Magic Online Weekly Announcements, July 28, 2026

Posted on Jul 28, 2026

THE LEAD 

MOCS Postseason Continues This Weekend

It’s time once again to qualify players for the next Magic Online Champions Showcase in September! Top 8 finishers from Showcase Challenges and 5-win players from Last Chance events (see Premier Play below) will battle until one remains as this season’s Showcase Champion for that format.

In addition to reaching the Champions Showcase (with its $50,000 prize pool and two invitations to the 2027 World Championship), the winner of each Showcase Qualifier is invited to Pro Tour Nauctis next February in Detroit, plus the Regional Championship round in October-November feeding that event. Leaderboard Points are also on the line as players seek one of two At-Large invites at the end of the postseason. 

Here’s the schedule:

If you miss out on reaching the Showcase Qualifiers, you’ll have a final shot at reaching the MOCS Showcase from one of two Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes Limited-format MOCS Open events on August 8-9. 

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

Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ Set Article Next Week 

One of the most timeless sagas in the fantasy genre brings its opening act to the Magic multiverse! Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ debuts on Magic Online on Tuesday, August 11. Be sure to check out MTGO.com next Tuesday for our traditional set article with all of the details. 

Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ Beta Begins Friday – Sign Up Today! 

Want to help us squish bugs and test card functionality while getting a first look at the newest set? MTGO’s Closed Beta Program is just the place! 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. 

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 the Terms. If you're admitted to the Program, you will be invited to join us for the Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™ Beta round starting this Friday, July 31. 

PREMIER PLAY  

Pack Wars – Bloomburrow

Pack Wars – the Magic Online space for Mini-Master – rolls on. Our meandering adventure across the multiverse continues with a trip to Bloomburrow! 

The idea is simple – crack a pack, add 2 of each basic land, and play a game. In the Keeper League, you then crack another pack, edit your deck, play a game ... and keep going until you have opened 4 packs and played 4 games!  

This Keeper League is easy – 4 packs + 4 games (plus prizes if you do well) for just 4 Event Tickets or 40 Play Points! 

Bloomburrow continues until next week's downtime, then Outlaws of Thunder Junction will take the reins. 

Duel Commander B&R Update 

The Duel Commander Committee has issued its latest Banned List update – there are three cards freshly banned as a Commander: 

• Spider-Man 2099 / Uharis, the Stormspinner
• Lumra, Bellow of the Woods 
• The Fantasticar 

The new instance of the Duel Commander League reflecting these changesis now live . You can see the full Banned List here. 

Marvel “Block” Phantom Sealed Debuts Tomorrow – 1 Week Only 

The mash-up “Block Sealed” experiment we started with the Pride Celebration event last month continues. This time we’re combining the 2 Marvel sets in a throwback manner: 4 Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes boosters and 2 Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel’s Spider-Man packs. 

This Marvel "Block" Phantom Sealed League kicks off tomorrow, July 29 at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC) and runs until downtime next Wednesday, August 5. Entry options are 8 Event Tickets or 80 Play Points, and the prize structure for the 3-round event is as follows: 

• 3-0 – 120 Play Points, 3 Treasure Chests, and 2 Season 3 QPs 
• 2-1 – 80 Play Points 
• 1-2 – 40 Play Points 

Alternate Play Schedule 

Here’s a look at the schedule of events coming up. Each description mentions if 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 unless otherwise noted.  

• July 29-August 5: A special mash-up of the two Marvel sets in a combined Limited experience – it's Marvel “Block” Sealed: 4 Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes boosters and 2 Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel’s Spider-Man packs! (Now Phantom)
• August 5-11: We have another old format Keeper draft to close out MSH season – it's Urza Block Draft! 

When Do Vintage Cube Leagues Return? 

• August 19-September 17 – HOB Update to support MOCS Showcase 

NRG Series MTGO Showdown August 16 – MSH Limited, Cash for Top 32! 

Magic Online is partnering with Nerd Rage Gaming to host a digital qualifying series for the tabletop NRG Series Championship!  

The NRG Series MTGO Showdown begins on Sunday, August 16 at 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC) and features Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes Sealed Deck with Top 8 Draft.  

A total of $5,000 in cash will be paid out to the Top 32. The event’s winner will take home $1,200 and qualify for the season-ending Championship tournament in Buffalo Grove, Illinois in December that features 24 players and a $35,000 prize pool.  
 

This is also the third of four planned tournaments in 2026 that count towards NRG’s digital leaderboard. In all, six players (4 event winners & 2 Leaderboard) will get seats at the NRG Championship. 

IMPORTANT: This event is region-locked – only accounts with Magic Online billing addresses in the US, Canada, or certain European countries (included on the list on this page) may participate.  

Registration for this event costs $35 and will only be processed via NRG’s site. Attendance will be capped at 384 players with a maximum of 9 rounds of Swiss pairings.  

Players will be directed to NRG’s event Discord channel for assistance, including judge calls and any technical issues on the day of the event. For issues with accessing the event in advance after it’s posted in MTGO on August 12, please file a ticket at help.mtgo.com 

WEEKLY UPDATES  

Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes Available Now 

The arrival of some of the greatest comic book super heroes of all time to Magic Online is here! Check out this article to learn about the debut of Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes, including: 

• Our largest-ever Premium Booster containing 12 cards 
• The Draft Bundle – featuring a premium-effect Nick Fury avatar 
• The four Commander decks, each featuring 30 brand-new cards 
• The Borderless Bold Logo cards get an exclusive Premium visual effect 
• More Booster Fun, avatars, Treasure Chests, and more ...

Redemption Corner 

All Secrets of Strixhaven redemption tokens and all Lorwyn Eclipsed tokens have sold out. 

You can find details on the redemption program here.  

PATCH NOTES 

Card Fixes 

• When controlling an opponent’s turn, activating Karn, the Great Creator's –2 ability or using other effects to access the sideboard will correctly fail to do so. (Added Friday, July 24) 

NEXT SCHEDULED DOWNTIME – August 5, 9 a.m.-Noon

 The next scheduled maintenance is Wednesday, August 5 from 9 a.m. to noon PT (16:00-19:00 UTC). This is to support the release of Magic: The Gathering® | The Hobbit™.