Aether Revolt is almost here! I hope you have fun at your local game store playing in an Aether Revolt Prerelease this weekend! Aether Revolt arrives on Magic Online following the January 25 downtime. We're making some changes this release, so check out the details below!

Goodbye Online Prereleases, Events Launch Right Away!

This release, we're trying something different and eliminating Prerelease events in favor of offering our normal suite of events earlier. Why the change? Prerelease events on Magic Online have been a cornerstone of our releases for a long time. When most events were scheduled or queues, Prereleases made a lot of sense as standalone events that spotlight the new set and offer an experience similar to what you might find in your local game store. In a post-Leagues world, however, Prerelease events makes less sense as we place emphasis on players being able to play on their own schedule.

In addition, some players also expressed confusion about the events and their structures and how a Prerelease League differed from a friendly or competitive League that starts a few days later. Other players were frustrated because of their preference for competitive or friendly events, which were not always available with limited Prerelease offerings. Finally, we want to maximize the opportunities for players to play, and short Leagues like the Prerelease Leagues don't provide enough time for some players to reliably join and finish their courses. This means they are excluded from the experience or have matches left to play when the League ends, which are feel-bads we want to avoid where possible.

Now with the change for Aether Revolt release, you don't need to focus on the event calendar to try to decide when the events you like start. Instead, come January 25, you can just jump in and start playing in your preferred event! Our normal suite of Sealed and Draft Leagues for Aether Revolt will be available right after the downtime, and these Leagues will continue through Amonkhet.

Aether Revolt boosters will be added to prizes (see below) for Limited and Constructed events on January 25, and can be used to join Limited events as well. Aether Revolt will be Constructed-legal in Magic Online on January 25, and Aether Revolt items will be available in the Magic Online store starting on January 30.

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New Single-Game Match Draft League

In our continuing efforts to offer events that meet the needs of a wide range of players, we're introducing a Draft League that features single-game matches. This League offers shorter, more predictable match times, so players don't need to commit a full hour to finish a match. After joining this new League, your course lasts until you have either seven wins or four losses for an experience that offers between four and ten single-game matches.

Prizes earned are based solely on your win total, so losses don't hurt you until you've accumulated your fourth one. In a best-of-three match, you have a game to give if you get unlucky and have mana issues, and in this league allowing up to four game losses performs the same function in a single-game match. While you may lose a game or two (or three), you can still earn the top prize if you get seven wins before you get your fourth loss.

The prize structure of this league was inspired by the now-retired Pack-per-Win Swiss structure. It's very flat, which we believe most players looking for this type of experience desire. Because of the variety of records players can end with, only Play Points are offered as prizes, though you'll still be able to use booster packs to join.

Competitive players and those who value sideboarding should look at the other Draft Leagues, but if you prefer flat prize structures and the ability to get a game in when you may not have time for a full best-of-three match, this is the League for you! Clocks for the single-game matches will be set to 12 minutes per player.

Name: Friendly Aether Revolt-Kaladesh Single-Game Draft League

Entry Options:

12 Event Tickets

2 Aether Revolt Boosters + 1 Kaladesh Booster + 2 Event Tickets

120 Play Points

Structure: Draft, then single-game matches at your convenience until you have seven wins or four losses

Prizes:

7 wins: 120 Play Points

6 wins: 100 Play Points

5 wins: 80 Play Points

4 wins: 40 Play Points

3 wins: 20 Play Points

2 wins: 10 Play Points

We hope you have fun with this new League and the ability to get some quick games in on your schedule.

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Other Event Changes

We're making a handful of other changes to events with Aether Revolt:

The Competitive Single-Elimination Draft League will be getting an improved matchmaking system. Too often players have taken too long to match, especially when 2-0, and we'll be modifying this system for better matches. This will mean that occasionally players with different records will be paired.

The current Friendly League with a 6-2-2-2 style structure is being renamed "Intermediate" to account for the new single-game Friendly League. We're adding one Qualifier Point to the prize structure for players who get three wins.

Events that award booster prizes will involve a sensible mix of Aether Revolt and Kaladesh boosters. Finishes that award one booster will award an Aether Revolt booster.

The Friendly Sealed League will allow you to add an Aether Revolt booster to your card pool once you've completed your first stage, and a Kaladesh booster after your second stage.

Wait times in the New to Magic Online New Player Draft Leagues were too long. We will be changing from a League back to a queue, but the entry options and prize structures are remaining the same.

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Treasure Chest Changes

The curated list in Treasure Chests is getting a bunch of new cards. The obvious ones are the Masterpieces from Aether Revolt (available exclusively in Treasure Chests for Magic Online), but promos with all-new art are coming as well! Cards from Theros block, Magic 2015, and Magic Origins are being added to Treasure Chests for the first time. Additionally, some cards will be changing versions and/or quantities. The Modern rare and mythic rare list will have Aether Revolt cards added.

When we made Treasure Chests tradable, we exchanged Play Points for booster packs to accommodate players who wanted to open the Treasure Chests and trade the contents. In practice, only a tiny percentage of them were opened for this purpose, and the number of boosters entering Magic Online this way was having an unhealthy effect on the Magic Online economy. Therefore, with the Aether Revolt update, we are removing boosters from Treasure Chests and instead restoring Play Points to them at the quantities and frequency ratios of the initial Treasure Chest launch.

Finally, we are reducing the frequency that Commander (2016 Edition) and Conspiracy cards are obtainable in Treasure Chests, though they will still be there for players still looking to acquire those cards. You can see the full details of all the Treasure Chest changes at the bottom of this article.

January 25 is Coming Up!

Don't forget to attend your local game store's Prerelease on January 14–15, and then you can play with the new Aether Revolt set on Magic Online starting on January 25. In the meantime, Legacy Cube events are waiting for you to jump in and play. Have fun!

Lee Sharpe

Digital Product Manager, Magic Online

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Treasure Chest Makeup

Slot Curated Modern R/M C16 Cards Play Points Standard C/U 1 19% 47% 4% 30% 0% 2 5% 10% 4% 0% 81% 3 1% 3% 4% 0% 92%

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Play Points

Quantity Frequency Ratio 10 Play Points 500 15 Play Points 500 20 Play Points 500 30 Play Points 300 40 Play Points 300 80 Play Points 50 120 Play Points 50 1000 Play Points 1

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Added to Treasure Chests

Note that the set code displayed in the table (not the autocard link) indicates which version of the card is being added to Treasure Chests.

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Removed from Treasure Chests

These normal versions of cards are being removed in favor of the versions that are Aether Revolt masterpieces (MS2).

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Frequency Ratio Changes