Magic Online Weekly Announcements, October 17, 2023
Posted on Oct 17, 2023
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THE LEAD
Cube Spotlight Series Returns: Frank Lepore’s Innistrad Horror Cube
We’ve procured a special Cube to play on Magic Online in the run-up to Halloween. Longtime streamer Frank Lepore’s Innistrad Horror Cube includes cards from all 9 sets (Commander, too) featured in the Gothic horror home of Magic: The Gathering, plus some guest stars from other planes!
Read all about this play experience in Frank’s article (it also has the full card list), then join in the fun starting tomorrow, October 18th at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC). The Spotlight will shine on this Cube for 2 full weeks until November 1st, and we’ll have the usual Swiss League and single-elimination queue options. Entry options are 10 Event Tickets or 100 Play Points.
MTGO BROADCASTS
Super League Rolls On – Wednesdays at 1pm PT
One of Magic Online’s most popular streams is back – Super League Season 1 continues every Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET / 20:00 UTC). Catch all the action at twitch.tv/officialmagiconline or twitch.tv/anzidmtg. 16 Magic: The Gathering celebrities will compete over 12 weeks to determine who reigns supreme in the ever-evolving Modern format.
In Week 7, d00mwake and Javier Dominguez did enough to reach the Playoffs starting October 25 – one step away from the Top 8! Meanwhile, Studio X’s Carmen Klomparens and Gavin Verhey became the first two players eliminated from this season’s competition.
Another quartet of competitors meet tomorrow to determine who avoids an early elimination. The lineup features recently-crowned Player of the Year Simon Nielsen, Carolyn Pardee, Mason Clark, and former MPL member Kanister.
Tune in to check out who will take another step toward the playoffs and who will be sent packing.
STORE NEWS
Play Boosters Coming to MTGO Starting with Murders at Karlov Manor
Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast announced the introduction of Play Boosters starting with Murders at Karlov Manor in February 2024. We want to let you know that Play Boosters will indeed be the standard for Limited play and also for purchases in the Magic Online Store at that time. MTGO’s Play Boosters will mirror the collation of tabletop versions.
Decisions about the pricing of Play Boosters and Limited events have not yet been finalized, but they will be announced sometime in January.
PREMIER PLAY
It's Showcase Challenge Weekend – With Increased Prizes!
MOCS Season 3 continues, and it’s time once again to qualify players for the next round of Showcase Qualifiers in December.
It takes 40 Season 3 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!
As a reminder, we have increased the prize pool for Showcase Challenges starting with this season – prizes now go down to 128th place! The increases are:
- Regular full set for players finishing in 9th-16th places
- Regular full set for players who finish the Swiss rounds with an X-2 record (only 2 match losses)
- The sets for X-2 will be granted by Customer Support in the week following the event
- Prizes for 33rd-64th places increased to 200 Play Points and 10 Treasure Chests
- Prizes for 65th-128th places added – 150 Play Points and 5 Treasure Chests
Here are the dates and times for this weekend’s events:
| DATE | TIME (PT) | TIME (UTC) | EVENT |
| Saturday, October 21 | 6:00 a.m. | 13:00 | Standard Showcase Challenge |
| Sunday, October 22 | 8:00 a.m. | 15:00 | Legacy Showcase Challenge |
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 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan®. Each description mentions whether or not 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 (17:00 UTC) unless otherwise noted.
- October 18-November 1 – Frank Lepore’s Innistrad Horror Cube bedevils MTGO drafters for a full two weeks! (Phantom)
- November 1-8 – Let's kick Wilds of Eldraine draft up a notch and give it the Supreme treatment! Pick 2 cards from a pack, discard the pack, pick 2 from a different pack, etc. (Phantom)
- November 8-14 – There’s something even cooler in the works here – more details closer to this time.
WEEKLY UPDATES
Wilds of Eldraine on MTGO
Our return to the fairy-tale plane of Eldraine is now available on Magic Online! Check out our traditional set article for information on a ton of new initiatives:
- Event Updates - including boosts to core Limited events, a new super-size Modern Challenge, and more
- Commander Gauntlet and the shift in events for New Players
- Anime Borderless Art Bundles
- Commander Decks, Booster Fun, a handful of Unfinity cards, a Treasure Chest update, and more
Redemption Corner
We’ve updated our Redemption page with new quantity percentages.
WIlds of Eldraine redemption tokens are now available in the MTGO Store.
IMPORTANT: As of May 23, all new orders of Redemption Tokens are non-refundable!
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:
CONSTRUCTED
- In MOCS Season 3, Vintage and Pauper Challenges are never pre-empted.
- 32-Player events require 32 players to fire and give prizes to the Top 32.
- Pauper and Vintage Challenges are always 32-Player tournaments.
- All other events listed require 64 players to fire and give prizes to the Top 64.
LIMITED
- 32-Player Limited Challenge events are 6 rounds with no playoff
- 64-Player Limited Challenge events are 7 rounds with no playoff
| TIME (PT) | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
| 12:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge | ||
| 1:00 a.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | 32-Player Limited Challenge | |
| 2:00 a.m. | Pauper Challenge | ||
| 4:00 a.m. | 32-Player Legacy Challenge | Modern Challenge | |
| 6:00 a.m. | 32-Player Standard Challenge | Pioneer Challenge | |
| 8:00 a.m. | 96-Player Modern Challenge | Legacy Challenge | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Vintage Challenge | Pauper Challenge | |
| 12:00 p.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | 32-Player Limited Challenge | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Pioneer Challenge | 32-Player Standard Challenge | |
| 4:00 p.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | Modern Challenge | Modern Challenge |
Check out the Magic Online Format Challenges page for further event details.
NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – November 8, 9 a.m. to Noon PT
The next scheduled maintenance will be Wednesday, November 8 from 9 a.m. to noon PT (16:00-19:00 UTC). This is to support the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan®.