Blake is the content manager for DailyMTG.com, making him the one you should email if you have thoughts on the website, good or less good (or not good). He's a longtime coverage reporter and hasn't turned down a game of Magic in any format ever.

Hi there! We don't get to talk much anymore now that I've stopped writing all those words for the Daily Magic Update and instead hoisted all of those links to the front page. It's okay to admit you miss me. I also miss reading my own words.

Now and then, though, I'm going to jump back to it and share news with all of you directly. The Daily Magic Update was once a good place to share small bits of news that might not make for a full article. So now and then I'll pop back on your screen and share a bunch of tidbits with you. Today I'm looking at some cool news about Dominaria, some small but interesting bits about Core Set 2019 and Battlebond, and a look forward to a new weekly twitch.tv show we're calling WeeklyMTG.

Dominaria Had the Largest Prerelease Ever!

First, a big thank you to all of our fans, friends, curious onlookers, local game stores, and everyone who made the Dominaria Prereleases fun experiences for new and returning players. We've heard a ton of great feedback on Dominaria generally (and Yargle, specifically), but the proof is in the pudding: more player played in more events in Dominaria Prereleases around the world than in any Prerelease before. Ever. Plus, we had the highest number of new DCI number sign-ups at a Prerelease ever, which includes both new players and returning players who lost their DCI card in the washing machine. You know, for nostalgia's sake.

Dominaria still has a ton in store for us, including Grand Prix, the Pro Tour, Standard Showdown, and the Store Championship. But it's great to know you like us, you really like us. ("Us" being Dominaria, by some convoluted use of pronouns.)

Battlebond Is Switching Things Up for Limited 2HG

Battlebond previews start in earnest on May 21, but we'll have some bits of information about this innovative set here and there leading up to that date. One of those bits is today!

Battlebond is going to have a slightly different alignment for Sealed and Limited Two-Headed Giant play. Sealed 2HG has typically used eight packs and Draft has typically used six packs. That's changing with Battlebond, where Sealed will use six packs and Draft will use four packs. Gavin Verhey will be back to explain more in May.

There Are Five Core Set 2019 Planeswalker Decks

I've seen a number of people guess this might be the case, and well, gold stars to you. Core Set 2019, and core sets generally, are great on-ramps for newer players, so we're making Planeswalker Decks a bit friendlier to new players. Core Set 2019 will have five Planeswalker Decks, one for each color. Most sets will only have two Planeswalker Decks going forward. Here are the other changes coming for Core Set 2019:

We're dropping the suggested retail price to $10.99 (down from $14.99. All suggested prices apply to North America only.)

We'll be including one booster pack instead of two.

They've been designed to better integrate with Welcome Decks.

Additionally, we'll be allowing Wizards Play Network stores to sell Planeswalker Decks at the Open House one week prior to the Core Set 2019 Prerelease, much earlier than before. That way new players can get a deck with the most current cards (future cards, even) right from the start.

WeeklyMTG launches on Twitch.tv/magic in June!

It's been a long-time coming, but Magic is finally getting its first official weekly Twitch show! The current plan, though plans may shift between now and then, is to air episodes on twitch.tv/magic on Thursdays from 2–3 p.m. PT (5–6 p.m. ET/9–10 p.m. UTC). We'll be sharing news from inside the building, talking with the people who make the game, and doing fun things like opening a Limited Edition (Beta) booster pack on air. Mark Rosewater will, naturally, be our first guest, and we'll also be chatting with the author of the Core Set 2019 story arch (whose name we aren't announcing just yet). For our second episode, we'll be joined by Bill Rose and Charlie Catino, two of the longest-tenured employees at Wizards of the Coast who have been here basically from the beginning. They'll be reminiscing over 25 years and looking forward to the birthday celebrations we're holding.

From there we'll host set leads and Play Design team members, we'll share news, talk with the creative team, and basically give you a look behind the scenes of Magic every week. I'll be your co-host alongside Steve Sunu. You can see one of our test episodes on twitch.tv now, where we invited Andrew Brown and Gavin Verhey to talk Dominaria with us. It was kind of a blast, and we look forward to getting to do it every week.

Till then.