3.9 Release Notes *Updated (12/2/19)

Brigby

3.9 Release Notes

Throne of Eldraine has arrived!

Once upon a time, there was a storybook land of knights and faeries called Eldraine. A mystical land where five courts of the Realm fight for honor and glory, and now this epic adventure has arrived in Magic: Puzzle Quest!

Get your hands on over 250 new cards, 3 new Planeswalkers, 3 new events, and more! Check out all the details below:

General Changes

Mana Bonus Increase / Decrease Animation
This animation is now faster, and occurs simultaneously alongside other gameplay actions.

New Feedback: Card Moved to the Graveyard / Exile
  

Whenever a card goes to the Graveyard or is Exiled, a visual feedback will appear near the affected Planeswalker's portrait. This feedback will display both the icon of the card's zone, the amount of cards moved this way, and the current number of cards there. 

This animation will also occur simultaneously alongside other gameplay actions.

VIP Legacy Pack *New Update*
This booster pack has now been updated to include the card sets that are now in Legacy format.


AI Improvements
Starting with Throne of Eldraine, the AI will not prioritize targeting their own cards with negative effects, such as dealing damage or destroying creatures with spells. Also, most of the time it will prefer to buff its own creatures, instead of the opponents.

Note that this improvement does not change the behavior of any card in the game, but rather just the way the AI decides to use them. Players will still be able to target their own creatures or Planeswalkers with effects that could affect "any target".

New Planeswalkers

Garruk, Cursed Hunstman

"Driven mad, the Chain Veil's influence compelled him to hunt and kill other Planeswalkers. For many years, Garruk was feared throughout the Multiverse as a merciless killer, until the curse was finally broken by the Planeswalker twins Rowan and Will Kenrith."

Max Level Stats

Vicious Wolf
(Black / Green) Creature - Wolf (2/2) Berserker
"Whenever a creature you control dies or loses a reinforcement, you gain 1 Loyalty and your black or green Vanguards gain 1 shield."

Improved Cursed Predation
(Black / Green) Support Card (4) - Token
"While you control the creature with the greatest power, your creatures gain Berserker, Trample and Deathtouch.

At the end of your turn, your non-Human creatures get +4/+4."

Oko, Thief of Crowns

"Oko is from a plane ruled by Fey who believe in a unified society, where the ruling class has decided that for the betterment of all, the natural mischievousness of the Fey has to be suppressed. To them, they had created a perfect society - but for Oko, who was born with incredibly powerful shapeshifting abilities, this culture went against everything he was and contradicted his deepest, truest self."

Max Level Stats

Food
(Colorless) Support Card (1) - Token
"Whenever you destroy or match this support's gem, you gain 3 life. This support can't be reinforced."

Fey Treat
(Blue / Green) Support Card (2) - Token
"Whenever a Food Token you control is destroyed or loses shield, fetch the first card from your opponent's library."

High Fey Market
(Blue / Green) Support Card (4) - Token
"At the end of your turn, exchange control of the first creature you own and control and the first creature you don't own and control.

If you can't, exchange the first Artifact support you own without mana from your hand for the first support from your opponent's hand. Then, creatures you control but don't own get +4/+4."

The Royal Scions

"Rowan and Will Kenrith are the eldest children of King Kenright, high king of Eldraine. Their stepmother Queen Linden (mother of their younger siblings) became regent after their father went missing under suspicious circumstances.

Rowan and Will, having just come of age, set out to rescue him."

Max Level Stats

Royal Inheritance
(Blue / Red) Support Card (4)- Token
"Whenever you cast a Red card, this support deals damage to your opponent's Planeswalker equal to the number of Red cards in your hand.

Whenever you cast a Blue card, drain mana from the first noncreature card in your opponent's hand equal to the number of Blue cards in your hand."

New Mechanics

Adventure
When you cast the Spell side of a card with Adventure, return only the Creature side of the card to your hand.

Adamant - "Color"
An Adamant ability becomes active until the end of turn whenever you match 3 or more gems of the specified color.

Food
Food tokens are artifact supports with 1 shield. They cannot be Reinforced. Whenever you destroy or match this support's gem, you gain 3 life.

Mill
A Mill ability is active for as long as there are X or more cards in your opponent's graveyard.

Resourceful
Whenever you draw a card, if that card is not the first card you drew this turn, trigger this effect. This happens up to X times per turn.

New Events

The Great Tournament - Coalition PvP
"The King has returned and all of Eldraine is celebrating! The courts have gathered to promote the greatest tournament of all time. Now it is up to you to choose a modality and do your best to defeat the other contenders."

• 5 Nodes (Specific Color Restriction)
• Recharge Time: 8 Hours
• Initial Charges: 1
• Max Charges: 6

Challenge of the Courts - PvP

• 5 Versions
• Ardenvale (White)
• Vantress (Blue)
• Lochtwain (Black)
• Embereth (Red)
• Garenbrig (Green)
• 4 Nodes (Specific Color Restriction)
  
• Recharge Time: 8 Hours
• Initial Charge: 1
• Max Charges: 6

Fables of Eldraine - PvE
"Sit and listen, watch and dream. I'll tell fables and chants and hymns. Mischief, battles and rays shone: A great reward to call your own."

• 12 Chapters

Special Offers

Looking for fantastical creatures and allies to join you on your adventure? There will be a brand new selection of special offers available in 3.9, so keep an eye out in the Vault, so you can snag them while you can!

Standard Format Changes

With Throne of Eldraine arriving in MTGPQ, this places it as the 9th card set to enter the current Standard Format rotation, which means the 4 oldest card sets will then rotate into Legacy.

Please check out the changes to both Standard and Legacy formats below:

• New Standard Format
• Throne of Eldraine
• Core Set 2020
• War of the Spark
• Ravnica Allegiance
• Guilds of Ravnica
• Origins
• New Legacy Format
• All Standard Format Card Sets
• Core Set 2019
• Dominaria
• Rivals of Ixalan
• Ixalan
  
• Hour of Devastation
• Amonkhet
• Aether Revolt
• Kaladesh
• Eldritch Moon
• Shadows Over Innistrad
• Oath Of The Gatewatch
• Battle For Zendikar

Event Changes

Trial of the Planes
Booster reward has been updated to ELD Booster Pack.

The Elderspark
The node recharge time has been adjusted from 6 hours to 8 hours.

Card Changes

Blood For Bones

• Before: "Destroy the last creature you control. Then, return the first other creature from your graveyard to the battlefield under your control and the last creature from your graveyard to your hand."
• After: "Destroy the last creature you control. Then, return the other creature from your graveyard to the battlefield under your control and the last other creature from your graveyard to your hand."

Demonic Vigor

• Before: "While this support is on the board, your first creature gets +1/+1. When a creature you control dies, return it to your hand and destroy this support."
• After: "While this support is on the board, your first creature gets +1/+1. When a non-token creature you control dies, return it to your hand and destroy this support."

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Legacy Decks were available in Standard events. *New Update*
• Garruk, Cursed Hunstman's Cursed Predation Support now properly buffs and targets correctly at all levels. *New Update*
• Core Set 2020 Exclusive cards have now been properly added to the Regular Core Set 2020 booster pack rotation. *New Update*
  
• VIP Legacy Rare Packs no longer incorrectly contain 2 M20 cards. *New Update*
  
• The Standard Booster Pack from Player Progression no longer incorrectly grants Non-Duplicate booster packs. *New Update*
• The Loop Control System's Got It! button no longer occasionally remains inactive, instead of activating when pressed, while multiple effects are triggering at the same time.
• A crash no longer occurs when a player's creature dies from the opponent activating Widespread Chaos's Massacre ability while they control a Domri, Anarch of Bolas Vanguard card on the board.
• The Partnership objective tracker no longer remains the same, instead of increasing, when casting cards with the Partner mechanic in The Elderspark event.
• The Destroyer objective tracker no longer remains the same, instead of increasing, after the player destroys one of their Token creatures in the Race to Orazca event's green node.
• Gems are no longer converted to the opponent's colors when beginning the player's turn, while the Blessings of Rivers and Jungles event specific support gem is on the board in Race to Orazca's green node.
• [iOS] The app no longer freezes when opening the Pause Menu as the opponent draws a card while the opponent's hand is empty after the player creates the Smothering Tithe support gem.
• [iOS] The app no longer crashes when launching the app after selecting the Helpshift push notification in the Device's Home Page.
• [Android] The app no longer remains on the Loading screen, instead of proceeding to Nissa's Training, when launching the app for the first time with a new account without a Google Play account.
• Bedevil is no longer cast, instead of remaining inactive, when selecting the Not Now button during the casting prompt, while the opponent has at least one creature on the battlefield.
• If a creature is Disabled upon entering the battlefield, they now no longer activate their Enter the Battlefield triggers.
• Demonic Vigor is no longer destroyed when a Token creature is destroyed while Demonic Vigor is on the field.
• Mana Drain abilities are no longer triggered for free when activating a card's Mana Drain effect, while the player's hand only contains a card with "Can't have its Mana drained or raised" or the Stored Mana evergreen.
• A creature's position no longer updates after another trigger, and now properly updates immediately, when a creature receives a defensive evergreen during the player's Start phase before gems are matched.
• Immolation Shaman's ability no longer activates when the opponent is the one that matches a player-controlled Activated gem.
• The Terraforming objective tracker increases, instead of remaining the same, when a non-Land support gem is transformed into a Land support gem.
• Token Creatures are now properly valid targets when casting Gone Missing.
• The front side's mana cost is no longer checked, instead of the flipped side's mana cost, when viewing multiple Spell Cost objectives after casting a Split spell card whose flipped side's Spell Cost matches the objectives.
• While Kess, Dissident Mage is on the battlefield, any exiled cards are no longer incorrectly sent to the Graveyard, as opposed to the Exile.
• 4 Activated gems are no longer created, instead of 3 Activated gems, when beginning the player's turn while the player controls Surge Mare.
• 9 gems are no longer destroyed, instead of 3 gems, when drawing a card while the player controls Avaricious Dragon.
• Life is now properly gained, when triggering an effect that gains Life after a Havoc Festival support gem has been destroyed.
• The buff no longer lasts past the end of the turn when ending the turn after the player matches one of Cavalier of Flames's Activated gems.
• The additional buff is no longer missing when matching multiple Activated gems created by Cavalier of Flames at the same time.
• When an effect that returns creatures to the battlefield after exiling them targets a token creature, that token creature is now properly removed from the game, instead of returning to the battlefield.
• The Hexproof evergreen gained from Protection no longer improperly remains, when the Protection evergreen is removed from the creature.
• Humble the Brute no longer improperly displays as valid to cast while there are no creatures with power 6 or more on the battlefield.
• Hour of Eternity no longer improperly displays as valid to cast when Hour of Eternity has full mana while the player has no creatures in the graveyard.
  
• The opponent's last creature is now properly destroyed when casting Applied Biomancy while the opponent's hand is full with at least one creature on the opponent's battlefield.
• Vanguard's artwork no longer displays shifted to the right when viewing the targeting prompt's art after activating a Full Art Vanguard card's ability.
• Harnessed Lightning no longer improperly displays as valid to cast when Harnessed Lightning has full mana in the player's hand, while no creatures are on the field.
  
• Coalition start dates now display the correct date of when the Coalition was created.
• The Legendary evergreen no longer improperly displays when viewing Vanguard Supports in multiple M20 Vanguard card packs.
• The tooltip is no longer missing when selecting the M20 Masterpiece evergreen while viewing a M20 Masterpiece in the player's hand.
• Fixed some text issues.
• Fixed some text issues related to translations. *New Update*

jtwood

• Fixed some text related issues.

Like the entirety of the wording on Flusterstorm? 🙂

In all seriousness, the AI update is so exciting. I always restrict myself to using kill spells that explicitly say "opponent" in the targeting clause, because I want to try to help poor Gerg as much as possible. I'm looking forward to the wide array of other cards I'll finally be able to use now.

ElfNeedsFood

It's time for a new format!  So long Storm the Vault, we barely knew ye!

Ampersand

Thank you for changing refresh time for Elderspark to 8hrs!

Narcoticsagent

Is there an estimated release date in this somewhere and I am just not seeing it? Or is the date still unknown?

Caeman

I’d argue on Core 2019 going into Legacy. In my opinion, it should join Origins, as it doesn’t introduce any mechanics other than flash. 

Mburn7

I love almost everything about this.  New AI intelligence is great.  Bug fixes are great.  New events are great (pending review once we get more details), especially since they start with 1 charge and max at 6 (Giving you 42 hours to start and not miss any charges).  The mana bonus thing is now a background notification, exactly what we asked for (well besides just removing it, but whatever).  The new Standard rotation is CLEARLY COMMUNICATED.

My only issue is the new walkers seem kind of meh, although knowing Oko I'll probably be proven wrong soon.

Lets hope everything works!

Ampersand

Thanks @Brigby ! This looks great. Any chance for a card gallery soon?

Ampersand

Narcoticsagent said:

Is there an estimated release date in this somewhere and I am just not seeing it? Or is the date still unknown?

They generally don't post the release date more specifically than the week it plans to launch. I think this is so they can be flexible in case there are any issues with getting it launched in the app stores or if any significant bugs are noticed right before launch.

All that said, sets usually come out on Tuesdays, and I'll be surprised if it isn't this coming Tuesday Nov. 26.

Horadrim

@Brigby Will there be new vanguards in the upcoming set?

Gunmix25

Mburn7 said:

I love almost everything about this.  New AI intelligence is great.  Bug fixes are great.  New events are great (pending review once we get more details), especially since they start with 1 charge and max at 6 (Giving you 42 hours to start and not miss any charges).  The mana bonus thing is now a background notification, exactly what we asked for (well besides just removing it, but whatever).  The new Standard rotation is CLEARLY COMMUNICATED.

My only issue is the new walkers seem kind of meh, although knowing Oko I'll probably be proven wrong soon.

Lets hope everything works!

Loving everything so far but I have my doubts about Oko. the first two Loyalties I can easily see using. That third looks a bit too problematic for PQ and can hurt myself more than anything.

Garruk's 2nd loyalty is fascinating because of the flexibility to chose between your own and the opponent's creature to kill, for many events this makes many lose X creatures objectives a bit easier to achieve.  

the royal scions looks beastly but we will have to wait and see how useful it is

Super grateful for the AI adjustment. this should make gaming a bit more engaging and less head scratching. lol

wereotter

Caeman said:

I’d argue on Core 2019 going into Legacy. In my opinion, it should join Origins, as it doesn’t introduce any mechanics other than flash. 

There are plenty of cards in Core 2019 I won't be sad to see go. (Rupture Spire in every 3 color planeswalker, for example) Origins stays around so anyone coming back to the game after a break can play standard. Rotating out cards keeps power levels in check more so than issues of mechanics interacting.

Think about how much more powerful than the paper cards they made Innistrad cards in order to make them competitive with the Zendikar cards that they also made more powerful than Origins, then how that trend continued with certain cards from Kaladesh. Rotating out cards allows them to recycle functionally identical cards that people still need to open packs to get to play in Standard events without having to have power creep.

Brigby

Ampersand said:

Thanks Brigby ! This looks great. Any chance for a card gallery soon?

We should be posting the card gallery either today or tomorrow.

Ampersand said:

Narcoticsagent said:

Is there an estimated release date in this somewhere and I am just not seeing it? Or is the date still unknown?

They generally don't post the release date more specifically than the week it plans to launch. I think this is so they can be flexible in case there are any issues with getting it launched in the app stores or if any significant bugs are noticed right before launch.

All that said, sets usually come out on Tuesdays, and I'll be surprised if it isn't this coming Tuesday Nov. 26.

Yup! That's pretty much hitting the nail on the head.

Horadrim said:

Brigby Will there be new vanguards in the upcoming set?

I believe there are some ELD Vanguards, but they'll be added in at a later date, as opposed to the day of the 3.9 release. 

versemage

Hey Brigby, any chance of the card gallery NOT being on Facebook? I'm really anti-facebook and never have nor ever will have an account there. 

Horadrim

Thank you @Brigby. I just saw the card gallery in FB and as early as now (without even testing), the most powerful combo that might become the new meta involves Green PW and creature plus 2 enchantment supports and a colorless artifact support. Can't wait to try this combo.

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ElfNeedsFood

wereotter said:

Caeman said:

I’d argue on Core 2019 going into Legacy. In my opinion, it should join Origins, as it doesn’t introduce any mechanics other than flash. 

There are plenty of cards in Core 2019 I won't be sad to see go. (Rupture Spire in every 3 color planeswalker, for example) Origins stays around so anyone coming back to the game after a break can play standard. Rotating out cards keeps power levels in check more so than issues of mechanics interacting.

Think about how much more powerful than the paper cards they made Innistrad cards in order to make them competitive with the Zendikar cards that they also made more powerful than Origins, then how that trend continued with certain cards from Kaladesh. Rotating out cards allows them to recycle functionally identical cards that people still need to open packs to get to play in Standard events without having to have power creep.

There are, however a few mainstays that were reprinted in M20 in paper that we didn't get because they are already in M19 that we will loose before paper...  (I'm looking at you, Murder!)

Brigby

*Updated Pre-Release Notes with new feedback feature and descriptions of new Throne of Eldraine mechanics

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Mburn7

starfall said:

I sure hope there's an intrusive new animation which nobody asked for that slows down play!

Well there is a new animation that we did ask for, but they said it won't slow down play so imma take that at face value for now.