It's not made for us though. It's made for those whom are getting in. Think about this. The deck is missing Thoughtseize and the shocks. Both are currently available in packs. The point is to see the box, then move people onto packs and into the game proper.
If this was meant for us, it would defeat the point of releasing it. It would not open modern at all since we would all snap them up, gut them and sell off the bits we don't need. Just like Mind Sieze. No, this was the right way for Wizards to do this, complaints about the deck from people whom had no real interest in anything more than just taking out two lands and ditching the rest are going to fall on deaf ears at Wizards. I think they played this one smart.
We will get MM2 later down the track. That will be aimed at us. This though, this is good. Let it go to the crowd it was such intended and let them play. I agree with this plan and what they did here. It makes good business sense.
I still don't know. When people buy a computer game for $60, they are complaining when they have to buy DLC at day one to complete their game, and this deck is $75 and it is also not complete.
As suggested above Soul Sisters would have been nice, or perhaps some RDW/Burn, or this deck but with a decent mana base. Print fetches with super ugly art if you must. Now it feels like some discount offer for a singles bundle.
Competitive is really nothing more than a matter of having the right sideboard, the core of it is a fine starting point.
And holy crap they gave you not one or two but THREE KATAKIS. Someone's got a hateboner for Affinity in WizR&D.
I must really be out of touch with everyone else and their expectations.
Wotc could have put $75 in the box along side the cards and people would still be complaining they didnt get enough value out of the deck.
This is a great starting point for someone new to the format.
Anyone who expected $50 and $60 cards in a $75 product is out of touch with the game and are expecting way too much.
That all being said, I am going to watch how well these sell at the local LGS. I wonder how many by it to tear it apart or for certain pieces of the deck.
I think the deck is fine enough as it is. The only thing that has me scratching my head is the 2x City of Brass -- I mean, that probably should have been 2x Godless Shrine, especially with 4x Isolated Chapel already in the deck, but oh well.
As someone whos looking to start in modern, this is perfect for me. I've never played B/W tokens and it looks really fun. And TBH, i feel like 75$ is just the right amount im willing to pay for this.
I like the deck. If I had my way I would have cut Soul Warden and Shrine of Loyal Legions for S and Famine for Sword of Fire and Ice, and Squadron Hawks, Sword of Feast and Famine for Sword of Fire and Ice, an Intangible Virtue for another Path to Exile, and 2 Raise the Alarms for 2 more Inquisitions of Kozilek. I could deal with Godless Shrine, Fetid Heath, Marsh Flats, and Thoughtseize not being in the deck, but it just seems odd that the deck was structured like that.
Wotc could have put $75 in the box along side the cards and people would still be complaining they didnt get enough value out of the deck.
This is a great starting point for someone new to the format.
Anyone who expected $50 and $60 cards in a $75 product is out of touch with the game and are expecting way too much.
That all being said, I am going to watch how well these sell at the local LGS. I wonder how many by it to tear it apart or for certain pieces of the deck.
I was never going to buy this and hopefully snag a cheap sword of F&F because of this so this set is only good for me.
That said, wotc needs to stop putting 2 or 3 ofs in event deck products when it doesn't make sense. The new standard event deck with 3 pyromancer, 3 jet does this and this deck now does it with 3 paths and 2 inquisition. Its a $75 product, the paths are obvious 4 ofs and the inquisition should at least be a 3 of. It won't cause a mad rush for the product from scalpers so its utterly safe to print them. So why are there md cards like 2 shirne of loyal legions instead? I don't care about value but this should look good out of the box, if I can glance at it and say "This card is utter trash," then it shouldn't be in the deck. I don't care if they don't stuff nothing but value in these but I do feel a bit perturbed that they refuse to bring event decks that a actually playable out of the box.
The more I think about it, the more I sort of like what Wizards has done. Myself, and my friends who play modern won't buy this. But someone who has interest in modern and a few thoughtseize/godless shrines from standard would be. It's not a particularly strong deck, but it's enough to get your toes wet, and there actually is more than 75$ worth of stuff inside the box.
THIS 100X!!! If you don't agree with this then there is no amount of logic that will ever convince you that good, non-oppressive, combos should be allowed. If you don't agree with it then just don't play this game, and you certainly shouldn't feel entitled to make any comment on ban lists ever.
Not all FNMs are at the same level. There are the old LGS FNMs with their regulars making it look like a weekly Top-16 GP session. And then there's the newly-opened LGS with Modern events that would immediately fold if someone with a Tier-One deck decided to participate with it every week. The Event Deck was clearly designed for the latter.
As it stands now, the deck will not sell much in the "Top 16" but will be great for the new LGS.
If it was a "Mind Seize" product, the "Top 16" will raise the prices of the decks a lot more drastically, creating an artificial stoppage in supply (remember that recently, we are having products with limited first print run but with the promise of "will print to meet demand?" Guess what? It's probably intentional. It encourages price-raising to discourage demand so that the further runs don't appear, hence sustaining prices).
The more I think about it, the more I sort of like what Wizards has done. Myself, and my friends who play modern won't buy this. But someone who has interest in modern and a few thoughtseize/godless shrines from standard would be. It's not a particularly strong deck, but it's enough to get your toes wet, and there actually is more than 75$ worth of stuff inside the box.
I agree. The more I look at the deck the more I like it. It's not designed for a current Modern player. It's designed for a standard player curious about Modern. Judging by what's in it, it won't get snapped up or price gouged, but it's not weak either. You can upgrade it easily with cards currently in standard and the rest for $10-20 in trade... that the deck has in it. If someone offered me a Sword of F&F ($25) for 2x Sorin ($8), 1x Path ($6) and 2x Hero of Bladehold ($10), I think we'd both walk away happy. You might even find someone willing to do 3x Godless Shrine for the Sword.
It's also really easy to sideboard for the meta when you're in white and black.
This deck isn't for us as has been said already. This is meant for someone to pick up and get exposure to modern/potentially play in small modern events while also probably playing casual and kitchen table games with it. It's the gateway drug to the Modern format. It has some semblance of a competitive deck but isn't all the way there.
Someone will pick this up, play some games and talk to their local LGS owner/other players about the format as a whole and what can be done to tweak and improve the deck to become more competitive. This in turn causes the new player to buy packs and singles from their LGS (everyone wins, LGS sells more cards and new players enter the format).
Think back to when we all started playing the game and decided what formats we wanted to play. We all started with junk, didn't know all the cards out there and were always tweaking and trying new things to improve our decks while learning the game. That was half the fun for me when I got into modern after taking a break from the game for almost a decade. So many new cards and new things to learn. It was fun improving and modifying my first deck, even if it wasn't "optimal". This deck is perfect for giving that to new players and getting them hooked on the format.
This deck isn't for us as has been said already. This is meant for someone to pick up and get exposure to modern/potentially play in small modern events while also probably playing casual and kitchen table games with it. It's the gateway drug to the Modern format. It has some semblance of a competitive deck but isn't all the way there.
Someone will pick this up, play some games and talk to their local LGS owner/other players about the format as a whole and what can be done to tweak and improve the deck to become more competitive. This in turn causes the new player to buy packs and singles from their LGS (everyone wins, LGS sells more cards and new players enter the format).
Think back to when we all started playing the game and decided what formats we wanted to play. We all started with junk, didn't know all the cards out there and were always tweaking and trying new things to improve our decks while learning the game. That was half the fun for me when I got into modern after taking a break from the game for almost a decade. So many new cards and new things to learn. It was fun improving and modifying my first deck, even if it wasn't "optimal". This deck is perfect for giving that to new players and getting them hooked on the format.
its a trap that sucks you in until you understand the necessity of fetch lands.
I realize fetches make decks optimal, but I also sometimes feel that they are over-emphasized by the competitive player-base as a whole. You absolutely don't need them in a 2-color deck, and you can easily run two colors plus a splash for a third color without them.
The reprint will come eventually of course, in the meantime, not having them won't hold someone back from doing well at an FNM. If you're going to a GP or the like, then you are serious enough that the cost probably isn't a big deal to you.
For the record, I want them reprinted sooner rather than later, I just feel that sometimes people put too much stock in not having them and feeling like that is what is preventing their deck from doing well, when it probably isn't the case.
Event Tokens is, in typical event deck fashion, the middle ground prebuilt option with expansion potential. A far cry from entry level cheapo intro deck but still a far way off from being the custom built tuned piles that define archetypes.
Tangent:
I rather dislike Isolated Chapel in the stock manabase. It's pretty much a big heads up that you should run Marsh Flats and Godless Shrine (Koilos and CoB are passable filler in the meantime but it's quite obvious what goes in place of them). The sheer genius of it all is that there is no card that's overwhelmingly Standard relevant in the list that I can recognize, but Standard -is- stocked in a few cards relevant to ricing out Event Tokens. Bravo Wizards.
I suppose that if this encourages people to start up modern its a good thing. Just that, if anyone tried taking this to my lgs, they would get completely stomped. For this to work, there needs to be a less competitive modern environment then a mini-gp, and thats something that the price barrier has discouraged.
Not including four paths, a 5-6 dollar card that is the very definition of a staple, in a format where you need paths to deal with twin, pod, goyf, etc, seems like a strange decision.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy
Death and Taxes Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
This isn't meant to be good at major Modern events. It's meant to be good at small local events, like an FNM, where a lot of players aren't going to be running a whole lot better. It's going into a Standard format where a lot of people will already have Godless Shrine and Thoughtseize, which are a decently large portion of what the deck needs, besides all the fourth copies of things it has three of. It doesn't have fetches, but it was never going to have fetches at $75, and anyone who thought it would was kidding themselves. It has more than enough value to be worth the $75 price tag, but not quite enough to make it attractive to existing modern players and/or speculators.
This will do exactly what it was designed to do: Help some Standard players jump into mostly-casual semi-competitive Modern.
Well, on the one, as disgusting as it is, 15 dollars IS on the low end for high power magic cards. The beef with Elspeth is that something else could have been reprinted in her place(that would have fit the theme of the deck better) , and fallen to the same 15ish dollar range.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy
Death and Taxes Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
Well, on the one, as disgusting as it is, 15 dollars IS on the low end for high power magic cards. The beef with Elspeth is that something else could have been reprinted in her place(that would have fit the theme of the deck better) , and fallen to the same 15ish dollar range.
Or drag the deck retail price to something stupid.
I for one welcome another overprinted Planeswalker, Ajani Vengeant shouldn't be the only one flooding the market.
Hey, I want to make big zoo, (even though the 900+dollars I would need to spend on fetchlands make that impossible), I like cheaper Elspeth. Its nice that beat stick Elspeth and lightning helix Adjani are the ones that are reprinted
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy
Death and Taxes Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
It's honestly a little disappointing. It's not unexpected, I didn't have high expectations. The only problem is that they really need to push for Modern and put better cards in the event decks. Like people really won't want this, it doesn't have much. They didn't even put in 4 Paths for crying out loud.
If this was meant for us, it would defeat the point of releasing it. It would not open modern at all since we would all snap them up, gut them and sell off the bits we don't need. Just like Mind Sieze. No, this was the right way for Wizards to do this, complaints about the deck from people whom had no real interest in anything more than just taking out two lands and ditching the rest are going to fall on deaf ears at Wizards. I think they played this one smart.
We will get MM2 later down the track. That will be aimed at us. This though, this is good. Let it go to the crowd it was such intended and let them play. I agree with this plan and what they did here. It makes good business sense.
Current decks of choice:
Vintage: Shops.
Legacy: Lands.
Modern: Lantern.
Competitive is really nothing more than a matter of having the right sideboard, the core of it is a fine starting point.
And holy crap they gave you not one or two but THREE KATAKIS. Someone's got a hateboner for Affinity in WizR&D.
I must really be out of touch with everyone else and their expectations.
This is a great starting point for someone new to the format.
Anyone who expected $50 and $60 cards in a $75 product is out of touch with the game and are expecting way too much.
That all being said, I am going to watch how well these sell at the local LGS. I wonder how many by it to tear it apart or for certain pieces of the deck.
You got a problem with reprinting good Planeswalkers?
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
I was never going to buy this and hopefully snag a cheap sword of F&F because of this so this set is only good for me.
That said, wotc needs to stop putting 2 or 3 ofs in event deck products when it doesn't make sense. The new standard event deck with 3 pyromancer, 3 jet does this and this deck now does it with 3 paths and 2 inquisition. Its a $75 product, the paths are obvious 4 ofs and the inquisition should at least be a 3 of. It won't cause a mad rush for the product from scalpers so its utterly safe to print them. So why are there md cards like 2 shirne of loyal legions instead? I don't care about value but this should look good out of the box, if I can glance at it and say "This card is utter trash," then it shouldn't be in the deck. I don't care if they don't stuff nothing but value in these but I do feel a bit perturbed that they refuse to bring event decks that a actually playable out of the box.
As it stands now, the deck will not sell much in the "Top 16" but will be great for the new LGS.
If it was a "Mind Seize" product, the "Top 16" will raise the prices of the decks a lot more drastically, creating an artificial stoppage in supply (remember that recently, we are having products with limited first print run but with the promise of "will print to meet demand?" Guess what? It's probably intentional. It encourages price-raising to discourage demand so that the further runs don't appear, hence sustaining prices).
When they're affordable and easy to find as it is, sure.
I agree. The more I look at the deck the more I like it. It's not designed for a current Modern player. It's designed for a standard player curious about Modern. Judging by what's in it, it won't get snapped up or price gouged, but it's not weak either. You can upgrade it easily with cards currently in standard and the rest for $10-20 in trade... that the deck has in it. If someone offered me a Sword of F&F ($25) for 2x Sorin ($8), 1x Path ($6) and 2x Hero of Bladehold ($10), I think we'd both walk away happy. You might even find someone willing to do 3x Godless Shrine for the Sword.
It's also really easy to sideboard for the meta when you're in white and black.
Someone will pick this up, play some games and talk to their local LGS owner/other players about the format as a whole and what can be done to tweak and improve the deck to become more competitive. This in turn causes the new player to buy packs and singles from their LGS (everyone wins, LGS sells more cards and new players enter the format).
Think back to when we all started playing the game and decided what formats we wanted to play. We all started with junk, didn't know all the cards out there and were always tweaking and trying new things to improve our decks while learning the game. That was half the fun for me when I got into modern after taking a break from the game for almost a decade. So many new cards and new things to learn. It was fun improving and modifying my first deck, even if it wasn't "optimal". This deck is perfect for giving that to new players and getting them hooked on the format.
its a trap that sucks you in until you understand the necessity of fetch lands.
The reprint will come eventually of course, in the meantime, not having them won't hold someone back from doing well at an FNM. If you're going to a GP or the like, then you are serious enough that the cost probably isn't a big deal to you.
For the record, I want them reprinted sooner rather than later, I just feel that sometimes people put too much stock in not having them and feeling like that is what is preventing their deck from doing well, when it probably isn't the case.
An analogy comes to mind, buying a computer.
Event Tokens is, in typical event deck fashion, the middle ground prebuilt option with expansion potential. A far cry from entry level cheapo intro deck but still a far way off from being the custom built tuned piles that define archetypes.
Tangent:
I rather dislike Isolated Chapel in the stock manabase. It's pretty much a big heads up that you should run Marsh Flats and Godless Shrine (Koilos and CoB are passable filler in the meantime but it's quite obvious what goes in place of them). The sheer genius of it all is that there is no card that's overwhelmingly Standard relevant in the list that I can recognize, but Standard -is- stocked in a few cards relevant to ricing out Event Tokens. Bravo Wizards.
Not including four paths, a 5-6 dollar card that is the very definition of a staple, in a format where you need paths to deal with twin, pod, goyf, etc, seems like a strange decision.
Death and Taxes
Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron
Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
Exactly this.
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Tweaking it like this would have made more sense for Wizard's purpose of creating something for helping people play Modern I think:
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Isolated Chapel
5 Plains
4 Swamp
1 Vault of the Archangel
3 Godless Shrine
1 Fetid Heath
1 Forbidding Watchtower
1 Spawning Pool
//Creatures
4 Soul Warden
1 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Honor of the Pure
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Intangible Virtue
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
4 Raise the Alarm
1 Shrine of Loyal Legions
4 Spectral Procession
3 Zealous Persecution
//Planeswalkers
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Dismember
3 Duress
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Relic of Progenitus
I don't think they should be introducing new players to a format via questionable deck design though.
If I were Wizards I'd perhaps do something more like this:
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Sacred Foundry
13 Mountain
1 Plains
//Creatures
4 Young Pyromancer
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Vexing Devil
2 Grim Lavamancer
1 Goblin Guide
1 Satyr Firedancer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Boros Charm
4 Skullcrack
1 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Helix
//Planeswalkers
1 Ajani Vengeant
2 Pillar of Flame
2 Ash Zealot
1 Torpor Orb
2 Shattering Spree
1 Dragon's Claw
2 Revoke Existence
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Molten Rain
1 Rest in Peace
1 Chained to the Rocks
Death and Taxes
Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron
Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
Or drag the deck retail price to something stupid.
I for one welcome another overprinted Planeswalker, Ajani Vengeant shouldn't be the only one flooding the market.
Death and Taxes
Pauper
UB Teachings
Tortured Existence
Murasa Tron
Modern
Pod (RIP)
Bloom(RIP)
Merfolk
Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund, UW Tron, Jeskai Control, Storm, Counters Company, Eldrazi Tron, Affinity, Living End, Infect, Merfolk, Dredge, Ad Nauseam, Amulet, Bogles, Eldrazi Tron, Mono U Tron, Lantern, Mardu Pyromancer