Magic Online
Magic Online (abbreviated MOL, previously Magic: The Gathering Online, MTGO, or MODO[note 1]) is the official means of playing Magic: The Gathering over the Internet. Wizards of the Coast launched it in 2002 with the release of Invasion and has since added each new set to its server as well. This causes Magic Online to have slightly different formats than paper Magic. [1] [2]
Magic Online requires digital cards. [3] They are sold in booster packs just like in stores. [4]
The existence of online magic has resulted in several new types of formats like the Pauper Deck Challenge.
Online-only
Sets
- Masters Edition
- Masters Edition II
- Commander Theme Decks
- Masters Edition III
- Masters Edition IV
- Vintage Masters
Card
- Gleemox
A Magic Online-only promo card that was given away with the announcement of the Gleemax project. They were distributed on Magic Online by Gleemax. The card only exists on Magic Online. It doesn't show up in gatherer because it's not a real-world card. [5]
DCI-Sanctioned Tournaments
Freeform
Freeform is a casual Magic Online format that allows all sets and cards. Regular deckbuilding rules are relaxed; decks can contain any number of copies of a card; multiple Vanguard cards may be included. The only restriction is a 40-card minimum deck.
There are no cards banned in Freeform.
Classic
Classic is a casual Magic Online format format that allows all sets and promotional cards.
Normal deckbuilding rules do apply: decks must be a minimum of 60 cards and contain no more than 4 copies of any card, excluding basic lands, Relentless Rats, and Shadowborn Apostle.
The following cards are restricted in Classic Online tournaments:
The following cards are banned in Classic Online tournaments:
Prismatic
Prismatic is a casual Magic Online format for fans of big, fun, five-color decks.
Prismatic has special deck construction rules and a special mulligan rule.
Big deck: Your deck must be at least 250 cards,
Five colors: Your deck must contain at least 20 cards of each color (multicolor and split cards count as one of their colors),
Prismatic is based on the Classic format. All sets and Promotional cards are allowed.
Prismatic banned list: Your deck cannot contain any of the following cards (banned in Prismatic):
- Battle of Wits
- Brainspoil
- Bribery
- Bringer of the Black Dawn
- Buried Alive
- Burning Wish
- Clutch of the Undercity
- Congregation at Dawn
- Cunning Wish
- Demonic Collusion
- Detritivore
- Diabolic Intent
- Diabolic Tutor
- Dimir House Guard
- Dimir Infiltrator
- Dimir Machinations
- Dizzy Spell
- Drift of Phantasms
- Eladamri's Call
- Enduring Ideal
- Enlightened Tutor
- Entomb
- Ethereal Usher
- Fabricate
- Flash
- Gifts Ungiven
- Glittering Wish
- Grozoth
- Insidious Dreams
- Living Wish
- Merchant Scroll
- Muddle the Mixture
- Mystical Teachings
- Mystical Tutor
- Netherborn Phalanx
- Perplex
- Quiet Speculation
- Rude Awakening
- Shred Memory
- Skullclamp
- Sterling Grove
- Sundering Titan
- Summoner's Pact
- Supply // Demand
- Tolaria West
- Tooth and Nail
- Upheaval
- Vampiric Tutor
- Wild Research
- Worldly Tutor
Special mulligan rule: If your starting hand has 0, 1, 6 or 7 lands in it, you can take a "big deck mulligan" for free; that is, you can get back a fresh hand of seven cards. After that, you may mulligan as normal if you don't like your hand. Note that if you take a "big deck mulligan," your opponent has the opportunity to take one too, for "free." Same goes for you if your opponent takes a "big deck mulligan."
Singleton
Singleton is a casual Magic Online format in which every card is effectively restricted; with the exception of basic land cards, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than one of any individual card.
Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic.
Singleton is based on the Classic format. All sets and Promotional cards are allowed.
The following cards are banned in Singleton games:
- Skullclamp
- Flash (Effective December 19, 2007)
- Umezawa's Jitte (Effective December 19, 2007)
- Upheaval (Effective December 19, 2007)
Tribal Wars Classic
Tribal Wars is a casual Magic Online format that emphasizes creature combat: one-third of every deck must be of a single creature type.
Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic.
Tribal Wars is based on the Classic format, so all sets in Magic Online, including promo cards, are legal.
The following cards are banned in Tribal Wars games:
- Circle of Solace
- Endemic Plague
- Engineered Plague
- Gleemax
- Peer Pressure
- Skullclamp
- Tsabo's Decree
- Umezawa's Jitte
- Unnatural Selection
Tribal Wars Standard
Tribal Wars - Standard is a casual Magic Online format that emphasizes creature combat: one-third of every deck must be of a single creature type.
Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic.
Tribal Wars - Standard is based on the Standard format.
Momir Basic
Momir Basic is a casual Magic Online format that is based on the “Momir Vig” Vanguard avatar.
Momir Basic decks consist of the following:
- exactly 60 Basic Lands (Swamp, Island, Forest, Mountain, Plains).
- exactly 1 “Momir Vig” Vanguard card.
Community Cup
- See also: Magic Online Community Cup.
The Magic Online Community Cup is a yearly invitation-only tournament, first held in 2009, in which a group of Wizards of the Coast compete against a group of eight or twelve Magic players selected via a voting system in Magic Online.
Issues and controversies
Invasion block shortage
As Invasion block was one of the first sets released on Magic Online, cards of the block are in short supply as the user base was very small at the time.
Judgment spoiler
Due to a mistake, the entirety of Judgment was spoiled via Magic Online when the set was released in the Software too early. This has led to the release of Sets on Magic Online to be several weeks after the release of the physical product.
Instability and removal of premier events
In November of 2013, after suffering a tournament loss by experiencing technical issues on Magic Online, Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame member Brian Kibler aired his frustration in an article on StarCityGames entitled "The Magic Online Championship Series should not exist".[6] As this server instability and the inability to restore Magic Online Tournaments to certain states have been a longstanding issue, this led to the suspension several types of high profile types of events[7] which have been slowly phased back in since.[8] In July, 2014, a new client was launched. [9]
Notes
- ↑ short for "Magic Online with Digital Objects"
References
- ↑ Clayton Kroh (December 16, 2013). "Magic Online 101". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mike Turian (December 16, 2013). "Balancing Act". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ John Doyle (February 25, 2002). "Security and Stability". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (December 09, 2008). "Ask Wizards: Gleemox and Elves of Deep Shadow". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Brian Kibler (November 11, 2013.) "The Magic Online Championship Series Should Not Exist", StarcityGames.
- ↑ Worth Wollpert (Wednesday, November 13, 2013). "Changes to Magic Online Events". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Worth Wollpert (Tuesday, November 26, 2013). "Magic Online Update". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Template:NewRef