David works on the Magic community team as a content specialist. He spends his days writing about Magic Online and trying to play too many colors at once in Limited.

What Is the Magic Online Weekly Announcements Blog?

Every Tuesday, we round up all of the biggest Magic Online news for the Weekly Announcements Blog.

Check in weekly for the latest updates!

Quick Links

Big Sealed Leagues Update Tomorrow

Check into DailyMTG or MTGO.com tomorrow for a big update on Sealed Leagues from Digital Business Manager Chris Kiritz!

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New Pro Tour Qualifier Schedule Incoming Tomorrow

The Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) schedule for Pro Tour Eldritch Moon will go live tomorrow on MTGO.com!

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Upcoming Oath of the Gatewatch Streamer Showdown on February 25

If you've never seen a Streamer Showdown before, they come in two eight-player Draft pods that feature some of the best streamers in the community brawling with the latest Magic Online sets. If you're trying to improve your game, Magic Online streamers are some of the best players out there—and some of the best teachers, too. Even if you're already a Magic pro, throw your support behind one of the competitors and cheer them on from their Twitch chat!

This Streamer Showdown will be an Oath of the Gatewatch/Battle for Zendikar Draft event! Check out the streamer lineup below, then stop by your favorite streamer's Twitch channel on Thursday, February 25, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC -8) for the latest Streamer Showdown.

Thursday, February 25, 1:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event

Thursday, February 25, 6:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event

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Reduced Magic Online Downtimes Starting In March

In an effort to make sure Magic Online is available when you want to play Magic, we’re working on ways to reduce the number of times we have to bring the system offline for maintenance. As a first step we’re simply going to eliminate at least one downtime each month.

Here are the dates of the exact downtimes we’ll be skipping in the first half of 2016:

March 16

April 6

April 20

May 11

June 8

June 22

During these weeks without a downtime Magic Online will NOT be processing set redemptions. Redemption orders placed that week will be processed during the subsequent downtime, so please plan accordingly.

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Oath of the Gatewatch Standard Championship Qualifiers This Week

The Magic Online Oath of the Gatewatch Championships are coming up! Mark you calendar for the dates below and check out the full article for event details.

Standard Qualifiers are running all this week and the Oath of the Gatewatch Limited Championship is this Saturday, February 27 for those who qualified!

We hope to see you in the Championship!

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The Year of Modern Flashbacks Continues

It's 2016: The Year of Modern Flashbacks! If you want to build up a collection for Modern, these Flashback Drafts add everything you draft to you collection once the event is over. Even if Modern isn't your thing, you can enjoy a leisurely Draft through the planes of the past with rotating formats each week!

Champions of Kamigawa/Champions of Kamigawa/Betrayers of Kamigawa Flashback Drafts run until the Wednesday, March 2 downtime and are followed up by the full Kamigawa block format. Get the full schedule here and mark your calendar for the formats you're most excited about!

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Upcoming Power 9 Challenge February 27

Play in the upcoming Power 9 Challenge on Saturday, February 27 for a chance to win a piece of the Power Nine!

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The Vintage Super League Continues

Watch the Vintage Super League every Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC-8) on twitch.tv/magic!

Decklists for the competitors can be found here.

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Upcoming Oath of the Gatewatch/Battle for Zendikar Sealed PTQ on Sunday, February 28

Attention all Pro Tour hopefuls, a Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) is approaching! The Oath of the Gatewatch/Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries begin Wednesday, February 25 and run through Sunday, February 28. We hope to see you in the PTQ Finals on Sunday, February 28!

Remember, you are no longer required to enter into the PTQ Finals immediately following the Preliminary that you qualified through thanks to the redesigned PTQ system that Lee Sharpe announced here.

Learn more about Magic Online Pro Tour Qualifiers here.

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Upcoming Standard RPTQ on Saturday, February 27

A Standard Regional Pro Tour Qualifier (RPTQ) is coming up on February 27. Please note, these events are only open to players who have qualified through an in-store qualifier event.

Learn more about Magic Online Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers here.

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Extended Downtime for February 24, 2016

All tournaments will close Wednesday, February 24, at 12:00 a.m. Pacific (08:00 UTC)

Store and trade activity will be suspended at approximately 2:45 a.m. Pacific (10:45 UTC)

The system will be down from 3:00 a.m. Pacific (11:00 UTC) until 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC)

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Build Notes

Promo Grants

The Season 3 MOPR promos will be granted during this downtime.

General

Store | Users in Illinois are now properly charged 10.25% sales tax.

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Ongoing and Upcoming Events

Now–February 24—Year of Modern Flashbacks: Triple Champions of Kamigawa

February 25–28—Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries

February 27—The Power Nine Challenge 11:00 a.m. Pacific (19:00 UTC)

February 28—Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)

March 3–6—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries

March 5—Standard Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 9:00 a.m. Pacific (17:00 UTC)

March 3–6—Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries

March 6—Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)