"Noobs" aside, I bet this is WOTC trying hard to alienate a lot of people from the prereleases in a kind of eugenicistic meddling with the metagame. They have a vision of what they want the prerelease to be, and it could well be that Spike is not welcome in them.
Yes.
For years before WotC even formalized the ideology of a Pre-Release environment, TO's were generally downplaying the competitive-ness of the event by flattening prize structures to encourage a fun, semi-casual environment. Continuous construction re-enforces the idea that this is a gateway event, where the mistakes you make at the beginning of the day don't ruin the entire event for you.
I know quite a few spikes who love pre-releases, because they just get to goof off with Magic cards for a day. LSV has been one of the nicest players I have ever seen gunsling, and he takes time to explain to new players what he is doing, or what they could do. Pre-releases (and if you haven't figured it out, launch events and Game days) are not designed to appeal to your PTQ grinders - they are likely going to show up anyways. They are marketing events, and they are VERY successful at that, especially when there is a "gimmick" to increase the entertainment value.
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Legacy: UB Tezz (Check out My Primer at TheSource)
Vinitage: Oath
For years before WotC even formalized the ideology of a Pre-Release environment, TO's were generally downplaying the competitive-ness of the event by flattening prize structures to encourage a fun, semi-casual environment. Continuous construction re-enforces the idea that this is a gateway event, where the mistakes you make at the beginning of the day don't ruin the entire event for you.
And this potentially does precisely the opposite. If you choose the wrong color at the beginning of the day, you're stuck with it. With the GTC prerelease, if you didn't choose Boros at the beginning of the day, you were generally at a huge disadvantage throughout.
In the same way you can tell someone is from the XVIII century because he is arroused by ankles, you can tell someone is from USA because he feels nipples disturbing.
I like prerelease gimmicks and i think this one is pretty rad.
One wierd gripe I have is that the Hero's Journey generally applies to anything and everything whether you want it to or not. The way JosephCampbell writes about it, it isnt just a trope of greek mythology, but all mythologies, our dreams, our lifetimes, psychology, any and all narrative media since the very first stories, potentially most games of magic... certainly each magic block has a story and they all follow the heros journey.
Any way that said it seems wierd to say: "THIS TIME we're doing the Hero's Journey!" But the gimmick is something new so im interested.
Grats WotC on stealing the idea of raid decks from WoW TCG. That's not to say it isn't fun, because the raid and dungeon decks from WoW TCG were amazingly fun. And I hope WotC gets it right and its equally fun with Magic. But, this is definitely not an original idea. More like a functional reprint.
It states Standard, which means you can't insta-win with whatever you want sadly.
Too bad. I was going to have fun with that one. I normally don't even go to game day as I don't play Standard, just Limited and Legacy/Vintage. I was planning to come just to curb stomp the hydra with a fun deck. Oh well.
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are most magic players really 8 year olds that find stuff like this fun?
most magic players i know just want to PLAY MAGIC when they go to the prerelease. they dont care about the achievement card bullcrap. they just want to play magic.
and now they are trying to push this on us? gg wotc. gg.
Why are we rehashing Archenemy with prize support? The format was awful, turning it into a release event won't make it more enjoyable.
Anyway, wont everyone just build silly Black/Red removal decks with the Avenger card? Or whatever the strongest "win on turn three" standard deck is? Unless the Hydra deck is t1 capable, I don't see how it'll hold up. And if it is T1 capable wont people just say "Oh yes, I won. Give me my prize"?
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I have a couple of tweets for you from a Wizards of the coast employee regarding this information https://twitter.com/davetron/status/360065617199513600
I should also note - the Hero cards and the Hydra challenge deck are optional and additional; Theros is still an amazing set on its own!
Thus, you can just use your seeded pack and that's all the decisions you will have to do.
Too bad. I was going to have fun with that one. I normally don't even go to game day as I don't play Standard, just Limited and Legacy/Vintage. I was planning to come just to curb stomp the hydra with a fun deck. Oh well.
You're in luck here is a tweet from the article writer.
Since they introduced them, I never understood why we need to "enhance" a cool sealed pre-release with brand new cards with those gimmicks. They are distracting, unnecessary, and partly even akward. Roar like a dragon? Uh, no thanks, I had my 8th birthday quite a while ago.
I'm SO SICK of the "too strong for Standard" argument. It's the new "Dies to removal". We can have a two mana 4/4 with a zillion abilities, but we can't just have Accumulated Knowledge. Makes sense.
Grats WotC on stealing the idea of raid decks from WoW TCG. That's not to say it isn't fun, because the raid and dungeon decks from WoW TCG were amazingly fun. And I hope WotC gets it right and its equally fun with Magic. But, this is definitely not an original idea. More like a functional reprint.
To be fair, there were other CCGs that did that idea before WoW did. Call of Cthulhu had the "Yithian Deck" that was nigh impossible to beat, and Game of Thrones had a yearly "Wildlings Deck" that you could try and beat for prizes.
!OH GOD NOT OPTIONAL THINGS I CAN ELECT NOT TO DO! ANYTHING BUT LETTING ME OPT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING THAT IS THERE FOR THE FUN OF THOSE WHO WANT TO ENJOY IT!
most of my opponents at these things are robotic enough already. I like the optional things that break up the grindy feel of an event that's supposed to be fun. It also encourages more people to show up, and to have fun, which is a good thing. Stop sucking the life out of things by whining about silly things you can choose to ignore. Most magic players need the bug up their ass to die because all it does is promote negative stigmas about this game and the people associated with it. Complaining about optional things at an even designed around having fun doesnt help anyone.
oh. Also. I can't wait to try these new gimmicks out. The ones for rtr block I had a lot of fun with.
I noticed on the retailers' Hero's Path page, the Hydra deck will be available for purchase for $11.99.
Launch Weekend
Theros launches to the public on September 27th and will kick off with your Friday Night Magic. Hero's Path Quest #2 will bring players to your store to receive a "Gift from the Gods" by solving a puzzle hidden within the Poster Puzzle included in your Theros Launch Weekend kit. Once they've discovered the solution they can report it to you or the employee(s) managing your Launch Weekend festivities to receive a second Hero Card. If a player participates in your Launch Weekend event but doesn't opt to solve the puzzle, you should still give them a Launch Promo card for participating. Make sure to sanction your Launch Weekend by August 7th to be able to participate in these festivities.
Game Day
On October 19th and 20th Theros Game Day takes place at your store and players will be back to battle using their Standard decks for the third quest on the Hero's Path: Face the Hydra! Using a special Challenge Deck provided to you, the retailer, in your Game Day materials players will battle the Hydra, one of the epic monsters of the plane of Theros. The Challenge Deck is a special self-running deck with its own set of rules, and you can encourage players to pilot it against one another one-on-one or in groups of up to four with guidance from the included instructional playmat (freeing you and your staff to manage your event!). (A player doesn't need to participate in the Game Day tournament to attempt to defeat the Hydra; Theros Game Day is bigger than a single tournament!)
This is the first opportunity for your players to utilize the Hero Cards they received at your Prerelease and Launch Weekend and marks a first-of-its-kind event that will have your players talking. Beating the Hydra also awards your players their third Hero Card, which they'll be able to use for quests at future Hero's Path events during Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx. The Face the Hydra Challenge Deck will also be made available as a saleable product for $11.99; make sure to prominently display yours to build excitement around your Game Day event and the Face the Hydra quest itself.
For more information about the Hydra Challenge Deck ordering information, make sure to read the solicitations here.
That's not all for the Hero's Path, which will see your players finish six more quests over the course of Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx. Theros will be an exciting kickoff to this unprecedented organized play offering that will no doubt have your players excited. Make sure to be prepared to handle the social scavenger hunt activity at your Prerelease, the puzzle poster at your Launch Weekend, and the Face the Hydra Challenge Deck at your Game Day, and as always check the Theros Retailer Resource Page every week for new information for retailers as well as solicitations for these events, promotions, and products.
Yeah people complainig about this don't have to participate. The hero' path is for fun and an aditional event. Pre-release, Release , Game Day will go like they did in RTR ( Pre- Release: one nonrandom pack + 5 Theros packs.).
Soo why complain?
Side note--who's going to be playing the Hydra all day?--judges, tournament organizers/owners, add'l store employees?--Each does have other responsibilities which will take them away from the 24+ people who might want to beat the Hydra.
Who wouldn't want to have chance at using the hydra deck, you could have another players use it. All you really need is someone with a brain working the deck to make it function.
Who wouldn't want to have chance at using the hydra deck, you could have another players use it. All you really need is someone with a brain working the deck to make it function.
If you look at the one sorcery card we know from the hydra deck, no player is needed. You and your friends just play, then after each turn you reveal the top card of the hydra deck and play it. The hydra doesn't have a hand.
"Noobs" aside, I bet this is WOTC trying hard to alienate a lot of people from the prereleases in a kind of eugenicistic meddling with the metagame. They have a vision of what they want the prerelease to be, and it could well be that Spike is not welcome in them.
If true, it's an empty endeavor. If there are prizes to be had, spikes will attend.
I'm not complaining about something I don't have to do. I just don't see this going well. This alienates hardcore players who think they're too smart to enjoy this and I don't see casual players that usually go for this stuff going to all nine events, knowing that they exist, keeping track of all the materials you need to play, or even caring about the achievements. Very few people are going to want or even be able to partake in this experience to the fullest.
Yes.
For years before WotC even formalized the ideology of a Pre-Release environment, TO's were generally downplaying the competitive-ness of the event by flattening prize structures to encourage a fun, semi-casual environment. Continuous construction re-enforces the idea that this is a gateway event, where the mistakes you make at the beginning of the day don't ruin the entire event for you.
I know quite a few spikes who love pre-releases, because they just get to goof off with Magic cards for a day. LSV has been one of the nicest players I have ever seen gunsling, and he takes time to explain to new players what he is doing, or what they could do. Pre-releases (and if you haven't figured it out, launch events and Game days) are not designed to appeal to your PTQ grinders - they are likely going to show up anyways. They are marketing events, and they are VERY successful at that, especially when there is a "gimmick" to increase the entertainment value.
Modern: Dominium Eminens
Legacy: UB Tezz (Check out My Primer at TheSource)
Vinitage: Oath
I used to judge alot.
And this potentially does precisely the opposite. If you choose the wrong color at the beginning of the day, you're stuck with it. With the GTC prerelease, if you didn't choose Boros at the beginning of the day, you were generally at a huge disadvantage throughout.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
Ok, I'll give you a hint. It begins with a "V". And ends in "intage".
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(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)
They said "You shuffle up your Standard deck"
It states Standard, which means you can't insta-win with whatever you want sadly.
One wierd gripe I have is that the Hero's Journey generally applies to anything and everything whether you want it to or not. The way JosephCampbell writes about it, it isnt just a trope of greek mythology, but all mythologies, our dreams, our lifetimes, psychology, any and all narrative media since the very first stories, potentially most games of magic... certainly each magic block has a story and they all follow the heros journey.
Any way that said it seems wierd to say: "THIS TIME we're doing the Hero's Journey!" But the gimmick is something new so im interested.
EDH:
Niv-Mizzet
Legacy:
The Rack
Modern
Venser, the Sojourner Control
Too bad. I was going to have fun with that one. I normally don't even go to game day as I don't play Standard, just Limited and Legacy/Vintage. I was planning to come just to curb stomp the hydra with a fun deck. Oh well.
Sig by Rivenor
Cube. The best way to play Magic. PERIOD. Come over and check it out. Also, check out my Peasant Split Card Cube.
The World of Pokemon RPG has been rebooted. Come over and check it out.
Set Creation Projects: Archester: Frontier of Steam Come over and check out our AWESOME Steampunk set.
(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)
are most magic players really 8 year olds that find stuff like this fun?
most magic players i know just want to PLAY MAGIC when they go to the prerelease. they dont care about the achievement card bullcrap. they just want to play magic.
and now they are trying to push this on us? gg wotc. gg.
I noticed on the retailers' Hero's Path page, the Hydra deck will be available for purchase for $11.99.
Anyway, wont everyone just build silly Black/Red removal decks with the Avenger card? Or whatever the strongest "win on turn three" standard deck is? Unless the Hydra deck is t1 capable, I don't see how it'll hold up. And if it is T1 capable wont people just say "Oh yes, I won. Give me my prize"?
https://twitter.com/davetron/status/360065617199513600
I should also note - the Hero cards and the Hydra challenge deck are optional and additional; Theros is still an amazing set on its own!
Thus, you can just use your seeded pack and that's all the decisions you will have to do.
Dega midrange 1-0
You're in luck here is a tweet from the article writer.
https://twitter.com/davetron/status/360065835232010241
Also, since I have been receiving this Q a lot: You can use any deck to Face the Hydra (difficulty will vary), it's just designed v. Std.
Dega midrange 1-0
To be fair, there were other CCGs that did that idea before WoW did. Call of Cthulhu had the "Yithian Deck" that was nigh impossible to beat, and Game of Thrones had a yearly "Wildlings Deck" that you could try and beat for prizes.
Teysa EDH deck says hello to the hydra. Exile all the heads.
It's Hip to be a Square
most of my opponents at these things are robotic enough already. I like the optional things that break up the grindy feel of an event that's supposed to be fun. It also encourages more people to show up, and to have fun, which is a good thing. Stop sucking the life out of things by whining about silly things you can choose to ignore. Most magic players need the bug up their ass to die because all it does is promote negative stigmas about this game and the people associated with it. Complaining about optional things at an even designed around having fun doesnt help anyone.
oh. Also. I can't wait to try these new gimmicks out. The ones for rtr block I had a lot of fun with.
Yeah people complainig about this don't have to participate. The hero' path is for fun and an aditional event. Pre-release, Release , Game Day will go like they did in RTR ( Pre- Release: one nonrandom pack + 5 Theros packs.).
Soo why complain?
Who wouldn't want to have chance at using the hydra deck, you could have another players use it. All you really need is someone with a brain working the deck to make it function.
If you look at the one sorcery card we know from the hydra deck, no player is needed. You and your friends just play, then after each turn you reveal the top card of the hydra deck and play it. The hydra doesn't have a hand.
Maybe I'll play Wizard Tower vs Hydra deck lol.
Sealed isn't for Spikes anyway, though giving the RtR nonrandom-pack thing another try does decrease a bit of the randomness.
It's Hip to be a Square
If true, it's an empty endeavor. If there are prizes to be had, spikes will attend.
Weak.
Interest level just plummeted.
How you should approach every game of Magic.
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