Let's take a walk down a line of thought together. Is WoTC setting up to introduce their own new competitive format in the next ~2yrs? Will it start at Origins?
By the appearance of the increased power level in the KLD block,
the absence of an enemy fetch land cycle,
Magic Origins beginning the new 2-set blocks,
paradigm shifts across the board in recent set design,
increased print production/rarity shifts (inventions),
a very recent paradigm shift in Ban/Restrict rulings moving forward....
I could go on with other ideas (please suggest things you've seen too) but basically what I think I'm seeing is WoTC creating the foundation for their own new competitive format over the horizon.
What if we see the enemy fetches printed in MM17 rather than into Standard...? Well the writing is on the walls at that point right? I think it would be a clear sign that they're protecting the new sets from the inclusion of fetches.
When I say protecting new sets I mean everything after Magic Origins because I believe this to be the starting point WoTC will choose for the new format.
WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY THINK?
Do you think any of these observations give credence to my theory?
Is it already painfully obvious and I'm late to the realization?
What can we do to shape the future of a new competitive format, waiting until announcement is kind of too late right?
If WoTC does indeed roll out a new format starting at Origins, devoid of any fetch lands....it pretty much means frontier (as a format) has no room to exist, correct?
I do believe that Khan's is higher, with Delve, and Fetch. If they want to hamstring mana bases by leaving out fetches, I'm not sure that will provide as deep an experience as what we could have otherwise?
Ultimately the fanbase is either going to force in a new format or wizards drops a new one with the coming of MTG digital next. WoTC is in the weird reachy tendrils mode of trying to find ways to keep things together until whatever they got planned happens and in the meantime, the game is just falling apart from the seams. They got a lot of work to do to restore customer faith in the game at this point. Taking a more aggressive "hands on" approach to bannings and killing the oppressive cards in standard was a good first step, but that only helped standard. Modern is in a completely new mess thanks to bannings they just did as players struggle to reshuffle their decks once more and sellers inflate prices on cards all over and Frontier is picking up even more steam thanks to disgruntled players who own Emerakul and copters wanting someplace to play them.
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!
Those all point to them making standard a good format, not a new format.
Is it good for standard if we see enemy fetches printed in MM17 instead? What might that suggest for the future of standard?
Edit: I meant to ask what if, " "?
I think fetchlands are bad design because the shuffling is not a great play experience, not that I think Standard is at its best design when mana fixing is meganerfed. If they do a cycle of fetches that uses power counters instead of basics out of your deck that'd be an example of making standard good.
I think extended, with its original eight year cycle makes a lot of sense. The meta would look nothing like modern, with many of the big decks being literally non-existent (eg: Affinity, Dredge) and a lot of the ubiquitous staples rotated (eg: Goyf, Clique). We would have four competitive constructed formats: a big rotating (extended), a small rotating (standard), a big non-rotating (legacy), and a small non-rotating (modern).
I agree that extended feels like a logical reinclusion. Modern has all the problems of a nonrotating format, mostly that that the important cards and decks never EVER go away, and gradually creep upward in cash-value and meta-value into infinity. I feel like Extended doesn't have that problem as much, and it would look different enough from modern at this point that there would be merit to its creation.
The "Frontier" format (as it will be called until Wizards brands it with their own name) is fine, but it will inevitably have the same problems as any nonrotating format. The only solution to a solved meta is banning cards, and everybody hates it when you ban their cards. They can auto-ban cards like Collected Company and Treasure Cruise, but as time goes on, the best cards and decks will out, and they won't stop being the best. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a nonrotating format: I have stayed out of standard on the principal that I don't want to be forced to acquire new cards all the time, but I feel that with the formats where they are, the place with the most room for expansion is in a larger rotating format.
That said, I don't know if there really needs to be a new format. I might prefer to see a revitalization of an underused format like Block. I am also a fan of the nifty design of Historical Standard (where you can play any deck that has been legal in any given standard). Looking at it, there are a lot of formats, and several of them don't get that much love. Just look at all these formats (if I left any out, let me know).
Draft/Sealed (Limited, Competetive)
Standard (Rotating, Short rotation cycle, Competetive)
Modern (Nonrotating, Non-eternal, Competetive)
Legacy (Nonrotating, Eternal, Competetive)
Vintage (Nonrotating, Eternal, Powered, Competetive, Little played)
Commander (Nonrotating, Eternal, Variant rules)
Block (Small Cardpool, Little played)
Variant (Archenemy, Two-Headed Giant, Planechase, Vanguard, Etc.)
Pauper/Peasant (Modifies another format, Little played)
Casual (Everything else)
And potential new formats:
Frontier (Nonrotating, Non-eternal)
Extended (Rotating, Long rotation cycle)
That's a bunch, plus there are loads of random formats, like Historical Standard, and my favorite format ever: Cube. Are there any other formats besides Frontier and Extended that you guys think are likely candidates for Wizards to support?
Let's take a walk down a line of thought together. Is WoTC setting up to introduce their own new competitive format in the next ~2yrs? Will it start at Origins?
By the appearance of the increased power level in the KLD block,
the absence of an enemy fetch land cycle,
Magic Origins beginning the new 2-set blocks,
paradigm shifts across the board in recent set design,
increased print production/rarity shifts (inventions),
a very recent paradigm shift in Ban/Restrict rulings moving forward....
I could go on with other ideas (please suggest things you've seen too) but basically what I think I'm seeing is WoTC creating the foundation for their own new competitive format over the horizon.
What if we see the enemy fetches printed in MM17 rather than into Standard...? Well the writing is on the walls at that point right? I think it would be a clear sign that they're protecting the new sets from the inclusion of fetches.
When I say protecting new sets I mean everything after Magic Origins because I believe this to be the starting point WoTC will choose for the new format.
Do you think any of these observations give credence to my theory?
Is it already painfully obvious and I'm late to the realization?
What can we do to shape the future of a new competitive format, waiting until announcement is kind of too late right?
If WoTC does indeed roll out a new format starting at Origins, devoid of any fetch lands....it pretty much means frontier (as a format) has no room to exist, correct?
Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.
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
Spirits
Is it good for standard if we see enemy fetches printed in MM17 instead? What might that suggest for the future of standard?
Edit: I meant to ask what if, " "?
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
Spirits
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 fetchlands are bad design because the shuffling is not a great play experience, not that I think Standard is at its best design when mana fixing is meganerfed. If they do a cycle of fetches that uses power counters instead of basics out of your deck that'd be an example of making standard good.
Pauper: Burn
Modern: Burn
Legacy: Burn
EDH: Marath, Will of the Wild - Ramp/Combo | Anafenza the Foremost - French | Uril, the Miststalker - Voltron | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury - Goodstuff
Ghost Council of Orzhov - Tokens | Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - Control | Isamaru, Hound of Konda - Tiny Leaders
The "Frontier" format (as it will be called until Wizards brands it with their own name) is fine, but it will inevitably have the same problems as any nonrotating format. The only solution to a solved meta is banning cards, and everybody hates it when you ban their cards. They can auto-ban cards like Collected Company and Treasure Cruise, but as time goes on, the best cards and decks will out, and they won't stop being the best. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a nonrotating format: I have stayed out of standard on the principal that I don't want to be forced to acquire new cards all the time, but I feel that with the formats where they are, the place with the most room for expansion is in a larger rotating format.
That said, I don't know if there really needs to be a new format. I might prefer to see a revitalization of an underused format like Block. I am also a fan of the nifty design of Historical Standard (where you can play any deck that has been legal in any given standard). Looking at it, there are a lot of formats, and several of them don't get that much love. Just look at all these formats (if I left any out, let me know).
Draft/Sealed (Limited, Competetive)
Standard (Rotating, Short rotation cycle, Competetive)
Modern (Nonrotating, Non-eternal, Competetive)
Legacy (Nonrotating, Eternal, Competetive)
Vintage (Nonrotating, Eternal, Powered, Competetive, Little played)
Commander (Nonrotating, Eternal, Variant rules)
Block (Small Cardpool, Little played)
Variant (Archenemy, Two-Headed Giant, Planechase, Vanguard, Etc.)
Pauper/Peasant (Modifies another format, Little played)
Casual (Everything else)
And potential new formats:
Frontier (Nonrotating, Non-eternal)
Extended (Rotating, Long rotation cycle)
That's a bunch, plus there are loads of random formats, like Historical Standard, and my favorite format ever: Cube. Are there any other formats besides Frontier and Extended that you guys think are likely candidates for Wizards to support?
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.