Commander 2019 Previews

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Yesterday at GenCon 2019, Wizards of the Coast held it's first of several panels / events.  Panelists Gavin Verhey, Scott Larabee, Mike Turian and Ethan Fleischer provided the first reveals of Commander 2019.

Each pre-constructed Commander deck has a returning keyword ability as it's main theme. The four featured abilities are populate, flashback, morph, and madness.

FACELESS MENACE - Morph (Black / Green / Blue) :
• Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer
• Kadena’s Silencer

MYSTIC INTELLIGENCE - Flashback (Blue / Red / White) :
• Sevinne, the Chronoclasm
• Sevinne’s Reclamation

MERCILESS RAGE - Madness (Red / Black) :
• Anje Falkenrath
• Anje’s Ravager

PRIMAL GENESIS - Populate (Red / Green / White) :
Ghired, Conclave Exile and signature spell Ghired’s Belligerence
 
The Card Image Gallery being posted and updated on Monday 5 August, 2019. The Commander series returns with four brand new ready-to-play decks for Magic’s most popular multiplayer format. 

This Magic: the Gathering fan blog does not get updated - please visit MTG Realm on Tumblr for the latest Magic: the Gathering news and previews.

Also of note - Ultra PRO is offering a full range of gaming accessories featuring all the very lovely looking Commander arts.

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Commander 2018 - Bant Enchant

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We had picked up the recent Magic: the Gathering preconstructed Commander 2018, 'Adaptive Enchantment'.  This is Bant coloured ( Green / White / Blue ) with an invested enchantment / aura theme.  Although MTG and other playing cards have had a 10% tariff applied (final cost was $56.49) here in Canada, we still do not think this unreasonable in order to ensure that the local Magic: the Gathering gaming community stays intact and that there is a mortar-and-bricks location where friends can meet and play.  

The Commander products continue to deliver an excellent foundation for your further innovation and this year's offering is no different.  Before we do take this for a spin at our local gaming store or with our playgroup, we will need to remove and replace a large number of cards in order to personalise this.  This also affords us an opportunity to showcase some gems we already have in our collection.  We will post later about upgrading Adaptive Enchantment's spells and mana base, but for now, here is a blurb from Wizards of the Coast to provide a baseline of this list's present potential :

"Adaptive Enchantment" is all about playing enchantments.  Your goal should be to craft a wall of magical wards while imbuing your own creatures with powerful Auras.  By defending yourself with protective enchantments and attacking with huge creatures, you can defeat one opponent at a time while they struggle to defend themselves on all sides.

Few Planeswalkers know more about the power of enchantments than Estrid, the Masked.  When playing with Estrid, you're going to want to enchant as many of your permanents as possible to take full advantage of here ability to untap enchanted permanents.  No Auras in your hand?  No problem.  Her Mask tokens provide protective totem armor to your creatures, making them durable threats.  In a pinch, you can even put Masks on your lands so that her first ability can generate mana.

You could also try your hand at beating down with Kestia, the Cultivator.  Your deck's Auras and enchantment creatures make for a potent offense, and the card flow Kestia creates can give you a bounty of options.  As the first legendary creature with bestow, Kestia is particularly  durable - your opponent will need more than one removal spell to slow Kestia down.  Don't be afraid to be aggressive !

Between Estrid's long game and Kestia's quicker offensive style, there's Tuvasa the Sunlit.  Designed to command "enchantress" decks, Tuvasa ensures you can access a steady stream of enchantments turn after turn.  Build your board up slowly, drawing the maximum number of cards, then start pressuring opponents once your commander is big enough to threaten lethal damage. 

Here is a brief but excellent trip to Flavour-Town ->

ESTRID, THE MASKED, PRIMARY COMMANDER
Constantly striving for self-perfection, Estrid fashions magical masks that imbue her with the strengths and skills of the creatures they represent. Calm and collected in times of danger, Estrid takes pride in her flexibility. She is always ready with the right face–and set of talents–for whatever challenge she encounters. As Estrid journeys through the Multiverse, she seeks mighty creatures with unique fighting styles and weaves their powers into new masks.

KESTIA, THE CULTIVATOR, SECONDARY COMMANDER
The nymphs of Theros are associated with the wilds of nature–lush plains, verdant forests, and rushing waters. Kestia is a unique creation of the gods, and the cultivated fields that sustain human life are her domain. A benevolent steward of the earth's bounty, she oversees fertile fields, crop growth, and irrigation.

TUVASA THE SUNLIT, SECONDARY COMMANDER
Among the River Heralds of Ixalan, most shamans feel close affinity with the winds and waters, or with the verdant growth of the jungle. Tuvasa believes the light of the sun is the power that unites them both, giving life to plants and warming coastal waters.

Other :: (suggest this goes straight into your Momir Vig build)

ARIXMETHES, SLUMBERING ISLE
The kraken Arixmethes is so large that he is frequently mistaken for an island. While he slumbered, an entire city was built on his back. When he awakened–as the Planeswalker Kiora battled the sea god Thassa – he wrought destruction beyond any the hapless citizens of the "island" had ever known.

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Commander 2018 Spoilers

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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.

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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

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Commander 2018 Spoilers

Happy Saturday MTG peeps,

Some news for Commander fans we need to update you on.  Similar to previous products, Commander 2018 is to have four pre-constructed theme decks, which features twelve premium foil commanders.   Each of the four decks will have 100-cards each which will have a blend of new cards as well as reprints to support each theme.  Each will have 10 token cards, a strategy insert and a rules reference guide.

There is no specific pattern of colours presented with this year’s Commander decks. The themes were revealed by Wizards of the Coast on the weekly Twitch channel on Friday :

Deck 1 :: Izzet (Blue / Red) :: Exquisite Inventions - Artifacts theme

Deck 2 :: Jund ( Black / Red / Green) :: Nature's Vengeance - Lands matter

Deck 3 :: Bant (White / Blue / Green) :: Adaptive Enchantment - Enchantments

Deck 4 :: Esper (White / Blue / Black) :: Subjective Reality - Top Card of your deck matters

Commander 2018 releases August 10, 2018 with previews officially starting on July 23, 2018. The following artwork has also been released:

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Commander Anthology Vol. II

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Commander Anthology Volume II is Magic: the Gathering's second collection of classic decks from across Commander history, showcasing some of the game's most renowned, legendary creatures.  The four decks featured are some of the most iconic and hard to come by in the Commander series.These preconstructed Commander decks will be released by Wizards of the Coast on June 8, 2018 and have an MSRP of $165.

The anthology box contains four classic decks from four different commander releases, including thirteen premium foil commanders. Namely Commander (2011), Commander 2014, Commander 2015 and Commander 2016. All legendary cards have the special card frame that had been introduced with Dominaria.  Each of the decks features alternate Commanders to encourage different play styles and deck building experiences.

Contents: 
• Four 100-card decks, including 13 foil commanders
• Sixty single-sided token cards
• Four deck boxes, each capable of holding 100 sleeved cards
• Four 100-point spinning life total trackers
• Rules and information insert

The Decks in this collection include -

Devour for Power, Blue / Black / Green : graveyard as a resource theme.
Commander - The Mimeoplasm
Alternate Commanders - Damia, Sage of Stone, Vorosh, the Hunter

Built from Scratch, Mono-Red : artifact / salvage theme
Commander - Daretti, Scrap Savant
Alternate Commanders - Feldon of the Third Path, Bosh, Iron Golem

Wade into Battle, White / Red : large creatures theme
Commander - Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas
Alternate Commanders - Anya, Merciless Angel, Gisela, Blade of Goldenight

Breed Lethality, White / Blue / Black / Green : +1/+1 counters theme
Commander - Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
Alternate Commanders - Ikra Shidiqi, the Ursurper, Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker, Reyhan, Last of the Abzan


Full decklists are featured at this link.

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Rivals of Ixalan Commanders

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Today we will address the Dinosaur in the Room and see what the newest Magic: the Gathering set, 'Rivals of Ixalan' delivers for potential Commanders.  This is quite obviously a rather important decision to make.  Although your Commander may very well be the most important card in your deck, we would suggest that if you are building your very first list (we built our first when the format was still called Elder Dragon Highlander), that you may be well served in deciding on your individual playstyle and choose your colour(s) first.  After this, you can then decide upon your Commander to support your strategies.  This is a suggestion however, and there is no reason for you to choose your Commander first, especially one that strongly suggests to build around it.  Perhaps you already have a solid deck-list and are entertaining the idea to replace and existing Commander which has not been performing to expection. 

Before we get into our opinions on the potential of our pool of Rivals of Ixalan Commander choices, it may be of use to see how well the previous Ixalan set had done.  In our own (perhaps limited) opinion, there were only two clear winners from Ixalan which went on to become popular Commanders.  Here is the list -

# 1 : Gishath, Sun's Avatar - NAYA.  Designed for Dinosaur tribal and good at dropping dinos onto the battlefield.

# 2 : Admiral Beckett Brass - GRIXIS.  Designed for Pirate tribal. Pirate lord which steals your heart.

# 3 : Tishana, Voice of Thunder - SIMIC.  Seeing some tribal Merfolk builds, but quite a few simply being inserted as support into existing Simic lists like Ezuri and Kruphix.

Did not really become favourites with the Commander community, but certainly acceptable in a supporting role :
• Vona, Butcher of Magan, Orzhov
• Kopala, Warden of Waves, Blue
• Captain Lannery Storm, red
• Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle, white

Given the popularity contest winners from Ixalan, it stands to reason that dino and pirate tribal will continue to reap the benefits of further members joining its ranks in Rivals of Ixalan.  The big question however, will these two cards be eclipsed by the new hotness ?

There are a cycle of five Elder Dinosaurs presented with Rivals of Ixalan, one within the colour wheel.  These dinos are big, like really big.  Unfortunately these will unlikely be picked up by players to be a Commander.  With the exception of Zetalpa and Tetzimoc, which may have a sliver of a chance of being promoted to General, these will be best used in a supporting role.

• Zetalpa, Primal Dawn 
• Nezahal, the Primal Tide 
• Tetzimoc, Primal Death
• Etali, Primal Hunger 
• Ghalta, Primal Hunger 

Zacama, Primal Calamity - NAYA
This Elder Dinosaur does have a shot of being a Commander, but looks look further.  NAYA colours of red, green and white with a CMC of 9.  Solid 9/9 body with vigilance, reach and trample.  When this enters the battlefield, all your lands untap which is a big deal.  There are three decent activated abilities to pinging a creature, gaining life and nerfing an artifact / enchantment - again, not too shabby.  There may be some players interested in a mana ramp deck with Zacama at its head (or is it heads?), but we think it safe to have this included, along with Zetalpa, Etali, and Ghalta in a Gishath tribal build.

Azor, the Lawbringer - AZORIOUS
The competition is fierce in white / blue.  The popular Commanders are Brago, Grand Arbiter and Bruna.  So what does Azor bring to the table?  A 6/6 flying Sphinx for six mana and two abilities.  What appeals to us is the ability to shut down your opponent's instants / sorceries until your next turn.  If Azor sticks the landing, this will present a big evasive threat.  The second activated ability to gain life and draw cards will also endear Azor to Commander players.

Elenda, the Dusk Rose - Orzhov
We have been fans of black / white tokens for years now and are enthusiastic to give Elenda serious consideration.  Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and Teysa, Orzhov Scion are the popular Commanders for B/W tokens.  Elenda could also be a consideration for more traditional gain and drain lists perhaps as well.  For now, our only hesitation is that a rather frail 1/1 body will make her an easy target for a turn or two.

Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca - SIMIC

We have two Simic Commander decks at the moment - Experiment Kraj and Momir Vig, Simic Visionary.  We really desperately want to build a Merfolk tribal list, and Kumena is the closest card we have seen to do that.  Our wishlist also includes a Bant (white, blue, green) Commander so that we could also roll in Sygg, River Guide and some of our fav supporting spells in white.  An anthem effect with Radiant Destiny and high token production with Parallel Lives would be ideal in a Bant Merfolk list.  Anywhoos, We have good feelings that there is now enough card support and interested players to propel Kumena past in popularity fo at least Edric, Spymaster of Trest to eventually rival that of Ezuri, Claw of Progress. 

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Ixalan Commander Overview

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

When we are not getting crushed by standard constructed, we enjoy Commander at the Kitchen Table.  As always, there are three or four of the MTG Realm playgroup slinging that carboard from the tall stacks so we have decided to deliver our thoughts on some of the new potential Commanders from Ixalan which the group is excited about.  

Here is a quick re-cap of the available legendary creatures which are available as your Commander - in order of our personal favourite to least -

Gishath, Sun's Avatar 
Naya Tribal Dinosaur for the win!  Not a very complex build as one is using pretty much all the dinosaurs offered in Ixalan, and there are just enough to fill the ranks.  Beyond that set, use available in-colour Shapeshifters such as Chameleon Colossus, Mirror Entity, Adaptive Automoton and Metallic Mimic.

Admiral Beckett Brass
Grixis Tribal Pirate build.  Similar to Gishath, the lion's share of the creatures are coming from Ixalan, so not that much critical thought is required to get a working prototype off the ground.  Don't overlook to add some flavour with Pirate Ship (Time Spiral).

Tishana, Voice of Thunder
Simic Tribal Merfolk may be a bit of a stretch here but players who are using Thrasios, Triton Hero (from Commander 2016) may disagree.  The more popular choice here may be a simple blue / green shell for ramping into monsters while introducing an element of classic control

Kopala, Warden of Waves
There are around a dozen rather good legendary merfolk creatures already of which are really only two which are suitable should you want to task your list to merfolk tribal. There is already Sygg, River Guide in blue / white so we feel that Kopala is best placed in riding shotgun with Sygg.

Vona, Butcher of Magan
Pretty neato as Commander in the right lifegain theme build as one would expect to have an ample volume of life to spend on Vona's ability to nerf non-land permanents.  Certainly not suited for a vampire tribal Commander in our opinion so we suggest sliding this in to an existing vampire-centric list such as Edgar Markov (Commander 2017).

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle
Not suitable as a Commander.  There are simply not enough white suck-heads printed to support this.  Again, look for a spot to support vampire-centric list.

Captain Lannery Storm - See Admiral Beckett Brass, as we do not think that is likely a good Commander.

Supporting cards for Ixalan Tribal
Vanquisher's Banner, Unclaimed Territory, and Pillar of Origins are all solid choices to either assist in fixing your colours or providing an anthem effect to pump your team.  Do try out similar card to support your tribe such as Door of Destinies.

Another note -

Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun is the cat's meow.  Any creature-heavy list looking for ramp will love to have this gem.

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We Are Back

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

We are back in the saddle after a 2 week hiatus and as a result, completely missed all the Magic: the Gathering previews during that time - specifically, Commander 2017.  We are happy to say that we, or any other member of our happy little band met the dangerous end of any wolf, bear, or rattlesnake up in the Canadian wilderness during our vacation.

Speaking of Commander, we want to send some link love off to our friend Jon, who we have known for a number of years now.   We catch up with each other every week at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario.  Jon has been blogging about Commander for quite some time now and has recently given his webpage a face lift.  Pop on over to Command Tower (Canada) here - http://commandtower.ca

Since we have mentioned our local gaming store, OMG! Games, we are very proud to have been a part of the Ten Millionth  sanctioned DCI Event.  You can read all about the event over here on Wizards of the Coast post from Blake Rasmussen.  Very happy to have met Gavin Verhey and the other WotC staffers as well.  Here is a pic of the crew and one of yours truly -

 

Photos by Rob Johnson

 Speaking of which - we've known Rob Johnson for a number of years, and not only is he a great fan of Magic: the Gathering, he is also a wonderful photographer.  Please pop on over to his website linked above.

Righto - that's it for now.  We need to catch up a lot more, but before we leave, be sure (if you had not already) catch the official decklists of Commander 2017, linked over here.  The Commander 2017 hit shelves at your local gaming store this very weekend !  Here is the brief flavour summary of the four decks now.

Draconic Domination    
WUBRG    
Commander - The Ur-Dragon
When time began, the Ur-Dragon began with it. As the primordial ancestor and lifeblood of all dragons, the Ur-Dragon imbues strength into dragons from every corner of the Multiverse so that they may rain endless fire and destruction upon the enemies of dragonkind.


 

Feline Ferocity
WG
Arahbo, Roar of the World
Arahbo, Roar of the World is a majestic leader and father to cats across all planes of the Multiverse. His deafening voice empowers his ferocious feline allies to claw through enemy forces and crush those who dare challenge his ancient might.

Vampiric Bloodlust
WBR
Commander - Edgar Markov
As the sole origin of their bloodline, Edgar Markov commands the Markov vampires of Innistrad. With his tremendous influence, Edgar continually expands his vampire army, overwhelming foes with his ageless legion.

 

Arcane Wizardry
UBR
Commander - Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist delves into arcane mysteries in pursuit of forbidden dark magic. Gathering an inner circle of loyal acolytes to her cause, Inalla harnesses their collective power to extract the life force from her enemies.


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Commander 2017 Tribes

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Some interesting news out today regarding the upcoming Commander 2017 products.  

Although this has been purported to have been published in print, although perhaps with an issue conflicting with official preview timing, we should still consider this as unofficial until posted to the Wizards of the Coast Magic: the Gathering website.

According to the information published in the magazine "Card Gamer" on Page 91, published by Hobby Japan which released today (July 31, 2017), the four tribal decks of Magic: the Gathering Commander 2017 based on tribes are as follows -

• 5 Color Dragons

• Selesnya (WG) Cats

• Mardu (WBR) Vampires

• Grixis (UBR) Wizards

Here is the blurb within the magazine which was reported to appear in the magazine (in Japanese obviously).  We do know a little conversational / spoken Japanese, but am unable to read / write in the 3 alphabets, so should there be a reader to assist, please post in the comments below.


Commander (2017 Edition) on August 25, 2017, and features four new tribal-themed, 4 new Commanders, 10 double-faced tokens, 100-card ready-to-play decks including 56 all-new Magic card.
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Commander 2017 Spoilers

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

A lot of our local friends here in Barrie, Ontario will be heading down to Toronto (about an hour's drive south) for the Toronto Grand Prix event.  There may be a fewer attending our local gaming store, OMG! Games, but we suspect the competetion will still be fierce to battle our way into Top 8.  

Anywhoos, we want to yatter a bit about the upcoming Commander 2017.  During any given Friday at the local store, the number of Magic: the Gathering players are roughly split down the middle, with half the gamers playing Commander and the other half playing Standard.  There has been quite a lot of speculation after Wizards of the Coast announced that this year's Commander product is to be Tribal themed.  The discussion hit high frenzy yesterday after WotC had updated their Commander 2017 product page with the following images - 

Speculation - 5-Colour Dragons

Speculation - Mardu (Black / Red) Vampires

Possibly Edgar Markov or Runo Stromkirk?

Speculation - Selesnya (Green / White) Cats

Speculation - Orzhov (Black / White) Clerics or Humans?

Righto - Here is handy information you may need to know.

Commander returns with four new tribal-themed, 100-card decks, featuring 56 all-new Magic cards legal in Eternal formats (Vintage and Legacy). Cards from Commander (2017 Edition) will be featured and distributed in connection with a future offering on Magic Online.

Set Name: Commander (2017 Edition)
Number of Cards: Four 100-card decks, a total of 56 new cards across all decks

Contents: Each deck contains a ready-to-play 100-card Commander deck including never-before-printed Magic cards.

Release Date: August 25, 2017
Official Three-Letter Code: C17
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGC17
Languages Available: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish
MSRP: $34.99 (per deck) *Applies to U.S. Only
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Magic Miscellaneous 7-05

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

There are a number of Magic: the Gathering news-worthy items to cover off for today's post, so we will want to get straight to business on the following :

• Commander 2017 Spoiler
• Dungeons & Dragons - Plane Shift Amonkhet
• 2017 Gift Pack
• Magic Story - 'Favor'
• Hour of Devastation Planeswalker Decklists

Commander 2017 Spoiler
Very unusual spoiler.  Posted to EB Games, a product offering for one of the Commander 2017 products, which we know from Wizards of the Coast is to be a total of four Commander decks with tribal themes.  A number of unfortunate spoilers earlier pretty much confirms a Dragon tribal product.  Today's slip from EB Games indicates a Gree / White 'Cat' tribal decklist.  Names 'Feline Ferocity', the face card is as follows - 

Arahnbo, Roar of the Wild, 3GW
Legendary Creature - Cat Avatar, Mythic Rare
Eminence - At the beginning of combat on your turn, if Arahnbo, Roar of the Wild is in the command zone or on the battlefield, another target Cat you control gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Whenever another Cat you control attacks, you may pay (1)(G)(W). If you do, it gains trample and gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power.
5/5

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Dungeons & Dragons - Plane Shift Amonkhet
James Wyatt leads the way through the Trials of the five gods with a set of rules to bring your Dungeons & Dragons adventures to life in Amonkhet, including new races, new monsters, new backgrounds, and cleric domains for each of the five gods.  The game mechanics in this supplement are usable in your D&D campaign but are not fully tempered by playtests and design iterations. For these reasons, material in this supplement is not legal in D&D Organized Play events.

Contents of this supplement -
• The World of Amonkhet
• Races of Amonkhet
• Trials of the Five Gods
• An Amonkhet Bestiary
• Appendix: Planeswalkers and the Multiverse

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2017 Gift Pack
Releasing October 20, 2017.  Originally released during Return to Ravnica as the Holiday Gift Box, with subsequent annual releases, this product name was simplified to 'Gift Box'.  Wizards of the Coast started with four boosters, moved to five and are now at three with this year's 'Gift Pack'.  Here are some details -

Contents:
• 5 premium basic lands by artist Mark Poole (known as the "Shooting Star Lands")
• 2 premium creature cards (Metalwork Colossus and Kari Zev, Skyship Raider)
• 3 booster packs (Ixalan, Hour of Devastation, Amonkhet)
• Spindown life counter
• Exclusive mini-poster (Featuring art from Hour of Devastation)
Languages Available: English
MSRP: $19.99 *Applies to U.S. Only

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Magic Story - 'Favor'
Do make tracks on over to the Wizards of the Coast site and read Michael Yichao continuation of the Hour of Devastation story, linked right here.  We are not even prepared to talk about this just yet - perhaps tomorrow.

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Hour of Devastation Planeswalker Decklists
Pop on over to the Mothersite linked right here.  Releasing on July 14, 2017, the Hour of Devastation Planeswalker Decks familiarize players who are interested in Magic with basic strategy as well as the setting, characters, and themes of the latest set. Each deck comes with a premium foil Planeswalker card that is likely to appeal to newer and veteran players.  Each of these have a total of five unique cards which are considered to be part of the Hour of Devastation set.

Two Planeswalker Decks to choose from 
• Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver (Blue / Black / Red)
• Nissa, Genesis Mage (Blue / Green)

Contents: 
• 1 Ready-to-play 60-card deck, featuring a foil premium Planeswalker card
• 2 Hour of Devastation booster packs
• 1 Strategy insert

• 1 Magic learn-to-play guide

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Magic Story - The Kraul

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

We love us a good Magic: the Gathering Story and DANG did WotC staffer Alison Luhrs deliver a whopper of a great story today on the mothersite (linked right here).  Pitter-patter and make tracks over there to read - or better yet - LISTEN to this story on Unspoken Realms linked right here.  Previously Unspoken Realms would have the story up in a day or two after being posted by Wizards, but we now learn of a new partnership between the two where the Unspoken Realms episode is posted concurrently with the written piece.

Today's Magic Story is a 'one-off' stand alone fiction piece associated with the upcoming Commander Anthology (please note - not - Commander 2017).  

NEXT WEEK - Rejoice !, as Magic Story is to return to the Plane of Amonkhet with the first installment of the Hour of Devastation story.  The story precedes the official release of the set which is slated for July 14, 2017.  Righto - on to today's story notes -


"Behold, child: Umerilek, Mausoleum of the Erstwhile, the salvation of the kraul and the key to the creation of the Golgari empire." 

- Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

Did that not just send the shivers down your spine ?  Perhaps if you are a fan of Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, this may have rustled your jimmies.  What gall the Kraul have to imagine that the Golgari Guildmaster would answer their invitation.  Anywhoos, let's get into what Alison Luhrs served up in today's story 'PRIDE OF THE KRAUL'.

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The secretive Kraul inhabit the Ravnica undercity, and for centuries, had been an unguilded mass of 'insectoid brutes'. Recently, having pledged allegiance to the Golgari Guild, they are still being marginalized by the Golgari and work as their labourers, working the rot fields and maintaining the sewers.

Svogthos, the Restless Tomb by Marina Pilcerova

Mazirek, a death priest and hive-leader of the Kraul and friend to Vraska, the Planeswalker Gorgon.  From this friendship, Mazirek develops a deeper understanding of emotions, not quite natural to his race of insects.  With support from Vraska, Mazirek puts into motion plans which may shift of balance of power of not only the Golgari Guild but perhaps all who may call Ravnica home.

Golgari Rot Farm by John Avon

Sobeslav, Jarad's administrative assistant receives a letter at the Golgari Guildhall, protectively ringed by Korozda, the Maze of Decay.  The letter is from Mazirek inviting Jarad to a meeting.  Sobeslav take it upon himself to answer in person and perhaps put Mazirek in his place.  With a squad of 15 golgari elves, Sobeslav makes a lengthy journey, with each day adding a measure of doubt.

Swamp by Richard Wright

Shortly upon arrival, Mazirek murders the envoy and uses their life energy to fuel a necromantic spell that breaks the seal of an ancient and forgotten vault, the Umerilek, Mausoleum of the Erstwhile.  There is no existing reference to this in Magic Lore yet, and we want more - much more !

Delicate hands draped with lace and beautiful rings removed the lids of their own coffins, and the undead began to rise of their own accord, just as Vraska had told him they would.

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