The announcement from Daybreak Games apologizing for not putting all of Baldur’s Gate onto Magic Online is not recent news. A news article was published on May 24, 2022, that addressed the decision. What is news, though, is that Baldur’s Gate cards are powerful enough to impact eternal formats like Legacy and Vintage. This may divide the two formats from online and Paper. Even worse, we may be getting some costly cards on Magic Online.
They’re Only in Treasure Chests
Treasure Chest packs on Magic Online are packs you win for just about any tournament. The card pool in these is massive, and while there are a lot of goodies, it’s challenging to open something specific. Baldur’s Gate cards that are getting coded into Magic Online will only be available via the Treasure Chest packs. If they are competitively relevant in eternal formats, supply in demand will skyrocket the price of these singles. It’s still a better alternative than the singles not being included on the platform. What singles look strong in eternal formats? We’ll take a look.
Archivist of Oghma
Archivist of Oghma is the most obvious candidate to have an impact on eternal formats. This card has been talked about a lot recently, so I won’t go too deeply into what it can do. Archivist of Oghma’s ability to gain a life and draw a card is absurd in a format with Fetch Lands. Since each Fetch Land searches the library,
Archivist of Oghma
Archivist of Oghma
Flash
Whenever an opponent searches their library, you gain 1 life and draw a card.
will see that and draw a card.
Swords to Plowshares
Swords to Plowshares
Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.
is a better alternative to Path of Exile in Legacy and Vintage, but for players who are running the Archivist, it will turn Path of Exile into a removal-based cantrip. The applications for this card in eternal formats are obvious. I will be very surprised if this is not available on Magic Online.
READ MORE: The List for Baldur’s Gate is Worse than Expected
Displacer Kitten
Players knew as soon as the card was spoiled that
Displacer Kitten
Displacer Kitten
Avoidance — Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, exile up to one target nonland permanent you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control.
would be good. What we didn’t realize is how heavily its consistently been exceeding expectations. Anyone who’s played with
Displacer Kitten
Displacer Kitten
Avoidance — Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, exile up to one target nonland permanent you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control.
has been ranting about how much better the card’s been playing than expected. The amount of value loops that this card enables is ridiculous. When used with tutor creatures like
Spellseeker
Spellseeker
When this creature enters, you may search your library for an instant or sorcery card with mana value 2 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
, Displacer Kitten can create complex combos that map into a kill. Some players are experimenting with the card in Legacy and Vintage. This could be another card that fetches a high price online if it proves to be an eternal mainstay.
Don’t Forget About Pauper
Pauper is the format that stands to gain the most from MTGO Baldur’s Gate. It also stands to be the format where a playable staple falling through the cracks is most likely. I’m not too familiar with Pauper, so I don’t know what commons stand to have the highest impact there. Hopefully, Daybreak Games will keep an eye out for commons impacting Pauper and make sure they get online treatment.
This isn’t the First Time
Due to Magic Online’s focus on two-player events, other Commander exclusive cards haven’t made it to Magic Online. Some Commander exclusives are viable in the eternal formats they’re legal in, and missing those cards is inexcusable. Hopefully, it doesn’t get any worse.
Magic Online designers have stated that there may be continuous plans to get relevant MTGO Baldur’s Gate cards online as they appear. All we need to do is stay tuned.