July Magic Schedule
FNM Standard -
Start Time 6:30;
Entry Fee $2;
Swiss Rounds;
FNM Drafts -
Start Time Draft #1 Starts at 6:30 Draft #2 Starts approx. 8:30 (after two rounds of Standard);
Entry Fee $10;
Keep What You Draft;
Swiss Rounds;
Latest Draft Format (e.g., currently Dragons Maze);
Prizes consist of 3/2/1/1 booster pack prizes
(based on 8 players) to the Top 3 and FNM foils distributed to the Top 2
players automatically.
Other prizes, like foil door prizes and
other handouts, including Intro packs and Battle Packs, will be
distributed as before, with a door prize pool equal to about half the
number of entrants! Based on our average 30-man FNM attendance (you can
see the expected prize distribution above), I think this is an
exceptionally exciting change. Let everyone know about our huge FNMs -
the more people who play, the larger the prize pool gets!
July Schedule
July1 - Canada's Day Store Closed
July 5- FNM
Standard-legal deck required. 6:30 pm start time, $2 $10 3-2-1-1 Ravnica Block draft available at 6:30pm and 8:30 pm.
July 7- Commander League 3:00 pm. Sunday Modern 3:00pm $5 entry Prize goes into store credit.
July 8 - Monday Night Draft
6:30PM Start Time Ravnica Block Draft Rare Redraft $10 entry fee
July 12 - FNM
Standard-legal deck required. 6:30 pm start time, $2 $10 3-2-1-1 Ravnica Block draft available at 6:30pm and 8:30 pm.
July 12 - M14 Midnight Pre-release after FNM. $27 entry for your 6 packs. The new M14 rules go into effect which are explained in the article at the bottom.
July 14 - M14 Pre-release 11AM start time $27 entry for your 6 packs
July 15 - Monday Night Draft
6:30PM Start Time Ravnica Block Rare Redraft $10 entry fee
July 19 - FNM Standard-legal
deck required. 6:30 pm start time, $2 $10 3-2-1-1 M14 draft available at 6:30pm and 8:30 pm. M14 is legal for standard.
July 21 - Commander League 3:00pm Sunday Modern 3:00pm $5 entry Prize goes into store credit.
July 22 - Monday Night Draft
6:30PM Start Time M14 Rare Redraft $10 entry fee
July 26 - FNM Standard-legal
deck required. 6:30 pm start time, $2 $10 3-2-1-1 M14 draft available at 6:30pm and 8:30 pm.
July 28 - Commander League 3:00pm Sunday Modern 3:00pm $5 entry Prize goes into store credit.
July 29 - Monday Night Draft
6:30PM Start Time M14 Rare Redraft $10 entry fee
Prerelease Events: July 13-14, 2013
Release Date: July 19, 2013
Launch Weekend: July 19-22, 2013
Magic Online Release: July 29, 2013
Game Day: August 10-11, 2013
Magic 2014 Core Set Rules Preview
f you've cruised around this wonderful Internet of ours lately, you may have noticed that information about
Magic 2014—Duels of the Planeswalkers has begun to spread. Of course, a major part of that game is the
Magic 2014 Core Set,
so information about those cards has also begun to spread. So, with M14
on the horizon, it's time to go over some of the rule changes and new
templates debuting with that set. This isn't a complete list. Each set
has maintenance tweaks that are largely invisible to most players, and
the
Magic 2014 Core Set is no different. But this article will review the major changes and how they may impact you.
Let me begin by making one thing clear: these changes take effect on July 13, the date of the
Magic 2014 Core Set Prerelease. On
Magic Online, the changes will go live on or around July 24, the date of the
Magic 2014 Core Set build. From now until then, the current rules are still in effect.
The "Legend Rule"
Let's dive in, shall we? The "legend rule," rule 704.5k for those of
you following along at home, is changing. Under the current rules, any
time two or more legendary permanents with the same name were on the
battlefield, they would all be put into their owners' graveyards as a
state-based action. Under the new rules, any time two or more legendary
permanents with the same name are controlled by a player, that player
chooses one of them and the rest are put into their owners' graveyards
as a state-based action.
One way to think about it is the "legend rule" now looks at each
player individually. It doesn't matter what any other player controls.
Clearly, this has a few play ramifications. If you control a legendary
permanent, having another one enter the battlefield (by playing a second
one or creating a copy of the first one) will leave you with one on the
battlefield. It may be the old one. It may be the new one. That's up to
you.
Also, creating a copy of a legendary permanent controlled by another
player will simply give you a copy. The one controlled by the other
player won't explode, won't leave the battlefield, and really won't be
affected at all.
Clones
do what they were intended to do, which isn't to be situational killing
machines. Let's look at two examples to see the new rules in action:
- You control Teysa, Orzhov Scion. Your opponent enchants it with Pacifism. You cast another Teysa, Orzhov Scion. You choose the new one to remain on the battlefield. The one enchanted by Pacifism is put into its owner's graveyard (and then so is the Pacifism).
- Your opponent controls Ruric Thar, the Unbowed. You cast Progenitor Mimic, copying it. Both creatures may stay on the battlefield as long as they're controlled by different players. After Progenitor Mimic's
ability creates a token copy of Ruric Thar, you must choose one to stay
on the battlefield. The other will be put into its owner's graveyard as
a state-based action.
I've recruited ace developer
Sam Stoddard
to write more about R&D's motivations behind this change and the
change to the "Planeswalker uniqueness rule." You should check out his
article
here. Oh, didn't I mention the Planeswalker one? Well then...
The "Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule"
You didn't think we were leaving our heroes out in the cold, right?
Just giving the legendary permanents a shiny new upgrade? Because the
Planeswalkers are coming along for the ride.
The "Planeswalker uniqueness rule" is getting a very similar update
to what the "legend rule" got. The new rule 704.5j will state that if a
player controls two or more Planeswalkers that share a Planeswalker
type, that player chooses one and the rest are put into their owner's
graveyards as a state-based action. Again, you no longer have to worry
about what other players control. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Again, Sam's article has much more information on these changes. Check it out
here. And I really can't stress enough: these changes aren't in effect until July 13 in live tournaments and July 24 on
Magic Online.
Sideboards in Constructed Tournaments
We're also making an adjustment to sideboard composition in
Constructed tournaments. Previously, your main deck was sixty or more
cards and your sideboard was either fifteen cards or zero cards,
indicating you weren't using a sideboard. With the new rule, your main
deck is still sixty or more cards but your sideboard is now
up to
fifteen cards. Additionally, you are not required to swap cards between
your main deck and sideboard on a one-for-one basis. For Games 2 and 3
(and so on), as long as your main deck is sixty or more cards and your
sideboard is no more than fifteen cards, you're good. This change makes
sideboarding in Constructed and in Limited closer.
The real benefit of this change is the following scenario, which is
all-too-common at more competitive events: after Game 1, you bring in
some cards from your sideboard, shuffle up, present your deck, and you
discover you've presented a sixty-one-card deck. There are fourteen
cards in your sideboard and you've just received a game loss.
Under the new rules, what you did in that scenario is legal and you can go about playing
Magic. Here's a chart to demonstrate what's legal and not under the new rules (listed as main deck/sideboard):
| Game 1 |
Subsequent Games |
Legality |
| 60/15 |
60/15 |
Legal |
| 60/15 |
61/14 |
Legal |
| 60/15 |
75/0 |
Legal |
| 75/0 |
60/15 |
Legal |
| 60/10 |
63/7 |
Legal |
| 250/15 |
60/205 |
Illegal |
| 60/15 |
50/25 |
Illegal |
We expect most players will continue to play sixty cards in the main
deck and fifteen in the sideboard, but some interesting variations are
possible.
Indestructible Promoted to Keyword
I frequently get asked why indestructible isn't a keyword. The
answer has always been because it doesn't need to be. It's just an
English word with a definition, slightly modified for use in
Magic.
Compare it to something like deathtouch, which carries all sorts of
rules baggage. Indestructible simply meant "can't be destroyed."
And while these reasons are good and noble and true, it didn't match
the reality that players didn't get it. Heck, even most of R&D
didn't get it. Many people assumed it was a keyword. Well, as
Mark Rosewater often reminds us, "Bananas suck." No, wait, that's not it. "You can't fight human nature." There we go. So, starting with the
Magic 2014 Core Set ,
indestructible is now a keyword. It will appear by its lonesome on
permanents that naturally have it and in abilities like "target creature
gains indestructible until end of turn."
Why does this matter? Well, for the most part it doesn't, but it can be different in two cases:
Case 1: A permanent is made indestructible by another spell or ability (for example,
Withstand Death),
and then it loses all abilities. Previously, it would still be
indestructible, because that was just something true about the
permanent. It wasn't an ability the permanent had. With the change, the
permanent will no longer have indestructible.
Case 2: Creatures (or permanents) you control are made indestructible until end of turn by a spell or ability (for example,
Boros Charm).
Previously, a creature that came under your control after that spell or
ability resolved would be indestructible, as that spell or ability
didn't change the characteristics of any creature. With the change, that
new creature won't have indestructible as it wasn't under your control
at the right time to gain it.
A little more than sixty cards will be receiving the new template and functionality.
Unblockable Demoted to Definitely Not a Keyword
And when people ask about indestructible, unblockable is usually not
far behind. One might expect it to get a similar upgrade to keyword,
but alas, one would be mistaken. Here's the thing: there are actually
many variations on unblockable. There are cards like
Barrenton Cragtreads,
Firefright Mage,
Goblin War Drums,
and several others. It would be strange and counterintuitive if
unblockable functioned like a keyword but all the subsets of unblockable
didn't. So, to alleviate confusion as to why unblockable isn't a
keyword, we're going to make it more obvious that it isn't by changing
its template to "can't be blocked." As you've seen, the words "can't be
blocked" were used on cards already, so this change seemed very natural.
Please note this is a change in template only. No cards will
functionally change.
Playing Additional Lands
Did you know that right now (assuming you're reading this article
before July 13, when these rules changes take effect), whenever you play
a land, if more than one rule or effect allows you to play that land,
you must specify which rule or effect you're using? Yeah, most people
didn't. In practice, this means that if you control something like
Oracle of Mul Daya
and play a land, the correct play is to specify that this is your
additional land for the turn. Furthermore, you could then bounce the
Oracle and recast it. Then you could play an additional, additional
land. You could then go on to play your land for the turn. What a mess.
With the
Magic 2014 Core Set , we're introducing a new
system for playing lands that focuses on the number of land plays you
have. Any time you want to play a land for any reason, if you've used
all your land plays for the turn, then you can't play the land. By
default, you have one land play on each of your turns. Spells or
abilities can add to this number. So can permanents that allow you to
play additional lands, but if these permanents leave the battlefield,
those additional land plays disappear.
As before, you can take a special action once on each of your turns
during either main phase to play a land. A spell or ability may also
instruct you to play a land as part of its resolution (for example, the
activated ability of
Djinn of Wishes).
No matter how you're playing the land, it uses up a land play. If
you're out of unused land plays for a turn, you can't play a land. And
just like before, you can never play a land if it isn't your turn.
Here are some examples:
- You start your main phase with one land play. You play a land. You then activate Djinn of Wishes, revealing a land. You have no unused land plays, so the revealed land can't be played.
- You start your main phase with one land play. You activate Djinn of Wishes,
revealing a land. You play that land. You then want to play another
land (by taking your once-a-turn special action). However, you have no
unused land plays, so you can't play another land this turn.
- You start your precombat main phase while controlling Oracle of Mul Daya. You have two land plays. You play a land. Then Oracle of Mul Daya
dies during combat, so you're back to one land play and it's been used.
During your postcombat main phase, you can't play another land.
- You start your precombat main phase while controlling Oracle of Mul Daya.
You have two land plays. You play a land. Then the Oracle is returned
to your hand, so you again have one land play, and it's been used. You
recast Oracle of Mul Daya, and you have two land plays again, one of which you've used. You can now play a second land.
Most of the time, it's a simple question of asking how many lands
you've played in a turn and figuring out how many you're allowed to
play. It doesn't come up that often, but I believe when it does come up,
the rules now behave in a more sensible manner.
The Only Constant is Change
And that brings us to the end of our overview. There will be more
information coming in the Update Bulletin, which will go into these
changes in detail. The Update Bulletin will also cover some additional
minor changes that aren't likely to impact most games. It will also
review all the Oracle changes, including cards affected by rules changes
and ones we're cleaning up through our normal review processes. I'm
excited to hear feedback on these changes. But the most exciting things
are always the cards, and
Modern Masters and the
Magic 2014 Core Set have a lot of awesome in store for you. Have fun!
Commander League
Starts April 14 at 3pm
The League will last for 2 months.
The entry will be a one time $5 fee that will go into the prize pot.
The league will be based on the Armada Games point league.
League will consist of 2 two hour matches with tables of four people.
After each match the point totals will be added to each persons league total
At the end of the league the prize pool will be divided among the top 8 players.
There will be other prizes that will be given away like Foil generals, alters and the like.
This is going to be a casual fun league so degenerate combo based decks are strongly discouraged.
Commander League Points
-4 Point
But we just started – Eliminating a player prior to their 5th turn.
-2 Points
Chasm – Be the instigator of wrecking one or more players mana bases.
Only there for its color – Finish the game without playing your General.
If a player did not have the ability to cast their general during the game,
they do not receive this award.
-1 Point
Greedy McGreederson – Take 3 or more Turns in a row. This can be awarded
more than once.
+1 Point
Block! – Give another player a creature you own.
Chumpzilla – Control 10 or more token creatures.
Clash of the Titans – Control 5+ Legendary Creatures
Copycat – First player to copy a spell or permanent of an opponent.
Danger Zone – Eliminate an opponent while your life is less than 5.
Edge of Disaster - First player to have fewer than ten cards in his or
her library.
First Blood – First player to deal combat damage to an opponent
Forth Times the Charm – Resolve your General 4 times in a single game
from the Command Zone.
Generalissimo – Eliminate a player with General damage. Can be awarded
more than once.
Hey, That’s Mine! – Gain control of a permanent you own from another
player.
I Suck – Be eliminated from the game or have it end when you have 0
points. This checks after “It was a valiant effort” but after “I’m Out”.
I’m Out – Be the first player eliminated from the table.
It’s Waffer Thin – Eliminate an opponent with a 1/1 creature.
Look at Me – Be the last player remaining in a pod.
Start with the Top – Destroy or Exile a Sensei’s Divining Top you don’t
control.
Suicide Bomber – Eliminate all remaining players at the same time (yes
this includes you).
Tribal Dance – Control 7 or more non-token creatures of the same
creature type.
What Goes Around – Take control of a permanent that an opponent took
control of from another opponent.
Where’s Timmy – Put an opponent at 1 life.
+2 Points
Here we come again! – Have 2+ extra combat steps in a single turn.
I Brought Friends – Control 3+ Planeswalkers at the same time.
Three’s Not a Crowd – Resolve three different non-land permanents of
three different types on the same turn.
Let’s Do That Again – Save an opponent from taking
lethal damage.
You’re Outta Here – Kill a player or being directly responsible for a
player’s elimination.
+3 Points
Get There – Cast your general when total cost is 20 or more.
+4 Points
The Cheese Stands Alone – Win the game with 2 or more opponents still in
the game.
End of Game Points
+1 Point - The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall -- The person with
the highest life total when he/she died (for combat death, look at the life
total before combat damage was applied) wins a point.
+1 Point - He Who Dies With the Most Toys, Loses -- The person who had
the least artifacts in play when he/she died wins a point.
+1 Point – What Friends? -- The person who had the least
creatures in play when he/she died wins a point.
+1 Point - Huge Tracts of Land -- The person who had the least
lands in play when he/she died wins a point.
