As a player, I certainly saw the humor in stuff like Stop That, Shoe Tree, Hurloon Wrangler, Enter the Dungeon, Ashnod's Coupon, etc. The issue is that an entire set of that stopped me cold at going any farther than looking at the spoiler - the cards looked horrendous to actually play (I am disabled so Enter the Dungeon is especially obnoxious), and that was before me overcoming the barrier of spending money on cards I couldn't really use. I recognize that's a silly criteria - I sure ain't using my 20+ copies of Pillarfield Ox and its relatives from all my drafts, but the issue is that in theory I CAN use those oxes without asking my playgroup's permission first. With old-style Uncards, you were asking players to sign on to not play Magic anymore - but instead to be singing, dancing, stripping, and fighting over whether it was good sportsmanship to grind the game to a standstill in order to force someone to go get me an Icee. All the sort of stuff that's super fun in theory, but extremely tedious to do more than once or twice.
The sets were also unbalanced - cards were either miserable and broken and only used to make life sad and frustrating (see Coupon, Frankie Peanuts, Enter the Dungeon, and most every card with Gotcha!), or they were costed such that they are mostly unplayable, with only a bare handful of cards in between like Blast from the Past and Booster Tutor - coincidentally, the only cards in the set that are worth anything at all on the secondary market.
I imagine I'm not the only one that felt this way, either, given that the sets sold extremely poorly. So color me 100% onboard for cards that push design boundaries while still making an effort to have a recognizable (if weird and complex) game of Magic happening. Contraptions look to add a whole other level of deckbuilding and strategic decision-making to the game that will be super complicated, but still within the realm of Magic (as long as we squint and don't read too hard into the comp rules). If you want to sing the hokey pokey with your pants off while forcing opponents to get you a glass of scotch, you can play Calvinball.
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Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Like I said, I don't like shoe counters or pig latin either, its too unmanageable, too much effort in the joke for little payoff. Hangman and the two cards posted earlier (Six-y Beast and Richard Garfield) examples of the correct amount of manageable and gimmicky wackiness that I like, it goes beyond the game in the ways that will probably never be replicated in black border, is very simple and lots of fun.
SquirrelLink is just Living Hive but people like it x10 because it includes a meme animal this time around, I play a token EDH deck though, I've already used this same effect last weekend
Watermarks is neat, because it's something I felt they've always needed to try, but honestly its really a mechanic no different from checking creature subtypes, still glad it's added though
And like I said before, Contraptions is still a wait and see
Ravnica and Tarkir are two normal planes that could use a watermark mechanic, in my opinion.
They don't look like boring trash. They ARE boring trash no matter how nice the art looks when you place them together in the binder (which will only remind you of how disappointing they are).
Contraptions are glorified artifacts that you place from some deck and then activate in a cyclical fashion. That's it. Unless there is some really unexpected reveal or change in fun-level, this will be a really stable disappointment. Which will probably be the case, since that bee-gun thing is mythic.
10 years of degisgning for a mythic "2: fight target creature". Kill me.
Contraptions aren't glorified artifacts. They are artifacts.
You could argue that pre-existing artifact combos like every Paradox Engine combo ever, already do the Contraption thing better, but I agree with Viledrone that we should withhold judgment until we see how it all comes together, even if it ends up being terrible in the end.
They don't look like boring trash. They ARE boring trash no matter how nice the art looks when you place them together in the binder (which will only remind you of how disappointing they are).
Contraptions are glorified artifacts that you place from some deck and then activate in a cyclical fashion. That's it. Unless there is some really unexpected reveal or change in fun-level, this will be a really stable disappointment. Which will probably be the case, since that bee-gun thing is mythic.
10 years of degisgning for a mythic "2: fight target creature". Kill me.
Putting all 9 of each faction's contraptions in the binder actually has me pretty hyped. Thanks for bringing that up! Art, Mechanics,limited playability, sillyness,inside jokes, meta gameplay(hangman)- This set looks like it has it all.
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My favorite flavor text: Time of Heroes
Feel free to tell me yours!
So here's a question: If Contraptions are a side deck then are we intended to play with a deck of less than 40? Will we get a fourth pack to draft so we can probably have enough to have a 40 card deck and still have a reasonable number of Contraptions.
So here's a question: If Contraptions are a side deck then are we intended to play with a deck of less than 40? Will we get a fourth pack to draft so we can probably have enough to have a 40 card deck and still have a reasonable number of Contraptions.
I guess you will have enough cards to put 23 of them into your deck and add 17 lands even with additional contraption deck. Remember conspiracy?
Yes, "life equal to greatest power", "+2/+2 until EoT" and "2: fight target creature" sure is funny and wacky. And that is the centerpiece of the set. Truly a great design philosophy. It's a feature!
When normal cards from normal sets are way more fun than cards called "dogsnail engine" and "bee-bee gun" in an unset, something is terribly wrong.
Yeah dog, they should give +2½/+2½ if you balance the card on your nose, like real Un-cards, the ones that were super fun and human beings enjoyed playing with.
So here's a question: If Contraptions are a side deck then are we intended to play with a deck of less than 40? Will we get a fourth pack to draft so we can probably have enough to have a 40 card deck and still have a reasonable number of Contraptions.
I think you probably still draft 45 cards and then add as many contraptions as you want, turn that into a side deck and still swing with your beaters and so on. Think of the contraptions as an "active sideboard" that fuels your gameplay.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
So here's a question: If Contraptions are a side deck then are we intended to play with a deck of less than 40? Will we get a fourth pack to draft so we can probably have enough to have a 40 card deck and still have a reasonable number of Contraptions.
I think you probably still draft 45 cards and then add as many contraptions as you want, turn that into a side deck and still swing with your beaters and so on. Think of the contraptions as an "active sideboard" that fuels your gameplay.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
On the upside, Squirrels are back. Downside is, now they'll probably never be let back into black border as Unstable will undoubtedly cement them as the face species of silver border.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I definitely prefer a set that works more like a regular Magic set and has less action-based stuff and rule-breaking nonsense. I'd never want to draft Unglued/Unhinged because standing on one leg and squawking like a chicken or trying not to say certain gotcha words isn't what I want from a game of Magic. That said, if you're into that kind of stuff, I can see the argument that they shouldn't have made this «just another set of Magic» instead of something wilder and more special. For me personally, this looks like a winner.
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When I hit my 3000 post mark, I'm gone for good.
Stay reasonable, be mindful of your expectations and don't feed the trolls.
I love the fluffy fat bees in Bee Bee Gun. Honestly I love the art of this set in general. It looks a lot more manageable to play than the others. It's not too over the top absurd, and I can actually see some of these designs in the future of black border. The art reminds me of those colorful and wacky elementary school book covers I used to read as a kid.
Damn am I really showing interest in this set? I think so.
Compared to previous Un-sets this seems "less fun to look at" but it might be "more fun to play." While the former makes spoiler season less fun, the latter will obviously make me spend more money on it.
It seems the goal was slightly more meta than previous un-sets... I have a feeling the gameplay is going to be wacky and bizarre and fun even if some of the cards are not.
On the upside, Squirrels are back. Downside is, now they'll probably never be let back into black border as Unstable will undoubtedly cement them as the face species of silver border.
My group will allow these as per house rules. The design of this set is a lot more sensible.
Review ratings are on a 5-point scale, and based on two formats with two numbers when necessary. The usual LSV rating applies a - 5/5 is a card that I would play in any deck allowed to do so, a 0/5 is a card I'd never play anywhere ever in the most contrived of circumstances, a 3 is a solid roleplayer that is good in its archetype and a reasonable draft pick early on, and everything else is on that spectrum.
1) Limited - This can be any sort of limited format, be it Triple Unstable Draft, Unstable Sealed, Un-set Draft, some sort of grab bag involving Conspiracy packs as well, or a Un-Cube. I do inherently assume an uncube will be made such that cards like, well, Aerial Toastmaster and Kindly Cognician are reasonable picks and that they won't be sharing space with stuff like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar for the four-drop slot or Sol Ring and Mox Sapphire in a "ramp me" spot.
2) Constructed - This assumes casual kitchen table decks, but mostly Commander. I mostly play and prefer Commander and it seems more likely that a playgroup will let silver-border fly in Commander (especially with the hint that each faction will get a few legends that were designed with Commander in mind).
CONTRAPTIONS: Dogsnail Engine: While this can be a lot of life, Soul's Grace every three turns isn't THAT exciting. This is unlikely to make it into my contraption pile. 1/5 in all formats.
Bee-Bee Gun: Reusable removal is the bee's knees for most commander and casual decks, even if it does require having the board. I can see this being a pretty solid addition to many contraption piles. 3/5 in all formats.
Genetic Recombobulator: Now THIS is the stuff. Symbiosis every couple of turns feels significantly stronger than all of this other noise, although in general contraptions seem to be created as spells that normally cost 2-3 mana. Not being a surprise is meh, but it can combo with other stuff. 4/5 in all formats.
Hard Hat Area: This card is fascinating. First, it is random - there is a real chance of not getting any contraptions at all. IF You get it early, it can be insane as a way to quickly assemble a whole mess of contraptions. If its the last card in your contraption pile, it is :(. I can't see not running it though, for the same reason it's worth running Sol Ring and Exploration - the games where you land this early are going to be insane. 5/5 in all formats- if you are running Contraptions, this is in the pile.
ASSEMBLERS: Contraptions are only as good as the assembly line that can crank them out, especially given that most contraptions seem to be small effects and the true power is in getting 4+ of them out at once.
Aerial Toastmaster: In limited this thing is real. In other formats its meh - the body is weak, and the activation cost is high. I certainly hope we can do better, but it isn't unplayable. 4/5 limited, 2/5 constructed.
Finders, Keepers: In limited, it's...fine, in the same way Contract Killing is fine. 3/5, likely a top pick but not a card you want multiples of. In Casual, it's 1/5 - this is awful given what we know of contraptions so far, and we need to pray Black has a better way to get their engine running.
Steamflogger of the Month: Now we see what seems to be a theme of the Steamfloggers - "Winning more". This card is obviously very powerful as it doubles your contraptions, but it is five mana. We really need something like a 2/1 for 1R with "Sacrifice ~: Assemble a contraption". In the right deck, it is good and a fun build-around for limited. In casual, it depends on if we get enough cheap ways to ensure that when you slam this otherwise below-rate 3/3 for 3RR on turn 5, you are getting 3-5 contraptions out of him. I'ma call him a 3/5 pending the rest of the set.
Midlife Upgrade: W/U seems more about getting quality engines running rather than just flipping all 15 contraptions onto the table. This feels overcosted for what it does, but at the very least it always gives you a contraption. My fear is that 4 mana is the going rate for all contraptions, and that's real bad considering their frailty and need for a ton of them on the table to really be worthwhile. If this is what contraptions will cost, I imagine this card is a 3/5 for limited, but it would leave me concerned that contraptions aren't worth it in casual as spending four mana to get a Soul's Grace every three turns seems pretty weak sauce. If this is as good as it gets in white, this card is a 3/5 as well but bodes poorly for the success of the Contraption deck.
Kindly Cognician: She goes a loooong way towards this deck working if its going to. She's likely a top limited pick much like Otapec Huntmaster for enabling great draws for her deck, and a 1/3 body blocks okay to boot. 4/5. For constructed casual, she's also a 4/5 as most decks that want her will find she's a better Etherium Sculptor. "Refering to artifacts" covers a lot - this is another reduction for everything with Affinity for Artifacts, it lets you get a discount on Austere Command, it lets you cast Thirst for Knowledge for cheaper, and it makes the Contraption Assemblers much more feasible. Now, rules text isn't reminder text so I imagine she doesn't enable Fabricate.dec or Intimidate/Fear.dec, but even so there's over a thousand cards she discounts so far. Great card is great, but not totally broken...probably.
Steamflogger Boss: Again, this is "win more", but it also seems to go a long way towards making the deck playable. 4/5, if you are playing a Red-based Rigger Contraption deck you want this dude on your side.
CONTRAPTIONS: Dogsnail Engine: While this can be a lot of life, Soul's Grace every three turns isn't THAT exciting. This is unlikely to make it into my contraption pile. 1/5
Bee-Bee Gun: Reusable removal is the bee's knees for most commander and casual decks, even if it does require having the board. I can see this being a pretty solid addition to many contraption piles. 3/5
Genetic Recombobulator: Now THIS is the stuff. Symbiosis every couple of turns feels significantly stronger than all of this other noise, although in general contraptions seem to be created as spells that normally cost 2-3 mana. Not being a surprise is meh, but it can combo with other stuff. 4/5
Hard Hat Area: This card is fascinating. First, it is random - there is a real chance of not getting any contraptions at all. IF You get it early, it can be insane as a way to quickly assemble a whole mess of contraptions. If its the last card in your contraption pile, it is :(. I can't see not running it though, for the same reason it's worth running Sol Ring and Exploration - the games where you land this early are going to be insane. 5/5
ASSEMBLERS: Contraptions are only as good as the assembly line that can crank them out, especially given that most contraptions seem to be small effects and the true power is in getting 4+ of them out at once.
Aerial Toastmaster: In limited this thing is real. In other formats its meh - the body is weak, and the activation cost is high. I certainly hope we can do better, but it isn't unplayable. 4/5 limited, 2/5 casual.
Finders, Keepers: In limited, it's...fine, in the same way Contract Killing is fine. 3/5, likely a top pick but not a card you want multiples of. In Casual, it's 1/5 - this is awful given what we know of contraptions so far, and we need to pray Black has a better way to get their engine running.
Steamflogger of the Month: Now we see what seems to be a theme of the Steamfloggers - "Winning more". This card is obviously very powerful as it doubles your contraptions, but it is five mana. We really need something like a 2/1 for 1R with "Sacrifice ~: Assemble a contraption". In the right deck, it is good and a fun build-around for limited; 3/5. In casual, it depends on if we get enough cheap ways to ensure that when you slam this otherwise below-rate 3/3 for 3RR on turn 5, you are getting 3-5 contraptions out of him.
Midlife Upgrade: W/U seems more about getting quality engines running rather than just flipping all 15 contraptions onto the table. This feels overcosted for what it does, but at the very least it always gives you a contraption. My fear is that 4 mana is the going rate for all contraptions, and that's real bad considering their frailty and need for a ton of them on the table to really be worthwhile. If this is what contraptions will cost, I imagine this card is a 3/5 for limited, but it would leave me concerned that contraptions aren't worth it in casual as spending four mana to get a Soul's Grace every three turns seems pretty weak sauce.
Kindly Cognician: She goes a loooong way towards this deck working if its going to. She's likely a top limited pick much like Otapec Huntmaster for enabling great draws for her deck, and a 1/3 body blocks okay to boot. 4/5. For constructed casual, she's also a 4/5 as most decks that want her will find she's a better Etherium Sculptor. "Refering to artifacts" covers a lot - this is another reduction for everything with Affinity for Artifacts, it lets you get a discount on Austere Command, it lets you cast Thirst for Knowledge for cheaper, and it makes the Contraption Assemblers much more feasible. Now, rules text isn't reminder text so I imagine she doesn't enable Fabricate.dec or Intimidate/Fear.dec, but even so there's over a thousand cards she discounts so far. Great card is great, but not totally broken...probably.
Steamflogger Boss: Again, this is "win more", but it also seems to go a long way towards making the deck playable. 4/5, if you are playing a Red-based Rigger Contraption deck you want this dude on your side.
A review of power level in this kind of set seems totally silly. Personally, this should be the absolute best place to simply play cards you like versus cards that win you the game
it's a mechanic that already exists in magic
that's boring
it's ok if you like lolsorandom meme humor, but I grew out of Adventure Time type comedy a while ago, I want to see more inventive stuff like Hangman
You probably missed the point Squirrel lord makes four 2/2 tokens anytime it deals any damage, not only to players.
For this kind of review, you should probably mention what format you're focusing on. I disagree with Werewolf_Rawr that it's silly to evaluate the cards from this set (Personally, I'm going to be spending some time evaluating these cards for limited once the full set is revealed). However, cards can't really be evaluated in a vacuum.
Certainly a difference in player profiles/personalities but it just seems odd to me to be worried about power-level in a self-contained set that is meant to have a laughing nature and designed to test boundries.
it's a mechanic that already exists in magic
that's boring
it's ok if you like lolsorandom meme humor, but I grew out of Adventure Time type comedy a while ago, I want to see more inventive stuff like Hangman
You probably missed the point Squirrel lord makes four 2/2 tokens anytime it deals any damage, not only to players.
It's closer to a reverse Druid's Call with an added lord effect. Seems awesome though - Druid's Call is one of my favorites. It's not pushing a boundary mechanically but the art is funny and unlikely to be something that we get with the more serious black-bordered sets.
There has been 8 cards revealed. I doubt that Hangman is the only obscure rule card we are going to get. However, part of the fun of every spoiler season is watching the posts roll in that claim the sky is falling before we have any significant information.
Fair point. I edited it and my review is split (when needed) into:
1) Limited - This can be any sort of limited format, be it Triple Unstable Draft, Unstable Sealed, Un-set Draft, some sort of grab bag involving Conspiracy packs as well, or a Un-Cube. I do inherently assume an uncube will be made such that cards like, well, Aerial Toastmaster and Kindly Cognician are reasonable picks and that they won't be sharing space with stuff like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar for the four-drop slot or Sol Ring and Mox Sapphire in a "ramp me" spot.
2) Constructed - This assumes casual kitchen table decks, but mostly Commander. I mostly play and prefer Commander and it seems more likely that a playgroup will let silver-border fly in Commander (especially with the hint that each faction will get a few legends that were designed with Commander in mind).
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Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
So here's a question: If Contraptions are a side deck then are we intended to play with a deck of less than 40? Will we get a fourth pack to draft so we can probably have enough to have a 40 card deck and still have a reasonable number of Contraptions.
I think you probably still draft 45 cards and then add as many contraptions as you want, turn that into a side deck and still swing with your beaters and so on. Think of the contraptions as an "active sideboard" that fuels your gameplay.
Also, if people read the articles about Unstable draft there is no minimum Contraption deck size, so many people will likely draft the contraptions last unless you see a really good one that can give you an advantage even if it's the only one you play with! I don't think occupying two slots will be a huge problem since they are supposed to help you win faster anyway.
From what I can infer about Contraptions and why they couldn't make it work in a normal set, is the separate contraption deck. New explicit zones have been clarified in the past like exile, but those cards originate come from the same main deck. Contraptions use an entire new board and deck, so if it ever became a thing...which I highly doubt ever will...they will need to modify the rules to include the new board. Although they look cool as borderless cards, we know borderless cards are legal in the formats they are legal in. So when pigs fly, these original contraptions could see a spike in value if they are good.
All around, from today's articles, it sounds like this will be a much better set play wise than the previous Un-sets.
Contraptions weren't designed with the thought of "what's the craziest thing this can do" but "This is something we would like to port over to black border if it proves successful.
So if your looking forward to game warping Contraptions give up already, they don't have a silver boarder on purpose.
It seems people are missing my point. At the end of a draft you will normally have 45 cards. 42 if you don't count the lands. But if part of those 42 cards aren't part of your main deck you're going to be well below the deck minimum just because of drafting the set's primary mechanic. I'm not concerned about not being able to get Contraptions. I'm concerned that getting a decent number of them could be detrimental to your game even if they say that the deck minimum isn't a thing for this format.
Contraptions weren't designed with the thought of "what's the craziest thing this can do" but "This is something we would like to port over to black border if it proves successful.
So if your looking forward to game warping Contraptions give up already, they don't have a silver boarder on purpose.
Precisely! People hating on contraptions here seem to forget that silver border is, beside being wacky, also testing grounds for ideas too bold to even try in black border. And, correct me if I am wrong, getting an extra deck of cards and caring about card placement on the table is pretty far from anything black border has ever done. Making the effects "black border" (no crazy stuff, what people here call boring) enables proper judgement of the power level, which is necessary for black border implementation. Also, free repeatable effects like this have to be low in power, think planeswalkers' +N abilities.
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The sets were also unbalanced - cards were either miserable and broken and only used to make life sad and frustrating (see Coupon, Frankie Peanuts, Enter the Dungeon, and most every card with Gotcha!), or they were costed such that they are mostly unplayable, with only a bare handful of cards in between like Blast from the Past and Booster Tutor - coincidentally, the only cards in the set that are worth anything at all on the secondary market.
I imagine I'm not the only one that felt this way, either, given that the sets sold extremely poorly. So color me 100% onboard for cards that push design boundaries while still making an effort to have a recognizable (if weird and complex) game of Magic happening. Contraptions look to add a whole other level of deckbuilding and strategic decision-making to the game that will be super complicated, but still within the realm of Magic (as long as we squint and don't read too hard into the comp rules). If you want to sing the hokey pokey with your pants off while forcing opponents to get you a glass of scotch, you can play Calvinball.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Ravnica and Tarkir are two normal planes that could use a watermark mechanic, in my opinion.
Contraptions aren't glorified artifacts. They are artifacts.
You could argue that pre-existing artifact combos like every Paradox Engine combo ever, already do the Contraption thing better, but I agree with Viledrone that we should withhold judgment until we see how it all comes together, even if it ends up being terrible in the end.
Putting all 9 of each faction's contraptions in the binder actually has me pretty hyped. Thanks for bringing that up! Art, Mechanics,limited playability, sillyness,inside jokes, meta gameplay(hangman)- This set looks like it has it all.
Feel free to tell me yours!
I guess you will have enough cards to put 23 of them into your deck and add 17 lands even with additional contraption deck. Remember conspiracy?
Yeah dog, they should give +2½/+2½ if you balance the card on your nose, like real Un-cards, the ones that were super fun and human beings enjoyed playing with.
I think you probably still draft 45 cards and then add as many contraptions as you want, turn that into a side deck and still swing with your beaters and so on. Think of the contraptions as an "active sideboard" that fuels your gameplay.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
I think you probably still draft 45 cards and then add as many contraptions as you want, turn that into a side deck and still swing with your beaters and so on. Think of the contraptions as an "active sideboard" that fuels your gameplay.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
*dumbfounded applause*
On the upside, Squirrels are back. Downside is, now they'll probably never be let back into black border as Unstable will undoubtedly cement them as the face species of silver border.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Stay reasonable, be mindful of your expectations and don't feed the trolls.
Doomsdayin'
Damn am I really showing interest in this set? I think so.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
It seems the goal was slightly more meta than previous un-sets... I have a feeling the gameplay is going to be wacky and bizarre and fun even if some of the cards are not.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Review ratings are on a 5-point scale, and based on two formats with two numbers when necessary. The usual LSV rating applies a - 5/5 is a card that I would play in any deck allowed to do so, a 0/5 is a card I'd never play anywhere ever in the most contrived of circumstances, a 3 is a solid roleplayer that is good in its archetype and a reasonable draft pick early on, and everything else is on that spectrum.
1) Limited - This can be any sort of limited format, be it Triple Unstable Draft, Unstable Sealed, Un-set Draft, some sort of grab bag involving Conspiracy packs as well, or a Un-Cube. I do inherently assume an uncube will be made such that cards like, well, Aerial Toastmaster and Kindly Cognician are reasonable picks and that they won't be sharing space with stuff like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar for the four-drop slot or Sol Ring and Mox Sapphire in a "ramp me" spot.
2) Constructed - This assumes casual kitchen table decks, but mostly Commander. I mostly play and prefer Commander and it seems more likely that a playgroup will let silver-border fly in Commander (especially with the hint that each faction will get a few legends that were designed with Commander in mind).
CONTRAPTIONS:
Dogsnail Engine: While this can be a lot of life, Soul's Grace every three turns isn't THAT exciting. This is unlikely to make it into my contraption pile. 1/5 in all formats.
Bee-Bee Gun: Reusable removal is the bee's knees for most commander and casual decks, even if it does require having the board. I can see this being a pretty solid addition to many contraption piles. 3/5 in all formats.
Genetic Recombobulator: Now THIS is the stuff. Symbiosis every couple of turns feels significantly stronger than all of this other noise, although in general contraptions seem to be created as spells that normally cost 2-3 mana. Not being a surprise is meh, but it can combo with other stuff. 4/5 in all formats.
Hard Hat Area: This card is fascinating. First, it is random - there is a real chance of not getting any contraptions at all. IF You get it early, it can be insane as a way to quickly assemble a whole mess of contraptions. If its the last card in your contraption pile, it is :(. I can't see not running it though, for the same reason it's worth running Sol Ring and Exploration - the games where you land this early are going to be insane. 5/5 in all formats- if you are running Contraptions, this is in the pile.
ASSEMBLERS: Contraptions are only as good as the assembly line that can crank them out, especially given that most contraptions seem to be small effects and the true power is in getting 4+ of them out at once.
Aerial Toastmaster: In limited this thing is real. In other formats its meh - the body is weak, and the activation cost is high. I certainly hope we can do better, but it isn't unplayable. 4/5 limited, 2/5 constructed.
Finders, Keepers: In limited, it's...fine, in the same way Contract Killing is fine. 3/5, likely a top pick but not a card you want multiples of. In Casual, it's 1/5 - this is awful given what we know of contraptions so far, and we need to pray Black has a better way to get their engine running.
Steamflogger of the Month: Now we see what seems to be a theme of the Steamfloggers - "Winning more". This card is obviously very powerful as it doubles your contraptions, but it is five mana. We really need something like a 2/1 for 1R with "Sacrifice ~: Assemble a contraption". In the right deck, it is good and a fun build-around for limited. In casual, it depends on if we get enough cheap ways to ensure that when you slam this otherwise below-rate 3/3 for 3RR on turn 5, you are getting 3-5 contraptions out of him. I'ma call him a 3/5 pending the rest of the set.
Midlife Upgrade: W/U seems more about getting quality engines running rather than just flipping all 15 contraptions onto the table. This feels overcosted for what it does, but at the very least it always gives you a contraption. My fear is that 4 mana is the going rate for all contraptions, and that's real bad considering their frailty and need for a ton of them on the table to really be worthwhile. If this is what contraptions will cost, I imagine this card is a 3/5 for limited, but it would leave me concerned that contraptions aren't worth it in casual as spending four mana to get a Soul's Grace every three turns seems pretty weak sauce. If this is as good as it gets in white, this card is a 3/5 as well but bodes poorly for the success of the Contraption deck.
Kindly Cognician: She goes a loooong way towards this deck working if its going to. She's likely a top limited pick much like Otapec Huntmaster for enabling great draws for her deck, and a 1/3 body blocks okay to boot. 4/5. For constructed casual, she's also a 4/5 as most decks that want her will find she's a better Etherium Sculptor. "Refering to artifacts" covers a lot - this is another reduction for everything with Affinity for Artifacts, it lets you get a discount on Austere Command, it lets you cast Thirst for Knowledge for cheaper, and it makes the Contraption Assemblers much more feasible. Now, rules text isn't reminder text so I imagine she doesn't enable Fabricate.dec or Intimidate/Fear.dec, but even so there's over a thousand cards she discounts so far. Great card is great, but not totally broken...probably.
Steamflogger Boss: Again, this is "win more", but it also seems to go a long way towards making the deck playable. 4/5, if you are playing a Red-based Rigger Contraption deck you want this dude on your side.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
A review of power level in this kind of set seems totally silly. Personally, this should be the absolute best place to simply play cards you like versus cards that win you the game
Squirrel Lord- excuse me, the Squirrel Earl looks waaaay too good.
You probably missed the point Squirrel lord makes four 2/2 tokens anytime it deals any damage, not only to players.
Certainly a difference in player profiles/personalities but it just seems odd to me to be worried about power-level in a self-contained set that is meant to have a laughing nature and designed to test boundries.
It's closer to a reverse Druid's Call with an added lord effect. Seems awesome though - Druid's Call is one of my favorites. It's not pushing a boundary mechanically but the art is funny and unlikely to be something that we get with the more serious black-bordered sets.
There has been 8 cards revealed. I doubt that Hangman is the only obscure rule card we are going to get. However, part of the fun of every spoiler season is watching the posts roll in that claim the sky is falling before we have any significant information.
1) Limited - This can be any sort of limited format, be it Triple Unstable Draft, Unstable Sealed, Un-set Draft, some sort of grab bag involving Conspiracy packs as well, or a Un-Cube. I do inherently assume an uncube will be made such that cards like, well, Aerial Toastmaster and Kindly Cognician are reasonable picks and that they won't be sharing space with stuff like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar for the four-drop slot or Sol Ring and Mox Sapphire in a "ramp me" spot.
2) Constructed - This assumes casual kitchen table decks, but mostly Commander. I mostly play and prefer Commander and it seems more likely that a playgroup will let silver-border fly in Commander (especially with the hint that each faction will get a few legends that were designed with Commander in mind).
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Also, if people read the articles about Unstable draft there is no minimum Contraption deck size, so many people will likely draft the contraptions last unless you see a really good one that can give you an advantage even if it's the only one you play with! I don't think occupying two slots will be a huge problem since they are supposed to help you win faster anyway.
From what I can infer about Contraptions and why they couldn't make it work in a normal set, is the separate contraption deck. New explicit zones have been clarified in the past like exile, but those cards originate come from the same main deck. Contraptions use an entire new board and deck, so if it ever became a thing...which I highly doubt ever will...they will need to modify the rules to include the new board. Although they look cool as borderless cards, we know borderless cards are legal in the formats they are legal in. So when pigs fly, these original contraptions could see a spike in value if they are good.
All around, from today's articles, it sounds like this will be a much better set play wise than the previous Un-sets.
So if your looking forward to game warping Contraptions give up already, they don't have a silver boarder on purpose.
Precisely! People hating on contraptions here seem to forget that silver border is, beside being wacky, also testing grounds for ideas too bold to even try in black border. And, correct me if I am wrong, getting an extra deck of cards and caring about card placement on the table is pretty far from anything black border has ever done. Making the effects "black border" (no crazy stuff, what people here call boring) enables proper judgement of the power level, which is necessary for black border implementation. Also, free repeatable effects like this have to be low in power, think planeswalkers' +N abilities.