The fact that the dual land in the Vraska deck isn't a deck exclusive caught me off guard. I was certain that the Vraska deck was going to be mono black, and rage how they didn't put any White in a vampire deck.
If Ixalan block had 8 precons, 4 per set, Ixalan would have GU Merfolk, RW Dinosaurs, UR Pirates, and BG Explore. Rivals of Ixalan would have WB Vampires, GW Dinosaurs, BR Pirates, and some Ascend deck.
If Ixalan block had 8 precons, 4 per set, Ixalan would have GU Merfolk, RW Dinosaurs, UR Pirates, and BG Explore. Rivals of Ixalan would have WB Vampires, GW Dinosaurs, BR Pirates, and some Ascend deck.
That doesn't exactly make the idea of switching back to theme decks look any more appealing.
So... let me get this straight...
... you build a fantastic tribal block, you fill it with awesome tribal cards...
... you print a Vampire and Pirate tribal planeswalker deck for the second set...
... and you don't put Forerunner of the Coalition or Forerunner of the Legion in them? Not even a single copy of each? FAIL!
So... let me get this straight...
... you build a fantastic tribal block, you fill it with awesome tribal cards...
... you print a Vampire and Pirate tribal planeswalker deck for the second set...
... and you don't put Forerunner of the Coalition or Forerunner of the Legion in them? Not even a single copy of each? FAIL!
I don't understand.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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]
So... let me get this straight...
... you build a fantastic tribal block, you fill it with awesome tribal cards...
... you print a Vampire and Pirate tribal planeswalker deck for the second set...
... and you don't put Forerunner of the Coalition or Forerunner of the Legion in them? Not even a single copy of each? FAIL!
I don't understand.
The Forerunners are going to be casual kitchen table gold for a long, long time. The Lorwyn Harbingers (e.g. Elvish Harbinger, Flamekin Harbinger) are incredibly popular a decade on, for example.
I don't get why you'd purposely build tribal decks and then leave these sought-after uncommon tribal pieces that you printed in the same set out of those decks. Missed opportunity on WotC's part - I reckon they'd have sold a few more with even single copies onboard. Forerunner of the Legion would've tutored for every creature in the Vraska deck apart from Gilded Sentinel. Forerunner of the Coalition would've done the same in the Angrath deck.
Anyway, rant over.
I don't think these decks are balanced well. I keep looking at the lists and it looks like the Angrath deck just crushes the vraska one. All those pirates hit above or at their weight, the vampires hit below and drain life without any life gain, and the top end of the vampire vraska deck is a vampire that drains even more life to draw cards. It's basically missing the life gain needed to keep the player going with that opposing onslaught going. Death touch on a 3/3 for 4 when the pirates have enough power to trade already with it, and are going to die anyway?
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():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 decks are essentially trash. The free decks given away at the teach-magic days are of the same overall quality minus the planeswalker. I hope nobody buys these and wizards stops printing them
I don't think these decks are balanced well. I keep looking at the lists and it looks like the Angrath deck just crushes the vraska one. All those pirates hit above or at their weight, the vampires hit below and drain life without any life gain, and the top end of the vampire vraska deck is a vampire that drains even more life to draw cards. It's basically missing the life gain needed to keep the player going with that opposing onslaught going. Death touch on a 3/3 for 4 when the pirates have enough power to trade already with it, and are going to die anyway?
Finally, a set in which the vampire deck is the less popular of the bunch.
Anyone remember the sets that had a vampire precon?
Zendikar's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
Worldwake's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
M11's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
M12's vampire event deck is the more popular of the 2.
Innistrad's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
Shadows over Innistrad's vampire intro pack is, well, I don't know.
All I know is that no one said those 6 decks are bad in comparison to the other intro packs or event deck in the same set. It looks like instead of praising the awesomeness of the vampire precon deck, WOTC finally made one that sucks.
Do you know what sucks? Not including a deck list and detailed strategy in the strategy insert of these planeswalker decks. It's as if a large picture of Vraska or Angrath and the Huatli image you find in booster box and fat pack packaging is way more important than a deck list and detailed strategy.
If you look at the strategy insert of Hour of Devastation planeswalker decks compared to the planeswalker decks from Ixalan block, both have the same surface area, so you aren't saving any trees by not including the decklist.
The decks are essentially trash. The free decks given away at the teach-magic days are of the same overall quality minus the planeswalker. I hope nobody buys these and wizards stops printing them
I hope so too. These decks are horrible even for beginners - when you teach someone something new, you don't intentionally teach them the way to do it wrongly first. It's rare that any kind of 60 card format deck is going to run a single copy of a single card. Furthermore, you don't put in Vanilla or French Vanilla creatures into a deck you want to be competitive, unless it so happens that it's the best you've got to work with (which is unlikely).
Pirates deck should be:
3-4x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider (which wouldn't happen because past expansions cards don't get put into current expacs products)
4x Dire Fleet Captain
2x Fathom Fleet Captain
4x Kitesail Freebooter
And then make up the difference with suboptimal pirates, black control/red damage elements, and the like.
Vamps, too, should be the most logical (not the most EXPENSIVE, but the most LOGICAL) W/B vamp cards and then whatever else might be persuaded to support them.
It won't ever happen because...I don't know. Some reason. Some stupid reason that makes no sense, like 'we want newer players to have fun altering their decks', or 'we want to keep the cost of valuable cards high'. Or whatever. It's all nonsense. There is no excuse, NO excuse whatsoever, for building a deck suboptimally unless you're drafting. That's the only exception.
The reason that the decks don't have all the more powerful cards (even cards at common or uncommon) is that MTG is designed to be a deck BUILDING game. There needs to be easy upgrades that the new player can identify and slot into their decks (hopefully from the included boosters) to make the deck "theirs." Cards easily identifiable to replace (like the boring Golems) and uncommons which make the player excited (like the synergistic Forerunners) give that sense of disvoery to new players as they include easy swaps that make their decks more powerful.
This is THE entry level product. The ONLY ONE. So it has to be designed to give the best possible experience for the new player. That means also giving the new player some feeling of efficacy in designing a good deck on their own.
Vraska, Scheming Gorgon
1 Vicious Conquistador
1 Dusk Legion Zealot
2 Famished Paladin
1 Legion Lieutenant
1 Paladin of Atonement
2 Queen's Bay Soldier
2 Skyblade of the Legion
3 Vraska's Conquistador
1 Exultant Skymarcher
2 Inspiring Cleric
2 Skymarch Bloodletter
2 Gilded Sentinel
4 Vampire Champion
1 Bishop of the Bloodstained
1 Champion of Dusk
1 Deathless Ancient
1 Recover
2 Vraska's Scorn
Instant (5)
2 Moment of Triumph
2 Moment of Craving
1 Bright Reprisal
Land (24)
4 Forsaken Sanctuary
11 Swamp
9 Plains
1 Vraska, Scheming Gorgon
Planeswalker Deck Exclusives: 4 Vampire Champion, 3 Vraska's Conquistador, 2 Vraska's Scorn, 1 Vraska, Scheming Gorgon
+ 2 15-card Rivals of Ixalan Booster Packs
Angrath, Minotaur Pirate
1 Daring Buccaneer
1 Grasping Scoundrel
2 Dire Fleet Captain
2 Goblin Trailblazer
4 Swab Goblin
3 Angrath's Ambusher
2 Fathom Fleet Boarder
2 Headstrong Brute
2 Swaggering Corsair
1 Dire Fleet Neckbreaker
1 Fathom Fleet Cutthroat
2 Gilded Sentinel
2 Storm Fleet Pyromancer
1 Repeating Barrage
1 Impale
2 Angrath's Fury
Instant (5)
2 Lightning Strike
3 Sure Strike
Artifact (1)
1 Vanquisher's Banner
Land (24)
4 Cinder Barrens
11 Mountain
9 Swamp
1 Angrath, Minotaur Pirate
Planeswalker Deck Exclusives: 4 Cinder Barrens, 4 Swab Goblin, 3 Angrath's Ambusher, 2 Angrath's Fury, 1 Angrath, Minotaur Pirate
+ 2 15-card Rivals of Ixalan Booster Packs
If Ixalan block had 8 precons, 4 per set, Ixalan would have GU Merfolk, RW Dinosaurs, UR Pirates, and BG Explore. Rivals of Ixalan would have WB Vampires, GW Dinosaurs, BR Pirates, and some Ascend deck.
BWTokens
GCollected Stompany
BWGUSeance Insanity
URUR Bloo
That doesn't exactly make the idea of switching back to theme decks look any more appealing.
... you build a fantastic tribal block, you fill it with awesome tribal cards...
... you print a Vampire and Pirate tribal planeswalker deck for the second set...
... and you don't put Forerunner of the Coalition or Forerunner of the Legion in them? Not even a single copy of each? FAIL!
My Stupidly Large Number of Current Decks
PucaTrade with me!
The Multiplayer Power Rankings
Cube: the Gittening (My Multiplayer Cube) - MTGS Cube List | @ CubeTutor
The N00b Cube (Peasant cube for new players) - MTGS Cube List | @ CubeTutor
I don't understand.
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
The Forerunners are going to be casual kitchen table gold for a long, long time. The Lorwyn Harbingers (e.g. Elvish Harbinger, Flamekin Harbinger) are incredibly popular a decade on, for example.
I don't get why you'd purposely build tribal decks and then leave these sought-after uncommon tribal pieces that you printed in the same set out of those decks. Missed opportunity on WotC's part - I reckon they'd have sold a few more with even single copies onboard.
Forerunner of the Legion would've tutored for every creature in the Vraska deck apart from Gilded Sentinel. Forerunner of the Coalition would've done the same in the Angrath deck.
Anyway, rant over.
My Stupidly Large Number of Current Decks
PucaTrade with me!
The Multiplayer Power Rankings
Cube: the Gittening (My Multiplayer Cube) - MTGS Cube List | @ CubeTutor
The N00b Cube (Peasant cube for new players) - MTGS Cube List | @ CubeTutor
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!
Finally, a set in which the vampire deck is the less popular of the bunch.
Anyone remember the sets that had a vampire precon?
Zendikar's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
Worldwake's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
M11's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
M12's vampire event deck is the more popular of the 2.
Innistrad's vampire intro pack is the most popular of the 5.
Shadows over Innistrad's vampire intro pack is, well, I don't know.
All I know is that no one said those 6 decks are bad in comparison to the other intro packs or event deck in the same set. It looks like instead of praising the awesomeness of the vampire precon deck, WOTC finally made one that sucks.
Do you know what sucks? Not including a deck list and detailed strategy in the strategy insert of these planeswalker decks. It's as if a large picture of Vraska or Angrath and the Huatli image you find in booster box and fat pack packaging is way more important than a deck list and detailed strategy.
If you look at the strategy insert of Hour of Devastation planeswalker decks compared to the planeswalker decks from Ixalan block, both have the same surface area, so you aren't saving any trees by not including the decklist.
I hope so too. These decks are horrible even for beginners - when you teach someone something new, you don't intentionally teach them the way to do it wrongly first. It's rare that any kind of 60 card format deck is going to run a single copy of a single card. Furthermore, you don't put in Vanilla or French Vanilla creatures into a deck you want to be competitive, unless it so happens that it's the best you've got to work with (which is unlikely).
Pirates deck should be:
3-4x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider (which wouldn't happen because past expansions cards don't get put into current expacs products)
4x Dire Fleet Captain
2x Fathom Fleet Captain
4x Kitesail Freebooter
And then make up the difference with suboptimal pirates, black control/red damage elements, and the like.
Vamps, too, should be the most logical (not the most EXPENSIVE, but the most LOGICAL) W/B vamp cards and then whatever else might be persuaded to support them.
It won't ever happen because...I don't know. Some reason. Some stupid reason that makes no sense, like 'we want newer players to have fun altering their decks', or 'we want to keep the cost of valuable cards high'. Or whatever. It's all nonsense. There is no excuse, NO excuse whatsoever, for building a deck suboptimally unless you're drafting. That's the only exception.
This is THE entry level product. The ONLY ONE. So it has to be designed to give the best possible experience for the new player. That means also giving the new player some feeling of efficacy in designing a good deck on their own.
Custom Set
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hu9uNBSUt92PwGhvexYlwFvsh6_SJBlEEIUV3H9_XyU/edit?usp=sharing