Magic Online Weekly Announcements, April 4, 2023
Posted on Apr 04, 2023
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THE LEAD
MOCS Showcase Opens This Weekend
We are down to the final weekend of qualification events for the next MOCS Showcase on May 20th. If you haven’t punched your ticket into that elite 8-player event, your last chances to score an invitation will be in this weekend’s MOCS Showcase Opens!
Featuring Phyrexia: All Will Be One Sealed Deck with a Top 8 Draft, this is your opportunity to spike a tournament for a big payoff. In addition to reaching the Champions Showcase (with its $70,000 prize pool and two Worlds invitations), the winner of each Showcase Open is invited to Pro Tour Barcelona in July plus the Regional Championship round feeding that event in May-June.
| DATE | TIME (PT) | TIME (UTC) | EVENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 8 | 7:00 a.m. | 14:00 | MOCS Showcase Open |
| Saturday, April 9 | 7:00 a.m. | 14:00 | MOCS Showcase Open |
The final batch of Leaderboard Points are up for grabs in the Opens, and when the weekend ends the two highest finishers on the Leaderboard snag At-Large invites to the Showcase.
Our intrepid team of Digital Event Coordinators will also be on hand inside the game during the Opens to lend a hand if something goes awry. To contact a DEC, click the Chat button in the top-right corner of the Home Scene, choose Create/Join New Chat …, then type in #DEC and press Enter to join the room.
For more information on MTGO Premier Play, click the link at the top of the Blog.
Downtime Notification
Magic Online will be down for scheduled maintenance tomorrow, April 5, starting at an early time of 6:00 a.m. PT (13:00 UTC). Based on our experience in February, we have extended our estimate to a full six hours of downtime. Our anticipated return time is 12 noon PT (19:00 UTC) - keep an eye on our Twitter and Discord feeds for the most updated information.
March of the Machine on MTGO Article Next Tuesday
It's nearly time for the greatest battle in the history of the Multiverse! Next Tuesday, April 11, we’ll have the usual set release article describing our plans for March of the Machine, our next All-Access period, how Battles will look on screen and function in the game, plus much more.
ALTERNATE PLAY
Dominaria Remastered Flashback Draft Leagues Start Tomorrow
Our community’s response to the two-week run of Dominaria Remastered a couple months ago was enthusiastic, so we’re experimenting again. We are bringing the set back on a one-week Flashback run – starting tomorrow following downtime until next Wednesday’s downtime.
Entry options are 10 Event Tickets, 100 Play Points, or 2 Dominaria Remastered boosters plus 2 Event Tickets for this Phantom draft experience.
Modern Horizons 2 Draft Leagues End Late Tonight
For those of you who are finishing up your MH2 League course or trying to get a last draft in this week, keep in mind that the League closes earlier than normal – no new entries after midnight PT this evening (7:00 Wednesday UTC) and no new matches after 5 a.m. PT tomorrow (12:00 UTC).
Alternate Play Schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule of events coming up between now and March of the Machine. Each description mentions whether or not the Draft is Phantom – cards won’t be added to players’ collections in Phantom events. All event transitions are at 10 a.m. PT.
- April 12-MOM Release – We were going to do Scars of Mirrodin Block Flashback Draft, but we realized it was just run back in November. So instead we are going to experiment with a cheaper version of Supreme Draft featuring The Brother's War!
Looking a bit further ahead for you Cube aficionados, the plan for upcoming Cubes is as follows:
- May 3-10 – With MagicCon Minneapolis on the tabletop schedule, Magic 30 Cube returns for another go-around.
- May 10-24 – Vintage Cube returns for a two-week session in support of the MOCS Showcase on May 20.
WEEKLY UPDATES
Phyrexia: All Will Be One on MTGO
The latest Standard-legal expansion, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, is now available in the MTGO Store. Check out this article for updates on the following:
- MTGO’s Art Bundles, available until April 18 in the store
- Event schedules and improvements on how they are displayed in the Play Lobby
- Magic Online Player Rewards
- The latest suite of Avatars
Redemption Update
Redemption Tokens for Phyrexia: All Will Be One are now on sale in the MTGO Store.
The Brothers' War and Dominaria United are still available in the MTGO Store. The Dominaria United Tokens remain available but low for both Regular and Premium. The Brothers’ War is about half-gone – when supplies run out, they are gone for good!
For more details on the redemption program, click here.
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 2, Vintage and Standard 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. | 64-Player Standard Challenge | Pioneer Challenge | |
| 8:00 a.m. | 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 | 64-Player Standard Challenge | |
| 4:00 p.m. | 32-Player Limited Challenge | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | 64-Player Modern Challenge | 64-Player Modern Challenge |
Check out the Magic Online Format Challenges page for further event details.
Patch Notes - April 5, 2023
- Unspent Vintage Points have been removed from accounts.
Next Scheduled Downtime - April 12, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to Noon PT
After tomorrow’s extended maintenance, the next scheduled downtime is planned for next Wednesday, April 12 beginning at 9 a.m. PT (16:00 UTC). This is a more traditional start-of-set update to get March of the Machine into the game. As a reminder, March of the Machine products and events are available starting April 18 at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC).