Dearest Lorelei,
It has been a harrowing journey, to be sure. Erdwald is so much bigger than Hanweir! I fear my life has ill prepared me for such a place as this.
I've been relieved of my meager kit by a gang of footpads that greeted me at the town's gates, saying they were "inspectors." They were out of sight before I realized they had fled with all I brought, save the clothes on my back.
Fear not my love! For adversity is the soil in which opportunity sprouts. I have taken in with the church, and they have greeted me with open arms! A priest has given me food and shelter, and only asks me to perform menial tasks in the upkeep of the church yards. It is a job I am all too well suited for!
Yet Avacyn has a plan, even for me! My priest has also been instructing me in the art of vampire hunting. I know it sounds dangerous, and it is, but you can be assured that when I return, you can hold your head up high as we march through the town in our wedding procession!
Yours,
Pitre
14th of Hunter's Moon, Ava. 719
I just came across the [email]rircarothma@gmail.com[/email] email address which was the ALT tag on the images in today's Innistrad story. From what I can see, looks like Wizards is putting together a diary of entries that will be leaked over time via Twitter, hidden in their articles, etc. Looks like this is all back story to Innistrad.
I haven't been able to go through all 9 plus pages of comments, but did anyone noticed that the tome in the video:
I have to admit that I have always had a difficult time understanding spending a lot of money on Magic cards. I think the most money I've ever spent might have been $40 (Collector's Edition Time Walk for my brother's deck), tops, on a single. Heck, I frown on spending $10 on a single. If I don't pull the card from a pack or am able to trade for it, then I don't really worry about it. I might want more expensive cards, but I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a card.
I'm lucky in that I have some duals (not as many as I would like), but I sold my Mox (I had 3 total--two Emeralds and a jet) more than 13 years ago. Back then I sold an Emerald for $60 and I thought I was making out like a bandit. None of us knew back then that there would be such an increase in price of the cards.
I have always come down on the side of playing Magic. I can understand wanting to collect the cards, but it is difficult for me to see Magic as an investment. It's too fickle of an environment to spend such serious money on. WOTC just needs to ban a card in a format and there goes your investment out the window!
Here's a point to consider: How many millions of players have never tried playing with cards on the no reprint list? Ever play a big group game with Shahrazad? (Why? Because it's fun!) You probably haven't and probably never will now. My point is that the only way to do this right now is to spend hundreds of dollars (thousands, really) if you wanted to play with some of the power cards.
To be clear, I'm not saying that all the power 9 and all the rest should be printed like commons. No, I'm not saying that, but I do believe there's a big difference between never and a few cards over the next 10 years or so. I like the reprinting of some cards in Duel Decks--that's a great idea to put some of the cards in a format that would help newer players get those cards.
As a veteran of the game, I've played games in which people have dropped jewelry (moxes) like there's no tomorrow but I still won with what I had. The challenge is to have the ability to have access to older cards to show newer players how the older cards were and so they can compare with how WOTC has changed design over the years.
Yes, Legacy is important to those who play that format, but sometimes it's also fun to play casual games with cards that people haven't had access to. For me, helping to show newer players the craziness of some of the cards and telling them the stories of how decks worked 16 years ago is part of the fun of the game. I remember a time in which you could have as many Demonic Tutors, Plague Rats and Dark Rituals in the game. It was a crazy time, but also important for newer players to see how things were then and why they changed over the years to how they are now. Having access to the older cards, would be a wonderful boon for the game.
There's an excellent post from someone on the old thread relating to this that demonstrated just why a class suit would be successful were they to do this. I'll find it if necessary.
And no, investments placed after clearly being told by the company that "X will not happen" are not risky in the way you're saying. If this were a stockmarket, then the company going back on their word after accepting investments on these conditions is not only unethical, but also quite possibly illegal.
EDIT: Here we go, found it.
The class action suit: Well, that would make a lot of sense and I can understand why WOTC would be concerned. If this is true (and it makes perfect sense), then it looks like the choice of a few (who are no longer with the company) has basically tied the hands of WOTC.
I will say this is that saying something is collectible does not mean that the company is responsible for its value. My wife has told me stories about people who have purchased collectibles from her company and these people try to cash in their products when they want to retire--thinking the product is worth a lot of money. In the end, the collectibles are only what the market says it's worth. I've spoken to my wife and she's had experience in which a company would produce 2,000 of a product and that's it. If it's a popular product, companies will create a similar product but change the coloring or something minor of that nature.
This is the reason why I advocate for silver border or a different backing--something that would offset the card from the original. I understand that WOTC has backed themselves into a corner on this, but other companies have gotten around the type of issue before.
Oh, and by the way, my letter is written. I just need to put a stamp on the envelope.
I'll be sending my letter in protest out on Monday. I believe that there can be a compromise between never reprinting any of the cards on the reprint list and over reprinting. Even if there were only special, small reprints of some of the cards that would at least give newer players (and old ones of course) a chance, a slight chance of getting one of the new cards.
Having cards that are worth so much money might be great for the secondary market, but I don't see how this will help the long term health of the game. What bothers me is the sheer selfishness of the some of the comments that I am seeing here. I'll not address this here, but simply say that I'm throwing my hat in the ring. I'm going to try and make a difference. To try. Not just complain here, but to try and do something. If you don't care, then don't do anything. But think about 10 years from now. Think about the future and the health of the game. Again, there could be a compromise if we ask for it.
About Warpath: Who has that Mercadian Masques uncommon lying around?!
And as for Elaine: I want to make something clear. I've not chosen Elaine because I'm angry at her. I'm frustrated at the policy. At my own work, I've had thousands of e-mails come to me about a situation that people were angry at and I know, for a fact, that when this type of information is brought up to the upper execs, people listen.
Remember a few things:
Internet petitions are not very successful
We want to voice our disagreement and not obscenities
We want change as we're the customer and want to be heard.
Make useful suggestions: Allow proxies in a tournament or reprint an International Collector's Edition, etc.
We're all passionate about the game. I've been playing since Unlimited and my intention is to voice my concern and constructive criticism on a situation that affects the far future of the game. Players 10 years from now should have access to cards that I now own. They shouldn't have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a card.
There are more than 50 pages of discussion about the no reprint policy. Instead of just complaining in the forums, why don't we do something constructive about it?
I don't think we start a petition, but write a letter and then send a Goblin War Paint from Zendikar to WOTC to express our frustration.
If anyone remembers, the fans of Jericho convinced NBC to bring back the canceled show Jericho. Fans sent nuts to NBC execs (an in joke for the show) and after 40,000 pounds of nuts were sent to NBC, the execs got the message.
I propose that those of us who wish to complain to WOTC do that. Simply write to Wizards (not cursing them, but explaining our frustration in a civil way) and send Goblin War Paint card (to show that we're on the "war path," get it?) to them. At the end of the day, you'd voice your frustration about the change in the reprint policy and would only be out the cost of a common and a stamp.
So I propose that we write a letter (snail mail) to:
Elaine Chase
Senior Brand Manager
Wizards of the Coast
1600 Lind Ave. SW, Ste. 400
Renton, WA 98057
In the letter, you explain, in a civil way, why you're against the no reprint policy and send her a Goblin War Paint card.
(To my knowledge, and I might be wrong, she is the Senior Brand Manager of Magic. I'm not saying she has direct control of the no reprint policy, but I suspect she'll be able to tell her superiors about the complaints coming in.)
No no no... never ever ever should they allow proxies, there is nothing i hate more than proxies (except mayby the new reprint policy:p) and making the Collectors editions useable have alot of other consequenses.. different backs, square corners etc all the cards would be marked an unplayable...
Proxies would only cheapen the experience, i already hate the Vintage proxy tournaments with a vengeance...
"Say NO to proxies!"
AQJ, I understand where you're coming from, but the options are: Millions of players cannot play with older cards, proxies are allowed or cards with different border colors (silver or gold). If WOTC just shut the door for reprints, then the option is to do nothing and just accept their policy?
As you're a judge, I understand where you're coming from, I do respect that, but WOTC is just a company. They can't stop what players want to do. Though you might hate proxies, the only alternative is for players to use proxies or spend a lot of cash to get duals and older cards.
WOTC made a choice and their decision will have consequences as I suspect that proxies will continue to be used in tournaments and companies will start producing token like cards that will act as proxies for the hot cards.
It's unfortunate that WOTC made the decision they did. It'll be interesting to see if players roll over and take it or if more tournaments with proxies start popping up.
Since WotC has locked close the issue of ever reprinting Dual Lands. Can we get the Collector's Editions made legal for Eternal Formats? At least that would (almost) double the available supply of Dual Lands for usage...
I've been asking for something like this for years. It would make so much sense. On one hand it would allow collectors to have what they want and it would allow new players to have the chance to play with older cards (and have support for Legacy and Vintage). It would only then take for a compromise, allowing for 12 proxies (as many Vintage tournaments allow) to be used in DCI events. To me, this would be a fair compromise and everyone would win.
Begin working on creating non-sanctioned tournaments that allow players to use proxy cards for non-sanctioned tournaments.
And write to WOTC, telling them that you do not like the reprint policy. If millions were to write to them, they might reconsider.
Some points to consider:
Just because WOTC says they won't reprint cards, doesn't mean that players have to accept this. There are ways to get around this. And I mean legally: Write to WOTC, tell them that you will stop going to DCI sanctioned events and start your own non-sanctioned events that allow for proxies. If card stores are smart, they'll begin holding more tournaments (non-sanctioned) that allow for a set number of proxy cards.
There are millions of players who can tell WOTC that they will not support the new policy and show, by "voting" with their money how they will spend their money.
It might take some time, but WOTC is a company and they will want to keep players happy in the long run. I had hoped that a compromise would have been made: No reprint of certain cards, but other cards were coming off the list. The revised policy is pretty much a slap in the face to millions of players out there.
So the choice is simple: Complain on these forums or do something about it. Unify, work together and start a campaign. Send a message. Or, we shut up and like it. Pretty clear cut if you ask me.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this preview. Hats off to Wizards for making it a cool Flash animation and add some splash to how it was revealed. I loved it.
As for the card itself: Annihilator? Nice. Looks like, if the flavor is similar to the Butcher, that this set is going to be a lot of fun.
No, you can't reanimate him, but it's looking like there's going to be some challenging and interesting cards in the next set. Wizards keeps making fun sets and I'm loving it!
Omnath, Locus of Mana: I'm not a fan of this card. I think it's going to cause problems. How to accurately keep track of all that green mana doesn't empty from your pool? Sure, counters and the like, but it'll be really easy for an opponent to cheat. What I don't like is the carrying over of mana from other turns. That's just asking to be broken and for problems to happen with this card. I don't find this creative in a good way, but a "how else can we blow through breaking Magic's rules?" It's hard enough for new players to learn the game. Imagine explaining how this card works to that person. Not good. I think this card is too gimmicky.
www.CinderGirl.com
I haven't been able to go through all 9 plus pages of comments, but did anyone noticed that the tome in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AzaRqyj1_A
Might be the journal that this Josh Brauer is writing in?
www.CinderGirl.com
I'm lucky in that I have some duals (not as many as I would like), but I sold my Mox (I had 3 total--two Emeralds and a jet) more than 13 years ago. Back then I sold an Emerald for $60 and I thought I was making out like a bandit. None of us knew back then that there would be such an increase in price of the cards.
I have always come down on the side of playing Magic. I can understand wanting to collect the cards, but it is difficult for me to see Magic as an investment. It's too fickle of an environment to spend such serious money on. WOTC just needs to ban a card in a format and there goes your investment out the window!
www.CinderGirl.com
To be clear, I'm not saying that all the power 9 and all the rest should be printed like commons. No, I'm not saying that, but I do believe there's a big difference between never and a few cards over the next 10 years or so. I like the reprinting of some cards in Duel Decks--that's a great idea to put some of the cards in a format that would help newer players get those cards.
As a veteran of the game, I've played games in which people have dropped jewelry (moxes) like there's no tomorrow but I still won with what I had. The challenge is to have the ability to have access to older cards to show newer players how the older cards were and so they can compare with how WOTC has changed design over the years.
Yes, Legacy is important to those who play that format, but sometimes it's also fun to play casual games with cards that people haven't had access to. For me, helping to show newer players the craziness of some of the cards and telling them the stories of how decks worked 16 years ago is part of the fun of the game. I remember a time in which you could have as many Demonic Tutors, Plague Rats and Dark Rituals in the game. It was a crazy time, but also important for newer players to see how things were then and why they changed over the years to how they are now. Having access to the older cards, would be a wonderful boon for the game.
www.CinderGirl.com
www.CinderGirl.com
The class action suit: Well, that would make a lot of sense and I can understand why WOTC would be concerned. If this is true (and it makes perfect sense), then it looks like the choice of a few (who are no longer with the company) has basically tied the hands of WOTC.
I will say this is that saying something is collectible does not mean that the company is responsible for its value. My wife has told me stories about people who have purchased collectibles from her company and these people try to cash in their products when they want to retire--thinking the product is worth a lot of money. In the end, the collectibles are only what the market says it's worth. I've spoken to my wife and she's had experience in which a company would produce 2,000 of a product and that's it. If it's a popular product, companies will create a similar product but change the coloring or something minor of that nature.
This is the reason why I advocate for silver border or a different backing--something that would offset the card from the original. I understand that WOTC has backed themselves into a corner on this, but other companies have gotten around the type of issue before.
Oh, and by the way, my letter is written. I just need to put a stamp on the envelope.
www.CinderGirl.com
Having cards that are worth so much money might be great for the secondary market, but I don't see how this will help the long term health of the game. What bothers me is the sheer selfishness of the some of the comments that I am seeing here. I'll not address this here, but simply say that I'm throwing my hat in the ring. I'm going to try and make a difference. To try. Not just complain here, but to try and do something. If you don't care, then don't do anything. But think about 10 years from now. Think about the future and the health of the game. Again, there could be a compromise if we ask for it.
www.CinderGirl.com
And as for Elaine: I want to make something clear. I've not chosen Elaine because I'm angry at her. I'm frustrated at the policy. At my own work, I've had thousands of e-mails come to me about a situation that people were angry at and I know, for a fact, that when this type of information is brought up to the upper execs, people listen.
Remember a few things:
We're all passionate about the game. I've been playing since Unlimited and my intention is to voice my concern and constructive criticism on a situation that affects the far future of the game. Players 10 years from now should have access to cards that I now own. They shouldn't have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a card.
www.CinderGirl.com
I don't think we start a petition, but write a letter and then send a Goblin War Paint from Zendikar to WOTC to express our frustration.
If anyone remembers, the fans of Jericho convinced NBC to bring back the canceled show Jericho. Fans sent nuts to NBC execs (an in joke for the show) and after 40,000 pounds of nuts were sent to NBC, the execs got the message.
I propose that those of us who wish to complain to WOTC do that. Simply write to Wizards (not cursing them, but explaining our frustration in a civil way) and send Goblin War Paint card (to show that we're on the "war path," get it?) to them. At the end of the day, you'd voice your frustration about the change in the reprint policy and would only be out the cost of a common and a stamp.
So I propose that we write a letter (snail mail) to:
Elaine Chase
Senior Brand Manager
Wizards of the Coast
1600 Lind Ave. SW, Ste. 400
Renton, WA 98057
In the letter, you explain, in a civil way, why you're against the no reprint policy and send her a Goblin War Paint card.
(To my knowledge, and I might be wrong, she is the Senior Brand Manager of Magic. I'm not saying she has direct control of the no reprint policy, but I suspect she'll be able to tell her superiors about the complaints coming in.)
Better than just complaining here in a forum!
www.CinderGirl.com
AQJ, I understand where you're coming from, but the options are: Millions of players cannot play with older cards, proxies are allowed or cards with different border colors (silver or gold). If WOTC just shut the door for reprints, then the option is to do nothing and just accept their policy?
As you're a judge, I understand where you're coming from, I do respect that, but WOTC is just a company. They can't stop what players want to do. Though you might hate proxies, the only alternative is for players to use proxies or spend a lot of cash to get duals and older cards.
WOTC made a choice and their decision will have consequences as I suspect that proxies will continue to be used in tournaments and companies will start producing token like cards that will act as proxies for the hot cards.
It's unfortunate that WOTC made the decision they did. It'll be interesting to see if players roll over and take it or if more tournaments with proxies start popping up.
www.CinderGirl.com
I've been asking for something like this for years. It would make so much sense. On one hand it would allow collectors to have what they want and it would allow new players to have the chance to play with older cards (and have support for Legacy and Vintage). It would only then take for a compromise, allowing for 12 proxies (as many Vintage tournaments allow) to be used in DCI events. To me, this would be a fair compromise and everyone would win.
www.CinderGirl.com
Begin working on creating non-sanctioned tournaments that allow players to use proxy cards for non-sanctioned tournaments.
And write to WOTC, telling them that you do not like the reprint policy. If millions were to write to them, they might reconsider.
Some points to consider:
Just because WOTC says they won't reprint cards, doesn't mean that players have to accept this. There are ways to get around this. And I mean legally: Write to WOTC, tell them that you will stop going to DCI sanctioned events and start your own non-sanctioned events that allow for proxies. If card stores are smart, they'll begin holding more tournaments (non-sanctioned) that allow for a set number of proxy cards.
There are millions of players who can tell WOTC that they will not support the new policy and show, by "voting" with their money how they will spend their money.
It might take some time, but WOTC is a company and they will want to keep players happy in the long run. I had hoped that a compromise would have been made: No reprint of certain cards, but other cards were coming off the list. The revised policy is pretty much a slap in the face to millions of players out there.
So the choice is simple: Complain on these forums or do something about it. Unify, work together and start a campaign. Send a message. Or, we shut up and like it. Pretty clear cut if you ask me.
www.CinderGirl.com
As for the card itself: Annihilator? Nice. Looks like, if the flavor is similar to the Butcher, that this set is going to be a lot of fun.
No, you can't reanimate him, but it's looking like there's going to be some challenging and interesting cards in the next set. Wizards keeps making fun sets and I'm loving it!
www.CinderGirl.com
www.CinderGirl.com
www.CinderGirl.com