A mere eleven-and-a-half years passed, Urza’s first installment is upon Magic for a second time.  Many of MTGO’s population probably missed out the first time, but there’s no excuse to skip the current Urza’s Saga Release Events (which run until 10:00 AM PST (18:00 UTC) Friday, April 9, check out the official info at the WotC MTGO homepage).  So when you do embrace (whether it be Serras Embrace, Shivs Embrace or one of the other members in this cycle of game-breaking enchantments) Saga Limited, you should be prepared.

When Saga was played in paper limited, Magic Internet strategy sites were in various, fledgling stages.  Luckily, casting Time Spiral is part of our arsenal, and we can visit the premier Magic site, the Dojo, via this handy web archive: www.classicdojo.org!  More specifically, some PTQ reports for PT: Los Angeles ’99, featuring Saga Sealed and Top 8 Drafts, are available for your reading pleasure: HERE!

Also (as if reading PTQ reports isn’t enough), below are five pools straight from the Saga Sealed Swiss Queues for your building pleasure.  They vary in levels of power (none feature the desired Phyrexian Processor, a colorless bomb-spawning machine) and show a few different scenarios a Sealed Saga player might find themselves facing when an event fires.

Sealed Pool #1

Click the arrow to download the above Sealed pool in .txt format

(To load a .txt deck into Magic: Online’s Deck Editor, click “Load”, select “Local Text Deck”, find the location of the downloaded deck file and double-click the deck.)

Sealed Pool #2

Click the arrow to download the above Sealed pool in .txt format

Sealed Pool #3

Click the arrow to download the above Sealed pool in .txt format

Sealed Pool #4

Click the arrow to download the above Sealed pool in .txt format

Sealed Pool #5

Click the arrow to download the above Sealed pool in .txt format

You can also go to the Sealed Swiss Rooms in the MTGO client to view Saga events after the games finish.  I highly recommend looking at the 4-0 and 3-1 players’ matches- see what they are using to win, win, WIN!!!

A Windfall of Money (Finding Subtle Value)

Release Events bring the lucrative Sealed Swiss Queues (and their payment of 10 booster packs for a 3-1 record along with a MOCS Qualifier Point) and 64-man Draft Premier Events (which have been increased in frequency for Urza’s Saga)!  Both of these events have wonderful prize pools and are ONLY available during the Release Event period.

Even better than the value that comes with Release Events’ prize payouts is Saga’s Eternal cardpool!  Beyond the all-stars (Exploration, Gaeas Cradle, Tolarian Academy, among other Rares), Saga has quite a few nice cards for the Pauper, 100 Card Singleton, Legacy, and Classic formats.

If you are drafting, you might keep a lookout for these cards NOT in the Rare slot to increase the value of your yield:

Commons:

• Priest of Titania (paper price: $4.00)- If you like Elves, this is the cream of the crop mana producer.  Also, it’s not in any other normal Magic set.
• Exhume (paper price: $2.00)- Exhume is a no damage Reanimate-type spell that sees play in Legacy.  It might also see Pauper play (especially with a common Eldrazi bruiser on the horizon). Like above, it’s also not available in any other traditional MTG expansion.
• Dark Ritual (paper price: $1.25)- Black icon, unfair mana production, combo-enabler.  Being printed in multiple sets brings Ritual into a more affordable price bracket, but it still remains a power player from Magic’s past.
• Pestilence (paper price: inconsequential)- Pestilence is an enchantment version of Crypt Rats, a Pauper Black staple.  Rats are also a pricey 3 tix… something to consider!
• Goblin Matron (paper price: $1.00)- If you want to rock Classic or Legacy Goblins, the Matron is a must.  Now with old frame and black border!

Uncommons:

• Voltaic Key (paper price: $4.00)- MTGO received Key prematurely in the Phyrexia versus the Coalition Duel Decks, but it remains a fun card nonetheless.  (Demand might rise after Grim Monolith and Thran Dynamo arrive.)
• Turnabout (paper price: $1.50)-  I cannot remember if High Tide Combo plays this card.  If not, maybe it should!
• Goblin Lackey (paper price: $10.00)- When From the Vault: Exiled hit digital land, Lackeys were quite the item.  They slowly decreased in value, but there has been a resurgence in paper Legacy Goblins of late- get these while they are cheap and readily available if you at all love the tribe of Red “green” men.

Why Wait?!

Don’t forget- Wizards’ new policy is to remove Eternal sets from the store after Release Events end.  Saga will still be available in various events’ prize payout and NIXPAX Draft Queues, but Sealed is only for the here and the now.  Don’t delay- play today (and trade me that Cradle after the event finishes…)!

Cheers,
-ChrisKool/Kuehl