This week in Magic will be focused more on MTG Arena, as the app is going to receive a massive influx of new cards and changes, and with the start of November Competitive Season, Arena has a lengthy list of events to choose from in the upcoming month.

Khans of Tarkir Releasing on the 12th

A very long time ago (GenCon 2023) Wizards of the Coast announced the addition of Khans of Tarkir (not as a Remastered set) to Arena. The set is due to drop on Arena on the 12th, and its release will be one step closer to Pioneer being available on Arena, a goal which Wizards has been working towards for several years now.

Besides the influx of a whole set to the Arena, Khans being added to Arena will have effects on the entirety of Magic and will provide a foreshadowing of what the path to Pioneer will look like going forward. 

Khans of Tarkir Card Updates

Two big changes will be effecting the entirety of Magic with the release of Khans of Tarkir on Arena. The first of these changes will be to update all Rakshasa card art being added to and currently existing on Arena so as to follow current creative guidelines for artwork. While this change will not effect paper currently, all reprints of existing Rakshasa cards will use the new art. The second of these changes will be to change and replace the following card types:

  • "Totem Armor" will be replaced by "Umbra Armor."
  • "Tribal" will be replaced by "Kindred."
  • "Naga" will be replaced by "Snake."
  • All Rakshasas will lose the "Cat" creature type.

These changes will be reflected in the next update to Gatherer and all cards affected will have their Oracle text updated. Hopefully these changes prelude new toys for the fan-favorite Commander deck: Snake Tribal. 

November Competitive Season

With a new month comes new competitive events to Arena, with the standard Ranked Season rewards being augmented by the Arena Open and Qualifiers. Hopefully with the release of Lost Caverns of Ixalan these events will have a diverse and exciting meta game. 

Qualifier Play Ins & Weekend

Returning on the 11th and 17th, The Qualifier Play-Ins for November will be Historic. The details of Qualifier Play Ins were explained in a previous article, with the only changes being the format and the dates. By getting 6 Best-of-One wins on the 11th or 4 Best-of-Three wins on the 17th you can win an invitation (as well as gems) to the Qualifier Weekend.

The Qualifier Weekend will be held on the 18th and 19th and will also be Historic. Getting seven wins during these two days will qualify you for both Arena Championship 5 and the Pro Tour.

Wizards has more information about these events in their Arena announcements and official information article. 

Arena Open

November's Arena Open will be on the 25th and 26th, ending at 8 a.m. on the 26th. The first day of the Arena Open will be Lost Caverns of Ixalan with both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three being offered. The second day will best Best-of-Three Lost Caverns of Ixalan Draft. 

Midweek Magic

Every Tuesday through Thursday events are held on Arena, each week a new event is held for Midweek Magic. Every week in November will have a Midweek Magic event, starting on 2 p.m. P.T. on Tuesday and ending on 2 p.m. on Thursday. More information can be found on Wizards' information article.

Quote From Wizards of the Coast

  • November 7–9: Brawl Showcase
  • November 14–16: Alchemy
  • November 21–23: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Constructed

On November 7-9 the Brawl Showcase will feature pre-built Brawl decks, and the Constructed decks for November 21-23 can only use cards of Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

Ranked Season

The October Ranked Season ended on the 30th of October, heralding in the November Season which last until November 30th. Competing in some events and Ranked Queues will increase your standing and earn you bigger rewards at the end of the season. For more information check out Wizard's Arena update post and the following quote:

Quote From Wizards of the Coast

  • Bronze Reward: 1 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan pack
  • Silver Reward: 1 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan pack + 500 gold
  • Gold Reward: 2The Lost Caverns of Ixalan packs + 1,000 gold + Deep-Cavern Bat card style
  • Platinum Reward: 3 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan packs + 1,000 gold + Deep-Cavern Bat card style + Sanguine Evangelist card style
  • Diamond Reward: 4 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan packs + 1,000 gold + Deep-Cavern Bat card style + Sanguine Evangelist card style
  • Mythic Reward: 5 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan packs + 1,000 gold + Deep-Cavern Bat card style + Sanguine Evangelist card style

Additional Arena Events

The November Competitive events are not the only options available for Arena players this month, as Wizards is bringing back the Chromatic Cube and Historic All-Access. Both of these are much more casual events than their competitive counterparts and are great alternatives if you are looking for a unique experience. 

Historic All-Access

According to Wizards Historic All-Access is a "basically no ban" format featuring (almost) all cards available on Arena. This event will be available until November 14th, and besides the updated ban list, is the same as the Historic format. The only banned cards are Channel, Demonic Tutor, and Tibalt's Trickery, anything else is fair game!

Chromatic Cube

The Chromatic Cube will be available until the 14th as well, with a 4000 gold (or 600 gem) entry fee, with both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three offered. The Chromatic Cube is a phantom draft (so the cards drafted will not be added to your collection) but wildcards will be included as reward scaling with wins. 

The Chromatic Cube features 11 archetypes (one for each color duo and 5 color) each with powerful cards from Arena's history. For more information about the archetypes or the cube check out the dev diary posted by Wizards.

The rest of the month is sure to be exciting for MTG Arena players, with a plethora of events to play early in the month and competitive options available later in the month as well. With Lost Caverns of Ixalan releasing today (despite supply chain issues) we are sure to hear much more about its affect on Constructed and Commander.