I'm surprised with Zendikar at 2. Better than Theros, really?
OG Zendikar was better received than Theros; even ROE, which was disliked when it was released, has been better assessed now. BFZ was a poor block, but people still love the setting.
Lots of people like Theros, but LOTS of people LOVE original Zendikar.
Yeah I remember how everyone was in love with the block when it first came out. If it wasn't for BtZ I'd even bet Zendikar would be a 1 as well.
My thoughts;
In general things are not set in stone, I have seen Maro change planes around depending how player have been reacting. Dominaria used to be a 4 because of the issue of finding an identity for it, but after finding its new identity as "History world" and how well people like Dominara (card set) its now a 1. This also Maro option based on design so creative may view things differnt and what plans they have for the storyline.
Alara- One of my favorite planes I'm sad to see it so high, but I think when we see a shard set again its gonna most likely be Alara. I also know the shards now one plane is less interesting than then apart but I think there are plenty of way the story could fix that.
Amonkhet- This forum have already talked to death about how we could return so its possible and it seems like it pretty well received.
Ixalan- I'm happy Ixalan is at a 4, I loved the world and I love tribal. And with how good Innistrad found balance in being "tribal sets" I think Ixalan issues could be fixed on a return.
New Phyrexia- From his comment I think we won't see a full return but somehow them invading another plane so its not pure New Phyrexia flavor. Makes me think Karn plan to blow them up will end up helping them somehow.
Regatha/ Vyrn- I kinda hope we see these plane someday, simple because they are so bare it would be nice to have them fleshed out more.
Theros/Tarkir- I will bet these are the next worlds we return to, they seem really popular and are in the right time period after Milk to return.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Yeah I remember how everyone was in love with the block when it first came out. If it wasn't for BtZ I'd even bet Zendikar would be a 1 as well.
My thoughts;
In general things are not set in stone, I have seen Maro change planes around depending how player have been reacting. Dominaria used to be a 4 because of the issue of finding an identity for it, but after finding its new identity as "History world" and how well people like Dominara (card set) its now a 1. This also Maro option based on design so creative may view things differnt and what plans they have for the storyline.
Alara- One of my favorite planes I'm sad to see it so high, but I think when we see a shard set again its gonna most likely be Alara. I also know the shards now one plane is less interesting than then apart but I think there are plenty of way the story could fix that.
Amonkhet- This forum have already talked to death about how we could return so its possible and it seems like it pretty well received.
Ixalan- I'm happy Ixalan is at a 4, I loved the world and I love tribal. And with how good Innistrad found balance in being "tribal sets" I think Ixalan issues could be fixed on a return.
New Phyrexia- From his comment I think we won't see a full return but somehow them invading another plane so its not pure New Phyrexia flavor. Makes me think Karn plan to blow them up will end up helping them somehow.
Regatha/ Vyrn- I kinda hope we see these plane someday, simple because they are so bare it would be nice to have them fleshed out more.
Theros/Tarkir- I will bet these are the next worlds we return to, they seem really popular and are in the right time period after Milk to return.
I feel almost exactly the same way. Regatha and Vryn are gimmes for """""return""""" worlds (as much as a 1/10th segment of Magic Origins is anything to return to) - they both have identifiable flavor hooks and the storyline ties are there, and the non-return part is mechanical, which R&D has to make from scratch for every new world anyway. These are just new planes (which in general have to be considered a 0 on the Rabiah scale) with an easier job for Creative.
I also bet Theros gets returned to before Tarkir, both because it was released first and because there's a huge, obvious plot hook with Ajani wanting to resurrect Elspeth and make war on the Gods.
Kamigawa and Lowryn been this disliekd really saddens me :/
The setting and themes weren't the problem and they insist like it was the biggest reason. Kamigawa had to be a down powerlevel because of Mirrodin's sins aand Lowryn waas at a time wher the game was the least popular(don't know the reason tough). Their world din't had problem and were a long time ago. I bet they would be better received these days.
Kamigawa and Lowryn been this disliekd really saddens me :/
The setting and themes weren't the problem and they insist like it was the biggest reason. Kamigawa had to be a down powerlevel because of Mirrodin's sins aand Lowryn waas at a time wher the game was the least popular(don't know the reason tough). Their world din't had problem and were a long time ago. I bet they would be better received these days.
Unfortunately, first impressions are really important, and a lot of people's impressions of Kamigawa and Mirrodin were tinted by the power level. It's not coincidental that most people's favorite planes - Ravnica, Zendikar, Innistrad - had smash-hit introduction sets that provided balanced but powerful and unique cards for multiple formats.
Kamigawa and Lorwyn also have flavor problems that need to be addressed, the former with the look of the kami themselves (people were as tired of them at the time as they were as the samey-looking Eldrazi of BFZ block) and the latter with the polarizing storybook look of Lorwyn block proper and the sheer dissonant bizarreness of the Eventide version of Shadowmoor.
I was a bit surprised by Ixalan. I personally found the world to be almost... sterile. Like, there was so little meat on its bones. You can sum up the world in four sentences and you pretty much have heard everything. Even Amonkhet has more texture than that and it had to work with a very confined setting.
I am too saddened by Lorwyn. That world is one of my favourites and I really want to see what the merged state looks like. Arguably a lot more... three-dimensional than either of its halves.
I'll be honest and say I thought his depiction of Kamigawa was off. Yes, it's not loved, but to say it has bad flavor and mechanical identity? Samurai and Ninja were spot-on, I liked the moon-folk, like the snake-folk and the rats were interesting. Even the goblin had unique flavors, at least art-wise. I understand that market research may say people didn't like the set, but I see no point in trying to drag it down further. I thought MaRo's characterizations were off.
I'll be honest and say I thought his depiction of Kamigawa was off. Yes, it's not loved, but to say it has bad flavor and mechanical identity? Samurai and Ninja were spot-on, I liked the moon-folk, like the snake-folk and the rats were interesting. Even the goblin had unique flavors, at least art-wise. I understand that market research may say people didn't like the set, but I see no point in trying to drag it down further. I thought MaRo's characterizations were off.
The main issue is that there's (largely!) two groups: Those who didn't like ANY aspect of Kamigawa. There were a lot of people who liked neither the mechanical nor the flavour aspect of the world. And then there's the people who absolutely loved the flavour and worldbuilding, but agree that the mechanics could be executed a bit better. So it was a bit dishonest when Maro said that he was at a loss of what he should bring back when "the people" on the one side want a return but on the other hand want neither the mechanics nor the flavour identity to be the same. It wasn't the same groups.
It would have been perfectly okay for him to say "people who want a return to Kamigawa are a loud minority" but to put the blame on the players, because they seemingly want contradictory things is kind of unfair.
Didn't wotc make some kind of fan vote competition contest on which plane they would like to see a return to the most and Lorwyn won? I believe it beat New Phyrexia in the finals
Didn't wotc make some kind of fan vote competition contest on which plane they would like to see a return to the most and Lorwyn won? I believe it beat New Phyrexia in the finals
Twitter polls are hardly scientific or representative. All they tell you is how the Magic players who follow Wizards on Twitter and care to vote in their polls - which is a small number of the whole, and mostly longtime, dedicated players - think. Now, I'm not saying WotC should not listen to the hardcore fans, nor do I even think they don't, but at the same time, they have to appeal to the masses to make money. Making a product that can appeal to both new and old fans (Transformers: Generations) leads to success, making one that appeals only to the old fans (various reboots of nostalgic toylines) leads to failure.
I'm in the camp that wants a return to Lorwyn and Kamigawa. Lorwyn and Shadowmoor were fun. Kamigawa has plenty of flaws, but a surprising number of cards have seen a resurgence in popularity with the growth of EDH/Commander. And I want more ninjas (so happy when they printed Yuriko, so sad that she has so little support).
I find it great that most planes seem to have at least a few factors that make them interesting enough to at least think about returning there (Exceptions being Mercadia, Ulgrotha and Rabiah). And it's interesting to see the different opinions on certain plains. For example, I absolutely dislike pre-Eldrazi Zendikar. Adventure world is just so incredibly unappealing for me. Eldritch horror though, even if it wasn't handled particularly well? Count me in (though I must say that Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon were soo much better in exploring cosmic horror than Rise of the Eldrazi or BfZ, it's not even funny). I didn't like Lorwyn and though I liked certain cards of Shadowmoor, I disliked that it mishandled the color pie and hybrid color to such a degree. The story was also not really that engaging in my opinion. I'm conflicted about Kamigawa. I liked the world, but it also felt kind of limited and too neatly divided by color pie allegiance (I'm still unsure whether the giant waterfall around Minamo actually connects to an ocean and everything we've seen of Kamigawa plays only on one continent or if the world is actually THAT small). I liked the flavor, but the mechanics were mostly either catastrophic or forgettable. I want to know how the world has changed in the last few thousand years (something Maro didn't acknowledge, of course they can change it radically, it has been some time since the original set), but at the same time it won't have any character aside from Tamiyo which I would like to see more of. I think the best thing to do would be to use it as a setting for a supplemental set.
I really loved both Amonkhet and Theros. I know that some didn't like Bolas omnipresence on Amonkhet, but I think the egyptian flavor still shined through and the destruction of Nakthamun opens the possibility for a restart for the survivors. Tarkir should return as much as possible to its Wedge roots next time. That and not the dragons made the world interesting.
So in the end, planes I would like to see more of: Takir, Theros, Amonkhet, Ravnica, Innistrad (I hope they'll finally remember that there is another continent there as well next time).
Planes I don't really care for (aside from the really bad ones): Regatha (unless they make it a hell of a lot more interesting), Zendikar, Lorwyn, Shandalar (same as Regatha).
The rest I'm just indifferent or conflicted about at the moment.
Regatha/ Vyrn- I kinda hope we see these plane someday, simple because they are so bare it would be nice to have them fleshed out more.
I feel almost exactly the same way. Regatha and Vryn are gimmes for """""return""""" worlds (as much as a 1/10th segment of Magic Origins is anything to return to) - they both have identifiable flavor hooks and the storyline ties are there, and the non-return part is mechanical, which R&D has to make from scratch for every new world anyway. These are just new planes (which in general have to be considered a 0 on the Rabiah scale) with an easier job for Creative.
My thoughts as well and with the block-less set system they could even have more shallow mechanical hooks as well.
Also with the new stance of having stories not tied to sets, they could also world-build some without needing to find mechanical identity.
Kamigawa and Lowryn been this disliekd really saddens me :/
The setting and themes weren't the problem and they insist like it was the biggest reason. Kamigawa had to be a down powerlevel because of Mirrodin's sins aand Lowryn waas at a time wher the game was the least popular(don't know the reason tough). Their world din't had problem and were a long time ago. I bet they would be better received these days.
And yet we got people whining about how Kyrem wasn't hardcore enough and that having children on cards was gonna be the death of magic.
Also whats your source for Lowryn being release during an unpopular time?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Kamigawa as a setting has the most potential of any plane. Everyone that loves Kamigawa adores the physical plane and its thematic races. Retain its geography and aesthetic, and tribes like Soratami, Samurai, Orochi, etc. with the less popular ones appearing in lesser numbers, and it will undoubtedly sell off the charts with an appropriate power level. The issues were Kamigawa were these:
1. It followed up Mirrodin block, the near-death experience of Magic.
2. Bad mechanics. Tamiyo proves Soratami for example are a popular race in MTG, but their mechanic of bouncing lands for mediocre effects overall, seriously?
3. Kami have Eldrazi syndrome, and were indeed unattractive. But if Eldrazi can compromise a plane as loved as Zendikar, Kamigawa should be excused. Not to mention the Kami War has resolved millennia ago, and Kamigawa is easily Japan World now.
Start with the physical geography and appearance of Kamigawa. Add popular aspects of original Kamigawa (Soratami, Ninjas, Samurai, Dragon Spirits). Give them good mechanics. Design an entire Japan World on this basic skeleton and call it a new record, because it will be.
Theros should be a 2 on the scale IMO, but it admittedly had a low power level as well. Clearly using its flavor to sell itself. The idea that it relied almost exclusively on that and still landed a 3 on the scale is an impressive testament to how fruitful the source material of Greek mythology and general aesthetic of Greece itself really are. I am literally dying to go back to Theros. And it would be so amazing if we actually get to see Arixmethes the city in the return, because it's a polis after all, and a great place to adventure to for special secret sunken artifacts that could help. I'd love a return to be more about adventure like original Zendikar and Ixalan were. An adventure to understand the gods, revive Elspeth, and create a new god of Love for the plane in the process. Would be so remarkable if Arixmethes the city had something the planeswalkers needed to enter the underworld or something. Or to toss the ruins of Godsend there. If nothing else, one of the Basic Islands should at least feature Arixmethes the city, like the Kamigawa panorama featured Minamo. I need that Santorini landscape!
I'm disappointed Vryn isn't at least a 4. It was my favorite plane out of the new ones in Magic Origins. Felt like a Civil War meets Harry Potter world to me, with Jace's backstory being my favorite to delve into. We need to visit Vryn soon. If I could choose, we would return to Theros after Ravnica, and visit Vryn after that.
Is it just me or is Maro making excuses for the more recent settings? ''Overall Amonkhet was a bit of a downer, but people LOVED the visuals''. ''Numerous people asked us to go to Amonkhet before Bolas went there.'' Also the plane got blown up and still gets a 5? ''Ixalan started good, but it's ratings went down over time, but not because players hated the world but because of gameplay''. And same for Kaladesh. ''I really expected Kaladesh to be liked, but it's in the bottom half of the worlds. But only because we messed up the power level.'' And it gets a 5?
And don't get me wrong, maybe Maro is correct in his assumptions. The point I am trying to make is that this seems incredibly unfair towards some other sets. Why is Kamigawa a failure on all fronts when you could make the argument that it released in a broken standard with affinity ruining everything and was intentionally overnerfed in powerlevel? Isn't that what he is saying for Kaladesh? ''Yeah, the world wasn't that liked, but I suspect it's because of powerlevel issues''. And again, maybe Maro is correct on everything and just has more data than me, but from the article alone it seems very biased and dishonest.
Well 1) with stuff like social media and interacting better with players means they have a lot more nuance when it comes to data so I'm guessing newer planes have more data on what was and wasn't liked and 2) all these scales going around are Maro option, so they going to be biased. Maro also isn't fully in charge of returning planes, creative, marketing and other teams in RnD have a say.
Theros should be a 2 on the scale IMO, but it admittedly had a low power level as well.
I think that is due to it wanting to be an enchantment set, which has some design issues.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Seems like some of our more beloved planes flavor-wise aren't quite as beloved as we thought...
Which ones? Ulgrotha?
I'm really really really really happy that Ixalan is a 4. We'll go back to it someday.
I'm surprised with Zendikar at 2. Better than Theros, really?
You're surprised that the plane that makes you think about when you play lands but you always feel good about playing lands is a 2?
Mercadia had spellshapers (yay!) and "Any player may activate this ability." (uh...yeah.) as well. So, one out of four mechanics (two of which are basically the same thing) is worth revisiting. Nope. Not going back to Mercadia.
Technically, they can't revisit Rath anyway. Or we just did not too long ago. I'm not sure how that works.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I feel like he's underweighting the potential and overweighting the first impressions of many sets. Lorwyn and Kamigawa both fell into the wake of some rather oppressive sets that tainted them unfairly (Time Spiral and Mirrodin), and both were followed by some really popular sets that overshadowed them (Alara and Ravnica). The unified Lorwyn allows for flavor and mechanical exploration not available in the initial sortie, without locking out any of the prior mechanics and only a little of the flavor. Kamigawa does have a little harder time of it, but with the Kami war resolved and thousands of years having passed, it really is a place to break new ground.
Ulgrotha is an unfortunate case, despite being the home of the Baron Sengir. That portal is all I know that could link it to the modern story, but I think the potential of things coming through the portal FROM Ulgrotha is much more interesting than going back TO Ulgrotha. Maro says that portal connects to an "unnamed plane" when it's more accurate to say that it connects to an "unknown plane," which could be a new plane or a plane we're already familiar with, it was left open-ended.
I wasn't aware that Old Phyrexia was totally obliterated, I had thought that it was bombed into a broken husk world. I can see it being used effectively in a set that took place partly there and partly on Dominaria, during the era of the Thran and the rise of Yawgmoth. Remember that Phyrexia existed before Yawgmoth took over.
The unified Lorwyn allows for flavor and mechanical exploration not available in the initial sortie, without locking out any of the prior mechanics and only a little of the flavor.
The problem with Lorwyn-at-balance is that everyone would want it to be a tribal set with a huge hybrid mana theme, which I'm not sure whether would be a nonlinear yet deep and complex and diverse environment or a complete mess to design.
Ulgrotha is an unfortunate case, despite being the home of the Baron Sengir. That portal is all I know that could link it to the modern story, but I think the potential of things coming through the portal FROM Ulgrotha is much more interesting than going back TO Ulgrotha. Maro says that portal connects to an "unnamed plane" when it's more accurate to say that it connects to an "unknown plane," which could be a new plane or a plane we're already familiar with, it was left open-ended.
Since the mending all planar portals and ways to travel different planes (outside of being a planeswalker) stopped working, which is why the Planar Bridge is such a big deal.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
In defense of Ixalan: we only saw one continent and the story (aside from Jace x Vraska) sucked hard. There's still a lot of stuff to explore to flesh out the plane, and its main hook is decent.
In defense of Kamigawa: The kami were too esoteric for many people, but I think the main let down was how much Saviors sucked. Champions and Betrayers were fairly well received, still a let down in terms of power after Mirrodin, but liked. Saviors was Prophecy level trash. It was a bad set with bad cards, minimal flavor resonance compared to the first two sets, bad mechanics (hand size matters, lol lets throw in two new keywords and not support them). MARO should also know better than anyone that the primary problem with Kamigawa block was that its main theme was Legends, which wasn't at common. Didn't he literally write several columns about this, a couple just this year because of Dominaria? Kamigawa would work if legends were a subtheme and there was a more accessible overarching theme with a high asfan, and if the spirits were toned down (which in a return would be necessary anyway, as spirits were only that common because of the spirit war). A small dose of Kamigawa spirits goes a long way, and I'd argue its additive to the set up to a certain point.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
If you don't know about it, he talks about it Here and Here.
It's basically a breakdown of every plane used in MTG sets, how popular and relevant they are, and what the liklihood is that they'll make a return.
Seems like some of our more beloved planes flavor-wise aren't quite as beloved as we thought...
What are your thoughts, and do you think the scale is accurate?
Click the pic for more info.
Lots of people like Theros, but LOTS of people LOVE original Zendikar.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
My thoughts;
In general things are not set in stone, I have seen Maro change planes around depending how player have been reacting. Dominaria used to be a 4 because of the issue of finding an identity for it, but after finding its new identity as "History world" and how well people like Dominara (card set) its now a 1. This also Maro option based on design so creative may view things differnt and what plans they have for the storyline.
Alara- One of my favorite planes I'm sad to see it so high, but I think when we see a shard set again its gonna most likely be Alara. I also know the shards now one plane is less interesting than then apart but I think there are plenty of way the story could fix that.
Amonkhet- This forum have already talked to death about how we could return so its possible and it seems like it pretty well received.
Ixalan- I'm happy Ixalan is at a 4, I loved the world and I love tribal. And with how good Innistrad found balance in being "tribal sets" I think Ixalan issues could be fixed on a return.
New Phyrexia- From his comment I think we won't see a full return but somehow them invading another plane so its not pure New Phyrexia flavor. Makes me think Karn plan to blow them up will end up helping them somehow.
Regatha/ Vyrn- I kinda hope we see these plane someday, simple because they are so bare it would be nice to have them fleshed out more.
Theros/Tarkir- I will bet these are the next worlds we return to, they seem really popular and are in the right time period after Milk to return.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I also bet Theros gets returned to before Tarkir, both because it was released first and because there's a huge, obvious plot hook with Ajani wanting to resurrect Elspeth and make war on the Gods.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
The setting and themes weren't the problem and they insist like it was the biggest reason. Kamigawa had to be a down powerlevel because of Mirrodin's sins aand Lowryn waas at a time wher the game was the least popular(don't know the reason tough). Their world din't had problem and were a long time ago. I bet they would be better received these days.
Kamigawa and Lorwyn also have flavor problems that need to be addressed, the former with the look of the kami themselves (people were as tired of them at the time as they were as the samey-looking Eldrazi of BFZ block) and the latter with the polarizing storybook look of Lorwyn block proper and the sheer dissonant bizarreness of the Eventide version of Shadowmoor.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I am too saddened by Lorwyn. That world is one of my favourites and I really want to see what the merged state looks like. Arguably a lot more... three-dimensional than either of its halves.
The main issue is that there's (largely!) two groups: Those who didn't like ANY aspect of Kamigawa. There were a lot of people who liked neither the mechanical nor the flavour aspect of the world. And then there's the people who absolutely loved the flavour and worldbuilding, but agree that the mechanics could be executed a bit better. So it was a bit dishonest when Maro said that he was at a loss of what he should bring back when "the people" on the one side want a return but on the other hand want neither the mechanics nor the flavour identity to be the same. It wasn't the same groups.
It would have been perfectly okay for him to say "people who want a return to Kamigawa are a loud minority" but to put the blame on the players, because they seemingly want contradictory things is kind of unfair.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
I really loved both Amonkhet and Theros. I know that some didn't like Bolas omnipresence on Amonkhet, but I think the egyptian flavor still shined through and the destruction of Nakthamun opens the possibility for a restart for the survivors. Tarkir should return as much as possible to its Wedge roots next time. That and not the dragons made the world interesting.
So in the end, planes I would like to see more of: Takir, Theros, Amonkhet, Ravnica, Innistrad (I hope they'll finally remember that there is another continent there as well next time).
Planes I don't really care for (aside from the really bad ones): Regatha (unless they make it a hell of a lot more interesting), Zendikar, Lorwyn, Shandalar (same as Regatha).
The rest I'm just indifferent or conflicted about at the moment.
My thoughts as well and with the block-less set system they could even have more shallow mechanical hooks as well.
Also with the new stance of having stories not tied to sets, they could also world-build some without needing to find mechanical identity.
And yet we got people whining about how Kyrem wasn't hardcore enough and that having children on cards was gonna be the death of magic.
Also whats your source for Lowryn being release during an unpopular time?
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
1. It followed up Mirrodin block, the near-death experience of Magic.
2. Bad mechanics. Tamiyo proves Soratami for example are a popular race in MTG, but their mechanic of bouncing lands for mediocre effects overall, seriously?
3. Kami have Eldrazi syndrome, and were indeed unattractive. But if Eldrazi can compromise a plane as loved as Zendikar, Kamigawa should be excused. Not to mention the Kami War has resolved millennia ago, and Kamigawa is easily Japan World now.
Start with the physical geography and appearance of Kamigawa. Add popular aspects of original Kamigawa (Soratami, Ninjas, Samurai, Dragon Spirits). Give them good mechanics. Design an entire Japan World on this basic skeleton and call it a new record, because it will be.
Theros should be a 2 on the scale IMO, but it admittedly had a low power level as well. Clearly using its flavor to sell itself. The idea that it relied almost exclusively on that and still landed a 3 on the scale is an impressive testament to how fruitful the source material of Greek mythology and general aesthetic of Greece itself really are. I am literally dying to go back to Theros. And it would be so amazing if we actually get to see Arixmethes the city in the return, because it's a polis after all, and a great place to adventure to for special secret sunken artifacts that could help. I'd love a return to be more about adventure like original Zendikar and Ixalan were. An adventure to understand the gods, revive Elspeth, and create a new god of Love for the plane in the process. Would be so remarkable if Arixmethes the city had something the planeswalkers needed to enter the underworld or something. Or to toss the ruins of Godsend there. If nothing else, one of the Basic Islands should at least feature Arixmethes the city, like the Kamigawa panorama featured Minamo. I need that Santorini landscape!
I'm disappointed Vryn isn't at least a 4. It was my favorite plane out of the new ones in Magic Origins. Felt like a Civil War meets Harry Potter world to me, with Jace's backstory being my favorite to delve into. We need to visit Vryn soon. If I could choose, we would return to Theros after Ravnica, and visit Vryn after that.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Well 1) with stuff like social media and interacting better with players means they have a lot more nuance when it comes to data so I'm guessing newer planes have more data on what was and wasn't liked and 2) all these scales going around are Maro option, so they going to be biased. Maro also isn't fully in charge of returning planes, creative, marketing and other teams in RnD have a say.
I think that is due to it wanting to be an enchantment set, which has some design issues.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Design problems are WOTC making a broken artifact set every 5 years or so.
You're surprised that the plane that makes you think about when you play lands but you always feel good about playing lands is a 2?
Mercadia had spellshapers (yay!) and "Any player may activate this ability." (uh...yeah.) as well. So, one out of four mechanics (two of which are basically the same thing) is worth revisiting. Nope. Not going back to Mercadia.
Technically, they can't revisit Rath anyway. Or we just did not too long ago. I'm not sure how that works.
On phasing:
Ulgrotha is an unfortunate case, despite being the home of the Baron Sengir. That portal is all I know that could link it to the modern story, but I think the potential of things coming through the portal FROM Ulgrotha is much more interesting than going back TO Ulgrotha. Maro says that portal connects to an "unnamed plane" when it's more accurate to say that it connects to an "unknown plane," which could be a new plane or a plane we're already familiar with, it was left open-ended.
I wasn't aware that Old Phyrexia was totally obliterated, I had thought that it was bombed into a broken husk world. I can see it being used effectively in a set that took place partly there and partly on Dominaria, during the era of the Thran and the rise of Yawgmoth. Remember that Phyrexia existed before Yawgmoth took over.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Since the mending all planar portals and ways to travel different planes (outside of being a planeswalker) stopped working, which is why the Planar Bridge is such a big deal.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
In defense of Kamigawa: The kami were too esoteric for many people, but I think the main let down was how much Saviors sucked. Champions and Betrayers were fairly well received, still a let down in terms of power after Mirrodin, but liked. Saviors was Prophecy level trash. It was a bad set with bad cards, minimal flavor resonance compared to the first two sets, bad mechanics (hand size matters, lol lets throw in two new keywords and not support them). MARO should also know better than anyone that the primary problem with Kamigawa block was that its main theme was Legends, which wasn't at common. Didn't he literally write several columns about this, a couple just this year because of Dominaria? Kamigawa would work if legends were a subtheme and there was a more accessible overarching theme with a high asfan, and if the spirits were toned down (which in a return would be necessary anyway, as spirits were only that common because of the spirit war). A small dose of Kamigawa spirits goes a long way, and I'd argue its additive to the set up to a certain point.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!