Banned and Restricted Update Coming Monday

Previously during the last Banned and Restricted update, Wizards noted that they were opting for more flexibility in their B&R schedule going forward. As such, they noted the next update would be around March 11th. Now as of this week, it has been confirmed there is an update coming this Monday on the 11th per this week's Weekly MTG stream.

While no formats were noted specifically as receiving updates (except for Pauper, which has been explicitly stated to not be receiving an update), many players are expecting changes to happen. This is due to Wizards stating that in addition to the update itself, there would be a full stream for next week's Weekly MTG stream to discuss the update. While that could simply mean they want to sit down and explain why they think things are in a reasonable state, many feel that this suggests that there are changes coming and the stream will be to explain them better. This has many players discussing what changes they expect, if any, to come this Monday.

New Alchemy Cards and Rebalances Hit Arena

This week saw the release of Murders at Karlov Manor Alchemy on MTG Arena. Players could log in to get some free booster packs of the set, draft this new Alchemy variant, or play in a special Midweek Magic event themed around the new cards on the client.

In addition to the printing of several new digital-only cards, two well-known cards also received changes. Players will quickly recognize Geological Appraiser, which was banned in December from Pioneer as well as Explorer. This change puts it at a higher cost, intended to slow down its utility in games. Players who don't use MTG Arena's digital-only formats may not recognize the other one in Fragmented Reality. Players would utilize this card to target a Leyline that would come into play at the start of the game to cheat out a nasty threat like Geist of Saint Traft into play on turn one.

Wizards Announces Celebratory Revist to Battle for Baldur's Gate

As part of a celebratory event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast has announced it will do a special crossover event with Magic. This event will involve playing a special Limited event with sealed product of Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate. This event will also utilize a special oversized dungeon unique to the event. You'll be able to participate in the event between May 17 and 19 at your local game store.

Magic Spellslingers Announces End of Service

Magic Spellslingers - a retooled version of Magic for mobile devices - has announced its end of service on June 4 of this year. As of this past Wednesday, players may no longer make purchases in the game's store. Players who linked their accounts to their MTG Arena account reportedly found 1500 gems waiting in their Arena inbox soon after this announcement as a thank you for supporting the game.

Vintage vs. Type 1 Crosses $15,000 Goal

Last week I noted how Magic Online was teaming up with beloved Magic personality Brian David-Marshall to support JDRF to help battle type 1 diabetes. By the end of the event, Brian announced that they had crossed their goal of $15,000! Congratulations on a successful charity drive to all involved!

Decklist of the Week

Domain Ramp | MKM Standard | Catra Aldrich, 1st Place BOP! Standard Open

• Creatures (12)
• 1 Chrome Host Seedshark
• 3 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
• 4 Archangel of Wrath
• 4 Topiary Stomper

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Depopulate
• 4 Herd Migration
• 4 Sunfall

• Enchantments (9)
• 2 Temporary Lockdown
• 3 Up the Beanstalk
• 4 Leyline Binding

• Battles (3)
• 3 Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave

• Lands (26)
• 1 Island
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Swamp
• 3 Forest
• 3 Plains
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 4 Cavern of Souls
• 4 Jetmir's Garden
• 4 Spara's Headquarters
• 4 Ziatora's Proving Ground

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Chrome Host Seedshark
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Get Lost
• 1 Tishana's Tidebinder
• 2 Lithomantic Barrage
• 2 Temporary Lockdown
• 3 Negate
• 4 Knockout Blow

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The big talk of MTG Twitter this past weekend was the Birds of Paradise Standard Open that brought in several personalities to play in a big 2k event held through MTG Arena. Birds of Paradise is, per their Twitter page, "a revolving collective of players & creators highlighting the voices of marginalized identities in Magic: The Gathering" and has proven a pretty popular force. They had a sizable presence in MagicCon Chicago and this home run event proves that presence continues to grow.

The deck that won was Domain Ramp, piloted by Catra Aldrich. Domain Ramp is a deck that, as the name implies, ramps up to the point where you can play powerful creatures like Atraxa, Grand Unifier or a double kicked Archangel of Wrath. It's especially potent if it lands a Herd Migration with full domain. To get to the point where it can cast any of this, the deck utilizes a number of controlling effects, such as Sunfall, Temporary Lockdown, and Leyline Binding to stop what the opponent is doing. Congratulations Catra on the excellent finish!

Paige Smith

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