Magic Online Weekly Announcements, May 28, 2024

Posted on May 28, 2024

THE LEAD

Vintage Cube Polish Pass Starts Tomorrow

We’re in the middle of a whole heap of Vintage Cube. It’s time to tinker with the re-centered version, tapping into our deep bench of fun cards to replace underperformers. Check out the 14-card changelist and the revised full list in this article, then join us for Cube events!

The League and Queue start tomorrow and run until Modern Horizons 3 debuts on June 11 using normal entry options and prize structures. 64-Player Drafts will begin next Wednesday, June 5.

Modern Horizons 3 Set Article Next Tuesday

With card previews for Modern Horizons 3 winding down over on DailyMTG, we invite you to watch this space next Tuesday to get the full low-down on the biggest shakeup at the Modern metagame in three years. From packs to Booster fun, events, and MTGO-exclusive treatments, there will be a lot to see!

MTGO’s Closed Beta Program Returns!

Want to help us squish bugs and test card functionality while getting a first look at the newest set? MTGO’s Closed Beta Program has returned after several years!

Our normal Cardset betas involve playing a selection of complicated cards against a curated set of wordy and weird cards from MTGO’s history. A Sealed Deck League will be available and Commander games are encouraged. The goal is to ensure we release a quality product, so we appreciate all the help we can get.

Signups begin today! To apply for the program, submit a ticket at help.mtgo.com - choose Apply to Beta Program as the subject, fill out the form and agree to Terms. If you're admitted to the Program, you will be invited to join us for the MH3 Beta round starting this Friday, May 31. If you were in the old Beta program and are currently opted in for marketing emails, we will contact you separately to join us.

MTGO BROADCASTS 

Coming Soon: Creator Showdowns!

The crown jewel of our Creator Program offerings is our monthly Creator Showdown broadcasts. Each month, 64 of Magic Online’s top streamers will be invited and compete in a six-round, double-elimination tournament. All 64 will be streaming at once to start the day, so find your favorites and support their channels!

When the 16 undefeated players are decided, you can follow the action on MTGO’s Twitch broadcast – where we’ll whip around from match to match with a rotating cast of commentators calling the action (and giveaways galore). In the end, a $5,000 USD prize pool will be divvied among those who emerge with one loss or less – with a reward of $1,250 for completing a 6-0 finish!

Mark your calendars for the first round of Creator Showdowns:

PREMIER PLAY

Six Regional Championship Slots Up for Grabs This Weekend 

While the United States’s Regional Championship runs at Dreamhack Dallas this weekend, players around the world can try their hands at qualifying for the next round of RCs in three different events.

First up is the Legacy Qualifier this Friday, May 31 at 2 p.m. PT (21:00 UTC).

The Saturday tournament is a Limited Qualifier featuring Outlaws of Thunder Junction Sealed Deck with Top 8 Draft. That tournament begins June 1 at 1 a.m. PT (8:00 UTC).

Then the weekend wraps with another Legacy Qualifier Sunday, June 2 also at 1 a.m. PT.

It takes 40 Season 2 Qualifier Points to enter a Qualifier. The Top 2 finishers in each event earn a seat in the September-December RC round, and prizes pay out to the Top 64! 

For more information on these events, click the Premier Play Information link at the top of the Blog.

ALTERNATE PLAY

Alternate Play Schedule

Here’s a look at the schedule of events coming up between now and Modern Horizons 3. All these offerings are Phantom – cards won’t be added to players’ collections in Phantom events. All transitions take place at 10:00 a.m. PT unless otherwise noted.

• May 29-June 11 – The Polish Pass of Vintage Cube will add some tweaks to improve the experience.

NOTE: We will look to reschedule the Modern Horizons 2 Flashback in the next couple of months.

When Is Vintage Cube Back?

A regular feature of the Blog, this item points out when the next scheduled run of our most popular event will take place:

• Polish Pass: May 29-June 11
• Summer Refresh: Starts June 26

EVENT UPDATES 

Commander Leagues are Live!

Leagues for all types of Commander players are back on the menu! They are:

• Competitive Commander: a 4-Player pod with winner-take-all prize
• Commander Masters Phantom Draft: 4-Player Draft & 4-Player Matches, winner-take-all prize

Full details can be found in the OTJ Set Article. These Leagues run until the launch of Modern Horizons 3 in June.

PRODUCT NEWS

New Player Kits Updated

Big news (and be sure to tell your buddies): The items that new accounts receive on sign up and after upgrading have changed. Check out this article as Creative Director Ryan Spain shares the thought process behind the changes intended to make playing games right away a frictionless experience!

UPDATE: Collection Upgrade Kit Available with MH3

We have heard a lot of community feedback regarding the rollout of these New Player product changes. Ryan Spain discusses the topic in this section of the article. We will be offering a new product starting June 5 that provides all cards in the Account Upgrade Kit plus the five Starter Decks that can be purchased by pre-existing accounts. The Collection Upgrade Kit will go on sale on June 5 following downtime for USD 4.99.

Commander Workshop Now Available

Calling all Commander Players: Kick-start your Collection with 2,000 cards from across MTGO’s history curated for the 100-card format – all for just $39 USD! To learn more about this new evergreen product that goes on-sale after tomorrow’s downtime, check out Product Manager Tony Mayer’s article found here.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction is Available Now!

Breaking News! It’s time to gather your motley crew of outlaws for a Crime Spree to collect a Big Score! Outlaws of Thunder Junction is available now for purchase. But you can read all about all of this now in our :

• Play Boosters – including the Special Guests and The Big Score on The List, plus a Breaking News bonus sheet – and Commander Decks
• Art Bundles and two new Premium Effects – Gilded and Rain
• The return of Commander Leagues
• The usual slate of updates (MOPR, CMDR Backlog, Prestige Avatars, etc.)

WEEKLY UPDATES 

Redemption Corner

We’ve updated our Redemption page with new quantity percentages.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction is now on sale – both regular and premium Redemption Tokens are available. Murders at Karlov Manor Tokens (both regular and premium) are running low.

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 on this page.

NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – June 5, 2024 

The next scheduled maintenance will take place on Wednesday, June 5 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon Pacific time (16:00-19:00 UTC). This is to support the release of Modern Horizons 3.