Magic Online Weekly Announcements, January 16, 2024
Posted on Jan 16, 2024
Treasure Chest Information - UPDATED TODAY!
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THE LEAD
Ravnica Remastered Today!
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 will be the exclusive digital home of Ravnica Remastered! The set will debut when we come up from downtime today.
- RVR Boosters will cost $3.99 USD in the MTGO Store, the same as a Standard set.
- Events kick off immediately following downtime and 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 will be offered, but they are keep-the-cards events that cost the same as those of a Standard set (12 and 15 Event Tickets, respectively, plus the normal suite of alternate entry options).
- Preliminary, Challenge, and Premier events utilizing Sealed Deck during this period will use RVR for their product and award booster & set prizes of Ravnica Remastered instead of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.
- There is a Limited Super Qualifier on Sunday, January 28 and a Limited Qualifier on Friday, February 2 – both will feature RVR!
- Constructed Challenge and Premier events will continue to award LCI set prizes.
- Treasure Chest contents will be updated with Ravnica Remastered included once we come up from downtime - be sure to look for the suite of retro-frame and Anime Borderless cards!
- RVR is not eligible for redemption.
- Finally, rarity downshifts for RVR will apply right after downtime.
Retro Shockland Bundles On Sale Today!
Our next Art Bundle offering is something truly unique in Magic Online’s history – all ten shocklands in a retro frame!
Two Bundles are now 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 starting next week!
MTGO Downtime Today 9 a.m.-Noon PT
Magic Online will be in scheduled maintenance tomorrow, January 16 starting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time (17:00 UTC). During this downtime, our Help site and Forums will also be unavailable. The maintenance period is scheduled for three hours, so we intend to be back up by 12 noon PT (20:00 UTC).
MTGO BROADCASTS
Congratulations Mauro Sasso, 2023 MOCS Showcase Season 3 Champion!
Eight of Magic Online’s top competitors gathered on Saturday to earn their share of $70,000 and two invitations to this year’s World Championship.
Max Rappaport had the hot hand during the Vintage Cube rounds. He defeated fellow American Max Carini in the pod finals to lock up a seat in the Championship round.
The Modern rounds showcased five different archetypes. Argentina's Mauro Sasso rebounded from a 0-3 showing in Vintage Cube to sweep the Modern pod, piloting Izzet Murktide past Brazilian Eduardo Viera's Golgari Yawgmoth in the finals.
Then in the Championship round, Mauro completed an undefeated day in Modern by besting Max Rappaport's Temur Rhinos in three games.
Mauro Sasso took home $20,000 as Champion, while Max Rappaport earned $15,000. Both players will appear in Las Vegas at World Championship 30 in October!
The MTGO game team thanks all 8 Showcase competitors, our talented team of casters, and the exceptional behind-the-scenes production team for a great event!
If you want to be part of the next Showcase this spring, click the Premier Play Information link at the top to learn more.
The AlphaFrog Invitational Returns Today!
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 of eight will draft and then battle on stream. This eight-part limited series runs until February 6th, so mark your calendar!
Today’s episode features this group of players:
World Champion Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, Eli Kassis, Logan Nettles, Kanister, Sandydogmtg, CalebD, Andrew Elenbogen, and Kyle Rose
As a special treat, the casters this week are an entertaining duo: BFF’s Luis Scott-Vargas and Paul Cheon!
PREMIER PLAY
It's Showcase Challenge Weekend
A new MOCS season is underway, so it’s time to qualify the first players for the next round of Showcase Qualifiers in March.
It takes 40 Season 1 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!
Here are the dates and times for this weekend’s events:
|
DATE |
TIME (PT) |
TIME (UTC) |
EVENT |
|
Saturday, January 20 |
10:00 a.m. |
18:00 |
Vintage Showcase Challenge |
|
Sunday, January 21 |
8:00 a.m. |
16:00 |
Legacy Showcase Challenge |
For more information on these events, click the Premier Play Information link at the top of the Blog.
ALTERNATE PLAY
Vintage Cube 64-Player Elimination Drafts Continue
A higher-stakes version of the Vintage Cube League is back – the 64-Player Elimination Drafts! The schedule for this final week is the same as last week:
- 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)
Based on community feedback, we adjusted the prizes to convert some of the Treasure Chests to Play Points. Here’s the current 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 24 – Vintage Cube returns for the Holidays Festival! Like last year, this will be a five-week run that supported competitors testing for the MOCS Season 3 Showcase. (Phantom)
- January 16-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
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.
Treasure Chests Update Tomorrow
A new set release means updates to the Treasure Chest. Use the Treasure Chest Information link at the top of the Blog to see changes taking effect when we come up from downtime tomorrow.
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 32 | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Limited Challenge 32 | Limited Challenge 32 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Pioneer Challenge 64 | Pioneer Challenge 64 | Standard Challenge 64 |
| 4:00 p.m. | Limited Challenge 32 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | Modern Challenge 64 | Modern Challenge 64 |
Check out the Magic Online Format Challenges page for further event details.
PATCH NOTES – January 16, 2024
- Ravnica Remastered will be added to the game.
- The end-of-game voting interface will be removed from casual Commander games.
- Intuition will again require players to select three cards from their library if able.
- Expiration dates will be added to the right-click information on Qualifier Points.
NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – January 31, 2024, 9 a.m. to Noon PT
After tomorrow, 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