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Murders at Karlov Manor Releases
The latest Magic: The Gathering set, Murders at Karlov Manor, is officially out now! The cards become legal in all formats as of today and you can check out your local game store and participate in the weekend's prerelease events. You can also get any sealed product and singles you need right here on CoolStuffInc.com!
With the cards getting into players' and store owners' hands in order to provide singles, some odd discrepancies were discovered in card arts, as was initially reported on Reddit. The two cards most visibly displayed were two different versions of the card Clandestine Meddler, where one had red curtains (this is the official art on Wizards' web page) while another had white curtains. A couple other cards were mentioned in the comments, including Sudden Setback, Case of the Gorgon's Kiss, and Case File Auditor. None of these cards have any differentiating indicators aside from these visual differences. It's likely that these have to do with the ongoing ARG puzzle for the set, so keep your eyes peeled for any others!
New Secret Lairs Announced
Over the past week, we've seen a slow drip feed of reveals for the next round of Secret Lair Drops. Given the variety of sources, it's a bit too difficult to share them all, however we've seen several including:
- A series of pulp fiction inspired cards previewed by ComicBook.com
- A set of Dossier Showcase Frame legend cards headlined by Vilis, Broker of Blood
- A series of cards featuring art by Rowynn Ellis including cards like Felidar Guardian and Peregrine Drake
- A mishmash of stylized Grixis cards including cards like Prince of Thralls and Arcane Denial
- A second set of cereal box inspired legends (called Just Add Milk - Second Helpings) features Adrix and Nev, Twincasters, Yargle, and the likes of Krark and Sakashima.
More are likely to be revealed in the coming days with all of the new lairs officially going on sale this Monday. This is officially the start of the new limited run release method, so make sure you head over to https://secretlair.wizards.com on Monday to lock in any cards you want!
Commander State of the Format for 2024 Released
In previous years, Sheldon Menery would release a State of the Format article on behalf of the Commander Rules Committee. As a result of his unfortunate passing last September, Jim Lapage wrote and released it in his stead. This article discussed how things seem to be feeling with regards to the format as well as the Rules Committee's ongoing relationship with Wizards of the Coast. It even showed us a few new things such as the so-called Banlist Explanation Project which adds a "why this is banned" to every card on the Commander banlist and also announced their work to obtain 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
You can find the full details in the State of the Format 2024 article here.
MagicCon Chicago Panels and Meet and Greets Revealed
With MagicCon Chicago just three weeks away, the final round of details has finally been announced. Previously announced were badge details, ticketed events, and a number of guests who would be there as well as panels on the main stage. Now, Wizards revealed what is likely the final element: creator meet and greets as well as the smaller community panels taking place in smaller spaces. You might even happen to see yours truly as a member of one of the panels on Saturday!
Make sure you check out the full details for MagicCon Chicago over on the event's webpage and get your tickets now! They're going fast!
Early Information for MagicCon Amsterdam Revealed
In addition to learning about the final details of MagicCon Chicago, Wizards announced an initial round of information about MagicCon Amsterdam that's happening this summer. This includes badge information and sales, a promo announcement, the revealing of a new Secret Lair exclusive to MagicCon events throughout the year, and applications for a variety of aspects of the event! You can check out the full details here and get in on the ground floor of the next big event coming soon to Europe!
Decklist of the Week
Nile's Bat Heist | LCI Standard | Nile Joan Rivers
- Creatures (4)
- 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
- Lands (56)
- 56 Swamp
Export Arena
I know what you're probably thinking: "Paige, what the hell is this?" I promise you it's not a joke, it's the latest fan-made way to play on MTG Arena! This method of play was devised by content creator Nile Joan Rivers as a fun way to play games, and it gained enough traction that it even made its way onto Speedrun.com! Per that site, here are the rules:
- Your starting deck must contain only 4 Deep-Cavern Bats and 56 Swamps.
- You play in Standard (ranked or unranked, maybe separate categories for each?) Best-of-one.
- Whenever you exile a card with Deep-Cavern Bat you may add 1x copy of that card to your deck after the game.
- If your opponent removes your bat in response to the trigger (meaning nothing ever goes 'under' the bat) then you get no cards.
- If you manage to 'steal' a Deep-Cavern Bat with your Bat, then you have the choice to add 1x Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead to your deck.
- Your deck may contain any number of any basic lands after the first game.
- You win the run once you win a game.
As of now, you won't find this as a part of Midweek Magic on Arena any time soon, but if you're looking for a unique alternate way to play the game, this might be worth trying out. If you're feeling extra daring, fire up OBS Studio and try your hand at a speedrun of it yourself and see how quickly you can get there!
Paige Smith
Twitter: @TheMaverickGal
Twitch: twitch.tv/themaverickgirl
YouTube: TheMaverickGal
