A Challenger Appears

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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.

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BFZ Event and Intro Pack Lists

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

The Battle for Zendikar PreRelease events are taking place this weekend and Magic: the Gathering players are quite understandably rather excited for this.  If you are heading into a local gaming store (like OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario like we are), we suggest you may wish to review the Battle for Zendikar Release Notes so that you are well prepared.  For today's post, we are letting you know that the decklists for the Battle for Zendikar Event Deck and Intro Packs were posted today on the mothersite (linky over here).  For now, here is a brief summary of contents -

Ultimate Sacrifice Event Deck 

The theme is described within the name of this deck - sacrifice creatures and tokens to your benefit.  Battle for Zendikar Event Deck releases 2nd October and is a perfect way to jump into a Standard tournament, like Friday Night Magic, with a powerful deck.  For an MSRP of about $25 you get the following :
• One Ready-to-play 60-card deck
• A 15-card Sideboard
• One Spindown life counter
• A Strategy insert
• All within one Deck Box

There are five different Battle for Zendikar Intro Packs releasing on 2nd October each featuring a theme along and showcasing new mechanics from the set. These are great for introducing new Magic players to Battle for Zendikar.  For an MRSP of about $15, you get the following:
• One Ready-to-play 60-card deck featuring a foil premium card
• TWO Battle for Zendikar 15-card booster packs
• A Strategy Insert
• A learn-to-play guide

RALLYING CRY (Red / White)
Featuring the new 'Rally' mechanic and Ally creature sub-type.

SWARMING INSTINCT (Blue / Green)
Featuring a lot of 'Devoid' (colourless) spells.

CALL OF BLOOD (Black / White)
Featuring a number of creatures with flying and a life gain theme.

ELDRAZI ASSAULT (Black / Red)
Featuring a great sampling of Eldrazi creatures with 'Devoid' and 'Ingest'. 

ZENDIKAR'S RAGE (Red / Green)

Featuring a number of spells with 'Landfall'

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DTK Event Decklist

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Happy Wednesay MTG peeps,

We now have the Event Decklist for Dragons of Tarkir, which should be hitting the shelf of a local gaming store near you on 27th March, when the full set officially goes on sale.

If you are new to the game, an Event Deck is a standard-format pre-constructed product which is an upgrade over the Intro Pack.  The Event Deck is more competitive with and in the case of this Dragons of Tarkir Event Deck, contains ten rares along with a decent measure of other powerful spells which promises to put up a good fight at your local Friday Night Magic event.

In this Temur-flavoured (Green, Red, splashing Blue) Dragons of Tarki Event deck, one can employ a number of large beffy creatures and red burn spells to relentlessly attack your opponent, touching on blue mana to play some powerful three-color cards as well as a few tricky blue spells to keep opponents off balance.

The Landslide Charge Event Deck is available when Dragons of Tarkir releases on March 27 and ready to be played right out of the box.  For a MRSP of about $25, you get the following to rock your game table :

• Ready-to-play 60-card deck
• 15-card Sideboard
• Spindown life counter
• Strategy insert
• Deck Box

Dragons of Tarkir Landslide Charge Event Decklist

Creatures (23) : 4 Elvish Mystic, 2 Golden Hind, 4 Heir of the Wilds, 2 Mogis's Warhound, 1 Yasova Dragonclaw (Rare), 1 Boon Satyr (Rare), 4 Fanatic of Xenagos, 1 Savage Knuckleblade (Rare), 1 Polis Crusher (Rare), 1 Mistcutter Hydra (Rare), 1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller (Rare), 1 Thunderbreak Regent (Rare)

Sorcery (4) : 1 Arc Lightning, 1 Crater's Claws (Rare), 2 Roast

Instant (7) : 2 Wild Slash, 1 Stubborn Denial, 2 Lightning Strike, 2 Temur Charm

Enchantment (1) : 1 Outpost Siege (Rare)

Land (25) : 4 Evolving Wilds, 4 Frontier Bivouac, 1 Temple of Abandon (Rare), 10 Forest, 5 Mountain, 1 Island

Sideboard (15) : 1 Stubborn Denial, 2 Arc Lightning, 2 Rending Volley,  2 Disdainful Stroke, 2 Encase in Ice,  2 Abzan Beastmaster, 2 Reclamation Sage,  2 Act of Treason


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FRF Intro Packs

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Just in time for the Fate Reforged PreRelease events this very weekend, Magic: the Gathering players should be happy that the mothersite had provided the decklists for the Fate Reforged Intro Packs.  Intro Packs should be available at your local retailer this weekend so players can 'duel' for about $15.

These Intro Packs are great for introducing new players to the game and provide a great starting point to get acquainted with the new mechanics and themes in this soon to be released set.  There is everything one should need in this ready to play pre-constructed product - here's what you get - 

• Ready-to-play 60-card deck 
• Premium foil card
• 2 Fate Reforged 15-card booster packs
• Strategy Insert
• Magic learn-to-play guide

Unflinching Assault (White / Black)
Creatures (22): 2 Aven Skirmisher, 2 Mardu Hateblade, 1 Cruel Sadist, 3 Oreskos Swiftclaw, 1 Battle Brawler, 1 Chief of the Edge, 1 Chief of the Scale, 2 Sandsteppe Outcast, 1 Hooded Assassin, 1 Merciless Executioner, 2 Abzan Skycaptain, 1 Dragonscale General, 1 Razorfoot Griffin, 1 Gravedigger, 1 Unyielding Krumar, 1 Elite Scaleguard
Spells (13) : 2 Debilitating Injury, 2 Honor's Reward, 1 Sandblast, 1 Diplomacy of the Wastes, 2 Harsh Sustenance, 1 Rush of Battle, 2 Raiders' Spoils, 1 Take Up Arms, 1 Throttle
Lands (25) : 3 Scoured Barrens, 13 Plains, 9 Swamp

Cunning Plan (Blue / Red)
Creatures (18) : 1 Monastery Swiftspear, 2 Jeskai Elder, 2 Jeskai Sage, 1 Welkin Tern, 2 Jeskai Windscout, 1 Bloodfire Expert, 2 Lotus Path Djinn, 2 Mistfire Adept, 2 Aven Surveyor, 1 Dragon-Style Twins, 1 Riverwheel Aerialists, 1 Sage-Eye Avengers
Spells (17) : 1 Void Snare, 1 Refocus, 3 Lightning Strike, 2 Crippling Chill, 1 Quiet Contemplation, 1 Whisk Away, 1 Arc Lightning, 1 Bathe in Dragonfire, 1 Goblinslide, 1 Hordeling Outburst, 2 Winterflame, 1 Weave Fate, 1 Cunning Strike
Lands (25) : 3 Swiftwater Cliffs, 12 Island, 10 Mountain

Grave Advantage (Black / Green)
Creatures (23) : 2 Archers' Parapet, 1 Highland Game, 1 Satyr Wayfinder, 1 Wall of Mulch, 1 Carrion Crow, 2 Kheru Bloodsucker, 1 Merciless Executioner, 1 Abzan Beastmaster, 1 Gravedigger, 1 Sultai Flayer, 1 Undergrowth Scavenger, 1 Kheru Dreadmaw, 1 Rotting Mastodon, 2 Sibsig Host, 1 Archfiend of Depravity, 1 Sultai Scavenger, 2 Gurmag Angler, 1 Hornet Queen, 1 Shambling Attendants
Spells (11) : 1 Kin-Tree Invocation, 1 Dark Deal, 1 Rakshasa's Secret, 2 Scout the Borders, 2 Grim Contest, 1 Hunt the Weak, 2 Sudden Reclamation, 1 Become Immense
Lands (26) : 3 Jungle Hollow, 13 Swamp, 10 Forest

Stampeding Horde (Red / White)
Creatures (24) : 2 Firehoof Cavalry, 2 Leaping Master, 2 Valley Dasher, 2 Wandering Champion, 2 Mardu Scout, 2 Goblin Roughrider, 2 Sandsteppe Outcast, 1 Geist of the Moors, 2 Goblin Heelcutter, 2 Vaultbreaker, 1 Razorfoot Griffin, 2 Highspire Mantis, 1 Flamerush Rider, 1 Thundering Giant
Spells (11) : 1 Collateral Damage, 1 Deflecting Palm, 1 Ride Down, 1 Act of Treason, 1 Bathe in Dragonfire, 1 Dragonrage, 2 War Flare, 1 Pyrotechnics, 2 Heat Ray
Lands (25) : 3 Wind-Scarred Crag, 13 Mountain, 9 Plains

Surprise Attack (Green / Blue)
Creatures (18) : 3 Embodiment of Spring, 2 Icefeather Aven, 1 Monastery Flock, 1 Wall of Frost, 1 Roaring Primadox, 1 Scion of Glaciers, 1 Nimbus of the Isles, 2 Pine Walker, 2 Glacial Stalker, 1 Temur War Shaman, 1 Thousand Winds, 1 Arashin War Beast, 1 Woolly Loxodon
Spells (16) : 1 Reality Shift, 2 Singing Bell Strike, 2 Secret Plans, 1 Awaken the Bear, 2 Whisk Away, 2 Write into Being, 2 Formless Nurturing, 1 Hunt the Weak, 2 Ethereal Ambush, 1 Waterwhirl

Lands (26) : 3 Thornwood Falls, 11 Forest, 12 Island

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Modern Event Decklist

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

For those of you who enjoy Magic: the Gathering Modern format, some good news from the mothersite today - we were provided the decklist to the latest Modern format product - the Modern Event Deck.  Announced way back on January 9th, 2014, this will be hitting a local gaming store near you in just over two weeks from now on May 30th, 2014. 

On March 7th, Forum user 'A friend', posted this product packaging image while at a unspecified 'event' which essentially let the cat out of the bag revealing that the four cards mentioned on the product packaging that we were looking at a possible black / white tokens decklist.  

On the very same day Aaron Forsythe, Director of R&D at Wizards, had tweeted (@mtgaaron) the following - "Heads up... The picture of the Modern Event Deck floating around is a pre-production mockup and is not completely accurate to what's final."  At this time, a lot of players were clamouring for the inclusion of Bitterblossom which had becomed unbanned in the February 3rd DCI Banned & Restricted List update.  With today's Modern Event Decklist reveal, we now see that the leaked packaging image holds true but no Bitterblossom in the list.  This of course is easily remedied by picking up this card from an online retailer like MTG Mint Card and modifying the decklist with this upgrade.

Anywhoos, let's get into the details -

Deck Design and Deck Development: Ben Hayes
Languages Available: English
Release Date: May 30, 2014
MSRP: $74.99

Introducing a new Event Deck tuned to compete in the
high-powered Modern format!
Filled with rare cards from past Magic™ sets, this preconstructed deck, and sideboard, is designed to give players a launching point for participating in Modern events such as Friday Night Magic and Grand Prix Trials.

Contents:
• 60-card deck
• 15-card sideboard
• Strategy Guide
• Spindown™ life counter
• 80 exclusive premium card sleeves
• 5 double-sided tokens
• Deck box
Available worldwide in English only.

Here it is - the decklist !
24 land -
2 City of Brass
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Caves of Koilos
1 Vault of the Archangel
4 Windbrisk Heights
5 Plains
4 Swamp

30 other spells -
2 Soul Warden
3 Tidehollow Sculler
5 creatures
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Honor of the Pure
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Lingering Souls
3 Path to Exile
4 Raise the Alarm
2 Shrine of Loyal Legions
4 Spectral Procession
3 Zealous Persecution

1 planeswalkers -
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

15 sideboard -
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
3 Duress
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Dismember

The list looks great.  We're happy with the mana base - Caves of Koilos, City of Brass, Isolated Chapel and definitely Vault of the Archangel.  Windbrisk Heights is a card we would not think of including but we're certainly open to this idea.

Anthem effects via Honor of the Pure and Intangible Virtue is great and we would even consider going a step further with the inclusion of Sorin, Lord of Innistrad for the second ability giving us a permanent emblem.  Lingering Souls, Spectral Procession,  Raise the Alarm and Shrine of Loyal Legions all feed the token generating engine. Good choices for disruption / control / spot removal with Tidehollow Sculler, Inquisition of Kozilek, Zelous Persecution and Path to Exile. 

We're not certain about the inclusion of Sword of Feast and Famine here and although we admit it is a powerful card, our play style would want something else (another token generator or anthem).  Kataki, War's Wage is an interesting inclusion in the sideboard and we think this may be a good choice depending upon your local metagame but we would likely replace it with with Oblivion Ring / Banishing Light or perhaps even a board-wiper.

All-in-all, we're impressed. 
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Commander 2013 Nature of the Beast

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps, 

We have for you today part two of five separate articles we are doing on the new Commander 2013 decks just recently released by WotC to a very welcoming Magic: the Gathering fan base.  Each of these new Commander pre-constructed decks provides a ready to play stack of 100 cards including a choice of three legendary creatures to act as your general which may be also represented by an oversized foil card.  The card list is a solid foundation which you can easily adjust to taste - we'll likely throw a few of our nostalgic favourites we've picked up from MTG Mint Card into the original mix. 

The is the overview / review for Commander 2013's 'Evasive Maneuvers' deck and we've prepared a video with our good friend Jon from 'Command Tower' on Tumblr.  

See the rest of the videos in this series:
• Evasive Maneuvers
• Eternal Bargain
• Mind Seize
• Power Hungry
• Nature of the Beast
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Here is the new Commander 2013 Nature of the Beast (Naya - Red / Green / White) with the available Generals of Marath, Will of the Wild, Gahiji, Honored One, and Mayael the Anima).  Let's have a looky-loo . . .
Marath, Will of the Wild
Costing only a 'Naya' (red / green / white), you get a legendary beast whose power / toughness are equal to its casting cost - and with the commander tax of an additional two each time you re-cast this, it can get big.  The second ability allows you to pay 'X' to remove that many +1/+1 counters from Marath to have one of three effects.  Either transfer those counters onto a target critter, ping for that much damage to target creature / player, or generate an equally sized creature token - very lovely.

Gahiji, Honored One
Here's you next new Commander - a 4/4 Beast costing five (two colorless and one 'naya').  This is a nice enticement for your opponents to attack each other as well as a boost to your creatures when they attack. This looks fine in an aggro list and would likely benefit with similar strategy cards like Gisela.

Mayael the Anima
This reprint from Shards of Alara is a shoe-in for this sort of deck.  Costing one 'Naya', your 2/3 Elf Shaman has the ability to dig the top five cards in your library for a fatty with power five or greater and drop that right onto the battlefield.  The cost to cheat a potentially expensive creature right into play costs just six mana (three and a  'naya').  Since we cannot realistically have an entire tall stack choked full 'o' fatties, we suggest you float them to the top to take full advantage of Mayael with the likes of Congregation at Dawn.

This deck is good, but in our opinion not great.  Both Marath and Gahiji are decent but we found ourselves simply wanting to deck them in to choose Mayael for the command zone.  If you are thinking of getting into Commander and love the Naya colours, then pick this one up but for us, we would rather scrap a good portion of the list and have a much more dedicated list to work with Mayael.
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Commander 2013 Power Hungry

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps, 

We have for you today part two of five separate articles we are doing on the new Commander 2013 decks just recently released by WotC to a very welcoming Magic: the Gathering fan base.  Each of these new Commander pre-constructed decks provides a ready to play stack of 100 cards including a choice of three legendary creatures to act as your general which may be also represented by an oversized foil card.  The card list is a solid foundation which you can easily adjust to taste - we'll likely throw a few of our nostalgic favourites we've picked up from MTG Mint Card into the original mix. 

The is the overview / review for Commander 2013's 'Evasive Maneuvers' deck and we've prepared a video with our good friend Jon from 'Command Tower' on Tumblr.  

 
See the rest of the videos in this series:
• Evasive Maneuvers
• Eternal Bargain
• Mind Seize
• Power Hungry
• Nature of the Beast
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Here is the Commander 2013 'Jund' (black / red / green) deck and although it may not be as sought-after as the Mind Seize deck, we just love the decklist here.  Let's get into the three Commanders or Generals available to you -

Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
Costing  three colorless mana and a 'Jund' (black/red/green), Prossh is a solid 5/5 flyer with two other very cool abilities.  When you cast this legendary dragon you get a number of 0/1 Kobold creature tokens equal to what it cost you to cast Prosh - this of course gets bigger with the commander tax as you recast it from the command zone.  Perfect for a build with a theme of creature sacrifice for an effect.  Prossh also provides a sac outlet which will pump him +0/1.

Shattergang Brothers
A goblin artificer here costing one colorless and a 'Jund' to give you a 3/3 body with three very relevant abilities in this build.  Each ability costs three mana and requires a sacrifice.  For two and a black you sac a creature to force each other opponent to sac a creature.  Likewise, two and a red with an artifact sac or two and a green with an enchantment sac will cause your opponents to sac in a similar fashion.  Very solid.

Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper
This is a Coldsnap reprint.  For two and a 'Jund', you net a 4/3 legendary Orc Shaman.  The ability here is rather potent - Whenever you have one of your non-token creatures dies, you gain a 3/1 black & red Graveborn creature token.  If you were about to ask whether a sacrificed (or even 'devour') creature does count as dying, then yes, so sac away and reap the benefits of yet another token which can feed into your strategy here.
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Like we mentioned, this may very well be one favorite of the five Commander 2013 decks.  There are a good number of cards such as Stronghold Assassin which provides an opportunity to sac for a powerful effect or cards such as Stalking Vengeance to transpose a sacrifice into direct damage to your opponent.  All-in-all - two thumbs up on this very solid decklist.
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Commander Spoiler 10-14

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

This week, we are expecting the newest Magic: the Gathering 'Commander 2013' spoilers to be hitting the mothersite as well as other preview sites.  The Commander 2013 product consists of five tri-color 'shard' decks, each 100 cards strong, that are ready-to-play commander decks right out of the box, with the option of choosing one of the three legendary tri-colored creatures each deck includes as the commander, each of which will also be represented as an oversized foil.  For only an suggested retail price of $30, we know some Commander / EDH fans wanted to get all five.

The five pre-con decks available are: 
• Evasive Maneuvers (bant - white / blue / green)
• Eternal Bargain (esper - white / blue / black)
• Mind Seize (grixis - blue / black / red)
• Power Hungry (jund - black / red / green)
• Nature of the Beast (naya - white / red / green)

Anywhoos - let's have a looky-loo at the fresh new cards out today !

 













Gahiji, Honored One, 2rgw
Legendary Creature — Beast, Mythic Rare
Whenever a creature attacks one of your opponents or a planeswalker an opponent controls, that creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
4/4

Nekusar, the Mindrazer, 2ubr
Legendary Creature — Zombie Wizard, Mythic Rare
At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws an additional card.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Nekusar, the Mindrazer deals 1 damage to that player.
2/4

Baleful Force, 5bbb
Creature — Elemental, Rare
At the beginning of each upkeep, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
7/7

Curse of Chaos, 2r
Enchantment — Aura Curse, Uncommon
Enchant player
Whenever enchanted player is attacked by one or more creatures, the attacking player may discard a card, then draw a card.

Bane of Progress, 4gg
Creature — Elemental, Rare
When Bane of Progress enters the battlefied, destroy all artifacts and enchantments. Put a +1/+1 counter on Bane of Progress for each permanent destroyed this way.
2/2

Gahiji looks to be our second Naya general or commander and Nekusar our Gixis  one.  We'll likely see the remaining commander general canidates and the remainder of the 51 unique new card spread out over the next two weeks, so stay tuned.  While we roll through the new builds, we suggest you start making a wishlist for MTG Mint Card for singles you may want to pick up to help personalize you new deck(s).
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Theros Event Decklists

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,


We simply cannot wait until our MTG Mint Card pre-orders are shipped so we can start brewing up builds and start gaming at OMG! Games (Barrie, Ontario) Friday Night Magic events.  For this particular Friday, we'll likely stick to a Return to Ravnica block deck with a few singletons of Theros we've picked up from the PreRelease event.

Speaking of events, Theros Game Day is scheduled for the weekend of October 19th / 20th and the Theros Event Deck will be going on sale that Friday giving gamers an opportunity to take it for a spin.   Unlike the preconstructed Intro Decks, which Wizards of the Coast develops with newer players to Magic in mind, event decks are built with with a focus given to tournament-play competitive players.  We now have the final decklist today over on the mothersite, so let's have a look.

Anywhoos, for an MRSP of approximately $25 (depending upon where you may be), here's what you get . . .
• 1 x 60-card deck
• 1 x 15-card sideboard
• 1 x Spindown   life counter
• 1 x strategy insert
• 1 x card box

Theros Event Deck - 'Inspiring Heroics' (U/W)24 lands : 4  Azorius Guildgate, 1  Hallowed Fountain, 5  Island, 14  Plains

25 creatures : 2  Ascended Lawmage, 2  Banisher Priest, 3  Battlewise Hoplite, 3  Dryad Militant, 1  Fabled Hero, 1  Frontline Medic, 3  Hopeful Eidolon, 2  Imposing Sovereign, 1  Lavinia of the Tenth, 3  Lyev Skyknight, 1  New Prahv Guildmage, 1  Precinct Captain, 1  Skymark Roc, 1  Soldier of the Pantheon

11 other spells : 2  Dauntless Onslaught, 2  Detention Sphere, 2  Gods Willing, 1  Ordeal of Heliod, 2  Ordeal of Thassa, 2  Pacifism

15 sideboard cards : 2  Arrest, 2  Gainsay, 2  Gift of Orzhova, 2  Glare of Heresy, 2  Negate, 3  Solemn Offering, 2  Triton Tactics
 
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Gatecrash Event Decklists

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,Today, over on the mothersite, WotC Monty unveiled the Gatecrash Event Decklists.  Event decks are preconstructed theme decks which have been released since Mirrodin Besieged and offer a more competitive build for Magic: the Gathering players who want to get in more tournament level gaming.  These are released a few weeks after the official launch of the latest expansion set and are delivered hot 'n' ready to your local game store just in time for 'Game Day' events.  Gatecrash Game Day is scheduled to take place on the weekend of 23rd / 24th February and we will likely be picking up an Event Deck at our local card shop, OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario (Obviously the Boros one as we think the Simic one was designed by a 3-year old  -no offense to 3-year olds intended). With results in from 2013 SCG Atlanta tournament, we also now have an idea where the new standard constructed metagame may develop and are planning to pick up a few additional Gatecrash singles from MTG Mint Card.

Anywhoos, let have a look at what an MRSP of $25 will get you with the new Gatecrash Event Decks:
• 1 60-Card Deck
• 1 15-Card Sideboard
• 1 Spindown™ Life Counter
• 1 Strategy Inset
• 1 Card Box

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Thrive and Thrash - Simic blue / green with a splash of red

The Simic Combine has a new agenda for a new era: reclaim the recently uncovered seas and then restore the Ravnican wilderness. The "Thrive and Thrash" deck opens the game with a focused effort to quickly develop its available mana. Once you've assembled massive amounts of mana generation, follow through with gigantic monsters and game-winning spells. Your opponents will be helpless against the sheer power of your late-game plays.


23 lands : 2  Evolving Wilds, 10  Forest, 6  Island, 1  Mountain, 4  Simic Guildgate

23 creatures : 2  Acidic Slime, 4  Arbor Elf, 3  Borderland Ranger, 1  Deadeye Navigator, 1  Dungeon Geists, 2  Fog Bank, 1  Gruul Ragebeast, 2  Mist Raven, 1  Sphinx of Uthuun, 3  Strangleroot Geist, 1  Thragtusk, 1  Wolfir Silverheart, 1  Yeva, Nature's Herald

14 other spells : 1  Bramblecrush, 4  Farseek, 2  Ground Assault, 3  Urban Evolution, 4  Verdant Haven

15 sideboard cards : 4  Dissipate, 4  Flames of the Firebrand, 2  Naturalize, 2  Negate, 3  Rancor
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Rally and Rout - Boros  red / white


The Boros Legion marches in lockstep across the battlefield. Individually, the troops are disciplined and capable. As a unit, the battalion is nearly unstoppable. The "Rally and Rout" deck hits the ground running with cheap, aggressive creatures. But your assault really kicks into overdrive once you assemble a squad of three or more creatures. At that point, every attack is an overwhelming military exercise. Once your ground troops have softened up your opponent, your battery of long-range burn spells is more than adequate to finish the job.

23 lands : 3  Boros Guildgate, 1  Clifftop Retreat, 8  Mountain, 10  Plains, 1  Slayers' Stronghold

24 creatures : 1  Ash Zealot, 4  Boros Elite, 1  Champion of the Parish, 4  Doomed Traveler, 2  Firefist Striker, 2  Lightning Mauler, 1  Silverblade Paladin, 3  Skyknight Legionnaire, 1  Spark Trooper, 2  Sunhome Guildmage, 1  Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, 2  Truefire Paladin

13 other spells : 2  Boros Charm, 4  Gather the Townsfolk, 4  Pillar of Flame, 3  Searing Spear

15 sideboard cards : 3  Bonds of Faith, 3  Electrickery, 2  Oblivion Ring, 2  Skullcrack, 2  Thunderous Wrath, 3  War Priest of Thune
 
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NPH IntroPack Review

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Tonight at midnight, many of you will be heading out to a New Phyrexia Pre-Release event at midnight or perhaps catching one on Saturday or Sunday - We wish all good luck and good times. For now however, we are providing a post dedicated to our fav WoTC staffer, M.K., who had slide us a New Phyexia Intro-Pack to Review. See our previous posts for more details and decklists for the new Intro Packs. Let's go . . .

The pack we received was the Red / White pre-constructed, named 'Life for Death'. The foil rare in this is the impressive pump-able Moltensteel Dragon making serious use of the new phyrexian mana. Riding shot-gun is the board-sweeper Phyrexian Re-Birth which had not been seeing all that much love in our local meta-game but we feel that this deserves another look for constructed.

Anywhoos -

The Red / White pre-constructed Intro Pack showcases some of the more agressive spells utilising Phyexian Mana.

This opens up some very decent options for players who won't mind paying 2 life to get that little phyrexian gem into their build. This Intro Pack deck can be easily modified to fit your particular style and strategy. We suggest dumping the life-gain effects to double-up on Rage Extractor and slide a few more Phyrexian mana spells in the mix.

Enough yattering - let's have a look at the video . . .



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BONUS FEATURE :

Yep - another video -
This time about a chase rare - KARN says '$exy Party Time'.



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Unplug this weekend and seek the company of other gamers at the local gamery / hobby store and take in a New Phyrexia Pre-Release - check out the very handy Wizards of the Coast Event Locator to find one near you.
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