Lightning Bolt is not too powerful to be in Standard every year. However, it makes designing other, similar spells more difficult and makes it unlikely they will be played. Not having Lightning Bolt makes Magic more interesting, even if it isn't technically too powerful to be printed.
I would support a modified "boon" cycle in every core set, but it should be based around 1 for 2, not 1 for 3. Maybe
Red: Shock
Blue: Spell Pierce
White: Harms Way
Green: Might of Old Krosa? (there is no G. +2/+2 spell)
Black: Disfigure
Maybe they could do a rotation of sorts every few years with a cycle of 1 for 2 spells, 1 for 3 spells, and 1 for a unique effect(e.g. Path and Innocent Blood)?
I'm legacy spoiled so I would love to play with Brainstorm and Path every year in standard. At least I chose Path instead of Swords haha.
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But if Bolt comes back we'll need better creatures!
And this is the vicious cycle.
Personally, I think Lightning Bolt should not be reprinted. We had it in standard for 2 years, it got a reprint bringing down the price as well as allowing it to be a Modern staple. We had Shock for I don't even know how many years, and the environments were just fine with it.
MaRo has discussed this in detail before. Lightning bolt is among the most efficient burn spells ever printed, and in order to make new sets feel dynamic, WotC likes to continually shift the balance of power within the cardpool. This way they avoid perpetual power creep by continually increasing the power of some segment of cards. Now that searing spear is in standard, players will feel like a new set with bolt is offering something better and more exciting, and WotC has figured out a way to do this without making old cards obsolete. So to echo a previous poster, the only good answer is "no."
I think you guys haven't thought fully about what bolt does to game balance. Look at modern where bolt and helix are so outrageously good. Bolt really distorts what toughnesses can produce useful creatures. It makes it really difficult for them to create early game value creatures because the likelihood they stick around is really low.
The lightning bolt standards ended up being midrange/control formats where all the good creatures were 5/5 or better or were bloodbraid-elf quality good.
Should we get bolt sometimes? Sure. But having it around all the time would require similar-caliber spells in other colors - like mana leak, etc. And when you put all those kinds of cards into standard, you make it really hard to make creatures the focus of the game.
As it is, I would like to see bolt in standard if for no other reason than that it might hopefully force them to create more 2-3-4 drops that can withstand one.
Bolt, helix and path distort the entire modern format. I don't think we want them also distorting standard.
Searing spear is a really, really good spell. Its very effective without being totally broken in a range of good, aggressive red standard decks. Imagine if burning-tree emmisary into spear were replaced by emmisary into rancor my 1 drop bolt the blocker swing.
It puts a bunch of restrictions on the other cards that can be played with it that aren't always worth it. This is why they didn't reprint helix, either.
I love bolt, and I love bolt in standard. That being said I would like to see that slot taken by bolt variants to get more into circulation. I would love to see Chain lightning, Lava Spike, or even Shard volley in the next core set.
I would love for bolt to make a come back, Maybe with its buddy Brainstorm and Dark ritual? I mean hey if we are having a party why not invite counterspell and duress too!
It would be nice to see more variety in playable red removal, such as Strafe and Burst Lightning rather than just Shock. Galvanic Blast was a good example too. Shock sure hasn't kept up with power levels. Lightning bolt is still at the top, though.
Should it be in core sets? Yes. Should it be in every core set? Hell no.
I would love for bolt to make a come back, Maybe with its buddy Brainstorm and Dark ritual? I mean hey if we are having a party why not invite counterspell and duress too!
Dark Ritual isn't coming back, at least not in Standard. Not only is the card overpowered, fast mana is considered a Red ability now.
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Maybe they could do a rotation of sorts every few years with a cycle of 1 for 2 spells, 1 for 3 spells, and 1 for a unique effect(e.g. Path and Innocent Blood)?
I'm legacy spoiled so I would love to play with Brainstorm and Path every year in standard. At least I chose Path instead of Swords haha.
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EDH/Commander
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Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
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But if Bolt comes back we'll need better creatures!
And this is the vicious cycle.
Personally, I think Lightning Bolt should not be reprinted. We had it in standard for 2 years, it got a reprint bringing down the price as well as allowing it to be a Modern staple. We had Shock for I don't even know how many years, and the environments were just fine with it.
i second this, it can get old after getting the same thing over and over again.
i want it back, but not in every core set.
Thanks Argentleman;)
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The lightning bolt standards ended up being midrange/control formats where all the good creatures were 5/5 or better or were bloodbraid-elf quality good.
Should we get bolt sometimes? Sure. But having it around all the time would require similar-caliber spells in other colors - like mana leak, etc. And when you put all those kinds of cards into standard, you make it really hard to make creatures the focus of the game.
As it is, I would like to see bolt in standard if for no other reason than that it might hopefully force them to create more 2-3-4 drops that can withstand one.
Bolt, helix and path distort the entire modern format. I don't think we want them also distorting standard.
Searing spear is a really, really good spell. Its very effective without being totally broken in a range of good, aggressive red standard decks. Imagine if burning-tree emmisary into spear were replaced by emmisary into rancor my 1 drop bolt the blocker swing.
It puts a bunch of restrictions on the other cards that can be played with it that aren't always worth it. This is why they didn't reprint helix, either.
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Should it be in core sets? Yes. Should it be in every core set? Hell no.