Magic: The Gathering: The Megathread: Tenth Edition

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Magic: The Gathering: The Megathread: Tenth Edition

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Entropic posted:

Modern and Legacy are "cheaper in the long run".*

*if you plan on playing the same deck for 5 years.

More like if you plan on never trading before the rotation, trading every card that just dropped in value right after the rotation and can never see yourself successfully speculating on incredibly difficult to predict cards like Geist and Snapcaster.

But I mean the rotation isn't on a static, years old seasonal pattern more predictable than the weather or anything.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2014 02:02

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 02:32

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

JerryLee posted:

Basically, it seems that Auras were (broadly speaking) so bad that in the end the best way to make them good was by going "nuh uh" whenever the game tries to make one of the bad things happen.

The design space for auras is so brutally restrictive that it's hard to understand why you'd say that is a bad thing. Auras were basically never a good idea and most of the historical examples of playable ones only highlight how lovely the original design was. Besides, bestow is certainly a great deal more elegant and fun to play with than equipment, which is the other serious attempt to fix them.

Show of hands for more enjoyable gamestates - Hopeful Eidolon or Loxodon Warhamer?

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 00:03

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

kingcobweb posted:

OH MY GOD I wrote something again!! It's called 'we want women to play our game, or whatever'

That was an excellent article until the last part gave me Platy flashbacks.

Maybe you meant to go there

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 07:13

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

ThirdEmperor posted:

I'm trying to think what the best options to force your opponent to pay life off the B/W god are.

Sin collector, Banisher Priest, just putting men on the table and smashing your opponent repeatedly in the face?

If you don't run out of men he's not going to turn off and then things get troubling fast, especially when the ghosts show up to help.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 07:59

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Samael posted:

So I am trying to think of what white devotion splashing red could potentially ramp into? I know there isn't any conventional ones, would like creative ideas please

There are conventional ones, white devotion would ramp into AoSerenity off Nykthos a couple months back.

You could also mess with Aurelia, I guess. She might actually be sort of good at closing up the game and she is buddies with Iroas and Launch the Fleet.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 21:56

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Zorak posted:

Deathtouch snakes are cool, though I wish it didn't have the "it's owner" clause eesh, but I suppose in Commander politics that's an upside possibly.

It is probably to grant her the ability to interact with opposing graveyards if you need to without making it entirely an upside. Given the four possible options, this is a middling one, but it still better than only being able to use your own graveyard. It might be worse than using your graveyard as a cost, I'm not sure how relevant that is though.

It is also still a 5/5 for 3 in a color combo that will have no difficulty awakening her or using her ability in the late game to maximum effect. It's a bit weird watching posts evaluate her, given she doesn't bend you over and force you to make snakes when you don't want snakes.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2014 05:40

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Veyrall posted:

Actually, this thread completely ignored the existance of Sphinx's Revelation when it was spoiled. It's kinda funny.

People also said Jace AOT was unplayable poo poo garbage, that the new Chandra doesn't do anything and so on. I remember writing down my bets last year as to which would be better, new Chandra or new Garruk, and I still don't know. I don't remember if anyone talked poo poo about Courser of Kruphix, though I did get told by someone in real life that you should "just play Into the Wilds instead, at least that ramps!"

As I've said in earlier threads, middle tier players love to be jaded and poo poo talk cards. And they're just as wrong just as often as newbie players. Figuring out cards before you've played them is extremely difficult and it is very easy to imagine the wrong moving parts in the huge equation that is every format.

And yeah I can totally remember not thinking Revelation was going to be a big deal. People always misjudge life gain cards, that is one ironclad rule.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 07:55

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Zemyla posted:

Based on the Temple of Abandon, there once was but there was no longer. (Also, I love the double meaning of "Abandon" there.)

drat I never noticed that, that's a really sweet bit of flavor.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 09:41

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

GonSmithe posted:

How do you win a pre-release sealed? Easy, just open this pool:

Literally did not lose a single game. One got very close, but.

Looks nearly identical to mine, though your pool is better. I did lose one game, turns out star fleece ram into the white promo is a wee bit hard to race. Was Desperate Stand as nuts for you? That card was just plague wind or take a million every time for me.

Also got to Twinflame the pig. Opponents did not appreciate being on board the big pig plan. Don't know if Twinflame is as good as it was for me, but man, clone a pig and take them to the final barbeque.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2014 22:37

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

mcnealys baby posted:

There are sealed queues firing constantly throughout the day on MTGO, though.

But then you're on mtgo, and the crushing despair of playing a client that looks like it was built out of a 96 webpage is sapping your will to live.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2014 19:34

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:

Basically, the only time Storm cards will ever show up in constructed is when someone is doing degenerate things with them.

I've never heard anyone call Wing Shards degenerate before.

# ¿ May 6, 2014 04:05

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Babylon Astronaut posted:

Weren't artifact lands banned when they were in standard too?

Eventually, it took a long time and Affinity was pretty clearly on top for a season and a half or so.

It is important to point out that most of the mistakes are pretty well known in Mirrodin block. Tog/Mongrel had very recently pointed out it is really risky to allow conversion of resources with no mana cost, and Ravager/disciple is pretty clearly that exact mistake repeated. Free spells were a big issue in Urza's block, so of course, they print a bunch of stuff you slam down for free in Mirrodin block. Sure, Myr Enforcer doesn't have as many dumb interactions as Great Whale, but it still kinda points out maybe this is a space you should avoid? Ain't nobody playing Great Whale as a card for normal magic. Like seriously, when you had to errata an entire category of cards because you put an infinite combo in Rec/Sur maybe you should re-think free spells a little?

And honestly Skullclamp is just the necropotence in combo deck things back again. Yeah, necro was pretty close to fair in aggro decks, and Skullclamp was intended to help white weenie and mono green. Turns out you put it in affinity as a combo tool and gasp, combo abusing card draw? That never happened before!

Wait no that happened constantly. Then again, let us remember how long they tried to put off banning necro.

# ¿ May 6, 2014 04:22

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

There is so little useful data on pauper. Keep in mind at that point people would jam white weenie five times a week and the deck was something like 45% against the field. People just do not approach that format intelligently.

Elyv posted:

Oh, the card was a huge mistake, it's probably the most powerful card printed in a Standard legal set since Urza's at the very least. I was just trying to say that the path which lead to that mistake was different than what Spiderdrake thought.

Maybe I conflated information in the intervening ten years or maybe I'm just suppressing the fact that he straight up said "yeah we're morons", because geez. I knew it got changed during development, I just remembered differently.

I don't know though, I feel like it is a touch disingenuous to act like they weren't watching card draw like a hawk at that stage. Development would be during, I'm not quite sure how far ahead they were back then, but it couldn't be any earlier than Onslaught? And during Onslaught they were rabid about the mechanic.

# ¿ May 6, 2014 05:41

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Entropic posted:

Mindreaver is just the requisite Bad Do-Nothing Blue Rare, every set has to have one.

It looks like someone wanted to reprint Grimoire Thief and someone wanted to print more wacky blue heroic cards and between the two getting squished together they had a terrible card baby.

# ¿ May 7, 2014 15:24

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

GonSmithe posted:

I have no idea what side that is going to push you towards, but just know it's awful. People will try to tell you the Limited format is fun; it's not.

It depends on your perspective on cows. Do you want to be a rancher? Would you like to ranch your opponent with your ranch? Then you will like Cold snap.

Do you dislike repetitive board states and awful mechanics? Cold Snap not so much for you.

# ¿ May 8, 2014 03:25

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Homelands cards are great if you ignore the text.

Though I would still like to see the art director's notes for Irini Sengir. What is she doing? Is she putting it in? Or is it coming out? Why is she so excited? Is that excitement? Someone tell me?

Why is she a Dwarf? A Vampire Dwarf? edit: Grandmother Sengir is a human wizard? This family is weird.

Zorak posted:

It's worth noting that the sheer amount of Magic players today compared to the number of Magic players back during Homelands is pretty big. So, you know, even if it was popular at the time it's not like the vast majority of players either are familiar or give a poo poo.

Not really relevant, but Magic players can look up and get attached to old settings. Like, Ravnica was hugely popular with a crowd of people who could not possibly have played during the original release given there was something like one fifth as many players at the time.

Spiderdrake fucked around with this message at 05:09 on May 8, 2014

# ¿ May 8, 2014 05:05

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Lord Of Texas posted:

Not to mention a large portion of the Magic playerbase wasn't alive or was in diapers when Homelands was released. We are old.

There are kids at FNM who weren't alive when Urza was last a player in the storyline. So old.

# ¿ May 8, 2014 06:00

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

MiddleEastBeast posted:

That coupled with the fact that they came on the heels of guildgates and so were naturally compared directly to those too as "nothing more than guildgates with an ability I can't easily value" and I think that explains most of why people who missed the mark on them did.

Also lots of people who said they sucked were reacting to being upset they tacked on scry 1 and made them rares. Never underestimate emotional reactions screwing with people's evaluations, after all.

I will be interested to see how they pan out in the next format, assuming huey feels different enough from RTR block, which hopefully it should.

# ¿ May 13, 2014 18:54

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Relating to that discussion I really wish they'd pushed clash packs out immediately because that is such a great idea.

Unless I'm misremembering, but two 60 card decks that you can teach with but also turns into an event deck afterward? That is a great way to sell the product and teach the product without divorcing the two.

# ¿ May 13, 2014 19:27

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

How do you figure in the fact Hex can only exist because WOTC has been negligent insofar as MTGO for year after year? I don't know how people want to describe the relationship WOTC has with its MTGO client base, but that relationship is the entire crux of Hex's existence. I'm going to say the relationship is not good, if not outright dishonest and some other mean words.

If MTGO was the product it should be instead of what it is after years of mismanagement there wouldn't be any room in the market to begin with. And seriously, it has the revenue stream to make whatever it wants. It's not like they dropped the ball and Hex snuck in, it's more like they've been bouncing it off our faces for a decade.

I am mad. Mad about MTGO. (Not actually playing Hex though)

# ¿ May 15, 2014 16:38

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

End of Life Guy posted:

Is a block constructed Pro-Tour a good example of the decks that will be improved upon and perhaps viable during the first few months of a new fall block?

It is a step up from limited for constructed evaluation, but there are two big problems: The first is that higher power cards can push out lower power cards, which in turn changes what the middle of the pack cards do or don't do. Things that are good against cards that get pushed out are suddenly garbage, and cards that are nullified by those cards being pushed out improve or become relevant. A real wrath, by the way, is a huge change in a metagame. The second is that many decks are built around a critical mass of certain things - one drops, burn spells, enchantments, so on and so forth - and many of those decks just can't be finished full stop in block.

For a good example look at the deck that won PT Avacyn Restored. Or just the interview Hayne did about Feeling of Dread five through eight. Block constructed is weird. But it does give you some ideas and new information, so it isn't something totally worth ignoring either.

# ¿ May 18, 2014 18:17

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

AnacondaHL posted:

(e.g. Liliana of the Veil going up in price as rotation occurred).

You could buy Liliana's for 30-40 right after the rotation so that isn't quite true. She did skyrocket immediately after that, but it is more about demand than people getting less stupid. People are so very, very stupid about the rotation. Same thing happens every year and you still see people acting like it is some shocking, unmitigated disaster.

On a related note the low point last/this year for most rotated out cards was about December/January, not immediately after the rotation. I was following it for my cube and made my purchases about then.

# ¿ May 20, 2014 22:10

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

I really, really like that goblin. That was the sort of card I was hoping for more of in this set, because if it functions in your cube (it doesn't go in all cubes, ofc) it has a million sweet interactions and is just a well priced man even if it doesn't.

Also he's a rogue for Cloak and Dagger, which is totally terrible and totally awesome if your cube is lower powered.

# ¿ May 22, 2014 07:10

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

a dozen swans posted:

Let's all look at how pretty the new Rout art is.

My only disappointment with this one is given the flavor text I really wish she was just splattering green or black aligned phyrexians instead of killing more Mirrans.

Mostly because there is nowhere near enough depiction of phyrexians killing phyrexians given how cool that element of the lore is.

# ¿ May 22, 2014 21:21

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Elyv posted:

To be fair, the card was not breakable with the cards that existed in 1997.

I dunno, three goblins attacking for 15+ damage on turn 4 was sort of a thing by the standards of the day.

# ¿ May 22, 2014 23:19

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Elyv posted:

Man, I do not know my old decks as well as I thought I did. How did you do that in 1997?

You cast Song of Blood, which was printed in the same set. Your one drop, two drop and three drop all get +4/+0.

I think Song still sees play in pauper sometimes.

# ¿ May 23, 2014 00:00

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Sligh beat necro. I'm pretty sure that was the point of sligh and what got people qualified.

JerryLee posted:

I want to say I've heard that Song was slated for reprinting in Odyssey block itself but they removed it at the last minute, same with Mulch. That might just be an urban legend though.

Ahh, the days when Extended was Ice Age and up (plus duals).

I miss old extended. It's really weird how you think back to it and realize they put in a clause to extend the legality of the duals just to keep that format going. I don't think they've done anything like that in a decade, have they? Weird clauses on formats? I still firmly believe modern masters should allow reprints from earlier sets, to shoehorn in some old stuff without having to pass it through standard first.

I've never heard the mulch thing but I can remember talking about mulch being an avenue for adding card advantage to green back in those days. It surprises me realizing I believed in the color pie existing back then. Sort of like thinking back and realizing you used to be catholic by accident or something.

# ¿ May 23, 2014 00:29

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

This has been the weirdest preview season. You'd think they'd have talked about conspiracy non-stop for weeks given how wacky it is. Inversely, isn't vintage masters starting on the 16th? Seems early to drop the full spoiler. Maybe they really are doing tracking on the market data or something.

# ¿ May 23, 2014 05:06

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Pinterest Mom posted:

Looks like it's essentially the status quo?

Absolutely. Has wonderful phrases like 'did not expose any major issues we were not aware of' and that leagues are coming back.

Leagues have been coming back for half a decade now or something.

# ¿ May 27, 2014 18:04

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

MTGO is firm evidence that "...could make more money..." has basically zero bearing on any decision WOTC makes though. You can summarize any number of brilliant, fully conceptualized all encompassing arguments for or against then go download the beta client and feel the power of logic drain down your pants leg.

I think they just kinda do what they feel like and the game is pretty sweet atm so oh well?

# ¿ May 29, 2014 15:40

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Is anyone else pronouncing that name in their head 'Venom my naga'?

# ¿ May 30, 2014 00:15

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

qbert posted:

I just realized, is Eidolon of Blossoms a reference to Wall of Blossoms, or are the words "blossoms" and "draw cards" just a thing throughout the history of MtG?

There are two cards with Blossoms in their name.

I'm going with "Yes".

# ¿ May 31, 2014 19:32

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Entropic posted:

Remember when Mutilate was reprinted in M13 and people were saying "Awesome! Maybe now Mono-Black control can be a thing again! That'd be so cool!"? I do.

Well, didn't they say that about every black card for like 15 years or something going all the way back to torment rotating out?

I've never understood why, either, the original MBC was a big dumb linear deck with all the subtle nuance of driving a golf cart after six or seven shots.

What I'm trying to say is, bring back Wake.

# ¿ Jun 1, 2014 00:45

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Wake kinda took me offguard, but deed and stifle getting reprinted is really surprising.

Pristine Angel and Phage at mythic is really goofy.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2014 05:35

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Zorak posted:

http://www.channelfireball.com/home/pt-journey-into-nyx-rap-up/

Hahahaha, that's a way to do a tournament report I suppose!

I rather liked some of it actually:

quote:

The final draft round is versus Shuhei
Leaves UU open, Nullify is his play
My creatures and Auras require his approval
So sorry my friend, you can't counter removal

also "and I know what to do, take courser of kruphix and attack for two" amuses me to no end.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2014 04:37

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Wall of Blossoms was an extremely popular card in its day, people love 'em some striped bear wall action.

# ¿ Jun 8, 2014 23:29

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

kizudarake posted:

Your entry fee for the next two drafts.

Most people don't get to draft for eight bucks, though I agree I'd probably just take the stifle. Who cares, casual format, all the rares in my pile.

That art is sweet.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2014 04:22

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Pharohman777 posted:

He fears he will be powerless to stop these threats should they arrive on theros.

This is the dude who communicates via starfishes, right? I can see why there might be a problem.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2014 06:22

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

kingcobweb posted:

Well I wouldn't want anyone to overlook that Card Kingdom, the premier game store in Seattle, is also something I write for in addition to being my employer

Suddenly KCW slips into posting in goodgamery mode!

whydirt posted:

Not gonna lie, a block that's about the gods of Theros vs. Nicol Bolas, the Eldrazi, or the Phyrexians sounds boss as hell.

Why not a four way battle? Phyrexians fighting Eldrazi would be amazing. And make sense, I doubt they'd have any interest in their home being destroyed.

Also if we can get a card of Heliod kidney punching Nicol Bolas it makes up for everything. And if it can somehow fit into the theme of "gently caress planeswalkers", well then, too good for words.

kingcobweb posted:

I'm pretty sure that a Rosewater has hinted at "villains collide" as a future story arc, but maybe he just acknowledged it as a possibility??

But Maro also believes in skill testers, so anything he says could be him testing your skill.

Spiderdrake fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Jun 11, 2014

# ¿ Jun 11, 2014 07:23

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 02:32

Spiderdrake: May 12, 2001

Elyv posted:

Because I am a grumpy curmudgeon who thinks that names like Trix, Freshmaker, Solidarity, Team America, Tin Fins, or Frog in a Blender are bad.

Frog in a Blender is good, since it expresses the idea, but isn't Team America the one that isn't UWR? That one baffles me, since 'America control' was around in apocalypse era.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2014 01:54

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