Friday MTG Miscellany

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Currently in our fair city of Barrie, Ontario, the last 24-hours had provided a great and wondrous variety of every meteorological condition - rain, sun, snow, wind and some very brief respites of warmth.  This has not deterred us in our staunch commitment to get down to OMG! Games, the local gaming store tonight for Friday Night Magic.  We currently have three builds ready for standard, a G/W enchant, a B/W midrange, and some unorganised weird R/G creature-centric thingy whose punch line is Ruric-Thar.  Anywhoos - we still don't know which one to grab on the way out.

Righto - Onto today's post to the MTG Realm blog - First up - January's FNM promo was revealed over on the mothersite today - Warleader's Helix!  We have a feeling that this card will see increased play at FNM in the coming weeks.  The new art by Wesley Burt shown with the normal art from Greg Staples below - 

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Next up - We are dropping into our sister site, MTG Realm on Tumblr to see what our other halves were up to this week - 

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Photoset

October 24, 2013

 

Magic: the Gathering - Slip ‘n’ Fall
What madness makes the Kor and other denizens of Zendikar think ‘Hey! - What a great day for a climb!’ … it ALWAYS results in a bad day for the climber and a worst day for the cute burrowing critter at the bottom of the gorge.
Flavor Time !
Zendikar - The Makindi Trenches
The Ondu mainland is crisscrossed by a maze of high-walled canyons called the Makindi Trenches. The canyons represent sheer drops down hundreds of feet, some terminating in whitewater rivers, others ending in bare rock. Mana-fueled winds howl through the canyons at odd intervals, making it important for climbers and builders to attach their instruments carefully to the cliff walls.

• Sudden Demise, illustrated by Dan Scott, Commander 2013 rare

• Seismic Shudder, illustrated by Vincent Procee, Zendikar common

• Lavaball Trap, illustrated by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai, Zendikar rare

• Unstable Footing, illustrated by Nic Klein, Zendikar Uncommon

 
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Photoset

October 24, 2013

68 notes

 

Magic: the Gathering - Stormtrooper
Noted similarity provided by Bhangbhangduc.

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Photoset

October 24, 2013

89 notes

 

Magic: the Gathering - with rules clear as mud
The timing rules changes (effects using the ‘stack’ which replaced the old ‘batch’ system during the games) didn’t go into effect for a month after Classic Sixth Edition came out, which gave people time to get used to the idea of the game changing. To help with the transition, Bill Rose explained the rules in this visual representation of the current timing rules in his “Murk Dwellers” column of Duelist magazine #9 (about the same time that ‘Homelands’ hit card shop shelves).  Images from the mothersite.
God bless Matt Tabak, the current rules guru …

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Photoset

October 22, 2013

89 notes

 

 

Magic: the Gathering - IDW MTG Comics

Apparently I have a comic book addiction thingy for IDW Publishing’s Magic the Gathering series.  The original series, Spell Thief series, Path of Vengeance series, and the first in the new Theros series.
I swear that eventually, one day, I’ll be ripping off the plastic and actually putting some of these very cool cards into decks … yeah … one day.

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Photoset

October 21, 2013

173 notes

 

 








Magic the Gathering - Noggin Whack (Morningtide)
Following up on a previous re-post  …
YOU JUST GOT OWNED … BY A FISH
 … .tied to a brick.

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Friday Miscellaney

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As it is Friday, and we have our M14 singles now in hand from MTG Mint Card, we're heading off to Friday Night Magic this evening to OMG! Games here in Barrie and try to get to Top 8 to get one of those lovely Rakdos Cackler FNM promos. For today's post, we want to yatter about the new M14 Event Deck as well as drawing you attention to some stunning Magic: the Gathering wallpaper.  Let's go!

New Magic 2014 core set Event Deck - Red / Green "Rush of the Wild".  Available on 9 August 2013 for a MSRP $25, this competitive list features 8 rares and a host of other solid card choices.  Here's what you get -
• 1 x 60-card deck
• 1 x 15-card sideboard
• 1 x Spindownlife counter
• 1 x  strategy insert
• 1 x  card box

With your horde of warriors, shamans, and wild beasts, your goal is to put your opponents on the back foot, then smash through their defenses. This deck lets you take the offensive, dominating the battle and denying your enemy time to execute a strategy.

24 land : 4 Gruul Guildgate, 1 Rogue's Passage, 1 Stomping Ground (R), 12 Forest, 6 Mountain

27 creatures : 4 Elvish Mystic, 2 Rakdos Cackler, 2 Dryad Militant, 2 Kalonian Tusker, 2 Skarrg Guildmage, 2 Burning-Tree Emissary, 1 Pyrewild Shaman (R), 3 Slaughterhorn, 1 Wild Beastmaster (R), 1 Ogre Battledriver (R), 1 Deadbridge Goliath (R), 4 Ghor-Clan Rampager, 1 Rubblebelt Raiders (R), 1 Wrecking Ogre (R)

9 other spells : 3 Shock, 1 Mizzium Mortars (R), 1 Gruul Charm, 2 Flames of the Firebrand, 1 Clan Defiance, 1 Armed & Dangerous

15 sideboard : 1 Savage Summoning, 3 Skullcrack, 2 Naturalize, 2 Gruul Charm, 2 Act of Treason, 3 Annihilating Fire, 2 Enlarge
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Here's the latest offering of MTG wallpapers from the mothersite -
Rise of the Dark Realms, by Michael Komarck

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Goblin Diplomats, by Izzy

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Jace's Mindseeker, Greg Staples 

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Archangel of Thune, by James Ryman

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Thursday MTG Miscellaneous

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Welcome to another daily post here to MTG Realm - and expect quite a few more as we yatter about Dragon's Maze PreRelease stories and impact of this newest card set in standard and other play formats.  We'll try our best to get to our local Gamery Shoope, OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario to report back to you but we're not altogether sure we can make it yet - explanation below.

Some terrible news first though . . . Unfortunately we will be cut off from all manner of civilization all next week as we head into the Nothern Ontario wilderness - which happens not to have any internet connection at all.  So please excuse the lack of daily derp from MTG Realm here and our other sites.  We'll miss you but promise to be back in more or less one piece (if the bears and wolves behave).

Anywhoos - let's get on to today's offerings !
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WotC Trick Jarrett over on the mothersite dropped the next few FNM promos we can expect for May, June and July 2013 including the foil promo 'All is Dust' which is named to be the upcoming Grand Prix promo starting in June this year.

2013 Friday Night Magic Promos
• January - Searing Spear (Christopher Moeller art)
• February - Reliquary Tower (Drew Barker art)
• March - Farseek (Michael Komarack art)
• April - Call of the Conclave (Anthony Palumbo art)
• May - Judge's Familiar (Ryan Yee art)
• June - Izzet Charm (Zoltan Boros art)
• July - Rakdos Cackler (Dave Kendal art)

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Alrighty then, next up - Let's catch up.  Here's some of the latest MTG arts selected as wallpaper.  You know what to do - pimp that desktop or mobile device.  For the Magic: the Gathering wallpaper archive, check out the mothersite.
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Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
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Ral Zarek 
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Maze's End
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Deathpact Angel
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MTG Event Decks

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We're rather excited to heading out to our local gaming store, OMG! Games finally after an absence of several weeks - snowstorm, out-of-town, and other craziness left us cut-off as to how the local metagame has adapted and evolved to the release of the latest Magic: the Gathering set, Gatecrash.  Perhaps after we get our butts handed to us, we may need to head back to MTG Mint Card to pick up some additional cards to solve the popular archetypes.

Anywhoos - for today's post, just some random news - let's go -First up - 

Yesterday on the mothersite, WotC Monty provided a round-up on the history of the Event Deck.   If you are just starting to game and don't yet know, Event Decks are a type of preconstructed product that has been issued with each MTG expansion since Mirrodin Besieged.  Unlike preconstructed theme decks and intro packs, which are constructed by Wizards of the Coast for newer players to Magic, event decks are built with more tournament-play competitive players in mind, and each event deck features seven rares and as many as four copies of powerful common and uncommon cards.  Event decks are Standard legal as of their release and may be played fresh from their box, which contains a strategy insert with tips as to deck customization.  

Essentially, Monty indicated that instead of two decks each release, there will be only one.  To this, we applaud Wizards of the Coast - too often have we seen players favour and pick-up only one of the two decks leaving the other one to collect dust on the local retailer's shelf.  Anywhoos, come the next set, Dragon's Maze, expect only one event deck to be available.

Next up - the March, 2013 FNM Promo !
Next month, the Friday Night promo will be Farseek.  This is currently a standard legal  card and just a solid choice for mana ramp.  The original Farseek, printed with the last core set 2013 was illustrated by Martina Pilcerova.  The new alt-art foil FNM promo has amazing art by illustrator Michael Komarck and we will definitely want to try and get our paws on at least one or two of these.

 







That's it for now, see you at the games table.
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Monday Miscellany

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

As with every introduction to a new Magic: the Gathering set, there is a delicious time of deck-brewing and testing of new strategies.  The latest set, Gatecrash has players evaluating all the new cards for inclusion into their fav game format.  For standard constructed, the first builds out of the gate typically are aggro-based followed by more control variants.  At the moment, we think mid-ranged decks are getting the lion's share of attention, which means, we'll anticipate the next move and collect the last few control-based cards we need from MTG Mint Card in an attempt to stay of the curve.  We would love to hear from you what decks are making a splash at your local gaming store.  Unfortunately, we've been unable to get out to ours - OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario since Gatecrash was released to see where our local metagame is sitting. 

Today, we have a random selection of Magic: the Gathering news of interest for gamers.  Let's have a peak at what's new . . .
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Swords to Plowshares has been tapped to be the next new Judge Promo.  This is a great card that has received some pretty lovely art versions over time since released way back when.  The new art is 'interesting' to say the least and some players are calling it Swords to Golf Clubs.
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If you've not been out to a Friday Night Magic event recently (like us - sad-face), then you may be happy to know that February's alternate art foil FNM promo is Reliquary Tower.  Although not legal for standard play, this is a decent enough card for casual, modern and EDH / Commander and the new art is pretty sweet. EDIT - Apparently I need more coffee - R.Tower is in standard - sidenote - this art is dang sweet.
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Catching up again with some old news, we think with the release of Gatecrash, we failed to mention the official announcement from the mothership on the next Magic 2014, which features a preview / spoiler art with Chandra.

Gathering core set - Magic: 2014.
Set Name     Magic 2014 Core Set
Number of Cards     249
Prerelease Events     July 13-14, 2013
Release Date     July 19, 2013
Magic Online Release Date     July 29, 2013
Game Day     August 10-11, 2013

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Lastly, there had been an update to the Missed Trigger rules in the Magic Infraction Procedure Guide on the mothersite.  We suggest that you should read the article by WotC rules guru Matt Tabak as well as an in-depth analysis by Judge Tobby Elliot here or perhaps this article by Josh Silvestri over on Channel Fireball.   
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RTR Launch

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

This Friday, Magic the Gathering fans will let out a sigh of relief that Return to Ravnica will finally be released.  The ensuing madness of said players snapping up cards at the local gaming shop may be akin to vultures on a carcass but we'ere sure store owners will welcome this.  As for us, we will be heading over to OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario on Thursday midnight (right after Commander / EDH play) to get in some early purchases before all the singles sell out.  We'll be returning again to take in the special Friday Night Magic Launch of Return to Ravnica and score a nifty promo as well. 

Deadbridge Goliath - Return to Ravnica FNM / Launch promo

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This Friday is also the first FNM of the month - last month's FNM promo was Lingering Souls - and thanks to readers wanting to fire one off in the mail for us - we now have our deckset.  This month's promo is Evolving Wilds, the sac 'n' search land from the core set M13, which in our opinion ain't too bad given Return to Ravnica has a ton of multi-coloured (Gold) cards.

Evolving Wilds - Friday Night Magic September 2012 Promo

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As for the new standard environment set to be unleashed this Friday, we think that although there will be quite a few new decks being developed over the next few weeks, the most prominent and strongest deck likely to emerge will be black / green Zombies.  Already popular, Zombie cards such as Gravecralwer and Geralf's Messenger will soon be joined by the likes of Lotleth Troll, and Dreg Mangler.  With Grisly Salvage, Abrupt Decay and Rancor this build should be earning top spots at your local FNM event.

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If you're not playing zombies, which we think will be the deck to beat, your options may be found in a Selesnya or Azorius / Bant build but may not be as effecient as you would like.  Whichever way you may go, we think that Innistrad's Elite Inquisitor or Slayer of the Wicked might be finding it's way into many sideboards soon - even an exalted M13 Knight of Glory with protection from black might even see more play.

We sort of dismissed Return to Ravnica's 'Rest in Peace' enchantment but will be reconsidering the hate it may bring for decks using the Undying tech.  As for our first build after rotation, we anticipated a Zombie proliferation and made sure we have copies from MTG Mint Card to deal with the menace.  Specifically, we are thinking an Bant control / lifegain strategy using Azorious Charm, Terminus, Knight of Glory, Feeling of Dread, with lifelinkers like Thragtusk and perhaps Rhox Faithmender.  We're still working on a list but have hopes we'll have a decent build in another week or two.

We're naturally curious - What are you, the MTG Realm reader planning to play ? ?  
Drop us a line below in the comment thingy.
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FNM Love

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

Indeed, one of our fav day of the week.  Tonight, Friday Night Magic tournaments are being held in game stores all around the free world.  These events are designed to be a beginner-friendly introduction to Magic the Gathering organised play.  Here at MTG Realm, we've had around 1,100 posts since January 2008 and have had about 4.5 million visitors drop by to read the latest MTG spoilers, news and reviews.  We've never been to a professional event and spend a lot of time at the kitchen table slinging cards - but - we rather relish our Friday evening visits to the local game store as is provides a great cross-section of different 60-card builds put together by intelligent and innovative players, which keeps us on our toes and never lets the game get stagnant.

If you've not participated in an FNM event, we encourage you to do so.  Check out the new 'n' improved Store / Event Locator with some slick fetures to find your nearest store.  To prepare for your evening of MTG merriment, you should check out this article over at the Wrong-Way-Go-Back website, written up by our Twitter buddy Thomas (aka hobbesq).  In addition to giving that a read, perhaps it's time to watch our all-time favourite video put out by Wizards of the Coast.  We have yet to meet a player who did not care for the vid.  Here is the Magic the Gathering Friday Night Magic promotional video filmed at Games & Gizmos in Redmond, WA featuring Music by Caspar Babypants and WUBRG, a crazed MTG Muppet who now loves FNM.

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Tonight, we're off to OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario which is home to Ontario's (maybe even Canada's) largest Friday Night Magic events to try our luck to win one of those fancy promo cards.  Here's the list of FNM promos so far this year . . .

1/2012    -    Glistener Elf
2/2012     -    Despise
3/2012    -    Tectonic Edge
4/2012    -    Dismember
5/2012    -    Ancient Grudge
6/2012    -    Acidic Slime
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And here is some 4.1.1 for Gamers who want to hit up the Friday Night Magic event at OMG! Games :
FNM Standard starts at 7pm Cost $6, or free without prize support. FNM Draft draft queue opens at 5:30pm and will start upon 8 players Cost $14.  The store, near Georgian College is easily accessible from the highway.

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Avacyn Restored Release

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

The big Magic the Gathering news today is of course, the official Avacyn Restored release.  Most players will be heading off to their local games store this evening to buy new cards or packs and possibly score that special alt-art promo at the FNM Avacyn Restored Release tonight.

As for us, we headed down to our local store, OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario very, very early this morning (just after the stroke of midnight actually), to chat with players, collect some cards and crack some packs.  Here's the video . . .

 

www.OMGgames.ca * 130 Bell Farm Rd. Barrie * 705.721.4263
 
Pulls : 

PACK 1 : Bruna, Light of Alabaster (foil Into the Void) 

PACK 2 : Wolfir Silverheart 

PACK 3 : Conjurer's Closet (foil Moonlight Geist) 

PACK 4 : Cathar's Crusade / PACK 5 : Dread Slaver
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Don't forget to get to an Avacyn Launch Friday Night Magic event tonight.  We'll be headed out to OMG! Games again this Friday to hopefully score a lovely looking foil Restoration Angel.

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Keep Calm Play Magic

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Recently, we had released a series of images on our MTG Realm Tumblr site which, from the feedback we have so far, appears very well received.  It is a series of 'Keep Calm and Play Magic', originally developed by forum user 'pichy 64'.  

These are based on an old wartime prop-poster which has has become rather popular (as you can see from our apparel and coffee station here at the MTG Realm office).  Yeah, 'JFK' and the rest of the MTG Realm crew are also Chive fans . . .

Anywhoos Here's a bit of history for those of you interested -

Printed in 1939 by His Majesty's Stationery Office on orders of England's Ministry of Information, "Keep Calm and Carry On" was printed in large numbers along with two related posters, but never posted during World War II as it was intended to be distibuted after a a German invasion of the British Isles.  The posters, bearing the crest of King George VI, were shredded in 1945, with a small number saved in the archives of the Imperial War Museum. There were however a hand-full of posters which found it's way to civilian defence authorities.  It was not to emerge again until 2000, when a tattered copy was discovered lining a box in a secondhand bookstore in Northumberland.

Righto - Here's the MTG image series . . .

 







 

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Next up,
An acquaintance of ours, 'Cam', who in his spare time loves to crunch code.  He took a stab at a Magic: The Gathering - Avacyn Restored Sealed Deck Card Generator.  We think it's cool and ivite you to give it a try as well - linky HERE.

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Finally,
Tomorrow (Friday) is the official Avacyn Restored Release and OMG! Games and Collectibles, here in Barrie, Ontario will be holding a special Friday Night Magic event.  You could score a sweet looking alt-art Restoration Angel.

OMG! Games is a short drive north of Toronto.
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About That Helvault

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Hello again MTG peeps,

It's the second post for the day (again) - thanks Wizards, but we would like some semblance of a social life during the spoiler 'season'.  Anywhoos - no Avacyn Restored spoilers 'n' previews for this post, but something we caught on the WPN website - a video developed for WPN stores who are organising an Avacyn Restored pre-release event featuring one of those fancy Helvaults.  Pretty much every player we've yattered to is itching to dissect this cardboard container during the event - we will be heading off to our local gamery store - OMG! Games & Collectibles, here in Barrie, Ontario and will provide video for those who are stuck in juvy hall / work shift / whatever.  

Anywhoos - here's the enlightening vid with Wizards of the Coast's Vice President of Sales, Scott Knoblich . . .

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 Yep - that was cool Scott - especially the part where it was all Vincent Vega with that Pulp Fiction briefcase - you're not fooling us - there's no promos in the Helvault - it's MaRo's soul.

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Also of note - 
Friday Night Magic Promo card sneak peeks.  May, 2012 FNM promo is Ancient Grudge and the June FNM promo is a very slick looking Acidic Slime . .  coolness!
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