Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re looking at the final confirmation on the cards that make up Alara Reborn, cash tournaments being added to Magic Online, and debut another From The Vault set that features our new favorite Removed From Game term and the potential for some incredible cards to see print all over again. Let’s go!
NOTE: This is a very short video due to clarifications by WotC and MTGO bug fixes after writing this week’s transcript.
Alara Reborn In Gold
This past week a “Key Selling Points” press release came out regarding the upcoming Alara Reborn set, and in it a very specific phrase was revealed: “Alara Reborn is solid gold! Multicolored or ‘gold’ cards are among the most popular set themes, and every single card in Alara Reborn is gold. It will be the first set in the history of Magic: The Gathering to be 100% multicolored.”
So with this information not only will there be no monocolored cards, there won’t be any cards in the set that aren’t more than one mana symbol. This still doesn’t solve the issue of one-drops without including hybrid, and the fact that hybrid is considered completely separate from gold means that no hybrid will be in the set either.
All I know is, it’s another reason to look at Alara Reborn as a great experiment, as in how far one can push a theme – including the entire block theme – and make it work. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time we see what Ardent Plea does along with perhaps another spoiler or two. I’m ready to dip my hands in the gold goodness as soon as possible. Here’s to hoping.
Magic Online Cashing In and Out
Hidden away in the Digital Games section of the MagicTheGathering.com website, there was a very interesting post last week about how cash tournaments have finally, finally reached all the way to the digital realm of Magic Online. Yes ladies and gentlemen, you too can make thousands of dollars by sitting in your boxers playing Magic. In what is dubbed the Magic Online Championship Series, this program has a few intricacies which we’ll cover.
First, there are seven ‘seasons’ which could also be called ‘months’ as these seasons last for 30 days and are followed by a Season Championship. To reach the Season Championship you’ll need to attain 15 Qualifying Points, or QPs, in order to play. You get 1 Qualifying Point for every 8-man queue you win, whether that’s Sealed, Drafting or Constructed, and 3 Qualifying Points for every Premier Event you win. Those who qualify for the Season Championship will get a copy of the Promo Card for the event, the first being a textless Cryptic Command, and those who make Top 32 will get a foil version of it. There are also a hojillion packs being given away to the Top 64 competitors, and qualifying shouldn’t be that difficult if you can get in a few drafts per week.
So assuming you win your Season Championship, what happens? Well, not only are you guaranteed four grand, you are also automatically qualified to play in Worlds for the real big bucks. This will require you to make your way to Rome in December, but I’m pretty sure it’s worth it. A chance to play with the big boys and take home thousands in cash and prizes? Yeah, I’d fly to Italy for that.
Those who play will automatically be getting at least $4,000, as that’s the prize for Top 8, and a free set of Invasion – er, I mean, “one complete set of any previously released Magic Online set or expansion of their choice.” The top two competitors will get a foil set of Invasion – er, I mean, well, let’s not kid ourselves. If you had the option to get a free online set, which would you choose? The one whose commons are worth as much as decent Lorwyn rares, or a set worth less money? I could see someone perhaps going for a full set of Darksteel, Future Sight, or Morningtide, but if you can get the oldest and most rare cards in the system, I think that’s the wise choice.
So that’s the skinny. You need to be at least 13 years old and you need to be hella good at the Magical cards.
(Extended complaining session about MTGO Lag cut due to it no longer being an issue. Yay!)
From The Vault: Money
On Wednesday, Wizards of the Coast let it be known that the From The Vault series was getting another member: Exiled. Now you may remember that Exile is the rumored name for the Removed From Game zone, and here we have it on packaging for a new product. Coincidence? Anyway, From The Vault: Exiled is a product meant to reprint some of the most powerful cards in Magic – that is, cards that have been banned or restricted at some point – and showcasing them in a new, sweet frame with super foiling action going on.
The set contains 15 cards, eight of which are getting new art. The first artwork spoiled is obviously Balance, a card that is incredibly powerful and was restricted into oblivion back in the day. Of course, with fourteen unknown cards, the rumor mills have gone nuts and plenty of speculation has come up in regards to what cards may or may not be chosen.
The first one everyone wants to be in the collection is Force of Will. This stupidly overpowered card has been the holy grail of Will They Reprint It Or Not arguments, with most erring on the side of Not considering that it’s a $30 uncommon. The argument is fully destroyed by the fact that Force of Will has never been banned or restricted. So how about some actual possibilities?
My guess is that Necropotence will rear its ugly head – er, skull again, that Strip Mine will get all foily, and Mind Twist will do the same.
The big bombshell I think they’re going to be unleashing onto the Magic populus in this collection is Berserk. It’s a classic, overpowered card that is still worth plenty of money and one limited reprint won’t screw it up. So with that, I think the hits that will be in here include Land Tax, monsters like Kird Ape which was actually banned in Extended at one point, Necropotence, Strip Mine, Mind Twist, Channel, Vampiric Tutor, Sol Ring, Hypnotic Specter which has been reprinted a hojillion times but has also been banned, Brainstorm, Black Vise, its antithesis Ivory Tower, Tinker, Mana Vault and of course Balance as pictured. These are just my guesses, be sure to leave yours in the feedback.
All I know is, this whole set feels like From The Vault: Cube, as most to all of these cards will be going directly into my Cube and with its limited print run, I suggest you make your own arrangements for attaining a set of From The Vault: Exiled as soon as possible.
So until next week everybody when I report live from Roanoke, Virginia and the not one but two back-to-back PTQs this weekend, this is Evan Erwin. Tapping the cards… so you don’t have to.
Evan “misterorange” Erwin
eerwin +at+ gmail +dot+ com
twitter dot com slash misterorange
dubs dubs dubs dot themagicshow dot teevee
Written while still sad regarding the short show. It’s better to not be wrong of course, but to find out things had changed at the 11th hour is annoying.