For draft (my preferred format) this is a boon. The problem with multiple sets belonging to one draft set was the opened cardpool was too diluted. 8 person pod only opened ~200 cards of the ~600 possible cards so if there is not enough similar cards to each other they make undraftable sets. The only triple set I've experienced that was half way decent was theros/born/nyx because the theme throughout was draft enchantments so even if you didn't see a particular card there were enough similar cards to sub in. Dragon's Maze was terrible because the only tie that bound everything was multicolor so drafting lands was the only way to go and there just wasn't enough to go around.
2 sets drafting together is the same issue. To really make it work you need cards that are mostly the same and who wants to open a bunch of the same cards.
Only big sets actually allows more diversity in individual cards within while also allowing for a cultivated draft experience while also enough varity to not see the same thing draft in and out. Side effect it diversifies the card pool for standard as well allowing for more viable strategies or changing how powerful an existing strategy is from release to release.
for those hoping for another snow set, i think you're looking at it wrong. the biggest issue with another snow set is the timeline. Ice age and Coldsnap happened a long, long (long) time ago. and Snow mana isn't just something that exists when it's cold. it's a special and, thus far, unique type of mana. something that has no reason to just pop up again on Dominaria, let alone a completely different plane. So, the switch to solo sets shouldn't make another snow set any more likely than it was yesterday (which, I'm sorry, was not at all likely)
But, there is another part to this announcement. The new core sets are said to be about the history of characters. so, if we are going to see more snow, imo, it's actually more likely to see in one of the new Core sets. but even that is a stretch, as it would require a current character to have a connection to events that are thousands of years old. it would also require snow to be determined to be newbie-friendly enough. which is probably not what you all are looking for anyway.
edit: but, all that being said, the most likely place to see more Snow is and has been in a side product. A Commander deck, the summer bonus set slot, and now maybe even a future Archenemy set.
You know that snow doesn't have to be exclusive to Dominaria? Like how Amhonket and Rabiah are in a Desert?
snow mana isn't about being cold. it's a special type of mana, used by a small group of people who in the story are 1500 years dead. there was snow on Kamigawa. there was snow on Tarkir. but there was never a chance for snow mana there because that's not what snow mana is.
we're not going to see snow in an expert set without a retcon of what snow is, or a change in story philosophy that allows us to see an expansion set in the right part of history.
edit: honestly, it doesn't matter, and it's something I never should have brought up anyway. I was just trying to keep people from getting (what I consider) unreasonable hopes up, but it's not really my place to do so. For those of you who obviously want it, I hope you eventually get something you can love.
You're ignoring that Maro Tweeted a Q about Snow duals. Obviously someone is thinking about it.
My beef with your comment is you assume that to visit Snow mana requires a visit to Dominaria or a retcon to the brothers. It doesn't. There is ZERO reason that snow mana can't discovered or acquired on a different plane or by different people under dissimilar circumstances.
Yeah, I have my hopes up. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't expect much from from WotC anymore though.
The part I liked the most is the returning of core sets because it is the easiest place to print popular tribal cards and answers. The part that I'm not too sure about is the dropping of the Masterpieces from the sets unless it's a very special set. It's sort of a win and lose situation: Booster packs will become more valuable since masterpieces are no longer a factor in the box EV. On the other hand, the rest of the cards soak up the dollar value those cards held, so it makes the rest of the set more expensive and thus more costly to buy singles. If they went all the way and got rid of mythics with the masterpieces I'd be a bit less on the fence with it since that would be very good for those that play by the booster rather than by the single.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
The part I liked the most is the returning of core sets because it is the easiest place to print popular tribal cards and answers. The part that I'm not too sure about is the dropping of the Masterpieces from the sets unless it's a very special set. It's sort of a win and lose situation: Booster packs will become more valuable since masterpieces are no longer a factor in the box EV. On the other hand, the rest of the cards soak up the dollar value those cards held, so it makes the rest of the set more expensive and thus more costly to buy singles. If they went all the way and got rid of mythics with the masterpieces I'd be a bit less on the fence with it since that would be very good for those that play by the booster rather than by the single.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
Just to let you know, WotC has come out saying they think 1 mana dorks are too powerful for standard now, so you shouldn't anticipate that unless you expect them to change their minds.
They haven't been quite as explicit about the others as far as I know, but current standard design has made those other effects you reference cost 1 mana or half a mana more than the reprints.
One of the major complaints that I've lodged as of late is the lack of support for good-to-great mechanics from the large set going forward into the small set of a block (examples: Investigate, Converge). WotC seemed to want to treat the small set of a block as a big set lite - trying to make it its own thing but still trying to fit in stuff from the mother block. And my response to this was "Then why have a small set? Why are you putting forth a two-set block paradigm but still trying to treat it as two individual sets with their own identities?"
Looks like that question has been answered. This change in release makes it more like the pre-Visions days, where all sets were standalone, but this time done more patiently.
And I'm glad core sets are kinda-sorta coming back. One of my ideas for fixing Standard was to just have a list of 100-150 cards that were always Standard legal, to be adjusted as circumstances warrant. That would like have been unfeasible, but this works too. With this new pseudo-core set, they can look at the FFL and see what possible problems arise and keep tabs on the current meta and see what answers are needed, and be able to supply those answers without trying to force it into a specific storyline or mythos.
For future reference, what percentage of cards in recent core sets (M15, M14) were reprints compared to new cards? What about for Magic Origins?
I have that table posted somewhere on this forum but my search-fu won't let me find the link. I compared the number of card reprints in core sets with previous iterations not counting expansions.
1. Snow Mana Set
2. Return to Kamigawa
3. Return to Lorwyn
4. Return to Homelands
5. Enchantment Set
Very well said.
And why does a set need be in the current. Returning to older timelines of planes seem a perfect reason to leave out a Gatewatcher. Thus we return to ice aged Dominaria
Change #1—The Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets Will All Be Large Sets That Are Drafted Alone
I guess I didn't realise that even second sets had fatigue. I liked how they were drafted BBA; I felt that fixed the general problems with drafting (only one pack and at the end of the draft). This could open up some interesting draft formats, like drafting "the last three sets" (which would be similar to drafting Amonkhet/Kaladesh/SOI). On the other hand, this doesn't solve the "you didn't print more cards with Investigate" issue, as that second set isn't there to add those cards. Overall I'm not sure I like this change, but I'm not sure I dislike it either. This will have to be something to reflect on in a couple years.
Change #2—The Summer Set Will Be a Revamped Core Set
This didn't surprise me all that much, as we've seen a lot fewer reprints than I expected. This was an issue that needed to be addressed, and it's hard to reprint Kalonian Tusker or Shivan Reef in sets that take place on other planes. This is probably for the best, and it sounds like WotC has just accepted that these sets cannot be targeted to advanced players, and these players will have to accept that as well.
Change #3—A Different Approach to the Gatewatch
Good. I've enjoyed the stories, but Jace really didn't need to be on Kaladesh. And we really didn't need 4versionsofNissa in Standard.
Change #4—The Masterpieces Series Will Revert to Being in Fewer Sets
This I disagree with. While the Invocations were an obvious fail (incoherent theme, divisive border (even though I personally liked it), and no green cards other than the God), this should have just been a learning experience for the card choices themselves. I've read multiple articles attributing Standard's current low cost to the Masterpieces dropping prices within sets. I think instead they should have dropped the number of Masterpieces from 55/block to, say, 25/block. Or, since blocks have been abolished, 15/set. Allows for more themes, and more theme repeats with different cards (for example, Kaladesh Inventions could have instead been 15 non-creature "Inventions" and 15 artifact-creature "Automatons", and spread a few sets apart). I guess we'll see if Standard prices start to climb with Ixalan.
Change #5—We're Changing Things Behind the Scenes
Old news, agree with having the Play Design group, hopefully this solves some of the recent issues plaguing Standard.
Change #1—The Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets Will All Be Large Sets That Are Drafted Alone
So in other words none of the Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets will be legal in EDH/Commander and Legacy except for in Draft Events? If that's the case then I think it's mainly due to an effort by Wizards of the Coast to help stabilize market prices in Standard and Modern without cards going up in price due to demand from other formats unless this is something entirely different.
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America Bless Christ Jesus
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Change #1—The Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets Will All Be Large Sets That Are Drafted Alone
So in other words none of the Fall, Winter, and Spring Sets will be legal in EDH/Commander and Legacy except for in Draft Events? If that's the case then I think it's mainly due to an effort by Wizards of the Coast to help stabilize market prices in Standard and Modern without cards going up in price due to demand from other formats unless this is something entirely different.
Is that seriously a question
All cards from all sets are legal in Commander, only cards that are too powerful get banned.
All cards from all sets are legal in Commander, only cards that are too powerful get banned.
I just assumed that they weren't legal because the cards could only be played in Draft Events.
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America Bless Christ Jesus
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Huey, Dewey and Louie are always dressed in RUG. it is CLEARLY going to be the wedges block Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
The part I liked the most is the returning of core sets because it is the easiest place to print popular tribal cards and answers. The part that I'm not too sure about is the dropping of the Masterpieces from the sets unless it's a very special set. It's sort of a win and lose situation: Booster packs will become more valuable since masterpieces are no longer a factor in the box EV. On the other hand, the rest of the cards soak up the dollar value those cards held, so it makes the rest of the set more expensive and thus more costly to buy singles. If they went all the way and got rid of mythics with the masterpieces I'd be a bit less on the fence with it since that would be very good for those that play by the booster rather than by the single.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
EDIT: comments below were answered thanks to the community
Your line of thinking brings me to the realization that the 3 large sets, and I assume the core set, will have sufficiently larger card pools than current sets, large enough that it also means that 15 mythics per set will become a thing of the past. What exactly this means I don't know but if blocks are no longer a thing and went from 3 sets per block to recently 2 sets per block (30 mythics) then what's next? 15? No way! I'm betting that MaRo's newly unveiled "vanilla mythic" project is a means of diluting the power of mythics if they have to print more for the sake of larger sets. It's a bit unsettling to see this; I'm discovering these thoughts as I continue reading news but anyways..
MaRo,
If you see this, please only make tribal vanilla mythics.. please don't let the concept become pushed as a tool for weakening mythics. Vanilla mythics can work in the context of tribal - if they are good enough - (I believe),it would be a shame to see the concept used in many other ways.
[quote]Change #4—The Masterpieces Series Will Revert to Being in Fewer Sets
This I disagree with. While the Invocations were an obvious fail (incoherent theme, divisive border (even though I personally liked it), and no green cards other than the God), this should have just been a learning experience for the card choices themselves. I've read multiple articles attributing Standard's current low cost to the Masterpieces dropping prices within sets. I think instead they should have dropped the number of Masterpieces from 55/block to, say, 25/block. Or, since blocks have been abolished, 15/set. Allows for more themes, and more theme repeats with different cards (for example, Kaladesh Inventions could have instead been 15 non-creature "Inventions" and 15 artifact-creature "Automatons", and spread a few sets apart). I guess we'll see if Standard prices start to climb with Ixalan.
Prices will climb. Gideon and Ulamog would be way more expensive without the Expeditions. Same with Marvel, Torrential Gearhulk, and Chandra with the Inventions. Bolas help us all if there is a chase Mythic in Ixalan like Jace.
I'm surprised that it took Wizards this long to realize that they were going to have trouble coming up with coherent themes for Masterpiece sets. I mean, how long was the discussion at Wizards about making Masterpieces permanent? All of 30 seconds? They should have known that they'd need more than card types as themes if they were going to do it on a permanent basis, but they somehow got stumped the second block in. They should have been able to plan at least 6 potential themes before deciding to make Masterpieces a permanent thing.
Just to let you know, WotC has come out saying they think 1 mana dorks are too powerful for standard now, so you shouldn't anticipate that unless you expect them to change their minds.
The core set will be standard legal.
You've got to be kidding me. Something like Shanodin Dryads, even if it gave forestwalk to all dryads, would not be too powerful. :facepalm
Just to let you know, WotC has come out saying they think 1 mana dorks are too powerful for standard now, so you shouldn't anticipate that unless you expect them to change their minds.
The core set will be standard legal.
You've got to be kidding me. Something like Shanodin Dryads, even if it gave forestwalk to all dryads, would not be too powerful. :facepalm
their stupid an misguided issue with them is that it "limits the creatures they can print @ cmc 3/4/5". Id rather have those limitations than every creatures having a sorcery attached to it. The first 20 years of Magic says stop trying to fix what wasnt broken to begin with. Does it make design a little harder....yeah sure. But thats your FREAKING job! Put on your big boy pants and go to work...
In regard to Masterpiece cards......I dont think there needs to be a theme (though please come up with something less cluttered and more aesthetically pleasing than the Amonkhet eyesores). IMO ards on the reserved list would be PERFECT for this sort of insert. How many more packs are you gonna sell if your patrons could crack a Time Walk?
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
Just to let you know, WotC has come out saying they think 1 mana dorks are too powerful for standard now, so you shouldn't anticipate that unless you expect them to change their minds.
They haven't been quite as explicit about the others as far as I know, but current standard design has made those other effects you reference cost 1 mana or half a mana more than the reprints.
Actually, they already stated similar thing about 4-mana wraths and 3-mana LD effects. So no, those particular cards won't be reprinted in future core sets unless, as you've said, they somehow changed their minds.
The part I liked the most is the returning of core sets because it is the easiest place to print popular tribal cards and answers. The part that I'm not too sure about is the dropping of the Masterpieces from the sets unless it's a very special set. It's sort of a win and lose situation: Booster packs will become more valuable since masterpieces are no longer a factor in the box EV. On the other hand, the rest of the cards soak up the dollar value those cards held, so it makes the rest of the set more expensive and thus more costly to buy singles. If they went all the way and got rid of mythics with the masterpieces I'd be a bit less on the fence with it since that would be very good for those that play by the booster rather than by the single.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
Your line of thinking brings me to the realization that the 3 large sets, and I assume the core set, will have sufficiently larger card pools than current sets, large enough that it also means that 15 mythics per set will become a thing of the past. What exactly this means I don't know but if blocks are no longer a thing and went from 3 sets per block to recently 2 sets per block (30 mythics) then what's next? 15? No way! I'm betting that MaRo's newly unveiled "vanilla mythic" project is a means of diluting the power of mythics if they have to print more for the sake of larger sets. It's a bit unsettling to see this; I'm discovering these thoughts as I continue reading news but anyways..
MaRo,
If you see this, please only make tribal vanilla mythics.. please don't let the concept become pushed as a tool for weakening mythics. Vanilla mythics can work in the context of tribal - if they are good enough - (I believe),it would be a shame to see the concept used in many other ways.
your maths confuses me....
we are going from 2 big sets and 2 small sets per year to 3 big and 1 small. big sets have 15 mythics and small sets have 10. so we are going from 50 mythics per year to 55. how is that an issue?
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Huey, Dewey and Louie are always dressed in RUG. it is CLEARLY going to be the wedges block Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
Your line of thinking brings me to the realization that the 3 large sets, and I assume the core set, will have sufficiently larger card pools than current sets, large enough that it also means that 15 mythics per set will become a thing of the past. What exactly this means I don't know but if blocks are no longer a thing and went from 3 sets per block to recently 2 sets per block (30 mythics) then what's next? 15? No way! I'm betting that MaRo's newly unveiled "vanilla mythic" project is a means of diluting the power of mythics if they have to print more for the sake of larger sets. It's a bit unsettling to see this; I'm discovering these thoughts as I continue reading news but anyways..
MaRo,
If you see this, please only make tribal vanilla mythics.. please don't let the concept become pushed as a tool for weakening mythics. Vanilla mythics can work in the context of tribal - if they are good enough - (I believe),it would be a shame to see the concept used in many other ways.
The vanilla mythic is a one-off. He's repeatedly said that it's just one card in the set file and that "vanilla matters" is not space they're actively interested in exploring in a standard-legal set.
The part I liked the most is the returning of core sets because it is the easiest place to print popular tribal cards and answers. The part that I'm not too sure about is the dropping of the Masterpieces from the sets unless it's a very special set. It's sort of a win and lose situation: Booster packs will become more valuable since masterpieces are no longer a factor in the box EV. On the other hand, the rest of the cards soak up the dollar value those cards held, so it makes the rest of the set more expensive and thus more costly to buy singles. If they went all the way and got rid of mythics with the masterpieces I'd be a bit less on the fence with it since that would be very good for those that play by the booster rather than by the single.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
Your line of thinking brings me to the realization that the 3 large sets, and I assume the core set, will have sufficiently larger card pools than current sets, large enough that it also means that 15 mythics per set will become a thing of the past. What exactly this means I don't know but if blocks are no longer a thing and went from 3 sets per block to recently 2 sets per block (30 mythics) then what's next? 15? No way! I'm betting that MaRo's newly unveiled "vanilla mythic" project is a means of diluting the power of mythics if they have to print more for the sake of larger sets. It's a bit unsettling to see this; I'm discovering these thoughts as I continue reading news but anyways..
MaRo,
If you see this, please only make tribal vanilla mythics.. please don't let the concept become pushed as a tool for weakening mythics. Vanilla mythics can work in the context of tribal - if they are good enough - (I believe),it would be a shame to see the concept used in many other ways.
your maths confuses me....
we are going from 2 big sets and 2 small sets per year to 3 big and 1 small. big sets have 15 mythics and small sets have 10. so we are going from 50 mythics per year to 55. how is that an issue?
4 large sets. The article has some sentences that are at cross purposes, but it's 4 large sets: 3 Story, 1 Core.
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2 sets drafting together is the same issue. To really make it work you need cards that are mostly the same and who wants to open a bunch of the same cards.
Only big sets actually allows more diversity in individual cards within while also allowing for a cultivated draft experience while also enough varity to not see the same thing draft in and out. Side effect it diversifies the card pool for standard as well allowing for more viable strategies or changing how powerful an existing strategy is from release to release.
You're ignoring that Maro Tweeted a Q about Snow duals. Obviously someone is thinking about it.
My beef with your comment is you assume that to visit Snow mana requires a visit to Dominaria or a retcon to the brothers. It doesn't. There is ZERO reason that snow mana can't discovered or acquired on a different plane or by different people under dissimilar circumstances.
Yeah, I have my hopes up. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't expect much from from WotC anymore though.
Also, with the new core set are they going to be winding back on the Masters sets and put more reprints into the main sets finally? I'd love to see a core set that has cards like Noble Hierarch, but the kinds of cards I think that set will have will really be things like Birds of Paradise, Wrath of God, maybe Damnation, etc. They could definitely put in something like Fulminator Mage if they judge hybrid mana to be simple enough to understand.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Just to let you know, WotC has come out saying they think 1 mana dorks are too powerful for standard now, so you shouldn't anticipate that unless you expect them to change their minds.
They haven't been quite as explicit about the others as far as I know, but current standard design has made those other effects you reference cost 1 mana or half a mana more than the reprints.
The core set will be standard legal.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
One of the major complaints that I've lodged as of late is the lack of support for good-to-great mechanics from the large set going forward into the small set of a block (examples: Investigate, Converge). WotC seemed to want to treat the small set of a block as a big set lite - trying to make it its own thing but still trying to fit in stuff from the mother block. And my response to this was "Then why have a small set? Why are you putting forth a two-set block paradigm but still trying to treat it as two individual sets with their own identities?"
Looks like that question has been answered. This change in release makes it more like the pre-Visions days, where all sets were standalone, but this time done more patiently.
And I'm glad core sets are kinda-sorta coming back. One of my ideas for fixing Standard was to just have a list of 100-150 cards that were always Standard legal, to be adjusted as circumstances warrant. That would like have been unfeasible, but this works too. With this new pseudo-core set, they can look at the FFL and see what possible problems arise and keep tabs on the current meta and see what answers are needed, and be able to supply those answers without trying to force it into a specific storyline or mythos.
1. Snow Mana Set
2. Return to Kamigawa
3. Return to Lorwyn
4. Return to Homelands
5. Enchantment Set
I have that table posted somewhere on this forum but my search-fu won't let me find the link. I compared the number of card reprints in core sets with previous iterations not counting expansions.
Ah ha! Finally found it!
Question about how much carry-over/overlap there is between the various Core Sets from Alpha to Origins
Very well said.
And why does a set need be in the current. Returning to older timelines of planes seem a perfect reason to leave out a Gatewatcher. Thus we return to ice aged Dominaria
I guess I didn't realise that even second sets had fatigue. I liked how they were drafted BBA; I felt that fixed the general problems with drafting (only one pack and at the end of the draft). This could open up some interesting draft formats, like drafting "the last three sets" (which would be similar to drafting Amonkhet/Kaladesh/SOI). On the other hand, this doesn't solve the "you didn't print more cards with Investigate" issue, as that second set isn't there to add those cards. Overall I'm not sure I like this change, but I'm not sure I dislike it either. This will have to be something to reflect on in a couple years.
This didn't surprise me all that much, as we've seen a lot fewer reprints than I expected. This was an issue that needed to be addressed, and it's hard to reprint Kalonian Tusker or Shivan Reef in sets that take place on other planes. This is probably for the best, and it sounds like WotC has just accepted that these sets cannot be targeted to advanced players, and these players will have to accept that as well.
Good. I've enjoyed the stories, but Jace really didn't need to be on Kaladesh. And we really didn't need 4 versions of Nissa in Standard.
This I disagree with. While the Invocations were an obvious fail (incoherent theme, divisive border (even though I personally liked it), and no green cards other than the God), this should have just been a learning experience for the card choices themselves. I've read multiple articles attributing Standard's current low cost to the Masterpieces dropping prices within sets. I think instead they should have dropped the number of Masterpieces from 55/block to, say, 25/block. Or, since blocks have been abolished, 15/set. Allows for more themes, and more theme repeats with different cards (for example, Kaladesh Inventions could have instead been 15 non-creature "Inventions" and 15 artifact-creature "Automatons", and spread a few sets apart). I guess we'll see if Standard prices start to climb with Ixalan.
Old news, agree with having the Play Design group, hopefully this solves some of the recent issues plaguing Standard.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Is that seriously a question
All cards from all sets are legal in Commander, only cards that are too powerful get banned.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
what?
it doesn't mean they can only be played in drafts. it means that we'll be always drafting with 3 boosters from the same set, not mixed
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
C Long Live Eldrazi C
EDIT: comments below were answered thanks to the community
Your line of thinking brings me to the realization that the 3 large sets, and I assume the core set, will have sufficiently larger card pools than current sets, large enough that it also means that 15 mythics per set will become a thing of the past. What exactly this means I don't know but if blocks are no longer a thing and went from 3 sets per block to recently 2 sets per block (30 mythics) then what's next? 15? No way! I'm betting that MaRo's newly unveiled "vanilla mythic" project is a means of diluting the power of mythics if they have to print more for the sake of larger sets. It's a bit unsettling to see this; I'm discovering these thoughts as I continue reading news but anyways..
MaRo,
If you see this, please only make tribal vanilla mythics.. please don't let the concept become pushed as a tool for weakening mythics. Vanilla mythics can work in the context of tribal - if they are good enough - (I believe),it would be a shame to see the concept used in many other ways.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
Prices will climb. Gideon and Ulamog would be way more expensive without the Expeditions. Same with Marvel, Torrential Gearhulk, and Chandra with the Inventions. Bolas help us all if there is a chase Mythic in Ixalan like Jace.
I'm surprised that it took Wizards this long to realize that they were going to have trouble coming up with coherent themes for Masterpiece sets. I mean, how long was the discussion at Wizards about making Masterpieces permanent? All of 30 seconds? They should have known that they'd need more than card types as themes if they were going to do it on a permanent basis, but they somehow got stumped the second block in. They should have been able to plan at least 6 potential themes before deciding to make Masterpieces a permanent thing.
You've got to be kidding me. Something like Shanodin Dryads, even if it gave forestwalk to all dryads, would not be too powerful. :facepalm
In regard to Masterpiece cards......I dont think there needs to be a theme (though please come up with something less cluttered and more aesthetically pleasing than the Amonkhet eyesores). IMO ards on the reserved list would be PERFECT for this sort of insert. How many more packs are you gonna sell if your patrons could crack a Time Walk?
Actually, they already stated similar thing about 4-mana wraths and 3-mana LD effects. So no, those particular cards won't be reprinted in future core sets unless, as you've said, they somehow changed their minds.
your maths confuses me....
we are going from 2 big sets and 2 small sets per year to 3 big and 1 small. big sets have 15 mythics and small sets have 10. so we are going from 50 mythics per year to 55. how is that an issue?
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
The vanilla mythic is a one-off. He's repeatedly said that it's just one card in the set file and that "vanilla matters" is not space they're actively interested in exploring in a standard-legal set.
4 large sets. The article has some sentences that are at cross purposes, but it's 4 large sets: 3 Story, 1 Core.