Weekly Blog - May 30, 2023
- By Angeliana
THE LEAD
Two-Factor Authentication Live Tomorrow After Downtime!
A long-requested security feature will be added to Magic Online during the downtime tomorrow. Read the full article on how to activate the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) now!All-Access Returns Tomorrow!
Are you a Mox or five short of your dream Vintage deck? Maybe you want to set up and run through your own Modern playtesting gauntlet. Or perhaps you just want to try out some quirky Commander brews, but you don’t have a deep collection. Good news, All-Access Weeks are back! From May 31 to June 14, the Mythic Event Token will be available in the Magic Online Store allowing players to use almost every card in the game.To use the Mythic Event Token, simply purchase it in the Store, build any legal deck in your chosen format, and enter a game or event. No cards will be added to your collection, but you'll be able to play even if you don't have all the cards in your collection.
The token is $25.00 USD and goes on-sale tomorrow following downtime. The access will last from time of purchase until downtime on June 14. We'll remove all Mythic Event Tokens from accounts and turn off All-Access during that downtime. If you’re still competing in a Constructed League on that day, you’ll be allowed to complete that course.
You can also enter one of two constructed Super Qualifiers by purchasing a second Mythic Event Token and spending both as an entry option. Don’t worry, you’ll still have the access until June 14 even if the Token is no longer on your account in this case. Those events are:
- Legacy Super Qualifier – Friday, June 2 at 7 a.m. PT
- Pioneer Super Qualifier – Friday, June 9 at 2 p.m. PT
Build anything cool and new to you in Commander using All-Access? We want to hear all about it on our Discord’s Commander channel!
Note: Just like previous All-Access periods, certain cards (Secret Lair versions, Battlebond, and old-frame Power Nine) are unavailable. All-Access doesn’t apply to Limited events.
Banned and Restricted Update - Standard
As announced in yesterday’s DailyMTG article, three cards have been banned from Standard:- Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
- Invoke Despair
- Reckoner Bankbuster
PREMIER PLAY
Aftermath Sets Added to Premier Prize Pools During All-Access!
For the next two weekends only, we are going to sweeten the prize pool for players competing in Super Qualifiers or Showcase Challenge events!The Top 16 finishers in each event will receive a March of the Machine: The Aftermath regular set in addition to the normal prizes – and the Top 4 will get a premium set instead.
Additionally, any players below 16th place who complete all Swiss rounds with just 2 match losses will be granted a regular Aftermath set by Tuesday of the following week.
Legacy Super Qualifier This Friday
Your next chance to earn a seat at this fall’s round of Regional Championship comes up at the end of the week. A Legacy Super Qualifier begins this Friday, June 2nd at 7 a.m. PT (14:00 UTC).The Super Qualifier’s entry options are 40 Event Tickets, 400 Play Points, 40 MOCS Season 2 Qualifier Points, or 2 Mythic Event Tokens (see All-Access item above). The Top 4 finishers earn seats at the RC and prizes pay out to the Top 128!
Click the Premier Play Information link at the top of this Blog for full details. For more details on tabletop Regional Championships, visit magic.gg.
MOCS Showcase Challenge Events This Weekend
We're midway through MOCS Season 2, so it’s time for another round of Showcase Challenges feeding the next Showcase Qualifiers in July.It takes 40 Season 2 Qualifier Points to enter a Showcase Challenge. The Top 8 finishers in each event earn a Championship Entry Token for the event’s format plus earn Leaderboard Points toward an At-Large berth in the next Showcase!
Additionally, the note above about Aftermath set prizes applies to these events.
Here are the dates and times for the next group:
| DATE | TIME (PT) | TIME (UTC) | EVENT | FORMAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 3, 2023 | 8:00 a.m. | 15:00 | Modern Showcase Challenge | Modern |
| Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 6:00 a.m. | 13:00 | Pioneer Showcase Challenge | Pioneer |
ALTERNATE PLAY
IPA Block Flashback Returns Tomorrow!
A fan-favorite Flashback returns tomorrow following downtime – it's Invasion Block Draft League! Rith, Darigaaz, and company roam the skies as the first Phyrexian takeover of Dominaria unfolds in the conclusion of the Weatherlight saga.This Phantom play experience runs for one week until Wednesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. PT. Entry options are 10 Event Tickets or 100 Play Points.
Alternate Play Schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule of events coming up between now and The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™. Each description mentions whether or not the Draft is Phantom – cards won’t be added to players’ collections in Phantom events. All event transitions are at 10 a.m. PT unless otherwise noted:- May 31-June 7 – How many Phyrexian incursions into planes have there been? One of the most famous ones is among the most beloved old draft formats – it’s Invasion Block (IPA) Flashback! (Phantom)
- June 7-14 – Another famous Phyrexian battle front was the plane of Rath. We’ll head back there via Tempest Remastered. (Phantom)
- June 14-LTR Release – Emblematic of March of the Machine and back for the first time in four years – it’s Battle of the Planes! In this Phantom event, choose one of five planes (Zendikar, Innistrad, Ravnica, Dominaria, and Mirrodin), then you get a mix of boosters of sets from that plane and build a Sealed Deck as normal. Four years ago, they were 7-booster Sealed decks ... this time they will be 8-booster Sealed decks!
WEEKLY UPDATES
Redemption Update
Redemption Tokens for March of the Machine are now on sale in the MTGO Store.IMPORTANT: As of last Tuesday, Redemptions Tokens are non-refundable! We've updated our Redemption page with that information.
Tokens for Phyrexia: All Will Be One and The Brothers' War remain available.
For more details on the redemption program, click here.
March of the Machine on MTGO
Want to learn all about what we’re offering for the multiplanar battle spectacular that is March of the Machine? Go read the article now for info on:- A new Art Bundle
- How to Battle on MTGO
- Alternate Play Schedule, including Magic 30 Cube and Vintage Cube
- Our next All-Access
- Odds and Ends
March of the Machine: The Aftermath on MTGO
After the battle of the Multiverse has been won, what becomes of the story’s key figures? All is explained in the 50-card micro-set March of the Machine: The Aftermath! This Standard-legal expansion – which has a set code of MAT – is now available in the Magic Online Store.The booster sells for $2.49 USD in the MTGO Store. Because the set is not designed for Limited play, the main way to get the cards will be by purchasing boosters. (Note: Cards in the set will be available for use in future Cubes)
You can get more descriptions about each 5-card booster’s contents in this article from Wizards of the Coast. MAT will not be redeemable, though regular and foil digital sets will exist inside the game.
Like most expansions, extended-art and retro versions of the cards are now available in the Curated slot of Treasure Chests. They will also appear in the Booster Fun slot of each pack.
The next Magic Online Player Rewards drop on June 1st (based on play and purchases in May) will feature foil, alternate-art versions of the set’s uncommons.
LTR on MTGO Article June 13
DailyMTG is featuring the Debut of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ today. We will tell you all about what Magic Online is doing for this set in an article on Tuesday, June 13 – save the date!Magic Online Format Challenges Every Weekend
Format Challenges are the first step toward qualifying for Premier Play through your favorite Magic formats and provide excellent prizes for those looking to test their mettle in their favorite formats. Learn more about Premier Play qualification to get started today.Magic Online's Format Challenges run as shown on the schedule below.
On weekends featuring Showcase Challenge events, the Format Challenge that starts at either 6 a.m., 8 a.m., or 10 a.m. Pacific time is pre-empted by the Showcase Challenge; Format Challenges scheduled at other times remain in place.
NOTES:
CONSTRUCTED
- In MOCS Season 2, Vintage and Standard Challenges are never pre-empted
- 32-Player events require 32 players to fire and give prizes to the Top 32.
- Pauper and Vintage Challenges are always 32-Player tournaments.
- All other events listed require 64 players to fire and give prizes to the Top 64.
- 32-Player Limited Challenge events are 6 rounds with no playoff
- 64-Player Limited Challenge events are 7 rounds with no playoff
| TIME (PT) | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge | ||
| 1:00 a.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | 32-Player Limited Challenge | |
| 2:00 a.m. | Pauper Challenge | ||
| 4:00 a.m. | 32-Player Legacy Challenge | Modern Challenge | |
| 6:00 a.m. | 32-Player Standard Challenge | Pioneer Challenge | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Modern Challenge | Legacy Challenge | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge | Pauper Challenge | |
| 12:00 p.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | 32-Player Limited Challenge | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Pioneer Challenge | 32-Player Standard Challenge | |
| 4:00 p.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | Modern Challenge | Modern Challenge |
Patch Notes - May 31, 2023
- Two-Factor Authentication will be live – see the article link in The Lead above for details.
- Invasion of Ikoria will correctly find creatures with mana value 0 when being put onto the battlefield without being cast (Deputy of Detention and other exile effects, etc).
- If you have the MTGO game client displayed on an external monitor, then unplug that monitor, the client will correctly revert to another screen (and not be lost to the abyss).
- Dream Halls will correctly cast modal spells using its alternative cost.
- Crovax the Cursed will correctly get a +1/+1 counter after sacrificing a creature to its ability.
Next Scheduled Downtime - Tomorrow at 9 a.m. PT
Our next scheduled downtime is tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 12 noon Pacific time (16:00-19:00 UTC). This is for the release of Two-Factor Authentication into the MTGO game client.The following downtime will be Wednesday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon Pacific time (16:00-19:00 UTC) to install support for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ - events and products go on-sale Tuesday, June 20.