Core Set 2019 Previews and Promos

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Completely unexpected (at least for us), but there were a slew of Magic: the Gathering previews out this morning from Wizards of the Coast.  Please do click on over to the MTG website and read the article, 'CORE SET 2019 PACKAGING, PROMOS, AND MORE', posted by Blake Rasmussen.  In the post, he goes over a variety of official previews including :

• Welcome Decks
• Standard Showdown promo lands
• Friday Night Magic promos

For this post, we are just touching upon the promotional cards associated with the upcoming Core Set.

Buy-A-Box promo : Nexus of Fate
Open House (June 30–July 1) : Guttersnipe
Draft Weekend (July 14–15) : Desecrated Tomb
Magic League (July 16) : Reliquary Tower
Store Championships on June 18–24 : Demon of Catastrophes
Store Championships Playmat by Ultra PRO: Bolas (?)

The big preview today is a NEW Planeswalker being introduced to Magic 2019 Core Set via The Mary Sue linked right here.  Here is the green Planeswalker Vivien Reid -

According to The Mary Sue, Vivien was born on Skalla, and is part of a tribe of rangers and druids known as the Smaragdi, who protect the wilds of that plane from the growing destructive civilization.  Vivien has a special bond with the animals of the forest, which manifests in her Arkbow. 

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Rivals of Ixalan Spoiler

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Happy Tuesday (again) MTG peeps,

Some late day news to share with you.  Charlie Hall of Polygon (Vox Media) had posted some exclusive previews for the upcoming Rivals of Ixalan set (linked here).  Specifically, some nine cards along with glorious artwork from the Rivals of Ixalan Planeswalker Deck products were posted.  

 Vampire Champion, illus. Craig J. Spearing

Before we get to that, we should speak about what Planeswalker decks are to those new to Magic: the Gathering.

Rivals of Ixalan Planeswalker Decks releases January 19, 2018 for an MSRP of $15.  These decks acquaint players who are interested in Magic with basic strategy, the game's settings, and characters, and include a premium foil Planeswalker card.

Contents:
• 1 Ready-to-play 60-card deck, featuring a foil premium Planeswalker card
• 2 Rivals of Ixalan booster packs
• 1 Strategy insert
• 1 Magic learn-to-play guide 

Vraksa, Scheming Gorgon, illus. Grzegorz Rutkowski
Angrath, Minotaur Pirate, illus. Chris Rahn

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Conspiracy 2 Kaya Spoiler

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

MTG Realm is still catching up with Magic: the Gathering news hanging over from the vacation we took last week, while at the same time scrambling to catch up with our day jobs as well.  We are presently tuning our standard constructed decklists to sleeve-up with some Ultra PRO for Eldrtich Moon Game Day for this weekend's events at our local gaming store OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario.  

Before we get to the first Conspiracy 2 spoiler, previewed on the mothersite, take a moment to catch this cool article over at Hipsters of the Coast, where Matt Jones asks the critical question of 'What if . . . Bob Ross painted the full art Unhinged Lands'?  

Righto!  Let's look at the official preview from yesterday's Magic Story, penned by one of our fav staffers Alison Luhrs, titled 'Tyrant' - 

Kaya, Ghost Assassin, 2WB
Planeswalker - Kaya, Mythic Rare

[0]: Exile Kaya, Ghost Assassin or up to one target creature. Return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of your next upkeep. You lose 2 life.
[-1]: Each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
[-2]: Each opponent discards a card and you draw a card.
[5]

As suspected from last week's story when the character was first introduced, this Planeswalker is Orzhov colours of Black and White.  CMC of 4 mana for a 'Walker with 5 loyalty ain't bad at all, but how is the rest of the card?

First ability at zero blinks Kaya and a target critter.  If you target a creature with Kaya's zero ability, you choose on resolution whether to exile that creature or Kaya.  The minus one ability is similar to a Syphon Soul effect while the minus two ability is similar to a Syphon Mind ability.

For those loving the vorthos / flavour of the card, there is some very cool cleverness WotC has provided - there is no plus ability as Kaya the assassin is loyal to none, while the the other two abilities may be akin to signing (in blood) a contract with her.

Anywhoos, we strongly suggest reading this week's Magic Story article, the second in the continuation of Conspiracy.  In this short story we witness the assassination of the ghost king Brago by Kaya, the ascension of Marchesa and the reaction of Adriana, Captain of the Guard.

 Both arts by Chris Rallis

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Werewolf Wednesday

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Over on the mothersite, Kim Kreines has another installment in Magic Story, titled 'The Archmage of Goldnight' continuing with the Shadows Over Innistrad story line after a short break where we were treated to two stories themed to time with Eternal Masters ('The Prodigal Sorcerers' and 'All That Came Before').  

Today's narrative transitions several times from past to present and back again, allowing further insight as to how the Planeswalker Arlinn Kord came to be both a lycanthrope and an Archmage.  The story closes with a faint hope of Innistrad's besieged human population cooperating with Cursemuted Wolfir (maybe) - or at the very least, Arlinn and her former mentor Archmage Rembert.  This is the second story involving the Human / Werewolf Planeswalker - the previous story, 'Under the Silver Moon' which introduced this character may be found at this linky.

One item of interest in today's Magic: the Gathering fiction is the use of a previously unknown illustration, attributed to artist Filip Burburan.

The art shows six devils, one of which appears to be brandishing a lighted torch.  The background is unclear but was used in today's story to illustrate a devil horde attacking the city of Havengul, province of Nephalia.  This may be an unused art - or - perhaps one we may yet see on a card in the next set, Eldritch Moon, releasing on 22 July, 2016.

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Wallpaper Wednesday

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

The very next Magic: the Gathering set, Khans of Tarkir is ready to be unleashed worldwide at PreRelease events this weekend.  If you have not already, we suggest you may want to touch base with your local games store (handy Wizards Store & Event locator here) and see if you may need either to reserve a spot, a prerelease box or both.  We've still not yet nailed down which particular Clan we would like to play this weekend - there are benefits to each one in a sealed environment although we think perhaps two may be better suited (but only slightly). 

Anywhoos, our main format is standard constructed and although we've never placed Top 8 in any prerelease event for all the years we've played, we do enjoy ourselves tremendously and more importantly, we get a hint at what the upcoming shape of standard format.  Also of note, if you have not already, you might want to get those Khans of Tarkir pre-orders in - we've got a bunch coming from MTG Mint Card and almost cannot wait to hold all the new cardboard awesomeness after the set officially releases on Friday 26th September.

Righto - on to today's post - you know what comes after Taco Tuesday - it's Wallpaper Wednesday.  Its when the mothersite loads up another sweet Magic: the Gathering art so you may adorn your desktop, mobile device or social media page.  Today at MTG Realm, we want to just cover off the two moste recent ones - the Planeswalkers in Khans of Tarkir.

Sorin, Solemn Visitor (Khans of Tarkir mythic rare) illustrated by Cynthia Sheppard

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Sorin Markov
There is more at stake on Tarkir than the fate of Sarkhan and the clans. Elsewhere, the world-devouring entities known as the Eldrazi have arisen to feed on the planes of the Multiverse, and the key to stopping them may lie on Tarkir. The vampire Planeswalker Sorin Markov was one of three Planeswalkers who trapped the Eldrazi on the plane of Zendikar thousands of years before—the other two being the Lithomancer and Ugin, the spirit dragon. Now that the Eldrazi have awakened once more, Sorin is on a mission to reunite with these Planeswalkers.
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Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker (Khans of Tarkir mythic rare) illustrated by Daarken

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Sarkhan Vol
The dragon-worshipping Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol is a native of Tarkir, where dragons had gone extinct long before his birth. Obsessed with their fury and predatory majesty, Sarkhan learned as much as he could about his world's ancient dragons, even going so far as to join a group of infamous shamans who venerated the apex predators. He had a talent for battle and gained status as a warrior in the Mardu clan, but he soon tired of the petty quarrels of the battlefield.
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Theros Spoilers 9-04

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Exciting stuff for Magic: the Gathering players today who wanted to know exactly what that rumored second Planeswalker was going to look like for Theros, the large fall set due out at the end of September.  Today, over at StarCity Games we now have the 4.1.1. for Xenagos, that Satyr Planeswalker.Xenagos, the Reveler, 2rg
Planeswalker — Xenagos, Mythic Rare
+1: Add X mana in any combination of {R} and/or {G} to your mana pool, where X is the number of creatures you control.
0: Put a 2/2 red and green Satyr creature token with haste onto the battlefield.
-6: Exile the top seven cards of your library. You may put any number of creature and/or land cards from among them onto the battlefield.
3

Four mana for a 3-loyalty PW that gives a postive, zero, and a negative ability.  The +1 could provide a nice heap of mana based on how many critters you have on board making this kinda relevant no matter when it gets dropped - mid or late game.  The zero neutral ability provides the lithmus test of a good 'Walker - the ability to protect itself - in this case, generating a 2/2 red and green Satyr creature token with haste.  With the -6 ultimate, which sort of resembles a nuclear-powered Domri Rade, you have the potential to dump the top seven creatures or lands off the top of your library straight onto the battlefield.  We think we have a winner here folks.
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Next up - a few recent Theros spoilers / previews from today and yesterday.  We're kinda giddy here and want to get our Theros singles pre-orders in to MTG Mint Card but need to wait until the full set has been previewed.  Anywhoos - let's roll and have a look -

Stormbreath Dragon, 3rr
Creature — Dragon, Mythic Rare
Flying, haste, protection from white
5{R}{R}: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
When Stormbreath Dragon becomes monstrous, it deals damage to each opponent equal to the number of cards in that player's hand.
4/4

A 4/4 hasty flyer with pro-white for five mana ain't bad at all.  Should you drop this late game or with mega-ramp for the monstrosity tech cost of seven, you can add another +3 counters with the oppotunity to ring your opponent for additional damage equal to cards in their hand.  We think that this last ability may be more relevant in Commander than in Standard.
~Pyxis of Pandemonium, 1
Artifact, Rare
{T}: Each player exiles the top card of his or her library face down.
7, {T}, Sacrifice Pyxis of Pandemonium: Each player turns face up all cards he or she owns exiled with Pyxis of Pandemonium, then puts all permanent cards among them onto the battlefield.

Yep - not a fan here.  Look to find this in the dollar rare bin.  We get the very delicious reference to Pandora's Box box we think this was not the way to go.
~Master of Waves, 3u
Creature — Merfolk Wizard, Mythic Rare
Protection from red
Elemental creatures you control get +1/+1.
When Master of Waves enters the battlefield, put a number of 1/0 blue Elemental creature tokens onto the battlefield equal to your devotion to blue. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.)
2/1

Merfolk who happens to not only to an elemental 'lord' but brings along a bunch of his little elemental buddies too as tokens.  Should the Master get pwn'd (thank goodness he's pro-red) just say goodbye to those 1/0 tokens.  We think that this may be a hit with the Modern crowd looking to build fish splashing white for token pumps like Intangible Virtue.
 
~Nighthowler, 1bb
Enchantment Creature — Horror,     Rare
Bestow 2{B}{B} (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.)
Nighthowler and enchanted creature each get +X/+X, where X is the number of creature cards in all graveyards.
0/0

The bestow cost on this one may be one of the very best in the set and will likely see standard constructed play.  Just watch out that you don't get nerf'd with cards such as Scavenging Ooze which can take away the fun pretty damn quick.
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MTG Flavour

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

This is a second post for today, check out the previous post on Duels of the Planeswalker 2013 deckllists here.  Speaking of Planeswalkers, its about time for some more Magic the Gathering flavour which makes this awesome game rather appealing to us.  Here are character bios from our fav 'core' PW's from DotP 2013 :

Ajani Goldmane (Pride's Claw, Vengeant One)
Leonin Male, Apparent Age 30
Height/Weight: 6'6", 250lbs
Style of Magic: White-mana based aura magic
Favored creatures: Other leonin, champions of light
Favored spells: Enhancements and rituals that strengthen others, not himself
Distinguishing features: Blind in left eye. Carries double-bladed axe, one blade which belonged to his brother Jazel, murdered by an agent of Nicol Bolas.
Overview: The leonin Ajani Goldmane wields magic that conjures the soul's light in others - but not his own. He is a master auramancer, enhancing the life-force of allies as he defends them with absolute loyalty. Ajani is the only planeswalker to have faced Nicol Bolas in single combat and lived.
Quote: "One's blade is only as sharp as one's conviction"
Allies: None
Enemies: Nicol Bolas. When Ajani's brother Jazel was murdered, Ajani followed a path back to the dragon mastermind Nicol Bolas. The two faced off at the Maelstrom on Alara, where Ajani conjured Nicol Bolas's double, driving the dragon to a stalemate.
Associations: Sarkhan Vol. On discovery of Jazel's lifeless body, Ajani's Planeswalker spark ignited, sending him to nearby Jund. There he met dragon-worshiping Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, who encouraged him to channel his rage to planeswalk home.
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Jace Beleren (Illusionist, Memory Adept, Mind Sculptor)
Human Male, Age 23
Height/Weight: 5'10", 160lbs
Style of Magic: Blue-mana based mind magic
Favored creatures: Wizards, Illusions and Mimics
Favored spells: Intellect enhancement, memory manipulation and countermagic
Distinguishing features: Favors a hooded cloak. Often seen with white markings on his chin and right cheek.
Overview: Jace is a prodigy of mind magic, far too smart for his own good and able to peer into the minds of others. But when you can change others' minds as well as your own, how do you know what's real?
Quote: "It's good to learn from your failures, but I prefer to learn form the failures of others."
Allies: None
Enemies: Chandra Nalaar, Tezzeret. While working for the artificer Tezzeret's cabal, Jace pursued Chandra to retrieve a stolen scroll and the two became rivals. Later Jace faced and defeated Tezzeret, then assumed control of the cabal's resources on Ravnica.
Associations: Liliana Vess, Garruk Wildspeaker. Jave and Lilian were formerly lovers. When Garruk began to hunt Liliana, intending to force her to remove the curse she put on him, he sought out Jace, knowing of their association. 
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Liliana Vess (Shadow Caller, She of the Veil)
Human Female, Apparent Age 26, Real Age over 200
Height/Weight: 5'9", 140lbs
Style of Magic: Black-mana based necromancy
Favored creatures: Ghouls, Demons, Imps
Favored spells: Reanimation of the dead and spells that steal life-force.
Distinguishing features: Lines etched into her skin glow violet when she channels mana. Often wears a metal headdress.
Overview: Ravishing, capricious and utterly selfish, Lilian Vess is a formidable necromancer. When her power began to wane, she made a deal with four demons to secure her youth and dark might. Unwilling to serve them, she now seeks a way out of her infernal bargain.
Quote: "Death is no excuse for disobedience."
Allies: None
Enemies: Garruk Wildspeaker. While retrieving a relic for one of her demon masters, Liliana crossed and fought Garruk and used the relic - the Chain Veil - to defeat him. Liliana now seeks to use the Veil to destroy the demons to whom she is indebted.
Associations: Jace Beleren and Nicol Bolas. While working for a cabal on Ravnica, Lilana made a deal with the dragon Nicol Bolas and was involved with Jace Beleren, but in the end abandoned both for her own interests. 
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Chandra Nalaar (The Firebrand, Ablaze)
Human Female, Age 20
Height/Weight: 5'6", 130lbs
Style of Magic: Pyromancy
Favored creatures: Creatures born or made of flame
Favored spells: Conjurations of heat and flame
Distinguishing features: Wears goggles that enable her to see through her own flames. Often wears a mana-enhancing gauntlet on her right arm.
Overview: Chandra is a pyromantic prodigy - a natural talent with fire magic - who despises authority. Her flames run so hot that they threaten to consume her. She seeks a way of controlling her own fire in a way that doesn't dampen her fierce individualism.
Quote: "Who'd want to ignite things one at a time?"
Allies: Gideon Jura. When Chandra's adoptive home plane was threatened, hieromancer Gideon became Chandra's reluctant ally, guiding her through trials that led to the liberation of her people.
Enemies: Jace Beleren, Sarkhan Vol. Jace was sent to retrieve a sacred scroll Chandra had stolen. The scroll contained a map that led them both to Zendikar. When they arrived, the dragon-worshiping Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, an agent of Nicol Bolas was waiting. Only by combining their efforts could they overcome Sarkhan. 
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Garruk Wildspeaker (Primal Hunter, Relentless, Veil-Cursed)
Human Male, Age 36
Height/Weight: 8'2", 480lbs
Style of Magic: Green-mana based animal magic, especially summoning
Favored creatures: Apex forest predators such as baloths
Favored spells: Invocations that magnify might, size and ferocity
Distinguishing features: Wears a helmet that used to belong to this father's killer. Wields a weapon made from the claw of an ursoth, a Shandalar beast.
Overview: Garruk is a hunter and summoner who believes the way to revere nature is to live like a predator. He has a dark side though - one that fears what happens to a predator when it begins to enjoy the kill.
Quote: "They call me a monster. They're wrong. I am a thousand of them."
Allies: None
Enemies: Liliana Vess. While hunting on Shandalar, Garruk fought necromancer Liliana Vess. She used a relic called the Chain Veil to defeat him. Garruk's magic is now corrupted by the Veil's curse. Now he hunts her, determined to make her lift it.
Associations: Jace Belern. Garruk knew Jace was associated with Liliana and demanded that he reveal her location. Because Garruk wouldn't take "I don't know" for an answer, Jace named a random plane, prolonging Garruk's search.
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Finally,
The folks over at MTG Mint Card has provided this list of the 'Top Ten Selling Singles In June 2012'.  This list was developed from the top ten selling single cards from their website for the first two weeks in June.  Is this where your meta-game is at ?

1. Restoration Angel
2. Wolfir Silverheart
3. Snapcaster Mage
4. Terminus
5. Garruk Relentless / Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
6. Army of the Damned
7. Shardless Agent
8. Lingering Souls
9. Cavern of Souls
10. Zealous Conscripts
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AVR Spoilers 5

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Happy Saturday MTG peeps,

Unfortunately, we could not get a post off yesterday to cover the new Avacyn Restored spoilers / previews so we will make up for that now.  We did however have an opportunity to get Friday Night Magic (FNM) over at OMG! Games where we only had time to get in three matches.  We did take two of the matches with our white / black token deck (featuring Bloodline Keeper), but failed to mount a defense against the business end of Vorapede and the like - Any suggestions ? - Just a shoot us any suggestions in the comment thingy below.

Anywhoos - let's have a look at those awesome new Avacyn Restored spoilers . . . we promise a truck load of posts latter discussing in detail how these may change the standard constructed game.

Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded, rr
Planeswalker - Tibalt, Mythic Rare
+1: Draw a card, then discard a card at random.
-4: Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded deals damage equal to the number of cards in target player's hand to that player.
-6: Gain control of all creatures until end of turn. Untap them. They gain haste until end of turn.
2

Herald of War, 3ww
Creature - Angel, Rare
Flying
When Herald of War attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Angel spells and Human spells you cast cost 1 less for each +1/+1 counter on Herald of War.
3/3

Cathars' Crusade, 3ww
Enchantment, Rare
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Zealous Conscripts, 4r
Creature - Human Warrior, Rare
Haste
When Zealous Conscripts enters the battlefield, untap target permanent and gain control of it until end of turn. It gains haste until end of turn.
3/3

Bonfire of the Damned, xxr
Sorcery, Mythic Rare
Bonfire of the Damned deals X damage to target player and each creature he or she controls.
Miracle {X}{R} (You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn.)

Desolate Lighthouse
Land, Rare
{T}: Add 1 to your mana pool.
1{U}{R}, {T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. 


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Yep - some amazing card arts and some slick cards.  We're already thinking about tweaking some of our existing decks or building completely new ones.  What new cards to date have got your juices flowing ?
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AVR Spoilers 4

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

We now have our first (of two) Planeswalkers expected in Avacyn Restored and are looking forward to the second 'walker being spoiled / previewed next week sometime.  Magic the Gathering gamers are yattering up a storm in the forums and are working on lists and strategies to work the new card coolness into their games.  Anywhoos, here is the new 'Walker and the the last Legendary Angel we were expecting . . .

Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, 3uu
Planeswalker - Tamiyo, Mythic Rare
+1: Tap target permanent. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
-2: Draw a card for each tapped creature target player controls.
-8: You get an emblem with "You have no maximum hand size" and "Whenever a card is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you may return it to your hand."
4

This new planeswalker hails from Kamigawa where with her fellow Soratami Moonfolk she enjoys astonomy and can be often found in observatoris.  Righto, the last (non core set) blue 'Walker we say was Big Daddy Jace who was incredibly overpowered and killed standard constructed until he got asked to leave.  This new Planeswalker will never match BDJ but we think she is on par or exceeding Baby Jace.  For five mana, she is immediately able to protect herself with a tapdown of a threat with her Icy Manipulator ability - or just simply deny the opponent that mana.  One could even develop a synergy with Gideon's Avenger.  Using an additional tapper (Gideon's Lawkeeper / Frost Breath, whatever) may score you additional draws with Tamiyo's second ability.  The last third ability should simply win you the game if you had set up correctly - unlimited counterspells, burn spells, or some token generator (Zombie Infestation?).  This card looks to be a solid blue control PW late game and representative of what we think blue is all about.
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Bruna, Light of Alabaster, 3wwu
Legendary Creature - Angel, Mythic Rare
Flying, vigilance
Whenever Bruna, Light of Alabaster attacks or blocks, you may attach to it any number of Auras on the battlefield and you may put onto the battlefield attached to it any number of Aura cards that could enchant it from your graveyard and/or hand.
5/5

We now have the three amigos expected with the three flights of angels expected in Avacyn Restored - Sigarda, Gisela and now Bruna.  When we first read the card this morning, all we could think of is building something with Sovereigns of Lost of Alara and Eldrazi Eldrazi Conscription.  We are huge fans of auras but are not sure if there will be something in standard after the release to make this shine. At the very least, we hope to see someone at the Avacyn Restored prerelease couple this with soulbond Silverblade Paladin to have her scream in with double strike.



Revenge of the Hunted, 4gg
Sorcery, Rare
Until end of turn, target creature gets +6/+6 and gains trample, and all creatures able to block it this turn do so.

Another insance 'Miracle' card begging to be abused 
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Lastly, 
We know you want to get your paws on those new Venser vs. Koth Duel Decks singles.  Likely, your local games store may have already sold out so why not check out MTG Mint Card who have all the singles in stock and priced to sell.

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Mirrodin Emblematic

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Before we start speculating as to what new Planeswalkers (singular or plural) we may see in the next Magic the Gathering set, Mirrodin Besieged, we were talked into doing a brief revisit of some planeswalkers from the first set, Scars of Mirrodin.

We won't at this time do a review of Elspeth Tirel, but will touch upon both Koth of the Hammer and Venser, the Sojourner as they both seem to enjoy more popular play than the Elspeth (why we serious don't know - and yes, we are still looking for one to own). To learn more about all of the MTG Planeswalkers, drop by the mothership page here.

Anywhoos, here is the run down, prices one can expect to pay for these great cards to take your game to the next level and some Cranial Insertion from one of the best MTG forums, like evar.

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Venser is a planeswalker who wields blue and white magic. His specialty is teleportation magic and building his own unique and powerful artifacts. Venser is brilliant and able to think fast on his feet to find a way out of any sticky situation he encounters. He relies on his knowledge of artifice and teleportation to pave his way through the Multiverse, where he satisfies his boundless curiosity of all things mechanical.

Venser, the Sojourner, 3WU
Planeswalker - Venser, Mythic rare
+2: Exile target permanent you own. Return it to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.
-1: Creatures are unblockable this turn.
-8: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, exile target permanent."
Loyalty Counters: 3

Q: How does Venser, the Sojourner's first ability work? If I use it on him, does he come back with his starting loyalty? If I use it on a leveler, does that leveler lose all its level counters?

A: A permanent that changes zones is treated as a new object. So when it goes into exile, the game's memory of that object is wiped, and when it comes back, it enters as a fresh new card, free of anything it used to have like counters (unless it enters the battlefield with those counters, such as Venser or any other planeswalker), pump effects, and anything else temporarily granted to it.

Q: Venser, the Sojourner flickers Volition Reins – can it come back on a Sphinx of Jwar Isle?

A: It sure can! Auras only target when they're spells – an Aura simply dropped onto the battlefield can go on anything it can legally enchant. Shroud only stops targeting, not enchanting, so you can have that Sphinx.

Prices
Low 17.99
Average 25.42
High 48.94

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Koth is a planeswalker who wields red magic. His specialty is geomancy, spells that move mountains, shatter stone and melt iron. His earth magic has a special strength in it that allows him to purify metal, which reflects Koth’s own inner desire to bring peace and harmony to his people.

Koth of the Hammer, 2RR
Planeswalker - Koth, Mythic rare
+1: Untap target Mountian. It becomes a 4/4 red Elemental creature until end of turn. It's still a land.
-2: Add R to your mana pool for each Mountain you control.
-5: You get an emblem with "Mountains you control have 'T: This land deals 1 damage to target creature or player.'"
Loyalty Counters: 3

Q: After Koth of the Hammer animates my Mountain, can my opponent blow it up with Tectonic Edge since it's no longer simply a Mountain?

A: Your Mountain is no longer a simple Mountain, but Tectonic Edge doesn't target a non-simple land, it targets a nonbasic land. Nothing in the game other than copy effects can change whether or not a land is basic – that means that it has the basic supertype, not that it only has one ability, or that it's named whatever, or that its type matches its name. All that matters is the basic supertype, which Mountain has, even while animated.

Q: So if I make a second emblem with Koth of the Hammer, do my Mountains deal 2 damage when I tap them?

A: The two emblems will give two activated abilities to your Mountains. But you can't tap a Mountain to activate two abilities at once, so you can only activate one ping at a time and only deal 1 damage per tap.

Low 26.00
Average 36.91
High 48.00
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g

Tezzeret Besiged

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

We're certain you have already heard the rumours about a new Tezzeret variant in the next Magic the Gathering set, Mirrodin Beseiged. Today we take a poke at this rumour and leave it to you to evaluate.

First off, none will deny that the Scars of Mirrodin block is 'artifact-centric', that is to say, one would not be able to swing a Masticore and not hit an artifact on this plane. Secondly, we know from experience that we should expect another two 'one-off' planeswalkers in the second set of this block.

There is, of course, no knowing what form or abilities that those planeswalkers may take but we will concur that the Planeswalker from Shards of Alara, Tezzeret the Seeker would fit in rather nicely into this block as he is the go-to artificer of choice for just such a venture. It can also go without saying that Tezzeret occupies a spot near the heart of many players and MTG novel readers alike. The recent Planeswalker Novel, Test of Metal by Matthew Stover went over rather well with the fans we think.

Given all of this, it was a rather accepting MTG fan community which took the rumours of a new Tezzeret quite warmly. Forums Magic l'assemblée member, klimt on Magic Trade posted this piece of news . . .

Voici une image qui va plaire a beaucoup de personnes.
Je ne sais pas si elle apparaitra dans Mirrodin Besieged, mais cela laisse présager que de bonnes choses.
Je suis tombé sur une image dans le recueil d'illustrations d'Aleksi Briclot. Elle va surement faire couler beaucoup d'encre et surtout, elle est tout simplement magnifique:
Pour le plaisir des yeux et pour ceux que cela intéresse, voici l'image telle qu'elle apparaît dans le livre worlds and wonders d'Aleksi Briclot.


We are not altogether sold that a new Tezzeret will be in the next set or that the image provided by klimt from allegedly from Aleksi Briclot's new book, Worlds and Wonders will be featured in the next set. For now, pipe in with your speculation and in the meantime, take a look at a vid pumping the sale of this great new book featuring the wonderful art . .

Zendikar Spoiler 4

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Wizards of the Coast just posted a great Zendikar spoiler. Today on Magic Arcana we now have a bunch of Zendikar Booster Packs images. Although we cannot glean too much from these typical Magic the Gathering spoilers, we can start speculating . . . but first to the booster packs.


Top image :

Demon dude on the left. Is is just me or does the thingy on it's forehead kind of look similar to the Worldwake expansion symbol. (Worldwake is the second / next set in the Zendikar block).

Second dude looks like a typical human warrior or shaman. Background colours suggest red mana at work perhaps.

The creepy suckhead on the right is indeed Sorin Sengir, the vampire. (yeah ! - support for vampires in this block!) Anywho - we are still uncertain if Sorin is a legendary creature or a Planeswalker at this time.
(EDIT : Good catch by Eric - Sorin confirmed as a Planeswalker - You can check out the slow spoiling at WoTC HERE.)

Bottom image:

Planeswalkers Chandra Flamedancer and the new Nissa Revane, touted to be the black / green Elf planeswalker.

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Also newsworthy are two Zendikar Intro Pack images found on the web.

Rise of the Vampires / Black
Foil Rare - Blood sorceress of Malakir
(Pack d'Intro / noir / Ascenscion des Vampires / Sorcière de sang de Malakir)

Unstable Terrain
Blue - Green
Foil Rare - Sphinx of Jwar Isle

Stay tuned for more Zendikar spoilers and other news.

Planechase Rules

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More to add on to the previous Planechase post. Today, Wizards posted an article on the upcoming release on the new casual variant of Magic the Gathering - 'Planechase'.

Planechase gives you everything you need to play Planar Magic, a new casual variant that sends you and your friends on a tour through the Multiverse. Each plane you visit—represented by a plane card—changes the nature of the battlefield. You never know how long you'll stay or where you'll go next, and the result is an ever-shifting race to exploit the unique nature of the plane you're on ... or to planeswalk away from a plane that your enemies can take advantage of!


Unfortunately, at the time of posting, the Planechase game rules (pdf format) document appears to be totally borked - meaning the link (HERE) provided by Wizards simply downloads a corrupt document which will not open. To this end, we have here a brief summary of the rules - remember to check back at WoTC to review the reposted document (whenever that happens) before you head out to a Planechase release event which will be held September 4-6, 2009.

Brief Planechase Rules summary . . .

Needed:
* Two player or Multiplayer (up to 6 players)
* 60 card constructed deck
* 10-40 plane cards (No 2 cards can share the same name)
* 1 planar die

How to play:
* Normal win conditions
* First player flips a card from his planar deck face up


Plane cards:

* At any given time, exactly one plane card will be face up, in a new game zone called the command zone. As long as a plane card is face up in the command zone, its abilities affect the game.

* They're never put onto the battlefield, and they're not permanents, so nothing can destroy or otherwise affect them.

* A plane card's controller is the player whose turn it is. When a plane card's abilities talk about "you," they're always talking about the plane's current controller. If the plane's abilities have targets, its current controller chooses them. The rules below will occasionally make a distinction between a plane card's owner and its controller.


Rolling the die:

* During your main phases you may roll the planar dice

* Roll as many times as desired

* Pay 1 for each time you’ve rolled previously this turn

* Rolls happen immediately but triggers can be used & responded to

* If you roll a blank face, nothing happens.

* If you roll the chaos symbol, the face-up plane card's chaos ability triggers. Players may cast instants and activate abilities before it resolves.

* If you roll the planeswalker symbol, the face-up plane card's unwritten planeswalking ability triggers. Players may cast instants and activate abilities before it resolves. When the planeswalking ability resolves, the owner of the face-up plane card puts it on the bottom of his or her planar deck, then you turn the top card of your planar deck face up. Welcome to a new world!

Some plane cards have abilities that trigger when you planeswalk to them or planeswalk away from them. These abilities trigger when the game shifts from one face-up plane card to another (but they don't trigger when the first plane of the game is turned face up). This shift might occur because the planeswalker symbol was rolled or because the player who owned the previous face-up plane card left the game.

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Stay tuned latter on for an very kewl post about alternate (full art) Zendikar lands.