Vintage Cube has been a mainstay of MTGO for years, but it’s not exactly something the average player engages with. Vintage is a complex format full of broken cards, and not everyone enjoys the absurd power swings some of these historic design mistakes allow. That could all be about to change, however. In a shocking move, Daybreak and Ultimate Guard have just announced a live, in-person “for keeps”, ” MTG Vintage Cube event. With a total value of over $65,000, there’s going to be a lot on the line when this Cube fires later this year.
MTG Vintage Cube, Live In Las Vegas
This scoop was dropped by IGN earlier today, and it’s big news no matter how you slice it. To zoom out a little and cover the specifics first, this live MTG Vintage Cube event will be taking place at MagicCon: Las Vegas this October. Of course, given the magnitude of the occasion, not just anybody will be able to saunter up and participate. You’ll need to qualify first.
To do so, you’ll need to take part in qualifier events on MTGO. These will begin later this week, and run until MagicCon begins on October 25th, so you have plenty of time to stake your claim. These qualifiers will all be rounds of Vintage Cube, and there’ll be three to get through before you qualify for the real thing. These rounds will whittle down the pool of competitors to a final top eight, who will then get to draft 48 cards each during the event. It will only cost six Event Tickets or 80 Play Points to enter the first stage of these qualifiers, which isn’t bad at all given what’s on the line.
As mentioned above, this event is the joint brainchild of Daybreak and Ultimate Guard. The former is the studio that develops MTGO, while the latter is a major TCG accessories company. According to the initial announcement, the idea actually came from Ultimate Guard first. Specifically, Martin Jůza, member of Pro Magic team CFBUltimateGuard and Magic Hall of Famer. He’s also serving as Project Manager for this event. Speaking to IGN, he noted that he wants to ensure that it’s “the coolest event we can do for the community.” Daybreak’s Ryan Spain agrees, noting that an event like this is a “dream come true.”
$65,000 On The Line
It’s easy to see why this event is a dream come true. The Vintage Cube is as much a celebration of Magic as a whole as it is a Draft format. Each new iteration aims to represent the best of what MTG had to offer in its first 30 years. The legendary Power 9, the nine most broken cards from Magic’s Alpha release, are all included. As is the original cycle of dual lands and, according to IGN, “all the other cards that have been in every iteration of MTGO’s cube over the years.”
That’s a lot of power on the table, and a lot of money too. The exact contents of the live MTG Vintage Cube are yet to be specified. However, the organizers have stated it’ll be worth at least $65,000 in total. That’s a mind-boggling number, especially for an event so outwardly niche as Vintage Cube. It also gets the mind racing with ideas. Someone at this event is going to be drafting a real Black Lotus, and taking it home afterwards.
Of course, when I say ‘real Black Lotus,’ I don’t necessarily mean an Alpha one. Just as the exact contents of the Cube remain unrevealed, so too do the specific versions of cards that will be included. The organizers are committed to making the Cube exciting in this respect, however. As such, they’ve committed to including Beta or earlier copies of all commons and uncommons. This likely won’t be the case for the likes of Black Lotus or Time Walk, but that’s understandable.
Whether you play the format or not, this is a hugely exciting event for MTG. Just watching the coverage alone is sure to be a highlight of MagicCon: Las Vegas come October.
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