Honestly, if this frame was approved, I could see that crappy split card frame make an appearance as well. The graphic designers surely discovered some ancient Egyptian ritual to get lit.
I don't mind the frame so much, although the bright colors if the card monocolored is a bit much, maybe if it was like a marble column or something that had a bit more too it rather than just a colored bar. Like multicolored cards look great as the gold has some shading to it, but just one color with no shading on it feels lazy in comparison.
What I don't like is the name and typing areas of the card, the actual parts you are supposed to read are a tad difficult and the extra random symbols only makes it a bit harder as it makes you look for the name. The only way I knew what the card is was to read what it did. If it's ever easier to read multiple lines of text rather than a word or two for the name you have a bit of an issue.
These are definitely the worst of the Masterpieces so far, aesthetically.
Of course, I can already see how this is going to play out: Maro will answer a comment on Blogatog responding to one of the vocal minority detractors answering that the frames received positive response from the majority of players, and then those vocal minorities will get all butthurt that most of the player base liked something they didn't and post hateful messages on sites like this, and then get 15+ votes from their vocal minority buddies as if hating on something was clever or original.
The fact that you're the one being the vocal minority in this thread and that the response has been overwhelmingly negative points to the opposite, though.
Man, Wizards could really take a dump in each booster pack and people would still defend them if it was shiny enough.
I think the frame and font are beautiful. As for people disliking because it's "unreadable", that's not the main focus of this block's masterpieces apparently. You need to understand they are trying to fully capture the essence of an egyptian theme set. If you don't get it, you won't fully appreciate this block at all. It shouldn't be in English and it shouldn't be generally readable by common folk, but for practical purposes I'm sure there was some leeway.
After the shock window has passed, I'm sure many will come to appreciate its beauty.
The only caveats I've are the lack of full art, the card choices (like Aven Mindcensor and Consecrated Sphinx; they don't sound or feel like Invocations) and thirdly, many are obviously counterspells. It feels unbalanced.
That said, if those who dislike it happens to crack a FoW, I'm sure you'll change a different tune. Even if you wanna sell it, I'm sure you won't downplay its "ugliness" to a potential buyer. Be real.
As one of my friends put it:
"These looks like from a crappy PC teaching software about Egypt from the nineties..."
That said, I like the arts. I kind of like the "window-into-the-vault" effect created by the frame. What I dislike is everything else.
I like the same composition of Maelstrom Pulse and Vindicate, where Oketra and the cobra god are basically doing the same thing, same pose, just different colors.
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Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
That said, if those who dislike it happens to crack a FoW, I'm sure you'll change a different tune. Even if you wanna sell it, I'm sure you won't downplay its "ugliness" to a potential buyer. Be real.
So much truth here, guys
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Before the glory of Yawgmoth, yes, even this makes sense.
I kinda like the overall style of these, masterpiecees are supposed to be different and highly plane-specific after all. Readability is mostly a problem on first glance - could have been done better, but I don't see this as a big problem.
The border on the other hand seems quite inconsistent... the top is golden but the bottom sandstone colored. And what irks me the most is that awkward split in the lower half. Why is there a thinner black part and a wider colored one beneath that covers part of the textbox frame? Looks weird and tacked on to me. Also the additional bolas horns just make it more crowded - I like the more subtle horns around the holo stamp, those would have been enough bolas influence imho.
I would like it a lot better if the top border was sandstone too (maybe add some gold applications to the top of the headline instead), the lower colored parts were removed and the (then bigger) black parts would be sandstone colored too (if more 'color identity' was required, just add simple marks similar to the top half of the frame).
Or is this black part just a way to get around the "only white- or black-boredered cards are tournament legal" rule that was mentioned earlier in this thread? If so, this is a very inelegant solution...
For me it's the extra small picture that seals the deal. What is that, a picture for ants? The mockup that someone made a few pages ago is so much better and it barely took any redesigning at all.
You need to understand they are trying to fully capture the essence of an egyptian theme set. If you don't get it, you won't fully appreciate this block at all. It shouldn't be in English and it shouldn't be generally readable by common folk, but for practical purposes I'm sure there was some leeway.
After the shock window has passed, I'm sure many will come to appreciate its beauty.
Yeah, they really 'captured the essence of an Egyptian-themed set' with these. I guess us 'common folk' will eventually come to appreciate their 'beauty'.
For the time being: more for you then, Bolas. I can only assume that these crappy cards were part of one of your evil schemes anyway.
I dislike the design for previously stated reasons - legibility is an issue and it's not just the font, but the addition of random symbols to fill out the space that impairs the ability to just tell from e. g. word length whether this maybe is Daze. Color is also less prominent than one would hope for. I get the intentions behind those decisions, but part of thinking critically is see when something could perform better and I think criticism here is warranted - as it is for other things.
I expect the negative feedback (without stating anything about its effect on the overall popularity of these Masterpieces) to be taken into account for future releases. I am not the target audience for these, but as a person who is going to play games with members of the target audience I am not looking forward to having to put up with these in an opponent's deck. If I had to rank all frames over the history of Magic including e. g. those from Time Spiral-block and previous Masterpieces and tokens and textless promos... these will be in the bottom 50%, and I probably could safely name a smaller number there. That's bound to happen, but it's a shame.
I like the frame for subjective reasons of style, but the objective criteria like legibility should come first.
---
Now on something else that is not talking about graphic design, but since it is potentially a consequence of the visual design choices, and removes something I really liked about Kaladesh-block Masterpieces: These seem to have no flavor text and that loses them a lot of points for me. Flavor text tying Masterpieces into the plane is such a big draw for me that distinguishes them from a random promo they could do anywhere at any time. It gives a Masterpiece character and makes them part of the set, so they don't feel like a random assortment of unrelated cards. Missing the flavor text already.
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
These look wowed as hell. I get that they're trying new things borderwise but oh man I had trouble actually reading the title of the card
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Modern:
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WUB Ad Nauseam WUB
(On Lantern Control)"A guy who literally just sits there and mills cards he doesn't like from your library while he slowly, slowly kills you this way."
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Well the actual art is great in most cases (Damn that Sphinx) but I'm really struggling to actually read the name or types of the cards. The frame I can get over but that text is basically the most horrible thing I have ever seen.
As for the includes Im not really upset about any.
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EDH BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG, A box of lands and ideas.
Modern: RG Titanshift. A deck made of cards too stupid for EDH.
Retired: Lots. More than I feel you should suffer through or I should type out.
That's a LOT of countermagic.
I really hope that:
A- Mana Drain is in Hour. That seems almost a given looking at this list!
B- Amonkhet proper has some decent countermagic in its own right.
I'm not sure... Wizards once said 'they need to be hit by a bus before they reprint mana drain'
That was talking about being in a standard set, these aren't part of the main set and are not legal in standard, so it's a different affair. The problem with reprinting mana drain is broken, but if you aren't putting it anywhere it isn't already in (besides every once in a blue moon in limited), then that's not an issue because nothing changes.
lol I was talking sarcastically... by using wizards own words.
Yes, there is a good chance mana drain is going to be reprinted. I believe EDH loves mana drain.
I like the idea, but I dislike the execution. The font isn't illegible, but it's not that optimal for gameplay. The name are kinda ok on some, but the card type isn't on most of the cards. It's not instantly readable. For most cards it may not be relevant most of the time, but sometimes you wanna read the creature type. I think it shouldn't be centered. It all blends together.
Also the cute fonts around the name makes the mana symbol hard to notice. Cards with small mana costs blend a bit as well. Of course with time it may become natural to look at, but those cards are very rare and not commonplace. Sometimes people have trouble identifying masterpieces and expeditions and these would be worse to identify at glance.
The border are cool and some of the design ideas are cool, but compared to expeditions and masterpieces, they don't blend well with the art of the card themselves. Maybe they should have integrated the art a bit better with the frame style. The only thing I really like 100% is the depth effect.
Anyway, it doesn't matter much. It's a collector item, so I think they can get away with these with innovative designs and questionable execution with this kinda product. It won't be widespread used. It's just an annoyance time to time much like expeditions and masterpieces are now.
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
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Really digging the mind twist art.hopefully the cards are more reader friendly in real life. But hey this is the place to take design risks and boy did they take one.
I think the frame and font are beautiful. As for people disliking because it's "unreadable", that's not the main focus of this block's masterpieces apparently. You need to understand they are trying to fully capture the essence of an egyptian theme set. If you don't get it, you won't fully appreciate this block at all. It shouldn't be in English and it shouldn't be generally readable by common folk, but for practical purposes I'm sure there was some leeway.
[...]
PS: Irony that the papyrus above is more legible than 2017 graphic design
Mentioning irony, are you sure you do not have a problem with grasping irony/sarcasm in Bolas's post? ;-)
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Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
They're not even that hard to read. =/ I really don't see the problem.
the problem is that many people do not have your innate abilities and have a problem reading them. Even if you don't experience the issue, then you can general grasp its validity from the volume of the reaction. It's how I figure out whether a design is a problem in an area that I don't have a problem in: I present it to others and listen to them.
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I was thinking the same thing.
"Hmmmm, what's this card?"
SQUIGGLY LINE 2#
art
SALGKJS - LKJALJIEJVI
GAME TEXT
ALL CAPS
$
-
1
I don't mind the frame so much, although the bright colors if the card monocolored is a bit much, maybe if it was like a marble column or something that had a bit more too it rather than just a colored bar. Like multicolored cards look great as the gold has some shading to it, but just one color with no shading on it feels lazy in comparison.
What I don't like is the name and typing areas of the card, the actual parts you are supposed to read are a tad difficult and the extra random symbols only makes it a bit harder as it makes you look for the name. The only way I knew what the card is was to read what it did. If it's ever easier to read multiple lines of text rather than a word or two for the name you have a bit of an issue.
These are definitely the worst of the Masterpieces so far, aesthetically.
They don't even look like Magic cards.
The fact that you're the one being the vocal minority in this thread and that the response has been overwhelmingly negative points to the opposite, though.
Man, Wizards could really take a dump in each booster pack and people would still defend them if it was shiny enough.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
After the shock window has passed, I'm sure many will come to appreciate its beauty.
The only caveats I've are the lack of full art, the card choices (like Aven Mindcensor and Consecrated Sphinx; they don't sound or feel like Invocations) and thirdly, many are obviously counterspells. It feels unbalanced.
That said, if those who dislike it happens to crack a FoW, I'm sure you'll change a different tune. Even if you wanna sell it, I'm sure you won't downplay its "ugliness" to a potential buyer. Be real.
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
"These looks like from a crappy PC teaching software about Egypt from the nineties..."
That said, I like the arts. I kind of like the "window-into-the-vault" effect created by the frame. What I dislike is everything else.
I like the same composition of Maelstrom Pulse and Vindicate, where Oketra and the cobra god are basically doing the same thing, same pose, just different colors.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
So much truth here, guys
Before the glory of Yawgmoth, yes, even this makes sense.
Buried them in Alamogordo, New Mexico
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC
The border on the other hand seems quite inconsistent... the top is golden but the bottom sandstone colored. And what irks me the most is that awkward split in the lower half. Why is there a thinner black part and a wider colored one beneath that covers part of the textbox frame? Looks weird and tacked on to me. Also the additional bolas horns just make it more crowded - I like the more subtle horns around the holo stamp, those would have been enough bolas influence imho.
I would like it a lot better if the top border was sandstone too (maybe add some gold applications to the top of the headline instead), the lower colored parts were removed and the (then bigger) black parts would be sandstone colored too (if more 'color identity' was required, just add simple marks similar to the top half of the frame).
Or is this black part just a way to get around the "only white- or black-boredered cards are tournament legal" rule that was mentioned earlier in this thread? If so, this is a very inelegant solution...
W(W/U)U Ephara - Flash & Taxes W(W/U)U || B(B/G)G Meren - Circle of Life B(B/G)G
RGW Marath - Ever shifting Wilds RGW || (U/R)C(W/B) Breya - Artificial Dominion (U/R)C(W/B)
UBR Becket Brass - take what you can, give nothing back UBR
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Yeah, they really 'captured the essence of an Egyptian-themed set' with these. I guess us 'common folk' will eventually come to appreciate their 'beauty'.
For the time being: more for you then, Bolas. I can only assume that these crappy cards were part of one of your evil schemes anyway.
I expect the negative feedback (without stating anything about its effect on the overall popularity of these Masterpieces) to be taken into account for future releases. I am not the target audience for these, but as a person who is going to play games with members of the target audience I am not looking forward to having to put up with these in an opponent's deck. If I had to rank all frames over the history of Magic including e. g. those from Time Spiral-block and previous Masterpieces and tokens and textless promos... these will be in the bottom 50%, and I probably could safely name a smaller number there. That's bound to happen, but it's a shame.
I like the frame for subjective reasons of style, but the objective criteria like legibility should come first.
---
Now on something else that is not talking about graphic design, but since it is potentially a consequence of the visual design choices, and removes something I really liked about Kaladesh-block Masterpieces: These seem to have no flavor text and that loses them a lot of points for me. Flavor text tying Masterpieces into the plane is such a big draw for me that distinguishes them from a random promo they could do anywhere at any time. It gives a Masterpiece character and makes them part of the set, so they don't feel like a random assortment of unrelated cards. Missing the flavor text already.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
Please be mindful that these cards you print are game pieces. Ok carry on.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
As for the includes Im not really upset about any.
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG, A box of lands and ideas.
Modern:
RG Titanshift. A deck made of cards too stupid for EDH.
Retired: Lots. More than I feel you should suffer through or I should type out.
lol I was talking sarcastically... by using wizards own words.
Yes, there is a good chance mana drain is going to be reprinted. I believe EDH loves mana drain.
In his Second 100 days - Yawgmoth's Bargain is unrestricted in Vintage.
What is going to happen in the Next 100 days!!!
Also the cute fonts around the name makes the mana symbol hard to notice. Cards with small mana costs blend a bit as well. Of course with time it may become natural to look at, but those cards are very rare and not commonplace. Sometimes people have trouble identifying masterpieces and expeditions and these would be worse to identify at glance.
The border are cool and some of the design ideas are cool, but compared to expeditions and masterpieces, they don't blend well with the art of the card themselves. Maybe they should have integrated the art a bit better with the frame style. The only thing I really like 100% is the depth effect.
Anyway, it doesn't matter much. It's a collector item, so I think they can get away with these with innovative designs and questionable execution with this kinda product. It won't be widespread used. It's just an annoyance time to time much like expeditions and masterpieces are now.
Hot mess
Or in Hasbro/Wizards Egypt-speak:
#&+ %@$$
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
says half the people here.
People like the frame, but hate the font.
( 0.0 )
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I'm an AI making Magic cards.
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Mentioning irony, are you sure you do not have a problem with grasping irony/sarcasm in Bolas's post? ;-)
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Marath, Will of the Wild
Friendly Kess Twin Combo
Tatyova - Sir Bounce A Lot
Gonti's Luxury Pie
Prime (Eldrazi) Speaker Zegana (Retired)
the problem is that many people do not have your innate abilities and have a problem reading them. Even if you don't experience the issue, then you can general grasp its validity from the volume of the reaction. It's how I figure out whether a design is a problem in an area that I don't have a problem in: I present it to others and listen to them.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO