I have known for a while that there is a PAX Prime (West), a PAX East, & a PAX Australia... but I just learned that there is a PAX South in San Antonio, Texas.
Historically, WotC have announced sets, limited releases, and spoiled cards at PAX events. What are the chances that we' got something juicy at PAX South this weekend?
Did anyone attend PAX South that can tell what was viewed?
I know WotC represented there because of an email I received from Twitter (see attachment for a screenshot of it), but was there more than this?
With Dragons of Tarkir coming ealier than usual i actually thought that they would be spoiling some stuff but it doesn´t look like it
Nah, not yet. DTK is coming out earlier than the third set usually does, but it's still 2 months out. Not to mention they wouldn't want to take the wind out from FRF's sails only a week after it's release. I wouldn't expect DTK spoilers until the very end of February. Maybe a couple cards a touch earlier if there are any major events going on around the second or third week of February (I don't really pay much mind to these events and cons and such, so I'm not really sure if anything's scheduled around then).
With Dragons of Tarkir coming ealier than usual i actually thought that they would be spoiling some stuff but it doesn´t look like it
Nah, not yet. DTK is coming out earlier than the third set usually does, but it's still 2 months out. Not to mention they wouldn't want to take the wind out from FRF's sails only a week after it's release. I wouldn't expect DTK spoilers until the very end of February. Maybe a couple cards a touch earlier if there are any major events going on around the second or third week of February (I don't really pay much mind to these events and cons and such, so I'm not really sure if anything's scheduled around then).
It does make sense not to spoil anything yet cause of Fate Reforged release but with 1 month away for Dragons of Tarkir I thought Pax would be a great place to hype the last set. I just hope we will see some cool dragons soon
So its possible we may have to wait for any possible revealed information in this manner to come from Pax East which is March 6-8, 2015. Which according to their website is 39 days away.
FTV: Annihilation was announced February 10th of 2014.
FTV: Twenty was announced February 18th of 2013
FTV: Realms was announced February 07 of 2011
FTV: Legends was announced February 07 of 2011
... Seeing how the core set isn't announced in the beginning of January, like the past few core sets, what are the odds of the core set not being named the "Magic 2016 core set"?
... Seeing how the core set isn't announced in the beginning of January, like the past few core sets, what are the odds of the core set not being named the "Magic 2016 core set"?
Yes, I agree with that, but you do realize that I was attempting to be humorous, I hope?
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“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
... Seeing how the core set isn't announced in the beginning of January, like the past few core sets, what are the odds of the core set not being named the "Magic 2016 core set"?
Yes, I agree with that, but you do realize that I was attempting to be humorous, I hope?
When the lack of a "Announcing next core set" Arcana is nowhere to be seen this past few weeks is pissing me off, I don't think your humor is getting through to me. Even so, I tried to make some jokes, and no one laughed.
WOTC, just announce the freakin core set already. I really want to know. 2016 or not? It's driving me insane. Not like anybody else cares what the next core set is called anyway. I know with the whole Fate Reforged preview thing is taking up Arcana space. so I hope that the announcement will be made this week. If not, then um yeah. The lack of an "Announcing next core set" Arcana will piss me off.
I totally swear that I was going to start a thread stating which Arcana articles in the mothership are garbage, filled with useless information, but I didn't feel like it was a good idea to do so.
... Seeing how the core set isn't announced in the beginning of January, like the past few core sets, what are the odds of the core set not being named the "Magic 2016 core set"?
Yes, I agree with that, but you do realize that I was attempting to be humorous, I hope?
When the lack of a "Announcing next core set" Arcana is nowhere to be seen this past few weeks is pissing me off, I don't think your humor is getting through to me. Even so, I tried to make some jokes, and no one laughed.
WOTC, just announce the freakin core set already. I really want to know. 2016 or not? It's driving me insane. Not like anybody else cares what the next core set is called anyway. I know with the whole Fate Reforged preview thing is taking up Arcana space. so I hope that the announcement will be made this week. If not, then um yeah. The lack of an "Announcing next core set" Arcana will piss me off.
I totally swear that I was going to start a thread stating which Arcana articles in the mothership are garbage, filled with useless information, but I didn't feel like it was a good idea to do so.
There's no need for anger, friend. They're going to announce it soon, I'm sure. We know the core set is coming; there's no help in fretting about it.
Did they say something about the core set being different in any way, or is all that based on us "predicting" that the last core set obviously will have to go out with a bang?
Anyone care to dig up quotes? All I found from the Making Magic Metamorphosis article was that "The summer of 2015 will have the last core set release".
Did they say something about the core set being different in any way, or is all that based on us "predicting" that the last core set obviously will have to go out with a bang?
Anyone care to dig up quotes? All I found from the Making Magic Metamorphosis article was that "The summer of 2015 will have the last core set release".
It's all speculation, fueled by the fact that it's nearly a month past the time when they normally announce the core set with no information, the fact that no one from Wizards is referring to it as M16 publicly, and the trademark for Magic Origins that was discovered a few months ago.
I was at PAX South and nothing of the sort was announced. No spoilers. Nada. If there were, you all would have known about it by now given the prevalence of live social media. The only thing that happened were the Magic-related tournament events.
Ok guys, I think there is something really different about the final core set. I think they are going to change up the intro packs or fat packs, or perhaps introduce a new product, or remove a certain product, or do something dumb, or do something cool, whatever, and this change is made for the fact that there will be no more core sets, and that there needs to be some way for new players to learn how to play the game.
Whatever the change may be, at least for me, I hope they don't change the fact that each set has 5 intro packs, and that each intro pack is color coded. I also hope they don't dumb down the intro packs. They did that with Shards of Alara, when theme decks became intro packs, and using those decks were super boring. The intro packs over the years became less boring and started to feel more like the theme decks without sacrificing the ease of use, but I am afraid that WOTC might change up the intro pack so it is back to its boring nature, kind of like those stupid 41 card intro packs from Shards of Alara and Zendikar block. I hope the focus of the intro pack is for beginners to explore the set, not for people who don't know even the basics of the game. DOTP is reserved for that.
All I know is that if something wasn't different about the final core set as compared to previous core sets, they would have announced the set a few weeks ago. There still hasn't been an announcement of the final core set yet, and I have been checking the Magic Arcanas every day, hoping that there will be an announcement, but nope, garbage redundant Arcanas.
I totally swear that WOTC or someone there who writes the Arcanas or the person who tells the Arcana writer to write certain Arcanas probably thought that they already announced the final core set.
I totally swear that WOTC or someone there who writes the Arcanas or the person who tells the Arcana writer to write certain Arcanas probably thought that they already announced the final core set.
Lol. Wizards has always been pretty deliberate with their announcements; there's about zero chance that anyone in the company forgot about it. That said, I have no doubt this last core set will have something unique about it. For one, it's the last core set, and they haven't been subtle about letting everyone know it's the last core set. It's also the mark of a big change in the way the standard format works and in how they make blocks and sets, not to mention they still have to have some sort of introductory product aimed at new players. I don't think they'll pass on the opportunity to do something unique to mark this big change. The fact that zero WotC employees have referred to it as M16 in anything official and their utter silence about the set so far just bolsters the theory that it will be something different. I'm sure there's a reason they haven't announced it yet, and I'm sure we'll all know what that reason is soon enough.
I think we're all just getting a bit antsy and need to calm down a tad
As for the introductory product. They are trying to find a way to make introductory products accessible throughout the year, which is why theme decks became intro packs. I am afraid that the intro packs now will be further dumbed down as a result of making the introductory product available.
Let's take this scenario. It is May 2014. Do you know which product beginners buy? Magic 2014 core set. There is nothing stopping people from buying a 10 month old set, and they could have extended the lifespan of the core set by having it legal for standard for 2 years rather than 1. That's pretty much my argument as to why their reasons for getting rid of the core set in relation to new players is dumb, because they "release the core set one time a year", and nothing is stopping people from buying older product. With the core set gone, we will not be having generic MTG sealed and draft, where it is just basic MTG, no mechanics from expert expansions.
On the flip side, not all stores have the luxury of shelf space, and they usually hold the newest product. Core sets also takes the space of the third slot of the main expansion. The second set of the block takes the first, the third set takes the second, and the first set takes the fourth. That is how it as, and it seems to be a waste to have a dumbed down set to take the third slot.
Does anyone remember the Starter, Advanced, and Expert level terminology? The starter core game is starter, core sets are advanced, and block expansions are expert. They basically got rid of the terminology in tenth edition, and basically god rid of the starter product altogether, leaving the advanced and expert products, although they don't use that terminology anymore. Back during the theme deck era, core set theme decks had 40 cards are were meant for people who have no idea how to play the game. As such the cards were very basic and boring. The block expansion theme decks were for people who already knew how to play the game, and was meant to teach players how to use the set mechanics. Those theme decks tend to be more fun than core set theme decks were. When theme decks became intro packs, they decided to dumb them down for new players, thus the intro packs felt a bit boring, but I feel that as time went on, the boring factor seemed to fade away. With the extinction of the core set, they are getting rid of the annual advanced product and replacing with an extra expert product, and what I also think they should do is sometime in June, bring back the starter product. I really hope they don't change the intro pack much. I feel that there should be a separate product for beginners.
Now about this starter product. The starter product should maybe replace the deckbuilder's toolkit, as well as adding 5 mono color half decks? Another thing to make this a great starter product is to include a voucher or code for you to download DOTP for free.
Whatever, WOTC's excuse for my idea is that this product will probably released in June only, and that there are people who want to start playing in April etc. But I say, how about those Commander players or aspiring Commander players who want to play in August? There is nothing stopping people from buying old product, and the only thing that is stopping them is that the product becomes obsolete too soon.
All I really care is that they don't dumb down the intro pack. They did it with Shards of Alara when theme decks became intro packs, and I have a sense of deja vu here. On the other hand, the thing I would like to keep when the theme decks became intro packs is the 5 intro packs per set, each of them represents a color via its packaging, and the foil card must be artifact, multicolor contain the represented color, or the represented colored card. For example, in Fate Reforged, Unflinching Assault is White, Cunning Plan is Blue, Grave Advantage is Black, Stampeding Hordes is Red, and Surprise Attack is Green. What I also like to see not changed is the whole intro pack color pattern. Not only does each intro pack have a representative color, the colors must be balanced throughout all 5 intro packs so that not one single color is represented more than others. Take M15 for example, and pretty much any set in which all 5 intro packs are 2 color. Each color is always represented in 2 of 5 intro packs. That is what I like them to keep.
Some thing I would like to change with the intro pack is include a code card to make the deck playable in DOTP, and replace one of the 2 boosters with a seeded booster pack, all without jacking up the price. Taking a look at the competitors:
Yugioh structure deck is $9.99 MSRP
Pokemon Theme Deck is $12.99 MSRP and it contains a code card to make the deck playable in Pokemon TCG online.
MTG's intro packs are $14.99 MSRP, and comes with 2 boosters. As time goes on, retailers may sell this deck for marked up price not because of the deck itself, but because of the boosters. Look at Worldwake intro packs.
Both Yugioh and Pokemon give you the option to buy the deck alone for cheap, or you can buy a box set that contains boosters, while for MTG, you only have the option of buying the deck with boosters.
$14.99 is already too high and any higher than that is too expensive for the cheapest precon option.
Were the expansion intro packs really any "smarter" than the core set? Heck half of them were already core cards. I don't see it changing much.
Dunno why you like intro packs but they simply are not aimed at enfranchised players, unlike theme decks that tried to straddle the lines. Their purpose is to get complete newbies started. They aren't trying to sell piles of these decks to existing players when they can just buy boosters instead.
Were the expansion intro packs really any "smarter" than the core set? Heck half of them were already core cards. I don't see it changing much.
Dunno why you like intro packs but they simply are not aimed at enfranchised players, unlike theme decks that tried to straddle the lines. Their purpose is to get complete newbies started. They aren't trying to sell piles of these decks to existing players when they can just buy boosters instead.
Before, when intro packs were theme decks, the core set ones were more geared towards beginners, while the block expansion ones were geared for people who at least know the basics of the game, and is meant to teach people how set mechanics work.
The difference between core set and block expansion intro packs is that the core set intro packs usually aren't mechanic based, and more generally based, like one focusing on burn, one focusing on spells, lifegain etc. I feel that the block expansion intro packs now are fine as they are, although I would love it if they had a code card that makes the deck playable in DOTP, but whatever. Now with the core set gone, I am afraid they are going to dumb the thing down further.
Comparing block expansion theme decks and block expansion intro packs, there is already a bit of dumbing down, but not too much to make the product extremely boring. I used the core set theme decks, and they were a 40 card deck with a lot of vanilla creatures and spells one one or two lines of text, thus making the card easier to read. With the core sets gone, I am afraid they are going to dumb down the intro pack further to the level of the old core set theme decks, which is already the easiest decks to use, and is meant for people who have never played the game before.
What I am saying is that WOTC shouldn't force the idea that the theme deck, or intro pack, or whatever the set associated precon is, should be geared towards players who have never played before, but geared more towards people who at least know the basic turn structure, know how to read the cards etc. I am not saying you have to be an expert at the game, just know enough about the game. The current intro packs already do that.
As for the product for beginners, for those who have no idea how to play, this is how the product should look like.
5 or maybe 10 30 card decks, similar to the free decks stores give away, 2 of each color. The idea here is to combine the decks into a monocolor or 2 color deck.
A code card allowing new players to download DOTP for free.
A basic rulebook. WOTC claims the intro pack is supposed to be the first product to buy, but it doesn't have a basic rulebook.
1 6 card booster pack containing a promo card, depending on which version (Xbox, PS, Steam), you buy, and these cards come from a mini 30 card set.
This product is to be in print year round, and the cards within are standard legal for 2 years.
The problem with the core set is that they claim that new players might start in Dragon's Maze, or whenever the block expansion set is the newest set, and that stems from the problem that the core set is technically the third set in a 4 set lineup per year, and not really its own separate thing. I feel that DOTP should be the product for people who have no idea how to play MTG, and the above idea of mine is a good way to get players to start out with some cards, and have DOTP for free, although I wouldn't say it is free, it is just that you are paying it at your LGS, not downloading it online.
As for why I like intro packs so much, back when I first started, I never really liked deckbuilding. I always bought a ton of theme decks, and I liked how they are pretty much set exploration decks. For example, Planar Chaos. One deck focused on Rescue creatures and creatures with Vanishing. Another deck focused on Morph. The third one focused on Reanimation, while the last one focused on Madness. The core set theme decks had basic focus, like burn, card draw, discard, life gain etc, and is geared towards people who have no idea how to play. Shards of Alara came along and intro packs went from 60 to 41 cards, and it tried to do 2 things. Teach new players as well as be a set exploration precons. I only ever used the Zendikar block ones, and I feel that because there are core set cards and 41 cards in the deck, I don't feel any set exploration. When intro packs became 60 cards again, I felt the set exploration aspect of it returning. For example, Metalcraft intro pack felt like I was learning how to use Metalcraft. With the extinction of the core set, I feel the intro pack should focus on set exploration, and teach new players the set mechanics, rather than teach them how to play the game from scratch. I feel that there should be a unified product for that, and until new players know the basics, they should then branch out to explore the set mechanics.
I just checked the Cunning Plan deck. I don't feel the deck is boring to use, and most cards have prowess. That is how future intro packs should be.
What makes current block expansion intro packs difficult to use? Is it because they have set specific mechanics that core set intro packs lack? What makes the core set more for beginners compared to block expansions? Is it because of the set specific mechanics? What I am really afraid of is the removal of a thematic and mechanical focus of the intro pack, into a general focused deck full of vanilla creatures just so people who have no idea how to play the game can figure out how to use a deck. The intro pack should be for those who know the basic rules, and are for those who want to get a feel of how a certain mechanic or theme works. The current intro packs probably are easy to use because of the included core set cards. After the extinction of core sets, then what? They say the core set is for beginners, and block expansion is for advanced players. I feel that I at least am going to be seeing the whole Theme Deck to Intro pack transformation all over again. Changing the 60 card theme deck to a 41 card intro pack was probably the stupidest decision they ever made, and they only redeemed themselves when M11 started to have 60 cards again. I hope they don't repeat this mistake.
They say the core set is gone, but to me it really isn't. DOTP and the cards within is pretty much THE core set. A feature I would like to see with DOTP is to make the intro pack playable within the game. You already know the basics by playing DOTP, the next level is set exploration by using the set specific mechanics against the DOTP AI.
Historically, WotC have announced sets, limited releases, and spoiled cards at PAX events. What are the chances that we' got something juicy at PAX South this weekend?
Did anyone attend PAX South that can tell what was viewed?
I know WotC represented there because of an email I received from Twitter (see attachment for a screenshot of it), but was there more than this?
Nah, not yet. DTK is coming out earlier than the third set usually does, but it's still 2 months out. Not to mention they wouldn't want to take the wind out from FRF's sails only a week after it's release. I wouldn't expect DTK spoilers until the very end of February. Maybe a couple cards a touch earlier if there are any major events going on around the second or third week of February (I don't really pay much mind to these events and cons and such, so I'm not really sure if anything's scheduled around then).
It does make sense not to spoil anything yet cause of Fate Reforged release but with 1 month away for Dragons of Tarkir I thought Pax would be a great place to hype the last set. I just hope we will see some cool dragons soon
Magic 2015 was announced on Jan. 6th 2014, and M2014 and M2013 were also spoiled first week of January. So it is about time.
Perhaps we will get something at the Pro Tour?
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
We usually get some good announcements at PT's. I'm hopeful
-Michael Jacob
http://magic.wizards.com/en/content/fact-sheet-pax-south-2015
So its possible we may have to wait for any possible revealed information in this manner to come from Pax East which is March 6-8, 2015. Which according to their website is 39 days away.
FTV: Annihilation was announced February 10th of 2014.
FTV: Twenty was announced February 18th of 2013
FTV: Realms was announced February 07 of 2011
FTV: Legends was announced February 07 of 2011
What about it?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
... Seeing how the core set isn't announced in the beginning of January, like the past few core sets, what are the odds of the core set not being named the "Magic 2016 core set"?
Yes, I agree with that, but you do realize that I was attempting to be humorous, I hope?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
When the lack of a "Announcing next core set" Arcana is nowhere to be seen this past few weeks is pissing me off, I don't think your humor is getting through to me. Even so, I tried to make some jokes, and no one laughed.
WOTC, just announce the freakin core set already. I really want to know. 2016 or not? It's driving me insane. Not like anybody else cares what the next core set is called anyway. I know with the whole Fate Reforged preview thing is taking up Arcana space. so I hope that the announcement will be made this week. If not, then um yeah. The lack of an "Announcing next core set" Arcana will piss me off.
I totally swear that I was going to start a thread stating which Arcana articles in the mothership are garbage, filled with useless information, but I didn't feel like it was a good idea to do so.
There's no need for anger, friend. They're going to announce it soon, I'm sure. We know the core set is coming; there's no help in fretting about it.
Anyone care to dig up quotes? All I found from the Making Magic Metamorphosis article was that "The summer of 2015 will have the last core set release".
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
It's all speculation, fueled by the fact that it's nearly a month past the time when they normally announce the core set with no information, the fact that no one from Wizards is referring to it as M16 publicly, and the trademark for Magic Origins that was discovered a few months ago.
(Also known as Xenphire)
Whatever the change may be, at least for me, I hope they don't change the fact that each set has 5 intro packs, and that each intro pack is color coded. I also hope they don't dumb down the intro packs. They did that with Shards of Alara, when theme decks became intro packs, and using those decks were super boring. The intro packs over the years became less boring and started to feel more like the theme decks without sacrificing the ease of use, but I am afraid that WOTC might change up the intro pack so it is back to its boring nature, kind of like those stupid 41 card intro packs from Shards of Alara and Zendikar block. I hope the focus of the intro pack is for beginners to explore the set, not for people who don't know even the basics of the game. DOTP is reserved for that.
All I know is that if something wasn't different about the final core set as compared to previous core sets, they would have announced the set a few weeks ago. There still hasn't been an announcement of the final core set yet, and I have been checking the Magic Arcanas every day, hoping that there will be an announcement, but nope, garbage redundant Arcanas.
I totally swear that WOTC or someone there who writes the Arcanas or the person who tells the Arcana writer to write certain Arcanas probably thought that they already announced the final core set.
Lol. Wizards has always been pretty deliberate with their announcements; there's about zero chance that anyone in the company forgot about it. That said, I have no doubt this last core set will have something unique about it. For one, it's the last core set, and they haven't been subtle about letting everyone know it's the last core set. It's also the mark of a big change in the way the standard format works and in how they make blocks and sets, not to mention they still have to have some sort of introductory product aimed at new players. I don't think they'll pass on the opportunity to do something unique to mark this big change. The fact that zero WotC employees have referred to it as M16 in anything official and their utter silence about the set so far just bolsters the theory that it will be something different. I'm sure there's a reason they haven't announced it yet, and I'm sure we'll all know what that reason is soon enough.
I think we're all just getting a bit antsy and need to calm down a tad
Let's take this scenario. It is May 2014. Do you know which product beginners buy? Magic 2014 core set. There is nothing stopping people from buying a 10 month old set, and they could have extended the lifespan of the core set by having it legal for standard for 2 years rather than 1. That's pretty much my argument as to why their reasons for getting rid of the core set in relation to new players is dumb, because they "release the core set one time a year", and nothing is stopping people from buying older product. With the core set gone, we will not be having generic MTG sealed and draft, where it is just basic MTG, no mechanics from expert expansions.
On the flip side, not all stores have the luxury of shelf space, and they usually hold the newest product. Core sets also takes the space of the third slot of the main expansion. The second set of the block takes the first, the third set takes the second, and the first set takes the fourth. That is how it as, and it seems to be a waste to have a dumbed down set to take the third slot.
Does anyone remember the Starter, Advanced, and Expert level terminology? The starter core game is starter, core sets are advanced, and block expansions are expert. They basically got rid of the terminology in tenth edition, and basically god rid of the starter product altogether, leaving the advanced and expert products, although they don't use that terminology anymore. Back during the theme deck era, core set theme decks had 40 cards are were meant for people who have no idea how to play the game. As such the cards were very basic and boring. The block expansion theme decks were for people who already knew how to play the game, and was meant to teach players how to use the set mechanics. Those theme decks tend to be more fun than core set theme decks were. When theme decks became intro packs, they decided to dumb them down for new players, thus the intro packs felt a bit boring, but I feel that as time went on, the boring factor seemed to fade away. With the extinction of the core set, they are getting rid of the annual advanced product and replacing with an extra expert product, and what I also think they should do is sometime in June, bring back the starter product. I really hope they don't change the intro pack much. I feel that there should be a separate product for beginners.
Now about this starter product. The starter product should maybe replace the deckbuilder's toolkit, as well as adding 5 mono color half decks? Another thing to make this a great starter product is to include a voucher or code for you to download DOTP for free.
Whatever, WOTC's excuse for my idea is that this product will probably released in June only, and that there are people who want to start playing in April etc. But I say, how about those Commander players or aspiring Commander players who want to play in August? There is nothing stopping people from buying old product, and the only thing that is stopping them is that the product becomes obsolete too soon.
All I really care is that they don't dumb down the intro pack. They did it with Shards of Alara when theme decks became intro packs, and I have a sense of deja vu here. On the other hand, the thing I would like to keep when the theme decks became intro packs is the 5 intro packs per set, each of them represents a color via its packaging, and the foil card must be artifact, multicolor contain the represented color, or the represented colored card. For example, in Fate Reforged, Unflinching Assault is White, Cunning Plan is Blue, Grave Advantage is Black, Stampeding Hordes is Red, and Surprise Attack is Green. What I also like to see not changed is the whole intro pack color pattern. Not only does each intro pack have a representative color, the colors must be balanced throughout all 5 intro packs so that not one single color is represented more than others. Take M15 for example, and pretty much any set in which all 5 intro packs are 2 color. Each color is always represented in 2 of 5 intro packs. That is what I like them to keep.
Some thing I would like to change with the intro pack is include a code card to make the deck playable in DOTP, and replace one of the 2 boosters with a seeded booster pack, all without jacking up the price. Taking a look at the competitors:
Yugioh structure deck is $9.99 MSRP
Pokemon Theme Deck is $12.99 MSRP and it contains a code card to make the deck playable in Pokemon TCG online.
MTG's intro packs are $14.99 MSRP, and comes with 2 boosters. As time goes on, retailers may sell this deck for marked up price not because of the deck itself, but because of the boosters. Look at Worldwake intro packs.
Both Yugioh and Pokemon give you the option to buy the deck alone for cheap, or you can buy a box set that contains boosters, while for MTG, you only have the option of buying the deck with boosters.
$14.99 is already too high and any higher than that is too expensive for the cheapest precon option.
Dunno why you like intro packs but they simply are not aimed at enfranchised players, unlike theme decks that tried to straddle the lines. Their purpose is to get complete newbies started. They aren't trying to sell piles of these decks to existing players when they can just buy boosters instead.
Before, when intro packs were theme decks, the core set ones were more geared towards beginners, while the block expansion ones were geared for people who at least know the basics of the game, and is meant to teach people how set mechanics work.
The difference between core set and block expansion intro packs is that the core set intro packs usually aren't mechanic based, and more generally based, like one focusing on burn, one focusing on spells, lifegain etc. I feel that the block expansion intro packs now are fine as they are, although I would love it if they had a code card that makes the deck playable in DOTP, but whatever. Now with the core set gone, I am afraid they are going to dumb the thing down further.
Comparing block expansion theme decks and block expansion intro packs, there is already a bit of dumbing down, but not too much to make the product extremely boring. I used the core set theme decks, and they were a 40 card deck with a lot of vanilla creatures and spells one one or two lines of text, thus making the card easier to read. With the core sets gone, I am afraid they are going to dumb down the intro pack further to the level of the old core set theme decks, which is already the easiest decks to use, and is meant for people who have never played the game before.
What I am saying is that WOTC shouldn't force the idea that the theme deck, or intro pack, or whatever the set associated precon is, should be geared towards players who have never played before, but geared more towards people who at least know the basic turn structure, know how to read the cards etc. I am not saying you have to be an expert at the game, just know enough about the game. The current intro packs already do that.
As for the product for beginners, for those who have no idea how to play, this is how the product should look like.
5 or maybe 10 30 card decks, similar to the free decks stores give away, 2 of each color. The idea here is to combine the decks into a monocolor or 2 color deck.
A code card allowing new players to download DOTP for free.
A basic rulebook. WOTC claims the intro pack is supposed to be the first product to buy, but it doesn't have a basic rulebook.
1 6 card booster pack containing a promo card, depending on which version (Xbox, PS, Steam), you buy, and these cards come from a mini 30 card set.
This product is to be in print year round, and the cards within are standard legal for 2 years.
The problem with the core set is that they claim that new players might start in Dragon's Maze, or whenever the block expansion set is the newest set, and that stems from the problem that the core set is technically the third set in a 4 set lineup per year, and not really its own separate thing. I feel that DOTP should be the product for people who have no idea how to play MTG, and the above idea of mine is a good way to get players to start out with some cards, and have DOTP for free, although I wouldn't say it is free, it is just that you are paying it at your LGS, not downloading it online.
As for why I like intro packs so much, back when I first started, I never really liked deckbuilding. I always bought a ton of theme decks, and I liked how they are pretty much set exploration decks. For example, Planar Chaos. One deck focused on Rescue creatures and creatures with Vanishing. Another deck focused on Morph. The third one focused on Reanimation, while the last one focused on Madness. The core set theme decks had basic focus, like burn, card draw, discard, life gain etc, and is geared towards people who have no idea how to play. Shards of Alara came along and intro packs went from 60 to 41 cards, and it tried to do 2 things. Teach new players as well as be a set exploration precons. I only ever used the Zendikar block ones, and I feel that because there are core set cards and 41 cards in the deck, I don't feel any set exploration. When intro packs became 60 cards again, I felt the set exploration aspect of it returning. For example, Metalcraft intro pack felt like I was learning how to use Metalcraft. With the extinction of the core set, I feel the intro pack should focus on set exploration, and teach new players the set mechanics, rather than teach them how to play the game from scratch. I feel that there should be a unified product for that, and until new players know the basics, they should then branch out to explore the set mechanics.
I just checked the Cunning Plan deck. I don't feel the deck is boring to use, and most cards have prowess. That is how future intro packs should be.
What makes current block expansion intro packs difficult to use? Is it because they have set specific mechanics that core set intro packs lack? What makes the core set more for beginners compared to block expansions? Is it because of the set specific mechanics? What I am really afraid of is the removal of a thematic and mechanical focus of the intro pack, into a general focused deck full of vanilla creatures just so people who have no idea how to play the game can figure out how to use a deck. The intro pack should be for those who know the basic rules, and are for those who want to get a feel of how a certain mechanic or theme works. The current intro packs probably are easy to use because of the included core set cards. After the extinction of core sets, then what? They say the core set is for beginners, and block expansion is for advanced players. I feel that I at least am going to be seeing the whole Theme Deck to Intro pack transformation all over again. Changing the 60 card theme deck to a 41 card intro pack was probably the stupidest decision they ever made, and they only redeemed themselves when M11 started to have 60 cards again. I hope they don't repeat this mistake.
They say the core set is gone, but to me it really isn't. DOTP and the cards within is pretty much THE core set. A feature I would like to see with DOTP is to make the intro pack playable within the game. You already know the basics by playing DOTP, the next level is set exploration by using the set specific mechanics against the DOTP AI.