I would agree that I don't like draft interactive cards as a general mechanic. However, if the mechanic is at common, you are basically replacing a card that quite often is just going to sit in a shoe box or get thrown away anyways. 90% of commons never see light of day by they time they are 24 hrs after they are out of the pack. Even good commons, many people end up with a stack of and never play half of them.
Now if the draft mechanic is at uncommon/rare/mythic, you are starting to take value away from the pack.
The Librarian is interesting. 1st pack, this could be a 3rd/4th pick? depending on what is in it. The opportunity to take two cards right away out of 2nd/3rd pack would be strong. When you get to 3rd pack, it will basically be a 3/3 for 4 artifact creature.
Draft, like any format, just takes some time to get the hang of. I know people have done articles and videos on drafting online.
Also, I've been to quite a few prereleases. My first one was Scars of Mirrodin and I attended every prerelease up until New Phyrexia, but then attended the Innistrad and Dark Ascension Prereleases, but didn't attend Avacyn Reborn. DID attend Gatecrash and RTR though.
I hope to get back into the swing of things with all that.
And I like both casual and competitive formats, really my only qualm is with the people.
60 new cards in a set of 210... Really can't wait what they'll get to reprint with a theme focused on both draft and the feeling of deception/intrigue.
Most excited about that groupshot, though. Is this the Council that belongs to the Will of the Council keyword? Will they be featured as Legendary Creatures inside the set?
I don't share the opinion that they're characters we already know. Some poses they strike might be similar, but that's it.
Though look at them a bit closer. I'm speculating this Council has a representative of each color in it:
Far left: Crotchety old sort of Troll/Dwarf mix, with a mechinical/craftsman staff. R
Second left: The Elf ears are unmistakeable. Also, the fur trim and leather, bit of a woodsy feel. G
Middle: Just look at her. It's like you took old-school Teysa and removed Orzhov's W side of the equation. Leaving... B
Second right: Poseidon and LotR's ghostly king, mashed together and given some nice armor. U
Far right: White-with-gild robes, contemplative pose, the Hat of Authority... Who else but W?
By the way, I love how each of their looks is at least a little tweaked to fit the theme, a little Venetian, ancient city-state rulers sorta vibe.
So yeah, hoping for Legendary Creatures, but the art could just as easily be an Enchantment/Instant/Sorcery/etc, or just for promotional use/box art.
I hope not though. Hell, maybe the fact that they're all bunched together, and each seemingly represents a color of mana, will mean the Council as a whole is a big ole WUBRG Legendary Creature? Here's hoping...
I hope they are all new characters too, but the one on the far right looks an awful lot like Mikaeus, the Lunarch.
60 new cards in a set of 210... Really can't wait what they'll get to reprint with a theme focused on both draft and the feeling of deception/intrigue.
Most excited about that groupshot, though. Is this the Council that belongs to the Will of the Council keyword? Will they be featured as Legendary Creatures inside the set?
I don't share the opinion that they're characters we already know. Some poses they strike might be similar, but that's it.
Though look at them a bit closer. I'm speculating this Council has a representative of each color in it:
Far left: Crotchety old sort of Troll/Dwarf mix, with a mechinical/craftsman staff. R
Second left: The Elf ears are unmistakeable. Also, the fur trim and leather, bit of a woodsy feel. G
Middle: Just look at her. It's like you took old-school Teysa and removed Orzhov's W side of the equation. Leaving... B
Second right: Poseidon and LotR's ghostly king, mashed together and given some nice armor. U
Far right: White-with-gild robes, contemplative pose, the Hat of Authority... Who else but W?
By the way, I love how each of their looks is at least a little tweaked to fit the theme, a little Venetian, ancient city-state rulers sorta vibe.
So yeah, hoping for Legendary Creatures, but the art could just as easily be an Enchantment/Instant/Sorcery/etc, or just for promotional use/box art.
I hope not though. Hell, maybe the fact that they're all bunched together, and each seemingly represents a color of mana, will mean the Council as a whole is a big ole WUBRG Legendary Creature? Here's hoping...
I hope they are all new characters too, but the one on the far right looks an awful lot like Mikaeus, the Lunarch.
That's what I thought at first too, but seeing as he's now a zombie and his hat is a bit different...
They're not going to be reprinting expensive or high-demand staples in this set. If they did, the boosters would get snatched up by people who have no intention of drafting and playing with these cards, limiting supply and driving up prices for people who want to use this product as it is intended to be used.
As far as calling these draft-mechanic cards "phantom" cards... how many cards from a draft of a normal set do you usually keep and play with again after the draft is done? Drafting a Cogwork Librarian and never playing it again is no different from drafting a Nessian Asp and never playing that again.
Interesting in the article explaining Modern Masters, when justifying the $6.99 MSRP, they said:
Quote from Aaron Forsythe »
And third, we hope the price difference keeps the product out of the wrong hands. The set will not be Standard legal—I repeat, the set will not be Standard legal—and we don't want newer players picking these up by mistake thinking they can use them at, say, Friday Night Magic. The higher price should give them pause and make sure that players that know exactly what they're buying are the ones getting them.
And yet that doesn't seem to be an issue with this product. Granted, there were other concerns with MM that lead to the inflated price as well (the number of valuable reprints and a foil in every pack). Still, the point above seems sort of ridiculous in hindsight.
More on topic, I'm hoping this product contains a few cool reprints I can pick up for Modern, since drafting isn't really my thing.
The characters on the banner seem to be in WUBRG order from left to right, though R and G may be switched. I'm guessing they're either a cycle of legendary creatures or monocolor planeswalkers, though creatures are far more likely. It would be interesting to see planeswalkers geared toward multiplayer, though.
I wonder what the watermark on Cogwork Librarian represents. It's rather difficult to see. Perhaps cards with draft-specific abilities have their own special watermark, or there are "factions" among the new cards related to the Council of legendary creatures/planeswalkers.
As far as calling these draft-mechanic cards "phantom" cards... how many cards from a draft of a normal set do you usually keep and play with again after the draft is done? Drafting a Cogwork Librarian and never playing it again is no different from drafting a Nessian Asp and never playing that again.
The only argument I can make for the junk cards is that they can be played without additional context. I could give such cards to someone with no cards, and they could play, even though the deck won't be "good." Conspiracy cards with a draft mechanic really only "works" in two places: the initial draft of the booster pack and drafting from someone's homemade cube. If draft mechanic cards shows up at rare or mythic rare, I also think it will hurt set sales. I think the audience for drafts are for skilled players, not the casual/kitchen table players.
At first I thought this would be a neat venue to reprint TNN, since it was initially designed as a multiplayer card. The more I think about it, though, the unlikelier it seems. They probably don't want to include too many chase cards in this, lest players buy the packs just to crack them for singles, rather than to draft with them.
I'm starting to feel like Wizards is ramping up to make Commander a sanctioned tournament type. Between Commander 2013, FtV: Annihilation, and now this. And recent Standard sets have had a lot more group-friendly card designs in them than in the past.
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
I'm in a similar boat and frankly I wouldn't hold your breathe. Expect to see cards like Thieves Auction, Blatent Thievery, Ghostly Prison and friends. Hopefully we'll see some rare dual lands reprinted, but I have low expectations outside of a couple new legendary creatures for EDH and a handful of reprints for Modern/Legacy (fingers crossed on Bribery). It can't be that bad, they can't reprint 210 cards, and have them all be non competitive junk.
I was really hoping this would be a 360 card Cubed product. But instead its a another test your luck booster filled product.
It a 540 card cube!! (But with repeating cards).
This is pretty genius of Wizards. A kitchen table group/friends/even a LGS could split a booster box, sleeve it up, and draft it forever (ie until they get bored).
I know this is my plan. Buy a box with some friends and keep drafting it till it's boring. I'm actually hoping the value of the cards in general is low and the play-ability is high/fun. Keep the money out of ONE product please! MTG is turning into a bunch of wannabee stock brokers...
The Clockwork Librarian would be pretty hilarious in Cube if you ask me. The idea of cards interacting outside of the game itself hearkens back to City in a Bottle/Shahrazad style cards. I think it's an original direction to take the game.
The multiplayer aspect has yet to have its fun factor determined, but I know I'll have to play it at least once.
The Clockwork Librarian would be pretty hilarious in Cube if you ask me. The idea of cards interacting outside of the game itself hearkens back to City in a Bottle/Shahrazad style cards. I think it's an original direction to take the game.
The multiplayer aspect has yet to have its fun factor determined, but I know I'll have to play it at least once.
I agree. Anyone who says that cogwork librarian is useless after it is opened has never played cube. Cube owners, would you put this in your cube?
Private Mod Note
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My favorite flavor text: Time of Heroes
Feel free to tell me yours!
The Clockwork Librarian would be pretty hilarious in Cube if you ask me. The idea of cards interacting outside of the game itself hearkens back to City in a Bottle/Shahrazad style cards. I think it's an original direction to take the game.
The multiplayer aspect has yet to have its fun factor determined, but I know I'll have to play it at least once.
I agree. Anyone who says that cogwork librarian is useless after it is opened has never played cube. Cube owners, would you put this in your cube?
AUTO INCLUDE! I love the meta of the card. Plus the strategy required! (Too complicated but this take 2 now and give the power to your 'opponent' is a big theme in other games, I'm glad it's in Mtg).
I do find this product to be fairly interesting, and I notice that it is the first M:tG product that seems to be specifically designed for drafting. Since I usually do not participate in drafts, that part of it does not interest me, but I shall be interested to see if there are any cards that I may wish to purchase as singles for my decks. I definitely would like to see repritns of older cards, since there are many cards from before Eighth Edition that, in my mind, deserve reprints but have not yet been reprinted.
Will there be a Commander product this year, or shall this set be taking its place? I would prefer it if WotC did not release a Commander product every year, but instead every other year, so that they do not become boring or uninteresting. What does everyone else say about that?
This is the summer supplement. Commander decks ARE yearly now, but come out in the fall (November) in the slot the premium deck series used to occupy.
I am both pleased and displeased by that: pleased, as there shall be a continuous supply of cards/products for EDH format; and displeased, since it may become unexciting after time.
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“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
This is the summer supplement. Commander decks ARE yearly now, but come out in the fall (November) in the slot the premium deck series used to occupy.
I am both pleased and displeased by that: pleased, as there shall be a continuous supply of cards/products for EDH format; and displeased, since it may become unexciting after time.
I'm sure once that happens they'll pull it in favour of some new thing in the slot. I don't expect that to be soon, though.
So cogwork librarian is a common in an already small-ish set, and its ability appears to stack... how hilarious would it be for someone to just draft all the librarians in the first two packs then put every one of them in their third pack
There are sixty-five new cards in Conspiracy. Fifty-two of the new cards will be legal in Legacy and Vintage; thirteen cards will not.
Full, decoded announcement up now. Only part I saw that didn't seem to have been shared in the coded version is this bit. My best guess is that the thirteen not legal cards are going to be things like Cogworth Librarian, and beyond that... I'm not sure. Maybe that's what the watermark on Cogworth is all about?
Now if the draft mechanic is at uncommon/rare/mythic, you are starting to take value away from the pack.
The Librarian is interesting. 1st pack, this could be a 3rd/4th pick? depending on what is in it. The opportunity to take two cards right away out of 2nd/3rd pack would be strong. When you get to 3rd pack, it will basically be a 3/3 for 4 artifact creature.
Also, I've been to quite a few prereleases. My first one was Scars of Mirrodin and I attended every prerelease up until New Phyrexia, but then attended the Innistrad and Dark Ascension Prereleases, but didn't attend Avacyn Reborn. DID attend Gatecrash and RTR though.
I hope to get back into the swing of things with all that.
And I like both casual and competitive formats, really my only qualm is with the people.
WUBRGCommander Decklists - PaperWUBRG
CCCCCommander Decklists - TheorycraftCCCC
Sig Credit: Pegasus Bishop
I hope they are all new characters too, but the one on the far right looks an awful lot like Mikaeus, the Lunarch.
The Deep Ones
Cyborg Huey's Bosh, Iron Golem Deck
Cyborg Huey's Rosheen Meander Deck
BUGThe Dunwich Horror and Other Lovecraftian TalesBUG
That's what I thought at first too, but seeing as he's now a zombie and his hat is a bit different...
As far as calling these draft-mechanic cards "phantom" cards... how many cards from a draft of a normal set do you usually keep and play with again after the draft is done? Drafting a Cogwork Librarian and never playing it again is no different from drafting a Nessian Asp and never playing that again.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
And yet that doesn't seem to be an issue with this product. Granted, there were other concerns with MM that lead to the inflated price as well (the number of valuable reprints and a foil in every pack). Still, the point above seems sort of ridiculous in hindsight.
More on topic, I'm hoping this product contains a few cool reprints I can pick up for Modern, since drafting isn't really my thing.
I wonder what the watermark on Cogwork Librarian represents. It's rather difficult to see. Perhaps cards with draft-specific abilities have their own special watermark, or there are "factions" among the new cards related to the Council of legendary creatures/planeswalkers.
The only argument I can make for the junk cards is that they can be played without additional context. I could give such cards to someone with no cards, and they could play, even though the deck won't be "good." Conspiracy cards with a draft mechanic really only "works" in two places: the initial draft of the booster pack and drafting from someone's homemade cube. If draft mechanic cards shows up at rare or mythic rare, I also think it will hurt set sales. I think the audience for drafts are for skilled players, not the casual/kitchen table players.
If so, there's an absolute litany of cards I want this to include.
Reprint Stasis!
Control needs more love.
EDH:
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm
WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW
WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
It a 540 card cube!! (But with repeating cards).
This is pretty genius of Wizards. A kitchen table group/friends/even a LGS could split a booster box, sleeve it up, and draft it forever (ie until they get bored).
I know this is my plan. Buy a box with some friends and keep drafting it till it's boring. I'm actually hoping the value of the cards in general is low and the play-ability is high/fun. Keep the money out of ONE product please! MTG is turning into a bunch of wannabee stock brokers...
The multiplayer aspect has yet to have its fun factor determined, but I know I'll have to play it at least once.
I agree. Anyone who says that cogwork librarian is useless after it is opened has never played cube. Cube owners, would you put this in your cube?
Feel free to tell me yours!
AUTO INCLUDE! I love the meta of the card. Plus the strategy required! (Too complicated but this take 2 now and give the power to your 'opponent' is a big theme in other games, I'm glad it's in Mtg).
Will there be a Commander product this year, or shall this set be taking its place? I would prefer it if WotC did not release a Commander product every year, but instead every other year, so that they do not become boring or uninteresting. What does everyone else say about that?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I am both pleased and displeased by that: pleased, as there shall be a continuous supply of cards/products for EDH format; and displeased, since it may become unexciting after time.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I am all for putting this in my cube. The meta-drafting and hilarity seem awesome.
I'm sure once that happens they'll pull it in favour of some new thing in the slot. I don't expect that to be soon, though.
Full, decoded announcement up now. Only part I saw that didn't seem to have been shared in the coded version is this bit. My best guess is that the thirteen not legal cards are going to be things like Cogworth Librarian, and beyond that... I'm not sure. Maybe that's what the watermark on Cogworth is all about?