Magic Online Weekly Announcements, January 23, 2024
Posted on Jan 23, 2024
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THE LEAD
Ravnica Remastered on MTGO
The first Magic offering of 2024 is a return to one of the game’s most beloved planes – Ravnica! Think of Ravnica Remastered (set code RVR) as a collectible version of Ravnica Cube – over a dozen expansions contribute cards to this play experience, and the Guilds are on full display.
Magic Online is the exclusive digital home of Ravnica Remastered!
- RVR Boosters cost $3.99 USD in the MTGO Store, the same as a Standard set.
- Events run only until Murders at Karlov Manor events start at 10 a.m. PT (18:00 UTC) on February 6.
- Both a Draft league and a single-elimination Draft queue are available.
- Preliminary, Challenge, and Premier events utilizing Sealed Deck during this period will use RVR for their product and prizes .
- There is a Limited Super Qualifier this Sunday, January 28 (see below) and a Limited Qualifier next Friday, February 2 – both will feature RVR!
- Constructed Challenge and Premier events will continue to award LCI set prizes.
- The next grant of Magic Online Player Rewards on February 1st (covers play & purchases in January) will consist of foil versions of the common and uncommon retro-frame cards in RVR.
- RVR is not eligible for redemption.
Retro Shockland Bundles Available Now
Our latest Art Bundle offering is something truly unique in Magic Online’s history – all ten shocklands in a retro frame!
There are two Bundles available, each of which will sell for $39.99 USD in the MTGO Store.
The Allied Guilds Bundle contains 1 copy each of these 5 lands
The Enemy Guilds Bundle contains 1 copy of each of these 5 lands
These Art Bundles will remain in the Store for a limited time following the release of Murders at Karlov Manor. Like previous Bundles, these will neither appear in Treasure Chests nor be included in All-Access periods. So be sure to pick yours up today!
Murders at Karlov Manor Article Next Week
The suspense is building, so be sure to visit MTGO.com next Tuesday morning Pacific time to gather all the clues for the next set Murders at Karlov Manor on Magic Online!
MTGO BROADCASTS
The AlphaFrog Invitational – Tuesdays at 1pm PT
A popular stream for watching Pro players try their hand at a Vintage Cube variant is on the MTGO Twitch channel! Designed by Gavin Thompson-Exner – AlphaFrog himself – the Cube has been a place for some of the biggest names in Magic to show off, goof around, and compete against their peers.
Every Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT (21:00 UTC), a single pod will draft and then battle on stream. Anuraag Das and AlphaFrog are your hosts for this eight-part limited series that runs until February 6th, so mark your calendar!
Today’s episode is a special 3v3 Team Draft episode! The team of Luis Scott-Vargas, Eli Kassis, and Luis Salvatto take on Reid Duke, Logan Nettles, and Caleb Durward
PREMIER PLAY
Six Regional Championship Invitations Up for Grabs This Weekend
Your next chances to earn a seat at the April-June Regional Championship round (feeding Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3) are available this weekend.
First up is a Pioneer Qualifier on Saturday, January 27 at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time (15:00 UTC).
It takes 40 Season 1 Qualifier Points to enter a Qualifier, and the Top 2 finishers are invited to the RC. Prizes are awarded to the Top 64.
Then on Sunday, January 28 at 7:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC), it’s the Limited Super Qualifier!
The event can be entered with 40 Event Tickets, 400 Play Points, or 40 Season 1 QPs and features Ravnica Remastered Sealed Deck with Top 8 Draft. The Top 4 finishers gain an RC invite and prizes go down to 128th place.
ALTERNATE PLAY
Vintage Cube 64-Player Elimination Drafts End Saturday
A higher-stakes version of the Vintage Cube League is wrapping up – the 64-Player Elimination Drafts! The schedule for this final week is the same as last week except that the last event is Saturday at 9:30 a.m. PT:
- 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. PT (15:30 to 03:30 next day UTC) - Hourly on the 30s, excluding downtime
- Other times - Every two hours on the even-hour 30s (8:30 p.m. PT, 10:30 pm PT, etc until 6:30 a.m. PT)
Here’s the prize table:
|
Place |
Play Points |
Treasure Chests |
Season 1 QPs |
|
1st |
600 |
45 |
24 |
|
2nd |
500 |
30 |
12 |
|
3rd-4th |
500 |
15 |
6 |
|
5th-8th |
200 |
12 |
3 |
|
9th-16th |
200 |
3 |
1 |
ICYMI: Vintage Cube Articles
Our most popular format is capping off a five-week run next week, and we have two articles for you to reference as you play:
- Ryan Spain’s Future of Magic Online Vintage Cube
- Chris Wolf’s Winter Cube Update – including Changelist (with designer comments) and the full Cube list.
- Plus, bookmark this page to find the most recent Vintage Cube list whenever you like!
Alternate Play Schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule of events coming up between now and Murders at Karlov Manor. Each description mentions whether the Draft is Phantom – cards won’t be added to players’ collections in Phantom events. All transitions take place at 10:00 a.m. PT (18:00 UTC) unless otherwise noted.
- Through January 27 – Vintage Cube returns for the Holidays Festival! Like last year, this will be a five-week run that supports competitors testing for the MOCS Season 3 Showcase (Jan. 13, twitch.tv/officialmagiconline & twitch.tv/magic). (Phantom)
- January 17-February 6 – Ravnica Remastered will be in the spotlight with a Draft League that overlaps the last week of Vintage Cube. (Keeper)
When Is Vintage Cube Back?
A new regular feature of the Blog, this item will mention when the next scheduled run of our most popular event will take place:
- Winter Update: Through January 24
- Fast Follow Update: February 21-March 6
- Spring Update: Mid-March, Dates TBD
EVENT UPDATES
New & Upgraded Events on Sundays Begin This Week!
Starting this weekend, we are making the following upgrades and additions to the Challenge schedule on Sundays:
- The Standard Challenge at 2pm PT will upgrade to the 96-player level for the remainder of the RCQ season.
- A new Pioneer Challenge starts at 1pm PT (21:00 UTC).
- A new Modern Challenge begins at 6pm PT (02:00 Monday UTC).
- Both Challenges will start as 32-player events but will promote quickly as needed.
- The Pauper Challenge on Sundays at 10am PT is being returned to the 64-player level based on consistent turnout this month.
- Finally, a new Modern Preliminary fires at 9am PT (17:00 UTC).
Standard Preliminaries Added for RCQ Season
To meet demand for Standard competitive play during its RCQ season, we have added a couple handfuls of Preliminaries to the Weekly Schedule starting tomorrow. The dates and times appear on our Calendar link at the top of the page, or you can view them in grid form on the Preliminaries page.
WEEKLY UPDATES
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan® on Magic Online
It's time to descend below the surface of our tropical plane and discover a wondrous world! The Lost Caverns of Ixalan® is now live on MTGO. Check out our traditional set article for full information:
- The Jurassic World Bundle
- 20 All-New Cards & 12 Lands for $35 USD
- A UI improvement in tracking floating mana
- Booster Fun, a Treasure Chest update, and more
- A companion article about our new Premium looks
Cosmium Neon Ink Bundles
Introduced on Cyber Monday, our Cosmium Neon Ink Bundles remain on sale – $20 USD gets you a Mana Crypt and Cavern of Souls in a randomly-selected color choice. Check out this article for full details.
Redemption Corner
We’ve updated our Redemption page with new quantity percentages.
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Redemption Tokens are now on sale alongside Wilds of Eldraine.
Two-Factor Authentication Is Now Live – Protect Your Account Today!
A long-requested security feature is now part Magic Online – check out Ryan Spain’s article to learn the why, what, and how to put Two-Factor Authentication into effect to help protect your account!
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:
- The number in the title represents the minimum fire size and the lowest place to receive prizes.
- In MOCS Season 1, Standard and Pauper Challenges are never pre-empted.
- 32-Player Limited Challenge events are 6 rounds with no playoff
- The Sunday Modern Challenge is 64 players when there is a Showcase Challenge on the same day, and 96 players when there is no conflict.
| TIME (PT) | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
| 12:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge 32 | ||
| 1:00 a.m. | Limited Challenge 32 | Limited Challenge 32 | |
| 2:00 a.m. | Pauper Challenge 32 | ||
| 4:00 a.m. | Legacy Challenge 32 | Modern Challenge 64 or 96 | |
| 6:00 a.m. | Standard Challenge 32 | Pioneer Challenge 64 | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Modern Challenge 96 | Legacy Challenge 64 | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge 32 | Pauper Challenge 64 | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Limited Challenge 32 | ||
| 1:00 p.m. | NEW Pioneer Challenge 32 | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | Pioneer Challenge 64 | Pioneer Challenge 64 | Standard Challenge 96 |
| 4:00 p.m. | Limited Challenge 32 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | Modern Challenge 64 | Modern Challenge 64 | New Modern Challenge 32 |
Check out the Magic Online Format Challenges page for further event details.
NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – January 31, 2024, 9 a.m. to Noon PT
The next scheduled maintenance will be Wednesday, January 31 from 9 a.m. to noon PT (17:00-20:00 UTC). This is to support the release of Murders at Karlov Manor.
Author: Tony Mayer