Release Notes 4.5 *UPDATE (10/21/20)

Magic:PQ Support Team

(*Important note: Anything listed below is subject to change before release. We will try to update any changes in a timely manner, but please keep in mind the info below is not guaranteed.)

New Content

New Collection: Zendikar Rising, has arrived!

Join the Adventure and fight with the legendary Planeswalkers on Zendikar!

Take a look at the Card Gallery HERE.

• New Collection: Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
  

• 261 New Cards
  

• 14 New Vanguards

• 23 New Full Art Cards

New Planeswalker

Jace, Mirror Mage

"Brilliant, curious, and always in control, Jace is a master of mental magic: spells of illusion, deception, and mind-reading.”

Max Level Stats

Embodied Symmetry
(Blue) Support Card - Emblem Human Wizard (3) Token
“Wizardry: Each card in your hand that is a copy gains 3 mana. When you drain mana from your hand: You may destroy the top 2 cards of target player’s library. Each of these effects can trigger up to 3 time(s) per turn.”

Jace, Mirror Mage
(Blue) Support Card - Vanguard Jace (3) Token, Vanguard, Legendary, Kicker
Passive Ability: This support can’t be reinforced.
“Kicker 7 - When you cast this card: Create a copy of Jace, Mirror Mage on the battlefield under your control.
+1: Pick one of the first 2 cards from your library. Fetch that card.
Neutral: Draw a card. If that card is not a Vanguard card, it gains full mana. That card is Disabled until the beginning of your next turn. This effect can’t give mana to Stored Mana. Then, this support loses X shield. X is that card’s base mana cost.”

(See Planeswalker Progression HERE)

Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients

"The kor Planeswalker Nahiri was a master of the stoneforge technique, using magic to coax exquisitely crafted weapons and tools fully formed from ordinary rock.”

Max Level Stats

Kor Ally

(White) Creature Card - Kor Ally Soldier Warrior (1/1) Token

Utility Knife
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Artifact Equipment (2) Token
“While on the board: Your first creature gets +1/+1.
Landfall: Your first creature gets +1/+1.”

Blade of the Ancients
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Artifact Equipment (4) Token, Resilient
“At the beginning of the combat on your turn: Reinforce your first creature X times until end of turn. X is the number of other creatures and other creatures reinforcements you control.
When your first creature attacks: Deal Y damage to any opposing target. Y is the number of Equipment supports and Equipment support reinforcements you control.”

(See Planeswalker Progression HERE)

Nissa of Shadowed Boughs

"Driven, devoted, and deeply connected to the land, Nissa Revane wields elemental magic. She's able to channel the mana leylines of a plane and to bring the land to life.”

Max Level Stats

Shadowed Bough
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Land (3) Token
“Landfall Green: Gain 3 Loyalty. Then, your Land supports gain 1 shield.
Landfall Black: Your opponent loses 3 life.
Each of these effects can trigger up to 2 time(s) per turn."

Hissing Quagmire
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Land (3) Token
“At the beginning of your turn: Convert 2 gems to Black and 2 gems to Green.
Activate 1 2-turn: Your first creature gets +2/+2 and gains Deathtouch and Menace until the beginning of your next turn.”

Swamp
(Black) Creature card - Swamp Elemental Land (1/1) Haste, Token
Reclaimed Zendikon (Level 1 and 2)
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Land (4) Token
"When you cast a creature: Return the first creature card from your graveyard to your hand. That creature gets +X/+X, gains Berserker and gains X mana. X is the number of Black gems."

Reclaimed Zendikon
(Colorless) Support Card - Emblem Land (4) Token
"When you cast a creature: Return the first creature card from your graveyard to your hand. That creature gets +X/+X, gains Berserker and gains X mana. X is the number of Black gems.
When a creature you control dies: The first creature in your hand gets +Y/+Y, gains Reach and gains Y mana. Y is the number of Green gems."

(See Planeswalker Progression HERE)

New Mechanics:

Equip

• Exclusive from Equipment Cards (ZNR only), the Equip ability makes the card with this icon evergreen to gain mana, while on hand, whenever a creature controlled by that player attacks.
  

• The hint reads:

“Whenever a creature you control attacks, if this card is in your hand, this card gains the specified amount of mana.”

Landforming

• Landforming is both an icon evergreen and a keyword.

“This card has an additional effect if you cast it after making a horizontal match with a swap.”

Party

• Party is an adapted keyword condition which requires having multiple subtypes in the board and/or the battlefield (Cleric, Rogue, Warrior and Wizard). Party reads:
  

“Your Party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.”

• Party may create an effect depending on how many cards with different subtypes, among the aforementioned, are in your party, or if the player’s Party is full.
  

Wizardry

• Similar to the Magic:PQ version of Prowess in behavior, but works only when Spells or Wizard cards are cast. It can have a variety of benefits, instead of only giving +N/+N to the creature with the keyword.
  

• The Wizardry Ability hint reads:
  

“This ability triggers whenever you cast a spell or a Wizard card.”

Reworked Mechanics:

Kicker

• Now the ability has an icon and a proper hint. It also gained a new behavior, which is to give players the option of draining mana from their hands, instead of automatically draining without a confirmation prompt.

• Kicker hint reads:

“When you cast a card or activate an ability with Kicker, you may drain additional mana from your hand to trigger its Kicker effect.”

Changes

Card Changes

• The following cards received Kicker:

• Call the Coppercoats (IKO)

• Desperate Stand (DVK)

• Silence the Believers (DKV)

• Twinflame (DVK)

The confirmation prompt for these cards will refer to the Kicker ability.

• Spell Card Cathartic Reunion (KLD) has its description changed from: "You discard 2 cards and draw 3 cards." to "Discard 2 cards, then draw 3 cards.". This change is for a better understanding of the card’s behavior.

• Creature Card Prowling Serpopard (AKH) received a description: “Enrage: Gain 2 life.”. The card’s behavior did not change, the description was missing.
  

• Support Card Song of Creation (IKO) does only trigger its effects on itself after having been cast before already. It does not trigger its effect when it is cast for the first time.
  

• Support Card Malefic Scythe (M21) changed its behavior and description to avoid potential loops. Changed from: "When this support enters the board or when a creature you control dies or loses a reinforcement: Reinforce this support. While on the board: Your first creature gets +X/+X. X is the number of this support's reinforcements." to "When this support enters the board or when the first creature you control dies or loses a reinforcement: Reinforce this support. While on the board: Your first creature gets +X/+X. X is the number of this support's reinforcements."
  

• The Kor Ally Token now has 2 additional Subtypes: Warrior and Soldier.
  

• Support Card Ritual of the Returned has its description and behavior changed from "When a creature card enters your graveyard from anywhere: Return it to the battlefield under your control. It gains the Zombie subtype. Then, exile this support." to "When a nontoken creature enters your graveyard from anywhere: Return it to the battlefield under your control. It gains the Zombie subtype. Then, exile this support."

Other Changes

• Legacy and Standard format will change with the release of ZNR set.

• Legacy Format: BFZ, OGW, SOI, EMN, KLD, AER, AKH, HOU, ZVE, XLN, RIX, DOM, M19, ODY, TOR, JUD, GNR, RNA, WAR, M20.

• Standard Format: ORI, ELD, THB, DVK, IKO, M21, ZNR.
  

• Ravnica At War (all versions): We will maintain the same deck restriction rules and the event will become a Block Restricted event in 4.5. The sets allowed in the event will not be changed: ORI, GRN, RNA, WAR, M20, and M21.
  
• Tezzeret, the Seeker‘s 1st Planeswalker ability “Filigree Barrier” is now targeting Vanguard supports. (All Levels)
  
• Sarkhan, Fireblood's 2nd Planeswalker ability "Fireblood" received a minor adjustment in its description for Level 2, 3, and 4 and the part "Your Red mana bonus is increased by 2 for 3 turns" to “Your Red mana bonus is increased by 2 for 3 of your turns"

• The Leader ability gained an icon.

• Leader's Evergreen hint reads:

"This creature is a Leader of the following Subtypes: <Subtype>".

• The Card Filter has a scroll now, due to the increased number of sets.

• The game has a new Home Screen and the Inbox Messages button is now located on the top of the screen:
  

• Also, the game has a new Side Menu where we reorganized the categories as you can see in the following image:

(Each Category has its explanation when clicking on the INFO button.)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some minor text issues.

• The Adamant and Identity objectives will consider any type of Gem Match towards the objective: swap, cascade, and conversion. 

• Fixed an issue where Song of Creation would not draw 2 cards if a Vanguard card was cast.

• Fixed an issue where Dream Eater was not returning itself when played by the AI.
  

• Fixed an issue where Cavalier of Night was destroying the first creature on the battlefield instead of the first other creature, destroying itself then.
  

• Fixed an issue where the second trigger from Day's Undoing was not able to be triggered if the first one was not, not allowing the card to be cast.
  

• Fixed an issue where the Full Art card from Thassa, Deep Dwelling was not allowing players to select a target creature to be exiled.
  

• Fixed a loop caused by the interaction between Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath or Kroza, Titan of Death's Hunger with Luminous Broodmoth.
  

• Fixed an issue where Drowned Secrets was not triggering itself when reinforced.
  

• Fixed an issue where Gideon's Defeat was exiling the opponent's creature however the player's creature was still taking damage.
  

• Fixed a loop caused by the interaction between Kaervek, the Spiteful, Malefic Scythe and Alela, Provocateur.
  

• Fixed a trigger issue caused by the interaction of Stasis Snare, Gideon’s Defeat and Settle the Wreckage.
  

• Fixed a soft lock caused when destroying the Strength from the Fallen's support gem with a gem conversion from Aura/Enchantment cards.
  

• Fixed an issue in Role Reversal when you had an Adventure card in hand and only the spell side had full mana, then you exiled the spell and the Event support would not create tokens as it should.
  

• Fixed an issue with the animation order of Settle the Wreckage, the opposing creature should attack before being exiled.

• Fixed an issue where Sphinx of Foresight was not drawing a card at the beginning of the player's turn.

• Fix an issue where you would not be able to cast Alter Fater if there were creatures in your graveyard.
• Fixed an issue where cards that have the "Move creature from your hand to the battlefield" trigger, were removing the creature's mana if the player denies the replacement prompt when the battlefield has no free slot.
• Fixed an issue where Siona, Captain of the Pyleas was not triggering when casting Glaring Aegis.
• Fixed an issue where you were not able to cast Ruinous Ultimatum when having only Vanguard supports on the board.
• Fixed an issue where Golden Egg was not converting gems to the correct colors (PW colors).
• Fixed an issue where Lotus Petal was not working when returned to the battlefield from the graveyard.
• Fixed the issue when you fetch the same creature 2(two) times, with different basic Evergreens, using Vivien, Monster's Advocate PW ability, they enter the battlefield with only 1(one) basic Evergreen.
• Fixed a loop caused by the interaction between Archon of Sun's Grace and Bless of Nyx (Calix PW).
• Fixed an issue where Leyline of Combustion was not triggering when an opposing Vanguard ability was activated.
• Fixed an issue where the mana bonuses were becoming 0 instead of +1 when Price of Glory was on the board and a gem conversion was made.
• Fixed an issue where Kogla, the Titan Ape was returning the first Human creature instead of the last Human creature.
• Fixed an issue where Renata, Called of the Hunt, was not updating her power (Devotion) at the end of the player's turn.
• Fixed an issue where Kenrith, the Returned King was not counting Vanguard colors toward its color trigger.
• Fixed an issue where Pestilent Haze was not being casted when there were only opposing creatures or Vanguard on the battlefield/board.
• Fixed an issue where the Full Art version of the card Sorcerous Spyglass was displaying with the wrong set icon.
• Fixed an issue where Chandra's Incinerator was not triggering the effects from the "When you deal noncombat damage to your opponent's Planeswalker" trigger.
• Fixed an issue where Niambi, Esteemed Speaker's effect was not triggering when returned to the battlefield from the graveyard.
• Fixed an issue where Tome of the Guildpact was counting Vanguard colors to the “draw” trigger.
• Fixed an issue where Chandra's Pyreling was not triggering after a Vanguard ability was activated.
• Fixed an issue where Sporeweb Weaver was triggering whenever the Planeswalker would lose life.
• Fixed an issue where Mantle of Tides "Resourceful" ability was only working once.
• Fixed an issue where Mindleecher was not displaying its Mutation text when triggering Mutation.
• Fixed an issue where Chandra, Awakened Inferno's PW ability was not reducing Chandra's Incinerator's cost when dealing combat damage.

• Fixed an issue where Sacrifice objective was not counting creatures destroyed/exiled by the opponent.

• Note: Protector objective was also changed to match Sacrife's behavior. This fix affects the following events and nodes:

• Trial of Ambition - White Node

• Trial of Ambition - Black Node

• Avacyn's Madness - Spectral Shepherd

• Avacyn's Madness - Heir to the Night

• Avacyn's Madness - Watcher in the Web

• Avacyn's Madness - Soul Swallower

• A World Reborn - Shiv

• A Journey Through History: A Nightmare of War - Onslaught of the Legions

• A Journey Through History: The Phyrexian Compleation - Yawgmoth's Perfection

• Hour of Devastation - “Everything here exists or perishes at my whim. Including you, Gatewatch.” —Nicol Bolas

• Oath of the Gatewatch - Part I - Jori En, Ruin Diver

• Oath of the Gatewatch - Part I - Mina and Denn, Wildborn

• Oath of the Gatewatch - Part I - World Breaker

• Oath of the Gatewatch - Part II - Sylvan Advocate

Apple ID Login

• Players have now the option of logging into the game using their Apple ID. (iOS users)
  

New Event

• Zendikar Expedition

• 5 different themes, 5 different days

• PvP

• Progression Rewards

• Entrance Fee: 20 Mana Crystals

• Standard

• All Planeswalkers’ colors are allowed if matching the node color. (This event doesn’t lock the Planeswalker within the nodes)

• Nodes are unlocked according to players' victories.

• 4 Nodes

• Recharge Time: 2h

• Initial Charges (per node): 1 | Max Charges (per node): 4

• Duration: 22h

• Rise of Adventure

• PvP, Coalition

• Progression, Individual Rank, and Coalition Rank Rewards

• No Entrance Fee

• Standard

• All Planeswalkers’ colors allowed

• 2 Nodes (Both unlocked from the beginning)

• Recharge Time: 8h

• Initial Charges (per node): 2 | Max Charges (per node): 6

• Duration: 46h

• Rising Tensions

• PvP

• Progression Rewards

• No Entrance Fee

• Legacy

• All Planeswalkers’ colors are allowed if matching the node color.

• 3 Nodes (Unlocked from the beginning)

• Recharge Time: 8h

• Initial Charge: 1 | Max Charges: 6

• Duration: 46h

Card Gallery

Available on Facebook:

Zendikar Rising (ZNR)

(You can access it even if you don’t have a Facebook account.)

Magic:PQ Support Team

We will be adding more fixes and more content here over the days.

Tomorrow I will post the text of the Planeswalkers along with their progression, in addition to the texts of the new Events.

Nalthazar

This all looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.

There is a typo up top where you are announcing the new set. It is posted as: 

New Collection: Core Set 2021(M21)

I think you meant Zendikar Rising instead of Core?

@Oktagon_Support

madwren

Thanks, @Oktagon_Support , could you provide some clarification?

Party - “Your Party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.”

Surely this means "3 of these four types" since we only have 3 creature slots?

Edit: Nevermind, I now see there are supports that contain all of the party keywords.

Card filter scroll— The picture makes it look like Origins, part of Standard, is not on the same scroll as the rest of Standard.  This forces people to always scroll. Wouldn't it be wiser to have Origins always be the LAST set instead of the FIRST one so that it's always near the actual Standard cards? Of course, this could all be solved with an actual "Standard" button, as suggested previously. 

Zendikar Expedition – Does this have the same annoying node timer issue as CotC?

andrewvanmarle

Looking great @Oktagon_Support

One thing I don't get, looking at the new home screen:

Why the prominence for story mode when that isn't updated instead of training grounds which must be the most played part of the game. 

I wish we could jump into TG from the home screen. 

gozmaster

WOW, The Song Nerf isn't so bad but the Broodmoth!!??

NooOOoOooOoOoooooo..,,

Anyway, excited to break all the new cards :smile

OmniTron

Past tense of cast isn't casted. It's cast. A little like spending, present: spend. Past tense : spent.

Stormcrow

Can't believe they went to the trouble of redesigning the whole home screen, and making the set selection scroll, and still didn't give us a "Standard" filter option. C'mon guys.

Not gonna lie: after waiting for sooo long for March of the Multitudes to rotate out because sitting through that animation is the most tedious, annoying thing ever, I am deeply, deeply sad to see Conqueror's Pledge in the new set.

It does seem possible with supports but it definitely feels a little janky to have a full party require 4 creature types while there's a 3-creature limit on the board. Especially since MtG doesn't seem to believe in multiclassing, it appears. I guess Outlaws' Merriment just became a legitimate chase card!

Baphometix

Stormcrow said:

Can't believe they went to the trouble of redesigning the whole home screen, and making the set selection scroll, and still didn't give us a "Standard" filter option. C'mon guys.

Yeah, that's one of my biggest UI/X gripes with this game.

Still, lovely work otherwise. Digging the new mechanics. Especially Kicker; takes me back to the Invasion days.

Baphometix

OmniTron said:

Past tense of cast isn't casted. It's cast. A little like spending, present: spend. Past tense : spent.

No, I'm pretty sure it's casted. Just like the past tense form of spend is spented and the past tense of past tense is passed tents.

But seriously, casted isn't incorrect, it's just a bit archaic. Kinds like inflammable vs flammable, dreamed vs dreamt, or ambush vs ambuscade.

andrewvanmarle

@Baphometix

Something to read:


https://writingexplained.org/cast-vs-casted

Other than that, you do what you do... 

andrewvanmarle

@Oktagon_Support

Hi Marcella, could you add the tokens to the gallery? 

andrewvanmarle

By the way, Am I missing the flash rework?

andrewvanmarle

Last question fo rthe day: I see that Oran Reif the vastwood isn't in the set (allready used for ZvE)  is there an option to make it still standard legal?

It's kind of a shame that green of all colors doesn't get a convert 3 land....

Zethish

Baphometix said:

OmniTron said:

Past tense of cast isn't casted. It's cast. A little like spending, present: spend. Past tense : spent.

No, I'm pretty sure it's casted. Just like the past tense form of spend is spented and the past tense of past tense is passed tents.

Lol this made my day 



But the update looks nice. Really looking forward to rotation.
Though NOT looking forward to seeing Ravnica At War again. Please burn it with fire.

jtwood

andrewvanmarle said:

By the way, Am I missing the flash rework?

I was hoping to see their work to improve the usefulness of Buried and graveyard gems.

For others' reference, here are the recent comments on these topics:

5. The push towards Flash-cards continues, but that mechanic could really do with some changes. Are there any plans to change Flash?
Answer: Yes, we have intentions to make some future changes with Flash in the near future. But probably the changes will happen only after Core Set 2021.

7. Are you considering boosting the power of Escape/Buried and Graveyard gems? They feel really underpowered at the moment.
Answer: With the new Standard rotation, and the feedback from both the community and the internal testers, we have some plans for balancing Graveyard gems and cards with Buried to better fit the upcoming sets.

soultwist

Fixed an issue where Dream Eater was not returning itself when played by the AI.

And like that, poof. He's gone   

Magic:PQ Support Team

*UPDATE
Jace, Mirror Mage
Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients
Nissa Shadowed Boughs
Zendikar Expeditions
Rise of Adventure

soultwist

The Adamant and Identity objectives will consider any type of Gem Match towards the objective: swap, cascade, and conversion.

Prediction:

This is going to make the bottom node of ATV a slog of facing Greg playing Nissa4 Eidolon decks with green gem conversion and remember he will have more then 1 turn.  When it was AMAZINGLY easy to physically match 16 gems on the top node if you used a multicolor PW.  You have multiple turns every time! (except for the occasional buggy turn)  I even did it with Karn once (had to match loyalty gems)

Julie71

Stormcrow said:

Can't believe they went to the trouble of redesigning the whole home screen, and making the set selection scroll, and still didn't give us a "Standard" filter option. C'mon guys.

Not gonna lie: after waiting for sooo long for March of the Multitudes to rotate out because sitting through that animation is the most tedious, annoying thing ever, I am deeply, deeply sad to see Conqueror's Pledge in the new set.

It does seem possible with supports but it definitely feels a little janky to have a full party require 4 creature types while there's a 3-creature limit on the board. Especially since MtG doesn't seem to believe in multiclassing, it appears. I guess Outlaws' Merriment just became a legitimate chase card!

So play with your animations off. Easy fix for that boring wait.  I personally don't like it.  But it also fixes those pesky floating bugs . 

Stormcrow

I do play with animations off. MoM still takes forever and a day to resolve. And god forbid there be anything which buffs their tokens or creatures when they come into play.