Just as a side note; frontier will still have all the fetches eventually. In fact, if they reprint enemy fetches we may be entering another tri color standard like Kahns block. It's just we get the opportunity to have really old cards filtered out of the format like blood moon and lightning bolt.
I do not think they will reprint the fetches in a standard set anymore. Frontier should be fetch free.
They are going to be reprinting the zendikar ones in amonket. If not, I'm unsure how they will support the shards wedges suggested by the bolas card reveal and at this point they are already committed to a print run. The one thing we won't see (hopefully) are shock lands.
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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!
Just as a side note; frontier will still have all the fetches eventually. In fact, if they reprint enemy fetches we may be entering another tri color standard like Kahns block. It's just we get the opportunity to have really old cards filtered out of the format like blood moon and lightning bolt.
I do not think they will reprint the fetches in a standard set anymore. Frontier should be fetch free.
The issue with not printing fetches is the number of games that you lose due to mana constraints. 3 color decks become incredibly hard to run in a format that is speeding up with each set release. Fetches solve the issue of consistency so that people are free to play the cards and not stare at a handful of unplayable cards. This happens more often then I like in standard as it is. Fetches are a good thing, and the price reflects them as such.
Something else is that while so feel certain archetypes would be very powerful (traversing a rhino to chain an incredible board position), I don't think the format would fold to 5 color goodstuff decks. Each set is going to speed up some kind of archetype and with the requirement of two basics for the BFZ duals you're looking at potentially dying to fast aggro before you stabilize a greedy manabase.
Actually, they need to downshift rarity on the lands. The biggest weakness of magic is the evolution to three color decks without giving enough support and testing to balance three Vs two or mono color.
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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!
Just as a side note; frontier will still have all the fetches eventually. In fact, if they reprint enemy fetches we may be entering another tri color standard like Kahns block. It's just we get the opportunity to have really old cards filtered out of the format like blood moon and lightning bolt.
I do not think they will reprint the fetches in a standard set anymore. Frontier should be fetch free.
The issue with not printing fetches is the number of games that you lose due to mana constraints. 3 color decks become incredibly hard to run in a format that is speeding up with each set release. Fetches solve the issue of consistency so that people are free to play the cards and not stare at a handful of unplayable cards. This happens more often then I like in standard as it is. Fetches are a good thing, and the price reflects them as such.
Something else is that while so feel certain archetypes would be very powerful (traversing a rhino to chain an incredible board position), I don't think the format would fold to 5 color goodstuff decks. Each set is going to speed up some kind of archetype and with the requirement of two basics for the BFZ duals you're looking at potentially dying to fast aggro before you stabilize a greedy manabase.
On the contrary, three color decks are very poorly balanced and under tested historically. Magic was never really intended to go to three colors in it's original form because all elements of strategy start to get muddied and soon you just end up with the best of the best (hello jund). When you have three color land fixing and virtually no down side, you get modern. However, MtG has migrated to a game that players expect tri-color decks to exist in, so at this point what needs to happen in frontier is to print the fetches, but also make sure there's enough down side that two or even mono-color decks can compete against a three color one. And as I stated in my previous post from my phone, wizards needs to facilitate deck creativity by making it easier for players to get competitive mana bases, which means ultimately going away from rare land cycles and rarity shifting the lands they intend to have people play with going forward to uncommon (and possibly common if they want a wedge type deal like in Kahns). we'd see a lot more happy players if everyone could afford the fast lands or fetches in budget builds, that's for sure.
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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!
Well, off the top of my head the format defining cards for Frontier are going to be similar to standard and over all removal is a bit weaker in this format.
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!
Making Fetch Lands into uncomons would be glourious
Not to mention benefit players and wizards alike. I hate the fact they have to use up design space on lands in the rare spots instead of getting 4 more spots for the good stuff. That and it would go a long way in helping promote the affordability of Frontier.
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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!
UW spirits and Eldrazi are probably the big tribals, with goblins being a weird third. It has the best creatures (piledriver, rabblemaster, bushwacker) but they don't have much synergy.
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Pauper: UB Wight Phantasm RB Burn UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
I think the one fear I have coming up is MTG Next, which could likely bury this format with a knife in it's chest just as with modern killing extended. The new CEO wants to make the game radically simpler to help cater to the pros and casuals alike and is aiming to do this with MTG Next. How I read that is that paper magic will have it's next version of modern with the coming of MTG Next, the current Modern will be buried and mothballed into legacy, and fan favorite formats like commander will be the only thing left that will make use of anything from these blocks that encompass frontier. This is basically NOT what most people on this forum want regardless of their pick of format unless it's standard, in which case nothing changes much because standard has been getting slower and simpler.
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!
I think the one fear I have coming up is MTG Next, which could likely bury this format with a knife in it's chest just as with modern killing extended. The new CEO wants to make the game radically simpler to help cater to the pros and casuals alike and is aiming to do this with MTG Next. How I read that is that paper magic will have it's next version of modern with the coming of MTG Next, the current Modern will be buried and mothballed into legacy, and fan favorite formats like commander will be the only thing left that will make use of anything from these blocks that encompass frontier. This is basically NOT what most people on this forum want regardless of their pick of format unless it's standard, in which case nothing changes much because standard has been getting slower and simpler.
Can you clarify what you mean by "MTG Next"? The only thing I was able to find close to that is this piece from March on "Magic Digital Next" which seems to be an online thing.
I think the one fear I have coming up is MTG Next, which could likely bury this format with a knife in it's chest just as with modern killing extended. The new CEO wants to make the game radically simpler to help cater to the pros and casuals alike and is aiming to do this with MTG Next. How I read that is that paper magic will have it's next version of modern with the coming of MTG Next, the current Modern will be buried and mothballed into legacy, and fan favorite formats like commander will be the only thing left that will make use of anything from these blocks that encompass frontier. This is basically NOT what most people on this forum want regardless of their pick of format unless it's standard, in which case nothing changes much because standard has been getting slower and simpler.
Can you clarify what you mean by "MTG Next"? The only thing I was able to find close to that is this piece from March on "Magic Digital Next" which seems to be an online thing.
It's an online game, but it encompasses what the new CEO wants to go with for both paper and digital. No one knows exactly what that is outside of it involving simplifying the game so that it can meet the needs of both casual and competitive players. Given magic has 17000 unique cards or so (I might be off), and hearthstone has about 1000 at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if they reduce the card pool and start a new format based on that new card pool.
In general, I share the view this fellow has on the matter after reading the stuff on MTG next and the change of CEO. Daily dot article
The reason is that Hasbro has never really reconciled with the player base of MTG and LGS owners recently as much as with pokemon players, and that's largely due to market reasons. Needless to say the game will eventually be changing for better or worse.
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'm skeptical about the format personally because I don't think there's anything wrong with Modern, but I thought I'd bring it up because Saffron's attention could make this more of an accepted thing. He has quite a following.
I'm skeptical about the format personally because I don't think there's anything wrong with Modern, but I thought I'd bring it up because Saffron's attention could make this more of an accepted thing. He has quite a following.
I think it will take off just fine as long as the format works with the direction Hasbro is taking. Even if hasbro goes in a different direction I doubt any of us liking the format will let it die.
The mana-base needs work, though. It seems to favor enemy color aggro decks and allied color mid-range / control decks. Also, just as modern had mirrodin frontier has Kahns block, which is to say all of the most powerful cards are in that block such as dig through time and the command cycle. Origins presents another issue as it had a lot less pack openings, which translates to high prices down the road and undermining the entire point of frontier.
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!
this format would be much better after lets say...1 or 2 more blocks...the biggest advantage of this is that at the moment if you are playing standard...you can enter the format easly o.O. but as i always said....format without smallpox is not format...if there are xxxxx 3 and 4 color decks and i cant punish them...not going to play that...
Given how modern turned out I doubt R&D will ever print shock lands again outside of commander or a masters set. In fact, I'm not really sure if the next official eternal format will have fetches at all. The one fatal flaw they had in magic was introducing too many alternative land options for fixing that just out did basic lands instead of synergizing with them. They had the right idea when they did original Innistrad and it looks like the design of the non-basic lands are following that same pattern. I'd say the shadow lands and BFZ block lands are right where the game should be and while they still enable three color mana bases, it's a lot less surefire than a deck full of shocks and fetches. There's also talk in the frontier forums that they may ban fetches from Kahn's if the mana-base gets too expensive, which I'm seriously interested in pushing unless wizards finally does the unthinkable and no longer prints a rare land cycle.
Will wizards reprint zen fetches? Oh yeah they are going to reprint those lands, but I think that when MTG Next finally gets released we'll be hearing about the next eternal set and how WoTC will be handling the game going forward. I've got a feeling they may finally be dragging this old workhorse kicking and screaming into the 21st century since they want to have MTG become an E-sport like Hearthstone and League of Legends. Right now it can't because the card pool is too vast to deal with so they need a format that has a much slower growth in the card pool than modern. Exciting times for the game, that's for sure.
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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!
Just wondering, but is there a forum section for discussing formats like this one? Seems odd that there isn't a sub forum somewhere for misc formats.
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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!
Me, I'm all about new ways to play. I just found out about this format this weekend and I anticipate asking my LGS owner his opinion of it. I think that there's room for both formats, Modern and Frontier, to coexist. Hardcore Modern players for the most part aren't going to want to slow down enough to play Frontier, while newer players who have been playing standard for the past couple of years would already have cards to make a Frontier deck.
Although I've been playing Magic off and on since Revised, I've really only been building my collection since RtR. I do have a few Modern (and Legacy) staples in my collection, but only as onesies and twosies. Which is why Frontier appeals to me. I've got enough cards that I can jump right into the format with the high cost of entry I would need to build a competitive Modern deck. I have to agree with those that have pointed out that the card pool is still rather small to fully support an extended format like Frontier, so it will be interesting to watch and see if it can gain the support it needs from the players. It doesn't matter if, as some have suggested, that this format is nothing but a contrived cash grab by LGS owners to sell cards that otherwise wouldn't see Modern play. As long as the players are interested and come to play, then I see it as a Win-Win. Players can jump into a new format, and LGS' sell more cards and stay in business providing us places to play.
The only problem I have is all the talk about bannings, yet the format has barely gotten off the ground. I have a problem with bannings in general especially when a restricted list is a perfectly viable alternative. If Siege Rhino or CoCo or Dig Through Time or Treasure Cruise, or even copter threaten the stability of the format, then restrict it to a 1-of. I bet that would solve the problem better than a banning.
Anyway, this is just my $.02. I'm cautiously hopeful that the format does well.
Can we talk about how banning fetches from a format is a good idea just because I enjoy playing Magic more than I enjoy randomizing a deck?
It's actually a pretty controversial subject. I don't have an issue with them outside of the demand making them expensive across formats and unless wotc is going to start printing them as much as pain lands I don't see them getting cheaper long term.
Also, frontier is reminding me of extended in that it includes sets from before they started the living story, which really starts more in origins with the prequel. So I don't even know if wizards is going to include Kahns in the next eternal format they brew up. If that's the case we may only have a half cycle of fetches in frontier.
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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!
Unless Wizards or at least Starcity games officially supports Frontier over modern, I see no reason to start playing the format
But give me a starcity games Frontier Open and watch the format as well staples for the format explode. I can guarantee a huge turnout if such an event were to ever occur. But I also expect cards like Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Collected Company, and Dig Through Time to skyrocket in price due to increased demand.
So in the end I really doubt if Frontier will be any cheaper than modern is. Jace might reach goyf prices real fast. Gearhulk may reach Snapcaster prices. Fetchlands will creep up unless they are reprinted again.
In the end, I just think Standard is the better format for Wizards from an economic perspective and I see no reason why they would get rid of it. If anything, Frontier will have to replace modern but in doing so it would mean their modern masters sets will be discontinued and replaced with..."Frontier Masters?"
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They are going to be reprinting the zendikar ones in amonket. If not, I'm unsure how they will support the shards wedges suggested by the bolas card reveal and at this point they are already committed to a print run. The one thing we won't see (hopefully) are shock lands.
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!
The issue with not printing fetches is the number of games that you lose due to mana constraints. 3 color decks become incredibly hard to run in a format that is speeding up with each set release. Fetches solve the issue of consistency so that people are free to play the cards and not stare at a handful of unplayable cards. This happens more often then I like in standard as it is. Fetches are a good thing, and the price reflects them as such.
Something else is that while so feel certain archetypes would be very powerful (traversing a rhino to chain an incredible board position), I don't think the format would fold to 5 color goodstuff decks. Each set is going to speed up some kind of archetype and with the requirement of two basics for the BFZ duals you're looking at potentially dying to fast aggro before you stabilize a greedy manabase.
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!
On the contrary, three color decks are very poorly balanced and under tested historically. Magic was never really intended to go to three colors in it's original form because all elements of strategy start to get muddied and soon you just end up with the best of the best (hello jund). When you have three color land fixing and virtually no down side, you get modern. However, MtG has migrated to a game that players expect tri-color decks to exist in, so at this point what needs to happen in frontier is to print the fetches, but also make sure there's enough down side that two or even mono-color decks can compete against a three color one. And as I stated in my previous post from my phone, wizards needs to facilitate deck creativity by making it easier for players to get competitive mana bases, which means ultimately going away from rare land cycles and rarity shifting the lands they intend to have people play with going forward to uncommon (and possibly common if they want a wedge type deal like in Kahns). we'd see a lot more happy players if everyone could afford the fast lands or fetches in budget builds, that's for sure.
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!
Khan Block
Onslaught Fetchlands
Monastery Swiftspear
Siege Rhino
Treasure Cruise
Dig Through Time
Deflecting Palm
Anafenza, the foremost
Anafenza, Kin-Tree spirit
Atarka's Command
Kolaghan's Command
Become Immense
Collected Company
Zendikar Block
World Breaker
New Ulamog
Kozilek's Return
Eldrazi Displacer, Thoughtknot Seer, Reality Smasher, Matter Reshaper, Eldrazi Skyspawner
Eldrazi Mimic, Endless One
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Reflector Mage
Goblin Darkdwellers
Oath of Nissa
Warping Wail
Gideon, ally of zendikar
Innistrad Block
New Emrakrul
Grim Flayer
Liliana, The last Hope
Collected Brutality
Blessed Alliance
Selfless Spirit, Mauseleum Wander, Rattlechains
Spell Queller
Nahiri, the Harbinger
Thing in the Ice
Tireless Tracker
Thalia's Lieutenant
Kaladesh
New Enemy Fastlands
Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Smuggler's Copter
The fastest 2 cmc creature removal in the format is Grasp of Darkness and the most flexible removal in the format is probably Imprisoned in the Moon, Anguished Unmaking, Exquisite Firecraft, and probably Utter End. There's also Ruinous Path for dealing with bothersome planeswalkers.
So, in a nutshell the majority of removal is now found at the 3 cmc spot, with conditional removal at 2 cmc.
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!
Not to mention benefit players and wizards alike. I hate the fact they have to use up design space on lands in the rare spots instead of getting 4 more spots for the good stuff. That and it would go a long way in helping promote the affordability of Frontier.
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!
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
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!
Can you clarify what you mean by "MTG Next"? The only thing I was able to find close to that is this piece from March on "Magic Digital Next" which seems to be an online thing.
It's an online game, but it encompasses what the new CEO wants to go with for both paper and digital. No one knows exactly what that is outside of it involving simplifying the game so that it can meet the needs of both casual and competitive players. Given magic has 17000 unique cards or so (I might be off), and hearthstone has about 1000 at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if they reduce the card pool and start a new format based on that new card pool.
In general, I share the view this fellow has on the matter after reading the stuff on MTG next and the change of CEO. Daily dot article
The reason is that Hasbro has never really reconciled with the player base of MTG and LGS owners recently as much as with pokemon players, and that's largely due to market reasons. Needless to say the game will eventually be changing for better or worse.
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!
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/what-is-frontier
I'm skeptical about the format personally because I don't think there's anything wrong with Modern, but I thought I'd bring it up because Saffron's attention could make this more of an accepted thing. He has quite a following.
I think it will take off just fine as long as the format works with the direction Hasbro is taking. Even if hasbro goes in a different direction I doubt any of us liking the format will let it die.
The mana-base needs work, though. It seems to favor enemy color aggro decks and allied color mid-range / control decks. Also, just as modern had mirrodin frontier has Kahns block, which is to say all of the most powerful cards are in that block such as dig through time and the command cycle. Origins presents another issue as it had a lot less pack openings, which translates to high prices down the road and undermining the entire point of frontier.
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!
Given how modern turned out I doubt R&D will ever print shock lands again outside of commander or a masters set. In fact, I'm not really sure if the next official eternal format will have fetches at all. The one fatal flaw they had in magic was introducing too many alternative land options for fixing that just out did basic lands instead of synergizing with them. They had the right idea when they did original Innistrad and it looks like the design of the non-basic lands are following that same pattern. I'd say the shadow lands and BFZ block lands are right where the game should be and while they still enable three color mana bases, it's a lot less surefire than a deck full of shocks and fetches. There's also talk in the frontier forums that they may ban fetches from Kahn's if the mana-base gets too expensive, which I'm seriously interested in pushing unless wizards finally does the unthinkable and no longer prints a rare land cycle.
Will wizards reprint zen fetches? Oh yeah they are going to reprint those lands, but I think that when MTG Next finally gets released we'll be hearing about the next eternal set and how WoTC will be handling the game going forward. I've got a feeling they may finally be dragging this old workhorse kicking and screaming into the 21st century since they want to have MTG become an E-sport like Hearthstone and League of Legends. Right now it can't because the card pool is too vast to deal with so they need a format that has a much slower growth in the card pool than modern. Exciting times for the game, that's for sure.
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!
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!
Although I've been playing Magic off and on since Revised, I've really only been building my collection since RtR. I do have a few Modern (and Legacy) staples in my collection, but only as onesies and twosies. Which is why Frontier appeals to me. I've got enough cards that I can jump right into the format with the high cost of entry I would need to build a competitive Modern deck. I have to agree with those that have pointed out that the card pool is still rather small to fully support an extended format like Frontier, so it will be interesting to watch and see if it can gain the support it needs from the players. It doesn't matter if, as some have suggested, that this format is nothing but a contrived cash grab by LGS owners to sell cards that otherwise wouldn't see Modern play. As long as the players are interested and come to play, then I see it as a Win-Win. Players can jump into a new format, and LGS' sell more cards and stay in business providing us places to play.
The only problem I have is all the talk about bannings, yet the format has barely gotten off the ground. I have a problem with bannings in general especially when a restricted list is a perfectly viable alternative. If Siege Rhino or CoCo or Dig Through Time or Treasure Cruise, or even copter threaten the stability of the format, then restrict it to a 1-of. I bet that would solve the problem better than a banning.
Anyway, this is just my $.02. I'm cautiously hopeful that the format does well.
CCL Winner- July '08, Aug '08 Sept '08, Oct '08
Survivor- CCS: Lost in Takenuma, CCS: Stranded In Tolaria
It's actually a pretty controversial subject. I don't have an issue with them outside of the demand making them expensive across formats and unless wotc is going to start printing them as much as pain lands I don't see them getting cheaper long term.
Also, frontier is reminding me of extended in that it includes sets from before they started the living story, which really starts more in origins with the prequel. So I don't even know if wizards is going to include Kahns in the next eternal format they brew up. If that's the case we may only have a half cycle of fetches in frontier.
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!
But give me a starcity games Frontier Open and watch the format as well staples for the format explode. I can guarantee a huge turnout if such an event were to ever occur. But I also expect cards like Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Collected Company, and Dig Through Time to skyrocket in price due to increased demand.
So in the end I really doubt if Frontier will be any cheaper than modern is. Jace might reach goyf prices real fast. Gearhulk may reach Snapcaster prices. Fetchlands will creep up unless they are reprinted again.
In the end, I just think Standard is the better format for Wizards from an economic perspective and I see no reason why they would get rid of it. If anything, Frontier will have to replace modern but in doing so it would mean their modern masters sets will be discontinued and replaced with..."Frontier Masters?"