Magic Online Weekly Announcements, January 30, 2024
Posted on Jan 30, 2024
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THE LEAD
Murders at Karlov Manor On-Sale Next Week!
The next Magic expansion is a mystery – Murders at Karlov Manor hits MTGO’s digital shelves next Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT (18:00 UTC). Our traditional set article is live and previews the following items:
- The return of the Deck Brewer’s Pass
- Up to nine days for $20 USD
- Boosters and Commander Decks in the Store
- Our unique Invisible Ink treatment found on a select group of the set’s Showcase cards
- Treasure Chest and Commander Backlog updates
- Treasure Chest update is on release day, not after downtime
- Over 30 cards added from previous sets
- Avatars and MKM legality timing
Downtime Tomorrow 9 a.m.-Noon PT
Magic Online will have a scheduled maintenance period tomorrow, January 31 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon PT (17:00-20:00 UTC). During this time, our Help and Forums will be inaccessible. Please follow our Twitter/X account and/or our Discord channel (links at top of Blog) for real-time updates.
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 features AlphaFrog taking on a stacked group of challengers: Paul Cheon, Logan Nettles, Luis Salvatto, Nathan Steuer, Jonathan Brostoff, Corey Baumeister, Reid Duke
Programming Note: Next week’s AlphaFrog finale falls on Murders at Karlov Manor Release Day, so be sure to catch the Pros trying their hand at MKM Draft for the first time to get some early impressions on the format!
PREMIER PLAY
RVR Limited Qualifier Friday
Your next chance to earn a seat at the April-June Regional Championship round (feeding Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3) takes place on Friday.
A Limited Qualifier starts this Friday, February 2 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time (22:00 UTC). The format will be Ravnica Remastered Sealed Deck with Top 8 Draft.
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.
For more information on the Qualifier, click the Premier Play Information link at the top of the Blog.
ALTERNATE PLAY
Ravnica Remastered Phantom League Starts Tomorrow
We have heard feedback about wanting to have a phantom Ravnica Remastered draft experience before it departs from the play rotation next week. So following tomorrow’s downtime, we are adding an 8-Ticket RVR Phantom League that will run only until Murders at Karlov Manor starts next week.
Here are the details:
- Entry – 8 Event Tickets or 80 Play Points
- Duration – Up to three matches per League course
- Prizes:
- 3 Wins – 120 Play Points and 3 Treasure Chests
- 2 Wins – 80 Play Points
- 1 Win – 40 Play Points
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.
- Now-February 6 – Ravnica Remastered will be in the spotlight with a Draft League that overlaps the last week of Vintage Cube. (Keeper, with Phantom added 1/31)
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:
- Fast Follow Update: February 21-March 6
- Spring Update: Mid-March, Dates TBD
EVENT UPDATES
New & Upgraded Events on Sundays
As of January 28, we have made 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 32 starts at 1pm PT (21:00 UTC).
- A new Modern Challenge begins at 6pm PT (02:00 Monday UTC).
- That Modern Challenge will be at the 64-player level starting this week
- 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).
New Second Chance Challenges Start This Week
We've seen recent occurrences of Challenges failing to fire after being newly promoted to a higher prize structure. The team wants to ensure players are able to compete for the highest level of prizes possible based on attendance. When there's a drop due to unforeseen factors, it's a feel-bad for both us and for those players who miss out on that competition.
Based on feedback provided by the community this weekend, we are adding a layer of Second Chance Challenges. The idea is that if a newly promoted Challenge doesn't fire with enough players within 15 minutes of its start time, a backup event that's one prize level down is able to be joined just a few minutes later.
Note: These are separate tournaments, so it is possible for a Second Chance event to fire even if the original event successfully starts. It is expected that the Second Chance event will not fire most weeks.
This will apply to all events using the 96-player structure as well as any events newly promoted to 64. Here's a list of formats, days, and times where new events will be added starting this weekend.
| Format | Day/Time PT | Day/Time UTC | Structure |
| Modern | Saturday 8:30 a.m. | Sunday 16:30 | Large - 64 |
| Modern | Sunday 4:30 a.m. | Sunday 12:30 | Large - 64 |
| Pauper | Sunday 10:30 a.m. | Sunday 18:30 | Small - 32 |
| Standard | Sunday 2:30 p.m. | Sunday 22:30 | Large - 64 |
| Modern | Sunday 6:30 p.m. | Monday 02:30 | Small - 32 |
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. 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
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!
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!
Cosmium Neon Ink Bundles Leave Store Next Week
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. They will leave the MTGO Store next week when MKM debuts, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone!
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. Murders at Karlov Manor is anticipated to be on sale on Wednesday, March 6.
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
- Challenges with a Second Chance Event that fires 30 minutes later are shown in Bold.
| 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 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. | 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 | Modern Challenge 64 |
Check out the Magic Online Format Challenges page for further event details.
PATCH NOTES – January 31, 2024
Card Issues
- Cosmium Catalyst (the back side of Ore-Rich Stalactite) will activate as expected.
- Predatory Rampage will correctly only grant bonuses to its controller’s creatures.
- Calculating Lich will no longer the attacking player to lose life.
- Archdemon of Unx will no longer create Swamp tokens instead of Zombies.
Duel Scene Updates
- Hovering or clicking blue card names in the Game Log will display more information
- Hovering on a card name will highlight that card (if it’s in the same game zone) and have it appear in the Preview window.
- Left-clicking the card name will show a zoom display of the card
Quality-of-Life Fixes
- In Open Play and Tournament Practice rooms, matches with open seats will appear at the top of the display.
- In Draft, clicking and then dragging a card will no longer cause it to be deselected.
- Invisible Ink effects have been added to MKM Showcase Cards.
- Clue has been added to the Universes Beyond Credits tab.
NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – To Be Announced
After tomorrow, the next scheduled maintenance will be announced at a later date.
Author: Tony Mayer