I tend to find the original sets to be a lot more random in how good they were. Some sets were just completely amazing like Urza's Saga, while others ended up being ho-hum like homelands and Ancient Empires. Regardless, rare didn't mean strictly better back then as much as different. I can't really say that Meteor Crater was a whole lot better than the lairs like Crosis's Catacombs. There was also Rath's Edge. Not sure why they printed that.
Private Mod Note
():
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!
Rath's Edge wasn't entirely bad, it allowed you to reach the final points of damage needed to finish an opponent if you got mana flooded, not every land can be Tolarian Academy.
Also, creatures were so laughably bad in the old days, that stuff like Morphling or Masticore were deemed as the best creatures ever printed, even when they would be hilariously useless in today's standard, in fact, due to the insanely powerful removal that uses Swords to Plowshares as the "reference", now every creature above 2 mana is considered an useless waste of cardboard, one example was Phyrexian Obliterator, a brutally powerful creature, that was never used in standard because every deck was "4 Jace, The Mind Sculptor, 4 Gideon Jura, 4 Dismember"
And let's not talk about the flood of planeswalkers, there are like 5 or 6 new ones every set, someone said "Magic: The creaturing", boy, it should be called "Magic: I drop my planeswalker first so I win"
Rath's Edge wasn't entirely bad, it allowed you to reach the final points of damage needed to finish an opponent if you got mana flooded, not every land can be Tolarian Academy.
Also, creatures were so laughably bad in the old days, that stuff like Morphling or Masticore were deemed as the best creatures ever printed, even when they would be hilariously useless in today's standard, in fact, due to the insanely powerful removal that uses Swords to Plowshares as the "reference", now every creature above 2 mana is considered an useless waste of cardboard, one example was Phyrexian Obliterator, a brutally powerful creature, that was never used in standard because every deck was "4 Jace, The Mind Sculptor, 4 Gideon Jura, 4 Dismember"
And let's not talk about the flood of planeswalkers, there are like 5 or 6 new ones every set, someone said "Magic: The creaturing", boy, it should be called "Magic: I drop my planeswalker first so I win"
I hate planeswalkers, pure and simple. They added those in back in Lorwyn and to this day I keep wondering what magic would be like if they didn't have these guys around. Also when the planescape set came out Rath's edge was still a weak card to me compared to the other options that the set brought around. I mean it wasn't Urza's Saga, but I liked the Lairs a lot more than edge. Actually, I think I still got Meteor Crater lurking in the basement somewhere and remember thinking that little guy in the crater must be superman because he survived falling from space.
Private Mod Note
():
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!
"Er I thought you wanted people to play enchantments?"
"Oh no I just want them to WANT to play them. Not actually use them. Well I'm off to my second job as head DLC guy for Activision"
Back to nature is from M15, not Theros...
And the Theros meta was better than KTK or BFZ metas which were dominated by Rhinos or GW.
Theros was a dumpster fire format where 1 deck... Monoblack devotion... took over 50% of the top 8 placements with the only other deck anywhere close to being relevant was mono-blue taking up another huge percentage for awhile.
Though on that note, we can pretty much say every standard format tends to go the same way as wizards is notoriously bad at not learning from their mistakes.
3BB
Sorcery
You lose the game.
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!
Also, creatures were so laughably bad in the old days, that stuff like Morphling or Masticore were deemed as the best creatures ever printed, even when they would be hilariously useless in today's standard, in fact, due to the insanely powerful removal that uses Swords to Plowshares as the "reference", now every creature above 2 mana is considered an useless waste of cardboard, one example was Phyrexian Obliterator, a brutally powerful creature, that was never used in standard because every deck was "4 Jace, The Mind Sculptor, 4 Gideon Jura, 4 Dismember"
And let's not talk about the flood of planeswalkers, there are like 5 or 6 new ones every set, someone said "Magic: The creaturing", boy, it should be called "Magic: I drop my planeswalker first so I win"
C Call of Emrakul - G vs R DD: Elves vs. Goblins - W vs B DD: Divine vs. Demonic - WUB Esper Artifice - RGW Aura Dancers
WUBRG Wrath of the Reaper King - WB Men of Faith - B Mercenaries - UB Phyrexian Assault 2.0 - WU Artifacts of Empires
BR Skeleton Warriors - RG Night of The Howlpack - B Bog Murderers - BR Eldrazi Assault - BGU Ulamog's Swarm
I hate planeswalkers, pure and simple. They added those in back in Lorwyn and to this day I keep wondering what magic would be like if they didn't have these guys around. Also when the planescape set came out Rath's edge was still a weak card to me compared to the other options that the set brought around. I mean it wasn't Urza's Saga, but I liked the Lairs a lot more than edge. Actually, I think I still got Meteor Crater lurking in the basement somewhere and remember thinking that little guy in the crater must be superman because he survived falling from space.
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!
Theros was a dumpster fire format where 1 deck... Monoblack devotion... took over 50% of the top 8 placements with the only other deck anywhere close to being relevant was mono-blue taking up another huge percentage for awhile.
Though on that note, we can pretty much say every standard format tends to go the same way as wizards is notoriously bad at not learning from their mistakes.
(W/U)(B/R)GForm of Progenitus, Shape of a Scrubland
BRGJund Tokens with Prossh, the Magic Dragon Foil
URGAnimar, the RUG CleanerFoil
RRRFeldon of the Third Path 2.0 Foil
BG(B/G)Not Another Meren DeckFoil
UR(U/R)Mizzix, Y Control and X Burn Spells
(W/U)(B/R)GHarold Ramos - The 35 Foot Long Twinkie (In +1/+1 counters)
UB(U/B)Dragonlord Silumgar