Category Three is what I'll call "Best-of-One Issues," and it applies mainly to Magic: The Gathering Arena. The vast majority of MTG Arena games are single games, which means there's no sideboarding. A lot of the way Magic has treated metagame answers in the past is making cards that can be sided in if a problem occurs. Single-game matches are making us question how we address answer cards. This is definitely making us rethink a number of ways in how we design.
Goblin Cratermaker is one example of this, as a card which you can reasonably play maindeck but gives a sideboard-like answer to specific strategies.
Another perfect mechanic for this is Cycling. Cycling actually hasn't gotten it's full time to shine in the past, since instead of playing a narrow answer card with cycling in your maindeck, it's usually better to just keep dedicated and more efficient cards in the SB. Cycling is better in best-of-one formats, like casual games or Commander.
So far, the amount of time between Cycling appearances in Standard expansions has been:
Urza's Block: 1998
Onslaught Block: 2002
Time Spiral block (though in a minor role): 2006
Alara block: 2008
Amonkhet block: 2017
The last gap was for 9 years, but since it works so good for their design goals in MTGA, I think we might see a return to Cycling much quicker...maybe in just 1-3 years from now.
etc
As with those cards you can have main board answears to very specific strategies that can either be a answear to a total diferent strategy but being really meh at it.
(For those who don't know the Life from the Loam one, you use cycling lands to dredge it, then return those cycling lands to your hand with Life from the Loam. It's the closest dredge comes to being fair, TBH.)
On future news, though, don't worry. Cycling always comes back. It's literally the example of a 1 on the Storm Scale.
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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 honestly thought that your post said "due to MAGA" as if cycling was the MAGA hats of wizards. Cycle is pretty evergreen. They can add a keyword before it (like Basicland- etc.) so it's entirely possibly for it come back. Also it was pointed out that the Amonkhet lands could have their cycle (pun not intended) completed.
Hey, I'm the one who always depicted Bannon as a sorcerer.
The technical word is "deciduous". But deciduous has a scale, the storm scale, from 1 (pretty much every few years, e.g. cycling, flashback) to 10 (nuclear winter, e.g. banding, phasing, storm).
Private Mod Note
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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!
etc
As with those cards you can have main board answears to very specific strategies that can either be a answear to a total diferent strategy but being really meh at it.
I agree, I think it means that more modal spells will be included in future sets. It also might mean we’ll see the return of the Entwine mechanic from the original Mirrodin block (which are basically modal spells with a kicker-like cost that activates both modes).
I agree, I think it means that more modal spells will be included in future sets. It also might mean we’ll see the return of the Entwine mechanic from the original Mirrodin block (which are basically modal spells with a kicker-like cost that activates both modes).
What I can't understand is why Crushing Canopy is modal, but Crushing Vines isn't? (There is a rules reason this is important, copy effects immediately pick the same modes previously picked on a modal spell.)
Private Mod Note
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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 agree, I think it means that more modal spells will be included in future sets. It also might mean we’ll see the return of the Entwine mechanic from the original Mirrodin block (which are basically modal spells with a kicker-like cost that activates both modes).
What I can't understand is why Crushing Canopy is modal, but Crushing Vines isn't? (There is a rules reason this is important, copy effects immediately pick the same modes previously picked on a modal spell.)
...they both are?
As for why some effects generally say things like "Destroy target A or B" and some say "Choose one - destroy target A; or destroy target B", that's just a semi-arbitrary templating choice although it does have rules implications for copying and target changing.
The technical word is "deciduous". But deciduous has a scale, the storm scale, from 1 (pretty much every few years, e.g. cycling, flashback) to 10 (nuclear winter, e.g. banding, phasing, storm).
Nah, "deciduous" means it is expected to be used repeatedly; a matter of "how soon will it return" rather than "will it return at all". As such by definition "deciduous" does not go all the way up to 10 on the storm scale.
I think at some point it was described as "Evergreen is 0 on the storm scale and deciduous is 1". With 2 you start having mechanics that will certainly return, but not frequently enough to be actually graced with the term "deciduous", then come mechanics likely to return, but have issues etc.
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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]
Goblin Cratermaker is one example of this, as a card which you can reasonably play maindeck but gives a sideboard-like answer to specific strategies.
Another perfect mechanic for this is Cycling. Cycling actually hasn't gotten it's full time to shine in the past, since instead of playing a narrow answer card with cycling in your maindeck, it's usually better to just keep dedicated and more efficient cards in the SB. Cycling is better in best-of-one formats, like casual games or Commander.
So far, the amount of time between Cycling appearances in Standard expansions has been:
Urza's Block: 1998
Onslaught Block: 2002
Time Spiral block (though in a minor role): 2006
Alara block: 2008
Amonkhet block: 2017
The last gap was for 9 years, but since it works so good for their design goals in MTGA, I think we might see a return to Cycling much quicker...maybe in just 1-3 years from now.
Corrupt Control B | Burn R | UG Turbofog UG | White Weenie W | GW Tethmos WG | BG Cycling Combo BG
Enchantress GBW | Colorless Tron C | Red Deck Wins R | UG Madness UG | Mono-G Tron G | UR Puzzlehorns UR
Rhystic Tron WU| WU Prowess WU | BR Reanimator BR | Mono-R Control R | Stompy G | Temur Tron URG
Mardu Infinite Priest WBR | 85-Card Dredge BRG | Elves GU | Boros Bully RW | Jeskai Familiars RWU
etc
As with those cards you can have main board answears to very specific strategies that can either be a answear to a total diferent strategy but being really meh at it.
Now you went and made Astral Slide and Life from the Loam cry. I hope you're happy for yourself.
(For those who don't know the Life from the Loam one, you use cycling lands to dredge it, then return those cycling lands to your hand with Life from the Loam. It's the closest dredge comes to being fair, TBH.)
On future news, though, don't worry. Cycling always comes back. It's literally the example of a 1 on the Storm Scale.
On phasing:
(W/U)(B/R)GForm of Progenitus, Shape of a Scrubland
BRGJund Tokens with Prossh, the Magic Dragon Foil
URGAnimar, the RUG CleanerFoil
RRRFeldon of the Third Path 2.0 Foil
BG(B/G)Not Another Meren DeckFoil
UR(U/R)Mizzix, Y Control and X Burn Spells
(W/U)(B/R)GHarold Ramos - The 35 Foot Long Twinkie (In +1/+1 counters)
UB(U/B)Dragonlord Silumgar
The technical word is "deciduous". But deciduous has a scale, the storm scale, from 1 (pretty much every few years, e.g. cycling, flashback) to 10 (nuclear winter, e.g. banding, phasing, storm).
On phasing:
I agree, I think it means that more modal spells will be included in future sets. It also might mean we’ll see the return of the Entwine mechanic from the original Mirrodin block (which are basically modal spells with a kicker-like cost that activates both modes).
Fuse was similar to entwine.
What I can't understand is why Crushing Canopy is modal, but Crushing Vines isn't? (There is a rules reason this is important, copy effects immediately pick the same modes previously picked on a modal spell.)
On phasing:
As for why some effects generally say things like "Destroy target A or B" and some say "Choose one - destroy target A; or destroy target B", that's just a semi-arbitrary templating choice although it does have rules implications for copying and target changing.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Nah, "deciduous" means it is expected to be used repeatedly; a matter of "how soon will it return" rather than "will it return at all". As such by definition "deciduous" does not go all the way up to 10 on the storm scale.
I think at some point it was described as "Evergreen is 0 on the storm scale and deciduous is 1". With 2 you start having mechanics that will certainly return, but not frequently enough to be actually graced with the term "deciduous", then come mechanics likely to return, but have issues etc.
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."
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