Time spiral release date: October 6, 2006.
Makihito Mihara wins Worlds with Dragonstorm: December 3, 2006.
10th release date, 9th rotates out with Seething Song: July 14, 2007.
Dragonstorm was many many things. Undiscovered until late was definitely not one of them.
well, you kinda proved my point. thanks for the specific info and the correction though, i appreciate the facts. my memory is slightly fuzzy i guess. the case is definitely that there was only a 7 month window of opportunity for Dragonstorm to really dominate. thats much shorter than the typical format boogeyman which dominates for like 18 months.
I quit Magic before Time Spiral, which sucks because it looks like I missed a great format. My three favorite are:
1. Kamigawa-Ravnica-9th: A bunch of viable options, no power creep really aside from Jitte, cool cards like Gifts Ungiven. Ravnica might be the best block ever in terms of Limited and Constructed design and playability. The flavor was pretty good too, but not as good as Kami's.
2. Odyssey-Onslaught-7th: Mongrel, Psychatog, brilliantly-designed graveyard theme, tribal decks galore, Counterspell still legal. Odyssey is my favorite block due to so many memorable cards. 7th is my favorite core set, one reason being the new artwork for the majority of cards.
3. Masques-Invasion-7th: LOVE the flavor of Mercadian Masques, cool, balanced Spike cards like Fact or Fiction, Absorb, Urza's Rage, etc. Rishadan Port was a slight problem, but Tsabo's Web helped.
I'm digging Standard right now as well. Mana Leak and ramp decks kind of helped it up from a few months ago, when I made the switch to Legacy because the format was so unappealing to me. Lack of many viable decks, no real combo decks, and a weak flavor from Alara block and Zendikar block were the reasons why it was so bad. M11 is a good core set, and gives me a little faith in Wizards in the near future.
I started playing literally when Urza's Saga was released, but stopped for a long time right before Onslaught and finally picked it back up again here with Worldwake. For a short time I considered getting back in when Guildpact was released, but decided against it.
However, I remember back then it was so much more fun for some reason, for me anyway. I remember the Arena league and the FNM's were huge with lots of fun players and now that's not how it is around here anymore. Not to mention that I was able to snag a Beta Lotus back then for about $300.
i played a lot standards and current jund beats easily other standard decks:
heartbeat combo (ravnica/kamigava)
5cc (lorwyn/shards)
affinity (mirrodin/kamigava)
dragonstorm (ravnica/timespiral)
storm (timespiral/lorvyn)
WW kithkins (lorvyn/shards)
of course there are more decks that i didn't play with (i don't have...) but Jund is one of the most powerful decks ever (in t2 of course).
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By John Avon
Decks:
EDH: :symbw::symuw::symub:Merieke Ri Berit:symbw::symuw::symub:
Archenemy EDH: Reaper king
IMO, ALA on both ends is one of my least favorites. I like it less than kamiwaga's era.
SoM Looks like it will make up for it though.
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~Intelligence is Bliss; Ignorance is Denial.
Skill is an ability that relates more so to the type of deck that's built and how said player pilots it. It also relates to the ability to assess the board and use the cards available to you in the most optimal way relative to each situation.
When a deck is filled with above par cards and every play is solid, there comes a diminishing need to "think" for the lack of wanting to use a better word.
IMO, ALA on both ends is one of my least favorites. I like it less than kamiwaga's era.
SoM Looks like it will make up for it though.
Alara before M11 was terrible. The meta was Jund, PW Control, UW Control. But honestly can't see how you can say its bad right now. This is one of the most diverse metas we have seen in a while with some really interesting decks...
Time Sieze Combo
RDW
Jund
Esper Control
UW Control
Super Friends
Pyromancers Combo
Polymorph
Naya Vengevine
Mythic Conscription
UW Titan Control
Turbo Land
Eldrazi Aggro
Destructive Titans
Valakut Titan
How is that not awsomely diverse? I could name some more. The current meta is easily better than ALA/LOR, Mirrodin, ect...
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Modern (I collect the format):
WURDelver
[/MANA]MANA]R[/MANA]GTron WDeath and Taxes WSoul Sisters RWG Pod Combo URSplinter Twin URStorm RBurn
Look at the card. Now back to Jace. Now back to that card, now back to Jace! Sadly, it isn't Jace, but if it stopped being a junk rare and became relevant, it could act like it's Jace. Crack some Worldwake. What do you have? You have a Jace, the card you wish this card could be like. Look again. THE CARD IS NOW A $75 BILL. Anything possible when you play Magic with Jace and not junk rares. This is probably spam.
I guess most of you guys just started playing because nobody should pick Urza's Block over any other standard era.
Granted I'd just started regular tournaments with Tempest, however I'd say Urza's block was a great time in Magic history. Aside from Combo Winter the format was pretty healthy. After the bannings settled the dust the format matured into a well rounded and balanced one. You had several deck choices. Aggro, Combo and Control all existed with none of them being lopsided blow outs and 6th edition cleaned up the rules not to mention gave us the stack in combat. I'd argue that Urza's Block was one of the funniest formats I've ever played, and I've played them all since.
Kami-Rav was by far my favorite.
Anything with Ravnica WINS.
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my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
lorwyn-m10. the biggest cardpool in recent times. it spawned so many awesome decks, like elf WG elf combo. god that deck was fun. attacking for 52 on turn 4 was FUN!
Anything with Ravnica WINS.
I'm commander shepard, and this is my favorite post on the citadel.
My favorite time in standard because the power creep started to become prevelant. Before control and combo were the power players and during this time the power level of creatures began to rise. Also this was the most fun to play in a limited enviroment. FTK kill everything on the board?
i played a lot standards and current jund beats easily other standard decks:
heartbeat combo (ravnica/kamigava)
5cc (lorwyn/shards)
affinity (mirrodin/kamigava)
dragonstorm (ravnica/timespiral)
storm (timespiral/lorvyn)
WW kithkins (lorvyn/shards)
of course there are more decks that i didn't play with (i don't have...) but Jund is one of the most powerful decks ever (in t2 of course).
I'll build a Timespiral/Lorwyn Reveillark deck for MWS. If you want, I'll meet up with you online sometime next week (will be gone this weekend) and we'll test out your theory
The overall power level was low and no individual cards dominated the format (well, except for maybe Rishadan Port and Opposition, but even those format defining "powerhouses" would be considered almost unplayable in today's Standard)
Mirage/Tempest. Anyone that says different simply was not playing at that time. It was a really balanced format, was in a time that magic was old enough to have a real depth in strategy, young enough so that it was not over-competitive and was before the net was big. So people played decks they liked and not "tier 1 decks" while still having a chance to win no matter what they played.
"I have no idea what it's like not to be a straight white male, and the experiences of others are irrelevant." -Conservative Motto
Calling someone a Commie is flaming and must be stopped, but turning the word Conservative into a loaded pejorative and using it over and over again is perfectly acceptable.
Mirage/Tempest. Anyone that says different simply was not playing at that time. It was a really balanced format, was in a time that magic was old enough to have a real depth in strategy, young enough so that it was not over-competitive and was before the net big. So people played decks they liked and not "tier 1 decks" while still having a chance to win no matter what they played.
This is pretty true. There were some definite standard decks like MUC and RDW, but the rest of the format was very, very open. I think a lot of that had to do with lack of information. The Dojo was around, but decks weren't common knowledge like that are today.
I liked Coldsnap - TSP- Lorwyn - Eventide std. Probably because it had the most cards ever.
It is ironic that today there are fewer cards per set, and yet there are more viable archetypes. The current type 2 would have my vote for one of the best, for it's abundance of decks, except that the very diversity makes it more difficult to build a new deck, i.e. beating 3 decks is less difficult than beating 10.
Also, I do not like Mythics. Not being able to afford some cards makes me feel like I'm not playing the whole game. I suppose this is not a valid criticism of the format itself, but I'm sure it will have very real effects on people's experiences and memories.
it's not hard to make new decks, it's just no one wants to. They all run to this site so they can net deck for there next tournament and thus no one makes new decks.
Mirage/Tempest. Anyone that says different simply was not playing at that time. It was a really balanced format, was in a time that magic was old enough to have a real depth in strategy, young enough so that it was not over-competitive and was before the net was big. So people played decks they liked and not "tier 1 decks" while still having a chance to win no matter what they played.
I couldn't agree more. Recurring-Survival is probably the most elegant combo deck ever built, and you had SECRET FORCE~. Permission control, Sligh, White Weenie, Black Weenie, Living Death, even ProsBloom was still around - there were just so many viable decks back then.
I have heard vague rumors of a moustache-dispensing vending machine in a distant laundromat, across the street from a tattoo parlor. However, this information is shaky, and time is of the essence.
I didn't think about Mirage/Tempest. I started playing during Urza's/Masques and most of the people I played with had lots or cards from Tempest and Mirage, so I played against those kinds of decks a lot. There was a very diverse card pool, not to mention a thoroughly acceptable set of 10 2-color lands (The Cinder Marsh cycle and the Scabland cycle. I loved those guys)
I'm quite partial to Ravnica/Time Spiral, but I have to say Time Spiral/Lorwyn was and still is my favorite. Though I didn't like Lorwyn and Morningtide overall, it was also a time where I came into my own as a player and I had a lot of fun playing Demigod Red and WU Lark. Yes, creatures dominated the format, but I think it's better than the Planeswalker-Palooza we got right now.
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:symur::symur::symur::symur::symur:
Several years ago, WotC apparently surveyed Magic players across the globe. They found that people liked turning things sideways, and hated LD. This is the result:
well, you kinda proved my point. thanks for the specific info and the correction though, i appreciate the facts. my memory is slightly fuzzy i guess. the case is definitely that there was only a 7 month window of opportunity for Dragonstorm to really dominate. thats much shorter than the typical format boogeyman which dominates for like 18 months.
1. Kamigawa-Ravnica-9th: A bunch of viable options, no power creep really aside from Jitte, cool cards like Gifts Ungiven. Ravnica might be the best block ever in terms of Limited and Constructed design and playability. The flavor was pretty good too, but not as good as Kami's.
2. Odyssey-Onslaught-7th: Mongrel, Psychatog, brilliantly-designed graveyard theme, tribal decks galore, Counterspell still legal. Odyssey is my favorite block due to so many memorable cards. 7th is my favorite core set, one reason being the new artwork for the majority of cards.
3. Masques-Invasion-7th: LOVE the flavor of Mercadian Masques, cool, balanced Spike cards like Fact or Fiction, Absorb, Urza's Rage, etc. Rishadan Port was a slight problem, but Tsabo's Web helped.
I'm digging Standard right now as well. Mana Leak and ramp decks kind of helped it up from a few months ago, when I made the switch to Legacy because the format was so unappealing to me. Lack of many viable decks, no real combo decks, and a weak flavor from Alara block and Zendikar block were the reasons why it was so bad. M11 is a good core set, and gives me a little faith in Wizards in the near future.
RMythic RedR
RRDWR
EDH
GRBAdun OakenshieldBRG
I started playing literally when Urza's Saga was released, but stopped for a long time right before Onslaught and finally picked it back up again here with Worldwake. For a short time I considered getting back in when Guildpact was released, but decided against it.
However, I remember back then it was so much more fun for some reason, for me anyway. I remember the Arena league and the FNM's were huge with lots of fun players and now that's not how it is around here anymore. Not to mention that I was able to snag a Beta Lotus back then for about $300.
It's amazing how things have changed since then.
heartbeat combo (ravnica/kamigava)
5cc (lorwyn/shards)
affinity (mirrodin/kamigava)
dragonstorm (ravnica/timespiral)
storm (timespiral/lorvyn)
WW kithkins (lorvyn/shards)
of course there are more decks that i didn't play with (i don't have...) but Jund is one of the most powerful decks ever (in t2 of course).
Decks:
EDH: :symbw::symuw::symub:Merieke Ri Berit:symbw::symuw::symub:
Archenemy EDH: Reaper king
(")(")
GONZO
Genius, fast, and long eared.
I loved Invasion-Odyssey-7th and Odyssey-Onslaught-7th.
Psychatog, MBC, and Astral Slide were awesome to play.
I really wish I played during Tempest, Urza's, Mercadian, and Ravnica/TSP.
All of those eras looked really appealing to me.
I'm glad I stopped playing from 8th and through Mirrodin, though. I dislike Affinity (although I like artifact based decks)
Odessey was realy fun...
But right now I must say the current standard (M11, M10, Zendikar, Alara) is my favorite of all time.
WURDelver
[/MANA]MANA]R[/MANA]GTron
WDeath and Taxes
WSoul Sisters
RWG Pod Combo
URSplinter Twin
URStorm
RBurn
SoM Looks like it will make up for it though.
Skill is an ability that relates more so to the type of deck that's built and how said player pilots it. It also relates to the ability to assess the board and use the cards available to you in the most optimal way relative to each situation.
When a deck is filled with above par cards and every play is solid, there comes a diminishing need to "think" for the lack of wanting to use a better word.
Time Sieze Combo
RDW
Jund
Esper Control
UW Control
Super Friends
Pyromancers Combo
Polymorph
Naya Vengevine
Mythic Conscription
UW Titan Control
Turbo Land
Eldrazi Aggro
Destructive Titans
Valakut Titan
How is that not awsomely diverse? I could name some more. The current meta is easily better than ALA/LOR, Mirrodin, ect...
WURDelver
[/MANA]MANA]R[/MANA]GTron
WDeath and Taxes
WSoul Sisters
RWG Pod Combo
URSplinter Twin
URStorm
RBurn
Am I the only one that keeps reading the thread title in Kanye West's voice?
Zend-M11 Ima let you finish, but Rav-Time Spiral was the best standard format of all time, of ALL TIME!
URURxUR
UWUWxUW
Granted I'd just started regular tournaments with Tempest, however I'd say Urza's block was a great time in Magic history. Aside from Combo Winter the format was pretty healthy. After the bannings settled the dust the format matured into a well rounded and balanced one. You had several deck choices. Aggro, Combo and Control all existed with none of them being lopsided blow outs and 6th edition cleaned up the rules not to mention gave us the stack in combat. I'd argue that Urza's Block was one of the funniest formats I've ever played, and I've played them all since.
Anything with Ravnica WINS.
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
I'm commander shepard, and this is my favorite post on the citadel.
My favorite time in standard because the power creep started to become prevelant. Before control and combo were the power players and during this time the power level of creatures began to rise. Also this was the most fun to play in a limited enviroment. FTK kill everything on the board?
I'll build a Timespiral/Lorwyn Reveillark deck for MWS. If you want, I'll meet up with you online sometime next week (will be gone this weekend) and we'll test out your theory
PM me if you're game.
The overall power level was low and no individual cards dominated the format (well, except for maybe Rishadan Port and Opposition, but even those format defining "powerhouses" would be considered almost unplayable in today's Standard)
Flame infraction. - Blinking Spirit
Calling someone a Commie is flaming and must be stopped, but turning the word Conservative into a loaded pejorative and using it over and over again is perfectly acceptable.
This is pretty true. There were some definite standard decks like MUC and RDW, but the rest of the format was very, very open. I think a lot of that had to do with lack of information. The Dojo was around, but decks weren't common knowledge like that are today.
We ran an awesome deck that was basically this:
4 Soltari Monk
4 Warrior en-Kor
4 White Knight
4 ?
4 Empyrial Armor
4 Counterspell
4 Mana Leak
4 Disenchant
4 Mox Diamond
20 Land
The land was brutal with a full set of City of Brass and Adakar Waste, a few Pools, Gemstones and Undiscovereds.
The deck was a blast to play, did decent against the whole format and completely brewed up by me and a friend.
it's not hard to make new decks, it's just no one wants to. They all run to this site so they can net deck for there next tournament and thus no one makes new decks.
I couldn't agree more. Recurring-Survival is probably the most elegant combo deck ever built, and you had SECRET FORCE~. Permission control, Sligh, White Weenie, Black Weenie, Living Death, even ProsBloom was still around - there were just so many viable decks back then.
I like Standard now though. I usually do.
Several years ago, WotC apparently surveyed Magic players across the globe. They found that people liked turning things sideways, and hated LD. This is the result: