The MTG Collector

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As it is Friday, we suggest you make plans to make it down to your local gaming store and get into a Friday Night Magic event.  We'll be at OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario to take a stab at an updated list the play group has been having some serious fun with recently - Green / White Hardened Scales.  Unfortunately, this list still does not have the best mana yet - namely Canopy Vista from Battle for Zendikar or Windswept Heath from Khans of Tarkir, but we did finally get two Undergrowth Champion in a recent trade.  If, you the reader did want to help out our group, you could always pop by out Wish List on CoolStuff Inc., and for that, we could work out a deal by giving you some air time / visibility on our MTG Realm online assets.

Anywhoos,  As we were saying, we were looking for a proper mana base and connected with another gamer in the area who was willing to talk about a trade - this fella was looking, among other things for a 'High Tide'.  We then remembered we did have a promo card from an IDS comic we had picked up in 2013 for which we forked out $5 for.

Doing the due diligence, we find out that this promo had shot up to just over $12 which was to our benefit in this particular trade.  Long story shortened, we nail down the details but also checked out the local stores to replace our comic book as it belongs to a completed set.  We were a bit shocked that we could get is ordered in for us for about $25.  We realise that we might be able to pick it up for less expense in the States perhaps be thought it too much fuss.  Suffice to say, we backed out of the trade deal.

We really do not consider ourselves collectors - sure we are happy to collect FNM / Release / Game Day promos to switch out 'normal' printings in our decks but we don't actively seek to acquire rare printings.  The one and only time we did feel like a collector was with our MTG comic books - picked each and every one up, admired the cover art and promo card and did not crack the shrink wrap.  This is not characteristic of our group - if you buy something, enjoy your purchase instead of having it sit on a shelf (and not even on display).  We now feel we can imagine how some collectors feel when they realise that their $5 purchase in now worth $25.
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MTG Monday Miscellaney

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Today on MTG Realm we have another quilted patch-work of a variety of Magic: the Gathering thingys.  Kicking the post off is Battle for Zendikar Game Day this past weekend.  We, like thousands of other gamers hit the local game store to take in a standard constructed tournament.  We hit our local shop, OMG! Games here in Barrie with a Mardu coloured (Black / White / red) home-brew featuring sac-Allies and recursion with March from the Tomb.  Unfortunately, we did not even win one game, let alone a match.  Our current stock to support standard is pretty much budget cards but our streak of losses at the store, although depressing, has led to a lot of seriously fun games at the kitchen table with the group.

Next up, Grand Prix Québec.  The standard metagame appears to be still stuck with Khans of Tarkir Block with minor contributions from Magic Origins and Battle for Zendikar.  The game has evolved a very decent mana-base however with four-colour builds rather common place now.  Anywhoos - here is a snapshot of the Day 2 game breakdown we've pull from the Wizards event coverage.

Ojutai's Command is certainly a fan fav with integration into Dark Jeskai and Esper Control builds.  Anafenza, the Foremost saw reliance in many Abzan builds to shut down Rally the Ancestors strategies and a bit out of aggressive builds with reliance upon Become Immense.
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In other news, Redditor paperpariah appears to have completed a token collection (just over 480 in all) - and it is a site to behold.  Have our congratulations and envy! :)

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Lastly,  we have an unstoppable hankering to build a Blue-Black Aristocrats decklist ever since we saw the deck-tech with Christian Calcano from the previous weekend's PT BFZ.  There is a great article by Pascal Maynard over on ChannelFireball you should check out.  We simply love the interaction with Sidisi's Faithful (exploiting itself) while Zulaport Cutthroat is out.

Since we have pretty much no cash for this decklist, we may consign ourselves to try out Gavin Verhey's Mono-Black on a Budget posted today on the mothersite.

That's it for now folks, keep brewing and practice safe Magic by double-sleeving.

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Pro Pages

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

We hope all have had a great weekend with a chance to get in some Magic: the Gathering gaming.  On Saturday, we have an epic round of Commander Momir Vig versus Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath with Obby delivering a helluva smackdown.  During Friday Night Magic at OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario was the official launch of Dragons of Tarkir.  We did not get all the new cards we had wanted yet so we tweaked the existing U/W Heroic deck to include a few Graceblade Artisan (who loves auras) in the main, and some Pacifism in the sideboard.  Three wins and two losses delivered 11th place and put us short of Top 8 and scoring the FNM promo.  Next post, we hope to yatter about the new standard environment.

Anywhos - back on topic - we wanted to talk about some pretty cool card storage binder pages we picked up from BCW Supplies.  These are the double-sided, side-loading, nine-pocket binder pages.  We've had in the past some pretty questionable quality pages in our card trading binder and have had on at least 3 separate occasions had the binder drop or get bumped with the cards falling out on the game store floor or table.  Let's get thingys started with a short video, so you can see what we're talking about -

First of all - COLOUR - the pages come in all of the five colours of MTG mana, which means that if you organise your card binder by colour, this will certainly aid you in quickly finding the card(s) you are after.

Second - SECURITY - the pages are side-loading - we do not care at all for the top-loading pages which we've seen lose cards.  The BCW Pro Pages have a very nice textured inner layer with we feel assists in preventing your possibly expensive card from sliding out during transit - we suggest you invest in a zippered binder to be uber-safe if you are doing a lot of traveling with your trade binder.  Outer page pocket loads from center with the middle and inside column loading from the outside.

Lastly - MATERIAL - we own a few binders with older polyvinyl chloride plastic pages which have now (after two years or so) become brittle with the card pockets breaking.  BCW indicates the pages are polypropylene which in our opinion is the cat's meow as these in our experience last longer without loss of the page pocket seam-welds.

We really like these pages a lot but have to warn you that we don't know how these pages are for UV protection.  We do know that coloured PP lasts longer than clear, and that PP generally lasts longer than PVC.  Our binders are on a shelf that is near a window and although not in direct sunlight for most of the day, it still catches a few rays.  Overall - TWO THUMBS UP. ~

The Collection

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Being Magic: the Gathering players, most of us have some sort of collector's streak within us.  Whether we are driven to collect every Charging Badger (Born of the Gods) we come across or the spindown life counter of every MTG set, there is a certain satisfaction to acquire and add to that collection.  Some common collections players often start on is assembling at least one of each set, every variant artwork for an individual card, or every Planeswalker ever printed - the only limiting factors may be the budget, the available time put into acquisitions / organisation and the rarity of the item wanted to collect.  In the past, we've ordered extra singles from MTG Mint Card based partially on card art or to complete a particular design cycle, but due to lack of funds (which equals lack of fun) here at MTG Realm, we restrict ourselves to just a few collection 'kinks' - namely, every new IDW MTG comic which we maintain sealed and a Fat Pack for each set which is put to use in storing our card collection as shown below. 

Admittedly not very rare or exotic.  Beyond cards, there are numerous MTG-related items to collect, like rare figurines, pins, playmats, or apparel (like the offerings over at MTG Merch).

 

A recent post by  vatechguy (Adam Richards) over on Reddit gave us a N3rdgasm over his collection which was varied, rare, and very well presented in a display cabinet.

Stunningly beautiful.

Pins, special sealed product, promotional items - this collection is lovely.  We are torn that some of the sealed product is still sealed and not enjoyed being played but at the same time we would totally do this provided we had a second sealed product to rip open and game with.

Anywhoos - drop a comment in below - What sort of Magic: the Gathering collection do you have, or would you have if you could?

Anywhoos - make sure to stay tuned to daily posts this week and most definitely tune in for official Journey to Nyx previews start up on the mothersite next week (Monday 7th April 2014).
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BNG Bulk Card Lot

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Happy Saturday MTG peeps,

We had unfortunately missed last week's Friday Night Magic event at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario which was the official launch of the latest set Magic: the Gathering set, Born of the Gods.  We did however make it out last evening's event and did place in Top 8 again (field of just under 30 players) with a white weenie (humans splashing black for Xathrid Necromancer to produce zombies).  We did not include any new BNG cards in the mix but hope to tweak the decklist for next week now that we have finally gotten around to organise all the new cards.

In less than two days, we had our bulk card order shipped from MTG Mint Card in Hong Kong and on our door step here in Central Ontario (about an hour north of Toronto) - and in fact, because we were rather busy with work, it took us longer to sort the collection than it took to deliver it.  For only $28.99 (price subject to change), you get a deckset (or book set) of 4 of each of the 60 uncommons and 60 commons in this set for a total of 480 cards - not bad at all.

Our collection is essentially organized by rarity and colour.  Mythic Rares, Rares and Uncommons all go into binders and Commons get sorted into Fat Pack boxes as shown below in out pictorial documentary.

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Avacyn Restored Hints

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Although we are certain that most of you will have heard most of these Avacyn Restored rumours / spoilers already, we've been asked to compile them in one post. Here are several important hints we've gathered from Magic the Gathering Designer Mark Rosewater via his Tumblr account, 'Tales from the Pit' :
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February 23, 2012
pchancete asked: The info I want: Will Helvault go up in price once Avacyn Restored is released? The question I ask you, as I know you wouldn't answer the first one: Is Helvault, like Eye of Ugin, a hint of the next set's mechanics and flavor?

All I can say is the Helvault is very important to the story.
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February 01, 2012
xucoalex asked: I'm a bit concerned about the monster tribes in Avacyn Restored. There won't be DFCs and no focus on the graveyard. I mean, I don't expect them to win. I just want them to still be there! As a fellow zombie lover, I hope you can assuage my fears.

All I can say at this point is that there will be some continuity. We did make an effort to make sure that some of the decks that sprung up from Innistrad and Dark Ascension got some more cards. From zombie fan to zombie fan, don’t worry, we got your back.
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December 15, 2011
gds3candidate asked: Are there any Double Faced Cards in Avacyn Restored?

No. We’ve done things to connect Innistrad and Dark Ascension to Avacyn Restored (lessons learned from Zendikar block) but double-faced cards didn’t make sense with what happens. Obviously, I can’t talk about why yet.

The set is designed by Brian Tinsman who is famous for pushing the boundaries of design so don’t worry, the set will have its fun quirks just not double-faced cards.
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February 28, 2012
paperparachute asked: So there's clearly going to be an increased focus on demons in Avacyn Restored. But some of the other monster types will still get some love too, right?

Avacyn Restored still takes place on the plane of Innistrad. We are conscious of what decks people made with Innistrad and Dark Ascension and we tried to make sure that some of those decks got more goodies in Avacyn Restored.
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February 02, 2012
stidjen asked: How much mechanical connection is there between Avacyn Restored and the first two sets of the block? Without flashback and DFC's, there isn't a lot left. And how do you compare the mechanical connection of AVR-INN/DKA to that of ROE-ZEN/WWK? I felt that connection was all too vague.

There’s a lot more to Innistrad than double-faced cards and flashback. The key is we wanted to make sure that many of the decks that got built during Innistrad and Dark Ascesnion would have more cards to add to their decks in Avacyn Restored. We didn’t hit every deck but we made sure to hit a number of them.
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March 11, 2012
mistercakesblog asked: Why is AVR going to be so disconnected from the rest of the block?

Something big happens which allows us to reboot the set mechanically (and thus why the large set is drafted by itself). It still takes place on Innistrad and there will be some mechanical connections to allow players to add some cards to decks they’ve already built from earlier in the block, but the vibe of the set is very different.
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Lastly,

Avacyn Restored the final set in Innistrad block is now available for preorder at MTG Mint Card, they are now offering an early bird discount for the Avacyn Restored uncommon & common card sets as low as $34.99. Apparently this is a limited time offer only so you may want to order today and have your AVR cards shipped on 4th May.
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2011 MTG Toolkit

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

You may recall a post we did about the MTG player's toolkit way back in May, 2010 (HERE) - well WoTC has a product refresh for you - here's version '2.0'.

Anywhoos - early last week, we came across images and product descriptions for the new 2011 Magic the Gathering Deck Builder's Toolkit. The only piece of information we did not have was the release date. We eMailed Wizards who indicated to us that the announcement was forthcoming this week . . . and apparently, here it is.

MTG DECK BUILDER’S TOOLKIT 2011

Jump-start your Magic: The Gathering collection with battle-tested cards, perfect for building several different decks!

This box also includes a guide containing dueling tips and expert advice on how to custom-build the deadliest and most effective decks possible.

Each Deck Builder’s Kit contains:

• 125 semi-randomized cards suitable for building several different Magic decks; four booster packs from a variety of recent Magic: The Gathering sets (Magic 2011, Rise of the Eldrazi, Worldwake, and Zendikar);

• 100 basic land cards to help you cast your spells;

• a Deck Builder’s Guide;

• a Magic “Learn to Play” Guide; and

• a card storage box.

This is scheduled to ship to a local games store in March 11, 2011. The product code is 'WOC 34357' and the manufacturer's suggested retail price is pegged at $19.99. Also - The Deck Builder's Toolkit was originally available in English only, but this one will also be in French, German, and Spanish as well.
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One of the most epic unboxing vids was by Evan Erwin aka Star City Games minion and 'The Magic Show' host of note. Right - he did get a booster pack of Worldwake in his toolkit and was struck by lightning when this pack produced a Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Now kids, we should talk about gambling here - the chances of that happening to mere mortals the like of us are slim to none and we suspect Slim left town already.

This makes a great gift for a player just starting their Magic the Gathering collection. We suggest that if you've been playing for more than a couple of months, just head down to your local store and buy a whole bunch of boosters instead.

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Les dernières nouvelles à Geek Fest Montréal Grand Prix Trial DALLAS (Samedi 26 Fevrier, Standard MTG) - On dirait que caw- go c'est bon avec 57 joueurs. Prix: 1ere place : 3 "BYES" pour le Grand Prix à Dallas -

1-2 Eric Gaudreault - Caw GB
1-2 Thomas Marsan - Caw Go
3-4 Justin Richardson - Caw Go
3-4 James Neumann - Boros
5-8 Joey Smith - Grixis Tezz Forgemaster
5-8 Eugene Ho - Valakut
5-8 Frederic Mercier - Caw Go
5-8 Jonathan Office Caw GB

Eric Gaudreault a choisi de prendre le billet d'avion pour Dallas
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Lastly,

MTG Mint Card has Knights vs. Dragons Duel Deck Box for the upcoming Duel Deck. This most excellent product from UltraPro has 1 full colour duel deck box, 2 full colour deck boxes, 2 full colour dividers, and a Write-on Strip to ensure your name is on it and prevent it from being claimed by your envious friends.

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MTG Card Collection

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Remember just the other day when I opened up that M10 Booster display box ? Yeah - that was fun, but now I have an enviable MTG mess on my hands. After I included the selected rares in my trade binder, I have pile of commons and uncommons.

As luck would have it, the good folks over at Power9Pro sent me a sample of N-Dexer. What the heck is an N-Dexer ? - It's a tabbed divider so one can easily and efficiently organise your card cr@p into a highly choreographed orchestra of cardboard.

Previously, I would drop my cards in a box. On a good day, said card collection would be fairly organised. I would typically organise into colour but invariably, the colour would 'bleed' into the other colours. At one time, I sacrificed a common and tore it slightly above the 3/4 mark in order to obtain a rough tab. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well. I was also the kid who never really enjoyed himself at arts and crafts which if one were to follow the timeline left my card collection in a bit of a mess.

Anywhoo - back to the N-Dexer. This tabbed divider can be used in corrugated boxes as well as Fat Packs. Not bad at all. I cards I want to include in my latest maniacal MTG build can now be easily found and extracted.

Thanks Power9Pro for helping me getting my sh!t organised.