It was obvious that they're gonna rely on the Expeditions (aka the marketing team). Those lands carried the entire set. And masked that rotting stench of a design/development mess. They sold us foil turd IMO.
There was so much junk, so much redundancy in BFZ, that OGW felt like a heartfelt apology.
When you make unfathomable titans of destruction, don't bring it down to a level where their spawns matter. Extremely huge developmental letdown. They're the ones to push for smaller Eldrazi to make drafts work. C'mon man... If you had even the slightest apprehension before you hand over the file, one would think maybe it's right to review the work.
Forced mechanics - yea, it's been coming for years. People have been ranting about watered down stuff and you, MaRo kept pointing out that things like Kicker will ruin Magic... Looks like they milked many angry cows...
Finally, my reflection on SOI block is probably the same with MaRo. The funny thing was he talked about the vomit-inducing feeling of Eldrazi again (!) in successive blocks... Couldn't they preempt that? Since they work a couple of years in advance? They had time to think on that. That's the opposite of what he preaches, going against human nature. Other than that, the Eldrazi felt more alien in SOI.
I do feel he should touch upon the Gatewatch though. And perhaps an insight as to how Creative and R&D works. It feels too cooperative IMO.
I know this is technically not a rumor (feel free to move this to Magic General, if you want), but MaRo's Making Magic column today addresses lots of things with BFZ and SoI blocks, including topics that were a BIG part of discussion here - so I think this would be worth a discussion thread.
I was planning to do the sme but you beat me to the punch.
I liked this overview.
I agree with the fact that BFZ was too much RoE and not enough ZEN. I'm surprised it wasn't obvious for them from the get-go.
I also agree the mechanic-creep didn't do a great service to the game. Yes, Converge and Devoid weren't necessary at all.
I'm torn on the expeditions. They're probably a hit for those who got them, but a disappointment for the others. I mean it's Captain Obvious, but if you buy a box, you know you'll get some mythics and foils, crap or not. Expeditions were box lottery, which is more frustrating when you don't get one. But OTHO they were so rare they shouldn't have been an incentive to spend too much in boxes anyway.
Meld is a success ---> Probably a proof the Wow! factor still works as operationally it's quite annoying. I think they know it too.
Specific frames: this might seem a small detail but I think it really contributed to the identity of the set, both flavor-wise and mechanically.
Too much Eldrazi: Good God, they acknowledge it. All is not lost
Overall, I liked this article. They didn't come triumphant, but at the same time showed what was understood and laid good foundations for the future.
I really appreciated the frankness about failures. I've felt like these State of Design columns are the post-mortem rewording of his own internal annual review with his boss. It's exactly the process of going over your successes and failures and laying out a plan to address your weaknesses.
I personally don't mind expeditions as long as they remain exclusively alternate art for other cards already in the set. Having special versions for collectors and people who like to pimp their deck does not have any impact on the game and the cost of building a deck. It's only a problem if they print cards that are legal in some format and are exclusively available at that super-mythic rarity. I already loathe mythics, they've only made deck building expensive. (They mostly lock me out of most deck that run 4-of PW, for example.) But if expedition remain pimped version of rares, I don't care.
He really hit all the nails on their head, although some of them I disagree with. (I didn't mind devoid at all, for example.)
The trick with Rise of the Eldrazi, was that you could cast the huge titans, because of all the ramp that was inherent to the Landfall mechanic.
Emerge and DFC are also great alternatives to get big Eldrazi on the board.
Battle for Zendikar was like "we can't get big, so let's flood the board with smaller Eldrazi".
When they figured out Devoid, there was no going back.
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
I don't really get that at all. I mean BfZ never seemed as hyped as Kaledesh (he called Kaledesh the "Awesome Set" a couple of times). I guess if Kaladesh is a failure, then there is a legitimate complaint about overhyping a set, but I didn't really get that from Zendikar.
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
I'm wondering if I'm losing my interest or if MTG just gets worse. Eldritch Moon kinda sucked, too. I was just interested in Emrakul and Liliana, but the set had nothing else to offer.
And I'm so sick of awful mythic rares worth less than some uncommons and seeming really weak. Back then when mythic rares were introduced (Shards of Alara), they seemed so cool and powerful at first sight.
They looked like cards you really wanted, representing the flavor of their planes.
Now, I think mythic doesn't even need to exist anymore. Cards like Hangarback Walker for example are rare, while utter trash like Behold the Beyond is mythic.
This is perfect evidence that no matter what WotC does, people will whine. Everyone endlessly complained about how mythics were supoosed to be big splashy timmy cards, not spike two drops that would be outrageously expensive, and now we're complaing about the exact opposite and saying it's a reason MTG is getting worse. They can't win.
I'm wondering if I'm losing my interest or if MTG just gets worse. Eldritch Moon kinda sucked, too. I was just interested in Emrakul and Liliana, but the set had nothing else to offer.
And I'm so sick of awful mythic rares worth less than some uncommons and seeming really weak. Back then when mythic rares were introduced (Shards of Alara), they seemed so cool and powerful at first sight.
They looked like cards you really wanted, representing the flavor of their planes.
Now, I think mythic doesn't even need to exist anymore. Cards like Hangarback Walker for example are rare, while utter trash like Behold the Beyond is mythic.
This is perfect evidence that no matter what WotC does, people will whine. Everyone endlessly complained about how mythics were supoosed to be big splashy timmy cards, not spike two drops that would be outrageously expensive, and now we're complaing about the exact opposite and saying it's a reason MTG is getting worse. They can't win.
The mythic rarity was a mistake since the beginning. All these complaints have in common that mythic rarity is dumb.
It probably sells more packs though, because young Timmy buys a booster and goes like "Whoa I got a super mythic ghost rare shifted thing. This game is amazing."
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Thanks to DNC at Heroes of the plane studios for this awesome sig and SGT_Chubbz for the awesome avy. Check out the Shop Thread
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
I don't really get that at all. I mean BfZ never seemed as hyped as Kaledesh (he called Kaledesh the "Awesome Set" a couple of times). I guess if Kaladesh is a failure, then there is a legitimate complaint about overhyping a set, but I didn't really get that from Zendikar.
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
Only time will tell I suppose.
I remember there being a ton of hype drummed up for BFZ, from when it was first unveiled to the gaudy display at PAX last year. Kaladesh has felt more subdued in comparison (so far).
He obviously has an interest in selling the upcoming set to the public, but it just feels over the top more times than not. I want him to spend that energy in crafting a better product rather than hyping the hell out of it. The quality of work will be what sells the set.
It is good that he will criticize his work after the fact; these articles are among the few where he actually seems to be honest with his audience.
I'm wondering if I'm losing my interest or if MTG just gets worse. Eldritch Moon kinda sucked, too. I was just interested in Emrakul and Liliana, but the set had nothing else to offer.
And I'm so sick of awful mythic rares worth less than some uncommons and seeming really weak. Back then when mythic rares were introduced (Shards of Alara), they seemed so cool and powerful at first sight.
They looked like cards you really wanted, representing the flavor of their planes.
Now, I think mythic doesn't even need to exist anymore. Cards like Hangarback Walker for example are rare, while utter trash like Behold the Beyond is mythic.
This is perfect evidence that no matter what WotC does, people will whine. Everyone endlessly complained about how mythics were supoosed to be big splashy timmy cards, not spike two drops that would be outrageously expensive, and now we're complaing about the exact opposite and saying it's a reason MTG is getting worse. They can't win.
No, it's more that the unpleasable whiners always lose, and try to make the rest of us suffer for it. Making millions if not billions of dollars selling a card game year-round is not losing.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
the biggest thing I agree with is that they brought Eldrazi back too soon. I feel it would have been cool to wait for them. That and I felt there were too many new mechanics in EMN that the sets seemed to mixed with mechanics almost. I guess that's what happens when you only have 2 sets.
I feel that BFZ block just felt like a convoluted mess to me, which led me to not enjoy it
I'd been looking forward to this article for a long time. I was and am an ardent detractor of Battle for Zendikar. I think it ranks among the 5 worst sets ever printed.
This article is definitely not as harsh as I would have been. However, it does echo a lot of my sentiments, and that is a reassuring feeling. I do take comfort in the fact that many people apparently feel the same way I do.
Also, I think the article is indicative of why Magic has been so successful over the years. Mark Rosewater and others at WotC actually do listen to the players and make efforts to improve over time. They don't always get it perfect, but when they miss, they at least make an effort to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
I don't really get that at all. I mean BfZ never seemed as hyped as Kaledesh (he called Kaledesh the "Awesome Set" a couple of times). I guess if Kaladesh is a failure, then there is a legitimate complaint about overhyping a set, but I didn't really get that from Zendikar.
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
Only time will tell I suppose.
I remember there being a ton of hype drummed up for BFZ, from when it was first unveiled to the gaudy display at PAX last year. Kaladesh has felt more subdued in comparison (so far).
He obviously has an interest in selling the upcoming set to the public, but it just feels over the top more times than not. I want him to spend that energy in crafting a better product rather than hyping the hell out of it. The quality of work will be what sells the set.
It is good that he will criticize his work after the fact; these articles are among the few where he actually seems to be honest with his audience.
You are comparing what Wizards did post-PAX last year with what Maro has done pre-PAX this year, which doesn't make sense. He is unquestionably hyping Kaledesh way more than he did BfZ. Criticizing how he uses his energy or insinuating that his excitement is dishonest is pretty ridiculous.
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
I don't really get that at all. I mean BfZ never seemed as hyped as Kaledesh (he called Kaledesh the "Awesome Set" a couple of times). I guess if Kaladesh is a failure, then there is a legitimate complaint about overhyping a set, but I didn't really get that from Zendikar.
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
Only time will tell I suppose.
I remember there being a ton of hype drummed up for BFZ, from when it was first unveiled to the gaudy display at PAX last year. Kaladesh has felt more subdued in comparison (so far).
He obviously has an interest in selling the upcoming set to the public, but it just feels over the top more times than not. I want him to spend that energy in crafting a better product rather than hyping the hell out of it. The quality of work will be what sells the set.
It is good that he will criticize his work after the fact; these articles are among the few where he actually seems to be honest with his audience.
You are comparing what Wizards did post-PAX last year with what Maro has done pre-PAX this year, which doesn't make sense. He is unquestionably hyping Kaledesh way more than he did BfZ. Criticizing how he uses his energy or insinuating that his excitement is dishonest is pretty ridiculous.
I'm comparing BFZ hype from the announcement to PAX to Kaladesh hype from announcement to current. It is true that we haven't seen what they'll do at PAX yet.
What annoys me in retrospect is just how hyped Battle for Zendikar was. Maro always comes off like a stereotypical used car salesman to me: "I know I sold you a trash set last time, but believe me, this new set is my best one ever!"
I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
I don't really get that at all. I mean BfZ never seemed as hyped as Kaledesh (he called Kaledesh the "Awesome Set" a couple of times). I guess if Kaladesh is a failure, then there is a legitimate complaint about overhyping a set, but I didn't really get that from Zendikar.
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
Only time will tell I suppose.
I remember there being a ton of hype drummed up for BFZ, from when it was first unveiled to the gaudy display at PAX last year. Kaladesh has felt more subdued in comparison (so far).
He obviously has an interest in selling the upcoming set to the public, but it just feels over the top more times than not. I want him to spend that energy in crafting a better product rather than hyping the hell out of it. The quality of work will be what sells the set.
It is good that he will criticize his work after the fact; these articles are among the few where he actually seems to be honest with his audience.
You are comparing what Wizards did post-PAX last year with what Maro has done pre-PAX this year, which doesn't make sense. He is unquestionably hyping Kaledesh way more than he did BfZ. Criticizing how he uses his energy or insinuating that his excitement is dishonest is pretty ridiculous.
I'm comparing BFZ hype from the announcement to PAX to Kaladesh hype from announcement to current. It is true that we haven't seen what they'll do at PAX yet.
Also the original point was how much Maro personally hyped up BFZ. He did his normal hype thing. Nothing special or different than he did for any of the khans sets or anything before that I can recall. Wizards, however, hyped the hell out of it at PAX. We haven't seen what wizards has done for PAX yet, but Maro has definitely talked up Kaladesh a lot more than normal. He said the set competes with Innistrad as his best design. He's never said that about any other set (and certainly not BFZ) and he knows damn well how high that bar is.
One thing that always irks me when MARO writes is how he mentions market research like the research is public knowledge.
Also i really dont want to buy a set based off market research. I want a set made by creative inspired individuals who can think outside the focus group.
Remember that this is ultimately a business. Market research tells them that they should put a dragon in every set and what mechanics/creatures/planes to bring back. The creative individuals make things like planeswalkers, double faced cards, other new risky mechanics. Both methods are needed for every set.
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Legacy:
Burn
U/W Stoneblade
EDH: Ertai, the Corrupted - Enchantment Control Darien, King of Kjeldor - Soldiers Azami, Lady of the Scrolls - Wizard Tribal Kresh the Bloodbraided - Smash Sharuum the Hegemon - Non Combo Aritfacts Horde of Notions - Allies!
Although I don't remember him mentioning the Gatewatch concept. Hmmm...
He says "We're getting better with story integration". Hahahahaha.
I think he means they're getting better at telling the story through the cards. They used to be good at that during the Weatherlight saga, but they gave up at some point. Say what you will about BFZ block, they made sure the story "highlights" were on the cards. In previous blocks, the vast majority of the story was avoided on the cards, even the most important points. If you hadn't been reading the online articles, you wouldn't know that Heliod killed Elspeth, Jace solved the Implicit Maze, or Venser had sacrificed himself to save Karn. I'm guessing that cards like Fall of the Titans/Bonds of Mortality, Imprisoned in the Moon, and even continuing the Oaths series every time a new member is inducted into the superfriends are counted as story integration from a design perspective.
He's not saying the story is good, just that it's better integrated into the sets's design.
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My decks
Standard - RIP Cat
Modern - Death & Taxes
Commander - Mazirek, Trostani, Angry Omnath
I like the idea of Adventure World, but Zendikar just never clicked with me. I was actually hoping that Zendikar stayed a wasteland so we could get another Adventure World. (Perhaps something Egyptian with pyramid dungeons filled with Traps and Curses... Or Pirate World with quests to find legendary treasures.)
Yeah, Leprechaun Universe is fine... If you haven't seen PIRATE UNIVERSE!!
I tried to quote a couple people but couldn't get them to line up.
My thoughts in general, I simply prefer the BFZ/OGW block. I'm still buying boosters when I'm shopping. For SOI and EMN, I bought the usual fat pack and couple extra boosters, but I'm done with them. I loved Devoid and Wastes and the allies and everything about Zendikar block and I realize I'm in the minority in that.
Mythic rares/Expeditions. I don't hate the mythic rarity, they've done a decent job of keeping essentials like dual lands out of that slot (I can accept the unusual one-off mythic nonbasic land here and there), and I do think it's allowed them to push the designs a little more by knowing it won't show up in limited as much. As for the Expedition rarity, as long as they keep it to alternate art promo types of existing cards, I say full steam ahead. Start printing reserve list stuff that way if they can.
Less mechanics per set - yeah, when I'm making my horrible conglomerate Commander deck using cards from every set in the game I know mechanics are going to get mixed, but I agree that reducing the number in each set will lead to cleaner gameplay and design. I'm in favor of this for sure.
And I'm absolutely in favor of the improved story process. It was damn near impossible to follow the story before the new method, and now we can look forward to a new story every Wednesday (and sometimes Mondays!) like we were watching a TV show in the days before DVD or Netflix.
Also i really dont want to buy a set based off market research. I want a set made by creative inspired individuals who can think outside the focus group.
Me too. But I doubt Hasbro agrees with us on this.
...Before I get into the blocks, I always start by asking: How was the last year of Magic design? It was a transitional year. We were changing over to an entirely new model, and that transition proved more difficult than I think we realized at the time. There were plenty of highlights, as I'll get into in a second, but I think this last year to me was more defined as a year of important lessons. We're on the verge of another big step up in Magic design technology, and this last year has been a valuable learning year...
Is he talking here about the two-block model or something new coming in kaladesh?
Also i really dont want to buy a set based off market research. I want a set made by creative inspired individuals who can think outside the focus group.
Are you saying Magic settings and sets aren't made by creative inspired individuals?
Market research isn't any different than having a quarterly review with your boss. It's a way to check in with others' expectations of you and how you've been doing.
Also i really dont want to buy a set based off market research. I want a set made by creative inspired individuals who can think outside the focus group.
Me too. But I doubt Hasbro agrees with us on this.
Market research shows people don't want sets based on what market research shows.
Oh no. You guys have created a paradox.
Nah we just show up in the 3% 'other' category with bronies and survivalist roleplayers.
Funny thing is, other than too many Eldrazi too soon(and thus none of the adventure themes), most people seem to have had issues with the developments of the two blocks, not the design. Design wise, the two blocks brought us alot of very cool and varied types of creatures with allies, vampires, werewolves, eldrazi, spirits, zombies and humans. Unfortunately only one made it to consistent tourny playability because of CoCo.
This and the fact that only humans got a good lord in Thalia's Lieut. No other tribe could compete with humans. They were at the same time the fastest and most powerful. Vampires were basically a second rate b/r version of humans. Spirits didn't have a finisher. Zombies are doing the best but baby Jace is a large reason why. Werewolves have the same story as vamps with even less support and a horrible legendary creature. Thoughtknot, matter reshaper, and reality smasher were and are IMO development mistakes. They pushed them too hard but their supporting cast were as bad as they were good.
Also the return of madness, emerge, converge(tho I agree why put that in a set where colorless is the big thing), escalate(another form of kicker with a cooler name), and even skulk were pretty cool. It's that throughout both blocks, we were constantly under the boot of one card....CoCo, whether it be 4 color rally or Bant Eldrazi. Think about how much better standard would have been if that one card had had been restricted to 2 per deck.
So, design rocks, and development needs to stop giving green ways to cheat creatures into play AND giving green better card selection than blue.
On a side note, while it was Khans block, i think they need to tone down modal cards power level or make sure they cost at least 3 mana. Abzan charm was powerful(def the best charm) but it still cost 3. Atarka and Dromoka's commands both were OP at 2 mana and were too efficient, especially DC, basically filling in all the gaps in any G/W deck.
It was obvious that they're gonna rely on the Expeditions (aka the marketing team). Those lands carried the entire set. And masked that rotting stench of a design/development mess. They sold us foil turd IMO.
There was so much junk, so much redundancy in BFZ, that OGW felt like a heartfelt apology.
When you make unfathomable titans of destruction, don't bring it down to a level where their spawns matter. Extremely huge developmental letdown. They're the ones to push for smaller Eldrazi to make drafts work. C'mon man... If you had even the slightest apprehension before you hand over the file, one would think maybe it's right to review the work.
Forced mechanics - yea, it's been coming for years. People have been ranting about watered down stuff and you, MaRo kept pointing out that things like Kicker will ruin Magic... Looks like they milked many angry cows...
Finally, my reflection on SOI block is probably the same with MaRo. The funny thing was he talked about the vomit-inducing feeling of Eldrazi again (!) in successive blocks... Couldn't they preempt that? Since they work a couple of years in advance? They had time to think on that. That's the opposite of what he preaches, going against human nature. Other than that, the Eldrazi felt more alien in SOI.
I do feel he should touch upon the Gatewatch though. And perhaps an insight as to how Creative and R&D works. It feels too cooperative IMO.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
I was planning to do the sme but you beat me to the punch.
I liked this overview.
I agree with the fact that BFZ was too much RoE and not enough ZEN. I'm surprised it wasn't obvious for them from the get-go.
I also agree the mechanic-creep didn't do a great service to the game. Yes, Converge and Devoid weren't necessary at all.
I'm torn on the expeditions. They're probably a hit for those who got them, but a disappointment for the others. I mean it's Captain Obvious, but if you buy a box, you know you'll get some mythics and foils, crap or not. Expeditions were box lottery, which is more frustrating when you don't get one. But OTHO they were so rare they shouldn't have been an incentive to spend too much in boxes anyway.
Meld is a success ---> Probably a proof the Wow! factor still works as operationally it's quite annoying. I think they know it too.
Specific frames: this might seem a small detail but I think it really contributed to the identity of the set, both flavor-wise and mechanically.
Too much Eldrazi: Good God, they acknowledge it. All is not lost
Overall, I liked this article. They didn't come triumphant, but at the same time showed what was understood and laid good foundations for the future.
I personally don't mind expeditions as long as they remain exclusively alternate art for other cards already in the set. Having special versions for collectors and people who like to pimp their deck does not have any impact on the game and the cost of building a deck. It's only a problem if they print cards that are legal in some format and are exclusively available at that super-mythic rarity. I already loathe mythics, they've only made deck building expensive. (They mostly lock me out of most deck that run 4-of PW, for example.) But if expedition remain pimped version of rares, I don't care.
He really hit all the nails on their head, although some of them I disagree with. (I didn't mind devoid at all, for example.)
Emerge and DFC are also great alternatives to get big Eldrazi on the board.
Battle for Zendikar was like "we can't get big, so let's flood the board with smaller Eldrazi".
When they figured out Devoid, there was no going back.
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I'm an AI making Magic cards.
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I hope Kaladesh is good, but my god, this guy's shtick gets old fast.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
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UWR Jeskai Control
Besides, what is he supposed to do? Publicly come out 2 months ahead of release and say "this set is not our best work, but some of you might like it anyway"? As much as the used car salesman shtick gets old when done by anyone, MaRo does have a vested interest in making sure the set sells well.
As most of his State of Design articles show, he is, at the very least, willing to admit to mistakes (and he admitted to quite a few this time). If nothing else, this shows that no matter what the "sales pitch" is, he (and probably most of R&D) recognizes when things don't go well and things will (hopefully) change for the next time.
Only time will tell I suppose.
This is perfect evidence that no matter what WotC does, people will whine. Everyone endlessly complained about how mythics were supoosed to be big splashy timmy cards, not spike two drops that would be outrageously expensive, and now we're complaing about the exact opposite and saying it's a reason MTG is getting worse. They can't win.
The mythic rarity was a mistake since the beginning. All these complaints have in common that mythic rarity is dumb.
It probably sells more packs though, because young Timmy buys a booster and goes like "Whoa I got a super mythic ghost rare shifted thing. This game is amazing."
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I remember there being a ton of hype drummed up for BFZ, from when it was first unveiled to the gaudy display at PAX last year. Kaladesh has felt more subdued in comparison (so far).
He obviously has an interest in selling the upcoming set to the public, but it just feels over the top more times than not. I want him to spend that energy in crafting a better product rather than hyping the hell out of it. The quality of work will be what sells the set.
It is good that he will criticize his work after the fact; these articles are among the few where he actually seems to be honest with his audience.
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No, it's more that the unpleasable whiners always lose, and try to make the rest of us suffer for it. Making millions if not billions of dollars selling a card game year-round is not losing.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I feel that BFZ block just felt like a convoluted mess to me, which led me to not enjoy it
This article is definitely not as harsh as I would have been. However, it does echo a lot of my sentiments, and that is a reassuring feeling. I do take comfort in the fact that many people apparently feel the same way I do.
Also, I think the article is indicative of why Magic has been so successful over the years. Mark Rosewater and others at WotC actually do listen to the players and make efforts to improve over time. They don't always get it perfect, but when they miss, they at least make an effort to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
I'm comparing BFZ hype from the announcement to PAX to Kaladesh hype from announcement to current. It is true that we haven't seen what they'll do at PAX yet.
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Also the original point was how much Maro personally hyped up BFZ. He did his normal hype thing. Nothing special or different than he did for any of the khans sets or anything before that I can recall. Wizards, however, hyped the hell out of it at PAX. We haven't seen what wizards has done for PAX yet, but Maro has definitely talked up Kaladesh a lot more than normal. He said the set competes with Innistrad as his best design. He's never said that about any other set (and certainly not BFZ) and he knows damn well how high that bar is.
Also i really dont want to buy a set based off market research. I want a set made by creative inspired individuals who can think outside the focus group.
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I think he means they're getting better at telling the story through the cards. They used to be good at that during the Weatherlight saga, but they gave up at some point. Say what you will about BFZ block, they made sure the story "highlights" were on the cards. In previous blocks, the vast majority of the story was avoided on the cards, even the most important points. If you hadn't been reading the online articles, you wouldn't know that Heliod killed Elspeth, Jace solved the Implicit Maze, or Venser had sacrificed himself to save Karn. I'm guessing that cards like Fall of the Titans/Bonds of Mortality, Imprisoned in the Moon, and even continuing the Oaths series every time a new member is inducted into the superfriends are counted as story integration from a design perspective.
He's not saying the story is good, just that it's better integrated into the sets's design.
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My thoughts in general, I simply prefer the BFZ/OGW block. I'm still buying boosters when I'm shopping. For SOI and EMN, I bought the usual fat pack and couple extra boosters, but I'm done with them. I loved Devoid and Wastes and the allies and everything about Zendikar block and I realize I'm in the minority in that.
Mythic rares/Expeditions. I don't hate the mythic rarity, they've done a decent job of keeping essentials like dual lands out of that slot (I can accept the unusual one-off mythic nonbasic land here and there), and I do think it's allowed them to push the designs a little more by knowing it won't show up in limited as much. As for the Expedition rarity, as long as they keep it to alternate art promo types of existing cards, I say full steam ahead. Start printing reserve list stuff that way if they can.
Less mechanics per set - yeah, when I'm making my horrible conglomerate Commander deck using cards from every set in the game I know mechanics are going to get mixed, but I agree that reducing the number in each set will lead to cleaner gameplay and design. I'm in favor of this for sure.
And I'm absolutely in favor of the improved story process. It was damn near impossible to follow the story before the new method, and now we can look forward to a new story every Wednesday (and sometimes Mondays!) like we were watching a TV show in the days before DVD or Netflix.
Me too. But I doubt Hasbro agrees with us on this.
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Are you saying Magic settings and sets aren't made by creative inspired individuals?
Market research isn't any different than having a quarterly review with your boss. It's a way to check in with others' expectations of you and how you've been doing.
Nah we just show up in the 3% 'other' category with bronies and survivalist roleplayers.
This and the fact that only humans got a good lord in Thalia's Lieut. No other tribe could compete with humans. They were at the same time the fastest and most powerful. Vampires were basically a second rate b/r version of humans. Spirits didn't have a finisher. Zombies are doing the best but baby Jace is a large reason why. Werewolves have the same story as vamps with even less support and a horrible legendary creature. Thoughtknot, matter reshaper, and reality smasher were and are IMO development mistakes. They pushed them too hard but their supporting cast were as bad as they were good.
Also the return of madness, emerge, converge(tho I agree why put that in a set where colorless is the big thing), escalate(another form of kicker with a cooler name), and even skulk were pretty cool. It's that throughout both blocks, we were constantly under the boot of one card....CoCo, whether it be 4 color rally or Bant Eldrazi. Think about how much better standard would have been if that one card had had been restricted to 2 per deck.
So, design rocks, and development needs to stop giving green ways to cheat creatures into play AND giving green better card selection than blue.
On a side note, while it was Khans block, i think they need to tone down modal cards power level or make sure they cost at least 3 mana. Abzan charm was powerful(def the best charm) but it still cost 3. Atarka and Dromoka's commands both were OP at 2 mana and were too efficient, especially DC, basically filling in all the gaps in any G/W deck.