Alright, it's unfair to judge a set's power level after only a third is spoiled (currently 83/249), but we can definitely talk about our current excitement levels for the set. Compared to other sets at the preview stage, how excited are you about Theros?
Fairly stoked.
It's doing a lot of interesting things, the art direction is impecable, and Greek mythology was my jam when I was little, so this is all weirdly nostalgic for me.
I am very excited for this set. It seems very flavorful and has some intresting cards so far. There doesnt seem to be any simple bombs where you just look at it and know how to use it. This set seems to require a little more thought and ability to put a few cards together to make the most out of them. If thats how this set is, then as a deck builder i will love it.
So far so good. The flavor and art (outside of a few stinkers) is A+++, and I really like the style of play that it looks like this set will push. I like that many of the strongest cards demand heavier color commitments via devotion, making players work more for power as opposed to stuff like Thragtusk that sits at the top of the power curve AND is easily splashed in anything. I think cards like that, potentially very powerful but only when you do some work for them, make for a more interesting environment.
I'm slightly more excited for this set than others if only for the fact that it's top-down. This flavor is stealing my heart!
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1. Good Decks Play With Good Cards
2. Good Decks Have Good Plans
3. Good Decks Have Good Mana Bases
4. Good Decks Respect Their Opponents
5. Good Decks Have 75 Cards
6. Sometimes Even Good Decks Are Bad Choices
7. Sometimes Your 'Good Deck' Isn't
Every set, save M14, at this point had me stoked about its release. The flavor is awesome, and right before previews started rolling out at PAX I was incredibly excited for this set.
Now, I'm just seeing another DGM/M14 where the flavor is high, but the card mechanics are not interesting, original, and very over costed. So far I haven't seen a single card I need to get my hands on, and none that I can justify spending more than a dollar or two to buy.
So, my excitement level has tanked considerably, looking forward to some more previews to turn this around, but we've seen a chunk of the rares and mythics by now so my hopes are low.
First time I've ever seriously considered redacting my pre-ordered box.
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"I've always been a fan of reality by popular vote" - Stephen Colbert (in response to Don McLeroy)
People didn't understand the pool question.
His not asking if you're excited or not about Theros. His asking if you're excited, compared to other sets.
I'm more exicited for Theros then I was for Dragon's Maze, M14 and Innistrand expansions. It's nowhere near RTR and Innistrand through.
Definitely more excited. I've always been a big Greek Mythology fan, and this set has all my favorite creature types (gorgons, harpies, merfolk, sirens, now nymphs... hopefully a hag). All we need now is Kiora Atua and bam! Instantly my favorite set (well, after Lorwyn/Shadowmoor).
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"Everything falls apart. But living things fall apart in the most fascinating ways."
—Mowagh the Gwyllion, Fang Skulkin
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
I'm pretty pumped, esp if Thassa is exactly as spoiled. I'm an Enchantress player and an Enduring Ideal player, so enchantments obviously hold a special place for me.
However what's really got me is the top down design. It adds an element of "what will they do next" that just doesn't come otherwise. Instead of worrying about playable cards, I get entertainment value from creativity. That's very refreshing. I don't like monsterous or heroic as mechanics in constructed... but darn if I'm not excited to try them at my prerelease.
Second Magic set in a row I will not be buying a single pack of. Bad cards, boring mechanics, lazy design, and tries to pass off pastiche and cliche as "flavor". So far simply beyond terrible. No thanks. They would have to do a complete 180 with the rest of the spoiled cards and I don't see that happening. "Top down design" is the absolute ruination of Magic, it is the end all, be all excuse for pumping out garbage cards.
One positive, this is the cheapest MTG has been in years. Spent $0 on M14, looks like I'll be spending about that much on Theros.
Somewhat more excited compared to my level of excitement for previous expansion sets.
I am taken by the Greek mythology-inspired setting and the focus on enchantments. Now that I have learnt that there are enchantment artifacts and enchantment creatures, I have only built up my levels of excitement for inevitable disappointment.
Flavor wise: Home run. Love the way the Gods are portrayed and everything else so far, so that's a big plus.
Power-level wise: Decent. People who claim "beyond terrible" probably claimed the same of, say, Innistrad. I mean there's no obvious Jace or Bloodbraid Elf kind of card so far, but there's a good set of cards that will see play spread out over various formats.
EDH-wise: Stoked. A lot of cute tricks and stuff that'll be well worth trying out, as well as one new general I for sure will build.
Mechanics-wise: Meh. Heroic doesn't really do anything for me, Monstrous is cute but so far seems overcosted, but Bestow is hard to value correctly. It has a potentional to get out of hand.
All-in-all, I wouldn't say I'm really hyped up for it, but I like where this is going.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
I am somewhat excited. This set is geared towards people who like Greek mythology, heavy enchantment themes, or for those who enjoy multiplayer games (lots of monsters mean a big addition to multiplayer goodness :D). I'm actually curious as to where Wizards will be going with this world in the future sets. Bestow surprised me, so who knows what they will do with enchantments in the next two sets that complete this block.
Second Magic set in a row I will not be buying a single pack of. Bad cards, boring mechanics, lazy design, and tries to pass off pastiche and cliche as "flavor". So far simply beyond terrible. No thanks. They would have to do a complete 180 with the rest of the spoiled cards and I don't see that happening. "Top down design" is the absolute ruination of Magic, it is the end all, be all excuse for pumping out garbage cards.
One positive, this is the cheapest MTG has been in years. Spent $0 on M14, looks like I'll be spending about that much on Theros.
I think I won't buy anything from Theros either. After all, Valarin says it sucks, and Valarin was the only guy that properly evaluated Liliana of the Veil as being unplayable even in limited!
[sarcasm/]
Valarin, you are in your right not to like things, but seriously leave that condescending "Wizards sucks, I rock" tone you put on every single post, because frankly your card evaluations suck.
I put "somewhat more than most sets." I've never been stoked about a set as much as I was for Betrayers of Kamigawa. However, it's hard to compete with 12-year-old enthusiasm.
I am very excited for Theros so far. I'm strictly a limited junkie who plays some super budget constructed on the side and so far the limited format looks like a blast. The flavor has been done very well thus far and unlike some, I think Hundred-Handed One is just awesome because it gets a lot of lulz out of me.
So far, I am most excited about running a Boros Deck Wins with the red god + Legion's Initiative as the preferred finisher.
The art and flavor of this set appeals to me far more than any in recent memory. I might even start drafting semi-regularly, and I'm broke as one of Mons's goons.
When Theros was announced I was more excited than I am now. Feels a lot like Kamigawa. Even the Gods thing feels like a cheaper rehash of the Myojin...
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Modern GB Rock U Flooding Merfolk RUG Delver Midrange WU Monks UW Tempo Geist GW Bogle GW Liege UR Tron B Vampires
Affinity Legacy
Fish
Goblins
Burn
Reanimator
Dredge
Affinity EDH W Akroma GBW Ghave BRU Thrax GR Ruric I advocate for the elimination of the combo archetype in Modern. I believe it is degenerate and unfun by its very nature and will always limit design space and cause unnecessary bans.
I think I won't buy anything from Theros either. After all, Valarin says it sucks, and Valarin was the only guy that properly evaluated Liliana of the Veil as being unplayable even in limited!
[sarcasm/]
Valarin, you are in your right not to like things, but seriously leave that condescending "Wizards sucks, I rock" tone you put on every single post, because frankly your card evaluations suck.
My card evaluation skills are fine and I am right FAR more than I was wrong, and Liliana isn't tearing up Standard all that much, and she see's play in what, 2 Legacy decks? Very overrated. And she's not that great in Limited. 3 mana edicts do not win games.
And harping on Liliana just proves my point, by attacking the person and not discussing the argument, you are ultimately agreeing with everything I have to say. If your card evaluation discussion skills boils down to "you didn't like Liliana, therefore nyah nyah", feel free to put me on ignore, cause I don't want to hear it. If you want to have an actual discussion on the new cards and why they mostly suck, I'm glad to have it.
As for the set, someone should do a sociology paper on the irrational puppy love fascination new and younger players have with every set that comes out. There's a good thesis in there somewhere.
I've got a degree in Classics, so this set automatically has my interest. From what I've seen so far, it's oozing with so much Greek flavor that booster packs should come with a side of tzatziki (mmm...tzatziki...).
Mechanically, I really like what they've done with devotion, a great way to reward going deep on a color. Scry is a great choice for a returning mechanic, which should especially help juice up control decks. The gods look interesting, and I'm intrigued to see what people are going to do with them in Constructed. Heroic looks good, if there's a sufficient number of worthwhile spells to target your creatures with.
Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen so far and am eager to see what's going to happen with the rest of the set and the block.
My card evaluation skills are fine and I am right FAR more than I was wrong, and Liliana isn't tearing up Standard all that much, and she see's play in what, 2 Legacy decks? Very overrated. And she's not that great in Limited. 3 mana edicts do not win games.
And harping on Liliana just proves my point, by attacking the person and not discussing the argument, you are ultimately agreeing with everything I have to say. If your card evaluation discussion skills boils down to "you didn't like Liliana, therefore nyah nyah", feel free to put me on ignore, cause I don't want to hear it. If you want to have an actual discussion on the new cards and why they mostly suck, I'm glad to have it.
As for the set, someone should do a sociology paper on the irrational puppy love fascination new and younger players have with every set that comes out. There's a good thesis in there somewhere.
I'd say that when a card sees play in even one Legacy deck, it is pretty good.
I do have a problem with the set so far. The flavor seems good, but the power-level seems low. I want more playable cards for Modern, which this set doesn't have so far (reprints don't count). I know that it is unfair to judge the set so soon, but Monstrosity and Bestow are overcosted, Heroic is interesting but should have been made so it interacted with storm, Devotion doesn't work with Modern's 3-4 color manabases, and their haven't been any good scry cards so far (still hoping for a Preordain reprint and unban. Or at the very least an Opt reprint).
It's doing a lot of interesting things, the art direction is impecable, and Greek mythology was my jam when I was little, so this is all weirdly nostalgic for me.
Level 1 Judge
I write flavor articles for RoxieCards.
I play and judge at Giga Bites Cafein Marietta, Georgia.
2. Good Decks Have Good Plans
3. Good Decks Have Good Mana Bases
4. Good Decks Respect Their Opponents
5. Good Decks Have 75 Cards
6. Sometimes Even Good Decks Are Bad Choices
7. Sometimes Your 'Good Deck' Isn't
~Metamorph
Now, I'm just seeing another DGM/M14 where the flavor is high, but the card mechanics are not interesting, original, and very over costed. So far I haven't seen a single card I need to get my hands on, and none that I can justify spending more than a dollar or two to buy.
So, my excitement level has tanked considerably, looking forward to some more previews to turn this around, but we've seen a chunk of the rares and mythics by now so my hopes are low.
First time I've ever seriously considered redacting my pre-ordered box.
"I've always been a fan of reality by popular vote" - Stephen Colbert (in response to Don McLeroy)
GPolukranos, Kill ALL the Things!G
His not asking if you're excited or not about Theros. His asking if you're excited, compared to other sets.
I'm more exicited for Theros then I was for Dragon's Maze, M14 and Innistrand expansions. It's nowhere near RTR and Innistrand through.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
—Mowagh the Gwyllion, Fang Skulkin
And Gorgons. Hell yeah I'm excited.
"OH GOD MY BRAIN IS EXPLOADING AT HOW BAD THE ART IS ON MY OWN CARD"
-A friend's first impression of Ancestral Recall
10/10, I tapped.
However what's really got me is the top down design. It adds an element of "what will they do next" that just doesn't come otherwise. Instead of worrying about playable cards, I get entertainment value from creativity. That's very refreshing. I don't like monsterous or heroic as mechanics in constructed... but darn if I'm not excited to try them at my prerelease.
One positive, this is the cheapest MTG has been in years. Spent $0 on M14, looks like I'll be spending about that much on Theros.
I am taken by the Greek mythology-inspired setting and the focus on enchantments. Now that I have learnt that there are enchantment artifacts and enchantment creatures, I have only built up my levels of excitement for inevitable disappointment.
Power-level wise: Decent. People who claim "beyond terrible" probably claimed the same of, say, Innistrad. I mean there's no obvious Jace or Bloodbraid Elf kind of card so far, but there's a good set of cards that will see play spread out over various formats.
EDH-wise: Stoked. A lot of cute tricks and stuff that'll be well worth trying out, as well as one new general I for sure will build.
Mechanics-wise: Meh. Heroic doesn't really do anything for me, Monstrous is cute but so far seems overcosted, but Bestow is hard to value correctly. It has a potentional to get out of hand.
All-in-all, I wouldn't say I'm really hyped up for it, but I like where this is going.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
My playgroup has disintegrated recently so I haven't been playing much
The spoilers have got me pump however
Commander: *Five Color Fun-Stuff *Grixis Artifacts *Beast Tribal
Brawl: To Be Decided At Eldraine Release!
I think I won't buy anything from Theros either. After all, Valarin says it sucks, and Valarin was the only guy that properly evaluated Liliana of the Veil as being unplayable even in limited!
[sarcasm/]
Valarin, you are in your right not to like things, but seriously leave that condescending "Wizards sucks, I rock" tone you put on every single post, because frankly your card evaluations suck.
I am very excited for Theros so far. I'm strictly a limited junkie who plays some super budget constructed on the side and so far the limited format looks like a blast. The flavor has been done very well thus far and unlike some, I think Hundred-Handed One is just awesome because it gets a lot of lulz out of me.
So far, I am most excited about running a Boros Deck Wins with the red god + Legion's Initiative as the preferred finisher.
GB Rock
U Flooding Merfolk
RUG Delver Midrange
WU Monks
UW Tempo Geist
GW Bogle
GW Liege
UR Tron
B Vampires
Affinity
Legacy
Fish
Goblins
Burn
Reanimator
Dredge
Affinity
EDH
W Akroma
GBW Ghave
BRU Thrax
GR Ruric
I advocate for the elimination of the combo archetype in Modern. I believe it is degenerate and unfun by its very nature and will always limit design space and cause unnecessary bans.
My card evaluation skills are fine and I am right FAR more than I was wrong, and Liliana isn't tearing up Standard all that much, and she see's play in what, 2 Legacy decks? Very overrated. And she's not that great in Limited. 3 mana edicts do not win games.
And harping on Liliana just proves my point, by attacking the person and not discussing the argument, you are ultimately agreeing with everything I have to say. If your card evaluation discussion skills boils down to "you didn't like Liliana, therefore nyah nyah", feel free to put me on ignore, cause I don't want to hear it. If you want to have an actual discussion on the new cards and why they mostly suck, I'm glad to have it.
As for the set, someone should do a sociology paper on the irrational puppy love fascination new and younger players have with every set that comes out. There's a good thesis in there somewhere.
Mechanically, I really like what they've done with devotion, a great way to reward going deep on a color. Scry is a great choice for a returning mechanic, which should especially help juice up control decks. The gods look interesting, and I'm intrigued to see what people are going to do with them in Constructed. Heroic looks good, if there's a sufficient number of worthwhile spells to target your creatures with.
Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen so far and am eager to see what's going to happen with the rest of the set and the block.
Casual EDH Player
I'd say that when a card sees play in even one Legacy deck, it is pretty good.
I do have a problem with the set so far. The flavor seems good, but the power-level seems low. I want more playable cards for Modern, which this set doesn't have so far (reprints don't count). I know that it is unfair to judge the set so soon, but Monstrosity and Bestow are overcosted, Heroic is interesting but should have been made so it interacted with storm, Devotion doesn't work with Modern's 3-4 color manabases, and their haven't been any good scry cards so far (still hoping for a Preordain reprint and unban. Or at the very least an Opt reprint).
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.