Basically, what I want to do (if such a thing doesn't ALREADY exist) - is do a variation of Frontier that is more akin to Vintage.
Keep it to cards printed from M15 onward, BUT include EVERYTHING printed from M15 on. This would include the current (and any future) Eternal Masters set(s), the Commander products made after M15 came out, the Planechase Anthology decks, Conspiracy: Take the Crown, any Duel Decks printed in the M15 frame, FTV sets that came out post-M15, AS WELL AS any present and future masterpieces, and promos printed in the M15 frame. Just like how Magic 93/94 restricts cards to their original printings (if I recall correctly), this format would restrict cards to those printed in the M15 frame.
There would be no ban list, instead there would be a restricted list, like with actual Vintage. This way everything would be usable in a deck, but power can be somewhat kept in check by restricting anything that would otherwise be format warping to a 1-of, a singleton allowance. Of course, I hope it goes without saying that how cards affect the format, would be what decides whether they are added or removed from this list.
Would anyone want to play a format like this **again, if it doesn't already exist**? More importantly, if there is interest, I need help with figuring out a fair restricted list.
Warning: ramble ahead
Basically, I saw the influx of older cards being printed again, in the M15 frame, and thought "Given these sets are being printed in (relatively) bigger quantities than when some of these older cards were originally printed, maybe there would be a demographic that would want a Vintage-style Frontier, since there are people who love these older cards, love playing them ALONGSIDE/WITH modern-era cards, and accessibility would be a lot easier than with actual Vintage (on top of some being attracted to the power down of not having things like the moxen, and other P9, while still having some relatively powerful stuff being included as well, not completely neutered out, and other classics).
somehow I think my intent, mindset going into this is not clear. Ah well.
this sounds reasonably cool but I think it would devolve into a format of hugely inconsistent decks based on massively powerful Commander and Eternal Masters cards, filled out by standard-quality support cards. I feel like games would come down to who drew their crazy bomb cards and who didn't a lot of the time.
Hmm, that's a legitimate worry I guess - do remember though, Modern Masters 2015 would be legal in this set, as would any future Modern Masters sets that come out, so the format could / probably would (over time, at least) be influenced somewhat due to the intermingling of Modern-legal staples and cards with the rest of the card pool.
You are basically asking for Vintage minus the Reserved List.
The idea is that anything printed with the frontier border would be legal, so anything that's not on the Reserved List has the possibility of entering the format.
The difference between 'Eternal (No Reserved) Vintage' and 'Frontier Vintage' is essentially that you begin with a much smaller card pool that steadily grows over time.
From those we are left with, I think it's safe to say we can actually cut a bunch more since the reason some of the cards are restricted is because of the broken environment caused by the power 9 and certain other broken Reserved List cards. Brainstorm (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall) Ponder (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall) Merchant Scroll (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall) Lotus Petal (Legal in Legacy, where Mox Diamond is legal. Mox Diamond is a Reserved List card and we also have no Moxen now.) Lodetone Golem (No Mishra's Workshop) Trinisphere (No Mishra's Workshop)
This leaves us with 19 cards, down from 43, which is actually pretty sweet when you think about it.
This is the expected ban list, once everything is printed with the Frontier frame:
13! That's a pretty good start for a format. How lucky
It makes me wonder about the archetypes that would see play.
Necropotence Storm Vs Lands (Exploiting Strip Mine to hell) Vs Channel+Banefire Vs Mono Blue Control Vs some kind of artifact ramp? (The remaining broken mana rocks are all artifacts, and all provide only colorless.)
Would that be a healthy format? Would it become stagnant?
If it would stagnate, that also makes me wonder
What if you went ahead and banned the cards, making for Frontier Legacy/Eternal?
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.
Keep it to cards printed from M15 onward, BUT include EVERYTHING printed from M15 on. This would include the current (and any future) Eternal Masters set(s), the Commander products made after M15 came out, the Planechase Anthology decks, Conspiracy: Take the Crown, any Duel Decks printed in the M15 frame, FTV sets that came out post-M15, AS WELL AS any present and future masterpieces, and promos printed in the M15 frame. Just like how Magic 93/94 restricts cards to their original printings (if I recall correctly), this format would restrict cards to those printed in the M15 frame.
There would be no ban list, instead there would be a restricted list, like with actual Vintage. This way everything would be usable in a deck, but power can be somewhat kept in check by restricting anything that would otherwise be format warping to a 1-of, a singleton allowance. Of course, I hope it goes without saying that how cards affect the format, would be what decides whether they are added or removed from this list.
Would anyone want to play a format like this **again, if it doesn't already exist**? More importantly, if there is interest, I need help with figuring out a fair restricted list.
Warning: ramble ahead
Basically, I saw the influx of older cards being printed again, in the M15 frame, and thought "Given these sets are being printed in (relatively) bigger quantities than when some of these older cards were originally printed, maybe there would be a demographic that would want a Vintage-style Frontier, since there are people who love these older cards, love playing them ALONGSIDE/WITH modern-era cards, and accessibility would be a lot easier than with actual Vintage (on top of some being attracted to the power down of not having things like the moxen, and other P9, while still having some relatively powerful stuff being included as well, not completely neutered out, and other classics).
somehow I think my intent, mindset going into this is not clear. Ah well.
The idea is that anything printed with the frontier border would be legal, so anything that's not on the Reserved List has the possibility of entering the format.
The difference between 'Eternal (No Reserved) Vintage' and 'Frontier Vintage' is essentially that you begin with a much smaller card pool that steadily grows over time.
Right off the bat, there are 18 Vintage restricted cards that are on the Reserved List.
Power 9
Yawgmoth's Bargain, Wheel of Fortune, Yawgmoth's Will, Tolarian Academy, Time Vault, Memory Jar, Lion's Eye Diamond, Library of Alexandria, Fastbond
We're left with 25 cards.
Balance, Brainstorm, Chalice of the Void, Channel, Demonic Consultation, Demonic Tutor, Dig Through Time, Flash, Imperial Seal, Lodestone Golem, Lotus Petal, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault,
Merchant Scroll, Mind's Desire, Mystical Tutor, Necropotence, Ponder, Sol Ring, Strip Mine, Tinker, Treasure Cruise, Trinisphere, Vampiric Tutor, Windfall
From those we are left with, I think it's safe to say we can actually cut a bunch more since the reason some of the cards are restricted is because of the broken environment caused by the power 9 and certain other broken Reserved List cards.
Brainstorm (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall)
Ponder (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall)
Merchant Scroll (Legal in Legacy, No more Ancestral Recall)
Lotus Petal (Legal in Legacy, where Mox Diamond is legal. Mox Diamond is a Reserved List card and we also have no Moxen now.)
Lodetone Golem (No Mishra's Workshop)
Trinisphere (No Mishra's Workshop)
This leaves us with 19 cards, down from 43, which is actually pretty sweet when you think about it.
This is the expected ban list, once everything is printed with the Frontier frame:
Broken Mana Rocks
Mana Vault
Mana Crypt
Sol Ring
Broken Engine Cards
Channel
Necropotence
Broken Disruption
Balance
Strip Mine
Chalice of the Void
Broken Cheat-into-Play Cards
Flash
Tinker
Mind's Desire
Broken Tutors
Demonic Consultation
Imperial Seal
Vampiric Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Demonic Tutor
Broken Draw
Treasure Cruise
Dig Through Time
Windfall
And now, of these, only 13 are currently printed with the Frontier frame.
Mana Vault
Mana Crypt
Sol Ring
Necropotence
Balance
Strip Mine
Mind's Desire
Imperial Seal (Recent Judge Foil)
Vampiric Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Treasure Cruise
Dig Through Time
Windfall
13! That's a pretty good start for a format. How lucky
It makes me wonder about the archetypes that would see play.
Necropotence Storm Vs Lands (Exploiting Strip Mine to hell) Vs Channel+Banefire Vs Mono Blue Control Vs some kind of artifact ramp? (The remaining broken mana rocks are all artifacts, and all provide only colorless.)
Would that be a healthy format? Would it become stagnant?
If it would stagnate, that also makes me wonder
What if you went ahead and banned the cards, making for Frontier Legacy/Eternal?
"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.