Changes to Premier Play Announced

This week, Wizards announced a whole ton of changes to various premier play areas. The main focus was on MTG Arena, where the process to reach the Arena Championship events has been eased up a little to allow more people to be able to qualify for it. As a result of this and the continually growing attendance at a variety of paper events as well, Wizards has additionally increased Pro Tour invites given out at each Regional Championship. All of these changes go into effect in May, and you can check out all of the details here for the specifics of what has changed and where.

Additionally, while Magic Online is no longer run by Wizards themselves, Daybreak Games - the company who runs it now - also announced upcoming changes to their premier play going forward. You can check out that article as well right here for all the details.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction Previews Kick Off Next Week

Yeehaw! Another preview season is upon us with Outlaws of Thunder Junction previews beginning next week! The release of a western/cowboy themed world has been in hot demand for years, and many players are extremely excited to see what's coming in this next release! Wizards put out the usual "Where to Find Previews" article this week and will officially kick off preview season next Tuesday with the big debut stream on Twitch and/or YouTube, depending on your preference.

If you're itching to get your cowboy boots on sooner than that, though, they've also released a handful of additional things related to the set. First off is the story for Outlaws of Thunder Junction as well as a variety of side stories that have been seeing release over the past week or so. You can find them all here, as well as any stories from previous sets you may have missed out on. Additionally, Mark Rosewater has shared his usual set teaser with all kinds of sweet tidbits on what to expect with the set, so if you're looking to get a small taste of what's coming, make sure you checked that out as well!

Original Craw Wurm Art Up For Auction

An iconic piece of original Magic artwork has gone up for sale this week! This time it's a piece from the original Limited Edition Alpha release: Craw Wurm! It's always big news when an Alpha art piece shows up, and this big Green creature is a true classic among longtime players of the game, particularly among those who have been playing since the 1990s. The piece hit the auction block earlier this week over at the MTG Art Market page on Facebook (which you can check out here) and finished last night. The final amount reached was $70,000 - a huge sum though not unheard of when it comes to pieces from the game's first ever set!

Daybreak Games Announces Creator Program

In addition to the previously mentioned competitive play updates, Daybreak Games recently announced a new creator program coming right around the corner! This will include Magic Online as well as several additional games the company takes care of. While we don't have the full details yet, Daybreak has released some initial information on what to expect, and in their competitive play update article above they also laid out details for special creator events to come in the future. If you're a content creator who utilizes Magic Online, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this one!

Decklist of the Week

Temur Control | MKM Standard | StormGuyisme, MTGO Standard Challenge 3rd Place

• Creatures (13)
• 1 Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy
• 1 Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
• 3 Fallaji Archaeologist
• 4 Aftermath Analyst
• 4 Nissa, Resurgent Animist

• Instants (5)
• 1 Galvanic Iteration
• 4 Memory Deluge

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Doppelgang
• 4 Ill-Timed Explosion
• 4 Worldsoul's Rage

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Virtue of Strength

• Lands (30)
• 4 Mountain
• 6 Forest
• 6 Island
• 1 Echoing Deeps
• 1 Riveteers Overlook
• 4 Brokers Hideout
• 4 Cabaretti Courtyard
• 4 Maestros Theater

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 End the Festivities
• 1 Into the Fire
• 1 Turn the Earth
• 2 Abrade
• 2 Malevolent Hermit
• 2 Negate
• 3 Fog of War
• 3 Lithomantic Barrage

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

I've said it numerous times now, but Standard is really awesome right now, and it feels like every other week there's something cool and new coming up. Case in point: this brand new Temur Control/Ramp deck that's been showing up and posting all kinds of results in the last few weeks now. The deck utilizes cards like Aftermath Analyst and Fallaji Archaeologist to fill up your graveyard with lands, bring them back with the Analyst or Worldsoul's Rage, and use Virtue of Strength to ramp up your land count dramatically. I faced the deck last week at a RCQ and found myself losing to a Doppelgang for four doing all kinds of zany things, so if you're looking for something sweet - and cheap - to play in your next Standard event, look no further than this!

Paige Smith

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