This is a pretty major set story-wise, so why then do they use a rare slot on a running joke character? Why is he even in the set to begin with? Mechanically he feels..odd, like I don't get how the first effect really ties in with him at all, the second at least is somewhat worthwhile as far as flavor goes. I'm sure most people don't care, they're just happy that he finally got a card, but this really feels like something that should have been in a supplemental set or something, where they usually stick characters like this. I mean, they literally took a non-character from some flavor text and made him a full blown rare legend in one of the biggest even sets the game's ever had. Like, really? But again, this is probably falling on deaf ears because "omg hahaha, they actually made a Fblthp card!"
This is a pretty major set story-wise, so why then do they use a rare slot on a running joke character? Why is he even in the set to begin with? Mechanically he feels..odd, like I don't get how the first effect really ties in with him at all, the second at least is somewhat worthwhile as far as flavor goes. I'm sure most people don't care, they're just happy that he finally got a card, but this really feels like something that should have been in a supplemental set or something, where they usually stick characters like this. I mean, they literally took a non-character from some flavor text and made him a full blown rare legend in one of the biggest even sets the game's ever had. Like, really? But again, this is probably falling on deaf ears because "omg hahaha, they actually made a Fblthp card!"
He’s a super-Johnny card like Norin the Wary: a card that was considered utter garbage for years. There’s already a thread to brainstorm brewing around Fthldrp and it looks like he’s going to be really fun.
Also he’s not the first legend to be drawn from random flavor text. There was if I remember correctly Saffi Eriksdotter.
They probably felt the need to bring him in this Ravnica cycle, after he amassed a certain amount of fans after his first appearance.
I would argue that Fblthp serves in two important roles:
1. He is comic relief which is needed to a certain degree in a heavy storyline.
2. He is an excellent mascot character for magic as a brand. Probably the only one that they actually have.
That is probably the reason why they included him in this high profile release, instead of putting him in Guilds or Allegiance.
That being said. Not every rare or mythic in a set will have any impact on the story whatsoever. I am pretty sure that the mythic Roalesk, Apex Hybrid will not have any significant impact on the story given that he is a legendary creature in a planeswalker focused set. Sole exception here will be Niv-Mizzet, Reborn which seems to be the Soul of Ravnica, the Living Guildpact or something along the line now.
Well and Mowu, because he is a good boy...
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Drop your knees to the floor
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
I am new to the game but I LOVE Fblthp. He's a fun and very relatable character in lore and I am just happy to see him in a card of his own. I feel kind of bad for him but at the same time, I love and adore him! Life is not easy for everyone.
Like, really? But again, this is probably falling on deaf ears because "omg hahaha, they actually made a Fblthp card!"
Yes. That's exactly the point.
Remember: spike, johnny, timmy. If your idea of a "waste" card is anything that appeals to johnny and timmy, then a lot of people are going to disagree. At least for a joke card, he's a good johnny one, rather than things like steamflogger boss
A lot of people felt the same way with lion's eye diamond. Inquest even made an article of how bad it was.
I'm sorry 1 out of the 264+ cards in this set makes you mad because you think it's a joke.
He's a fun character, not to mention really popular. Not every card in this set has to be doom and gloom.
exactly!
pointless complaint-for-the-sake-of-blurting-out-a-response is pointless.
OP: It takes all of about 5 seconds to find the huge positive response from the community on this card. Step outside your twitter-addled brain for a moment and realise that not all the cards have to be explicitly to your taste.
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i didnt realize he was a thing and popular. where did he have a fanbase ?
Shortly after the first time Totally Lost was printed, WotC did an article on the text. Then I think there was a bidding war for the original art piece? But basically from inception he/she/it been basically the most beloved character in the setting.
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L1 judge since 1/30/12 (lapsed as of 1/30/13)
My Friend Code is: 0146-9645-8893
i didnt realize he was a thing and popular. where did he have a fanbase ?
Just as a note, I can't tell you when or how, but someone's made and is successfully selling plushies.
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"It is better for all the world if, instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes... Three generations of imbeciles are enough."
--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
That guy became famous in our playgroup because of all his cards Heart of Ramos, Eye of Ramos, Skull of Ramos.... for many years, we thought he was dismembered from crashing. Only found out he was whole after asking at the lore section of the forum.
This is a pretty major set story-wise, so why then do they use a rare slot on a running joke character? Why is he even in the set to begin with? Mechanically he feels..odd, like I don't get how the first effect really ties in with him at all, the second at least is somewhat worthwhile as far as flavor goes. I'm sure most people don't care, they're just happy that he finally got a card, but this really feels like something that should have been in a supplemental set or something, where they usually stick characters like this. I mean, they literally took a non-character from some flavor text and made him a full blown rare legend in one of the biggest even sets the game's ever had. Like, really? But again, this is probably falling on deaf ears because "omg hahaha, they actually made a Fblthp card!"
"But the meme value is through the roof!"
-WotC, probably
That guy became famous in our playgroup because of all his cards Heart of Ramos, Eye of Ramos, Skull of Ramos.... for many years, we thought he was dismembered from crashing. Only found out he was whole after asking at the lore section of the forum.
Yeah, his reconstruction/resurrection was one of the big plot points of the Mercadian Masques novel. That said, he was never really a character in the novel, per se. More like a living (so to speak) plot device. That's why I included him, since the flavor text fleshed (so to speak) him out a bit, and now he's got his own card.
That guy became famous in our playgroup because of all his cards Heart of Ramos, Eye of Ramos, Skull of Ramos.... for many years, we thought he was dismembered from crashing. Only found out he was whole after asking at the lore section of the forum.
Yeah, his reconstruction/resurrection was one of the big plot points of the Mercadian Masques novel. That said, he was never really a character in the novel, per se. More like a living (so to speak) plot device. That's why I included him, since the flavor text fleshed (so to speak) him out a bit, and now he's got his own card.
Thanks for that additional info on Ramos. One of my favorite mtg characters actually... and as for his card, I still wonder why is it 10 dollars?
Wanted to get one for collection purposes, but 10$ is a little high for a card I won't be using competitively.
As for this Fblthp character. I like it because it's funny, and feels like its the new Squee.
The OP summarizes to me as "I don't like the card personally, therefore it shouldn't exist", especially with the last jab at people that have been waiting for this card for years. Before you complain about a card, it's a good idea to consider whether your reaction to the card has to do with it being for another player. This apparently isn't for you, and that's fine. It's not for me either, and that's fine too.
i didnt realize he was a thing and popular. where did he have a fanbase ?
Mark Rosewater talks about him here. The relevant stuff of how much attention Fblthp has gotten lasts for about 2 minutes. It's from a GDC talk where he only has about 3 minutes per point (the relevant stuff being 2 of those 3 minutes) but it should be substantial enough.
To summarize the short outline, Fblthp went as viral as something can go in MtG. He's popular to the degree that WotC began implementing him as a minor part of their brand, doing phonecases and plushies and such. They did this in response to the virality of the character and concept.
The fact that Fblthp would eventually get a card shouldn't surprise anyone. Personally, it's not my kind of a card at all, but it was a given at this point.
-
By the way, there's a reason they made Savage Punch known so early in Khans' spoiler season. They had just learned from Totally Lost and understood that certain details just happen to strike a chord with people. This wasn't the first time it happened, but I think it was the first time the internet did its remixing memes cycle over a card. When they got the art for Savage Punch, they realized they found another winner, and they built from that during marketing (and it was received quite well at the time if anyone remembers). Because of that response, they also followed up with Epic Confrontation and later Really Epic Punch. It's not the first time they've made callbacks to popular details btw, as other players have pointed out in this thread. Personally, I think this was the right decision. I assume a relevant subset would have been incredibly disappointed if Fblthp didn't finally show up in WAR, after being gone for two sets (besides card art callbacks).
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
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He’s a super-Johnny card like Norin the Wary: a card that was considered utter garbage for years. There’s already a thread to brainstorm brewing around Fthldrp and it looks like he’s going to be really fun.
Also he’s not the first legend to be drawn from random flavor text. There was if I remember correctly Saffi Eriksdotter.
I would argue that Fblthp serves in two important roles:
1. He is comic relief which is needed to a certain degree in a heavy storyline.
2. He is an excellent mascot character for magic as a brand. Probably the only one that they actually have.
That is probably the reason why they included him in this high profile release, instead of putting him in Guilds or Allegiance.
That being said. Not every rare or mythic in a set will have any impact on the story whatsoever. I am pretty sure that the mythic Roalesk, Apex Hybrid will not have any significant impact on the story given that he is a legendary creature in a planeswalker focused set. Sole exception here will be Niv-Mizzet, Reborn which seems to be the Soul of Ravnica, the Living Guildpact or something along the line now.
Well and Mowu, because he is a good boy...
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
In a story of Dragon Gods, Undead Armies and Apocalyptic events his inclusion is the perfect contrast.
He's a fun character, not to mention really popular. Not every card in this set has to be doom and gloom.
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Yes. That's exactly the point.
Remember: spike, johnny, timmy. If your idea of a "waste" card is anything that appeals to johnny and timmy, then a lot of people are going to disagree. At least for a joke card, he's a good johnny one, rather than things like steamflogger boss
A lot of people felt the same way with lion's eye diamond. Inquest even made an article of how bad it was.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
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exactly!
pointless complaint-for-the-sake-of-blurting-out-a-response is pointless.
OP: It takes all of about 5 seconds to find the huge positive response from the community on this card. Step outside your twitter-addled brain for a moment and realise that not all the cards have to be explicitly to your taste.
He's standing on Bolas's head.
My 720 Peasant Cube
When it came out, it was bad. Later cards came along and allowed it to be good, but it was a junk rare for quite a while.
Shortly after the first time Totally Lost was printed, WotC did an article on the text. Then I think there was a bidding war for the original art piece? But basically from inception he/she/it been basically the most beloved character in the setting.
My Friend Code is: 0146-9645-8893
Just as a note, I can't tell you when or how, but someone's made and is successfully selling plushies.
--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
Jaya Ballard, task mage is the freakin' OG of this.
Norin the Wary
Saffi Eriksdottir
Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
Stuffy Doll is a nonlegend, artwork version.
Ramos, Dragon Engine, to an extent.
Gisa and Geralf
Heck, even Urza and Mishra could qualify.
Then theres a few were still waiting for cards with (a matter of time, hopefully)
Hal and Alena
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
Disa the Restless
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
That guy became famous in our playgroup because of all his cards Heart of Ramos, Eye of Ramos, Skull of Ramos.... for many years, we thought he was dismembered from crashing. Only found out he was whole after asking at the lore section of the forum.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-storyline/807816-ramos-dragon-engine-question
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
"But the meme value is through the roof!"
-WotC, probably
Thread | Draft
Yeah, his reconstruction/resurrection was one of the big plot points of the Mercadian Masques novel. That said, he was never really a character in the novel, per se. More like a living (so to speak) plot device. That's why I included him, since the flavor text fleshed (so to speak) him out a bit, and now he's got his own card.
Thanks for that additional info on Ramos. One of my favorite mtg characters actually... and as for his card, I still wonder why is it 10 dollars?
Wanted to get one for collection purposes, but 10$ is a little high for a card I won't be using competitively.
As for this Fblthp character. I like it because it's funny, and feels like its the new Squee.
Nexus MTG News // Nexus - Magic Art Gallery // MTG Dual Land Color Ratios Analyzer // MTG Card Drawing Odds Calculator
Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Mark Rosewater talks about him here. The relevant stuff of how much attention Fblthp has gotten lasts for about 2 minutes. It's from a GDC talk where he only has about 3 minutes per point (the relevant stuff being 2 of those 3 minutes) but it should be substantial enough.
https://youtu.be/QHHg99hwQGY?t=1415
To summarize the short outline, Fblthp went as viral as something can go in MtG. He's popular to the degree that WotC began implementing him as a minor part of their brand, doing phonecases and plushies and such. They did this in response to the virality of the character and concept.
The fact that Fblthp would eventually get a card shouldn't surprise anyone. Personally, it's not my kind of a card at all, but it was a given at this point.
-
By the way, there's a reason they made Savage Punch known so early in Khans' spoiler season. They had just learned from Totally Lost and understood that certain details just happen to strike a chord with people. This wasn't the first time it happened, but I think it was the first time the internet did its remixing memes cycle over a card. When they got the art for Savage Punch, they realized they found another winner, and they built from that during marketing (and it was received quite well at the time if anyone remembers). Because of that response, they also followed up with Epic Confrontation and later Really Epic Punch. It's not the first time they've made callbacks to popular details btw, as other players have pointed out in this thread. Personally, I think this was the right decision. I assume a relevant subset would have been incredibly disappointed if Fblthp didn't finally show up in WAR, after being gone for two sets (besides card art callbacks).