See, I don't understand where this comes from. It's not like there was a conscious decision to make blue overpowered in Alpha. The reason cards like the moxen and Black Lotus existed was because Richard Garfield made the assumption that this game was something that people would play very casually between sessions of roleplaying games like D&D, using whatever handful of cards they got in a booster pack. They were intended to be balanced by rarity; since they were rare, a few players may have access to one or two of these cards in their deck. But that's not what happened; players collected more powerful cards and stocked their decks full of them. As such, cards that were expected to be powerful, like Time Walk, were assumed to be balanced by the fact that there weren't many of them. That, and since the game was brand new, Garfield didn't realize that some kinds of cards are much more powerful than others, like Ancestral Recall compared to Healing Salve.
There is very little rhyme or reason to the power level of Alpha cards. It's basically a collection of flavorful cards with somewhat arbitrary costs. Power balance wasn't a terribly big concern.
First, it comes from my own personal interest. If you don't like it, that's fine.
Second, people who make Cubes sometimes make their own cards to "even things out."
I never said it was accurate speculation or even "educated speculation" whatever that means. I made it pretty clear that these are merely cards I thought of.
Dark Ritual was part of the "Boon Cycle" but so what? Something else "could have" been part of the cycle instead. Target player discards 3 cards would also make sense considering Ancestral Recall was blue.
Several months ago I made an Arabian Nights 2 set, which was loosely based on the idea that "Arabian Nights 2" was a sequel to Arabian Nights in an alternate reality and was released shortly after Arabian Nights.
I was inspired by the idea of alternate reality Alpha. I decided that there were probably powerful power-9-worthy cards other than Blue that didn't make it into Alpha during the playtesting process, and here are some of the cards that I thought of:
I predicted that fixed versions of the power 9 would be coming back to our core sets. It looks like they will be made one at a time to milk things as much as possible. I originally predicted that the "fixed" power 9 would be in Magic 2014, but it might not finish up until 2015 at this rate. My prediction was noted here: http://www.recoculous.com/2010/06/09/magic-core-set-predictions-magic-2011-and-beyond/
Rares shouldn't be more powerful than commons. That's why lightning bolt is still a common. Mythic rares were originally promised to be cards that you don't need a 4-of in many decks, but we have been betrayed. Now random cards are mythic for no reason. Baneslayer Angel already was a huge problem for that reason.
Rarity should have more to do with casting cost. We mostly need cheap spells in decks, so commons should tend to have a low mana cost.
If he has multiple auctions at once, with each auction having a singular connotation"for foil lotus petal", rather than "petals", then you just misunderstood and are now trying to rip this man off. Congratulations, you're every customer retailers hate.
If I misunderstood because the title is misleading, then how am I trying to rip him off? That makes no sense to me. If you go to a brick and mortar store and they trick you into buying something, you can get a refund and return the item. Is that the worst nightmare of a retailer?
I have an ebay store and I've been doing business for years. If a customer thinks I mislead them for a good reason (or at least an understandable reason), then I won't make the buyer pay for the item or I will let them return the item. That's just how business is supposed to be run.
I made sure to give the seller a few hours to respond/give a refund with no luck. Big mistake for him.
Ebay can't make a seller sell an item. I can tell paypal and probably get most my money back.
I found a "report this item" link that allows you to report "misleading titles." The explanation for the misleading title was very short, so I couldn't explain all the details.
I just won several items on ebay that had "4x such and such in hand" in the title. Then the seller said he will only give me one of the card for each item I won because the title just said, "I have four in hand, but what is being sold is actually different."
Although the description could say something different than the title and give the seller some room for argument, the description doesn't help clear the matter because the quantity isn't discussed. This is the description:
This auction is for Foil Lotus Petal MYTHIC RARE from the From The Vault Exiled, Mint! Cards are on hand and ready to ship. These cards have been placed in a protective sleeve, then placed into a toploader. Shipping method will be United States Postal Service First Class Mail and Delivery Confirmation. Only United States and Canada will be accepted.
This is what I would call a clear case of false advertising. Does anyone disagree?
If you are scared of something, you can't jump in front of it.
Walls can jump in front of people. For example, Walls made out of Stone or Bones.
Birds and Elephants can use human armor and weapons... and magic wands.
You can't run at someone to attack them unless they are a godlike being with the ability to cast spells using the landscape, or another godlike being who is loyal to such a person.
Lightning can't destroy electronic devices.
Some fire can't hurt animals or walls, and other kinds of fire can only hurt animals and walls (while forests and brushlands remain untouched by the fire).
Sinkholes destroy entire Mountains into nothingness, but they can be rebuilt by Cartographers (map makers).
Mountains, Forests, and every other kind of landscape is put into a graveyard after they are destroyed.
Most wizards only know one spell.
Whenever you brainstorm, you take a few books from a library, but then you have to put two books back into the library.
The reserve list isn't a problem because they can (a) print nearly-identical cards, and (b) print promos of the restricted cards. The biggest issue is printing dual lands because they are so elegant and changing them would suck.
Yes, white has some control cards in M10. I never said it didn't. The point was that they aren't that great.
Which of these cards does a control deck really need? I haven't seen pacifism used in standard since I can remember it being made years ago. I've never seen excommunicate used (even in Alara block.)
Is white control getting weaker? With the loss of wrath of god, the best white control card, how can this be denied?
There's too many good 3 casting cost cards: Ashenmoor Gouger, Boggart Ram Gang, Hell's Thunder, Countryside Crusher, Flame Javelin, Volcanic Fallout, and now Ball Lightning. (Countryside Crusher is the only one of these that people seem to avoid playing, and might continue to avoid playing.)
There are some good 1 casting cost cards: Mogg Fanatic, Magma Spray, Tattermunge Maniac, Figure of Destiny, and now Lightning Bolt. (Mogg Fanatic and Figure of Destiny are the only two that I play in my red deck.)
Two casting cost cards are the hardest. Incinerate is an obvious choice, but it is going away with M10. Lash Out is currently avoided by most people, but it will probably be needed for mono red to fill in a spot for the mana curve. Some 2 casting cost creatures are OK, but not many.
Why is the mana curve so difficult for red? Why are so few exciting 2 drops being made?
First, it comes from my own personal interest. If you don't like it, that's fine.
Second, people who make Cubes sometimes make their own cards to "even things out."
Dark Ritual was part of the "Boon Cycle" but so what? Something else "could have" been part of the cycle instead. Target player discards 3 cards would also make sense considering Ancestral Recall was blue.
In a similar way someone in the proxy thread has created a Green Ancestral Recall, which is basically an Alpha card from an alternate reality: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=5686267&postcount=532
I was inspired by the idea of alternate reality Alpha. I decided that there were probably powerful power-9-worthy cards other than Blue that didn't make it into Alpha during the playtesting process, and here are some of the cards that I thought of:
http://www.recoculous.com/2010/08/18/power-9-cards-that-didnt-make-it-in-alpha/
Edit: I uploaded one of the cards.
Rarity should have more to do with casting cost. We mostly need cheap spells in decks, so commons should tend to have a low mana cost.
If I misunderstood because the title is misleading, then how am I trying to rip him off? That makes no sense to me. If you go to a brick and mortar store and they trick you into buying something, you can get a refund and return the item. Is that the worst nightmare of a retailer?
I have an ebay store and I've been doing business for years. If a customer thinks I mislead them for a good reason (or at least an understandable reason), then I won't make the buyer pay for the item or I will let them return the item. That's just how business is supposed to be run.
Ebay can't make a seller sell an item. I can tell paypal and probably get most my money back.
I found a "report this item" link that allows you to report "misleading titles." The explanation for the misleading title was very short, so I couldn't explain all the details.
Although the description could say something different than the title and give the seller some room for argument, the description doesn't help clear the matter because the quantity isn't discussed. This is the description:
This is what I would call a clear case of false advertising. Does anyone disagree?
2. Standard? Not that exciting, but I might go anyway.
3. I don't feel like spending $200 on dual lands right now.
You used to be able to wish for something you used to have but went to a far away land, but now you can't.
11. People that are excommunicated from a church turn into a book and are put into a library.
12. Anything can be banished from the land, such as Mountains and equipment. They aren't allowed to come back.
- If you are scared of something, you can't jump in front of it.
- Walls can jump in front of people. For example, Walls made out of Stone or Bones.
- Birds and Elephants can use human armor and weapons... and magic wands.
- You can't run at someone to attack them unless they are a godlike being with the ability to cast spells using the landscape, or another godlike being who is loyal to such a person.
- Lightning can't destroy electronic devices.
- Some fire can't hurt animals or walls, and other kinds of fire can only hurt animals and walls (while forests and brushlands remain untouched by the fire).
- Sinkholes destroy entire Mountains into nothingness, but they can be rebuilt by Cartographers (map makers).
- Mountains, Forests, and every other kind of landscape is put into a graveyard after they are destroyed.
- Most wizards only know one spell.
- Whenever you brainstorm, you take a few books from a library, but then you have to put two books back into the library.
Any other ideas?Yes, white has some control cards in M10. I never said it didn't. The point was that they aren't that great.
Which of these cards does a control deck really need? I haven't seen pacifism used in standard since I can remember it being made years ago. I've never seen excommunicate used (even in Alara block.)
Is white control getting weaker? With the loss of wrath of god, the best white control card, how can this be denied?
There are some good 1 casting cost cards: Mogg Fanatic, Magma Spray, Tattermunge Maniac, Figure of Destiny, and now Lightning Bolt. (Mogg Fanatic and Figure of Destiny are the only two that I play in my red deck.)
Two casting cost cards are the hardest. Incinerate is an obvious choice, but it is going away with M10. Lash Out is currently avoided by most people, but it will probably be needed for mono red to fill in a spot for the mana curve. Some 2 casting cost creatures are OK, but not many.
Why is the mana curve so difficult for red? Why are so few exciting 2 drops being made?