Magic Online Weekly Announcements, August 30, 2022
Posted on Aug 30, 2022
MTGO BLOG - August 30, 2022
DOMINARIA UNITED: MAGIC ONLINE EDITION
Our latest set, Dominaria United, comes to Magic Online this Thursday, September 1, following downtime tomorrow. Check out today's dedicated article to learn all about everything coming with the release:
- Events, including the limited-time Best-of-One Draft League and Limited Challenges
- A revamp of Treasure Chests (#minscandboo)
- The latest suite of avatars
DOMINARIA UNITED BEST-OF-ONE DRAFT LEAGUE STARTS THURSDAY
For the first time, Magic Online is running a Best-of-One Draft League. For two weeks, starting Thursday at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC), join the draft queue and play until you get 7 wins or 3 losses. Full details, including prizes, are found in the Dominaria United article.
This league is perfect if you only have time for a quick game or two between classes, during lunch, before you head out, or after the kids are asleep. If this is your style, give this league a try!
Please note that this league will only be available until September 15, so get your reps in while you can.
LIMITED CHALLENGES DEBUT THIS WEEKEND
Our experiment with higher-prize Limited events in August was a success. So, starting this weekend, we present Limited Challenges every Saturday and Sunday at both 1 a.m. and 12 noon PT (08:00 and 19:00 UTC).
In the client, the 1 a.m. PT events will appear as Limited Challenge 32, requiring 32 players to fire and are 6 rounds long. The events at noon appear as Limited Challenge, requiring 64 players to fire and lasting 7 rounds.
Unlike Constructed Challenges, Limited Challenges do not feature a Top 8 playoff or draft. Also, these events have entry options of 40 Event Tickets or 400 Play Points.
For more information about Limited Challenges, check out the Dominaria United article.
DOMINARIA UNITED COMMANDER DECKS ON SALE THURSDAY
The new set's two Commander Decks—Painbow and Legends' Legacy—join the MTGO store starting Thursday at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC). Painbow is a five-color-matters deck led by Jared Carthalion, while Legends' Legacy is a red-white-black legendaries-matter deck led by Dihada, Binder of Wills. Each deck is $29.99 plus applicable taxes.
Check out the decklists and preview content for the Dominaria United Commander decks.
TREASURE CHEST UPDATE—INCLUDING OVER 40 NEW-TO-MTGO CARDS!
We have heard your feedback regarding card availability, particularly for cards that are only available via Treasure Chests. To help improve card availability for cards not found in boosters, a new category within the Treasure Chest has been created: TC-Only.
Also, the MTGO team has delivered on several dozen cards from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, including all Pauper cards with take the initiative, as well as a part of the group of Backgrounds and legends that can choose them. Furthermore, some important cards for Legacy and Commander from both this set (looking at you Kenku Artificer and Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes) and previous Commander sets (hello, Maddening Hex) are joining the game.
For more details on the changes to Treasure Chests, click the Dominaria United article. You can also visit the Treasure Chest information page to see the effects of the changes.
CHANGES TO LEAGUE MATCHMAKING
As an additional step to fight win traders, we are eliminating the "Join Match" confirmation step after pairing in leagues. This change takes effect following tomorrow's downtime.
Once you click Play, your match will begin as soon as you are paired with an opponent, so make sure you are keeping an eye and ear out for the start of your match when you join the queue!
Read more on the rationale behind this change in the Dominaria United article.
LEGACY SUPER QUALIFIER SATURDAY
On Saturday, September 3, there will be a Legacy Super Qualifier with a start time of 7 a.m. PT (14:00 UTC). The entry fee is 40 MOCS Qualifier Points, 40 Event Tickets, or 400 Play Points. The top four finishers qualify for the first tabletop Regional Championships in November and December.
VINTAGE SUPER QUALIFIER SATURDAY
On Sunday, September 4, there will be a Vintage Super Qualifier with a start time of 7 a.m. PT (14:00 UTC). The entry fee is 40 MOCS Qualifier Points, 40 Event Tickets, or 400 Play Points. The top four finishers qualify for the first tabletop Regional Championships in November and December.
VINTAGE CUBE ENDS THURSDAY
Vintage Cube is back and runs until Dominaria United events begin on Thursday! There are no changes from June, and both the regular league and single-elimination queue will be offered.
LEAGUE CHANGEOVER WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
With the arrival of Dominaria United, the normal league changeover process will take place this week.
- Constructed Leagues end at downtime. New versions of those leagues will be live when the game exits downtime on Wednesday—projected to be around 12 noon PT (19:00 UTC).
- Standard will rotate with the new leagues.
- Reprints and Dominaria United cards opened in Treasure Chests are legal immediately.
- Double Masters 2022 and Streets of New Capenna leagues close to new entries Thursday at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC), and no new matches can start by mid-afternoon Pacific time.
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.
Magic Online's Format Challenges run once on Saturdays and once on Sundays for each Constructed format! 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:
- Pauper and Vintage Challenges are never pre-empted.
- Saturday Legacy Challenges require 32 players and give prizes to Top 32.
- Sunday Legacy Challenges require 64 players and give prizes to Top 64.
New for Dominaria United—Limited Challenges! Get the full details on Limited Challenges in the Dominaria United article.
- 32-Player events are 6 rounds with no playoff and require 32 players to fire.
- 64-Player events are 7 rounds with no playoff and require 64 players to fire.
CHANGE LOG
- Premier Events with a Top 8 Playoff will now show the number of Swiss rounds in the event (Round X of Y)
- Playoff rounds will continue to incorrectly show the number of Swiss rounds – a fix is being investigated
- The following cards will now work as intended:
NEXT DOWNTIME AUGUST 31
The next scheduled downtime is planned for August 31, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until noon. All times listed are Pacific daylight time (UTC-7). This is for the release of Dominaria United.