Horatorobor
Member
My opponent has a pyromancer ascension with grapeshot and 15 counters I get 16 or 30 damage?
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Magic: the Gathering |OT4| Izzet Me; Izzet You? A Love Story
- Thread starter The Technomancer
- Start date
- Status
The Ascension will just make one additional copy. The Storm on the copy doesn't trigger because it isn't ever actually cast. Likewise, the Storm copies don't get copied by the Ascension because they aren't cast.
Well, looks like this is the SB i'm going with
3 Ensaring Bridge
3 Smash to Smithereens
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Searing Blaze
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Ashen Rider
I ended up adding 1 Sulfuric Vortex to the maindeck, taking out 1 Searing Blaze.
3 Ensaring Bridge
3 Smash to Smithereens
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Searing Blaze
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Ashen Rider
I ended up adding 1 Sulfuric Vortex to the maindeck, taking out 1 Searing Blaze.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Throw a Koth of the Hammer in there to confuse Miracles players
charlequin
Banned
You just give each player a passcode that they can give out to individual spectators. Not a hard problem to solve!
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Its not a hard problem to solve logistically, no.
SigmasonicX
Member
* Theros block was based on Greek mythology and had an enchantment theme, including enchantment creatures.
* Khans of Tarkir block started out as a three-color block (wedges, or a color and its two enemies) before transitioning into a two-color (ally) block.
* The next block is Battle for Zendikar.
* The newest core set, Magic Origins, is the final core set. Blocks will now be two sets only, and there will be two blocks a year. Standard still rotates at the start of each block, so there will now be six sets max in Standard (three blocks). Explanation here.
* Evergreen keyword changes: Intimidate and landwalk are out. Protection will now only appear every once in a while. Scry has been made evergreen. Prowess (whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn), a keyword from Khans of Tarkir, has been made evergreen. A new keyword called menace (can't be blocked except by two or more creatures) has been made evergreen, though it has already appeared without a keyword for years.
* Starting from the next prerelease, the mulligan rules have been changed. After you keep your hand, if you have less cards than the starting hand size, you get to scry 1.
Also, these topics are going to move to OT when set spoilers start starting from Battle for Zendikar.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Hmm when Zendi hits, what will be dropping out?
shrapnelmagnet
Member
Yeah I found it:
Theros
Born of the Gods
Journey into Nyx
2015 Core Set
Are all dropping so I will know what to stay away from.
shrapnelmagnet
Member
Honestly you might want to stay away from Khans of Tarkir + Fate Reforged as well; they'll rotate out about six months after Theros rotates out (should be a new block rotate in next Spring). Dragons of Tarkir + Magic Origins should be good for a little over a year (until next Fall).
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I have to pay $10 just to create a Magic online account? wtf?
For some reason I always thought it was free to make an account and you then had to pay when you wanted to buy anything, I didn't realize there was an upfront fee just to make the account. What does that $10 get you after the account is created?
For some reason I always thought it was free to make an account and you then had to pay when you wanted to buy anything, I didn't realize there was an upfront fee just to make the account. What does that $10 get you after the account is created?
Thanks. I couldn't find anything on the mtgo page about what was included and didn't see there was a cost for the account until I was at the last step to create it. That website is terrrrible.
"God's Beard!"
Member
It's like that to set your expectations.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
5 tickets and some points to play in phantom noob events.
For the midnight crowd...
There is a hashtag on twitter right now "#モバマスの画像をアップすると近い構図のMTGのカードが送られてくる?", where people are taking Mobage cards (a deep hole you do not want to fall down), and cards from Magic.
There is a hashtag on twitter right now "#モバマスの画像をアップすると近い構図のMTGのカードが送られてくる?", where people are taking Mobage cards (a deep hole you do not want to fall down), and cards from Magic.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Just lost a match from mana screw in game 2 and had Xenagos on the field and got 0 creatures on a See the Unwritten.
Salty as fuck.
Salty as fuck.
SigmasonicX
Member
The Ultimate Price one got me.
Speaking of other card games with similar cards to Magic, it's been brought up before how the My Little Pony card game has been referencing Magic cards. Just yesterday, I got a kick out of how the card for The Smooze is obviously based off of Scavenging Ooze (though I'm disappointed by the bland art and flavor text). On another note, I'm kind of surprised that the mechanic used by Starlight Glimmer (top middle), to stop creatures from gaining or losing power, has never appeared in Magic to my knowledge. Though I'm guessing something about the underlying rules makes that very hard to actually implement.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Just lost a second match to See the Unwritten hitting 5 lands and all of my Crater's Claws.
blindrocket
Member
Ouch
My Jeskai Stoneblade deck is 7 cards away from being complete!
And my Prossh BEAST MODE deck for Commander is just three cards away from being complete. I ordered Proxies for the three original duals that it could use. Badlands Bayou Taiga
I can't believe that they sell on eBay/Amazon proxies that are really freaking close in quality.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Playing 5 Color See the Dragonlords (5 color Dragons) on MTGO:
Opponent has Rhino and a Wingmate Roc on the board, I have Ugin at 11 loyalty. Used the ultimate, drawing See the Unwritten, Dromoka the Eternal, Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury, two Thunderbreak Regents and Dragonlord Atarka.
Cast the See the Unwritten, and put into play Dragonlord Kolaghan and Atarka, the World Render.
Everyone has haste now, time to swing:
This is why I play Magic.
Opponent has Rhino and a Wingmate Roc on the board, I have Ugin at 11 loyalty. Used the ultimate, drawing See the Unwritten, Dromoka the Eternal, Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury, two Thunderbreak Regents and Dragonlord Atarka.
Cast the See the Unwritten, and put into play Dragonlord Kolaghan and Atarka, the World Render.
Everyone has haste now, time to swing:
This is why I play Magic.
blindrocket
Member
Yup. Even with blue cores if you want them.
At this point, if a card doesn't have a holo-stamp on it, be careful.
This is a big reason I buy my singles ASAP nowadays from new sets.
"God's Beard!"
Member
Now 3-2, beat Omnitell by playing Ashen Rider off Show and Tell
Ashen Rider da bess
shrapnelmagnet
Member
lol awesome
PS: Tom Ross is my favourite Magic player. I just love his dedication. Like, I showed up to Pro Tour Vancouver and realized / was surprised at how many players I recognized. Didn't say hi to anyone (didn't really wanna bug anybody, was just there to hang out / watch) but I would've said hi to The Boss, haha.
blindrocket
Member
So flip Jace is being played in the LegacyTournament?
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I mean, Legacy cards cost so much fucking money I don't blame anyone for buying proxies for cubes and stuff.
shrapnelmagnet
Member
Yeah, I'd be honestly tempted to buy the weirder Legends-era / Portal weirdo cards that are unreasonably expensive because they're on the "list".
Tourney report!
I dropped with a 4-2 record because I had other plans for the day. For my first games of Legacy ever, It went better than I could have even dreamed.
Round 1: 2-0 vs G/B (may have been a Pox deck?)
Guy was playing cards like Hymn, Liliana, Toughtsieze, and had Innocent Blood and Smallpox in Game 2. He was very soft to Price of Progress, and I had won in under 15 minutes
Round 2: 0-2 vs RUG Delver
I kept a hand of Lavamancer, Swiftspear, Price of Progress, Lightning Bolt and 3 Fetches blind on the play, and didn't do much more than that as he had turn 2 delver (killed my Lavamancer), and protected it all the way to victory. I ended up siding in Pillars, and I get locked under my own Pillar when he plays a Nimble Mongoose late in the game (I had not seen green at all in Game 1), which functioned as The Abyss till I ran out of creatures and just died. He had the nutso counter draw (he used all 4 Forces and 3 Daze), but didn't have many threats.
Round 3: 2-0 vs Elves
I had Eidolon on turn 2 and just focused on burning the any Heritige Druid I saw, and he basically killed himself in Game 1, and in Game 2 I lock him out with Ensnaring Bridge and Burn him to death.
Round 4: 1-2 vs Dark Depths
Win Game 1 on turn 3 with multiple Swiftspears, decide to board in extra Sulfuric Vortex for the longer matchup. Unfortunatly, my unfamilirarity with the format led me to not know Glacial Chasam existed, and Marit Lage is able to finish me in game 2 and 3 before I can burn her out.
Round 5: 2-1 vs Omni-Tell
Lost game 1 on the draw on turn 2, side in my Bridge's, Pillars and Ashen Rider, and kill him Game 2 while holding Ashen Rider because he can't find a third land by turn 5. Game 3 I mulligan to 6, and have the Ashen Rider ready for his Show and Tell, which blows up his Omnicience.
Round 6: 2-0 vs Death and Taxes
He couldn't afford the Price of Progress in game 1, and in game 2, my double Smash to Smithereen's draw blows up his Jitte and Batterskull.
The only changes I would have made to my deck was to have 4 copies of Pyrostatic Pillar in the SB (it was my most frequently sided in card), and played an extra Searing Blaze instead of the single Sulfuric Vortex in the main.
I dropped with a 4-2 record because I had other plans for the day. For my first games of Legacy ever, It went better than I could have even dreamed.
Round 1: 2-0 vs G/B (may have been a Pox deck?)
Guy was playing cards like Hymn, Liliana, Toughtsieze, and had Innocent Blood and Smallpox in Game 2. He was very soft to Price of Progress, and I had won in under 15 minutes
Round 2: 0-2 vs RUG Delver
I kept a hand of Lavamancer, Swiftspear, Price of Progress, Lightning Bolt and 3 Fetches blind on the play, and didn't do much more than that as he had turn 2 delver (killed my Lavamancer), and protected it all the way to victory. I ended up siding in Pillars, and I get locked under my own Pillar when he plays a Nimble Mongoose late in the game (I had not seen green at all in Game 1), which functioned as The Abyss till I ran out of creatures and just died. He had the nutso counter draw (he used all 4 Forces and 3 Daze), but didn't have many threats.
Round 3: 2-0 vs Elves
I had Eidolon on turn 2 and just focused on burning the any Heritige Druid I saw, and he basically killed himself in Game 1, and in Game 2 I lock him out with Ensnaring Bridge and Burn him to death.
Round 4: 1-2 vs Dark Depths
Win Game 1 on turn 3 with multiple Swiftspears, decide to board in extra Sulfuric Vortex for the longer matchup. Unfortunatly, my unfamilirarity with the format led me to not know Glacial Chasam existed, and Marit Lage is able to finish me in game 2 and 3 before I can burn her out.
Round 5: 2-1 vs Omni-Tell
Lost game 1 on the draw on turn 2, side in my Bridge's, Pillars and Ashen Rider, and kill him Game 2 while holding Ashen Rider because he can't find a third land by turn 5. Game 3 I mulligan to 6, and have the Ashen Rider ready for his Show and Tell, which blows up his Omnicience.
Round 6: 2-0 vs Death and Taxes
He couldn't afford the Price of Progress in game 1, and in game 2, my double Smash to Smithereen's draw blows up his Jitte and Batterskull.
The only changes I would have made to my deck was to have 4 copies of Pyrostatic Pillar in the SB (it was my most frequently sided in card), and played an extra Searing Blaze instead of the single Sulfuric Vortex in the main.
SigmasonicX
Member
Nice going, bigkrev!
Third draft of Battle for Zendikar OT OP (second for reference). I brought this up before, but I think it might be better to make this topic before the PAX events (Friday, August 28) instead of before the spoiler weeks (Monday, September 7?).
Pros:
* If the purpose of creating the OT topic before spoiler week is to share the most exciting part of the set with new members, when they unveil the new cards, then it makes more sense to create the topic before PAX, when the most exciting cards of the set will be spoiled and there is more pageantry.
* Thus far, only about five cards have been spoiled. If the topic is made after PAX, then around 20 cards would already have been spoiled by the time the topic is made.
* Wizards is hosting a livestream of the card unveiling events, and GAF is all about commenting on livestreams.
* The unveiling events are even including non-Magic nerd celebrities like Wil Wheaton as hosts. It seems like Wizards is intentionally trying to draw in casual and new players.
Cons:
* There will be a week or so without spoilers after PAX, where we'd be most likely to talk about Standard and such rather than Battle for Zendikar. However, I feel that this time could also be used to help any people that join these threads in reaction to PAX, and I otherwise don't think this is that much of a downside. Besides, we would talk about things other than spoilers during spoiler weeks anyway.
* The World Championship will start on Thursday and go through Sunday. A solution would be to either create the thread on Thursday, or just accept that discussion will start in this thread and then end in the OT.
Battle for Zendikar information
Welcome to the Multiverse! There are multiple worlds that exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, generated from bonds to the land, that can be channeled into powerful spells. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a big hit, it is currently bigger than it has ever been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down to 0 life, from a start of 20, wins.
PAX schedule (more event listings)
Twitch stream
Preview show: Saturday, August 29, 7:308:30 PM (PST), but some cards will also be unveiled during the preshow starting at 4 PM
Spoiler week starts on Monday, September 7
GETTING STARTED
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations and use a lot of jargon, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] faces against various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
To get started, check out this link by TheSeks (somewhat outdated) or the official page. Basically:
* It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). It's a great way to learn the game on your own, and it's free!
* To get your physical collection started, buy a Deck Builder's Toolkit, which includes not just a starting collection of cards (including a lot of lands), but also has some booster packs and is a good place to store cards.
* Alternatively, you can buy an Intro Pack, a low-power prebuilt deck that comes with a few booster packs. For each new set, five Intro Packs are released. There are also Clash Packs and Duel Decks that provide two decks for a game right out of the box, but are a bit more complicated, the latter more so.
* Once your skill advances, another popular way to play Magic casually is Commander. Each player chooses a legendary creature to act as commander and then chooses 99 additional cards, one of each card that isn't a basic land (of which you can have any number) and only of the colors of the commander, to make up the deck. In games, each player starts at 40 life and there are typically four or more players. Wizards provides prebuilt decks for this format too.
* While game stores will often hold Magic events at other times, every store that has Magic events will have Friday Night Magic. There, you will be able to find other players in your area to both have matches with and trade with. Find game stores here. And to get started participating in your local game store (LGS) scene, attend a prerelease!
PRERELEASE
While the set won't officially be sold until the release date, that isn't the first time you can get your hands on the new cards. Game stores hold prerelease events for every set, and in this set's event, every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Prerelease events will be held on September 26-27, 2015. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
CHANGES
Battle for Zendikar marks the start of a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Battle for Zendikar block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (a rotating format that only includes the latest sets) rotates with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months.
With the release of Battle for Zendikar, the legal sets in Standard will be: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, and Battle for Zendikar.
Starting from the Battle for Zendikar prerelease, mulligan rules are changing. When you mulligan, you shuffle your starting hand into your library and draw that many cards minus 1. Now, after you keep your hand, if you have less than 7 cards in hand, then you can scry 1 (look at the top card of your library, you may put it on the bottom).
(To be replaced with image with caption "Set details:")
Lore introduction
Guide to Zendikar
Long ago, before mana even developed distinct colors, the Eldrazi were born in the gaps between planes. Like Planeswalkers, they are able to travel between worlds, but they devour every one that they come across. There appear to be swarms of Eldrazi, but in fact, there are only three, whose projections into the third dimension appear as distinct beings. Over 6000 years ago, they were sealed inside Zendikar, a wild plane overflowing with mana. When we last visited that plane, they were released thanks to the machinations of an evil dragon Planeswalker named Nicol Bolas. The good Planeswalkers present were forced to flee, but as a clue to defeating them is found in the leylines of Zendikar, and two of the three Planeswalkers who originally sealed the Eldrazi reunite, it becomes clear that now is the time to fight back.
Stories leading up to Battle for Zendikar:
Limits - Gideon fights day and night on both Zendikar and Ravnica, until he discovers a ray of hope in Zendikar's leylines.
Catching Up - Jace is asked for help on Ravnica.
Unkindness of Ravens - As Liliana wonders if she should help on Zendikar, she encounters an old foe.
Offers to the Fire - Chandra tries to find peace at her old monastery.
For Zendikar - Nissa becomes unsure of if she can stop the Eldrazi.
Slaughter at the Refuge - Gideon and Jace return to Zendikar.
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
MECHANICS
In addition to the "evergreen" mechanics available to every set, the following mechanics are receiving focus in Battle for Zendikar.
Returning mechanics:
Ally - Ally is a creature type that cares about having other allies, implemented in different ways.
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, something happens.
New mechanics:
Devoid - This card has no color, even if you need colored mana to cast it.
Ingest - Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of his or her library. This ties into Eldrazi cards that can use cards your opponents own in exile.
Awaken X - If you cast a spell for its awaken cost, then put X +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Uncharted Realms, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Latest Developments, written by various Magic developers. The other articles generally discuss deck building. For older articles before the site changed, go here.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete.
Game store locator
PREVIOUS THREADS
OT4
OT3
OT2
OT1
Credit to WanderingWind for the large images.
Third draft of Battle for Zendikar OT OP (second for reference). I brought this up before, but I think it might be better to make this topic before the PAX events (Friday, August 28) instead of before the spoiler weeks (Monday, September 7?).
Pros:
* If the purpose of creating the OT topic before spoiler week is to share the most exciting part of the set with new members, when they unveil the new cards, then it makes more sense to create the topic before PAX, when the most exciting cards of the set will be spoiled and there is more pageantry.
* Thus far, only about five cards have been spoiled. If the topic is made after PAX, then around 20 cards would already have been spoiled by the time the topic is made.
* Wizards is hosting a livestream of the card unveiling events, and GAF is all about commenting on livestreams.
* The unveiling events are even including non-Magic nerd celebrities like Wil Wheaton as hosts. It seems like Wizards is intentionally trying to draw in casual and new players.
Cons:
* There will be a week or so without spoilers after PAX, where we'd be most likely to talk about Standard and such rather than Battle for Zendikar. However, I feel that this time could also be used to help any people that join these threads in reaction to PAX, and I otherwise don't think this is that much of a downside. Besides, we would talk about things other than spoilers during spoiler weeks anyway.
* The World Championship will start on Thursday and go through Sunday. A solution would be to either create the thread on Thursday, or just accept that discussion will start in this thread and then end in the OT.
Battle for Zendikar information
Welcome to the Multiverse! There are multiple worlds that exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, generated from bonds to the land, that can be channeled into powerful spells. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a big hit, it is currently bigger than it has ever been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down to 0 life, from a start of 20, wins.
PAX schedule (more event listings)
Twitch stream
Preview show: Saturday, August 29, 7:308:30 PM (PST), but some cards will also be unveiled during the preshow starting at 4 PM
Spoiler week starts on Monday, September 7
GETTING STARTED
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations and use a lot of jargon, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] faces against various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
To get started, check out this link by TheSeks (somewhat outdated) or the official page. Basically:
* It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). It's a great way to learn the game on your own, and it's free!
* To get your physical collection started, buy a Deck Builder's Toolkit, which includes not just a starting collection of cards (including a lot of lands), but also has some booster packs and is a good place to store cards.
* Alternatively, you can buy an Intro Pack, a low-power prebuilt deck that comes with a few booster packs. For each new set, five Intro Packs are released. There are also Clash Packs and Duel Decks that provide two decks for a game right out of the box, but are a bit more complicated, the latter more so.
* Once your skill advances, another popular way to play Magic casually is Commander. Each player chooses a legendary creature to act as commander and then chooses 99 additional cards, one of each card that isn't a basic land (of which you can have any number) and only of the colors of the commander, to make up the deck. In games, each player starts at 40 life and there are typically four or more players. Wizards provides prebuilt decks for this format too.
* While game stores will often hold Magic events at other times, every store that has Magic events will have Friday Night Magic. There, you will be able to find other players in your area to both have matches with and trade with. Find game stores here. And to get started participating in your local game store (LGS) scene, attend a prerelease!
PRERELEASE
While the set won't officially be sold until the release date, that isn't the first time you can get your hands on the new cards. Game stores hold prerelease events for every set, and in this set's event, every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Prerelease events will be held on September 26-27, 2015. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
CHANGES
Battle for Zendikar marks the start of a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Battle for Zendikar block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (a rotating format that only includes the latest sets) rotates with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months.
With the release of Battle for Zendikar, the legal sets in Standard will be: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, and Battle for Zendikar.
Starting from the Battle for Zendikar prerelease, mulligan rules are changing. When you mulligan, you shuffle your starting hand into your library and draw that many cards minus 1. Now, after you keep your hand, if you have less than 7 cards in hand, then you can scry 1 (look at the top card of your library, you may put it on the bottom).
(To be replaced with image with caption "Set details:")
Lore introduction
Guide to Zendikar
Long ago, before mana even developed distinct colors, the Eldrazi were born in the gaps between planes. Like Planeswalkers, they are able to travel between worlds, but they devour every one that they come across. There appear to be swarms of Eldrazi, but in fact, there are only three, whose projections into the third dimension appear as distinct beings. Over 6000 years ago, they were sealed inside Zendikar, a wild plane overflowing with mana. When we last visited that plane, they were released thanks to the machinations of an evil dragon Planeswalker named Nicol Bolas. The good Planeswalkers present were forced to flee, but as a clue to defeating them is found in the leylines of Zendikar, and two of the three Planeswalkers who originally sealed the Eldrazi reunite, it becomes clear that now is the time to fight back.
Stories leading up to Battle for Zendikar:
Limits - Gideon fights day and night on both Zendikar and Ravnica, until he discovers a ray of hope in Zendikar's leylines.
Catching Up - Jace is asked for help on Ravnica.
Unkindness of Ravens - As Liliana wonders if she should help on Zendikar, she encounters an old foe.
Offers to the Fire - Chandra tries to find peace at her old monastery.
For Zendikar - Nissa becomes unsure of if she can stop the Eldrazi.
Slaughter at the Refuge - Gideon and Jace return to Zendikar.
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
MECHANICS
In addition to the "evergreen" mechanics available to every set, the following mechanics are receiving focus in Battle for Zendikar.
Returning mechanics:
Ally - Ally is a creature type that cares about having other allies, implemented in different ways.
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, something happens.
New mechanics:
Devoid - This card has no color, even if you need colored mana to cast it.
Ingest - Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of his or her library. This ties into Eldrazi cards that can use cards your opponents own in exile.
Awaken X - If you cast a spell for its awaken cost, then put X +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Uncharted Realms, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Latest Developments, written by various Magic developers. The other articles generally discuss deck building. For older articles before the site changed, go here.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete.
Game store locator
PREVIOUS THREADS
OT4
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OT1
Credit to WanderingWind for the large images.
Etrian Oddity
Member
This next OT is gonna be good
shrapnelmagnet
Member
I still think we should show the Magic Online release date, if it's known, because it is different.
Other than that, looks sweet
Other than that, looks sweet
SigmasonicX
Member
Thanks!This next OT is gonna be good
I still think we should show the Magic Online release date, if it's known, because it is different.
Other than that, looks sweet
I think including information about Magic Online would clutter things up a bit too much. For one thing, I'd have to also include the online prerelease date, and then I'd feel obligated to include information on how to get started on Magic Online. Still, I'll edit in a link to the announcement of Battle for Zendikar, which includes that and other pieces of information.
charlequin
Banned
💩 emoji's just one character.
Spoilers won't matter to anyone that isn't already into the game so the excitement we get from things spoiled at PAX, whatever they might be, isn't necessarily going to translate to people that just wander in. How long will our thread be outside of the Community section? If we're doing this experiment in the hopes of drawing in new players and/or reintroducing folks to the game then we should try to make sure our time outside of community is centered around prerelease and release, not an event that probably won't even draw many people to the game that aren't already interested or engaged with it. If the thread is being shifted over to cover the release of BFZ, which was my understanding, then putting the thread out there over a month before the set actually releases probably isn't a good idea. I doubt we're going to last a month before we're moved back. This is especially important if we're attempting to create a template for how we might be able to shift the thread outside of community temporarily to cover set releases.
Maybe I'm just incredibly unclear as to what the reasoning behind the move is to begin with and I'm making poor assumptions based on the wrong information. That's certainly possible.
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