kaladest. Dominaria is home to the volcanic continent of Shiv, the time-shattered isle of Tolaria, and the cold mountains of Keld, Dominaria is setting to some of the Multiverse’s most brutal conflicts, and most powerful mages.  We have already seen some very impressive arts for this upcoming set and can't wait to page through this.

Righto - back to announcements - 

Looking very much forward to getting the MTG Companion mobile app.  Info linked here. Life total counter, card look-up, rules look-up and more sounds great.

Not really a 2-Headed Giant player - BUT - a one-off set called Battlebond is visiting a NEW PLANE called Kylem, where fans flock to the Arena of Valor's Reach to watch two-on-two combat.  We will want to game with this and pick up singles when released in June, 2018.

For other news like the Signature Spellbook: Jace, pop on over to Wizards.
~

A Challenger Appears

~
Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Some interesting news delivered today on the mothersite via Blake Rasmussen regarding new and retiring Magic: the Gathering products.   The TL/DR summary essentially is Duel Decks will no longer be printed and that Event Decks is getting a work-over.  Let's get to the details you need to know now.

Duel Decks was a series of theme decks that started in 2007 with Elves vs. Goblins.  These products were designed to be ready-to-play right out of the package for two gamers.  Typically each duel deck had a backstory a notable rivalry in Magic: the Gathering History expressed within the 60-card deck.  In almost all cases, the two decks were rather well balanced against eachother and delivered some fun games.  Impovements over the years witnessed alternate art to connectivity to soon to be released standard sets.

One last hurrah is on tap for April, 2018 with Duel Decks: Elves vs. Inventors, featuring a theme of nature against artifice.  This final duel deck is to have two ready-to-play decks, ten tokens, two deck boxes, a strategy insert, a quick reference guide, and two Spindown life counters.  We realise that all good things to come to an end, but we are disappointed that Wizards of the Coast did not follow up on their 2008 April Fool's joke of  Duel Decks: Pirates vs. Ninjas.

Next up - Challenger Decks !

Announced within the same article as noted above is a brand-new Magic: the Gathering product (or is it?)  This standard constructed legal product is to be called the Challenger Deck and is to be "forged out of some of the most powerful strategies in Standard".  The target here is to be the Friday Night Magic player.  The contents of this product are as follows -
• 60-card deck
• 15-card sideboard
• Spindown life counter
• strategy insert
• card box

There was another standard legal product that had exactly the same content - the Event Deck.  The difference here is that the Event Decks were created to "make it as easy as possible for someone to show up at Friday Night Magic and play in a tournament".  The departure of the Event Deck (and 'Clack Pack') before Oath of the Gatewatch was expained by Mark Rosewater on Blogatog.  Wizards of the Coast are "constantly evaluating our product line to make the best series of products we can which means from time to time discontinuing some them".  Although the Event Decks had a short run from about 2011 (Mirrodin Besieged) to 2015 (Battle for Zendikar), one of the perceived (and not necessarily correct) reasons for the less than expected reception from the gaming community was that these were simply either not powerful enough or were simply not even been close to competitive within the Friday Night Magic evironment.  The messaging which may have been lost here was that the Event Deck was to be an entry product.

We are hopeful for the Challenger Decks  expected in April  2018 for one reason - As Gavin Verhey indicated within the adjunct to Blake's article - the decklists are to be crafted much closed to the release date giving it a greater chance of success within the evolving competitive environment.  With a measure of foresight from Magic R&D, one may be able to game with this pre-constructed product for a decent period of time with minimal changes to sideboard to address developing strategies. There may be only one condition which may not please Magic: the Gathering players who purchase - the price.  Many players may think upon the $25 for an Event Deck whereas a decent and competitive list may often be in the range of two to three hundred dollars.  Obviously not always the case, but we should hope that those who lamented the lameness of entry level event decks are not vocal of the anticipated price hike to a more powerful list.

~

Rivals of Ixalan Art Spoiler

~
Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Viz Media had posted a video earlier today featuring ‘The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ixalan’ chat with James Wyatt, Senior Creative Designed, Magic: the Gathering and Tyler Jacobson, a Magic: the Gathering Artist.  Viz Media and Magic: the Gathering is publishing ‘The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ixalan’ Hardcover art book on January 2, 2018.  In the video, posted here, there are a few tantalizing sneak peaks of some art pieces we have not yet seen yet and may likely see printing in the next set, Rivals of Ixalan.

The book may be purchased through Amazon at this link.  For more information, pop on over to this link at Viz Media.

Here is the blurb for the book - 

Deep in the heart of Ixalan’s verdant jungle lies a treasure beyond imagining. Join the peoples of this plane in their search for an ancient golden city as you explore these pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering®!

Here you can sail with daring pirates and call on the might of earth-shaking dinosaurs. The marooned Planeswalker Jace Beleren will be your guide in his search for the true power of the golden city. 

A whole world waits to be discovered. Come and join the struggle to claim the greatest treasure of Ixalan!

~