M13 Post-Release Details!

(WARNING: LOOOONG post! But if you've played in our Post-Releases before, this is nothing new except for the location and entry fee)

Coming up two Saturdays from now (on July 21st) is our M13 Post-Release Draft! Woot!

If you're unfamiliar with our Post-Release Drafts, it's just like a normal draft except for the following:
1) When you open a pack of M13, be sure to write down any Rares and/or Foils you open.
2) Draft as normal: Pick 1 card and pass the rest to the left for the 1st pack, then right on the 2nd pack, then left again on the 3rd pack. Your deck size minimum is 40 cards, like normal.
3) Rounds will be a sort of double-elimination. After the each round, the losers and winners of that round are separated out into their own bracket (from the 1st round and winner's brackets only.). The highest position anyone in a split-off loser's bracket could get is one position below half that round's total number of players (for example, a round of 5 people who were going for 1st through 5th will separate into a winner's bracket for 1st-3rd and a loser's bracket to determine 4th and 5th). Anyone who loses 2 matches is done for the tournament. 
3) When we do prizes, we'll do a number of packs of M13 being split (usually by opening the packs and everyone getting a turn choosing 1 card from the pack) AND we'll use the Rares and/or Foils from the draft packs as part of the prizes.

"That 3rd rule sucks!", I hear someone saying. Actually, it's not as bad as it seems.

See, when we started drafting at SMM, we had to pay full retail price. So to let people get their money's worth, we made the Rares and/or Foils part of the prizes BUT ALSO let them keep one of their opened Rares/Foils.

Let me explain how this will work: When we get ready to pick our prizes, all the Rares and/or Foils go onto the table we'll use for distributing prizes. In finishing order, each person will decide if they want to keep one of the Rares/foils they opened. If they do, that is considered their first pick around the table. Then, whoever did NOT "reserve" a Rare/foil gets first crack at whatever prizes are left on the table. Once everyone has 1 prize, we'll start back with the winner and pick out the remaining prizes one at a time until all the prizes are gone.

The entry fee is $10. $9 of this goes to cover the packs you use for the draft, while $1 goes toward prizes. For every 3rd person who enters, we'll put 1 pack of M13 into the prize pool along with the Rares/foils from the packs.

I'll also have loose packs available for sale after all the drafters have been entered. Individual packs will be $3 each.

LOCATION: We'll meet at Packard's Movies and Games inside Northgate Mall (at the old Gamestop near JC Penny). Josh Merritt will hand out packs while Wayne Eanes takes up the entry fee as well as any cash paid for loose packs.

TIME: We'll start around 11:00 AM and stay as long as needed to finish the tournament. Deck build time will be 30 minutes or whenever everyone is done, whichever comes first. Rounds will be 30 minutes. The tournament should be over around 2:30, and with prize picks around 3:00.

PLAYING BONUS: Players will all get a promo card. IF YOU PREPAY, you'll be guaranteed a promo card. If you did not go to a Pre-Release, you get first dibs on the Xathrid Gorgon Pre-Release card (Pre-pays get priority). If you did go, you get first dibs on the Staff of Nin FNM/Launch promo (Pre-pays get priority). (All while supplies last) (You can see the 2 promo cards here: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg%2Fdaily%2Farcana%2F998)

I won't be at the Post-Release. I have some teaching licensure testing I have to do. But I wish everyone else good luck and lots of fun with the M13 Post-Release Draft! :)

Some Interesting M13 Previews!

Hey all!
  I know I said I'd be back on Monday...of last week. I apologize. I got  busy and didn't get back to the blog.

  With enough of M13 spoiled to show off some cards, I'd like to start showing off stuff I think might be interesting to see in Standard and possibly even Legacy, or perhaps just some cool casual stuff hitting for the first time.

First off, we have the return of some beloved Time Spiral-block Angels...er rather, an Angel and a memorial to an Angel.

Welcome back to Standard Serra Avenger and Akroma's Memorial!

Images from DailyMTG.com

I love these cards! Serra Avenger is forced into being a Turn 4 play, but the ability to play 2 of them then or to play one and have enough mana left over for, say, a Phantasmal Image both on Turn 4, I think the mana savings over something very similar (Serra Angel) is well worth the wait. In fact, I'll be surprised if Serra's Avenger does not find a home in Standard over the next year or so.

As for Akroma's Memorial, this is either a mana ramp deck's dream come true or a casual player's dream of a cheap one come true. Running right now in the $15-$20 range, the one from Future Sight is highly sought-after. With a Mythic reprint in M13, Akroma's Memorial will probably go down in price but it'll still be pricey. As for playability...so what it's 7 mana to get out? Look at what all you get! All your creatures are mini-Akromas (or in some cases with fatties, major-Akromas!). How can you turn that down?


Next up, we have a card that may mimic cards like Dream Halls, or perhaps will be used alongside it to help big Conflux big win decks. Presenting Omniscience!

From DailyMTG.com

Okay, okay...I know what you're saying. "10 mana!!' Yes, I don't see people hard-casting this either. I do, however, see cheating it into play. And Legacy has plenty of options: Academy Rector, Dream Halls, Hypergenesis, Eureka, and Show and Tell are the most likely ways. After that, who needs to give your opponents chances to put more stuff down? Just either Conflux up a bunch of cards or get your fatties or 1-turn combo pieces into play and go at it!

This will have casual appeal. Anything that lets you cast cards for nothing can be broken given the right circumstances, I feel. The question is, who latches on and who thinks it's not worth the time or effort?


Finally today, I'd like to look at a Red card I feel will be a sleeper hit...no pun intended. :) It's a 1-mana Dragon. 1-mana Dragon!! However, it takes a while to build him up...thus the unintended pun. Let's look at Slumbering Dragon.

From DailyMTG.com

 Yes, you get a 1-mana 3/3, so he's most efficient as a first-turn drop. But it's got a downside...it can't attack until it has 5 +1/+1 counters! 5!! And how does he get those? Well...you gotta be attacked. *CRINGE!* Well...perhaps it's not that bad. You're gonna get attacked anyway, right? So unless your opponent has something to deal with it soon, they're either gonna hold off their attacks or wait until they draw a removal spell to deal with the Dragon. After all, who wants an 8/8 Dragon to hit them? Green and Red may have issues as most of their destruction is either A) limited to a few cards, or B) limited to "x damage to target."

It'll be a huge causal favorite, I feel. It takes a drawback and turns it into a potentially huge gain. In Constructed, though? I wouldn't expect it to last too long, and with a lot of targeted "destroy/exile/return target creature/permanent" effects your opponent can just attack as normal and deal with the dragon before it hits 5 counters. But what do I know? I'm just a lowly casual player. :p


That's what I have time for today, so hopefully next week I can get a few more previews in before M13 Pre-Releases hit. Look for the full spoiler on DailyMTG.com next Friday, though, as they usually do a full spoil of the set ahead of the Pre-Release.

Take care everyone! And feel free to post comments here on what you think may be sleeper hits or huge Standard-playable cards in the set. :)

Some M13 Nuggets

Hey guys!
  This will be sort of short and sweet tonight as spoilers have come in left and right on MTGSalvation as to what is and isn't in Magic Core Set 2013. For those who are returning to the game, M13 is a part of a yearly release of Core Set product that both reprints and brings in new cards to the Standard and Modern environments (okay...technically Extended, Legacy, and Vintage too, but it has bigger impacts in Standard and Modern generally).

  If you've not had access to the previews or have been lazy about looking around, I'll make a few highlights here before starting actual previews Monday.

ADDED TO M13:
- Vampire Nocturnus makes its vampiric return in the Core Set...and makes for one of the 3 promos given for purchasing Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. Joining him and partying like it's Zendikar Reborn? Vamprie Nighthawk!
- Serra Avatar gets a much-needed reprint as a Mythic Rare in M13. Now for some big lifegain cards. Oh, wait...there is a 2/2 creature with Lifelink for WW too, and it's Common!
- There are six Planeswalkers in this set: Reprints of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker; Chandra, the Firebrand; Garruk, Primal Hunter; and Jace, Memory Adept. The other two?
- There are two brand-new Planeswalkers: Ajani, Caller of the Pride (1WW and starts at 4) and Liliana of the Dark Realms (2BB and starts at 3).
- A card that says "Destroy target creature"...with no restriction.
- Mill gets some super-mill cards and a creature that grows similarly to Isleback Spawn.
- Exalted...yes, Exalted is the returning mechanic for M13! And there's a land that has Exalted at only Rare.
- Legendary Creatures return in M13! There are 5 Legends, 1 for each color, and they're literally the face cards of the Intro Packs for M13.
-...and more!

REMOVED FROM M13:
- The Titans will not be returning to M13. WotC learned a lesson: Powerful cards don't necessarily need to stick around for 2 years as if they were in the old 2-year Core Set cycle.
- Day of Judgment does not come back for the first time since M11.
- For the first time since the span from Fourth Edition to Eighth Edition, Royal Assassin will not make a Core Set appearance.
- Giant Spider, the last card from Alpha to see print in all Core Sets released since then, has lost that title. There are now no cards that have made every Core Set appearance since Alpha.
- Apparently 1R for 3 damage and no regeneration is too much, so Incinerate gets replaced by a new card: Searing Spear. It's a 1R Instant that deals 3 damage to a target...and that's it. Basically, a Volcanic Hammer as an Instant instead of Sorcery.
- For the first time since 9th Edition, Birds of Paradise will be left out of a Core Set. Interesting factoid, though: The next block to release after 9th Edition was Ravnica: City of Guilds. Birds of Paradise was moved from the Core Set to Ravnica at the time. Now? What's the set after M13? Return to Ravnica. The bet? Birds of Paradise will be in Return to Ravnica, making it for sure legal for 2 years instead of a tenuous 1 year in a Core Set.
....and more as we know more, I'm sure!


This week marks the end of official spoilers until the week of the 25th, so next week I'll take some time to catch up on spoilers on here and anxiously await the final bits in about a week and a half. Join me then and see what you think!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend. :) See you here Monday!

For those who used to play Yu-Gi-Oh! or Magic at the Baha'i Faith Center on Hamill Road in Hixson, we're having a going away lunch for Rachel this Saturday. Her house beside the church has been sold, and there's a good chance she's leaving the area which also means no more league there. :( But I'm asking everyone who did play there to come by Saturday afternoon after 2:30 for a going away lunch party thing. I'm asking everyone who can to donate $5 toward some present for Rachel + $5 OR a dish/snack for everyone to munch on the rest of the day. There's no planned end time, just probably until Rachel gets tired of us. lol! Thanks! :)

Some Sad News Followed By Good News

(Forgive the attrocious font size and placement. I'm copying this directly from my Facebook post and it doesn't translate well to Blogger.)




I have some bad news to be followed immediately by good news.

It's with great sadness that I have to announce June 9th, 2012 will be our last weekend of play at the Baha'i Faith Center. Our Baha'i watcher, Rachel, will be moving out of town and won't be able to continue her role as Baha'i's watcher over the group. The Baha'i Faith Center will not put another person in to watch over us.


HOWEVER...we are not homeless. One of our players has offered some empty space in his apartment for us to use. However, he is going to wait to check his lease agreement and get some neighbors' opinions before finalizing his intent with us. If worst came to worst and we could not use his place, we'd meet at Packard's Games and Movies inside Northgate Mall (in the old GameStop store). Stay tuned for more details on this front, but WE WILL HAVE A PLACE TO PLAY PAST JUNE 9TH.


I'll post an event for June 9th for everyone to get together for a farewell lunch and/or dinner to say goodbye to Rachel and our Baha'i home of around 10 years. If you can make it out this way that day, I'd encourage you to swing by and wish our "adopted mother" farewell and good luck. :)


While this ends an era, it is the start of a new age. We may not be as encumbered by time limits, we don't have to have as strict a set of behavioral rules, and we get to stay local and casual, the intent of Saturday Morning Magic of Hixson. :)

REPEAL: Cavern of Souls Ruling

In the post below I said it was ruled that you must declare Cavern of Souls' colored mana to make the creature uncounterable.

After a week or so and review among different judges and players, the ruling is reversed.

The NEW ruling is this: The only time it matters is if you're casting a creature of the named creature type (otherwise you can only use the colorless ability). When you do cast a creature of the named creature type, the assumption will be that you're choosing the (generally) most favorable ability, which in this case is to use the colored mana therefore making your creature uncounterable.

How will we handle this? Basically...the same. The only time colorless goes into a creature of the named creature type is if the player casting the spell says so. Otherwise, it's assumed he chose the (generally) more favorable "make colored mana and it's uncounterable."

Clear as mud? :P lol.

A Few Rulings Notes: Cavern of Souls and Missed Triggers

Hey all!

I wanted to go over a couple rulings issues that we're bound to encounter in the weeks to come, and one includes certain effects that are being re-templated due to some Profeesional-level events rules changes.

1) Cavern of Souls: How do I know the creature being cast is counterable or not?

First, let's look at Cavern of Souls (image from magiccards.info):

So at first glance, it's an easy card to comprehend, right? Name a creature type when it enters the battlefield, then you either get 1 colorless mana or a colored mana that makes your named creature type spell uncounterable. Not too shabby!

BUT...it came up as one of the biggest controversies at Pro Tour: Avacyn Restored.

A player attempted to cast a Huntmaster of the Fells by tapping a Forest, Mountain, Mountain, and Cavern of Souls (with Cavern set on Human, most likely).

His opponent immediately cast Dissipate to counter the Huntmaster.

The first player called a judge. After explaining the situation, the judge ruled that the opponent can attempt to Dissipate the Huntmaster because the player didn't specify if he was adding Colorless or colored mana in for Huntmaster's casting.


So why was the announcement so important? Look at the tapping order of his lands. By putting in Forest and Mountain, he's already signaled he's got the colored part of the casting cost taken care of.

The extra Mountain obviously went to Colorless.

But the Cavern of Souls tapping could have been either for colorless or colored mana. And that's a very important distinction. One that was not communicated clearly.

So you know how it turned out. Since the player casting Huntmaster didn't declare which part of Cavern of Souls he was using, it was assumed colorless and Huntmaster could be countered by Dissipate.


So how will we work this at League? We have 2 options, either of which are just as good as the other.

   A) You can announce the use of colored mana as you cast each creature. If you decide to do this, then any lack of announcement may be taken as you not using the colored mana, therefore opening your creature spell up to be countered.

   B) Both you and your opponent can agree at the start of a game/match that you will always use the Cavern of Souls' second ability to make the named creature type uncounterable. This way, there is no question of the intentions and doesn't have to be checked on for each casting.

   C) If a creature with only colored costs (ie: Colorless mana symbols don't appear anywhere in the cost(s)) is being cast and Cavern of Souls is being tapped to pay any costs for the creature, use the KISS method: It's obvious he/she got the colored mana from the Cavern of Souls, so it's uncounterable. Keep it simple, stupid! (For example: Cavern of Souls calling Elf and being used to pay for a Llanowar Elves should be clear that the Llanowar Elves is uncounterable, whether the casting players says it or not)


2) Missed Triggers Policy

This section of the rules deals with how to handle an opponent missing triggers that don't have may in the ability. For example, dealing with effects like Shrine of Boundless Growth versus stuff like Blood Seeker.

At Professional REL (Rules Enforcement Level), which I believe is mostly for Grand Prix and Pro Tour events, the rules on handling missed triggers changed a bit.

While under previous rules it'd been either a Communication issue or Failure to Maintain Game State problem (I forget which, or it could have been either depending on the situation), at Profession REL the updated rules have stated that you are no longer responsible for your opponent missing Triggered Effect triggers that don't use "may" in their effect. You missing your own triggers is considered a "VBT", or Very Bad Thing, though, and can get a penalty levied against you.

However, at Regular REL (which is mostly Pre-Releases, FNMs, basically lower-level events), the rules are unchanged from before: If a mandatory trigger (one that doesn't use the word "may") should trigger and either player notices it before the other, they are obligated to point it out. It could result in penalties, I'm not clear on that, for Failure to Maintain Game State if it's not pointed out.

At Saturday Morning Magic of Hixson, even though we're not DCI-sanctioned we do like to try and stick as close as possible to the spirit of most DCI rules (for example, our matches being 30 minutes is to help with the time constraints we have at the Baha'i Center), even if we don't follow them exactly, while still allowing for flexibility, in part for that we're not sanctioned and mostly for being more about fun than competitiveness. (for example, if someone looks at extra cards by accident you're free to just let it go or deal with it how you see fit, or if someone wants a take-back you may grant it but are under no obligation to do so in a tournament setting).


So we have 2 disparate policies, both of which are legal. So how do will we handle situations concerning missed triggers at SMM tournaments?

We're going to stick closer to the Regular REL rule with a few changes.


MISSED TRIGGERS, MANDATORY: If you notice an opponent has missed their mandatory trigger(s) (those that don't have "may" written in them), you are obligated to point out to your opponent the trigger was missed as soon as you notice it (also note I said "if you notice". It happens that both players miss mandatory triggers, so it's a bit of a draw if both just flat miss it/them). The reason for this is to keep the game state as accurate as possible at all times. You and your opponent may agree to have the missed mandatory trigger go on the stack X times, with X being the number of times both players can agree the effect should have triggered. (You may both agree on 0 and just make note of it for future triggers, especially if it's been quite a few turns since the triggers should have gone on the stack).

Should a judge call be needed to resolve the missed triggers issue, both players may get warnings/penalties for Failure to Maintain Game State as the judge sees fit.  IMPORTANT: Should someone be found to have ignored opponent's missed mandatory triggers and not told their opponent, warnings/penalties will be given in this order: Warning, Warning, Game Loss, Match Loss, Disqualification. Do not tempt repeated intentional offenses in other tournaments. IMPORTANT 2: I'm sure I'll never have to go to even a Game Loss on anyone. This group is good about correcting in-game mistakes once they're noticed. :) I'm just putting it there to avoid anyone possibly going "but if all we get is a Warning, what good is it to have the rule in the first place?"

MISSED TRIGGERS, OPTIONAL (MAY): If you or your opponent misses an optional trigger (one that says "you may..."), the player under whom it activates is the only player responsible for pointing out the trigger and resolving it. The opponent has no obligation to point out missed optional triggers. When a "may" effect is ignored, it's assumed the player chose not to carry out the effect once the trigger came up for resolution. Should a judge be called to resolve a situation like this, the judge will usually favor the opponent and you'll get nothing off the call. Both players may, however, choose to put the trigger on the stack X times if they can both agree on how many times the trigger was missed.  (You may both agree on 0 and just make note of it for future triggers, especially if it's been quite a few turns since the triggers should have gone on the stack).  The opponent is under no obligation to grant this request, so it works similar to asking for a take-back in one of our tournaments.




A couple important notes in this section:

1) Even though we're a much more casual League, we do still need rules so that if things go wrong we can fix them and help provide correction for the future.

2) These rules are meant to help you. If you miss some triggers that are beneficial to you, you're gonna get sick and tired of your opponent going "*sigh* You forgot the trigger...again! Grr..." lol.

3) You will probably never need a judge to fix the game state. I've provided an out for you in that you can either choose to fix the game state as close as possible or just keep in mind you have the triggers coming up in future turns. It's when both players don't agree that a judge needs called, and I've tried to explain what you can expect the outcome to be when that happens.



These were 2 big rulings issues of the past month that have caused a bit of confusion even among pros about how they should be handled. Hopefully the rules are clear for our group now (Cavern of Souls should be clear as day. The Missed Triggers, not so much possibly).

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment here or E-mail me.

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you for the Avacyn Restored League starting next Saturday! :)