Oh look, a new Secret Lair precon. Angels: They're Just Like Us but Cooler and with Wings! is a W Angels deck. The commander is whichever side of Brisela, Voice of Nightmares you want in the command zone, now with Scott M. Fischer art. They also come as display cards with the thicker cardstock.
Scott M. Fischer art also graces the next three cards.
This next card doesn't get new anything, but is the first card to make the digital to paper jump... sorta. From the Sega Dreamcast promos and receiving some minor errata to work in paper, please welcome Arden Angel.
Decklist and more details are here. Preorders begin August 10. It's being sold for $149.99 by itself and $319.99 in a new "Seven in Heaven Bundle." The latter includes the current set of Secret Lairs.
Tokens, right. Two of these feature new art from Scott M. Fischer. Note that each pair of tokens presented here moving forward represents 1 double-faced token.
Those nine cards put together add up to over $150 (per mtg goldfish) right there and 7 of the nine (all except gisela/thune) are generally pretty decent cards in general. Add several smaller pieces worth a bit of value (bishop of wings, righteous Valkyrie, lightning greaves, tome of legends, sword of the animist, vanquisher's banner), the novelty of Arden Angel, and the fact that this looks like a genuinely pretty good (start for a) mono white angel deck and I'm pretty sold on this.
Edit: Plus, while it hasn't been stated, we were told before that the completed version of the Alayna Danner seraph sanctuary (we were sent an earlier revision by accident, if you haven't heard) would be included as a bonus card in a future secret lair and I'm pretty sure that it's this one (if that's relevant for you).
This next card doesn't get new anything, but is the first card to make the digital to paper jump... srota. From the Sega Dreamcast promos and receiving some minor errata to work in paper, please welcome Arden Angel.
Wow. I've never expected those to see paper. They are digging deep. And over time as they introduced more and more complexity to the game this card actually became less weird mechanically compared to the norm.
Makes you wonder what other cards will be coming to paper eventually.
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
[quote from="Dontrike »" url="/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/830344-sld-angels-theyre-just-like-us-but-cooler-and?comment=6"]
They changed secret lair commander decks from $100 to $150 with the Brute to Cute Commander deck a while back. As for why, it's to maximize profits.
I figured that's what it was, but was hoping (why, I don't know) that there would be an actual reason that's not dollar sign pupils. Totally forgot Cute to Brute even came out, and it's price, even though it just did three months ago. That product deluge really helps you forget.
This deck and From Cute to Brute have better overall card quality than Heads I Win, Tails You Lose (whichh was really just a fun casual concept deck that's difficult to upgrade or ever make competitive), so the price increase is somewhat justified, especially when you factor inflation in as manufacturing costs, transportation costs, and salaries certainly went up since that first deck was printed (and not received by consumers, as that delay was presumably caused by issues with the "minting" of the coins). Just take a look at what some of the other precon commander decks cost now compared to decks released years ago. The colorless deck from Commander Masters is selling considerably higher than the rest simply due to increased demand (and the lack of MSRP set by Wotc), so it's no surprise that the price will reflect that to prevent players buying extra copies of such higher quality and demand decks below "market value" to then flip online for profit themselves.
I also believe they bundled this one with the new Super Drop because it's selling very poorly. As someone who has bought most Drops to date (including the Commander decks), these current drops didn't even tempt me one bit. Some of the art concepts are nice, but there are very few cards I actually want to play with. To date I've bought approximately 70% of the Drops released, but even if they added a full art basic into each of the current drops and lowered the prices by $5 apiece, I still wouldn't be buying any of them. That being said, I'll almost certainly be ordering this deck on its own since even adding two individual drops on top of it won't qualify for the extra Brother's War collector packs included with orders of $200 or more, not that I need those anyway as I already have all the singles I wanted from that set).
I wasn't asking for any reprints, simply saying that I would remove some underwhelming cards from the deck after purchasing it to improve it with some or most of those cards.
I wasn't asking for any reprints, simply saying that I would remove some underwhelming cards from the deck after purchasing it to improve it with some or most of those cards.
Also dang, 4 sided die gotta bring a whole dnd set to magic now
Ever since Netherese Puzzle-Ward and co. The main AFR set restricted itself to d6 and d20, but the Commander decks covered d4, d8, d10 and d12 as well.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
Also dang, 4 sided die gotta bring a whole dnd set to magic now
Ever since Netherese Puzzle-Ward and co. The main AFR set restricted itself to d6 and d20, but the Commander decks covered d4, d8, d10 and d12 as well.
And if you run cards like Tyrant of Discord not even those dices are often enough
All I see is a way to charge $150 for a precon Commander deck.
I remember the "good old days" when you could score a Commander deck for 25 to 30 bucks and it was reasonably chocked with value.
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Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
All I see is a way to charge $150 for a precon Commander deck.
I remember the "good old days" when you could score a Commander deck for 25 to 30 bucks and it was reasonably chocked with value.
Ah yes... The good old days.
I also used to preorder all five yearly commander decks for $125-200 CAD, and booster boxes for Standard sets at $90 tax included back when the dollar was on par with USD and hadn't been devalued the way it has over the past few years. There are too many issues which increase costs, especially for those outside the US. A new tariff on collectible gaming cards, increased fuel/transportation costs, artists and everyone else along the manufacturing and distribution chain expecting to be paid more for their work (to keep pace with inflation, which also contributes to it), retailers bumping up prices to pay their staff and utilities which have all risen, and so on. This is the world we live in now, the "new normal" (which I supposed we have to get used to) where every corporation tries to squeeze every last drop of lifeblood from consumers to satisfy shareholders. In the end, all they do is alienate a portion of the consumer base, discouraging people with less disposable income from buying as much sealed product (if any), and and diverts consumer dollars towards other more affordable hobbies and the underground Magic economy which we all know as the secondary market. If booster packs were $3 as they used to be, I might be willing to gamble, but I'm not buying 10-$25 lottery tickets. When it comes to commander decks, one has to ask themselves if the "limited while supplies last" factor will allow the products to hold or appreciate in value and justify the purchase in the long run. Some would say the smart move is buying two of everything, keeping one sealed, then flipping it after a year or two, or three to pay for the one they want to keep and play with.
Lest we forget that Secret Lair is a "Premium" product, and some commander decks can still be bought for $25-35, but those are the powered-down ones which come out alongside Standard sets that don't even offer a decent starting point for Commander players who actually want something competitive. However, when played against each other as is, they can still provide (some players) with a fun experience. Ultimately, the problem may be the CEDH mentality that many of us have adopted over the years with the constant arms-race of power-creep. Nobody ever said we can't have fun playing Commander on a budget (with other budget-oriented players). As such, perhaps players should push back by refusing to pay-to-play with chase cards and mythics, to show WoTC that no, we don't need to spend fortunes to keep pace with others in our playgroups in order to have fun without spending a fortune. It's all about resisting the addiction to continuously augment and improve decks. Admittedly, I have difficulty doing this myself and love collecting so I'm easily tempted, but this is a challenge we each need to face and understand whenever new products get released.
Perhaps we as a community should create a "Pauper Commander" format where only commons and uncommon legendary creatures can be used and see if it catches on?
Perhaps we as a community should create a "Pauper Commander" format where only commons and uncommon legendary creatures can be used and see if it catches on?
I would be fine with Pauper Commander. Only common or uncommon Legendary Commanders and the 99 would have to be ALL commons. Someone assuredly plays it somewhere. Problem is like Pauper it doesn't make WotC/Hasbro any real money at all. I play my own budget format. Artisan decks (only commons and uncommons) are pretty darned fun. A lot of players want to spend the money, netdeck and pretend they are good deck builders and players by loading as many powerful rares and mythics into their decks as possible. Talk about boring.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I would be fine with Pauper Commander. Only common or uncommon Legendary Commanders and the 99 would have to be ALL commons. Someone assuredly plays it somewhere. Problem is like Pauper it doesn't make WotC/Hasbro any real money at all. I play my own budget format. Artisan decks (only commons and uncommons) are pretty darned fun. A lot of players want to spend the money, netdeck and pretend they are good deck builders and players by loading as many powerful rares and mythics into their decks as possible. Talk about boring.
The only caveat of course is that there are only a few options for 3-color decks (from Streets of New Capenna), so it's mostly mono or dual colored decks.
Perhaps we as a community should create a "Pauper Commander" format where only commons and uncommon legendary creatures can be used and see if it catches on?
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Spoiler EditorScott M. Fischer art also graces the next three cards.
This next card doesn't get new anything, but is the first card to make the digital to paper jump... sorta. From the Sega Dreamcast promos and receiving some minor errata to work in paper, please welcome Arden Angel.
Six cards get their first foil treatment with this deck: Angel of Finality, Angel of the Ruins, Breathkeeper Seraph. Dawnbreak Reclaimer, and Valkyrie Harbinger. The Plains of the deck will have new art by Rob Alexander.
Decklist and more details are here. Preorders begin August 10. It's being sold for $149.99 by itself and $319.99 in a new "Seven in Heaven Bundle." The latter includes the current set of Secret Lairs.
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Spoiler EditorSerra Ascendant
Archangel of Tithes
Gisela, the Broken Blade
Archangel of Thune
Commander's Plate
Pearl Metallion
Urza's Incubator
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Those nine cards put together add up to over $150 (per mtg goldfish) right there and 7 of the nine (all except gisela/thune) are generally pretty decent cards in general. Add several smaller pieces worth a bit of value (bishop of wings, righteous Valkyrie, lightning greaves, tome of legends, sword of the animist, vanquisher's banner), the novelty of Arden Angel, and the fact that this looks like a genuinely pretty good (start for a) mono white angel deck and I'm pretty sold on this.
Edit: Plus, while it hasn't been stated, we were told before that the completed version of the Alayna Danner seraph sanctuary (we were sent an earlier revision by accident, if you haven't heard) would be included as a bonus card in a future secret lair and I'm pretty sure that it's this one (if that's relevant for you).
Serra the benevolent
Lyra Dawnbringer
Reya Dawnbringer
Avacyn, angel of hope
Akroma, angel of wrath
Adarkar valkyrie
Angelic arbiter
Admonition angel
Angel of grace
Angel of sanctions
Exquisite archangel
Linvala, keeper of silence
Resplendent angel
Serra avenger
Serra's emissary
Youthful valkyrie
Herald's horn
Honor of the pure
Flowering of the white tree
Rally the ranks
Sensei's divining top
Mass calcify
Farewell
Mana crypt
Generous gift
Felidar sovereign
Enlightened tutor
Elesh Norn, grand cenobite
Starnheim unleashed
Land tax
Heliod, Sun-crowned
Voice of the blessed
Divine visitation (if using Archangel Elspeth and other token makers)
Castle ardenvale
Cave of the frost dragon
Cavern of Souls
Eiganjo castle
Eiganjo, seat of the empire
Mutavault
Wasteland
Strip mine
Hall of Heliod's generosity
Kjeldoran outpost
Ondu inversion
Ancient tomb
Serra's sanctum
Am I forgetting anything important?
I used to be a demigod, but now I'm an omnimage
Wow. I've never expected those to see paper. They are digging deep. And over time as they introduced more and more complexity to the game this card actually became less weird mechanically compared to the norm.
Makes you wonder what other cards will be coming to paper eventually.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
The deck seems fine, nothing spectacular for the price you're paying. Why is this $50 more than the coin flip deck?
If I had to pick one from Arena I'd say Inspiring Commander would be an easy digital to paper.
They changed secret lair commander decks from $100 to $150 with the Brute to Cute Commander deck a while back. As for why, it's to maximize profits.
I figured that's what it was, but was hoping (why, I don't know) that there would be an actual reason that's not dollar sign pupils. Totally forgot Cute to Brute even came out, and it's price, even though it just did three months ago. That product deluge really helps you forget.
I also believe they bundled this one with the new Super Drop because it's selling very poorly. As someone who has bought most Drops to date (including the Commander decks), these current drops didn't even tempt me one bit. Some of the art concepts are nice, but there are very few cards I actually want to play with. To date I've bought approximately 70% of the Drops released, but even if they added a full art basic into each of the current drops and lowered the prices by $5 apiece, I still wouldn't be buying any of them. That being said, I'll almost certainly be ordering this deck on its own since even adding two individual drops on top of it won't qualify for the extra Brother's War collector packs included with orders of $200 or more, not that I need those anyway as I already have all the singles I wanted from that set).
I used to be a demigod, but now I'm an omnimage
Except for the fact that you are asking among lots of expensive reprints a 200+ dollar card that is on the reserved list?
Nah seems okish
I used to be a demigod, but now I'm an omnimage
Ah
Also dang, 4 sided die gotta bring a whole dnd set to magic now
lol. I hope you are sarcastic with the last phrase
Ever since Netherese Puzzle-Ward and co. The main AFR set restricted itself to d6 and d20, but the Commander decks covered d4, d8, d10 and d12 as well.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
And if you run cards like Tyrant of Discord not even those dices are often enough
I remember the "good old days" when you could score a Commander deck for 25 to 30 bucks and it was reasonably chocked with value.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
For $100, like the coin flip deck, this would be alright, but for $150 this is just plain disappointing.
if it was $100 instead of $150 it would have been worth it
plus Like war machine said precon deck prices were so much more accessible back in the day.
Ah yes... The good old days.
I also used to preorder all five yearly commander decks for $125-200 CAD, and booster boxes for Standard sets at $90 tax included back when the dollar was on par with USD and hadn't been devalued the way it has over the past few years. There are too many issues which increase costs, especially for those outside the US. A new tariff on collectible gaming cards, increased fuel/transportation costs, artists and everyone else along the manufacturing and distribution chain expecting to be paid more for their work (to keep pace with inflation, which also contributes to it), retailers bumping up prices to pay their staff and utilities which have all risen, and so on. This is the world we live in now, the "new normal" (which I supposed we have to get used to) where every corporation tries to squeeze every last drop of lifeblood from consumers to satisfy shareholders. In the end, all they do is alienate a portion of the consumer base, discouraging people with less disposable income from buying as much sealed product (if any), and and diverts consumer dollars towards other more affordable hobbies and the underground Magic economy which we all know as the secondary market. If booster packs were $3 as they used to be, I might be willing to gamble, but I'm not buying 10-$25 lottery tickets. When it comes to commander decks, one has to ask themselves if the "limited while supplies last" factor will allow the products to hold or appreciate in value and justify the purchase in the long run. Some would say the smart move is buying two of everything, keeping one sealed, then flipping it after a year or two, or three to pay for the one they want to keep and play with.
Lest we forget that Secret Lair is a "Premium" product, and some commander decks can still be bought for $25-35, but those are the powered-down ones which come out alongside Standard sets that don't even offer a decent starting point for Commander players who actually want something competitive. However, when played against each other as is, they can still provide (some players) with a fun experience. Ultimately, the problem may be the CEDH mentality that many of us have adopted over the years with the constant arms-race of power-creep. Nobody ever said we can't have fun playing Commander on a budget (with other budget-oriented players). As such, perhaps players should push back by refusing to pay-to-play with chase cards and mythics, to show WoTC that no, we don't need to spend fortunes to keep pace with others in our playgroups in order to have fun without spending a fortune. It's all about resisting the addiction to continuously augment and improve decks. Admittedly, I have difficulty doing this myself and love collecting so I'm easily tempted, but this is a challenge we each need to face and understand whenever new products get released.
Perhaps we as a community should create a "Pauper Commander" format where only commons and uncommon legendary creatures can be used and see if it catches on?
I used to be a demigod, but now I'm an omnimage
I would be fine with Pauper Commander. Only common or uncommon Legendary Commanders and the 99 would have to be ALL commons. Someone assuredly plays it somewhere. Problem is like Pauper it doesn't make WotC/Hasbro any real money at all. I play my own budget format. Artisan decks (only commons and uncommons) are pretty darned fun. A lot of players want to spend the money, netdeck and pretend they are good deck builders and players by loading as many powerful rares and mythics into their decks as possible. Talk about boring.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
The only caveat of course is that there are only a few options for 3-color decks (from Streets of New Capenna), so it's mostly mono or dual colored decks.
I used to be a demigod, but now I'm an omnimage
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Spoiler EditorOverall a solid start to an angels list, though I'd cut the lifegain stuff for more self-mill if Bruna's the commander