For today's post, we wanted to get along to a review of a Magic 2014 Intro Pack. These preconstructed theme decks are possibly the best way to get into Magic: the Gathering if you are new to the game, or if your more seasoned, a lot of players we know battle each other with Intro Packs which makes for a lot a fun as Wizards of the Coast makes all efforts to attempt to balance the power of these decks.
MTG Realm grabbed a new Magic: the Gathering Magic 2014 core set Intro Pack and a handful of M14 booster packs for this brief unboxing and review. ~ For a MRSP of only $15, here's what you get -
• Premium foil card • A full 60 card deck • Two M14 booster packs • Learn to play insert • Strategy guide
We got the M14 'Lightforce' Intro Pack (white / green just happen to our fav colours) - Here's some descriptive text off the box -
Wield the power of light, booster your creatures with powerful enchantments. If your opponents don't crumble under the first wave of your assault, they'll be primed for defeat when your larger beasts hit the battlefield.
With enchantments being hinted as being a thingy in 'Theros', the next set this fall, we're certain to be well prepared to modify and take this Intro Pack to the next level.
~ Happy Tuesday MTG Peeps, As is our custom here at MTG Realm, we've popped over to our fav game store, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario, Canada-Land, and picked up the latest set's Fat Pack. Fat Packs are not only rather useful for beginners getting into the game, but also a target of affection for collectors such as ourselves. We've been collecting for quite some time and even remember a time when a short novella was included to get your vorthos on.
For an MRSP of $40, here's what you get.
• Player's Guide with complete visual encyclopedia • Learn to play insert• Magic 2014 Core Set card box • Box sleeve with a mural art poster • Nine Magic 2014 Core Set booster packs • Eighty-card basic land pack • Special edition Spindown life counter • Two 'fold 'em yerself' deck boxes
Of course you want to see what glorious cardboard we got in the Fat Pack . . . Here's the video, so grab some pop-korn :
~
Fat Pack Pulls • Lilliana of the Dark Realms • Ajani, Caller of the Pride • Sanguine Bond • Strionic Resonator • Goblin Diplomats • Domestication • Silence • Planar Cleansing • Into the Wilds
We are finally at last out of the wilds of northern Ontario which is a complete and utter WiFi desert - or at least where we were. We were harassed by raccoons, saw a bear, and played a lot of Magic: the Gathering - analog that is - the old fashioned way.
Anywhoos - we were rather sore about missing both the PreRelease and FNM launch of Magic 2014 but we are now back with a bang. We have our MTG Mint Card pre-orders rapidly winging it's way to us, picked up some extra Ultra PRO sleeves and boxes and are now ready to fully absorb the new set. To catch up, we dropped by our fav card shop, OMG! Games here in central Ontario, Canada-Land and yattered co-owner Señor Ricardo about notable new cards in the set - Let's have a looky-loo at the vid now - ~ ~ Here's the short list of some of our new fav cards :
• Archangel of Thune This essentially makes all your critters an Ajani Pridemate • Kalonian Hydra No fertilizer needed - this monster grows to an incredible size.
• Garruk, Caller of Beasts Could be a star in a creature-based EDH / Commander build. • Chandra Pyromaster Almost certainly to be played by red mages in multiple formats - who doesn't like card draw in RDW?
• Sanguine Bond Old fan favorite - you gain, they loose.
• Congregate Sooo nostalgic - Loved it in Urza's Saga, love it now. ~
Today, before your very eyes, were gonna rip open a Dragon's Maze Fat Pack before your very eyes. This, the latest Magic: the Gathering expansion set was just released this last weekend with a total of 156 cards. The set contains 70 commons, 40 uncommons, 35 rares, and 11 mythic rares. All ten Ravnica Guilds are represented and as in the original Ravnica block along with their respective mechanics / keywords. Drop by your local gamery shoppe to dip into this set - check the Wizards Locator for one near you.
Here's our Fat Pack we had picked up at our local store, OMG! Games in Barrie, Ontario, Canada-Land (Central Ontario's best MTG card shop). Here's the Vid !
~ For a very reasonable MRSP of $40, here's what you score - • Player's Guide with complete visual encyclopedia • Dragon's Maze card box • NINE (9) Dragon's Maze booster packs • Eighty-card basic land pack • Special edition Spindown life counter • Two deck boxes
Fat Pack Booster Rare Pulls from my Fat Pack : • Master of Cruelty • Skylasher • Ready // Willing • Pyrewild Shaman • Deadbridge Chant • Notion Thief • Trait Doctoring • Zhur-Taa Ancient • Possibility Storm • Maze's End (land slot) • Temple Garden (Land slot)
~ For the first time ever here in Dragon's Maze, the basic land slot in booster packs will be filled with a nonbasic land instead. Different rarities will appear; Guildgates, “Shock” lands, and also a new Mythic Rare land. Here in our 9 boosters, we were able to pick up 2 additional rare lands - very lovely! Anywhoos, we're off to MTG Mint Card to complete some decksets we want to get for our standard constructed game. ~
We're finally back from the wilderness and have access to the interwebs, which means we have some catching up to do. One of the first things we did when we got back to the city was drop by our local Games Store, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario and picked up some of the new Dragon's Maze cards. We also have an order in to MTG Mint Card which should be arriving shortly, so look for our Top 5 uncommons and commons for Dragon's Maze.
As is our custom here at MTG Realm, we unbox an Intro Pack from each of the newest Magic: the Gathering set. Here, before your very eyes is out vid and run down for the black / white 'Orzhov Power' Intro Pack - ~ ~
The two booster packs that came with the Intro Pack gave us a Varolz, the Scar Stripped, and the 'fuse' rare 'Flesh / Blood'. The three additional packs we got also rocked - Tesya, Envoy of Ghosts, a FOIL Vorel of the Hull Clade, Reap Intellect and a Trait Doctoring - not too shabby!
~ Orzhov Power One thing the Orzhov know how to do is savor victory. With the "Orzhov Power" deck, let your devotees clog up the ground while bats and spirits fly overhead, leaving you to enjoy draining the life out of your foe.
27 land : 4 Orzhov Guildgate, 11 Plains, 12 Swamp
23 creatures : 3 Bane Alley Blackguard, 2 Basilica Screecher, 2 Tithe Drinker, 1 Basilica Guards, 1 Kingpin's Pet, 2 Sin Collector, 1 Crypt Ghast, 2 Dark Revenant, 2 Ubul Sar Gatekeepers, 1 Bazaar Krovod, 2 Steeple Roc, 2 Maw of the Obzedat, 1 Smog Elemental, 1 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
10 other spells : 1 Dying Wish, 2 Orzhov Cluestone, 1 Riot Control, 1 Crypt Incursion, 1 Gift of Orzhova, 2 Fatal Fumes, 1 Assassin's Strike, 1 Profit // Loss
~ Anywhoos - drop by your local gaming store to pick one up. To find a store near you carrying MTG, check out the handy Wizards Locator. For a very reasonable MSRP of only $15, here's what you get :
It's a good one for me...my precious 6 week old did the impossible and slept from 7pm-2am last night...that's 7 straight hours my friend...admittedly, it was in the swing and I know when it comes time to sleep in a bed I'll pretty much be back to square one but for now, I'm ecstatic to say the least...feel like I could take on the world today now that I've had about 6 hours of sleep...whole new woman I am;)
As for the rest of the weekend, most of it was spent shopping.
Saturday was largely dedicated to a very exciting meeting at one of the most heavenly furniture stores here in Toronto...there's news coming on that front but for now, I'll tease you with some of what's up at Barrymore...
...aka...
"...a place where furniture isn’t manufactured. It’s made by hand, made for generations (since 1919). We are committed to quality you can see: you can watch cutters, sewers and upholsterers with years of training, experience and dedication at work through the large windows in our showroom. Many of the more than 200 styles of Barrymore sofas and chairs are displayed in our Furniture Galleries adjacent to our Factory. A spacious Fabric Room with both natural and room lighting and thousands of fabric and leather samples is available for your convenience..."
This is high end/ridiculously fabulous/quality furniture my friends... investment pieces that can be totally customized and made to perfectly suite your space...gorgeousity everywhere.
A sampling of the goodies I saw/lusted after while there...
1. Can't you just picture this delicately feminine bed in a crisp and modern loft space? The contrast would be heavenly.
2. I'm feeling as though I NEEEEED this silk settee at the foot of my bed...SO gorgeous...I mean the shape...the fabric....sweet jesus.
3. Loving the ginormous scale of this table...hello dinner party of 12.
4. Such a sweet little vignette ..would be so pretty in a very lucky little girl's room...or mine;)
And saving what I think are the best for last...
5. THIS...
I mean really...could you not drop dead over this...if only I had any place/budget for it ...and by 'it', I properly mean 'confidante'...that's 'its' proper name...who knew...not me...what I did know/am now sure of, is that one day I will have a foyer or dressing room that perfectly suits one...totes my new life's ambition.
6. This pink silk ikat...mixed with this sofa's lines...mixed with the neutral chinoiserie wallpaper....just stop it!
So yup....I saw MANY things I pretty much am dying/willing to sell body parts to own.
Moving on.
Sunday was spent shopping for kid's clothes...always fun.
And speaking of little ones, my daughter's TV show director posted this little video on Facebook the other day and since I know it will totally fix the Monday blues (if you suffer from those,) I'm posting for your viewing pleasure.
Hilarious.
And finally...check back later today for post #2...a little Mother's Day special of sorts.
Wow! What a great weekend we had at the Gatecrash PreRelease. Magic: the Gathering players around the world were able to play for the first time with all the very cool new cards and from what we heard from the gamers at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario, the sealed format with this new set rocks.
This post is the second in our prerelease series and covers off the event we attended on Sunday. Check out our previous one for the midnight prerelease event with an Orzhov Guild Pack.We'll be sorting through all our new cards over the next few days and will start evaluating inclusions to our standard and our EDH / Commander builds. To round out your new collection, drop by MTG Mint Card and get new Gatecrash cards quickly and inexpensively.
Anywhoos - onto the post! Here's a short video - ~
~ We were happy with our pool and was able to construct a decent sealed deck with several creatures with evasion or unblockable to win 2 games, 1 loss and 1 draw to score us a few booster packs in prizes. Stay tuned latter as we provide some new insight to some of the cards we played or played against. ~
~ Happy Thursday MTG peeps, This weekend is Return to Ravnica Game Day. We'll head down to OMG! Games here in Central Ontario to Friday Night Magic to take our standard constructed builds for a test run and then sling cards on Saturday. Today's post is a bit of catchup for us. As is tradition here at MTG Realm, we capture an Intro Pack from the latest set, do a video dissection for you and then provide a derpy review. Well, here it is - let's have a look at Return to Ravnica's G/W 'Selesnya Surge' Intro Pack . . . ~ ~ After about 3 games, we felt that the list is decent for an Intro Pack. First changes we would make to personalise this is to provide additional focus on the goal of making loads of happy tokens. We suggest dropping some spells to make room for some more mana dorks like Arbor Elf and Avacyn's Pilgrim to get to quicker to those Call of the Conclave and Centaur Healers. Where you take it from there is up to you but we think this will deliver big fun to the novice player.
~ With a MRSP of $15, you get • 1 premium card, • 1 60-card deck, • 2 Return to Ravnica booster packs, • 1 learn-to-play insert, • 1 strategy insert
~ Selesnya Surge - g/w Grove of the Guardian. The Selesnya Conclave relentlessly seeks to grow its ranks—both outward and upward. Use the populate ability to multiply your largest token creatures, then go forth and spread the good word. Grow big or go home!
25 lands : 12 Forest, 1 Grove of the Guardian*, 11 Plains, 1 Selesnya Guildgate
~ Happy Thursday MTG peeps, As is customary here at MTG Realm, we pre-ordered a 4x Common and Uncommon Return to Ravnica set from MTG Mint Card and do a bit of show 'n' tell with you, the reader. We like getting the set as you are guaranteed deck sets of all the cards you need and at a very reasonable price.
Anywhoos - we cracked open our devliery last night, which less than 48 hours earlier was at the MTG Mint Card lair in Hong Kong and then travelled at a mind-blowing speed to South Korea, Anchorage AK, Louisville KY, Mississauga, and finally to our doorstep in Barrie, Ontario. The three of us sat down and after an hour or so took votes on the Top 5 Uncommon and Common cards based on performance at the PreRelease and potential to see play in the ever evolving standard constructed environment.
Here's a very brief video -
~ - and here is the run-down if your mobile device does not want to run that vid or if your school / workplace has YouTube on the other side of the corporate firewall . . .
Top 5 RTR Uncommons : • Rakdos Cackler • Slitherhead • Call of the Conclave • Selesnya Charm • Azorius Charm
As is our custom here at MTG Realm, with every new Magic the Gathering set release, we head down to our local store, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario, and pick-up a Fat Pack. Thursday at midnight we did just that and battled a small crowd at the store and picked up an Avacyn Restored Fat Pack for video dissection. We've seen a fade of product 'unboxing' videos on YouTube and want to make it clear we don't want to be like that fromage.
Anywhoos - Here's the vid - our apologies in advance - the program we use Movie Edit Pro 17 from Magix has been great until just recently. It's been rendering the final video with terribad audio quality (static) where previously it's been just great. If you can help, eMail us. EDIT : We think we tracked the problem down in the movie setting / audio sample rate program default. Should be fine next vid - what music do you want next ? Electro, dubstep, edm? - Sorry - no C&W.
OMG! Games • www.omggames.ca • 130 Bell Farm Rd Barrie, ON, L4M 6J4 • (705) 721-4263
Righto - Here's our Fat Pack PULLS : • Divine Deflection • Herald of War • 2x Cathar's Crusade • Infinite Reflection • Stolen Goods • 2x Killing Wave • Vexing Devil We think that this is the weirdest pull we've ever had out of a Fat Pack.
~ For a MSRP of about $40, your Avacyn Restored Fat Pack gives you . . . • Nine booster packs • Basic Land pack of 80 • Avacyn Restored mural • Card Storage box • Two deck boxes • Player's Guide • Learn-to-play insert • Spindown Life Counter
The Avacyn Restored Player's Guide contains a visual encyclopedia of every card in the set, plus play tips and story background information. ~ Finally, If you like Magic the Gathering foils and foreign language cards, head over to MTG Mint Card. They have a great selection of Chinese Avacyn Restored foils great to pimp out your 60 or 100 card build.
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 . . .
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 ~ 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.
We want to hear about how your Avacyn Restored PreRelease event went on the weekend. How did you do? Which cards were you impressed with in your sealed build? What did you pull?
Anywhoos - we went to the AVR PreRelease on Sunday at OMG! Games and Collectibles, here in Barrie, Ontario and had a blast. Rares pulled by yours truly CopySix and RStomp of MTG Realm were as follows :
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, Cavern of Souls, Vexing Devil, Entreat the Angels, Angel of Jubilation, Somberwald Sage, Burn at the Stake, Descendants' Path, Divine Deflection, Ulvenwald Tracker, Herald of War, Wild Defiance.
Enough yattering, lets have a look at the video -
CopySix's pool was fairly deep in White and Blue, and a bit thinner in the remaining colours. We would have rather liked to have played Red / Green but felt it would not quite get us there, so Blue / White it was.
RStomp went with a White / Blue build as well. After the event and re-evaluating his pool kicked himself for not committing to a Red / White build.
Here's a pic of the collective rares pulled . . .
One last thingy before we sign-off on this post - we suggest you inquire whether your local gaming store will be running an Avacyn Launch Friday Night Magic event. We'll be headed out to OMG! Games again this Friday to hopefully score a lovely looking foil Restoration Angel.
~ Also of note - The Avacyn Restored artwork is exceptional - especially the lands. Upgrade 'em to foils we say. Check out the great prices at MTG Mint Card and pre-order that foily goodness. .
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
