So, over at Blogatog Maro just semi-quietly confirmed that the current story format has resulted in the highest story awareness the game has ever had.
That's pretty amazing. I was expecting it to be better, but not the best it's ever been. Say what you will about the creative choices made in the story direction (I was not that big a fan of BFZ, but I feel like SOI righted the ship), at least now you have more people than ever to discuss them with.
Honestly, I've kind of seen that here on the storyline forum. Whereas it used to be the same five to ten users, I'm seeing a lot of new people come in to discuss and share their opinions.
What are you thoughts on story penetration (hehe)?
I can certainly get behind such a deep penetration of the market. (hehe)
More seriously, I have noticed an increase of people discussing at my store. And more activity here. I think the clearer method of story telling is definitely helping engagement.
It's bittersweet. Sure, we have more people to discuss the lore with now. On the other hand, it means Wizards is unlikely to ever divert from current story trends - that is, the slope into comic book derived storytelling and Marvel-esque Planeswalkers.
The digital format itself is fine, though. Not as good as physical books, of course, but this is the age of the Kindle and Nook, so it works well enough.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I'd rather die speaking the truth than live a lie." --Gix, to Yawgmoth (pre-Phyrexia)
I myself am not a fan of the current Avengers: Planeswalking arc going on.
Now Planeswalkers are akin to superheroes and supervillians which, in my opinion, does not fit with the game lore at all. Sadly the influx of superhero movies over the last ten years has created an over saturation of the market, which is being bleed into various sources in order to capitalize on sales. Magic is simply the latest victim of shareholder/developer nonsense.
I'm glad that Wizard's choice to turn Magic into a comic book universe has been successful for them, but as someone who tries to keep up with the lore and all the twists and turns... I feel that Magic is going to be heading into a direction of cheap superhero cliches. Not a direction I am interested in.
BFZ was terrible, of which SOI was only marginally better. Poster Boy made another appearance, because how could he not, as he is the Superhero leader of the new Marv- I mean Magic Avengers. Erm, Planeswalkers.
I'm kind of amazed at the assumptions people make about the story.
Like, okay, the Eldrazi defeat was an obvious Deus Ex Machina, but at least it didn't come from nowhere.
I also don't get the superhero/comic book stuff at all, outside of some planeswalkers allying themselves, which has happened before. No one describes the Weatherlight Saga as being comic booky.
The current Magic Story is serialized, but no one has been successfully about to describe why now is different than the team-ups that came before in the story. At most, they're describing the natural issues with serialized storytelling, of which comic books ALSO suffer.
And SOI isn't just marginally better than BFZ, it's WAY better, and it seems like the only reason people don't like it is Jace, because he's 'oversaturated', which isn't true by any objective metric.
I don't think it's really the Avengers format that's driving Storyline participation, so much as a much clearer story told via cards and an easily to follow web serial along with it. We've had Magic: Avengers before; it most of the time between Tempest and Invasion block. For that matter, we've dipped back into it several times afterwards for individual blocks.
I think there's more engagement because the Storyline itself is tighter. We may have large world altering events, but the window of the story is quite narrow and delivered clearly via the cards and the serial. It makes it easier to follow and digest.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Cyme we inne frið, fram the grip of deaþ to lif inne ðis smylte land.
Like, okay, the Eldrazi defeat was an obvious Deus Ex Machina, but at least it didn't come from nowhere.
No because we knew it was coming from the cards. MaRo has stated they want to keep these key story elements on the cards but if we are truly approaching the level of story saturation they say we are I feel like they could reduce major spoiler moments on cards. I would have preferred not knowing Avacyn died ahead of time personally. The other story moments are great but I think they should shy away from killing major characters at least until the second set.
I also don't get the superhero/comic book stuff at all, outside of some planeswalkers allying themselves, which has happened before. No one describes the Weatherlight Saga as being comic booky.
I feel as though since comic book movies are so big right now that is the easiest comparison to make but it is far from accurate. Considering the scope of what could be in a comic book is seriously huge the comparison falls flat when you use terms that broad. I also don't like the super hero comparisons. They have established abilities for the central cast and none of them are any more superhuman that using magic, which is the point of the story, they are mages in a game called magic.
Like, okay, the Eldrazi defeat was an obvious Deus Ex Machina, but at least it didn't come from nowhere.
No because we knew it was coming from the cards. MaRo has stated they want to keep these key story elements on the cards but if we are truly approaching the level of story saturation they say we are I feel like they could reduce major spoiler moments on cards. I would have preferred not knowing Avacyn died ahead of time personally. The other story moments are great but I think they should shy away from killing major characters at least until the second set.
I actually think there's a really good way to handle that: Spoiler the big events via the cards, but have twists that are not on them. I think what Wizards should do (and this might require stepping up the writing pace) is have the set plotted out. Have the big event of the set show up on the cards. But then have some sort of dramatic twist occur after the denouement that doesn't show up on the cards (but is maybe hinted at), and sets the stage for the next set.
So, for SOI for instance, you have Avacyn dying as the denouement of the set (which is arguable, given that it wasn't all that dramatic). Then you have the discovery of Emrakul or whatever happening afterwards without showing up on the cards.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Cyme we inne frið, fram the grip of deaþ to lif inne ðis smylte land.
The 'twist' of BFZ wasn't on the cards but was in the fat pack and people were quite upset that it wasn't on the cards because you had no idea how he actually got his spark back or how Ulamog was getting free unless you read the fatpack booklet. Then the 'twist' of the block showed up in the second set, Kozilek, you can debate whether or not it was obvious but it was held until the second set. With SOI they decided to make sure people actually know the end of the story, Avacyn is dead, while keeping up suspense for the second set, Emrakul is most likely the Eldritch Moon. The end of the story 'should' be completely known once spoiler season is over but there should be a nice little lead into the next block that doesn't show up on cards in the story.
My Commander group and I always discuss the story while playing EDH, but lately I've noticed a lot more groups at my LGS discussing the story. Last week I heard a group of 4-5 people talking about how Elspeth killed Heliod with Godsend and had to correct them, but a lot of people have been discussing the story lately. I hear most about Theros, BFZ and Innistrad and SOI. I heard about Tarkir's story while the block was active but I haven't heard much since. I think the Eldrazi and Elspeth's shocking death resonate with a lot of players.
The 'twist' of BFZ wasn't on the cards but was in the fat pack and people were quite upset that it wasn't on the cards because you had no idea how he actually got his spark back or how Ulamog was getting free unless you read the fatpack booklet. Then the 'twist' of the block showed up in the second set, Kozilek, you can debate whether or not it was obvious but it was held until the second set. With SOI they decided to make sure people actually know the end of the story, Avacyn is dead, while keeping up suspense for the second set, Emrakul is most likely the Eldritch Moon. The end of the story 'should' be completely known once spoiler season is over but there should be a nice little lead into the next block that doesn't show up on cards in the story.
We'll have to see how it progresses as time goes on. While people are busy complaining about the current story, they're forgetting we'd get ONE novel a year for a long time, and most of those were crap. The new direction is an objective improvement, because in the (new) old days we'd have to live with dreck like In the Teeth of Akoum (which isn't as bad on re-read, but still not good) and The Quest for Karn.
Nowadays, if you don't like the current story, wait three months.
Nowadays, if you don't like the current story, wait three months.
Aye! It's a good thing. Well, as long as you don't play Standard. But for those of us more interested in the story, faster rotation does mean more stories.
Nowadays, if you don't like the current story, wait three months.
Aye! It's a good thing. Well, as long as you don't play Standard. But for those of us more interested in the story, faster rotation does mean more stories.
Agreed! Four story arcs a year (even if two are connected) is still a hell of a lot better than one.
I think the comic book comparison goes beyond the heroes teaming up. First, the heroes are more obviously"superpowered" than before, as before we either had heroes with regular powers relative to other characters (soldiers, rogues, mages etc) or god like walkers who went beyond super powered. Beyond this, the storytelling has moved from relying mostly on long form novels each written by one person and the traditions and techniques associated with writing such, to relying more on short chapters written by a stable of authors and the visual medium of the cards. This also leads the story, which was always serialized, to feel more obviously serialized, as it is dispersed in smaller chunks that don't allow for the same sort of internal resolution you got when the story arcs were presented in novel form.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I think the comic book comparison goes beyond the heroes teaming up. First, the heroes are more obviously"superpowered" than before, as before we either had heroes with regular powers relative to other characters (soldiers, rogues, mages etc) or god like walkers who went beyond super powered. Beyond this, the storytelling has moved from relying mostly on long form novels each written by one person and the traditions and techniques associated with writing such, to relying more on short chapters written by a stable of authors and the visual medium of the cards. This also leads the story, which was always serialized, to feel more obviously serialized, as it is dispersed in smaller chunks that don't allow for the same sort of internal resolution you got when the story arcs were presented in novel form.
What superpowers do the Gatewatch have that they didn't have before Origins? The reason they seemed more powered up now is that, for the first time, more than two 'walkers are working together at a time.
I was comparing the neowalkers as heroes to heroes that were simply legends, not post origins to pre origins. My point was that the neowalkers have been more like comic book superheroes than traditional fantasy characters. Old walkers surpassed most superheroes in terms of power, being more like minor gods, while legendary creatures were usual more in the vein of traditional fantasy characters.
The larger point was that there are many factors that add up to the story being more comic booky, and that the neowalkers are only one factor. The team up and switch to following the team as a serialized story arc were merely the last steps. It's been comic booky since Tarkir with the elimination of novels (even the ebooks counted) and the focus on telling the story through the cards, supplemented by uncharted realms. The Gatewatch just gave magic an A list team, like the Avengers or Justice League, but like the Marvel and DC universes told their stories comic book (obviously) before then, so did Magic.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Well it's pretty easy to understand. Explaining the details of the Weatherlight Saga to a newcomers is a daunting task if you want to do it properly.
But explaining the concept of big bad monsters defeated by cool kids with superpowers who team up à la Chrono Trigger combo to ultimately defeat them will ring a bell to everyone.
If it makes more people follow the story, fine. It's not my cup of tea but I can't deny the success they have with this, this is how the current times are anyway and fighting it is a losing battle anyway.
So yes it's a big success from their part to gather a general audience around the storyline like never before.
I've been following the story since I started playing MtG in Urza's block. I enjoyed reading the books where I could find them, not easy where I live in Australia.
I am grateful it's moved to the stories on the website, I can access them more easily now. I wasn't a fan of the web-comics, just couldn't get immersed in them as much.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Looking to start a clan for Zork fans, PM if interested.
Atrius' Posts1W
Instant
You win target thread. If you aren't Atrius, Atrius wins that thread instead. "Wait, can you actually win a thread?" - Atrius.
Well it's pretty easy to understand. Explaining the details of the Weatherlight Saga to a newcomers is a daunting task if you want to do it properly.
But explaining the concept of big bad monsters defeated by cool kids with superpowers who team up à la Chrono Trigger combo to ultimately defeat them will ring a bell to everyone.
If it makes more people follow the story, fine. It's not my cup of tea but I can't deny the success they have with this, this is how the current times are anyway and fighting it is a losing battle anyway.
So yes it's a big success from their part to gather a general audience around the storyline like never before.
Well, you just compared details to a concept. The concept of the weather light saga is straightforward. Crew of a flying ship that capable of interdimensional travel goes on an adventure to save their homeworld from a powerful ancient evil and his plan to invade using robot zombies.
Or more simply: its like the good guys from star wars fought the bad guys from Lord of the rings, but with more magic.
It's not like the details of BFZ are any less convoluted, it's just on blocks worth of story and background while Weather light was 3 blocks of story and a couple more of background
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
It's much more pulp fantasy, if anything. It fits a lot better, I think, and it gets away from the superhero connection, which I honestly don't think is true.
The larger point was that there are many factors that add up to the story being more comic booky, and that the neowalkers are only one factor. The team up and switch to following the team as a serialized story arc were merely the last steps. It's been comic booky since Tarkir with the elimination of novels (even the ebooks counted) and the focus on telling the story through the cards, supplemented by uncharted realms. The Gatewatch just gave magic an A list team, like the Avengers or Justice League, but like the Marvel and DC universes told their stories comic book (obviously) before then, so did Magic.
LotR has a bunch of heroes from various origins teaming up to defeat a big bad. LotR is about as classic fantasy as it gets.
Before anyone takes me wrong, what I mean by that is that if you reduce anything to a trope, you'll find it everywhere.
It's much more pulp fantasy, if anything. It fits a lot better, I think, and it gets away from the superhero connection, which I honestly don't think is true.
I'll give you an European point of view, whose pop culture has been completely crushed and taken over by America
In the 'old' storytelling, be it the Weatherlight, Star Wars 4-5-6 or the Lord of the Rings, there was a clear beginning and an end, you knew that it was a story that would lead to an ultimate confrontation that would end the story arc for good.
With comics, and I'm not an expert, you don't have this. You have en endless, ongoing story made up of events that pop-up here and there, crossovers, reboots, alternate universes, U-turns and so on. But there's no end in sight which keeps the readers who like the universe or characters hooked up until eternity.
It's much more pulp fantasy, if anything. It fits a lot better, I think, and it gets away from the superhero connection, which I honestly don't think is true.
I'll give you an European point of view, whose pop culture has been completely crushed and taken over by America
In the 'old' storytelling, be it the Weatherlight, Star Wars 4-5-6 or the Lord of the Rings, there was a clear beginning and an end, you knew that it was a story that would lead to an ultimate confrontation that would end the story arc for good.
With comics, and I'm not an expert, you don't have this. You have en endless, ongoing story made up of events that pop-up here and there, crossovers, reboots, alternate universes, U-turns and so on. But there's no end in sight which keeps the readers who like the universe or characters hooked up until eternity.
THIS. People keep focusing on the "teaming up" aspect, but that wouldn't make the Jacetus League an Avengers ripoff unless the story had already become comic book like. Unbounded story arcs are a big part of that. Granted, not all comics are like this, Watchmen being well known, but standard superhero comics are. Heroes transcending story arcs is a hallmark of the superhero genre. The point is the characters as a brand, not the stories they are in, which serve only to give the characters things to do. Giving them origin stories and a superhero team didnt make it this way, it just checked off tropes.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
That's pretty amazing. I was expecting it to be better, but not the best it's ever been. Say what you will about the creative choices made in the story direction (I was not that big a fan of BFZ, but I feel like SOI righted the ship), at least now you have more people than ever to discuss them with.
Honestly, I've kind of seen that here on the storyline forum. Whereas it used to be the same five to ten users, I'm seeing a lot of new people come in to discuss and share their opinions.
What are you thoughts on story penetration (hehe)?
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
More seriously, I have noticed an increase of people discussing at my store. And more activity here. I think the clearer method of story telling is definitely helping engagement.
The digital format itself is fine, though. Not as good as physical books, of course, but this is the age of the Kindle and Nook, so it works well enough.
Now Planeswalkers are akin to superheroes and supervillians which, in my opinion, does not fit with the game lore at all. Sadly the influx of superhero movies over the last ten years has created an over saturation of the market, which is being bleed into various sources in order to capitalize on sales. Magic is simply the latest victim of shareholder/developer nonsense.
I'm glad that Wizard's choice to turn Magic into a comic book universe has been successful for them, but as someone who tries to keep up with the lore and all the twists and turns... I feel that Magic is going to be heading into a direction of cheap superhero cliches. Not a direction I am interested in.
BFZ was terrible, of which SOI was only marginally better. Poster Boy made another appearance, because how could he not, as he is the Superhero leader of the new Marv- I mean Magic Avengers. Erm, Planeswalkers.
Like, okay, the Eldrazi defeat was an obvious Deus Ex Machina, but at least it didn't come from nowhere.
I also don't get the superhero/comic book stuff at all, outside of some planeswalkers allying themselves, which has happened before. No one describes the Weatherlight Saga as being comic booky.
The current Magic Story is serialized, but no one has been successfully about to describe why now is different than the team-ups that came before in the story. At most, they're describing the natural issues with serialized storytelling, of which comic books ALSO suffer.
And SOI isn't just marginally better than BFZ, it's WAY better, and it seems like the only reason people don't like it is Jace, because he's 'oversaturated', which isn't true by any objective metric.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
I think there's more engagement because the Storyline itself is tighter. We may have large world altering events, but the window of the story is quite narrow and delivered clearly via the cards and the serial. It makes it easier to follow and digest.
I feel as though since comic book movies are so big right now that is the easiest comparison to make but it is far from accurate. Considering the scope of what could be in a comic book is seriously huge the comparison falls flat when you use terms that broad. I also don't like the super hero comparisons. They have established abilities for the central cast and none of them are any more superhuman that using magic, which is the point of the story, they are mages in a game called magic.
I actually think there's a really good way to handle that: Spoiler the big events via the cards, but have twists that are not on them. I think what Wizards should do (and this might require stepping up the writing pace) is have the set plotted out. Have the big event of the set show up on the cards. But then have some sort of dramatic twist occur after the denouement that doesn't show up on the cards (but is maybe hinted at), and sets the stage for the next set.
So, for SOI for instance, you have Avacyn dying as the denouement of the set (which is arguable, given that it wasn't all that dramatic). Then you have the discovery of Emrakul or whatever happening afterwards without showing up on the cards.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Nowadays, if you don't like the current story, wait three months.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
The larger point was that there are many factors that add up to the story being more comic booky, and that the neowalkers are only one factor. The team up and switch to following the team as a serialized story arc were merely the last steps. It's been comic booky since Tarkir with the elimination of novels (even the ebooks counted) and the focus on telling the story through the cards, supplemented by uncharted realms. The Gatewatch just gave magic an A list team, like the Avengers or Justice League, but like the Marvel and DC universes told their stories comic book (obviously) before then, so did Magic.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
But explaining the concept of big bad monsters defeated by cool kids with superpowers who team up à la Chrono Trigger combo to ultimately defeat them will ring a bell to everyone.
If it makes more people follow the story, fine. It's not my cup of tea but I can't deny the success they have with this, this is how the current times are anyway and fighting it is a losing battle anyway.
So yes it's a big success from their part to gather a general audience around the storyline like never before.
I am grateful it's moved to the stories on the website, I can access them more easily now. I wasn't a fan of the web-comics, just couldn't get immersed in them as much.
Atrius' Posts 1W
Instant
You win target thread. If you aren't Atrius, Atrius wins that thread instead.
"Wait, can you actually win a thread?" - Atrius.
Well, you just compared details to a concept. The concept of the weather light saga is straightforward. Crew of a flying ship that capable of interdimensional travel goes on an adventure to save their homeworld from a powerful ancient evil and his plan to invade using robot zombies.
Or more simply: its like the good guys from star wars fought the bad guys from Lord of the rings, but with more magic.
It's not like the details of BFZ are any less convoluted, it's just on blocks worth of story and background while Weather light was 3 blocks of story and a couple more of background
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
It's much more pulp fantasy, if anything. It fits a lot better, I think, and it gets away from the superhero connection, which I honestly don't think is true.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
LotR has a bunch of heroes from various origins teaming up to defeat a big bad. LotR is about as classic fantasy as it gets.
Before anyone takes me wrong, what I mean by that is that if you reduce anything to a trope, you'll find it everywhere.
I'll give you an European point of view, whose pop culture has been completely crushed and taken over by America
In the 'old' storytelling, be it the Weatherlight, Star Wars 4-5-6 or the Lord of the Rings, there was a clear beginning and an end, you knew that it was a story that would lead to an ultimate confrontation that would end the story arc for good.
With comics, and I'm not an expert, you don't have this. You have en endless, ongoing story made up of events that pop-up here and there, crossovers, reboots, alternate universes, U-turns and so on. But there's no end in sight which keeps the readers who like the universe or characters hooked up until eternity.
THIS. People keep focusing on the "teaming up" aspect, but that wouldn't make the Jacetus League an Avengers ripoff unless the story had already become comic book like. Unbounded story arcs are a big part of that. Granted, not all comics are like this, Watchmen being well known, but standard superhero comics are. Heroes transcending story arcs is a hallmark of the superhero genre. The point is the characters as a brand, not the stories they are in, which serve only to give the characters things to do. Giving them origin stories and a superhero team didnt make it this way, it just checked off tropes.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!