God-Pharaoh's Gift

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Those who earn a glorious are given the highest honor. They are carried on funeral barges through the gate to the afterlife.

Headlong is the only way to pass through the gate to the afterlife.
 
Here at MTG Realm, we've had a nice 'n' quiet Easter with friends and family with little or no talk about the upcoming Magic: the Gathering set, Amonkhet.  We did sprinkle one or two posts of little concern over at our sister site, MTG Realm on Tumblr, which is creeping towards 15,000 followers.

On Good Friday, Wizards of the Coast posted the full Amonkhet spoiler and we have to be honest here . . we really had not a chance to look at the full set at all.  Having said that, we did look very specifically for one card - a card which was not in the set but was named - God-Pharaoh's Gift.  This card name comes from Gate to the Afterlife.

 Illustrated by Christine Choi

Gate to the Afterlife, 3
Artifact, Uncommon
Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, you gain 1 life. Then you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
2, Tap, Sacrifice Gate to the Afterlife: Search your graveyard, hand, and/or library for a card named God-Pharaoh's Gift and put it onto the battlefield. If you search your library this way, shuffle it. 

As it stands, there is no card with the name 'God-Pharaoh's Gift', so we can expect this in the next set 'Hour of Devastation'.  

 

It is time to speculate just what God-Pharaoh's Gift may be.  First, it appears to be a permanent which may be put on the battlefield.  

Secondly, the table has been set for that evil Elder Dragon Nicol Bolas for Hour of Devastation.   We cannot imagine that Bolas would have a 'gift' to give to any unless it had somehow served himself.  We have a feeling that although this card may provide benefit(s) to the player, one should expect a wicked downside.

Lastly, from a flavour / story / vorthos point of view, one is sacrificing a benefit of 'life and loot' with Gate to the Afterlife, which has us speculating that there may be a polar opposite effect provided in God-Pharaoh's Gift.

Anywhoos, that's all for now.  We are looking forward to reviewing the full set over the next few weeks and will be paying close attention as to how the metagame absorbs this next set.  Don't forget to show your colours for you favourite Amonkhet God with lovely looking gaming supplies from Ultra PRO.

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Amonkhet Archenemy

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Today on MTG Realm, we should like to talk about the upcoming Magic: the Gathering release of 'Archenemy: Nicol Bolas', to be released in June, 2017.  The last Archenemy set came out back in June of 2010 - yep - quite some time ago.  In Archenemy: Nicol Bolas, one player takes on the role of the elder dragon Planeswalker while the rest unite to meet the challenge.  

From the product packaging which was previewed at the New York Toy Fair by Hasbro, it looks like the Planeswalker will be Nicol Bolas (the Archenemy), along with Gideon Jura, Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane.  The packaging art appears to have this set on the new ancient Egyptian themed Plane of Amonkhet.  We also know from Wizards of the Coast that Lilianna is also on this Plane and her absence on the Archenemy product art battling Bolas is the source of some speculation.

Although the cards in the regular decks are thought to be all reprints, we can expect four non-foil planeswalker cards, blessed with new art.  We are certainly pumped on the hope that some (or all) of the twenty new 'Scheme' cards may have some Amonkhet flavour.  Anywhoos, here is the info you may need to know for Archenemy: Nicol Bolas

Archenemy is a multiplayer Magic format in which players unite against a common foe—the "Archenemy"—whose power is multiplied by a second deck of twenty "scheme" cards designed to even the odds.  In Archenemy: Nicol Bolas, one player takes on the role of the elder dragon Planeswalker while the rest unite to meet the challenge. The set includes four ready-to-play sixty-card decks, plus all new scheme cards that affect the game in powerful ways.

Contents: 
4 ready-to-play 60-card decks 
20 oversized scheme cards
10 double-sided tokens
4 deck boxes
1 life tracker
1 rules insert

Set Name: Archenemy: Nicol Bolas
Release Date: June 16, 2017
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGARCHENEMY
Languages Available: English
MSRP: $59.99 *Applies to U.S. Only

As for the rules, we will direct you to this post on the Wizards of the Coast site.  In brief, a lone player, called the “Archenemy”, plays against a team of opponents with the use of a second deck consisting of over-sized cards of the card type scheme. The schemes basically represent a free spell per turn and help to balance out the odds for the Archenemy. The Archenemy's opponents work cooperatively against the lone player and, much like partners in Two-Headed Giant, take their turn simultaneously. The Archenemy begins the game with 40 life, while each other player begins the game with only 20. The Archenemy wins if all of his or her opponents are eliminated from the game. All of the opposing players, even those who have already lost the game, win if the Archenemy is eliminated.


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Random MTG Thursday

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

It also is Thirsty Thursday, so why not head on down to Modean's latter for an ice cold Puppers.  Anywhoos, today on MTG Realm, we have another variety show of mad non-sensical Magic: the Gathering ramblings, so strap yerself in for a bumpy ride.

First Up - Ultra PRO W.A.R. Gaming Cases
These things look amazing.  Our local gaming store, OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario has these cases on the shelves and we think we'll treat ourselves to one of these rugged cases for when we head off to our regular summer vacation in the Canadian wilderness.  We know these re-purposed .30 calibre ammunition cases are air tight, but we may also discover whether these are bear proof as well.

Next up - Aether Revolt Game Day
Set some time aside this weekend to get in some standard constructed play at your local gaming store and get a chances to win fabulous prizes (game day playmat, promo cards).  If you have not yet tucked into standard, you can always pick up a Planeswalker Deck the day of the event and give that a spin.

As for the metagame, we've now had our four weeks and there has been some jostling for top decks.  If you are looking to buy into a decklist or develop your sideboard against the popular decks, look no further than this weeks Channel Fireball Power Rankings.  Always a good summary of 'movers and shakers' and what tech the latest weapon is employing.  Here is the text list -

• Scrapheap Scrounger
• Heart of Kiran
• Unlicensed Disintegration
• Fatal Push
• Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• Winding Constrictor
• Metallic Rebuke
• Walking Ballista

The top of the heap is Scrapheap Scrounger, which delivers a 3/2 for just 2 colourless.  The drawback is that is cannot block, but hey - a perfect level of power to crew Heart of Kiran.  Scrapheap enjoys a graveyard recursion clause and for these reasons is the perfect crew critter.  We pre-ordered a deckset of these for $1.75 and now they are going for about $6.

Finally, a word about Amonket, the next Egyptian-themed set coming out in April.  Like the spoiler / speculation nutters that we are we've been re-reading the same 3 sentances over and over for quite some time :

'The desert oasis of Amonkhet forges warriors. You have trained your entire life for a chance to face the Trials of the Five Gods and join the elite ranks of the Worthy. Using your strength, speed, and cunning, overcome deadly challenges and rise above the competition to claim an honored place in the Afterlife!'

In the blurb on 'The Art of Magic: the Gathering - Amonkhet', we receive another teaser with this line -

'The Second Sun creeps across the sky, growing ever closer to the horns of the God-Pharaoh.'

The more we think upon this, the less certain we are as to what to expect from the storyline and supporting themes / spell mechanics.  What we are imagining is the tale of 'Masaka and Korgano' ('Masks', ST/TNG), and the 1994 film Stargate, where the god Ra is actually an alien, or in this case, Nicol Bolas.  There seems to be some mysterious cycle at play here.


Dang.  We need Wizards of the Coast to throw us a small bone to tie us over for the next two months.
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Amonkhet Key Art

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

In yesterday's post, linked here at MTG Realm, we had covered off the announcement of the next 'The Art of Magic: the Gathering' art book offering from Wizards of the Coast and Viz Media.  Scheduled for release in July 2017, 'The Art of Magic: the Gathering - Amonkhet', is timed to correspond with with the second set in the Amonkhet block, called 'Hour of Devastation'.  

If you have followed MTG Realm since we first started blogging about Magic: the Gathering in 2008, then you will know we love Magic spoilers and speculation and definitely revel in the storyline (vorthos) and incredible art that Wizards of the Coast uses.  To the point now - After yesterday's post by WotC, Viz Media followed up with their own news release.  This post not only provided some tantalizing descriptions of the Plane of Amonkhet, but also delivered a a bonus - the full key art, illustrated by Titus Lunter in the form of a 1920 x 1080 px wallpaper which expands the art book cover image.  We definitely need to talk about this.  First, let's go through the official blurb for the book and accompanying commentary.

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Wizards of the Coast and VIZ Media have jointly announced plans to expand THE ART OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING® collection with THE ART OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING – AMONKHET, scheduled for release in July 2017.

The fourth and latest release in the ongoing series of impressive hardcover editions featuring artwork from Magic: The Gathering will present scores of full-color illustrations from an array of talented artists, including Cliff Childs, Winona Wilson, Christine Choi and Adam Paquette. Additional insights and lore on the dangerous and beautiful world of Amonkhet are provided by bestselling author and Magic: The Gathering Senior Game Designer, James Wyatt. Amonkhet is the latest expansion game for Magic: The Gathering and is set for retail release by Wizards of the Coast in April of 2017.

In THE ART OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING – AMONKHET, the Second Sun creeps across the sky, growing ever closer to the horns of the God-Pharaoh. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering™, will introduce readers to the people of Amonkhet, whose life is a series of trials meant to prepare them for the great God-Pharaoh’s return. The glorious hope and desolate despair of Amonkhet awaits readers as the final hours draw near!

“THE ART OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING – AMONKHET reveals a world of harsh beauty and incredible contrast. While withering sandstorms rip across barren and treacherous deserts, a thriving city-state worships the God-Pharaoh who protects their verdant oasis,” says Elaine Chase, Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing for Magic: The Gathering. “Of course, beneath this utopian surface lies a darker truth, and James Wyatt guides fans through the lore of Amonkhet masterfully.”

“The vibrant yet deadly world of Amonkhet comes to life in vivid illustrations, and we invite players and fans of fantasy art to celebrate their love of Magic: The Gathering with this beautifully detailed and comprehensive new release,” says Beth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director, VIZ Media. “Explore the desert oasis of this sun-drenched plane ruled by the infamous Elder Dragon, Nicol Bolas, and savor all of the strange and wondrous inhabitants of this unique world.”

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Let's float out some interesting objects from the Titus Lunter Amonkhet key art :

• There is a gigantic monument dominating the image background showing "the horns of the God-Pharaoh" of the infamous Elder Dragon, Nicol Bolas.  

• The "Second Sun creeps across the sky" and we're quite certain that as the second set 'Hour of Devastation' arrives, there will be an alignment heralding the return of Nicol Bolas to Amonkhet.

• Thre is a massive Stargate in the right side background.  Expect to see an exploration of soldiers and scientists from Earth popping through this portal to reboot the television series and movie.  (no - not really)

• To image left and image right there are very large monuments to implied therianthropic deities.  In ancient Egypt, these deified forces included the elements, animal characteristics, or abstract forces.  Watch the movie 'Gods of Egypt' to get a feel for the the landscape.

• The monument on the right shows a form with the head of a Jakal (the god Anubis) symbolizing mummification and the afterlife while the monument on image left shows a form with the head of a  Crocodile (the god Sobek) symbolizing the power of the Pharo and military strength.

• on the bottom left of the image, there appears a group of individuals, again with some therianthropic qualities or perhaps just ceremoinial headress.  One with a ram's head (perhaps the god Khnum associated with water and fertility), another with wings (perhaps the god Isis associated with wisdom and health) and another with the form of a Jackal.

• On the river in the image is shown a large barge with the prow of this boat stylized after the head of Nicol Bolas.  We will take the liberty to call this the Nicol Boat-las.

We love the preview image and the opportunity to whet our appetite for speculation for Amonkeht and Hour of Devastation and hope that WotC posts more teasers like this.
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Halloween 2016

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

An interesting tweet from Magic: the Gathering's rules guru Matt Tabak had us looking closer at a teaser video posted by Lone Shark Games.  Although we do not think that this is likely to be an MTG product, we will want to blog about it just the same.

UPDATE :  confirmed Betrayal at the House on the Hill: Widow's Walk Expansion Teaser

This rather mysterious video was posted with the title of 'Project Riboflavin' with an indication to expect something for Halloween 2016.  It is simply a static image of a demon / witch / unknown supposedly malevolent character looming over a rather spooky looking mansion.  The video wraps up with well known logos from Avalon Hill, Lone Shark Games, and Wizards of the Coast.

Certainly not an indication of a MTG expansion but some were thinking about perhaps a one-off supplement product.  The most popular speculation at this time is that this is a reboot, or follow-up from the board game, 'Betrayal at House on the Hill'.  There may be a clue in the name 'project riboflavin', commonly known as vitamin B2 - rather clever eh, - Betrayal 2?

This board game was published by Avalon Hill and has players exploring a haunted house filled with all sorts of traps, clues, and other items.  This game uses tiles and as such, one can expect a new twist every time it is played.

Whatever this may turn out to be, colour us as excited to play.   
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From the Vault: Lore

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Also, a very happy Birthday to any reader celebrating today - ensure you put yourself whole-heartedly into today's cake-day as you will not see another one for four years.

Anywhoos, there was an interesting teaser from MaRo on the 27th, with this just cryptic message.

As promised, WotC delivered the announcement to the next From the Vault set, to be hitting a gaming store shelf near you in August.  From the Vault is a series of box sets, released by Wizards of the Coast on an annual basis in late August. Each box set contains 15 tournament-legal, black-bordered, holographic foil cards with a common theme.  This year's theme is explained in the official announcement over here on the mothersite.

From the Vault: Lore

Delve deeper into the events that shaped the Multiverse - and show your opponents that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it! This limited-edition set includes cards from throughout Magic's history that are renowned for both their power and the stories behind them. Surprise your foes with blasts from the past they'll have to see to believe.

Contents and Details:

• Fifteen premium foil cards and one token, including three with new art.
• An exclusive Spindown life counter.
• A collector's guide.
• Each card has been printed using a foil process unique to the From the Vault series.
• From the Vault: Lore will be available worldwide in English only, and will have an extremely limited print run.
• All cards are black-bordered and tournament-legal. This means that these cards are legal for use in any tournaments where the original printings are still legal.

Use the hashtag #FTVLORE to discuss this product on Twitter!
Product Concept and Development: Sam Stoddard and Jeremy Jarvis, with contributions from Mark Purvis.
Release Date: August 19, 2016
Magic Online Release Date: October 10, 2016
MSRP: $34.99

Well that is rather exciting.  Let's get straight to dissecting and then some speculation !

First - the indication is that there is to be only three rather than six new arts as was the case in the most recent FTV sets.  Limited print run is the same story, so expect to purchase from retailers at a greatly increased price.

The preview art provided in most likely that of Momir Vig, Simic Visionary.  In face, we will say pretty much 100% certain - compare what the greenish fella is wearing -

As for speculation on the other cards, we do have this from the announcement - "renowned for both their power and the stories behind them".  We would expect a card with a solid showing in the Magic Fiction section of the mothersite - perhaps a card like Azusa, Lost but Seeking, for which there was an possibly leaked art some time ago -

The other bit is that there is one token card included in this From the Vault.  There are several prominent ones which come to mind such as Tuttuk the Returned, but here are our guesses - Dark Depths, Helm of Kaldra and Tolsimir Wolfbood.  What are your guesses on tokens and other cards for From the Vault: Lore ?

 

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Fiora Conspiracy

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Something rather interesting happened yesterday which has a number of Magic: the Gathering fans talking.  Artist David Gaillet, based in Toulouse, France, known for a number of wonderfully illustrated cards had posted an image quite recently labeled with the name 'Thorn of the Black Rose'.  Of interest is that the image has since been removed from David's DeaviantArt account (perhaps at the behest of Wizards of the Coast), subsequently providing much fodder for speculation.

The discourse of speculation has produced some tantalising theories based on the name given with the illustration, almost assuredly a reference to 'Marchesa, the Black Rose' from the special Conspiracy set.  For those not in the know, Magic: The Gathering – Conspiracy is the first-ever multiplayer-focused Magic booster set. It was released on June 6, 2014. Conspiracy was designed to be drafted.  Some hypothesis so far -

• WotC is to return the Plane of Fiora as a regular block / set,
• WotC is to publish another Conspiracy set, or
• the art was simply un-used from the previous Conspiracy set.

Whatever may be true, we think that most gamers would be more than pleased to see more of Paliano, the High City on the Plane of Fiora.  For today's post, MTG Realm will take you on a brief flavour tour of Marchesa.  We suggest you may be interested in reading the Uncharted Realms article titled 'The Black Rose' by Matt Knicl on the mothersite.

Marchesa a.k.a. The Black Rose is a scheming woman of high lineage at the High City of Paliano on the plane of Fiora. She is one of the main players vying for control of Paliano.  Marchesa's mansion towers over the palatial homes of her neighbors, each extra story a mark of her success.
Trained in the king’s court at Paliano from an early age, Marchesa found herself edged aside for the throne of Fiora by her less competent brothers. She resentfully left the court to gain influence over revolutionaries and assassins who appreciated her genius. Her network of spies and rogues now controls much of the High City.

The following cards assist to explicate the above - 
• Marchesa, the Black Rose, illustrated by Matt Stewart
• Marchesa's Emissary, illustrated by Tyler Jacobson
• Marchesa's Infiltrator, illustrated by Lucas Graciano
• Marchesa's Smuggler, illustrated by Dan Scott

Marchesa's handiwork may also bee seen within the card arts of Bite of the Black Rose and Power Play as well as several other cards with flavour text quotes from her.

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Tumblr Thursday

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

Some anticipation in the air as the next Magic: the Gathering set, Magic 2015 core set, is being finally released tomorrow.  Be sure to get on out to a Friday Night Magic event tomorrow to score the M15 Launch Promo card - 'In Garruk's Wake'.  This evening however at midnight, a few card shops will be remaining opening, including our local gaming store OMG! Games, for the official street date release - we'll pop on by and collect a few cards in order to get it into a decklist for FNM.

Anywhoos, for today's post, we'll turn our attention on to our sister site MTG Realm on Tumblr, so sit back and let's go -
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Photoset

July 17, 2014

81 notes 

 

Magic: the Gathering  - Wooden Land Station
Some very exceptional wood work by mtg_wood_thing for this land station.
Shaddup and take my moneys !!

 

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Photoset

July 16, 2014

 

Magic: the Gathering - Token Tyme
I’m rather happy at the moment with a recent haul of MTG tokens I’ve been after for a while now.  Until now, I’ve been using beer bottle caps or teeth I’ve found at the hockey arena.  Exceptional card art on all of them -
Squirrel token (Conspiracy) - I’ve been after this one for a while now.  Art by Daniel Ljunggren is kickbutt.

Modern Event Deck double-sided tokens - I had cleverly used a mirror in this image -
Soldier / Elspeth Emblem
Spirit / Soldier
Myr / Spirit

 

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Photoset

July 16, 2014

100 notes 

Magic: the Gathering - Mirage Diamonds
Interesting post by artist Lindsey Look on her FaceBook - Beautiful Art !

July 9th, 2014 - I just got the go-ahead to post a whole lot of good stuff! These are included in MTG’s Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 (for MGTO, released today) and will be physically printed later in another set. Charcoal Diamond, Fire Diamond, Marble Diamond, Moss Diamond, and Sky Diamond. All 12 in by 9 in, oil on illustration board.  All images Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2014.

Mirage Diamonds - Each of these uncommon artifacts costs Mana2.gif to play, comes into play tapped, and produces one mana of the appropriate color when tapped - This cycle was later reprinted in 6th and 7th -Edition - original illustrations last image.

• Marble Diamond
• Sky Diamond
• Charcoal Diamond
• Fire Diamond
• Moss Diamond
Khans of Tarkir ?  Commander Supplement ?
 

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Photoset

July 14, 2014

38 notes 

 

Magic: the Gathering - Ultra PRO Camo
Hitting a gaming store near you - the Ultra PRO Camouflage line with Deck Box, Sleeves, Play Mat in Woodland, Artic, and Navy.  Part of the Play it Forward program where a portion of proceeds go to benefit military charities.
Just don’t blame Ultra PRO if you misplace these at your hunting camp or forward operating base.   ;)
http://www.ultrapro.com/division.php?d=g
This is hitting a shelf at a gaming store near you this fall.

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Journey into Nyx Events

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

As it is Friday, consider getting out to a Friday Night Magic event today and get some gaming in to kick start your weekend.  Standard constructed is on tap this evening at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario.  To find where your local gaming shop is, try this handy Event / Store Locator.

For today's article on MTG Realm, we want to show a handful of Journey into Nyx spoilers, or rather some art previews part of the digital marketing assets for retailers which was posted to the mothersite yesterday.  We've already seen the Journey into Nyx key art Illustration by Tyler Jacobson which had provided much fodder for speculation as to the possibility of seeing an Ajani variant Planeswalker in this last set of the block.  Some of these illustrations are likely to make it on to cards while others may simply be graphics for product marketing.  Let's have a looky-loo now -

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Very very incredible and beautiful art here. We suspect the first image for Hero's path may be part of the 'Defeat a God' challenge product - perhaps the vinyl playmat graphic.  The League graphic is awesome and suggests a battle with a Cyclops god.  The Game Day graphic is definitely not a card but simply a marketing graphic.  The Launch Day graphic is very cool and we think this could be a spell (instant / sorcery) associated with one of the minor gods.  Lastly, its that key art Illustration by Tyler Jacobson.

Here's the Events Information

Prerelease Events: April 26-27, 2014
Release Date: May 2, 2014
Launch Weekend: May 2-4, 2014
Magic Online Prerelease Events: May 9-12, 2014
Magic Online Release: May 12, 2014
Magic Online Release Events: May 12-28, 2014
Game Day: May 24-25, 2014

Set Name: Journey into Nyx
Number of Cards: 165
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGJOU

Theros has become a battlefield. The gods have sent their forces against the mortals to punish the hubris of a few. But the mortals have risen up in defiance and the time has come when Magic™ players will be tested against a god.

If this has you excited for the next MTG set, remember that you can pre-order assorted card lots from MTG Mint Card now ahead of the rush latter on.
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MTG Player's Guide

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

With the prerelease for Journey into Nyx about one month away not only are our thoughts turning to this next Magic: the Gathering expansion set release but also back to the two previous sets in the block - Theros, and Born of the Gods.  Here at MTG Realm, we often review the previous sets Player's Guide, included within each Fat Pack since almost as long as there have been Fat Packs (we think Mercadian Masques).  

This serves two purposes :
 
• Assisting us in re-organising our collection ahead of the next release - we typically organise in the same order as listed in the visual card encyclopedia within the Player's Guide (by colour, then alphabetical) - this is meditative and very soothing for us.  Oddly enough, we sometimes 'rediscover' a rather good card we want to put into a decklist or identify a card we need to pick up from MTG Mint Card as we've somehow missed it.

• The second reason for reviewing the Player's Guide is that this serves to help us speculate as to what we could expect in the next set, either from a storyline theme or cards.   Wizards of the Coast are often rather good at providing a 'hoser' card in their effort to balance sets in order to ensure no one build strategy dominates.

 

Anywhoos, we've realised last evening going through the Player's Guide for Theros and Born of the Gods just how much we appreciate these guides.  We've been picking up Fat Packs since we first started in Lorwyn and do not ever anticipate not getting one in the future. 

 

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From the storyline review and what we have from the Magic Creative Team we do know that the epic conclusion to this block will likely again involve Xenagos.  Should Heliod and his chosen champion Elspeth fail, so would the plane of Theros.  The safety and security of Theros stands upon a knife's edge.  Should Elspeth (and possibly Ajani?) stray but a little in their effort to defeat Xenagos, we would be looking at another Mirrodin or Zendikar.  Moving away from the flavour, we can totally see a spell such as Erase which exiles an enchantment (Gods = creature enchantment), or perhaps a weapon from Heliod - essentially an artifact with the same effect).

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