The previous commander sets were all color-oriented. Literally, they strove for color balance - one deck of each color or color combination. Starting with C17, they announced they are no longer building precons around color (because they would have to start repeating) and are now building around themes. This year, it's tribal. Next year there may be a spellslinger, and enchantment deck, and an artifact-heavy deck - who knows?
While this does create an imbalance, I don't find it terribly weird. It happens. And as Wizards says, the pendulum swings back and forth - they will probably distribute the colors differently next time and the next, and it will all average out.
And there are actually three five-color commander (Ramos has a five-color identity, not colorless).
The previous commander sets were all color-oriented. Literally, they strove for color balance - one deck of each color or color combination. Starting with C17, they announced they are no longer building precons around color (because they would have to start repeating) and are now building around themes. This year, it's tribal. Next year there may be a spellslinger, and enchantment deck, and an artifact-heavy deck - who knows?
While this does create an imbalance, I don't find it terribly weird. It happens. And as Wizards says, the pendulum swings back and forth - they will probably distribute the colors differently next time and the next, and it will all average out.
And there are actually three five-color commander (Ramos has a five-color identity, not colorless).
Pretty much, this.
As WotC has discarded the concept of building around color and instead, use themes, this frees them up to try different things without worrying about balancing out the colors all the time. Hence, we should get more and more creative designs that we might have not seen otherwise, IMHO.
Not to mention commanders released on standard legal sets (as well as sets like conspiracy) do not always show up in balanced cycles, so realistically why should Wizards be bound to releasing commander specificcontent in balanced cycles?
For example, when we got Enemy guilds in 2015 all enemy guilds received two new commanders, but color combos like Boros have been lacking in that department compared to a guild like Golgari.
Basically, the card pool isn't balanced as it is, and being bound to evenly distribute new cards across the color pie won't really help any color or combination that is lacking "catch up".
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EDH Pantheon UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare WBG Karador, the Bridge Between WU Grand Warden Augustin IV RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening BG Nath Addict UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame B Kokusho, the Mourning Star U Memnarch is All
I tend to agree with the OP. I get the point about how it's tribal and not about the color wheel but I noticed green got the shaft immediately. Personally, I'm just getting the Dragon deck as it is the only one that would actually fill holes in my collection. I'll buy the rest as singles. Probably end up overpaying for Teferi's Protection but that is fine.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras. Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power. Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza. Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall. Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana. Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die. Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
They reduced the product to four decks because a commander game is usually 4 people. Can't do a color balanced theme if you don't have 5 decks.
I am happy with the decision because almost every year 1 deck gets shafted and isn't as good as it's peers, be it Oloro, Ob Nixilis, the crappy boros and Daxos decks, or the rancid group hug deck.
It doesnt have anything to do with deck quality, if anything I would argue that the wizards is the weakest at a table of new precons, it's about exploring more design space and having more themes. It does feel a little weird but means that these and the next set will be able to have more interesting cards and more variable commander options. Personally it reduces the number of years when a set will have 0 interesting decks because of the colour identity, like last year, so there will probably always be something good.
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EDH BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG, A box of lands and ideas.
Modern: RG Titanshift. A deck made of cards too stupid for EDH.
Retired: Lots. More than I feel you should suffer through or I should type out.
So?
Why do you focus so hard on the balance of colour?
I play an Elves deck, not green. And I play Wizards, not blue, or Vampires, not black/white/red.
The last commander-set had an imbalance between creature types, but who cares?
We've been wanting a 5 colour precon for a while. How do you do a 5-colour precon and a balanced cycle?
I like the way they decided to handle it.
I don't disagree that this was a fine way to go, but in answer to your first question, they could have given us:
5 Color Dragons
5 Color Angels
5 Color Slivers
5 Color Devoid Eldrazi
5 Color Artifacts with Ramos as the commander, etc.
They had options - they chose this and I'm fine with it.
At first I was going to disagree but the more I think about the more I like that idea, each deck would have probably had a color or two to focus on (white for angels, red for dragons) but still get to play with the whole color pie.
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EDH Pantheon UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare WBG Karador, the Bridge Between WU Grand Warden Augustin IV RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening BG Nath Addict UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame B Kokusho, the Mourning Star U Memnarch is All
Important to remember that color balance used to be much, much more important than it is now due to the lack of legendaries. Before the Planar Chaos dragons, there were literally zero available legends for the wedge/clan colors. There were only off-color activations and kickers from the Dega/Ana/Ceta cycle from Apocalypse. So leaving out color combinations would’ve cut options in half or practically left out options.
Now that we are in a much better place, there is room to focus on things other than color that might be lacking. One of those imo was tribal. There are plenty of tribes over the years, but very few cards in the end that offered strong enough payoffs for sticking to one tribe. And it’s not as important to revisit blocks like Lorwyn for the Standard rotation, because the actual constraints of the game are color-based not tribe-based.
All in all, I’m pleased with the focus of this year’s decks, even if Green did get a bit left out of this one.
We've been wanting a 5 colour precon for a while. How do you do a 5-colour precon and a balanced cycle?
I like the way they decided to handle it.
I don't disagree that this was a fine way to go, but in answer to your first question, they could have given us:
5 Color Dragons
5 Color Angels
5 Color Slivers
5 Color Devoid Eldrazi
5 Color Artifacts with Ramos as the commander, etc.
They had options - they chose this and I'm fine with it.
That was an option, of course. I was thinking more along the lines of 2 5 colour decks and 2 colourless decks.
I think the imbalance is a better choice though. Focusing on tribes was a good idea. 5 colour dragons and mardu vampires were excellent ideas. I really like the wizard tribe idea, but I'm not sure if Grixis was the right choice.
I think cats are lame but a lot of people seem to really like it. 3 colour spirits or 3 colour zombies could have been fun.
There is in fact some imbalance in what was printed. I will point out though that there have been several years where the quality of decks / legends have not been equivalent so while yes this year is the first time they actually shorted a color legends / cards in general in this product there have been plenty of imbalances in play ability.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
8 black commanders
7 white commanders
7 red commanders
6 blue commanders
4 green commanders
As far as I'm aware, the color wheel has also been kept symmetrical in previous sets. Is this not kind of weird?
Rafiq of the Many
Kruphix, God of Horizons ~ Geist of Saint Traft ~ Trostani, Selesnya's Voice
Omnath, Locus of Mana ~ Patron of the Moon ~ Mangara of Corondor
While this does create an imbalance, I don't find it terribly weird. It happens. And as Wizards says, the pendulum swings back and forth - they will probably distribute the colors differently next time and the next, and it will all average out.
And there are actually three five-color commander (Ramos has a five-color identity, not colorless).
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Pretty much, this.
As WotC has discarded the concept of building around color and instead, use themes, this frees them up to try different things without worrying about balancing out the colors all the time. Hence, we should get more and more creative designs that we might have not seen otherwise, IMHO.
BK'rrik Goodstuff
GWSythis Enchantress
URYusri Coin Flip
BRGKorvold Tokens
BGUYarok Lands Matter
WUBRaffine Looter
For example, when we got Enemy guilds in 2015 all enemy guilds received two new commanders, but color combos like Boros have been lacking in that department compared to a guild like Golgari.
Basically, the card pool isn't balanced as it is, and being bound to evenly distribute new cards across the color pie won't really help any color or combination that is lacking "catch up".
UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm
WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse
UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare
WBG Karador, the Bridge Between
WU Grand Warden Augustin IV
RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening
BG Nath Addict
UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame
B Kokusho, the Mourning Star
U Memnarch is All
Orzhov: 14
Golgari: 20
Simic: 11
Izzet: 13
Boros: 17
I am happy with the decision because almost every year 1 deck gets shafted and isn't as good as it's peers, be it Oloro, Ob Nixilis, the crappy boros and Daxos decks, or the rancid group hug deck.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG, A box of lands and ideas.
Modern:
RG Titanshift. A deck made of cards too stupid for EDH.
Retired: Lots. More than I feel you should suffer through or I should type out.
I like the way they decided to handle it.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
Why do you focus so hard on the balance of colour?
I play an Elves deck, not green. And I play Wizards, not blue, or Vampires, not black/white/red.
The last commander-set had an imbalance between creature types, but who cares?
5 Color Dragons
5 Color Angels
5 Color Slivers
5 Color Devoid Eldrazi
5 Color Artifacts with Ramos as the commander, etc.
They had options - they chose this and I'm fine with it.
At first I was going to disagree but the more I think about the more I like that idea, each deck would have probably had a color or two to focus on (white for angels, red for dragons) but still get to play with the whole color pie.
UBRG Yidris, Eye of the Storm
WBR Kaalia, Herald of Apocalypse
UBG Damia, Sage of Nightmare
WBG Karador, the Bridge Between
WU Grand Warden Augustin IV
RG Omnath, Locus of Awakening
BG Nath Addict
UR Niv Mizzet, Brain Aflame
B Kokusho, the Mourning Star
U Memnarch is All
Now that we are in a much better place, there is room to focus on things other than color that might be lacking. One of those imo was tribal. There are plenty of tribes over the years, but very few cards in the end that offered strong enough payoffs for sticking to one tribe. And it’s not as important to revisit blocks like Lorwyn for the Standard rotation, because the actual constraints of the game are color-based not tribe-based.
All in all, I’m pleased with the focus of this year’s decks, even if Green did get a bit left out of this one.
That was an option, of course. I was thinking more along the lines of 2 5 colour decks and 2 colourless decks.
I think the imbalance is a better choice though. Focusing on tribes was a good idea. 5 colour dragons and mardu vampires were excellent ideas. I really like the wizard tribe idea, but I'm not sure if Grixis was the right choice.
I think cats are lame but a lot of people seem to really like it. 3 colour spirits or 3 colour zombies could have been fun.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
Signature by Inkfox Aesthetics by Xen
[Modern] Allies