I think having a block where if you want to play multi or mono colored decks the mana, cards and deck types were balanced. During the RTR time no deck wins all the time and there are numerous options for decks. Every deck has a stronger match up and a weaker one. Just like how MTG is suppose to be. Balance and not one deck type or color is so strong that the format is warped. The Guilds were/are a success. FNM seemed to be packed and I havent seen release parties as packed and where people were as excited as for the RTR and Gatecrash ones in a long time. Although I wasnt a big fan of Dragon Maze the overall block was awesome and when paired with another awesome block like Innistrad, pure fun.
The theme was good. You had cards that became staples in many formats. Look at how so many cards have made it into Legacy and and Modern decks. You had at least 10 playable decks, mechanics and cards from, Golgari, Azorious, Rakdos, Gruul, Dimir, Boros, Selesyna, Izzet, Orzhov and Simic on top of the Mono colored and typical builds. Then add in the 3+ color builds (Jund, Esper, Naya, American, etc) and you've got a great variety to play and play against. The Charm cards were/are great utility cards. Its crazy good how so many Uncommons made impacts in Standard during the RTR time. You can say how Innistrad and Theros positively or negatively effected this block or how M13 and M14 shook things up but all in all I am very satisfied with the RTR block.
Hats off to this block and hope we have more like it.
I'm hoping this thread doesn't devolve into "RTR block was bad because of X" because there is already a thread talking about that.
Having said that. I think there is something to be said for any block, or any standard format in general, where there are multiple playable archetypes. Inn/Rtr standard was remembered as a midrange heavy format. It wasn't literally all the same deck. Between different matchups you'd have a deck that played the role of a control deck trying to grind out card advantage and a deck trying to win before the other guy stabilized. Just because a deck doesn't play counterspells or wraths doesn't mean it can't have control tendencies.
I think the current standard does a lot of that as well. There were a few months when the top 3 decks made up 80-90% of the metagame, which can make for a boring format if you don't like one of those decks... but recently if you look up what decks are winning tournaments it's a mixed bag. Control is still there, mono black and mono blue devotion is still there, G/x beatdown is there. But now we're seeing burn, the return of 2 and 3 color midrange decks, different flavors of aggro. It feels like you can show up to major tournaments with a lot of different decks and stand a decent shot at winning.
I enjoyed RTR as well (though I played only during RTR and GTC, i missed maze)> I also wish for more blocks like Innistrad. The cards were so flavorful and cool to play.
Aristocrats was a deck. Best standard ever. Nuff said haha.
I wish that I had been there then for Omnnidoor.
Both were beautiful. I was loving every second of it, even though I was one of those awful esper drownyards players everyone hated haha.
Oh dont worry I was one of them too. We were just the elite and everyone else were just haters.
Life totals and combat damage are overrated haha.
Tru dat I ran like three win cons haha. One blood baron, one aetherling, and four drownyards. Excuse me while I verdict and far//away, snap replay and rev until your spirits broken haha. Man I miss terminus sooooo much too.
Generally speaking RTR block was satisfying, much more than Theros. I just wish UG and especially Dimir weren't abandoned for standard.
small grievance: the story was awful (but i'd rather the gameplay come before story, unlike Theros) Picture a turnstile with Jace walking through, doing a 180 and walking out. This is what I see from RTR block.
Aristocrats was a deck. Best standard ever. Nuff said haha.
I wish that I had been there then for Omnnidoor.
Both were beautiful. I was loving every second of it, even though I was one of those awful esper drownyards players everyone hated haha.
Oh dont worry I was one of them too. We were just the elite and everyone else were just haters.
Life totals and combat damage are overrated haha.
Tru dat I ran like three win cons haha. One blood baron, one aetherling, and four drownyards. Excuse me while I verdict and far//away, snap replay and rev until your spirits broken haha. Man I miss terminus sooooo much too.
Yeah there was nothing more satisfying than playing Think Twice in the opponents combat phase and hitting that miracle Terminus.
Generally speaking RTR block was satisfying, much more than Theros. I just wish UG and especially Dimir weren't abandoned for standard.
small grievance: the story was awful (but i'd rather the gameplay come before story, unlike Theros) Picture a turnstile with Jace walking through, doing a 180 and walking out. This is what I see from RTR block.
How Dimir/UB was crapped on and still is is a problem I have with recent design too.
Dimir was just casual mill crap and overcosted, unplayable cipher stuff. I got immediately stomped in the pre-release just for choosing my favorite guild/color combination.
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The theme was good. You had cards that became staples in many formats. Look at how so many cards have made it into Legacy and and Modern decks. You had at least 10 playable decks, mechanics and cards from, Golgari, Azorious, Rakdos, Gruul, Dimir, Boros, Selesyna, Izzet, Orzhov and Simic on top of the Mono colored and typical builds. Then add in the 3+ color builds (Jund, Esper, Naya, American, etc) and you've got a great variety to play and play against. The Charm cards were/are great utility cards. Its crazy good how so many Uncommons made impacts in Standard during the RTR time. You can say how Innistrad and Theros positively or negatively effected this block or how M13 and M14 shook things up but all in all I am very satisfied with the RTR block.
Hats off to this block and hope we have more like it.
Having said that. I think there is something to be said for any block, or any standard format in general, where there are multiple playable archetypes. Inn/Rtr standard was remembered as a midrange heavy format. It wasn't literally all the same deck. Between different matchups you'd have a deck that played the role of a control deck trying to grind out card advantage and a deck trying to win before the other guy stabilized. Just because a deck doesn't play counterspells or wraths doesn't mean it can't have control tendencies.
I think the current standard does a lot of that as well. There were a few months when the top 3 decks made up 80-90% of the metagame, which can make for a boring format if you don't like one of those decks... but recently if you look up what decks are winning tournaments it's a mixed bag. Control is still there, mono black and mono blue devotion is still there, G/x beatdown is there. But now we're seeing burn, the return of 2 and 3 color midrange decks, different flavors of aggro. It feels like you can show up to major tournaments with a lot of different decks and stand a decent shot at winning.
WU$50 Budget UW heroicUW
Modern
WR Boros Burn RW
Commander/EDH
(WiP) RNorin the TrollR
I wish that I had been there then for Omnnidoor.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Both were beautiful. I was loving every second of it, even though I was one of those awful esper drownyards players everyone hated haha.
It's too bad that I started paying attention to the competitive world with Dragon's Maze and was worried about rotation.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Oh dont worry I was one of them too. We were just the elite and everyone else were just haters.
Life totals and combat damage are overrated haha.
Tru dat I ran like three win cons haha. One blood baron, one aetherling, and four drownyards. Excuse me while I verdict and far//away, snap replay and rev until your spirits broken haha. Man I miss terminus sooooo much too.
small grievance: the story was awful (but i'd rather the gameplay come before story, unlike Theros) Picture a turnstile with Jace walking through, doing a 180 and walking out. This is what I see from RTR block.
Yeah there was nothing more satisfying than playing Think Twice in the opponents combat phase and hitting that miracle Terminus.
How Dimir/UB was crapped on and still is is a problem I have with recent design too.
Dimir was just casual mill crap and overcosted, unplayable cipher stuff. I got immediately stomped in the pre-release just for choosing my favorite guild/color combination.