Mirrodin block was an extraordinary mixed bag of both great and terrible design, development and flavor. It was revolutionary, ingenious, infuriating, weird, memorable, misnamed, misdirected, fun, formidable and broken, just to name a few of its qualities. Although Urza block had a strong artifact subtheme, Mirrodin was the first (and only) block completely dedicated to the artifact concept. Like many other great developments in Magic, Mirrodin block was controversial and divisive. Nevertheless, it has more than stood the test of time - it has become legend. Very few blocks can compare.
Ahh... nostalgia. Those were the days!
So, what is the most essential aspect of Mirrodin that must, at any cost, make its way into Mirrodin 2? I'm guessing that you'd say, "an all-encompassing artifact theme". Then, you might be surprised when I say that this is not so. Let me re-state my belief clearly: Mirrodin 2 does not need, and probably will not have an all-encompassing artifact theme. Now, I could just make this bare assertion and let you continue reading or not depending on whether you found my speculation appealing. But, Down the Road is not about speculation. I will attempt to systematically show you why Magic does not need another block with Mirrodin's artifact-heavy theme, and let you draw your own conclusions about whether WotC will give us one.
The easiest piece of evidence against another artifact block is the seemingly-circular argument that we already had one. But we can break out of this circle by asking, why is this fact important? We had more than one multicolor block and more than one tribal block, so why not more than one artifact block? The problem is with the organizing principle that is inherent to an artifact block. To promote the heavy use of artifacts you must abandon the color wheel, Magic's perfect limiting factor. This caused problems the last time around. If you can play anything with anything, sidestepping the limits of the color wheel, you not only invite degeneracy but guarantee it. Moreover, without any color grouping, the structure of the block is forced to jell around its keywords alone. This is not an awful thing in-and-of itself, but the grab-bag keyword model was already explored in Mirrodin. If you leave artifacts alone to do their thing, your block ends up with a structural chart like the one below. There is just no other way for it to work out.
The easiest piece of evidence against another artifact block is the seemingly-circular argument that we already had one. But we can break out of this circle by asking, why is this fact important? We had more than one multicolor block and more than one tribal block, so why not more than one artifact block? The problem is with the organizing principle that is inherent to an artifact block. To promote the heavy use of artifacts you must abandon the color wheel, Magic's perfect limiting factor. This caused problems the last time around. If you can play anything with anything, sidestepping the limits of the color wheel, you not only invite degeneracy but guarantee it. Moreover, without any color grouping, the structure of the block is forced to jell around its keywords alone. This is not an awful thing in-and-of itself, but the grab-bag keyword model was already explored in Mirrodin. If you leave artifacts alone to do their thing, your block ends up with a structural chart like the one below. There is just no other way for it to work out.
Imprint is no longer a keyword ability, but it was at the time.
Well, OK... almost no other way. There are, admittedly, three routes WotC could take with artifacts other than the grab-bag keyword model. These three routes are defined by the aspect of the artifact card that can be held as the variable of interest for an artifact block theme. The problem is that none of these variables lends itself to an appropriate model for such a block. The first potential variable of interest, and the first we can rule out, is color: Shards of Alara block just did colored artifacts. Even if it hadn't, adding color to artifacts muddles their identity. Giving in to this temptation (ignoring that Shards of Alara block already did) dilutes the character of the game, and should not be attempted on the scale of a block theme. The next potential variable is converted mana cost. While this is the most intriguing possibility (artifacts would fit this theme well because they are the only cards to have their CMCs printed in the top right corner of the card), WotC has attempted "CMC matters" and attempted it again, and except once, competitive players have resisted it at every turn. More importantly, using CMC as the block's limiting principle (restricting players' deckbuilding options by CMC) presents mana curve challenges that are likely insurmountable. The last option is to organize the block via the type line, but this would just be another variation on the overplayed tribal theme, and doesn't fit well with artifacts.
This is not to say that Mirrodin 2 will not have artifacts - it's practically guaranteed that it will. Rather, there are multiple strikes against another all-encompassing artifact block theme. Mirrodin has cachet beyond the fact that it was a block laden with artifacts. This cachet is my starting point for what Mirrodin 2 must have. Let's begin by breaking down the most important pieces of that cachet:
The plane of Mirrodin has flavor to spare.
1. The Keyword Connection: Imprint
Of Mirrodin block's five artifact keywords, one (affinity) was broken, one (equipment) was meant to expand beyond Mirrodin block, and two (modular and sunburst) don't have the cachet that I am talking about. That leaves imprint, the block keyword that isn't a keyword anymore. That imprint has been relegated to an italic ability word doesn't matter - it's still awesome. Chrome Mox, Duplicant, Isochron Scepter, Soul Foundry, Spellweaver Helix: does any ability, keyword or not, have such a high percentage of smash hits to its name? Imprint was such an essential piece of Mirrodin that to not bring it back would be a travesty. Although it is well enough for imprint to keep its artifacts-only flavor, the ability could just as easily make the jump onto nonartifact cards. That would be a logical development of the mechanic, and one that could only be achieved faithfully by Mirrodin 2. Whatever form imprint takes, it needs to be part of the return to Mirrodin.
2. The Flavor Connection: Vedalken
Memnarch and his Myr are defeated. Elves, Goblins and Golems are too generic to evoke Mirrodin's uncanny flavor. Cat people, elephant people and people people fare little better. On the other hand, Vedalken, WotC's Frankenstein creature creation, have never been more distinctive or interesting than when they first appeared in their four-armed, serum-sucking forms in Mirrodin block. Vedalken would be the most recognizable flavor connection between Mirrodin and Mirrodin 2. Now that we have seen them in other colors, Vedalken could make the radical jump to occasionally being non-blue. Like the idea of imprint on non-artifacts, this is an idea that only Mirrodin 2 could execute faithfully. This is not to say that Vedalken need to dominate the flavor of Mirrodin 2 (if the rumors are true, Phyrexia will see to that), but the imagery of Mirrodin's freakish Vedalken is still the best way to tap into the cachet that's so important for Mirrodin 2's success.
3. The Power-Level Connection: High
Nobody likes an Arcbound Ravager. But, competitive players do like the feeling of being a part of something big. Mirrodin block was a huge peak on the power-level chart, and it was the last time WotC issued a wave of bannings to keep the tournament scene from collapsing. Don't get me wrong: bannings are bad and WotC should not design cards that they think will be degenerate. But, if Shards of Alara block and Zendikar block have been erring on the side of caution, WotC needs to err on the opposite side for Mirrodin 2. In a world where combo is dead, control suffers, and aggro rules all, Mirrodin 2 offers up a compelling opportunity to reset the balance of power in a shocking and awesome way. The broken promises of combo-happy duds like Myr Incubator, Darksteel Reactor and Blasting Station can be redeemed by a new wave of cards that mean something to the tourney scene. Mirrodin has a reputation to uphold; Mirrodin 2 can't afford to be forgettable.
Unforgettable, no matter how hard you try.
In addition to drawing from the best aspects of Mirrodin block, Mirrodin 2 needs to expand on its predecessor in a meaningful fashion. It goes without saying that the block will contain a selection of brand-new mechanics, that equipment will make a comeback (because it never left) and that planeswalkers will be afoot. So, besides these obvious innovations, how else can WotC improve on a good thing?
4. New Direction: Champion a Mechanic
I don't mean the Lorwyn keyword. With Mirrodin comes legitimacy: it will be the first plane since Dominaria to be the focus of a second block. This legitimacy gives Mirrodin 2 the power to promote a previously minor mechanic to the big leagues; there are lots of qualified candidates that could use the help. Foremost among these mechanics are the ones that existed in the two-year gulf between Mirrodin block and Time Spiral block, and thus have not seen print in any meaningful quantity since 2006 or earlier. A short list of top candidates might include: flip cards, Splice, Transmute, Replicate and Graft. The oddball mechanics of Future Sight might also make quality choices: Fateseal and Transfigure could fit into the picture, to say nothing of Mirrodin-linked Fortify (although this doesn't guarantee that Fortify will appear in Mirrodin 2). The point isn't to guess the identity of the lucky mechanic; the point is that there ought to be one. Mirrodin 2 has the power to be a kingmaker, and a few under-appreciated mechanics are more than worthy of the title.
5. New Direction: Astound Us with Flavor
It should be clear to you by now that I love Mirrodin, but I would be lying if I said that I always loved it. When Mirrodin was first released, I thought it had a bizarre flavor: it seemed incompatible with Magic's previous fantasy settings and it was home to all kinds of mismatched ideas. Hindsight (of the nostalgic variety) changed my opinion, and now I revere it as one of Magic's greatest blocks. But, not everybody is going to share my nostalgia for Mirrodin. This means that WotC needs to do a bang-up job with the flavor of Mirrodin 2. Finding the inspiration shouldn't be hard - the setting has had many years to marinate. With a potential collision course set towards Magic's greatest villains, my hopes are even higher. But, rising to the occasion is no simple task for WotC, and it requires them to make improvements over the original: we need heroes to care about, not the tepid assortment we had before. We need amazing art direction, not the head-scratchers of yore. Mirrodin needs to feel like a living place, more than it has ever been. It's not enough to settle for a trip down memory lane.
Finally, there are pitfalls that Mirrodin 2 must avoid at all costs. Any new block must ride a narrow rail with doom on either side, but Mirrodin 2 is even more susceptible to flying off the tracks, seeing as how the first Mirrodin block nearly derailed in cataclysmic fashion. These two features would be an antimatter collision that would suck away anything good about Mirrodin 2. WotC must avoid them:
6. A Disaster Waiting to Happen: Affinity
Blame Skullclamp, blame Æther Vial, blame Arcbound Ravager, blame the artifact lands... it doesn't matter, we all know the real culprit behind Mirrodin block's troubles, an evil little keyword beginning with "A". WotC had to ban-hammer so many relatively benign Mirrodin block cards simply because the "A"-word was too big of a screw-up to contain. Ask any player around at the time and you're likely to hear a similar story: "I hated playing it, I hated playing against it, but it was the only game in town... what else could I do?" Regardless of this, there is a certain mindset that associates Mirrodin with the "A"-word fundamentally. Can you have one without the other? Emphatically, YES. It doesn't matter if WotC thinks they have fixed the problem. It doesn't matter if they give us a block full of cards with Affinity for Wombats, and not a single Wombat. Printing the "A"-word in Mirrodin 2 would ignite the post-traumatic stress disorder of every last player who played during Mirrodin block. It simply must not happen. The "A"-word might as well stand for "Anti-Fun".
7. A Disaster Waiting to Happen: Generic Mana
Now we have come full circle. As I said earlier, sidestepping the limits of the color wheel not only invites degeneracy, but guarantees it. A healthy tournament environment requires differentiation of deckbuilds. When every player starts playing the same deck, that is degeneracy defined. The quickest way to get there is to un-restrict what cards can be played with others. The easiest way to do that is to allow every cost to be paid with generic mana. When artifacts exist at a normal level, the number of possible generic-mana-fueled combinations is low. In Mirrodin, it was as high as it could realistically get, and deckbuilds stagnated as a result. Just think of the difference it would have made if Frogmite required green mana and Myr Enforcer required blue mana - Affinity decks would have instantly differentiated themselves from one another, and the worst degenerative effects of the mechanic might have been avoided. Whatever approach Mirrodin 2 takes to artifacts, WotC must limit the number of generic mana costs in the block. Anything else leaves the door open for catastrophe.
Agree? Disagree? Have a different perspective to share? Post your comments below.
This is not to say that Mirrodin 2 will not have artifacts - it's practically guaranteed that it will. Rather, there are multiple strikes against another all-encompassing artifact block theme. Mirrodin has cachet beyond the fact that it was a block laden with artifacts. This cachet is my starting point for what Mirrodin 2 must have. Let's begin by breaking down the most important pieces of that cachet:
The plane of Mirrodin has flavor to spare.
1. The Keyword Connection: Imprint
Of Mirrodin block's five artifact keywords, one (affinity) was broken, one (equipment) was meant to expand beyond Mirrodin block, and two (modular and sunburst) don't have the cachet that I am talking about. That leaves imprint, the block keyword that isn't a keyword anymore. That imprint has been relegated to an italic ability word doesn't matter - it's still awesome. Chrome Mox, Duplicant, Isochron Scepter, Soul Foundry, Spellweaver Helix: does any ability, keyword or not, have such a high percentage of smash hits to its name? Imprint was such an essential piece of Mirrodin that to not bring it back would be a travesty. Although it is well enough for imprint to keep its artifacts-only flavor, the ability could just as easily make the jump onto nonartifact cards. That would be a logical development of the mechanic, and one that could only be achieved faithfully by Mirrodin 2. Whatever form imprint takes, it needs to be part of the return to Mirrodin.
2. The Flavor Connection: Vedalken
Memnarch and his Myr are defeated. Elves, Goblins and Golems are too generic to evoke Mirrodin's uncanny flavor. Cat people, elephant people and people people fare little better. On the other hand, Vedalken, WotC's Frankenstein creature creation, have never been more distinctive or interesting than when they first appeared in their four-armed, serum-sucking forms in Mirrodin block. Vedalken would be the most recognizable flavor connection between Mirrodin and Mirrodin 2. Now that we have seen them in other colors, Vedalken could make the radical jump to occasionally being non-blue. Like the idea of imprint on non-artifacts, this is an idea that only Mirrodin 2 could execute faithfully. This is not to say that Vedalken need to dominate the flavor of Mirrodin 2 (if the rumors are true, Phyrexia will see to that), but the imagery of Mirrodin's freakish Vedalken is still the best way to tap into the cachet that's so important for Mirrodin 2's success.
3. The Power-Level Connection: High
Nobody likes an Arcbound Ravager. But, competitive players do like the feeling of being a part of something big. Mirrodin block was a huge peak on the power-level chart, and it was the last time WotC issued a wave of bannings to keep the tournament scene from collapsing. Don't get me wrong: bannings are bad and WotC should not design cards that they think will be degenerate. But, if Shards of Alara block and Zendikar block have been erring on the side of caution, WotC needs to err on the opposite side for Mirrodin 2. In a world where combo is dead, control suffers, and aggro rules all, Mirrodin 2 offers up a compelling opportunity to reset the balance of power in a shocking and awesome way. The broken promises of combo-happy duds like Myr Incubator, Darksteel Reactor and Blasting Station can be redeemed by a new wave of cards that mean something to the tourney scene. Mirrodin has a reputation to uphold; Mirrodin 2 can't afford to be forgettable.
Unforgettable, no matter how hard you try.
4. New Direction: Champion a Mechanic
I don't mean the Lorwyn keyword. With Mirrodin comes legitimacy: it will be the first plane since Dominaria to be the focus of a second block. This legitimacy gives Mirrodin 2 the power to promote a previously minor mechanic to the big leagues; there are lots of qualified candidates that could use the help. Foremost among these mechanics are the ones that existed in the two-year gulf between Mirrodin block and Time Spiral block, and thus have not seen print in any meaningful quantity since 2006 or earlier. A short list of top candidates might include: flip cards, Splice, Transmute, Replicate and Graft. The oddball mechanics of Future Sight might also make quality choices: Fateseal and Transfigure could fit into the picture, to say nothing of Mirrodin-linked Fortify (although this doesn't guarantee that Fortify will appear in Mirrodin 2). The point isn't to guess the identity of the lucky mechanic; the point is that there ought to be one. Mirrodin 2 has the power to be a kingmaker, and a few under-appreciated mechanics are more than worthy of the title.
5. New Direction: Astound Us with Flavor
It should be clear to you by now that I love Mirrodin, but I would be lying if I said that I always loved it. When Mirrodin was first released, I thought it had a bizarre flavor: it seemed incompatible with Magic's previous fantasy settings and it was home to all kinds of mismatched ideas. Hindsight (of the nostalgic variety) changed my opinion, and now I revere it as one of Magic's greatest blocks. But, not everybody is going to share my nostalgia for Mirrodin. This means that WotC needs to do a bang-up job with the flavor of Mirrodin 2. Finding the inspiration shouldn't be hard - the setting has had many years to marinate. With a potential collision course set towards Magic's greatest villains, my hopes are even higher. But, rising to the occasion is no simple task for WotC, and it requires them to make improvements over the original: we need heroes to care about, not the tepid assortment we had before. We need amazing art direction, not the head-scratchers of yore. Mirrodin needs to feel like a living place, more than it has ever been. It's not enough to settle for a trip down memory lane.
Finally, there are pitfalls that Mirrodin 2 must avoid at all costs. Any new block must ride a narrow rail with doom on either side, but Mirrodin 2 is even more susceptible to flying off the tracks, seeing as how the first Mirrodin block nearly derailed in cataclysmic fashion. These two features would be an antimatter collision that would suck away anything good about Mirrodin 2. WotC must avoid them:
6. A Disaster Waiting to Happen: Affinity
Blame Skullclamp, blame Æther Vial, blame Arcbound Ravager, blame the artifact lands... it doesn't matter, we all know the real culprit behind Mirrodin block's troubles, an evil little keyword beginning with "A". WotC had to ban-hammer so many relatively benign Mirrodin block cards simply because the "A"-word was too big of a screw-up to contain. Ask any player around at the time and you're likely to hear a similar story: "I hated playing it, I hated playing against it, but it was the only game in town... what else could I do?" Regardless of this, there is a certain mindset that associates Mirrodin with the "A"-word fundamentally. Can you have one without the other? Emphatically, YES. It doesn't matter if WotC thinks they have fixed the problem. It doesn't matter if they give us a block full of cards with Affinity for Wombats, and not a single Wombat. Printing the "A"-word in Mirrodin 2 would ignite the post-traumatic stress disorder of every last player who played during Mirrodin block. It simply must not happen. The "A"-word might as well stand for "Anti-Fun".
7. A Disaster Waiting to Happen: Generic Mana
Now we have come full circle. As I said earlier, sidestepping the limits of the color wheel not only invites degeneracy, but guarantees it. A healthy tournament environment requires differentiation of deckbuilds. When every player starts playing the same deck, that is degeneracy defined. The quickest way to get there is to un-restrict what cards can be played with others. The easiest way to do that is to allow every cost to be paid with generic mana. When artifacts exist at a normal level, the number of possible generic-mana-fueled combinations is low. In Mirrodin, it was as high as it could realistically get, and deckbuilds stagnated as a result. Just think of the difference it would have made if Frogmite required green mana and Myr Enforcer required blue mana - Affinity decks would have instantly differentiated themselves from one another, and the worst degenerative effects of the mechanic might have been avoided. Whatever approach Mirrodin 2 takes to artifacts, WotC must limit the number of generic mana costs in the block. Anything else leaves the door open for catastrophe.
Agree? Disagree? Have a different perspective to share? Post your comments below.
However, while you don't have a taste for it, it seems the stage has been set if they wanted to add an artifact component again, they would have the 'colored artifact' ground set out so it could be done as a mature component of a larger overarching theme than the Alara block's "look, color!" introduction. Think Ravnica's hybrid mana vs. Shadowmoor's. What you really won't like, though, is that once there are colored artifacts in the format, Affinity suddenly has a balance component.
I figure we have several signs that Mirrodin 2 will at least flirt with the mechanic. The incoming focus in Rise of the Eldrazi leans toward emphasizing big stuff, and arguably one could say something similar of Zendikar with landfall and its emphases on growth of the board. For a war of plane-shaking proportions, you'd have a desire to see massive armies hitting the field, and a toned-down Affinity makes it easier to swarm out or drop mega-fatties faster. That plays well with the Eldrazi, allows for a beefy midrange metagame, and contributes to a slowed format that doesn't feel stagnant.
I think that imprint has specific flavor value for the Mirrodin 2 block because it suddenly takes on two areas: Phyrexian 'overlaying' and Mirrodin's 'absorb/copy'. Along with likely equipment and fortifications playing a part in the block, there'd be a lot of stealing and pseudo-reanimation to represent the endless waves of infernal machines vs. men & acculturated machines.
I agree with you about Odyssey block. I loved Odyssey block, and I think that flashback was, for its time, the best keyword Magic ever had. But my statement was a bit more nuanced: I said that imprint had the highest percentage of smash hits. Only 13 cards were ever printed with imprint, but a big chunk of those 13 were great cards. Flashback has had nearly 70 cards, but probably only around a dozen great ones. By raw numbers, that's more than imprint, but by the ratio of great cards to total cards, imprint wins out, IMO.
As for affinity, I'm just going to disagree with you. Let WotC bring it back sometime, but not on the plane of Mirrodin. Give the mechanic to some other setting.
My first note, and the most important to be noted, I agree with your assesment of what players would think if affinity was revealed to be re-used. However, I believe it could be done correctly. In the same vein as you were speaking about it, I believe that as long as colored mana symbols remains in the mana costs of cards with affinity, it prevents them from being absurd and from all of them being put into the same deck. I could see myr enforcer being okay if it had just one green symbol in it's mana cost. The deck would have been different to the point of "you draw your chromatic sphere/star/pentad prism to be able to play the Enforcer or you can't explode".
I'd also like to comment on the Imprint statement. I don't think I entirely agree on your view of Imprint being the ability with the most smash hits to it's name. I'd rank any given ability of the three from the odyssy block higher. I can name at least a dozen smash hits with Threshold and that's without looking anything up I may have missed. Both Flashback and Madness had such a breadth of playable, fun and memorable cards. Even when they revisited keywords in Time Spiral, a good deal of the cards with flashback were a hit. I think the reason we didn't see new cards with either Threshold or Imprint is that there just isn't much design space left in either as they currently are. However, I do agree that the set would need a nostalgic keyword and that there is plenty of design space left in Imprint if it takes the leap to colored cards or Threshold if it takes the leap from seven cards in your graveyard to specific numbers based on the card.