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

Check Back Tomorrow for an Events Update Article

Magic Online Events Manager Lee Sharpe has an article coming up tomorrow with news on Sealed queues that will post on DailyMTG and MTGO.com. Check back tomorrow morning to read the full article!

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Important Changes Coming with Oath of the Gatewatch on January 27

To support the Oath of the Gatewatch release next week, Magic Online had to make some changes to the entire system that governs paying mana costs (watch for Alli Medwin’s R&D article next week). As a result, there are two major changes players need to be aware of.

First, adding mana to the mana pool prior to selecting a spell to cast or activating an ability will require players to manually select the mana in the mana pool to fulfill generic mana requirements, as this mana will no longer be auto-consumed as players might be used to. While we hope to improve this process with a future update, players can avoid the extra clicks this change causes by selecting the spell or ability first and then tapping their lands to pay the mana cost. Animations showing what these changes will look like, alongside step-by-step directions, can be found below.

Second, this change affects the accuracy of all replays captured prior to the change. Since they will no longer be accurate, all replays will be permanently deleted during the downtime. Players who have replays they want to view should make sure to do so prior to the downtime or use another method, such as screen capture software, to record games they wish to save.

Tapping for mana, then casting a spell:

The player taps for two red and one blue mana.

With that mana floating, the player casts Wee Dragonauts.

The red floating mana must then be selected to designate that it's paying the generic mana required to cast Wee Dragonauts.

Casting a spell, then tapping for mana:

The player selects a spell they would like to cast, Wee Dragonauts.

Using any combination of lands, the player then generates enough mana to cast Wee Dragonauts. In this example, the player taps one Island and two Mountains.

Mana is automatically consumed and Wee Dragonauts is cast.

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Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease and Release Event Details

If you missed it last week, we posted a short introduction to Magic Online Prerelease events, as well as the full Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease and Release event details.

Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease Events begin on Friday, January 29! Follow the links below to details on each of the Prerelease and Release events.

Prerelease Events—Friday, January 29–Monday, February 1

Release Events—Monday, February 1–Wednesday, February 17

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Announcing February MOPR Promos

The February MOPR period runs from January 27, 2016, through February 24, 2016. Here are the promo cards:

Event Promo

Clash of Wills Store Promo

Rampant Growth

Play in one or more events during the MOPR period, and you’ll get a non-premium Clash of Wills. Five or more and you’ll get an additional premium Clash of Wills. Spend at least $20 total in the Magic Online Store during this MOPR period, and you’ll get a non-premium Rampant Growth. By spending $40 or more, you’ll get an additional, premium, Rampant Growth.

And remember, this means it's your last chance to get the January MOPR promos, like this Mother of Runes.

Please note, the above Magic Online promo will have the art shown above, but will use Magic Online expansion symbol and a Magic Online frame.

In the Magic Online Player Rewards (MOPR) program, Magic Online players are rewarded for participating in tournaments of a sufficient size, as well as making purchases in the Magic Online Store. Learn about the specifics of the program here.

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Upcoming Battle for Zendikar Sealed MOCS Monthly Event on January 23

A Magic Online Championship Series (MOCS) Battle for Zendikar Monthly Event is coming up on January 23! Players who have at least 35 Qualifier Points (QPs) are eligible to enter the event. The series will contain 12 Monthly Events, each of which qualify top players for one of the four Playoff Events. These Playoff Events qualify top players for the Magic Online Championship, a Pro Tour, and the Pro Tour Challenge event at that Pro Tour.

Monthly and Playoff Events also award top players MOCS Leaderboard Points for the current quarter and for the year as a whole. Players of sufficient standing on the MOCS Leaderboard(s) will also qualify for Playoff Events later in the 2016 Magic Online Championship Series as well as the Magic Online Championship.

We look forward to seeing you on January 23 for the latest Monthly Event!

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Upcoming Battle for Zendikar Sealed PTQ on Sunday, January 24

Attention all Pro Tour hopefuls, a Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) is approaching! The Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries begin tomorrow, January 21, and run through Sunday, January 24. We hope to see you in the PTQ Finals on Sunday, January 24!

Remember, you are no longer required to enter into the PTQ Finals immediately following the Preliminary that you qualified through thanks to the new PTQ system that Lee Sharpe announced in his latest article.

Learn more about Magic Online Pro Tour Qualifiers here.

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Upcoming Power Nine Challenge on January 30

Play in the upcoming Power Nine Challenge on Saturday, January 30 for a chance to win a piece of the Power Nine!

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Upcoming Oath of the Gatewatch Streamer Showdown on January 29

If you've never seen a Streamer Showdown before, they come in two eight-player 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 feature an Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease Event! Check out the streamer lineup below, then stop by your favorite streamer's Twitch channel on Friday, January 29, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC -8) for the latest Streamer Showdown.

Friday, January 29, 1:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event

Friday, January 29, 6:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC -8) Event

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Legacy Cube Events On Now

Melissa DeTora walks players through the changes for the current iteration of the Legacy Cube in her latest article.

Legacy Cube events run until January 29, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific (UTC -8)! Check out the full Legacy Cube list here.

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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!

Mirrodin/Mirrodin/Darksteel Flashback Drafts run until the Wednesday, January 20 downtime and are followed up with a the full Mirrodin block format. Get the full schedule here and mark your calendar for the formats you're most excited about!

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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!

Player decklists can be found here.

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League Rotation Dates

The current Leagues will close on Monday, January 25 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, so no new courses will be able to begin after that time. Players will have until Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 a.m. to finish their current League course. Make sure you finish your course by then, so you get all prizes you're eligible for!

After the Wednesday, January 27 downtime, there will be new Leagues available and ready to join in the same formats!

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Banned and Restricted Updates

The Banned and Restricted list has been updated. Banned and Restricted updates will take effect with the January 27 downtime.

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Upcoming Extended Downtime on Wednesday, January 27

There will be an extended downtime on Wednesday, January 27, for Magic Online. Events close at 12:00 a.m. Pacific (08:00 UTC), midnight, and store activity and trades end at 2:45 a.m. Pacific (10:45 UTC) leading up to the system coming down at 3:00 a.m. Pacific (11:00 UTC). The system is estimated to return from downtime at 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC).

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Downtime for January 20, 2016

All tournaments will close Wednesday, January 20, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific (13:00 UTC)

Store and trade activity will be suspended at approximately 7:45 a.m. Pacific (15:45 UTC)

The system will be down from 8:00 a.m. Pacific (16:00 UTC) until 12:00 p.m. Pacific (20:00 UTC)

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Ongoing and Upcoming Events

Now–January 20—Year of Modern Flashbacks: Mirrodin/Darksteel

Now–January 29—Legacy Cube Events

January 20–27—Year of Modern Flashbacks: Mirrodin Block

January 21–24—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries

January 23—2016 Magic Online Championship Series Monthly Event 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)

January 24—Battle for Zendikar Sealed Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 7:00 a.m. Pacific (15:00 UTC)

January 29–February 1—Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease Events

January 30—The Power Nine Challenge 11:00 a.m. Pacific (19:00 UTC)

February 1–17—Oath of the Gatewatch Release Events

February 4–7—Modern Pro Tour Qualifier Preliminaries

February 6—Modern Pro Tour Qualifier Finals 9:00 a.m. Pacific (17:00 UTC)