There's more to it than that as well. The card design has changed so that the power curve of m15 and forward is much lower than it was in past sets. Most of the power from newer cards is from synergy with other cards. This is not so in older sets.
Yeah well this shift happens once in a while, like a pendulum. Sometimes the power goes up, sometimes down.
If power level NOW is low, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Alara was low power compared to Innistrad for instance...
Not really. This is a complete change of card and power curve design we are talking about. Kahns is as strong as things will get and that power came with having to dip into multiple colors.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
There's more to it than that as well. The card design has changed so that the power curve of m15 and forward is much lower than it was in past sets. Most of the power from newer cards is from synergy with other cards. This is not so in older sets.
Yeah well this shift happens once in a while, like a pendulum. Sometimes the power goes up, sometimes down.
If power level NOW is low, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Alara was low power compared to Innistrad for instance...
Not really. This is a complete change of card and power curve design we are talking about. Kahns is as strong as things will get and that power came with having to dip into multiple colors.
And you're the definitive authority on mtg's future power level? *scoffs*
There's more to it than that as well. The card design has changed so that the power curve of m15 and forward is much lower than it was in past sets. Most of the power from newer cards is from synergy with other cards. This is not so in older sets.
Yeah well this shift happens once in a while, like a pendulum. Sometimes the power goes up, sometimes down.
If power level NOW is low, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Alara was low power compared to Innistrad for instance...
Not really. This is a complete change of card and power curve design we are talking about. Kahns is as strong as things will get and that power came with having to dip into multiple colors.
And you're the definitive authority on mtg's future power level? *scoffs*
No, but you don't have to be to see Lightning Bolt -> Lightning Strike and Shock -> Galvanic Blast -> Galvanic Bombardment, Fiery Impulse. They've been working on trying to solve the problem of having a single digit point system for a long time along with understanding how to properly cost things like card draw and life gain. They were also trying to understand how much power to put behind spells that require more than one type of colored mana as well. Cards like Boros Charm and Glimpse the Unthinkable punch above their weight because Wizards didn't realize how effectively people could fix their mana base to compensate the needed costs. They did another attempt with Dragons of Tarkir with the command cycle, which involved lowering the power a tad of the individual effects, but up the number of choices and the cost. Unfortunately I think they still ended up off the mark on three of them and only really got it right with Ojutai's Command and Dramoka's Command. Atarka's Command is just really powerful, while Silumgar's Command was a complete waste of deck space.
So people can be skeptical all they want and say the power is going to go up and down, but there's going to be a lot less of it going forward unless they break new waters and introduce another nightmare like phyrexian mana.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I do strongly believe that the Frontier format is what a lot of players want, though. Not for reasons of finance, but for reasons of deck building sanity and not dealing with hyper efficiency and pure good stuff cards that plague modern. There are still pure good stuff cards in the Frontier format, but they are far and few between compared to the plethora present in modern at this point. Also, I'm rather excited to play with deck ideas that combine the best of M15 and forward compared to having to delve into magics ancient history.
This is the very fallacy that makes people re-invent modern/extended over and pover again. The thing is that with every non-rotating format, it's going to be dominated by the mistakes WotC makes every set. Witg time, the format will converge towards hyper efficient good stuff. For the moment it's CoCo, until they print some more broken stuff in other colors then this will shape the format. It's a downward spiral no ban list can manage.
What fallacy? When this format gets too efficient players will simply flock to a new one, as has happened about four separate times in the past (Vintage, legacy, Over-Extended, Modern). In 10 more years they will be talking about what comes after Frontier, and so on. Giving people what they want isn't a fallacy, it is good business sense.
Firstly, people want a non rotating format so they can keep playing their cards.
Other than that comes the concerns on price, card availability, tournament support and such.
If it weren't for the scarce or non existent reprints we wouldn't even be discussing this.
Good business sens dictates they'd print cards people want to play. And they've started doing that with EMA, MM and other supplemental products.
Absolutely. And every decade or so they will need to add an additional none-rotating format to the existing ones because otherwise the majority of their cards simply go by the wayside.
There is a weird assumption going on here that adding a new format somehow takes away from older ones. It doesn't. Legacy sees more play now then it used to, and vintage is limited by cards to a small population not by newer formats. Adding a new, cheaper format adds more players. It is not a zero sum game.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Pauper: UB Wight Phantasm RB Burn UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
There's more to it than that as well. The card design has changed so that the power curve of m15 and forward is much lower than it was in past sets. Most of the power from newer cards is from synergy with other cards. This is not so in older sets.
Yeah well this shift happens once in a while, like a pendulum. Sometimes the power goes up, sometimes down.
If power level NOW is low, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Alara was low power compared to Innistrad for instance...
Not really. This is a complete change of card and power curve design we are talking about. Kahns is as strong as things will get and that power came with having to dip into multiple colors.
And you're the definitive authority on mtg's future power level? *scoffs*
No, but you don't have to be to see Lightning Bolt -> Lightning Strike and Shock -> Galvanic Blast -> Galvanic Bombardment, Fiery Impulse. They've been working on trying to solve the problem of having a single digit point system for a long time along with understanding how to properly cost things like card draw and life gain. They were also trying to understand how much power to put behind spells that require more than one type of colored mana as well. Cards like Boros Charm and Glimpse the Unthinkable punch above their weight because Wizards didn't realize how effectively people could fix their mana base to compensate the needed costs. They did another attempt with Dragons of Tarkir with the command cycle, which involved lowering the power a tad of the individual effects, but up the number of choices and the cost. Unfortunately I think they still ended up off the mark on three of them and only really got it right with Ojutai's Command and Dramoka's Command. Atarka's Command is just really powerful, while Silumgar's Command was a complete waste of deck space.
So people can be skeptical all they want and say the power is going to go up and down, but there's going to be a lot less of it going forward unless they break new waters and introduce another nightmare like phyrexian mana.
Lightning bolt wasn't reprinted for a long time. then they brought it back with m10. Now, they say mana dorks at g is too strong for standard, but honestly, you really beleive they'll never print mystic elves in standard?
I am no authority but I assure you it's coming back sometime.
Whether it comes back or not depends on the design space they are working with at the time. MTG has been around for a while and the designers don't want to print powerful cards anymore for a couple of reasons. One is that if they make a powerful card, they have to eventually print an equally powerful answer to counter that card to make sure it doesn't go out of control. Eventually, this pattern leads to having an extremely high variance in gameplay where a game can end extremely fast if someone doesn't draw the right answer, which is what happened to legacy. Modern has the same issue in that there are decks so strong that specific answers must exist or they go rampaging out of control. Affinity and dredge are two such decks, and during Eldrazi winter things got so bad that Painter's Servant and Worship ended up spiking thanks to being among the few solid answers there were in the format for a deck strong enough to hold it's own in legacy.
So long story short, the designers of MTG are very leery about printing anything potentially too powerful. It seems that the next thing they are toying with on the list are one cmc mana dorks like Llanowar Elves, though honestly I'm really skeptical that a one cmc mana dork is really too strong for standard even now. In the case of mana dorks I think the reason they didn't print them in the last few sets is because they wanted a slower format where mid-range would work. Kahns block had a lot of fast aggro and they needed a one cmc mana dork to let ramp decks compete.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
MaRo stated on his podcast that they want the power level of new Magic sets to be like the M.C. Escher "infinite staircase". Basically they periodically (every few years) shift the power between creatures and spells so that new sets feel more powerful in different ways without actually resulting in overall power creep. Their planning goes out many years in advance so I wouldn't be surprised to see more powerful spells eventually return, they just have to set the bar lower so you really feel the difference
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():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you can cast a spell, you're doing well, If you can't, that's okay, too. It usually takes a few turns before you have enough mana to do anything. Meanwhile, you should figure out whether you need to discard (p.11). Then announce the end of your turn, and let your opponent have a go.
MaRo stated on his podcast that they want the power level of new Magic sets to be like the M.C. Escher "infinite staircase". Basically they periodically (every few years) shift the power between creatures and spells so that new sets feel more powerful in different ways without actually resulting in overall power creep. Their planning goes out many years in advance so I wouldn't be surprised to see more powerful spells eventually return, they just have to set the bar lower so you really feel the difference
That was my feeling and hearing someone confirm it via the grapevine is a relief. As for a new and better "eternal Format" for players and evaluating some of the statements made by others, I think the best plan may be to do a sort of modern standard that has a set of cards rotate every four sets, which would be a massive amount of time, and reprint cards that they want people to be using that are from the past sets. That way if people want to play artificer tribal or something they just have to reprint things like Master Transmuter, Etherium Sculptor, etc in an approved set. The original modern format can stay around that way since cards will eventually get reprinted, and official tournaments can be run that are technically modern tournaments that wont be the same darn thing every season. This would probably produce a better solution than Frontier since the new tournament format only uses sets that are recently printed for modern. It also lets them rotate out cards they don't like that are mistakes without actually impacting the original modern format and just keep cards they want in print.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Wait if each decade or so a new "more modern" format needs to be created cause the "then existing popular eternal format" is getting stale.. Isn't that an indication that people actually want a rotation? But then with a decade-long (or maybe like 15 years - so the initial sets of modern start rotating out about now) timespan?
That would solve all the problems I think?
That feeds into my idea from earlier in the thread that the desire for frontier is actually a desire for a new version of extended. Really, rotation is the only way to keep a (popular and competitive) constructed format wallet friendly without imposing restrictions on rarity. Most of the people advocating for frontier know that eternal and budget can't coexist long term, but some people are trying to frame frontier as a new eternal format anyways.
Wait if each decade or so a new "more modern" format needs to be created cause the "then existing popular eternal format" is getting stale.. Isn't that an indication that people actually want a rotation? But then with a decade-long (or maybe like 15 years - so the initial sets of modern start rotating out about now) timespan?
That would solve all the problems I think?
They already tried that, and yet Extended was killed because it wasn't played enough.
It's not WOTC, it's the players.
Most people like to play more than 3 turns of magic (spending more time to shuffle and sideboard than playing = nice games).
Modern usually isn't that fast unless one player is using a deck that can't defend itself from aggro or combo. Splinter Twin was the most consistent turn 4 win in the format, and there aren't any faster combo decks that approach its level right now. You can feel free to dislike modern for its pace, but don't misrepresent it to make it look faster than it actually is. It's like saying that every single Legacy game ends on the first turn.
The sad, sad truth is that modern is DEAD. Sure WOTC has been trying to resuscitate it the last couple years with long overdue bans and some extremely limited reprints, but most of the people like me who play modern do so only because standard is a money pit and rewards bank account more than any skill, strategy, or creativity, and legacy requires a sizeable bank loan and the sudden loss of enough brain tissue to convince you that playing decks with manabases well over $1300+ in cost isn't the worst idea since soup on a stick.
The problem with modern is that with some exceptions, it is simply no fun to play in a tournament setting. Sure, if its just a group of people playing tier 2 or 3 decks it can be enjoyable, but playing against tier one decks is just a miserable night of magic. Nothing is sadder than catching a bus home yearning for when you still played standard. The format that as of this writing has 80% of all decks utilizing a playset of Smuggler's Copter.
I don't know if this format is the answer, and at this moment it just seems to be a way for vendors to sell rotated standard staples that drop like a rock in price, but it is nice to see someone in the community offer an alternative to modern, especially when it is perfectly clear that WOTC cannot or will not jeopardize their relationship with the big card sellers that organize tournaments and buy massive amounts of sealed product. By making effective reprints of grossly overpriced modern staple cards.
Modern is definitely not dead, at least not in Europe. Attendance at GPs is at record high, and any PPTQ/RPTQ shows good attendance as well.
Who cares about GPs, PPTQs, or other pro tour wankfests? I'm talking about the real magic community not those who want to make it their job. Anything not at the LGS level is irrelevant. If you don't have those people your format is DOA.
Is there anywhere people are discussing frontier other than this thread? The reddit sub forum isnt very active. I am looking to talk about the abzan aggro deck I have been testing.
Is there anywhere people are discussing frontier other than this thread? The reddit sub forum isnt very active. I am looking to talk about the abzan aggro deck I have been testing.
*Robotic female voice over the intercom*
"You have found the nexus for people trying to prop up a cash grab in the guise of a viable format. Proceed to post in support of vendors shaping the state of MTG instead of players. Thank you and have a nice day".
Everything you said is just untrue where I am. Modern events are lucky to launch half the time. The $5 weekly modern here regularly fails to launch, last week we got to play, but i got matched with storm twice. So that was about as fun and diving naked into a pool of snakes.
most of the people like me who play modern do so only because standard is a money pit and rewards bank account more than any skill, strategy, or creativity, and legacy requires a sizeable bank loan
Most people aren't like you and play Modern because they enjoy the format. You clearly don't and seem to play the format because you see it as an alternative to things you dislike/can't afford. Maybe you should try Limited? Commander? Pauper? Maybe MtG isn't the game for you?
The problem with modern is that with some exceptions, it is simply no fun to play in a tournament setting. Sure, if its just a group of people playing tier 2 or 3 decks it can be enjoyable, but playing against tier one decks is just a miserable night of magic.
A tier 3 deck won the Modern Grand Prix last week. I can't imagine the pilot managed to avoid tier 1 decks at the highest level of competition currently existing in Modern, so power level is clearly not the problem. What is it about playing against tier 1 decks that you find so unenjoyable as opposed to tier 2?
I don't know if this format is the answer, and at this moment it just seems to be a way for vendors to sell rotated standard staples that drop like a rock in price, but it is nice to see someone in the community offer an alternative to modern
This is how Frontier seems to me as well, but why do we need another alternative to Modern? We have Standard, Legacy, Pauper, Commander, and Limited, as well as a plethora of less popular formats and house rules. If you can't find something you enjoy with all of these options, maybe (once again) Magic isn't the game for you.
most of the people like me who play modern do so only because standard is a money pit and rewards bank account more than any skill, strategy, or creativity, and legacy requires a sizeable bank loan
Most people aren't like you and play Modern because they enjoy the format. You clearly don't and seem to play the format because you see it as an alternative to things you dislike/can't afford. Maybe you should try Limited? Commander? Pauper? Maybe MtG isn't the game for you?
The problem with modern is that with some exceptions, it is simply no fun to play in a tournament setting. Sure, if its just a group of people playing tier 2 or 3 decks it can be enjoyable, but playing against tier one decks is just a miserable night of magic.
A tier 3 deck won the Modern Grand Prix last week. I can't imagine the pilot managed to avoid tier 1 decks at the highest level of competition currently existing in Modern, so power level is clearly not the problem. What is it about playing against tier 1 decks that you find so unenjoyable as opposed to tier 2?
I don't know if this format is the answer, and at this moment it just seems to be a way for vendors to sell rotated standard staples that drop like a rock in price, but it is nice to see someone in the community offer an alternative to modern
This is how Frontier seems to me as well, but why do we need another alternative to Modern? We have Standard, Legacy, Pauper, Commander, and Limited, as well as a plethora of less popular formats and house rules. If you can't find something you enjoy with all of these options, maybe (once again) Magic isn't the game for you.
Well, it's not so much we need an alternative to modern as much as a fixed version of it. The majority of people like playing with the modern bordered card pool, but thanks to the competitive scene the impression many walk away with is that the format is just super aggressive, expensive, and hostile to new players, as well as being the domain of collectors and investors. Other games have maybe one or two really expensive cards, such as Force of Will with Cheshire Cat or Pokemon with their own effective version of that same card. Magic probably has about a hundred or more super expensive and in many cases completely necessary cards for gameplay.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
A post Modern format would be greatly welcomed, at least we know plenty of the cards from M15 and up can actually be reprinted without ruining Standard or some such other nonsense that they give us from time to time.
MM3 will basically be the player base seeing how much they are willing to improve the Masters line. If they keep repeating the same mistakes Modern is only going to suffer more. This set they need to step it up in a big way, but with $10 packs yet again we are already seeing them not learn from it. Conspiracy 2 showed us they can do a good Masters set, a shame though that they then followed it up with "Hey look, more $10 packs" and I'm sure that we're all thinking "Now how about print run? Is it going to be low again?"
MaRo stated on his podcast that they want the power level of new Magic sets to be like the M.C. Escher "infinite staircase". Basically they periodically (every few years) shift the power between creatures and spells so that new sets feel more powerful in different ways without actually resulting in overall power creep. Their planning goes out many years in advance so I wouldn't be surprised to see more powerful spells eventually return, they just have to set the bar lower so you really feel the difference
They stated this years ago, but creatures have only gotten better while all other cards have gotten either progressively worse or harder to come by from increased rarity for quite some time. The last great spells were what? Sphinx's Revelation and Collected Company?
It is a good news that one of my big LGS is hosting a frontier tournament every Wednesday, usually 14-20 people shows up.
I went to the event, my record was 4-1 I think, beating U/R mill, Abzan Red, Homebrew Abzan, R/G Midrange, I played Abzan Aggro with no splash.
The only deck I lost to is Jeskai Black, which is the format strongest deck.
I think I lost to the deck was I just didn't draw early removal to get rid of the mini jace, once the mini jace flips it is hard to deal with.
Now I changed my sideboard and main deck to be more prepared for the matchup.
I just feel like Dig Through Time is too oppressive, there is one game where I tried to cast my Wingmane Roc, the opponent cast Dig Through Time to find the Disdainful Stroke and it was hard to comeback after that. Something needs to be done with this card.
Overall it is a fun format, Wizard should add more support into it, the format might be better with more new sets coming out. My Abzan deck is only $150 in this format lol.
Not really. This is a complete change of card and power curve design we are talking about. Kahns is as strong as things will get and that power came with having to dip into multiple colors.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
And you're the definitive authority on mtg's future power level? *scoffs*
No, but you don't have to be to see Lightning Bolt -> Lightning Strike and Shock -> Galvanic Blast -> Galvanic Bombardment, Fiery Impulse. They've been working on trying to solve the problem of having a single digit point system for a long time along with understanding how to properly cost things like card draw and life gain. They were also trying to understand how much power to put behind spells that require more than one type of colored mana as well. Cards like Boros Charm and Glimpse the Unthinkable punch above their weight because Wizards didn't realize how effectively people could fix their mana base to compensate the needed costs. They did another attempt with Dragons of Tarkir with the command cycle, which involved lowering the power a tad of the individual effects, but up the number of choices and the cost. Unfortunately I think they still ended up off the mark on three of them and only really got it right with Ojutai's Command and Dramoka's Command. Atarka's Command is just really powerful, while Silumgar's Command was a complete waste of deck space.
So people can be skeptical all they want and say the power is going to go up and down, but there's going to be a lot less of it going forward unless they break new waters and introduce another nightmare like phyrexian mana.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Absolutely. And every decade or so they will need to add an additional none-rotating format to the existing ones because otherwise the majority of their cards simply go by the wayside.
There is a weird assumption going on here that adding a new format somehow takes away from older ones. It doesn't. Legacy sees more play now then it used to, and vintage is limited by cards to a small population not by newer formats. Adding a new, cheaper format adds more players. It is not a zero sum game.
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
Lightning bolt wasn't reprinted for a long time. then they brought it back with m10. Now, they say mana dorks at g is too strong for standard, but honestly, you really beleive they'll never print mystic elves in standard?
I am no authority but I assure you it's coming back sometime.
So long story short, the designers of MTG are very leery about printing anything potentially too powerful. It seems that the next thing they are toying with on the list are one cmc mana dorks like Llanowar Elves, though honestly I'm really skeptical that a one cmc mana dork is really too strong for standard even now. In the case of mana dorks I think the reason they didn't print them in the last few sets is because they wanted a slower format where mid-range would work. Kahns block had a lot of fast aggro and they needed a one cmc mana dork to let ramp decks compete.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
That was my feeling and hearing someone confirm it via the grapevine is a relief. As for a new and better "eternal Format" for players and evaluating some of the statements made by others, I think the best plan may be to do a sort of modern standard that has a set of cards rotate every four sets, which would be a massive amount of time, and reprint cards that they want people to be using that are from the past sets. That way if people want to play artificer tribal or something they just have to reprint things like Master Transmuter, Etherium Sculptor, etc in an approved set. The original modern format can stay around that way since cards will eventually get reprinted, and official tournaments can be run that are technically modern tournaments that wont be the same darn thing every season. This would probably produce a better solution than Frontier since the new tournament format only uses sets that are recently printed for modern. It also lets them rotate out cards they don't like that are mistakes without actually impacting the original modern format and just keep cards they want in print.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
That feeds into my idea from earlier in the thread that the desire for frontier is actually a desire for a new version of extended. Really, rotation is the only way to keep a (popular and competitive) constructed format wallet friendly without imposing restrictions on rarity. Most of the people advocating for frontier know that eternal and budget can't coexist long term, but some people are trying to frame frontier as a new eternal format anyways.
They already tried that, and yet Extended was killed because it wasn't played enough.
Modern usually isn't that fast unless one player is using a deck that can't defend itself from aggro or combo. Splinter Twin was the most consistent turn 4 win in the format, and there aren't any faster combo decks that approach its level right now. You can feel free to dislike modern for its pace, but don't misrepresent it to make it look faster than it actually is. It's like saying that every single Legacy game ends on the first turn.
The problem with modern is that with some exceptions, it is simply no fun to play in a tournament setting. Sure, if its just a group of people playing tier 2 or 3 decks it can be enjoyable, but playing against tier one decks is just a miserable night of magic. Nothing is sadder than catching a bus home yearning for when you still played standard. The format that as of this writing has 80% of all decks utilizing a playset of Smuggler's Copter.
I don't know if this format is the answer, and at this moment it just seems to be a way for vendors to sell rotated standard staples that drop like a rock in price, but it is nice to see someone in the community offer an alternative to modern, especially when it is perfectly clear that WOTC cannot or will not jeopardize their relationship with the big card sellers that organize tournaments and buy massive amounts of sealed product. By making effective reprints of grossly overpriced modern staple cards.
Who cares about GPs, PPTQs, or other pro tour wankfests? I'm talking about the real magic community not those who want to make it their job. Anything not at the LGS level is irrelevant. If you don't have those people your format is DOA.
*Robotic female voice over the intercom*
"You have found the nexus for people trying to prop up a cash grab in the guise of a viable format. Proceed to post in support of vendors shaping the state of MTG instead of players. Thank you and have a nice day".
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
Pfffffffft.
Most people aren't like you and play Modern because they enjoy the format. You clearly don't and seem to play the format because you see it as an alternative to things you dislike/can't afford. Maybe you should try Limited? Commander? Pauper? Maybe MtG isn't the game for you?
A tier 3 deck won the Modern Grand Prix last week. I can't imagine the pilot managed to avoid tier 1 decks at the highest level of competition currently existing in Modern, so power level is clearly not the problem. What is it about playing against tier 1 decks that you find so unenjoyable as opposed to tier 2?
This is how Frontier seems to me as well, but why do we need another alternative to Modern? We have Standard, Legacy, Pauper, Commander, and Limited, as well as a plethora of less popular formats and house rules. If you can't find something you enjoy with all of these options, maybe (once again) Magic isn't the game for you.
Well, it's not so much we need an alternative to modern as much as a fixed version of it. The majority of people like playing with the modern bordered card pool, but thanks to the competitive scene the impression many walk away with is that the format is just super aggressive, expensive, and hostile to new players, as well as being the domain of collectors and investors. Other games have maybe one or two really expensive cards, such as Force of Will with Cheshire Cat or Pokemon with their own effective version of that same card. Magic probably has about a hundred or more super expensive and in many cases completely necessary cards for gameplay.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
MM3 will basically be the player base seeing how much they are willing to improve the Masters line. If they keep repeating the same mistakes Modern is only going to suffer more. This set they need to step it up in a big way, but with $10 packs yet again we are already seeing them not learn from it. Conspiracy 2 showed us they can do a good Masters set, a shame though that they then followed it up with "Hey look, more $10 packs" and I'm sure that we're all thinking "Now how about print run? Is it going to be low again?"
They stated this years ago, but creatures have only gotten better while all other cards have gotten either progressively worse or harder to come by from increased rarity for quite some time. The last great spells were what? Sphinx's Revelation and Collected Company?
I went to the event, my record was 4-1 I think, beating U/R mill, Abzan Red, Homebrew Abzan, R/G Midrange, I played Abzan Aggro with no splash.
The only deck I lost to is Jeskai Black, which is the format strongest deck.
I think I lost to the deck was I just didn't draw early removal to get rid of the mini jace, once the mini jace flips it is hard to deal with.
Now I changed my sideboard and main deck to be more prepared for the matchup.
I just feel like Dig Through Time is too oppressive, there is one game where I tried to cast my Wingmane Roc, the opponent cast Dig Through Time to find the Disdainful Stroke and it was hard to comeback after that. Something needs to be done with this card.
Overall it is a fun format, Wizard should add more support into it, the format might be better with more new sets coming out. My Abzan deck is only $150 in this format lol.
edit: fixed some word placement
EDH: Xenagos, God of Revels.