What Is the Magic Online Weekly Announcements Blog?
Every Tuesday, we round up all of the biggest Magic Online news for the Weekly Announcements Blog.
Check in weekly for the latest updates!
Quick Links
- The Holiday Cube is Now the Vintage Cube!
- Voice Your Opinion on Play Points and Leagues
- Announcing January MOPR Promos
- Upcoming Streamer Showdown on December 10
- Watch the New Season of the Vintage Super League
- Magic Online R&D Challenge
- Season 10-12 QPs Removed Will Be Removed on December 16
- Premier Play for the rest of 2015
- Downtime for December 9, 2015
- Downtime for December 16, 2015
- Downtime for December 23, 2015
- No Downtime on December 30, 2015
- Last Blog of 2015
- Ongoing and Upcoming Events
- Ask us anything on the Magic Online Tumblr!
- Download Magic Online
The Holiday Cube is Now the Vintage Cube!
The Cube formerly known as the Holiday Cube is now the Vintage Cube! Magic R&D developer Adam Prosak walks players through the changes that they can expect from the Vintage Cube's return in his latest article.
Check out the full Vintage Cube list here.
Voice Your Opinion on Play Points and Leagues
As part of the the Magic Online Feedback Program, Assistant Digital Product Manager Brandon Kreines returns to poll players about Play Points and Leagues.
Announcing January MOPR Promos
The January MOPR period runs from December 30, 2015, through January 27, 2016. Here are the promo cards:
|
Event Promo |
Store Promo |
Please note, these Magic Online promos will have the art shown above, but will use Magic Online expansion symbol and a Magic Online frame instead of the expansion symbol and frame shown.
Play in one or more events during the MOPR period, and you’ll get a non-premium Nissa's Pilgrimage. Five or more and you’ll get an additional premium Nissa's Pilgrimage. Spend at least $20 total in the Magic Online Store during this MOPR period, and you’ll get a non-premium Mother of Runes. By spending $40 or more, you’ll get an additional, premium, Mother of Runes.
And remember, this means it's your last chance to get the December MOPR promos, like this Anticipate.
In the Magic Online Player Rewards (MOPR) program, Magic Online players are rewarded for participating in tournaments of a sufficient size, as well as making purchases in the Magic Online Store. Learn about the specifics of the program here.
Upcoming Streamer Showdown on December 10
If you've never seen a Streamer Showdown before, they come in two eight-player Draft pods that feature some of the best streamers in the community brawling with the latest Magic Online sets. If you're trying to improve your game, Magic Online streamers are some of the best players out there—and some of the best teachers, too. Even if you're already a Magic pro, throw your support behind one of the competitors and cheer them on from their Twitch chat!
This Streamer Showdown will feature Battle for Zendikar! Check out the streamer lineup below, then stop by your favorite streamer's Twitch channel on Thursday, December 10, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC -8) for the latest Streamer Showdown.
Thursday, December 10, 1:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event
Thursday, December 10, 6:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event
- Cameron Aldous
- Evan Erwin
- Athena Huey
- Frank Lepore
- Gabe Reale
- Ashlen Rose
- Gaby Spartz
- Luis Scott-Vargas
Watch the New Season of the Vintage Super League
The final roster spot for the Vintage Super League will be decided in tonight's play-in tournament at 6:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC-8) on twitch.tv/magic! Check out Randy Buehler's preview article for a look at what's coming up in tonight's episode.
Check out player decklists here.
Magic Online R&D Challenge
The time has come once again to rumble with the folks in R&D and earn the sweetest prize of all: bragging rights. That's right, another Magic Online R&D Challenge is coming up on Friday, December 18, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8). Aside from satisfying clacks on their victory abacuses, R&D competitors will not be eligible to win prizes—their matches will only affect standings. Any prizes Wizards employees win will be distributed evenly among players with 15 match points within five business days of the event's completion.
Behold, the list of competitors!
- Bryan Hawley
- Ben Hayes
- Dave Humpherys
- Alli Medwin
- Adam Prosak
- Yoni Skolnik
R&D Challenge Standard Swiss
Start Time: Friday, December 18, 12:00 p.m.
All times are Pacific (for UTC, add 8 hours).
Location: Scheduled Events
Entry Options:
- Option 1: 10 Event Tickets
- Option 2: 100 Play Points
Product: A Standard Constructed-legal deck
Size: 32–512 players
Play Style: Swiss
Format: Standard
Duration: Five rounds, each round up to 50 minutes.
Prizes:
| Match Wins | Prizes | QPs |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Wins | 18 Battle for Zendikar booster packs | 3 |
| 4 Wins | 9 Battle for Zendikar booster packs | 1 |
| 3 Wins | 5 Battle for Zendikar booster packs | 0 |
Season 10-12 QPs Removed Will Be Removed on December 16
As a reminder, we're coming to the end of the 2015 Magic Online Championship Series, so Season 10 through 12 QPs will be removed from the system on December 16.
Premier Play for the rest of 2015
Since the Weekly Announcements won't be coming around again until January 5, 2016, we wanted to provide a list of the biggest Magic Online events between now and the new year. Check out the full list in the Ongoing and Upcoming Events section at the bottom of this page for more details.
Downtime for December 9, 2015
- All tournaments will close Wednesday, December 9, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific (13:00 UTC)
- Store and trade activity will be suspended at approximately 7:45 a.m. Pacific (15:45 UTC)
- The system will be down from 8:00 a.m. Pacific (16:00 UTC) until 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC)
Downtime for December 16, 2015
- All tournaments will close Wednesday, December 16, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific (13:00 UTC)
- Store and trade activity will be suspended at approximately 7:45 a.m. Pacific (15:45 UTC)
- The system will be down from 8:00 a.m. Pacific (16:00 UTC) until 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC)
Downtime for December 23, 2015
- All tournaments will close Wednesday, December 23, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific (13:00 UTC)
- Store and trade activity will be suspended at approximately 7:45 a.m. Pacific (15:45 UTC)
- The system will be down from 8:00 a.m. Pacific (16:00 UTC) until 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC)
No Downtime on December 30, 2015
There will be no Magic Online downtime on Wednesday, December 30. This causes a few oddities with regular Magic Online services.
- Set redemptions purchased after the December 23 downtime will not be processed until the January 6 downtime.
- The MOPR transition that normally occurs during the downtime will occur at 8:00 a.m. Pacific (UTC -8). Please keep in mind that MOPR grants won't take place until the January 6 downtime.
Last Blog of 2015
Today's Weekly Announcements will be the last edition posted in 2015. We'll be back on January 5, 2016.
Happy holidays!
Legendary Cube and Commander (2015 Edition) Known Issues
Gameplay
- Cardset | Caged Sun’s mana ability incorrectly doesn't trigger when a land is tapped for an ability that produces more than one mana.
- Cardset | Abilities that generate replacement effects preventing specific cards from being put into graveyards (such as those found on Progenitus or Blightsteel Colossus) do not function properly while resolving Grenzo, Dungeon Warden's activated ability.
- Cardset | All legendary creature cards in all zones owned by a player who controls a Heroes' Podium incorrectly receive the power/toughness bonus from its first ability.
- Cardset | Kumano, Master Yamabushi's ability does not cause creature cards to be exiled instead of being put into the graveyard.
- Cardset | Myriad Landscape’s activated ability incorrectly allows a player to put two basic lands that do not share a land type onto the battlefield.
- Cardset | Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient does not copy activated abilities of artifacts that sacrifice as part of their activation cost.
- Cardset | Cards cast with conspire that require a player to sacrifice a creature as an additional cost to cast, such as Life's Legacy and Momentous Fall, incorrectly look at the power and toughness of the last creature clicked for conspire.
- Cardset | Villainous Wealth's prompt box text incorrectly suggests that the caster must cast all appropriate exiled spells. This is a display issue only. The Cancel button allows the player to continue without casting remaining spells.
- Cardset | Copying All Suns' Dawn sometimes causes a crash.
- Cardset | Casting Ray of Command without paying its mana cost, via a spell or ability such as cascade or Mizzix's Mastery, incorrectly requires the player to pay the mana cost.
Ongoing and Upcoming Events
Now–December 9—Legendary Cube Events
December 12—2015 Magic Online Championship Series Player of the Year Event 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 10–13—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries
December 13—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 9:00 a.m. Pacific (17:00 UTC)
December 16–January 6—Vintage Cube Events
December 19—2015 Magic Online Championship Series Last Chance Qualifier 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 20—2016 Magic Online Championship Series Monthly Event 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 24–27—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries
December 27—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 26—2015 Magic Online Championship Series Last Chance Qualifier 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 26—Power Nine Challenge 11:00 a.m. Pacific (19:00 UTC)
December 31–January 3—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries
January 1—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 9:00 a.m. Pacific (17:00 UTC)
January 2—2016 Magic Online Championship Series Monthly Event 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)
December 31–January 3—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries
January 3—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)