Yesterday saw what basically is meant to be WotC’s flagship digital version of MtG, MtG: Arena go into Open Beta. Which is great news for PC players. But those of us with say Mac’s or prefer to use tablets or phones for this type of game then you are still a long way off from being able to try/play the game. This is the last I’m saying about this in this post, I’d sound like a broken record complaining about the decision otherwise.

However in a post about the Open Beta on the WotC site they talk about the redeemable codes from physical products that can be used to get digital stuff in Arena. I’ve screen grabbed the relevant part of the post for you to read below.

Source: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/mtg-arena-open-all-starting-september-27-2018-09-19

Talk about nickel and diming MtG players.

This weekend is Prerelease weekend for Guilds of Ravnica. I know for a fact that a lot of players actually sign up and play more than one Prerelease event. Which means multiple Prerelease kits. And they are only allowed to redeem a single code?

I don’t have an issue with the Planeswalker decks, most people usually only buy one of each deck anyway. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable restriction. So why not do a similar thing for Prerelease kits?

Then the booster pack restriction is such a slap in the face. 36 booster packs in a box, so using their figures you should see approximately 4 codes. You have just forked out over £80 for a box, you have 4 codes and can only claim one of them! That’s pretty pathetic fromWotC. I believe there is a redeem code in every Pokemon booster pack with no restriction on how many can be claimed online. So even if WotC are not going to be that generous, why the limitation? That’s a whole 12 boosters you could claim. Not exactly going to break the virtual bank is it? They have already got the money for the physical product. It’s not as if they are going to have to print more stuff, just flip some bits. Plus it would help get people playing Arena who also play the physical side.

I seriously can’t see any reasonable argument to justify this model. I’m scared to revisit the model they are using within Arena itself. Maybe it’s for the best that they aren’t on iOS. I’ll stick with the Epic Closed Beta on my iPad (dark draft is awesome) for my MtG like experience.

I love playing MtG, but I find WotC so frustrating.

Tomorrow at midnight will see many Magic players cracking open their Prerelease kits, building decks and playing Magic until the early o clock, before crawling into bed just as the rest of us are getting out of ours.

Yes it’s Prerelease weekend for Guilds of Ravnica. So along with the Prerelease kits many Magic players will be buying their booster boxes (with buy-a-box promo) a week early, along with the Planeswalker decks.

I know my FLGS is fully booked for their Saturday morning Prerelease event. Which is ok because while they are drooling over the new cards, I’ll hopefully be playing Keyforge on the FFG stand at the Tabletop Gaming Live Show down in hell central (also known as London).

Yeah unfortunately Prerelease clashes with the show, so it wasn’t really a hard decision to make. I’d already booked the hotel months ago before this release date was announced.

For those attending Prerelease I hope you pull some great cards. Those going to Tabletop Gaming Live hope to see you there.

How have you enjoyed a week without Magic posts? Sadly that all ends with this post.

The spoiler season has just started for the next MtG set to hit us at the start of October, Guilds of Ravnica (GoR).

For me like the other times when I see these spoilers I’m looking at the cards for whether they will go in an existing deck (Which cards they replace is a whole different problem), or do they inspire brewing a new deck?

This wurm is apparently according to others with far superior knowledge on this sort of thing, the biggest creature WotC have printed in the history of MtG. I think it’s obvious why I like the new buy a box promo. I happen to have a big green stompy Commander deck. Which plays big green stompy creatures. This looks exactly like a big green stompy creatures to me.

There are some interesting mechanics in GoR that also fit in very nicely with one or two of my decks.

• Jump-start – which allows a card to be cast from the graveyard by paying the cards casting costs and discarding a card. The card is then exiled. – I think this mechanic will fit nicely with my Kess spell casting deck.

• Surveil – look at the top of your deck, leave the card there or put it into your graveyard. Yeah this mechanic will be so sweat in my Muldrotha deck. It wants cards in the graveyard.
• Mentor – when creature attacks put a +1/+1 counter on a target attacking creature with a weaker strength. – this potentially will fit with the Atraxa deck and proliferate mechanic, doubling season would also be nice with it.

Hopefully there will be some great cards with these mechanics that just have to go in my decks. But there are hints that graveyard shenanigans will be a thing in GoR, which means hopefully lots of toys to go in my Muldrotha deck.

Talking of toys these bad boys are back…

Yep shock lands. I’m hoping fetch lands will be reprinted soon. But these will hold me over until then. I don’t care about Standard, I want these Commander staples dropping in price. That means reprints. This is a good start.

Dual cards are also back, along with dual mana. I can see this particular one going in to a deck. This might go in the dino, or dragon deck. Like these because it’s a two for one. You just need a good combo to choose between to justify using the card.

These next 3 cards are strong Muldrotha contenders, whilst Sinister Sabotage could go into Kess and the horrors from the deep.

I do have a bit of confusion with Sinister Sabotage though. A few MtG content creatures are saying this card is better than Disallow that it will obviously replace in standard. Ok Disallow doesn’t have the Surveil mechanic, but Disallow counters activated abilities. Which in this age of Planeswalkers would be of more use. Being able to stop a Teferi ultimating seems more useful to me. But hey I’m a relative noob what do I know?

Talking of Planeswalkers, this guy looks like a good fit for my Kess deck.

I love the atmospheric art on this next card, but I can also once again see it as potential Muldrotha material.

I have been toying with the idea of a goblin tribal deck, so this next spoilt card looks like I should be considering adding it.

So thats my picks from the current crop of spoilers. What cards have caught your interest?

Sometimes you just have to put cards in your deck for the lol’s. Sometimes like Custodi Lich to spice up the game.

I’ve written in the past about spicing up games of Commander. This card from Conspiracy: Take the Crown once in my Scarab God Deck will introduce the monarch mechanic to any game it’s played it.

When I become the monarch I get the above token. As you can see being the monarch has it’s advantages, extra card draw (at your end step). But there is a draw back. It puts a big fat target on your back. An attacking player gets rewarded for hitting you with a creature. They become the monarch, and get a target on their back. And so the monarch will move around the table from player to player.

Now I’ve not played with the monarch mechanic yet. But I’m pretty sure I’ll like it. I do know if there is a card which introduces the monarch mechanic to the game in the colours I’m playing and it fits any theme I’m going with. Then it will be in the deck.