Magic: the Gathering Articles

This category will try to bring you new content as it pertains to the card game of Magic: the Gathering. Decklists will be provided for various formats such as EDH, Standard and Legacy.

Happy Reading!

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TROLL AND TOAD BACKS OFF ON ‘MAGIC: THE GATHERING’

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/55253/troll-toad-backs-off-magic-the-gathering?fbclid=IwAR0Pfx6_fhDM8hUdIrG-f3c_gO79PoDUsQP3Xlw_rTkqhSn9iakYRYu5_sE

After an Almost 30-year Run

Longtime Magic: The Gathering retailing powerhouse Troll and Toad will back off from Magic: The Gathering singles and sealed products as of January 1, 2024, after an almost 30-year run selling the line.

This is the end of an era. Troll and Toad, which has been in operation since 1994, was one of the first large-scale buyers and sellers of Magic: The Gathering cards. In October 2023, the decision was made to stop purchasing Magic singles. Today, owner Ben Burns told ICv2 that they will only take delivery on the next two rounds of Magic: The Gathering sealed product. They are also looking at running a sale in the near future to unload Magic singles and sealed product from their warehouse. This, for the moment, puts their almost 30-year relationship with Wizards of the Coast’s flagship product on ice.

The decision to stop buying Magic: The Gathering singles and sealed product was based on a number of factors, Burns explained. The primary one was that selling Magic was simply not as profitable as it once was for the company, and other TCG products, such as Pokemon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and One Piece CG, were doing better. Another major reason cited by Burns was that the constant reprinting of valuable cards and the number of variants of these cards made buylist pricing difficult and sometimes resulted in buying cards at a loss as new reprints were announced. Troll and Toad management was also spooked by the reprinting of non-tournament-legal reserved-list cards in Magic: The Gathering – 30th Anniversary Edition, and decided to no longer take the risk that WotC may do it again one day by not carrying the reserved list singles (see “‘Magic: The Gathering – 30th Anniversary Edition’“).

“Magic is not profitable enough for our company to continue carrying right now,” said Burns to ICv2. “Sometimes it felt like I was only stocking Magic product because I loved the game so much.”    

Troll and Toad will continue to buy (and sell) Pokemon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, One Piece CG, Digimon CG, and various WizKids miniatures as they have in the past.

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Contested Realm Event: Plenty of Games, Australia

Source: https://sorcerytcg.com/news

Sorcery: Contested Realm has arrived, and players worldwide have begun gathering to meet for in-person gameplay. One of the first Sorcery launch events in the world took place on July 16th at Plenty of Games in Melbourne, Australia.

The 16-player event, led by Jesse Meulman-Marshall from the team at Plenty of Games (and The Winning Agenda), along with Scott and Joel, was a tremendous success. Although their official launch event was initially planned for August 6th, the excitement within the group couldn’t be contained when the product arrived at the store in late June.

As a result, an additional event was quickly scheduled. Jesse explained, “We couldn’t wait that long to start in-store play, so we organized this event with just a couple of weeks’ notice to players. The turnout exceeded our expectations, and we sold out of tickets, which was fantastic!”

For the event, Plenty of Games opted for a sealed format with the following guidelines:

  • Each player received 6 packs.
  • Spellbook required a minimum of 25 cards, while Atlas required a minimum of 12 cards.
  • Basic sites and Sorcerer avatars were provided to all participants from Jesse’s personal collection, and everyone kindly returned them at the end.
  • There were no restrictions on the number of cards in a deck, so players could include duplicates if they obtained multiple copies of the same unique card.
  • Matches were best of 1, with 50-minute rounds and 1 additional turn per player after time was called.
  • Wins earned 3 match points, ties earned 1 match point, and losses earned 0 match points.

All prizes were distributed randomly, with 2 Champion promotional foil cards given to random participants.

Jesse shared his excitement about witnessing players enjoy the game in the right spirit, saying, “There were lots of laughs along the way (Giant Shark with a Crossbow?). People really embraced the joy and fun depicted in the cards and in the game.”

Alongside newcomers, familiar faces from local TCG communities, like Toby Firth, eagerly embraced Sorcery: Contested Realm. Toby, drawing upon his experience as a TCG player, skillfully navigated the event, adapting to Sorcery’s unique tactical mechanics.

Jesse recalled an exhilarating sequence when Toby momentarily forgot about Death’s Door in a match, believing he had already won. Realizing he still needed to deliver the final blow, Toby laughed, while his opponent made a last-ditch effort to escape their fate, hoping a Sea Serpent wielding a Flaming Sword could protect their avatar. Later, with an Incinerate in hand, Toby successfully contested the Realm!

You can catch gameplay from the event from Jesse on his Youtube Channel.

Plenty of Games will continue to host its Alpha Launch Celebration of Sorcery: Contested Realm with an event on August 6th. Those interested can find more details here.


Are you hosting an event for Sorcery: Contested Realm? Be sure to share your event in the Sorcery: Contested Realm Official Facebook group!

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UPPER DECK PLANS AEW FOR ‘VS. SYSTEM’

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/54234/upper-deck-plans-aew-vs-system

Upper Deck will release Vs. System TPCG: AEW: All Elite Wrestling, introducing a new universe for Vs. System players, on August 2.  Cards will feature the images of AEW stars, including Sting, Jon Moxley, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., and MJF, from the show.

Each player in this two-player game will take on the role of one main wrestler and build a deck of 60 cards to use in the match. Gameplay follows the AEW script: the first player to KO their opponent’s Main Character wins.

The 200 cards in the set include 12 new Main Characters and 28 new Supporting Characters across two new team factions.

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[TCG] 25th Anniversary Tin: Dueling Heroes Image

Source https://ygorganization.com/youhaveyourvolcanicsnowanywayitsfine/

From the image, the following cards can be confirmed as one of the variant Quarter Century Rares included with each tin:
Dark Magician
Exodia the Forbidden One
Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Rainbow Dragon
Cyber Dragon
Elemental HERO Neos
Salamangreat Blaze Dragon
Firewall Dragon.

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RAVENSBURGER RELEASES ‘DISNEY LORCANA’ QUICK START RULES

Source https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/53823/ravensburger-releases-disney-lorcana-quick-start-rules

Ravensburger has released a Quick Start rules set for Disney Lorcana, the new Disney-themed TCG, to the public. This release of the Quick Start rules set occurred after a partial rules set was leaked to the public via a cover story in early-arriving copies of Game Trade Magazine #279.
The new TCG carries some mechanical elements of other popular TCGs all wrapped up in Disney-themed skin. In Disney Lorcana, the goal of the game is to be the first player to earn 20 or more Lore. Decks contain a minimum of 60 cards with only four copies of each card per deck, and decks can only consist of one to two types of Inks. Cards have a symbol and colored band on them indicating their Ink type, similar to color types in Magic: The Gathering.

There are three types of cards in this game: Characters, Items, and Actions. Characters cards, the bread and butter of the game, have a Cost, Strength (similar to Magic “power”), Willpower (similar to Magic “toughness”), Abilities and Effects, Classifications, Ink, and Lore Value. Characters go off on Quests to earn their Lore Value in Lore points and can enter Challenges (fighting each other as in Pokemon TCG). Items are permanents that grant special abilities, and Actions are one-time use cards that create an effect then get discarded. There are five rarities for Disney Lorcana cards: common, uncommon, rare, super rare, and legendary.
The game starts with players shuffling up decks, setting their Lore counters to 0, and drawing seven cards. After drawing, players get to alter their hands by putting any number of cards from their hand on the bottom of their deck and drawing back to seven cards (shuffling their deck afterward). First player is determined by random method (coin flip, die roll, etc.).

The game proceeds into a Beginning Phase, where players Ready exerted cards (similar to “untap/tap” in Magic), check for effects, and draw a card (except on the first player’s first turn). Players then enter their Main Phase where they can play a card face down in their Inkwell to create Ink. The Ink card stays in the Inkwell for the remainder of the game and produces one Ink, acting similar to the colorless version of land in Magic. Players can then exert their Ink to pay for cards’ costs to put them into play.

Players gain lore by exerting characters to gain their Lore value. They can also exert characters to engage other exerted characters in Challenges, where the characters duel each other. Characters that are reduced to zero Willpower are banished from the board. Like Pokemon TCG, damage remains on characters throughout the game. After the Main Phase ends, the game progresses to the next player’s turn and proceeds on from there until someone ends up with 20 Lore and wins.

In general, Disney Lorcana offers a lot of appealing elements for TCG players both new and experienced. The game seems easy to pick up and play, but also features some level of advanced strategy as players will need to make choices as to when to exert for Lore versus attempting to slow down their opponent’s progress.

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RAVENSBURGER ANNOUNCES ‘DISNEY LORCANA’ ORGANIZED PLAY PROGRAM

Source https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/53838/ravensburger-announces-disney-lorcana-organized-play-program

Ravensburger announced that they will be launching an organized play program for their new Disney Lorcana TCG once the game releases into retail in August 2023.
The OP program will offer FLGS resources to support Disney Lorcana game nights in their stores. The support will come in the form of OP kits. These kits include promo cards, pins, and prize support. Stores can utilize the kits to host tournaments or to encourage league play, and players will be able to collect points to earn prizes by bringing a friend to game night or teaching someone else the rules. These kits will support up to 12 weeks worth of league play.

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KONAMI REVEALS ‘BATTLES OF LEGEND: MONSTROUS REVENGE’

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/53531/konami-reveals-battles-legend-monstrous-revenge

Konami Digital Entertainment revealed Battles of Legend: Monstrous Revenge, an all-foil booster set for Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, which is coming on June 23, 2023.

The set introduces more than 52 new cards to the game, and is themed around tales of knights, dragons, ghosts, and serpents.  This set will be over 100 cards total, featuring some fan favorite cards as reprints alongside the new cards.  There will be Quarter Century Secret Rare versions of new cards like Armed Neos and Assault Synchron found in packs along with iconic cards ike Dark Armed Dragon, Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, and a new alternate-art Sky Striker Mobilize.  The set will also have some the more current hot cards like Rite of Aramesir, Divine Arsenal AA-Zeus – Sky Thunder, and Welcome Labrynth as Quarter Century Secret Rare cards.

The set will have 40 Secret Rares and 62 Ultra Rares. Each five-card pack will come with  4 Ultra Rares and 1 Secret Rare, and they will retail for $4.49.  The booster set name and contents are subject to change.

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WOW TCG Reborn 9/22 Ban & Balance UpdateWOW TCG Reborn

Source: https://www.wowtcgreborn.com/news/2022/9/ban-list-and-balance-update

Mazu’kon will be added to the Contemporary Banlist, and some Reborn cards will be changed, effective 9/25/22. The following cards remain banned in these formats:

Classic:

Nerfed Card Changes

  • Dreamwalking: Added activation cost to Rediscover power.
  • Nether Attunement: Changed cost from 2 to 3.
  • Overcook!: Changed damage from 50 to 10. Plus a new alternate art!
  • Chi Wave: Changed cost from 4 to 5. Text changed slightly to fit rules syntax.
  • Ring of Peace: Added cost of 1 to activation power.
  • Aura of Bravery: Cost changed from 3 to 4.
  • Greater Judgement: Changed cost from 4 to 5. Text changed slightly to fit rules syntax.
  • Spiritbinding Totem: Changed graveyard effect to no longer target itself or other cards of the same name.
  • Storm Blast: Changed cost from X to 1+X.
  • Profane Gateway: Changed cost from 2 to 3.
  • Mana Tea: Changed cost from 1 to 2.
  • Hot Streak: Changed cost from 2 to 3. Now only triggers when [Fire] allies enter play.
  • Shadowfae Madcap: Changed ATK from 3 to 1.
  • Battleplate of the Holy Warrior: Changed second activation power’s cost to remove at least 1 counter.
  • Vestements of the Haunted Forest: Changed second activation power’s cost to remove at least 1 counter and added “on your turn” restriction. Now only one token of the same name can be put into play from the collection.
  • Xing-Ho, Breath of Yu’lon: Changed cost from 3 to 4; now only affects non-combat magical damage; Unpreventable damage modifier turned into activation power; Armor value changed from 1 to 0.
  • Ski’thik’s Rod of Ambershaping: Now does not trigger from adding counters to other cards with the same name.
  • Storm-Stave of Antonidas: Strike changed from 4 to 5.
  • Wu Lai, Bladed Fan of the Consorts: Now only triggers while attacking. Changed Strike from 0 to 1.
  • Tiger’s Peak: Changed activation power to friendly target and combat damage.

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Rules and Superficial Changes

  • Blessing of the Emperor: Reworked design to differ from Blessing of Trials.
  • Sanctity of Battle: Renamed from Templar’s Verdict. (T.V. will return!)
  • Cascade: Reworked powers, thank you @Timmir!
  • Hammer-Fist Frenzy: Characters targeted do not have to be exhausted by H.F.F to not be able to ready.
  • Zhi the Harmonious: Better bigger better art!
  • Warpelt of the Howling Beast: Corrected armor type typo from Plate to Mail.
  • Taoren, the Soul Burner: Better cooler better art!
  • Mogu’shan Palace: Reworked first activation power.

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Buffed Card Changes

  • Legacy of the Last Emperor: Adds 4 +1 / +1 counters, up from 2.
  • Forgotten Corruption: Adds additional corruption counters for Sha controlled.
  • Lorewalker Fu: Now also triggers when he enters play.
  • Garb of the Silent Assassin: Removed “Once on each of your turns:” from first counter power.
  • Massacre Greatsword: Changed ATK and Strike from 2 to 1; Now also gains counters for allies discarded or milled during the turn.
  • Siegecrafter’s Forge Hammer: Changed strike cost from 2 to 1. (Good call, @Bel’akor!)
  • Starshatter: Strike cost changed from 3 to 2.
  • Dalaran: Added second activation power, changed damage boost to non-combat damage.

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ULTRA PRO WILL RELEASE ‘MAGIC: THE GATHERING – THE BROTHERS’ WAR SCHEMATIC PLAYMATS’

New Playmats Feature the Schematic Artwork for the Retro Frame Artifacts Included in New Set

Ultra PRO will release Magic: The Gathering – The Brothers’ War Schematic Playmats into retail on December 2, 2022.
These playmats feature the popular schematic artwork for the retro frame artifacts from Magic: The Gathering – The Brothers’ War (see “‘Magic: The Gathering – The Brothers’ War’ Product Line”). The mats are made with a soft fabric top and a non-slip rubber backing to keep the playmat from shifting on a tabletop. These playmats measure approximately 24″ by 13.5″ and also make a good oversize mousepad for home or office.