Wizards of the Coast teased a new Secret Lair Drop Series set, for Magic: The Gathering, themed around the Phyrexian Praetors. Magic: The Gathering’s praetors, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite; Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur; Sheoldred, Whispering One; Urabrask the Hidden; and Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, are getting a new makeover. The new drop set will feature these legendary creatures in a Phyrexian-language Showcase frame. These drops will be available both through the Secret Lair website and the MTG-Arena in-client store soon.
There has been no word as to the MSRP of this product as of the publication of this article.
Square Enix unveiled Final Fantasy TCG: Crystal Dominion, a new expansion for Final Fantasy TCG, for release on November 26. Crystal Dominion adds a new feature to games of Final Fantasy TCG. Some Character abilities and Summons will be able to be paid in Crystals, instead of Crystal Points, and Crystals accumulate as players use more abilities. The set comes with 130 normal cards and 166 premium cards, 24 of which are full-art. Packs come with 12 cards and include a Premium card; booster boxes will come with 36 packs.
This expansion also showcases the work of a number of artists. The artists that contributed to this set were by Gen Kobayashi, Ryoma Ito, Akira Oguro, Toshitaka Matsuda, Kumiko Koike, and Yukihiro Kajimoto.
ltra PRO unveiled Magic: The Gathering: Strixhaven – Japanese Mystical Archive Play Mats for release in June. Similar to the upcoming release of the English edition playmats (see “Ultra PRO Offers Up ‘Magic: The Gathering’s’ Mystical Archive”), retailers can now order the Japanese edition playmats in limited quantities. These mats will be standard-sized and feature the artwork from the Japanese versions of cards in the Mystical Archive. Popular pieces of art from the set include the Demonic Tutor by Sumie Okazu, Time Warp by Shie Nanahara, and Lightning Bolt by Ezoi.
The list of art available is as follows:
Swords to Plowshares by Nagano Gods Willing by Tada Mana Tithe by Magane Okuda Ephemerate by Yumeko Dark Ritual by Rien Defiant Strike by Amayagido Revitalize by Yaomojun Divine Gambit by Kiritada Approach of the Second Sun by Nagano Gift of Estates by Yaya Teferi’s Protection by So-Taro Brainstorm by Ayako Ishiguro Compulsive Research by Tomohito Counterspell by Rindo Karasuba Memory Lapse by Yumeko Negate by Koji Nishino Opt by Rien Strategic Planning by Hatori Kyoka Whirlwind Denial by Aogachou Day of Judgment by Maiko Yoshizawa Blue Sun’s Zenith by Ezoi Time Warp by Shie Nanahara Mind’s Desire by Yaya Tezzeret’s Gambit by Tomohito Agonizing Remorse by Maiko Aoji Duress by romiy Village Rites by Kaoru Hagiya Eliminate by Karuta Shiki Doom Blade by Rindo Karasuba Inquisition of Kozilek by Yuka Oka Faithless Looting by Shiro Yayoi Crux of Fate by Kota Nakatsubo Demonic Tutor by Sumie Okazu Tainted Pact by Yusuke Katekari Sign in Blood by Kaoru Yukishiro Tendrils of Agony by Daken Claim the Firstborn by Norikatsu Miyoshi Infuriate by Yangyang / Xiaji Shock by Ryanroro Thrill of Possibility by Ayako Ishiguro Grapeshot by Hatori Kyoka Lightning Bolt by Ezoi Stone Rain by Tobihachi Urza’s Rage by Maiko Aoji Mizzix’s Mastery by Hiro Suda Chaos Warp by Hisashi Momose Adventurous Impulse by Sakura Tomo Snakeskin Veil by Yuhki Takeuchi Cultivate by Uichi Ukumo Increasing Vengeance by D-suzuki Harmonize by Yuka Sakuma Regrowth by romiy Weather the Storm by Kukka Despark by Kiritada Electrolyze by Hatori Kyoka Growth Spiral by Karuta Shiki Lightning Helix by Daken Putrefy by Magane Okuda Primal Command by Kukka Natural Order by Ayami Nakashima Channel by Shie Nanahara Krosan Grip by Norikatsu Miyoshi Abundant Harvest by Yuka Sakuma Each playmat will retail for $25.99.
This Friday, April 23, you can jump in to MTG Arena‘s FNM at Home: Featuring MrBeast event and play for your opportunity to win one of two $25,000 prizes!
Join this week’s FNM at Home event and choose from a preconstructed deck provided by the event.
Play for free in this week’s FNM at Home event between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. (noon) PT. (Or all day—Magic is fun!)
Make sure you to play your games all the way through—win or lose—to be eligible to win. (You won’t know which of your opponents could be MrBeast!)
If you played against MrBeast, we’ll contact you through the email address your account was registered with.
And that’s everything you need to do for your opportunity to win $25,000—play for free, join in the fun, and enjoy MTG Arena alongside MrBeast!
We’ll see you at the FNM at Home: Featuring MrBeast this Friday, April 23, on MTG Arena.
OFFICIAL RULES
As with any contest, there are some important things you need to know about your opportunity to win $25,000 playing MrBeast.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Promotion begins at 11:00 a.m. PT 4/23/21 and ends at 12:00 p.m. PT 4/23/21. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, Canada (excl. QC), Japan, The UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Austria, and Portugal who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in their place of residence, whichever is older, at the time of entry. Click Here for Official Rules, including how to enter, odds, prize details, and restrictions. Skill-testing question required for Canadian winners. Two (2) prizes available ($25,000 USD each). Void in Quebec and where prohibited. Msg&data rates may apply. Sponsor: Wizards of the Coast, 1600 Lind Avenue Southwest, #400, Renton, WA 98057, USA.
Wizards of the Coast released a new clue as to the what cards will be featured in the next Secret Lair: Drop Series release, which will likely be Strixhaven: School of Mages-themed. It has been a few months since WotC previewed a Secret Lair drop (see “Wizards of the Coast Unveils ‘Magic: The Gathering’ ‘Secret Lair: Smitten Superdrop'”). With the pending release of the new Strixhaven: School of Mages set on the horizon (see “Wizards of the Coast Updates Release Information for ‘Magic: The Gathering’ ‘Strixhaven: School of Mages’ “), WotC released a tweet through their Secret Lair twitter feed with a photo that provides some clues to the nature of the next drop. The photo depicts the upper half of a bookcase from the Secretorium with four unrevealed cards on the top shelf that will be included in this Strixhaven-themed release.
Underneath the top shelf, there are items that likely provide clues to which four cards will be included. Twitter user speculation as to the identity of these cards, based on the clues, include Scroll Rack, AEther Vial, Baleful Strix, Springleaf Drum, and others.
Wizards of the Coast announced Universes Beyond, a sub-brand series for Magic: The Gathering, that will include Magic expansions featuring Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40,000. Products for this sub-brand series are slated to begin releasing in 2022. Last fall’s Secret Lair X The Walking Dead (see “Preview: ‘Magic: The Gathering’ ‘Secret Lair X The Walking Dead’ Contents and Images”) was apparently only a test run for what WotC has in store for fans of Magic: The Gathering in 2022. Universes Beyond allows fans of Magic to play a game of Magic featuring characters, worlds, and stories outside the traditional Multiverse of Magic: The Gathering. These Universes Beyond sets will still have traditional Magic cards, but the cards will be branded slightly differently with a unique holofoil stamp and are not legal for Standard play.
The first two licenses WotC will explore with this new Magic sub-brand are Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40,000, which had both been CCGs in the past (see ” Warhammer 40k CCG at Printer”, and also “LOTR Starter Decks Sell Out”). They will make Commander Decks for Warhammer 40K, Lord of the Rings product in an unspecified format. [note: corrected from an earlier version that said both would be Commander Decks – 2/28/21, 5:30 CT – ed.]
The adoption of Universes Beyond opens Magic sets up to several possibilities for license collaborations, as their parent company Hasbro has toy licenses for Disney brands as well as a healthy catalogue of in-house licenses such as My Little Pony, Transformers, and G.I. Joe, some of which have already appeared on Magic cards (see “‘My Little Pony’ ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Card Set Will Be Sold To Raise Money For Extra Life Charity”).
Wizards of the Coast also left the door open for producing re-skinned treatments of Magic: The Gathering cards featuring licenses, like the Godzilla cards found in Ikoria (see “Godzilla Pantheon to Appear in ‘Magic: The Gathering – Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths'”). They will default to letting the cards “stand on their own”, but if a “charming re-skin opportunity” comes up, they may take advantage of it. On another related note, the upcoming Adventures in Forgotten Realms set will not be part of Universes Beyond; it will still be a Standard set (see “Wizards of the Coast Drops ‘Magic: The Gathering’s’ Release Schedule For 2021”), although as of the publication of this article, Forgotten Realms has not been canonized as part of the Magic Multiverse (although WotC did say they may do so in the future). [Note: This was corrected from a statement that Forgotten Realms was slated to be canonized 2/28/2021 2 CT, ed.]
Wizards of the Coast unveiled SpellTable beta, a new online platform for stores to stream paper Magic: The Gathering events on. With the in-person Magic: The Gathering scene in stasis, WotC has come up with a new online platform for players and retailers to host paper Magic games on. This platform utilizes webcams for the sole purpose of playing paper Magic events remotely. To use this platform, players position their webcams or phones above their play space and they can play remotely. The major features that make this site a better platform to host events on than others are that it has built-in card identification software and can support multiple video layouts to accommodate multiplayer Commander games. It also keeps track of life totals, has turn indicator, and a clock.
The site requires players have a webcam with 1280×720 streaming capability or an updated version of a Chrome web browser to stream games; Apple and Android phones also work for streaming instead of a webcam. SpellTable beta can currently support up to four players, and it has built-in audio which is in an early stage of development. The developers’ FAQ suggested streaming audio through Discord while they work out the bugs in the site.
Wizards of the Coast recently announced that they will remove stores from the WPN if they do not switch to their Wizards EventLink system from Wizards Event Reporter
Konami Digital Entertainment unveiled King’s Court, for Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, which will release on June 25. This new 60-card booster set features World Premiere cards. These cards can be played in decks on their own or synergistically with the engine of an Egyptian God Card strategy. The rarity breakdown for this set is as follows: 10 Ultra Rares, 15 Super Rares, 35 Rares, and 15 cards in the set are also available as Collector’s Rares. Boosters come with 7 cards which include a foil card and 6 rares.
Packs will retail for $3.99, and the name and contents of this set is subject to change.
Konami Digital Entertainment also announced the Yu-Gi-Oh! Egyptian God Decks, featuring Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor, for release on June 11
A new Magic saga begins with (attempted) murder most foul.
If you enjoy the lore and characters of Magic: The Gathering as much as the game itself, then you’ll be pleased to hear the long-running franchise is returning to the comic book arena in 2021. Publisher BOOM! Studios has struck a new deal with Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro to produce a new line of Magic: The Gathering comics, beginning with an ongoing monthly series simply titled Magic. Magic’s creative team includes writer Jed MacKay (Black Cat), artist Ig Guara (Ghost-Spider), colorist Arianna Consonni and letterer Ed Dukeshire. You can get an exclusive first look at the covers to Magic #1 and Guara’s character designs in the slideshow gallery below:
Magic: The Gathering Returns to Comics in April 2021
The series opens in the realm of Ravnica, whose planet-sized city is rocked by assassination attempts against three Guildmasters, Ral Zarek, Vraska, and Kaya. The trio will be forced to put aside their differences and travel to the plane of Zendikar to hunt the assassins. Boom is teasing a climactic showdown with a major Magic: The Gathering character.
“Twenty-five years ago when I was digging through the commons and uncommons bin to build my first deck, I would never have thought that one day I would be handed the reins to the Magic: The Gathering comic, but here we are!” said MacKay in the publisher’s press release. “I’m extremely psyched to be digging into the world of MAGIC and all that entails, and can’t wait for all of you to see what we’ve been cooking up for you!”
“It is amazing to be able to tell a story in the universe of a game I have been playing for over 20 years! I battled the Affinity deck and watched the Phyrexian take over Mirrodin,” said Guara. “I was actually finishing a new Commander deck when the proposal came so you can imagine just how excited I am to be working on this series, and bringing this world alive for fans everywhere!”
The Magic franchise has made its home at several different comic book publishers over the years. Most recently, IDW Publishing released several Magic: The Gathering limited series between 2011 and 2018.
Magic #1 will release in April 2021. The issue features cover art by Matteo Scalera (Black Science), with variant covers by Guara, InHyuk Lee (Miles Morales: Spider-Man), and Junggeun Yoon (Seven Secrets). The first issue also features a series of Hidden Planeswalker variant covers by artists Miguel Mercado (Mighty Morphin), Taj Tenfold (Abbott), and Magdalena Pagowska (The Library of Esoterica), each spotlighting a different iconic Magic character. Additionally, Boom will offer a “Magic pack” collector bundle that includes the main cover, an exclusive variant by Mirka Andolfo (Mercy). one of the Hidden Planeswalker covers and a blank sketch cover.
This is just the latest big release in the Magic: The Gathering line. Recently we learned Wizards of the Coast is releasing a series of cards painted by none other than PBS mainstay Bob Ross, and those cards may be added to Magic: The Gathering Arena in the near future. We also learned Dungeons & Dragons will be getting its own Magic the Gathering set in Q3 2021.
Beyond the card game itself, Magic is also headed to Netflix, as Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo are overseeing a new animated series. Several Magic players among the IGN staff weighed in on why this adaptation is such a big deal.
Brother Of Runes 