Frontier, The new standard?

A new format, called “Frontier”, uses cards from M15 up to the current set of Magic: the Gathering. Two Japanese game shops, Hareruya and BigMagic, announce back in September 2016 that they will be holding weekly tournaments in the new format. I only recently learned about this format, as my local game shops are thinking of doing something similar. Frontier may even take its place in FNM instead of Standard.

I’ve done a little research on this format by talking to people on the Magic: the Gathering forums, as well as talking to the shop owners near my town. It seems like people were getting a little bored with standard FNM and attendance is a bit on the low side. Some believe it’s because they feel like Standard rotates out too quickly, even though a set is in Standard for a duration of 18 months.

There are currently no cards on the banned list, as far as I know. The cards that appeared in the Planeswalkers Deck, the Welcome Origin 2016 Sample Decks are also legal in this format, however the cards appearing in the Masterpiece Series are not legal.  The other rules still apply as usual; minimum of 60 cards to the deck, there is no maximum deck size but you must be able to shuffle the deck with no help of another and at least 15 card in the sideboard.

What are your feelings about this format?

Is your local game shop planning on, or already, doing this format?

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What is standard showdown?

Every Saturday, starting November 26, 2016 until December 17, 2016, there will be a Standard Showdown at local game shops all over the world. You can win special prize promotional booster packs through undefeated play and other prizes determined by the game shop. To showcase the Standard format, the tournaments will be Swiss events and you bring your current Standard legal decks.


Each store will receive 40 booster prizes, each containing a premium card from a currently legal Standard set, including Zendikar Expeditions and Kaladesh Inventions, not including double-faced cards. They will also contain two non-premium cards, that are either a rare or a mythic rare, from Battle for Zendikar on up to Kaladesh.


Talk to your local game shops about hosting a Standard Showdown if they are not doing so themselves. Good luck to all you players attending.


Play on players, play on like it’s your last day on Earth.


As always, thanks for reading my blog!

STANDARD ROATATION CHANGE, again?

Effective immediately, standard rotation will go back to once a year rotation, instead of twice a year. This is due to players that have voiced a difficulty in keeping up with the twice yearly rotation. It is a barrier to collection that WotC has decided it needs to eliminate.


Instead of 18 months, Kaladesh will be in standard rotation for 2 years with the large set that is to be released in 2018. After that time, Aether Revolt will rotate out with Kaladesh. Meanwhile, in 2017,  the Amonkhet set won't be rotating out.


When Amonkhet is released the standard line with look like this:

• Battle for Zendikar
• Shadows over Innistrad
• Kaladesh
• Amonkhet

When the time comes for the next rotation, the Battle for Zendikar and Shadows Over Innistrad blocks will rotate out together, making the standard set fluctuate between 5 and 8 legal sets.


As always thanks for reading my blog!

world cup qualifier 2016

The 2016 World Magic Cup Qualifiers take place June 18-19 in up to 73 countries. The format is Standard constructed deck. Win a WMCQ to earn a spot to represent your country on the national team at the World Magic Cup on November 18-20, 2016 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

A player who has already qualified and received an invitation to the 2016 World Magic Cup may not compete in further 2016 World Magic Cup Qualifiers.

This is how  the invitation criteria works for the 2016 world magic cup:

1. Players in the Planeswalker Points 2016 Yearly Award Points Season that have accrued the minimum amount of points for that country. 
2. Players from that country with Pro Tour Players Club Silver, Gold, or Platinum level (as of the date of the World Magic Cup Qualifier).
3. Players (from that country) that are members of the Pro Tour Hall of Fame.
4. Winners of World Magic Cup Qualifier Last Chance Qualifier tournaments.

Each participant in a 2016 World Magic Cup Qualifier will receive an alternate-art Abrupt Decay promotional card (while supplies last). The Top 8 finishing players will each receive an exclusive World Magic Cup Qualifier Top 8 playmat. The winner of each event will receive an invitation and a travel award to compete on their country's national team at the 2016 World Magic Cup.

Other dates for the WMCQ are as follow:
July 9-10, 2016 and September 17-18, 2016. Both of these dates are Modern format play.

As always thanks for reading my blog!