Pro Tour Gauntlet: Introduction and Abzan Company
If you've been following me for any amount of time you know that I'm a big supporter of Magic Online. Despite its flaws it is a great resource for Magic players. Where else can you draft in your underwear at two in the morning or randomly play Vintage against LSV? However, one of the biggest complaints I get from people who don't currently use Magic Online is the cost. Magic Online is expensive because if you want to play constructed on Magic Online, you essentially have to maintain two Magic collections, one for the digital world and one for the paper world.
That's why the Pro Tour Gauntlet, a new type of event on Magic Online, is such a big deal. For the first time in Magic Online's nearly 15 year history, the Pro Tour Gauntlet allows players to play in competitive constructed events without owning the cards for the deck. Basically, you join an eight player Swiss queue for the cost of six Event Tickets or 60 Play Points, get a random deck that finished 7 wins or better at the recent Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch, and play three rounds of Magic. If you manage at least two wins you get your money back. If you go 3-0 you profit and if you go 1-2 you lose the equivalent of $4. Not a horrible deal for a couple hours of entertainment with a $1000 deck.
Today I wanted to run through a Pro Tour Gauntlet to show you what to expect and also encourage you to take advantage of these events while you can because they are only available until next Wednesday's downtime. If you are someone who has never played on Magic Online, or have played a bit but haven't built up a significant Modern collection, these events are for you. They are a great way to not only play with $1000 decks on the cheap, but also learn the ins and outs of competitive play on Magic Online!
Pro Tour Gauntlet: Intro and Round 1 vs Burn
Pro Tour Gauntlet: Round 2 vs Blue Moon
Pro Tour Gauntlet: Round 3 vs Affinity
Conclusion
Anyway, that's all for today. If you have some time over the next week, I'd definitely encourage you to jump on Magic Online to give the Pro Tour Gauntlet a whirl. It's reasonably priced, the decks are fun and powerful, and it isn't all that hard to go infinite if you play well and get a bit lucky when it comes to the random deck selection. Cross your fingers and hope you don't get Burn! As always, leave your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and suggestion in the comments. You can reach me on Twitter (or MTGO) @SaffronOlive.
