Business as usual. One thing that won't get discussed much even though it should:
Just as most changes, this one follows the tradition of making Standard more expensive to play. (the introduction of Masterpieces was the only exception). 4 large sets per year mean more packs have to be opened to get the needed cards. 2 small sets turning into big sets means around 320more packs have to be opened per year per player wanting to have playsets of the top cards. Even if the focus of the core sets changes, it won't be really any different than Magic2010-2015 core sets, because no matter what cards fill the most of the set, it's enough to have 1 chase mythic in it that players need a playset of. Then someone somewhere has to open those extra packs.
I don't see why this is a problem. I usually buy 2 boxes of a large set and one of a small (unless they contain exceptionally useful cards for me, such as dual lands. >.< ), now I will just buy two to three boxes of each set instead. Not really a big deal for me. As for the people who can't afford to purchase so many boosters, that is what trading and buying singles are for. Small sets have been poor for a long, long time. Good to see them finally getting rid of them. And the core sets returning are a good thing, they are a necessity to give new players a place to start without dumbing down the non-core sets, and it will allow WotC to reprint a lot of cards needed to keep standard more balanced.
LouCypher said "Attack the idea, not the person". But there is a real person writing "metamorphosis 2" and he turned to be Maro. And I have just one thing to say: it is a little annoying to read "Success" for things that are not that successful, like "quicker storytelling". And it is more annoying to read "challenge" when he should say "total failure", for things like "no core sets".
Anyway, I like the changes.
Thanks for the info, LouCypher.
The quicker storytelling has been very successful. Personally, I find myself very invested in what we're reading. And Maro said specifically that the stories have gone from one of the least read things on the site to THE most popular. I'd say that's working.
If that many ppl are invested in the stories, then they should look into bringing back the novels to make more $ and sell more packs
The novels didn't sell, and stating to print them again would be like throwing good money into a bad lake. :/
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
We could even see a full set return to Kamigawa. Afterall, it does have a significant fanbase and it only has to be one set now.
every day I pray for a return to kamigawa and lorwyn
Lorwyn is WAY more likely now because they can do a Large Set Lorwyn, and follow it up with a Large Set Shadowmoor and keep all the mechanical depth and distinction.
Business as usual. One thing that won't get discussed much even though it should:
Just as most changes, this one follows the tradition of making Standard more expensive to play. (the introduction of Masterpieces was the only exception). 4 large sets per year mean more packs have to be opened to get the needed cards. 2 small sets turning into big sets means around 320more packs have to be opened per year per player wanting to have playsets of the top cards. Even if the focus of the core sets changes, it won't be really any different than Magic2010-2015 core sets, because no matter what cards fill the most of the set, it's enough to have 1 chase mythic in it that players need a playset of. Then someone somewhere has to open those extra packs.
I don't see why this is a problem. I usually buy 2 boxes of a large set and one of a small (unless they contain exceptionally useful cards for me, such as dual lands. >.< ), now I will just buy two to three boxes of each set instead. Not really a big deal for me. As for the people who can't afford to purchase so many boosters, that is what trading and buying singles are for. Small sets have been poor for a long, long time. Good to see them finally getting rid of them. And the core sets returning are a good thing, they are a necessity to give new players a place to start without dumbing down the non-core sets, and it will allow WotC to reprint a lot of cards needed to keep standard more balanced.
LouCypher said "Attack the idea, not the person". But there is a real person writing "metamorphosis 2" and he turned to be Maro. And I have just one thing to say: it is a little annoying to read "Success" for things that are not that successful, like "quicker storytelling". And it is more annoying to read "challenge" when he should say "total failure", for things like "no core sets".
Anyway, I like the changes.
Thanks for the info, LouCypher.
The quicker storytelling has been very successful. Personally, I find myself very invested in what we're reading. And Maro said specifically that the stories have gone from one of the least read things on the site to THE most popular. I'd say that's working.
If that many ppl are invested in the stories, then they should look into bringing back the novels to make more $ and sell more packs
The novels didn't sell, and stating to print them again would be like throwing good money into a bad lake. :/
When the Novels were in the Fatpacks I actually read them. I was way more into the story when I got a free book. The Kamigawa books were ok, but I actually did like the Ravnica ones a lot.
I stopped playing everything except edh when Oath came out. These changes seem to indicate that I will start playing again in 2018. I can't wait. Only thing that would make this more exciting would be the return of tournament packs. Man, I miss those. Great to see core sets returning, I actually enjoyed most core sets. They reminded me more of early magic when sets seemed "more loose"
LouCypher said "Attack the idea, not the person". But there is a real person writing "metamorphosis 2" and he turned to be Maro. And I have just one thing to say: it is a little annoying to read "Success" for things that are not that successful, like "quicker storytelling". And it is more annoying to read "challenge" when he should say "total failure", for things like "no core sets".
Anyway, I like the changes.
Thanks for the info, LouCypher.
Pardon me? The quicker storytelling was quite the success in my book (with an awkward starting phase around BFZ). Since SOI the story has been getting better and better in my book. And I loathed the previous model of "let's leave a plot-thread hanging for up to a decade". Quicker storytelling was a success in my book. And the whole "no core set" situation started because players didn't really like core sets when they were a thing. Now they seem to want them back and I expect that opinion to change once again in the future. I don't like people who state their opinions as facts. Less Gatewatch - Sure, why not, if it makes the Gatewatch haters happy and I don't have to read as many complains about them anymore. And I like the removal of blocks altogether. All in all good changes though as I said, I'm not sure about the return of core sets.
Business as usual. One thing that won't get discussed much even though it should:
Just as most changes, this one follows the tradition of making Standard more expensive to play. (the introduction of Masterpieces was the only exception). 4 large sets per year mean more packs have to be opened to get the needed cards. 2 small sets turning into big sets means around 320more packs have to be opened per year per player wanting to have playsets of the top cards. Even if the focus of the core sets changes, it won't be really any different than Magic2010-2015 core sets, because no matter what cards fill the most of the set, it's enough to have 1 chase mythic in it that players need a playset of. Then someone somewhere has to open those extra packs.
I don't see why this is a problem. I usually buy 2 boxes of a large set and one of a small (unless they contain exceptionally useful cards for me, such as dual lands. >.< ), now I will just buy two to three boxes of each set instead. Not really a big deal for me. As for the people who can't afford to purchase so many boosters, that is what trading and buying singles are for. Small sets have been poor for a long, long time. Good to see them finally getting rid of them. And the core sets returning are a good thing, they are a necessity to give new players a place to start without dumbing down the non-core sets, and it will allow WotC to reprint a lot of cards needed to keep standard more balanced.
LouCypher said "Attack the idea, not the person". But there is a real person writing "metamorphosis 2" and he turned to be Maro. And I have just one thing to say: it is a little annoying to read "Success" for things that are not that successful, like "quicker storytelling". And it is more annoying to read "challenge" when he should say "total failure", for things like "no core sets".
Anyway, I like the changes.
Thanks for the info, LouCypher.
The quicker storytelling has been very successful. Personally, I find myself very invested in what we're reading. And Maro said specifically that the stories have gone from one of the least read things on the site to THE most popular. I'd say that's working.
If that many ppl are invested in the stories, then they should look into bringing back the novels to make more $ and sell more packs
The novels didn't sell, and stating to print them again would be like throwing good money into a bad lake. :/
i know they didnt sell (despite having purchased every single one myself). The point im making is that if the stories are the most popular articles now, it might be worth a revisit
''We started with the idea of doing "instants and sorceries" but soon found the theme didn't connect enough to the world of Amonkhet. We changed to a flavor-based theme built around the Gods, but it required explaining, and the audience never quite warmed up to it.''
I don't think the people were put off by the type of cards, but more the design of the cards. I like the fact they're gonna be doing less masterpieces though.
he's not talking about the reason why players didn't like them tho. he's talking about the difficulties THEY had with them.
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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
Lorwyn is WAY more likely now because they can do a Large Set Lorwyn, and follow it up with a Large Set Shadowmoor and keep all the mechanical depth and distinction.
After the end of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor story, both worlds have become one (although it is implied that they could become separated again some time), so they would need only 1 set for a return.
i know they didnt sell (despite having purchased every single one myself). The point im making is that if the stories are the most popular articles now, it might be worth a revisit
And I am telling you that WotC will not do it because they are well aware that it would be a huge waste of money to do so.
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
They couldn't have handled the Return to Return to Ravnica under the Two-Block Paradigm. I've always wondered about that. Problem solved: 2 or 3 large sets for the RtRtR.
I will be happy if we keep referring to future Ravnica sets in this way into infinity. Ravnica Cycle IV as RtRtRtR?
Anyway, my prediction is two large sets for it, with a 5 and 5 guild distribution; or, if they want to be quite bold, go to the original 4/4/3 model.
I've always wondered...What is the purpose of having a "small set" to begin with?
Can anyone shed some light?
Just expansions to the larger set their connected to. But it always lead to the problem of the small set having to add something new just to interest player since they always add more mechanics from the large set. When we had the three set blocks the third set of a block, Born of the Gods holds the distinction of being the only second small set disliked by players, usually had less interest because the mechanics had already been spread thin. Once they had a few small sets under the two set block model they realized it wasn't just the third small set, but all small sets. Small sets also had the problem of not being able to be drafted by themselves. They needed the large set to have a decent pool for mechanics to work.
With this change you can just draft from that set since its large and has enough within it that you don't need to get another set for it to work.
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WOut of the ground,I rise to grace...W BAfter the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through. I will remember how you scream...B
Lorwyn is WAY more likely now because they can do a Large Set Lorwyn, and follow it up with a Large Set Shadowmoor and keep all the mechanical depth and distinction.
After the end of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor story, both worlds have become one (although it is implied that they could become separated again some time), so they would need only 1 set for a return.
Yeah but MaRo has said that the difficulty in returning to Lorwyn was that it was interesting because of the duality of the place and that was tricky to do in a single Big set and a Small set.
Between Ixalan's second set and the new Core Set, we're going only have a 1-Set world. Very good chance it's going to be a Return World (I don't think they're doing a new plane from the get-go and after 3 new planes) and... not Ravnica because I'm pretty sure Ravnica is always going to a 2 Large-Set Plane (5 Guilds per set sounds about right).
Considering the anniversary and all-that, I think the chances of Dominaria are very high.
Like everyone pointed out, a world can be given 1 set dramatically raises the chance of returning to planes like Kamigawa, where they didn't want to risk half-a-year on and you can't get smaller than 1 set (quarter-year), so any plane doomed not to return via this structure is pretty much doomed. I did say (to myself) if they ever returned to Kamigawa (in a true Standard set) I would buy a case (I don't even usually buy boxes), so my wallet's not very happy at the prospects, although my Vorthos is.
Okay, onto more general things - the core set I think we all touched on, although the focus on newer players pretty much means no chance of getting it named Magic Masters and the fact that everything in it still runs through Standard doesn't bode well on the reprint front. Considering the mess Standard is in I guess it's good to focus on its recovery, although I hope they revise the Standard legality issue further down the route.
Yes, all large sets means more cards and more cost, but the flexibility provided is unparalleled. Besides, technically speaking Magic is one of the few card games (okay fine I assume it's a few) that does smaller expansions of a set to begin with - pretty much every other card game's expansions are all "large-size" releases (scaling to their relative sizing of course). It did make it different but as the article pointed out it came with its own problems (and it was surprising we ran that long with it). Sure, now MTG's release will feel not much different from other TCGs in structure, but ultimately I think there's no point being different if it brings that much issues with it.
"We do a lot of market research" - ok Maro produces a lot of questionnaires. I haven't seen a single one that focuses on gameplay, mechanics, and nuances of card power. Seems wotc is overly concerned with flavor, art, and 'what did you like/not like best'. Frankly I think he relies on his brand of market research way too much. It's flawed to the perspective of the asker.
Challenges - While there's an admission that they overdid Gatewatch characters, I find it alarming that in every paragraph except the first Maro is clinging to theme, story, and world arguments while not addressing mechanics, balance, and card power.
"While we've had a lot of success in this area (narrative/storytelling), we did discover one common complaint" - one? Really? He even mentions how badly Emrakul turned out in a very white washed manner but didn't include it as a common complaint? What I'm seeing all over this article is STORY, NARRATIVE, THEMES, and FLAVOR are what Maro is still focused on.
Masterpiece series - His analysis of why Amonkhet's Masterpieces were less popular is so completely off it's staggering. They are ugly, barely readable cards. That's it. No one seeks out cards they don't want to look at and get a headache reading! Come on Mark, pull your head out! That is the worst kind of denial. No, it's not because we designed something horrible, it's fatigue... yea that's it.
3 - 1 Model - <facepalm> Was this really necessary? Sure he talks small sets in Challenges #2 but his analysis is all over the place and only addresses what people 'didn't like' as opposed to what mistakes they made which resulted in people NOT LIKING THINGS! In the same paragraph he talks about TONAL shifts and relates them to mechanics dropping out or sticking around and people not liking BOTH. So you're only listening when people complain but different people will complain at different times so there's NO SCIENCE in how he's collecting and analyzing data. So then how can you draw proper conclusions? Which does he think is the mistake? Carrying over mechanics or not? <facepalm!>
I like a small set! Fewer cards gives them more chance to focus and ADD to the standard environment and should serve as a bit of a break from a single design team trucking along (which I feel they should have at least 2 teams swapping off sets). It makes for a better standard when you have small sets continue mechanics from the large and can help decks 'emerge' like Hardened Scales was never quite good enough until they printed Nissa and a one drop that fit perfectly into the deck and made it golden. If you're changing everything every set you lose many of these kinds of chances. You also get to print fewer filler cards!
Core sets - I never minded core sets but the high volume of reprinted unusable crap was always an irritation. Thus they sell less of core sets, and thus I think lower sales was more of a reason to eliminate them. Returning them specifically so they can reprint just a few cards without marring 'flavor' seems to be a weak decision and a major compromise (change) to simply avoid disturbing a set's flavor. I'd think Thoughtseize should be fine in any world. Same goes for Hero's Downfall and Pithing Needle and most cards that need to get a reprint to help out standard. What's wrong with giving a card a new name and reprinting the text if flavor is so bloody important???
I only noticed Mark use the word fun a couple times in the article and he sure as hell didn't address GAME BALANCE AT ALL. I find this incredibly worrisome from someone who says they've 'lessons learned'.
The only thing good I saw was the new Play Design group which would take tournament play (and thus balance we can hope) into account. The big question is how much influence will they have and will they be allowed to tell Maro 'No' to these theme/story/marketing cards that are ruining the game? Will they be able to turn them away from the apparent market research debacle that has gotten us here? Because the reality is Maro has been using his marketing to steer us to where we are today, lacking balance (agree-control-midrange) and way over the top with creature power and board effect because he's 'printing cards people want to buy'.
I just want a fun game with variety and balance. I could care less about their story or themes being consistent. What really sells magic is a fun and balanced play environment but I see a great big Maro wall of words that addresses this most important concept the very least.
Originally small sets were not intended to be drafted, they had fewer cards per pack, and they were supposed to be more of an impulse purchase where it didn't take many packs to see all the cards. (Dark, Alliances, Fallen Empires, Homelands) They had alternate art so even the repeat cards weren't so boring.
When they got mechanically tied to other sets, that's when they started to fail. All of the sudden they weren't just impulse buys - and when limited started becoming a thing (Ice Age), they needed to have more consistent structure. By then, they were kind of traditional, and then they just kept going - which is why I think they exist. I'm glad they are finally dropping it.
For those asking about rotation, although he didn't specifically discuss it your answer is in the gif:
4 sets will be released each year: Winter Story, Spring Story, Summer Core, Fall Story. The Fall Story set will trigger rotation, dropping 4 sets and leaving 5 sets in Standard. So, 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 sets; all large and up to 2 Core at a time.
So every year now is Masques-block when it comes to lore. I actually am fine with that. Magic design comes closer to the way I design custom sets - blockless with a continuous story.
Wait how is it they have decided not to have masterpieces in Ixalan when they only just got bad feedback about the Amonkhet ones.....when did they start working on ixalan? During the release of Amonkhet?
I imagine after they realized the challenge in creating Masterpieces every set already during Amonkhet-design they just were really unenthusiastic about the theme they had in mind for Ixalan. It seems reasonable they came to the conclusion to scale back Masterpieces beforethe feedback for the latest series was in and just consider the negative feedback to Invocations compounding the issue.
It's really unfortunate they're not learning the right lesson from the amonkhet invocations. I think less masterpieces is a good idea, but it's not why the invocations were a failure. They were hideous. The aesthetics of their design was just bad.
To be honest the Masterpiece-series doesn't seem sustainable in the volume they were going for anyway and would have faltered sooner or later under the pressure of finding the right exciting reprints that they haven't done recently between all their other reprint opportunities. I also am disappointed though that they didn't go on record saying: "Also we now realize these card frame graphical designs that we want you to be excited about for a set we soon start previews on are really, really ugly."
A set with boosters MUST be a good set to draft , otherwise it completely fails its purpose and it smells like WotC is going to fk that up right here, which is sad news in my book.
Yeah, the way the projected draft experience of the core sets was described read... not very promising? Dreadful? Lame? It seems lik they are trying to repeat some of the mistakes they made with the discontinued core sets.
What will happend to the story with this new model? We will go to a world and, for instance, only be there for 1 set. How is that time enough to set up a story for the world and then resolve it at the same time?
I wouldn't be surprised if generally stories get to span two sets anyway... maybe there will be a tendency to have a longer stay (two sets) on a new plane and shorter visits (one set) to returning planes? That way they can keep the returns on the point. New worlds would need more breathing room as they need to introduce the setting in addition to building on it.
That's my initial guess. It could easily be wrong - from a story telling point this seems like even more of a paradigm shift than the one announced three years ago.
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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 don't see why this is a problem. I usually buy 2 boxes of a large set and one of a small (unless they contain exceptionally useful cards for me, such as dual lands. >.< ), now I will just buy two to three boxes of each set instead. Not really a big deal for me. As for the people who can't afford to purchase so many boosters, that is what trading and buying singles are for. Small sets have been poor for a long, long time. Good to see them finally getting rid of them. And the core sets returning are a good thing, they are a necessity to give new players a place to start without dumbing down the non-core sets, and it will allow WotC to reprint a lot of cards needed to keep standard more balanced.
The novels didn't sell, and stating to print them again would be like throwing good money into a bad lake. :/
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Lorwyn is WAY more likely now because they can do a Large Set Lorwyn, and follow it up with a Large Set Shadowmoor and keep all the mechanical depth and distinction.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
When the Novels were in the Fatpacks I actually read them. I was way more into the story when I got a free book. The Kamigawa books were ok, but I actually did like the Ravnica ones a lot.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
Pardon me? The quicker storytelling was quite the success in my book (with an awkward starting phase around BFZ). Since SOI the story has been getting better and better in my book. And I loathed the previous model of "let's leave a plot-thread hanging for up to a decade". Quicker storytelling was a success in my book. And the whole "no core set" situation started because players didn't really like core sets when they were a thing. Now they seem to want them back and I expect that opinion to change once again in the future. I don't like people who state their opinions as facts. Less Gatewatch - Sure, why not, if it makes the Gatewatch haters happy and I don't have to read as many complains about them anymore. And I like the removal of blocks altogether. All in all good changes though as I said, I'm not sure about the return of core sets.
he's not talking about the reason why players didn't like them tho. he's talking about the difficulties THEY had with them.
Pioneer: WURFaerie fires BRGDragons
ModernBGElves WRBurn UR Fires Turns URGift Storm UG Twiddle Storm
Also if returning to a one set structure allows us to visit old planes, how about a return to Kamigawa, Dominaria, Lorwyn, Theros or even Mercadia?
After the end of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor story, both worlds have become one (although it is implied that they could become separated again some time), so they would need only 1 set for a return.
And I am telling you that WotC will not do it because they are well aware that it would be a huge waste of money to do so.
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Glances at poor wallet in pity.
I will be happy if we keep referring to future Ravnica sets in this way into infinity. Ravnica Cycle IV as RtRtRtR?
Anyway, my prediction is two large sets for it, with a 5 and 5 guild distribution; or, if they want to be quite bold, go to the original 4/4/3 model.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Just expansions to the larger set their connected to. But it always lead to the problem of the small set having to add something new just to interest player since they always add more mechanics from the large set. When we had the three set blocks the third set of a block, Born of the Gods holds the distinction of being the only second small set disliked by players, usually had less interest because the mechanics had already been spread thin. Once they had a few small sets under the two set block model they realized it wasn't just the third small set, but all small sets. Small sets also had the problem of not being able to be drafted by themselves. They needed the large set to have a decent pool for mechanics to work.
With this change you can just draft from that set since its large and has enough within it that you don't need to get another set for it to work.
BAfter the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through. I will remember how you scream...B
Yeah but MaRo has said that the difficulty in returning to Lorwyn was that it was interesting because of the duality of the place and that was tricky to do in a single Big set and a Small set.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
The signs were already there with the larger Welcome Deck and the extra lands in the Toolkit.
Considering the anniversary and all-that, I think the chances of Dominaria are very high.
Like everyone pointed out, a world can be given 1 set dramatically raises the chance of returning to planes like Kamigawa, where they didn't want to risk half-a-year on and you can't get smaller than 1 set (quarter-year), so any plane doomed not to return via this structure is pretty much doomed. I did say (to myself) if they ever returned to Kamigawa (in a true Standard set) I would buy a case (I don't even usually buy boxes), so my wallet's not very happy at the prospects, although my Vorthos is.
Okay, onto more general things - the core set I think we all touched on, although the focus on newer players pretty much means no chance of getting it named Magic Masters and the fact that everything in it still runs through Standard doesn't bode well on the reprint front. Considering the mess Standard is in I guess it's good to focus on its recovery, although I hope they revise the Standard legality issue further down the route.
Yes, all large sets means more cards and more cost, but the flexibility provided is unparalleled. Besides, technically speaking Magic is one of the few card games (okay fine I assume it's a few) that does smaller expansions of a set to begin with - pretty much every other card game's expansions are all "large-size" releases (scaling to their relative sizing of course). It did make it different but as the article pointed out it came with its own problems (and it was surprising we ran that long with it). Sure, now MTG's release will feel not much different from other TCGs in structure, but ultimately I think there's no point being different if it brings that much issues with it.
Challenges - While there's an admission that they overdid Gatewatch characters, I find it alarming that in every paragraph except the first Maro is clinging to theme, story, and world arguments while not addressing mechanics, balance, and card power.
"While we've had a lot of success in this area (narrative/storytelling), we did discover one common complaint" - one? Really? He even mentions how badly Emrakul turned out in a very white washed manner but didn't include it as a common complaint? What I'm seeing all over this article is STORY, NARRATIVE, THEMES, and FLAVOR are what Maro is still focused on.
Masterpiece series - His analysis of why Amonkhet's Masterpieces were less popular is so completely off it's staggering. They are ugly, barely readable cards. That's it. No one seeks out cards they don't want to look at and get a headache reading! Come on Mark, pull your head out! That is the worst kind of denial. No, it's not because we designed something horrible, it's fatigue... yea that's it.
3 - 1 Model - <facepalm> Was this really necessary? Sure he talks small sets in Challenges #2 but his analysis is all over the place and only addresses what people 'didn't like' as opposed to what mistakes they made which resulted in people NOT LIKING THINGS! In the same paragraph he talks about TONAL shifts and relates them to mechanics dropping out or sticking around and people not liking BOTH. So you're only listening when people complain but different people will complain at different times so there's NO SCIENCE in how he's collecting and analyzing data. So then how can you draw proper conclusions? Which does he think is the mistake? Carrying over mechanics or not? <facepalm!>
I like a small set! Fewer cards gives them more chance to focus and ADD to the standard environment and should serve as a bit of a break from a single design team trucking along (which I feel they should have at least 2 teams swapping off sets). It makes for a better standard when you have small sets continue mechanics from the large and can help decks 'emerge' like Hardened Scales was never quite good enough until they printed Nissa and a one drop that fit perfectly into the deck and made it golden. If you're changing everything every set you lose many of these kinds of chances. You also get to print fewer filler cards!
Core sets - I never minded core sets but the high volume of reprinted unusable crap was always an irritation. Thus they sell less of core sets, and thus I think lower sales was more of a reason to eliminate them. Returning them specifically so they can reprint just a few cards without marring 'flavor' seems to be a weak decision and a major compromise (change) to simply avoid disturbing a set's flavor. I'd think Thoughtseize should be fine in any world. Same goes for Hero's Downfall and Pithing Needle and most cards that need to get a reprint to help out standard. What's wrong with giving a card a new name and reprinting the text if flavor is so bloody important???
I only noticed Mark use the word fun a couple times in the article and he sure as hell didn't address GAME BALANCE AT ALL. I find this incredibly worrisome from someone who says they've 'lessons learned'.
The only thing good I saw was the new Play Design group which would take tournament play (and thus balance we can hope) into account. The big question is how much influence will they have and will they be allowed to tell Maro 'No' to these theme/story/marketing cards that are ruining the game? Will they be able to turn them away from the apparent market research debacle that has gotten us here? Because the reality is Maro has been using his marketing to steer us to where we are today, lacking balance (agree-control-midrange) and way over the top with creature power and board effect because he's 'printing cards people want to buy'.
I just want a fun game with variety and balance. I could care less about their story or themes being consistent. What really sells magic is a fun and balanced play environment but I see a great big Maro wall of words that addresses this most important concept the very least.
I'm still worried.
When they got mechanically tied to other sets, that's when they started to fail. All of the sudden they weren't just impulse buys - and when limited started becoming a thing (Ice Age), they needed to have more consistent structure. By then, they were kind of traditional, and then they just kept going - which is why I think they exist. I'm glad they are finally dropping it.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing
Totally planning to ignore that intention and run drafts of them together...
I'm sure lots of people will! It'll no doubt be the fun kind of nutty.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
every draft is now a chaos draft!
URW PillowFort Stasis (costruction)
modern:
U Taking Turns combo
pauper:
UB Servitor Control
xenob8 : you know you are going to have a bad time when opponent starts with snow covered island
4 sets will be released each year: Winter Story, Spring Story, Summer Core, Fall Story. The Fall Story set will trigger rotation, dropping 4 sets and leaving 5 sets in Standard. So, 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 sets; all large and up to 2 Core at a time.
I imagine after they realized the challenge in creating Masterpieces every set already during Amonkhet-design they just were really unenthusiastic about the theme they had in mind for Ixalan. It seems reasonable they came to the conclusion to scale back Masterpieces beforethe feedback for the latest series was in and just consider the negative feedback to Invocations compounding the issue.
To be honest the Masterpiece-series doesn't seem sustainable in the volume they were going for anyway and would have faltered sooner or later under the pressure of finding the right exciting reprints that they haven't done recently between all their other reprint opportunities. I also am disappointed though that they didn't go on record saying: "Also we now realize these card frame graphical designs that we want you to be excited about for a set we soon start previews on are really, really ugly."
Yeah, the way the projected draft experience of the core sets was described read... not very promising? Dreadful? Lame? It seems lik they are trying to repeat some of the mistakes they made with the discontinued core sets.
You misspelled Jace there. (Disclaimer: I have no personal stakes in that one - just what I perceive as the will of the masses.)
I wouldn't be surprised if generally stories get to span two sets anyway... maybe there will be a tendency to have a longer stay (two sets) on a new plane and shorter visits (one set) to returning planes? That way they can keep the returns on the point. New worlds would need more breathing room as they need to introduce the setting in addition to building on it.
That's my initial guess. It could easily be wrong - from a story telling point this seems like even more of a paradigm shift than the one announced three years ago.
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
Nothing wrong with that...you can even sanction a FNM for it. Sounds like fun, too.