(this won't be a super interesting post, but more of a vent. still, anyone who has been in a similar situation, i welcome your stories).
after last night's two phantom sealed events, i began realizing that i'm really tired of Theros+BNG sealed events. when i win events, it's usually because i curve out well and my opponent can't do much about it. and when i lose events, it's 'cause they curve out well, ... etc. winning has become almost hollow, and losing has become infuriating.
sadly, no one seems to want to play m14 or rtr block phantom sealed events ;-)
i feel kind of disappointed that my "fix" of phantom sealed has become stale. i also can't help but feel a little irked at the developers for letting this set be this non-interactive. i still will go to a few FNMs because the social interaction itself makes it fun. (heck, even losing to mana screw repeatedly last friday was fun, because i get to joke about in-game about how crushingly victorious my opponent is, etc).
has anyone else felt this phenomenon of current Magic sets becoming stale? what contributes to it, for you all? what sets were like that, for you?
P.S.
*pause* i hear Hearthstone is filling up a void of some Magic player's TCG entertainment cravings... maybe i should give that a try...
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Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
This happens to me literally every single third set. I always get Magic'd out at that point.
I think my first major experience with it was Saviors of Kamigawa. That set was god terrible. Avacyn Restored crap of completely throwing out the first two sets doesn't set well with me. At the same time, I like for them to play with the design space on mechanics a bit to the point that there is something fresh and interesting. There needs to be a balance of enough cool newish stuff while still sticking to main themes.
I think the biggest part of the problem is that you're still playing with a lot of cards from the first two sets and they are pretty boring at that point. But, small sets are not balanced to stand alone. We tried triple New Phyrexia once and it was terrible.
By the time we've reached with Theros block right now, I actually often find myself looking forward to the core set.
By the time we've reached with Theros block right now, I actually often find myself looking forward to the core set.
haha! while i personally like core sets more than regular sets, i know that core sets are considered pretty boring by most experienced Magic players
i had thought that Dragon's Maze really shook things up a lot, and totally changed how drafts felt for me, vs Return to Ravnica x3 or Gatecrash x3. do Dragon's Maze do what you're talking about -- ie explore new design space, but still using main themes?
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Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Flashback drafts on MTGO are your friend. THis past week was TPF, the greatest draft format of all time. Next week is shards block, which is a lot less interesting but still decent and a lot better than Theros block.
i would totally jump on flashback events if only they were phantom (ie phantom = cheaper and no hassling with bots).
but aside from what i want, Wizards is doing a smart decision, i think, with flashback drafts. everyone benefits! (well... everyone but people who care about plummeting prices of rare online cards, anyways..)
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Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
TPF might be a great set to draft…. if you're an expert in it. It is, with the original full ravnica block, one of the hardest set to draft properly. And, frankly, that is my main beef with these flashback drafts. If you were not around when they came out (or didn't draft back then, like me), you stand no chance against people who did. You have to draft a full set as a newbie with people who flock to them because they liked it and are experts at it. How fun is it to get crushed by combo you didn't even know existed?
I had suggested in Magic General that Wizards should give up on the set format and just have a rolling stable of large set and not even feel forced to draft them together. So you'd have more large set drafting and sometimes they'd join two sets together to draft together, but with the advantage of making it possible to draft two packs of the new set and one of the older one unlike how it works currently. It was not a popular suggestion. People like their life unchanging.
one reason i like Core Sets is because they're /easy/ to understand. frankly, i'd be really overwhelmed drafting a flashback draft, and wouldn't risk trying unless they're cheap (ie, Phantom'd). i don't seem to enjoy events when i don't understand the cards very well.
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Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Yeah, Magic is a lot better of a hobby if you have money to burn. They don't really support limited events that allow you to play cheaply very well. It's kinda depressing to me that they have all of this content that they've produced over the years that only a tiny fraction of Magic players will ever have the combination of skill and money necessary to enjoy.
i was actually thrilled that they have those phantom sealed events. as an experienced but not competitive or hugely skilled player, i win about as many games as i lose in these phantom sealed events, which makes each event costs about three dollars each.
i have a little more money these days to burn than last year -- my entertainment budget these days is about 20-30 dollars a month (though i might splurge even more in the summer 'cause i love Core Sets ), which can land me quite a few phantom sealed events. i was happy about that!
but i agree with you: Magic is a hobby that requires a good chunk of money to enjoy.
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Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
TPF might be a great set to draft…. if you're an expert in it. It is, with the original full ravnica block, one of the hardest set to draft properly. And, frankly, that is my main beef with these flashback drafts. If you were not around when they came out (or didn't draft back then, like me), you stand no chance against people who did. You have to draft a full set as a newbie with people who flock to them because they liked it and are experts at it. How fun is it to get crushed by combo you didn't even know existed?
I had suggested in Magic General that Wizards should give up on the set format and just have a rolling stable of large set and not even feel forced to draft them together. So you'd have more large set drafting and sometimes they'd join two sets together to draft together, but with the advantage of making it possible to draft two packs of the new set and one of the older one unlike how it works currently. It was not a popular suggestion. People like their life unchanging.
There is a wealth of resources online about pretty much any draft format ever. LSV does a ton of draft videos of flasback formats when they come online. Watch those drafts, and you'll get a good idea for the cards, archetypes, and how the games tend to play out. I'll also say that at the beginning of the falshback period, tons of new people jump into the queues, and your ocmpetition is going to be much more average than by the end of the week when it tends to be the same crowd of old pros in the queues.
TPF might be a great set to draft…. if you're an expert in it. It is, with the original full ravnica block, one of the hardest set to draft properly. And, frankly, that is my main beef with these flashback drafts. If you were not around when they came out (or didn't draft back then, like me), you stand no chance against people who did. You have to draft a full set as a newbie with people who flock to them because they liked it and are experts at it. How fun is it to get crushed by combo you didn't even know existed?
I had suggested in Magic General that Wizards should give up on the set format and just have a rolling stable of large set and not even feel forced to draft them together. So you'd have more large set drafting and sometimes they'd join two sets together to draft together, but with the advantage of making it possible to draft two packs of the new set and one of the older one unlike how it works currently. It was not a popular suggestion. People like their life unchanging.
There is a wealth of resources online about pretty much any draft format ever. LSV does a ton of draft videos of flasback formats when they come online. Watch those drafts, and you'll get a good idea for the cards, archetypes, and how the games tend to play out. I'll also say that at the beginning of the falshback period, tons of new people jump into the queues, and your ocmpetition is going to be much more average than by the end of the week when it tends to be the same crowd of old pros in the queues.
True story... I really appreciate the flashbacks since I tend to take a six months on/six months off approach to MTG. Without flashbacks and vids, I would have never known the childish wonder of drafting a nasty Vent Sentinel deck or being passed a ridiculous amount of Unmakes.
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My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
i began realizing that i'm really tired of Theros+BNG sealed events. when i win events, it's usually because i curve out well and my opponent can't do much about it. and when i lose events, it's 'cause they curve out well, ... etc. winning has become almost hollow, and losing has become infuriating.
*pause* i hear Hearthstone is filling up a void of some Magic player's TCG entertainment cravings... maybe i should give that a try...
Yes, although that's just a phenomenom of the current limited environment being terrible. The next block will be a huge shift back towards more normal magic.
And yeah, I've started playing Hearthstone too. A lot of the players in my area do.
I always get tired of Limited formats that I play a lot at some point. The only question is how long it takes. If the format is bad, it'll be bored after ~15 events. If the format is good, I might be able to play 50+ before I start feeling it.
I have definitely experienced this before (during Avacyn Restored). If you are primarily a Magic Online player you could try pauper since it sounds like you want to keep on a budget.
With flashback events, doing Swiss for ones you're unfamiliar with is not really much more of a financial burden than doing Swiss for the current limited block. You'll be hanging out with some other format newbs, and a few old pros, but I doubt your EV is really that much worse than normal if you bother to do some cursory research into the format first. Watching 1-2 full draft videos is a very nice primer, and most of the blocks they flashback have videos available. Just choose a flashback you'd like to do a week or two in advance, and that should give you some time to squeeze a video or two in even if you're busy.
That's been my current solution to the Theros block malaise, and when I do try a BTT draft again after a break, it feels nice for a change of pace.
I have definitely experienced this before (during Avacyn Restored). If you are primarily a Magic Online player you could try pauper since it sounds like you want to keep on a budget.
Or standard pauper. It feels similar to Limited and it's practically free. There are free tournaments every Monday, I think, hosted by PDCMagic.com.
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My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Well, on the subject of burnout, I don't get to play enough, although if theorycrafting is any indication, yeah, I do get very burned out by the end of a block.
The last block that didn't happen with I think is NPH, and I would attest that to the absolutely fascinating look at the way Phyrexia plays with mana/colorpie/etc.
Right now, I'm kinda hip-deep in deciphering all of the Conspiracy stuff coming out, and moving.
People said that when I switched jobs, my life would get less hectic. I would love to know their basis of comparison.
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after last night's two phantom sealed events, i began realizing that i'm really tired of Theros+BNG sealed events. when i win events, it's usually because i curve out well and my opponent can't do much about it. and when i lose events, it's 'cause they curve out well, ... etc. winning has become almost hollow, and losing has become infuriating.
sadly, no one seems to want to play m14 or rtr block phantom sealed events ;-)
i feel kind of disappointed that my "fix" of phantom sealed has become stale. i also can't help but feel a little irked at the developers for letting this set be this non-interactive. i still will go to a few FNMs because the social interaction itself makes it fun. (heck, even losing to mana screw repeatedly last friday was fun, because i get to joke about in-game about how crushingly victorious my opponent is, etc).
has anyone else felt this phenomenon of current Magic sets becoming stale? what contributes to it, for you all? what sets were like that, for you?
P.S.
*pause* i hear Hearthstone is filling up a void of some Magic player's TCG entertainment cravings... maybe i should give that a try...
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
I think my first major experience with it was Saviors of Kamigawa. That set was god terrible. Avacyn Restored crap of completely throwing out the first two sets doesn't set well with me. At the same time, I like for them to play with the design space on mechanics a bit to the point that there is something fresh and interesting. There needs to be a balance of enough cool newish stuff while still sticking to main themes.
I think the biggest part of the problem is that you're still playing with a lot of cards from the first two sets and they are pretty boring at that point. But, small sets are not balanced to stand alone. We tried triple New Phyrexia once and it was terrible.
By the time we've reached with Theros block right now, I actually often find myself looking forward to the core set.
haha! while i personally like core sets more than regular sets, i know that core sets are considered pretty boring by most experienced Magic players
i had thought that Dragon's Maze really shook things up a lot, and totally changed how drafts felt for me, vs Return to Ravnica x3 or Gatecrash x3. do Dragon's Maze do what you're talking about -- ie explore new design space, but still using main themes?
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
but aside from what i want, Wizards is doing a smart decision, i think, with flashback drafts. everyone benefits! (well... everyone but people who care about plummeting prices of rare online cards, anyways..)
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
I had suggested in Magic General that Wizards should give up on the set format and just have a rolling stable of large set and not even feel forced to draft them together. So you'd have more large set drafting and sometimes they'd join two sets together to draft together, but with the advantage of making it possible to draft two packs of the new set and one of the older one unlike how it works currently. It was not a popular suggestion. People like their life unchanging.
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
i have a little more money these days to burn than last year -- my entertainment budget these days is about 20-30 dollars a month (though i might splurge even more in the summer 'cause i love Core Sets ), which can land me quite a few phantom sealed events. i was happy about that!
but i agree with you: Magic is a hobby that requires a good chunk of money to enjoy.
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
There is a wealth of resources online about pretty much any draft format ever. LSV does a ton of draft videos of flasback formats when they come online. Watch those drafts, and you'll get a good idea for the cards, archetypes, and how the games tend to play out. I'll also say that at the beginning of the falshback period, tons of new people jump into the queues, and your ocmpetition is going to be much more average than by the end of the week when it tends to be the same crowd of old pros in the queues.
True story... I really appreciate the flashbacks since I tend to take a six months on/six months off approach to MTG. Without flashbacks and vids, I would have never known the childish wonder of drafting a nasty Vent Sentinel deck or being passed a ridiculous amount of Unmakes.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
Yes, although that's just a phenomenom of the current limited environment being terrible. The next block will be a huge shift back towards more normal magic.
And yeah, I've started playing Hearthstone too. A lot of the players in my area do.
That's been my current solution to the Theros block malaise, and when I do try a BTT draft again after a break, it feels nice for a change of pace.
Or standard pauper. It feels similar to Limited and it's practically free. There are free tournaments every Monday, I think, hosted by PDCMagic.com.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
Well, on the subject of burnout, I don't get to play enough, although if theorycrafting is any indication, yeah, I do get very burned out by the end of a block.
The last block that didn't happen with I think is NPH, and I would attest that to the absolutely fascinating look at the way Phyrexia plays with mana/colorpie/etc.
Right now, I'm kinda hip-deep in deciphering all of the Conspiracy stuff coming out, and moving.
People said that when I switched jobs, my life would get less hectic. I would love to know their basis of comparison.