Posts Tagged ‘Magic’
Register NOW for Eternal Master Release Weekend Events
Thursday, May 12th, 2016
Eternal Masters is almost upon us and Battleground plans to kick it off with an awesome day of launch events.
On Saturday, June 11th both Battleground locations will offer players the opportunity to play with and win tons of Eternal Masters product. We will have a booster draft option as well as Standard, Modern, and Legacy “Win-a-Box” options.
Seating in each event is limited. Players MUST register online or in-store ahead of time. Register now to lock in your spot!
Click HERE to register for Eternal Masters Booster Draft.
Click HERE to register for the Standard “Win-a-Box” event.
Click HERE to register for the Modern “Win-a-Box” event.
Click HERE to register for the Legacy “Win-a-Box” event.
All of the events will be played in 8 player pods.
The Booster Draft prize payout will award 4 packs of Eternal Masters to the 1st place finisher, 2 packs to 2nd, and 1 pack to 3rd and 4th. (4-2-1-1).
The “Win-a-Box” events will award 1 sealed booster box of Eternal Masters to the 1st place finisher.
Our schedule of events for June 11th looks like this:
ABINGTON:
Booster Draft – 12:00pm
Standard “Win-a-Box” – 4:00pm
Legacy “Win-a-Box” – 8:00pm
PLAINVILLE/NORTON:
Booster Draft – 12:00pm
Legacy “Win-a-Box” – 4:00pm
Modern “Win-a-Box” – 8:00pm
Tags: EMA, Eternal Masters, Magic
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Store Related | No Comments »
This week in Magic: Modern Masters 2015
Thursday, May 21st, 2015
Welcome to another week of “This week in Magic.” This is going to be a really fun issue because we get to talk about the upcoming Modern Masters 2015 release coming this weekend. While some of you will be playing Legacy at this weekend’s SCG Open, I’m going to be cracking packs of Modern Masters hoping to open that Foil Tarmogoyf. Although, even if I don’t open it, I’ll still be happy with a majority of the cards (common and uncommon).
Should I draft Modern Masters 2015?
Now that Modern Masters 2015 is only a few days away some of you out there are wondering if it’s worth drafting. I know some of you are new to the game and have had these kind of questions. My initial answer would be that it’s all up to you.
Modern Masters 2015 is a set that is really set up for those who have already been playing the game for a while. I mean it’s called Modern Masters for a reason. That’s because it has cards that are mostly staples for the Modern format. So if you’re into Standard, you may want to think a little bit more about investing the money into Modern Masters 2015.
Modern Staples
Now that we’ve got the question of drafting out of the way, let’s talk about what to keep an eye out for. Whether you’re new to the Modern format or not, here are some staples you should keep an eye out for.
Commons
As far as commons go, Vines of Vastwood is a card those interested in playing Infect decks should look for. Not to mention, it’s also a solid draft pick as it pumps your creature up and gives it hexproof until the end of turn. Another great common to keep an eye out for would be Vapor Snag. This was a card that was last printed during the Innistrad block and is played in a lot of decks. Best known for being a one mana instant that can deal with almost any creature, it’s seeing the most play in Modern control decks like UR Delver, Grixis Delver, and Grixis Control.
Can you believe that they reprinted Smash to Smithereens? Before it was announced to be in Modern Masters 2015, Smash to Smithereens was a $4.00 common from Shadowmoor. That price has obviously dropped and drop some more base on how many are opened in the next couple of weeks. This is a very solid side board card for any decks that are running red and don’t need to worry about dealing with Affinity.
Other great cards include Mana Leak, Gut Shot, and Thoughtcast. Besides Remand, Mana Leak is one of the most used counterspells in Modern. Most decks run two to three copies of this card in their lists. Gut Shot has gone into a bit of hiding, but a free burn spell is always nice to own. Those looking for pieces of Affinity, Thoughtcast is a card you may want to pick up. Nothing beats drawing more cards than what you paid for.
Uncommons
For uncommons, let’s start with Spectral Procession. Token players will want to grab a set of this card if they want to stay in the game. Of course, Remand is back! This is the best counter being played in Modern right now. While it doesn’t provide a permanent answer to spells, it buys you time and draws you a card. Infect players will want to pick up a playset of Mutagenic Growths as well. Paying life to cast a spell in a deck where your life total is insignificant almost makes that spell free. That’s why it’s is one of the best pump spells Infect players can have in their decks in the Modern format.
I think Lightning Bolt was a card many didn’t expect to be reprinted at all. It may never be reprinted in the Standard format ever again, but seeing it in a set like Modern Masters 2015 makes sense now that we know it’s there. Three-for-ones have been the epitome of Magic, and, therefore, spells like Lightning Bolt have been considered some of the most powerful spells in the game, ever. Another example of a powerful three-for-one is Ancestral Recall.
Finally, some other cards to keep an eye on are Flashfreeze, Celestial Purge, and Combust. These aren’t cards that are played in many main boards, but these are side board staples you may want to pick up and store away for a rainy day.
Rares and Mythics
This is a list I’m really happy about. There are a lot of useful cards that are being reprinted. If they weren’t in this set, some of them would be really hard to get. At the top of this list has to be Noble Hierarch. This was last seen in Conflux and many saw it as just “another Birds of Paradise.” At the time I have to agree, but it’s gone on to become more than that. Thanks to its exalted ability, it’s a card that must be played in decks that use mana accelerants. It’s a must have in decks like Infect and Abzan. It just comes to show you how powerful this card is – it only provides two of the three colors needed and yet you need four of them!
Splinter Twin is another great card to see reprinted as it’s one of the most popular decks being played right now in Modern. So, of course, give everyone a chance to get their hands on a copy of this card.
Cards that were in the original Modern Masters that are are a great sight to see are Cryptic Command, Dark Confidant, and Tarmogoyf. These are cards that while individually are quite the investment, they make buying a booster well worth the cost.
Well that’s it for now. This weekend is going to be a blast and it’s going to be more exciting to see what people open up in their boosters. Do me a favor and take some pics then tweet them our way @battlground_gh. Hope to see you all this weekend! Until next time…
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
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Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Magic, Magic the Gathering, modern masters 2015, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
This week in Magic: Tiny Leaders – Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Thursday, February 12th, 2015
Welcome back for another “This week in Magic.” This week, we’re going to cover a fun subject that has gone viral over the past several weeks, Tiny Leaders. This is a variant of the Commander format and has become so popular that, thanks to the new FNM format rules, has even begun making its FNM debut all over the country.
So let’s jump right into things. By now you’re wondering what some of the major differences are between Commander and Tiny Leaders. The biggest difference is that we’re dealing with a deck half the size of a Commander deck. Instead of 100 cards, we’re now dealing with 50 cards including your commander. Another major rule change is that everything in the deck (even your commander) cannot have a converted mana cost greater than three.
Some additional rules include starting at 25 life, there is no more commander damage, as well as a slightly modified banned list. Another important rule is that this format is specifically made for 1v1. Oh, I forgot to mention, you can have a side board of up to ten cards. For more information on that, you can click here.
It’s funny because by really limiting the player in their deck building, it created a larger challenge, which, in my opinion, is what makes Tiny Leaders a lot of fun to play.
For my first Tiny Leaders deck, I chose to run with Alesha, Who Smiles At Death. The reason I chose her was because she was the only Tiny Leader I owned at the time. However, while she may be a last minute addition to the team, she packs quite the punch and has a great ability to boot. Also, she is technically the only Mardu colored leader available.
Here is what my deck list looks like right now:
Creatures (22):
1 Alshea, Who Smiles at Death
1 Gnarled Scarhide
1 Banisher Priest
1 Master of Pearls
1 Mardu Shadowspear
1 Spiteful Returned
1 Generator Servant
1 Bloodsoaked Champion
1 Underworld Coinsmith
1 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Seeker of the Way
1 Chandra’s Phoenix
1 Borderland Marauder
1 Mardu Skullhunter
1 Tormented Hero
1 Mardu Strike Leader
1 War-Name Aspirant
1 Mardu Woe-Reaper
1 Torch Fiend
1 Mardu Hordechief
1 Battle Brawler
Spells (10):
1 Unearth
1 Act on Impulse
1 Crater’s Claws
1 Wild Slash
1 Barrage of Boulders
1 Mardu Charm
1 Spear of Helliod
1 Mardu Ascendancy
1 Harsh Sustenance
1 Deflecting Palm
Lands (17):
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
2 Plain
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Cave of Koilos
1 Boodfell Caves
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Temple of Triumph
1 Temple of Silence
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Wild Scarred-Crag
The entire time I was building the deck, I tried to stay on course as much as possible. What I mean by “stay on course” is that I tried to stick with creatures that had a come into play ability. Or, in the example of Torch Fiend, have a creature whose ability I can use and then bring it back with Alesha. Some of the best creatures in the deck are those with the raid abilities. The cool interaction is that when you bring a creature with raid back from the graveyard with Alesha, it should trigger the ability.
As far as other spells go, there weren’t many I could think of that I felt were essential for the deck. One card did stand out, and that was Unearth. Not only is it cheap, but it can bring back any creature from your graveyard back into play. The only downside is that we have one shot with it. So use the spell wisely. Act On Impulse was another spell I felt really belonged into the deck. In a format where the CMC is extremely low, if you draw Act On Impulse late game where you have the mana to support it, we could be talking about a huge game changer.
Many of the other spells are pretty self-explanitory, but my favorite, overall, has to be Mardu Ascendancy. With all of the one and two drops in the deck, there is reason that this card will be abused quite a bit. It will also help end things quickly by supporting a possible large number for Harsh Sustenance.
What the deck will need work on is the mana base. If you couldn’t tell by now, I kind of threw it all together. It’s obviously missing a Blood Crypt and a Temple of Malice, but is there anything else? Depending on my curve, I may not actually need them. Up to now, I had not really thought about it.
Before I let you go for this week, I’d like to give you an assignment. I’m going to be putting some more work into the deck, but I’d like your help doing this. Take a good look at the list I have going. In the comment section below, let me know what you would add or take out of the deck. I’m fairly sure there is a card or two that I am overlooking. Is the overall strategy of the deck working for you?
That’s it for now. My hopes is that this format catches on around here. If it does, then I’d love to keep exploring it some more. There are plenty of Tiny Leaders out there. Is there a Tiny Leader you’d like to see me work on? Let me know. Until next week…
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: alesha, Magic, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, tiny leaders, who smiles at death
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
Announcing ‘Magic Origins’
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
In an announcement made during Pro Tour Fate Reforged, this summer’s core set will be titled, “Magic Origins.” Some of you may or may not know, but this set is going to be a very special one. Just several months ago, it was also announced that Magic will no longer have a core set. So sets like “Magic 2015,” “Magic 2014,” etc. will no longer be. This will be considered the last core set for “Magic: The Gathering.”
Interestingly enough, Wizards of the Coast had several suggestions to call the final core set, “Omega.” However, they saw this as more of a beginning and therefore went with the name Origins. Uniquely, Origins has taken five Planeswalkers and will tell of, as you may have guessed, their origin stories.
Here is what the official press release had to say,
“In the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse, some mages are born with a rare gift, simply known as “the spark.” When such mages face a great ordeal, their spark’s potential is unleashed, elevating them to become Planeswalkers and travel between the planes of the Multiverse. Magic Origins will reveal for the first time these pivotal moments for five Planeswalkers: Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Chandra Nalaar, and Nissa Revane.
Magic Origins is a different kind of core set than we’ve ever done before, one with ambitious story goals and deep creative impact,” says Doug Beyer, Magic’s senior creative designer. “All core sets in recent years have had Planeswalker cards, but Magic Origins doesn’t just contain five Planeswalkers-it’s also about those Planeswalker characters. It’s about certain points in time in those Planeswalkers’ lives-the events that led them to become Planeswalkers-and is meant to set up a lot of our plans for Magic’s future story. We’ll see these characters’ home worlds, learn about the joys and crises of their early lives, and discover how they became the Multiverse-traveling Planeswalkers we know today.”
Two amazing samples of artwork were released with the announcement. They depict Liliana as a healer during her younger years. The second piece of artwork shows Liliana sometime after she had chosen the darker path. One can only speculate, but how cool would it be if we got to see Liliana as a White Planeswalker?
Other Planeswalkers included in the storyline will be Geideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Nissa Revane, and Chandra Nalaar. This being considered the last core set, it can also be considered a milestone, and, therefore, Wizards will most likely make something special here. However, it’s way too early to start guessing what may even be in the set. Nonetheless, let’s not forget how Wizards like to put in special surprises every now and then for their players and devoted customers.
Magic Origins is set to release this July 11-12, 2015. For more information, click here.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Magic, magic origins, Magic the Gathering, MTG, origins, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
This Weekend at Battleground Games & Hobbies
Friday, December 27th, 2013
Check out what super fun events are happening this weekend at our conveniently located stores. Whether you enjoy Magic the Gathering, Warhammer, Yu-Gi-Oh and more, we have something for everyone. In addition, don’t forget that our tables are always open for play! Gather some friends, your favorite game, and stop by your favorite Battleground Games & Hobbies for a fun-filled evening! Not sure what game to play or try? No problem! Our friendly, knowledgeable staff can help or ask for a demo!
ALL WEEKEND LONG – Magical Christmas Weekend! We have a long weekend chock full of awesome, super-fun Magic events to appeal to all types of Magic the Gathering players! Join us at your local Battleground Games & Hobbies location all weekend starting Thursday, December 26th and play in as many Magic events as you like, including one event never seen before at Battleground’s! Small “gifts” will be awarded randomly at every event, too.
So get out of the house Christmas weekend and come play some Magic with your friends at Battleground Games & Hobbies this holiday season. Who knows, maybe you will even win yourself a few more “presents”! To learn more, please click here.
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Battleground Games & Hobbies
1423 Bedford Street, Abington, MA
Friday:
Entry: $10.00 (Box Tournament). Start time: 7:30 PM
Friday Night Magic – Booster Draft
Entry: $15.00. Start time: 7:30 PM
Prizes are awarded to top finishers and feature the exclusive FNM promo card!
Saturday:
Open to close – play all day!
Deck Select Challenge
Entry: $30.00. Start time: 5:00 PM
Sunday:
Yu-Gi-Oh Sundays – Advanced Constructed
Entry: $5.00. Start time: Noon (12:00 PM)
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Battleground Games & Hobbies
25 Taunton Street, Plainville, MA
Friday:
Entry: $1o.00. Start time: 7:30 PM
Saturday:
DECK SELECT CHALLENGE
Entry: $30.00. Start Time: 5:00 PM
Entry: $5.00. Start Time: 7:30 PM
Sunday:
TWO-HEADED GIANT SEALED DECK
Entry: $20.00/player. Start Time: 12:00pm
Entry: FREE! Start time: Noon (12:00 PM)
To learn more about upcoming events at Battleground Games & Hobbies, please visit our event calendar and check out the forums!
Didn’t see an event for your favorite game? Is there something you wish for us to host? No problem! Contact us and let us know what events you would like to see in the future at your favorite local Battleground Games & Hobbies! We look forward to hearing your feedback and likewise, look forward to seeing you at our next exciting event!
Please don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Board Games, D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, Event, FNM, Friday Night Magic, Games Workshop, Magic, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Pokemon, Pokemon League, Tournament, YGO, Yu-Gi-Oh
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Events, Featured Post, Games Workshop, Magic: The Gathering, Miniature Games, Pathfinder, Pokemon, Popular Posts, Role-Playing Games, Store Related, Yu-Gi-Oh | No Comments »
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