Boy these reactions sound a lot like when they updated to the modern card frame 15 years ago. You'll get used to it guys, I promise.
I still hate the modern frame. It still looks wrong. And even if I "get used to it", it's still worse to me and negatively impacts the way I experience the game (albeit in a minor way relative to the borders).
The creature is still blocked and will deal no damage to the player. However, this is not the case if the creature also has trample (the player will take all of the second strike and all but 1 of the first)
I'm on Dimir Tezzeret and NayAjani. Tezz because color balance and Ajani because checkboxes (I don't care what wizards claims, they exist and they are a factor in design).
W for a noncreature version of the new thalia? Doesn't hit lands, but it also can't be removed by bolt or path. Methinks this will see some play.
This effect is much better in an aggro deck looking to push damage past potential blockers. Not having a 3 power body puts it far, far behind Thalia in power level. That's not evening mentioning the biggest issue, namely the land hate is the most appealing part of Thalia in modern
The second effect isn't going to help you against aggro unless you see the card in your opening hand. Would have possibly seen some play as an anti-twin card, as it stands I don't think it will see the light of day in Modern.
I think it's for the best that red burn becomes more specialized to hit either creatures or players, it makes each burn spell easier to use. With a spell like Lightning Strike, you have to ask, "Do I hit my opponent now or save this to take out one of their creatures?" When I was running Strike in my RTR-Theros RWU deck, I almost always saved it for removal. It might as well have said "Deals 3 damage to target creature." With creatures getting better, red needs less burn to defeat the opponent. That said, they'll always have room for that expensive burn spell that can hit a player for 4-5 damage, generally meant to be your Limited finisher.
I feel as though the art on this card doesn't do a good job of indicating its status as a burn spell, though. It could just as easily have been a new Trash for Treasure-style artifact retrieval.
Giving spells fewer options and reducing more and more to sorcery speed is terrible. It takes away lines of play that reward tight play and make games more interesting. The fewer decisions players can make, the more games are determined before a single spell is played. It's a trend I hope Wizards reverses course on soon.
That being said this card would probably be busted in the new standard if it could go upstairs.
I guess Metallurgic summonings is worth testing, but I don't think it's good (paying 5 to do nothing). Don't think Harnessed Lightning is better than Incendiary Flow either.
But Metallurgic Summonings is far from a "Do nothing card." Sure, the turn you play it you may not have enough mana to cast anything else that turn. But the turn after that, it pays back in dividends the longer the game goes, in your favor. You steadily build up an army of increasingly bigger artifact creatures for beatdowns AND (with enough mana) are able to sack Summonings (if you have six artifacts on the battlefield) to buyback all your burn spells in the graveyard to empty your hand once again and close out the game with them plus Thermo-Alchemist. Now imagine this scenario:
Turn 4: Land, Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Turn 5: Land, +1 Chandra for RR, cast Metallurgic Summonings. This leaves you one or two mana to cast any number of the one and two drop instant and/or sorcery burn spells in the deck to either burn a creature/planeswalker/player/opponent AND create an X/X artifact construct the turn Summonings was played. Powerful stuff indeed!
It was a hard decision to make when it Harnessed Lightning vs Incendiary Flow, and I'm honestly not sure which of the two is the better choice. Lighting works at instant speed, but can't hit players/planeswalkers. Flow is sorcery speed, but can hit players/planeswalkers and creatures. I may just go with an even split between the two.
This is still a burn deck, not going to the dome is just a deal breaker in my opinion.
I guess Metallurgic summonings is worth testing, but I don't think it's good (paying 5 to do nothing). Don't think Harnessed Lightning is better than Incendiary Flow either.
we need aggressive reprints not conservative ones that don't do anything like printing Tarmogoyf at mythic rare in a limited print product.
Tarmogoyf has lost about 1/3 of its value over the past 3 years from these reprints... I wouldn't call that "not doing anything."
Instead of "crashing the prices" like some are foolishly suggesting, it would be better if Wizards would stay on top of the cards and reprint them when the opportunity presents itself. I could have sworn one of Wizards' reasonings for ditching core sets and going down to 2 sets per block was so they could revisit previous sets/blocks that needed "plane specific reprints." Well, what the heck was the point of returning to Zendikar if they aren't going to reprint Fetches, Goblin Guide, Inquisition, etc.
If we look at Goblin Guide's price history for example:
they had the chance of keeping it under $8 with MMA,
then the chance of keeping it under $15 with M15,
...$25 with MM2,
...$30 with Origins,
...$35 with BFZ/OGW...
But instead, now it sits over $40 with the hopes of it being in Eternal Masters as the only price resistance keeping it under $50.
Wizards could have easily kept the card under any of these price points, heck, the player base outright assumed it (look at the dips in price each aforementioned sets). But now we sit qued to jump over $50. There is no need to "crash the prices" and piss people off... They just need to get their collective heads out of the sand and reprint rising cards where they should be an obvious inclusion.
Inquisition is really the only card you mentioned that is plane specific. The rest could easily be slotted into any plane and any plane with goblins, respectively.
I don't see what you're saying... I mentioned a few cards that the playerbase MOST expected to be reprinted followed by "etc."
"etc." meaning others like:
Linvalla
Iona
Emrakul
Kor Spiritdancer
Kozilek
Ulamog
Vengevine
All is Dust
Wall of Omens
Celestial Colonnade
Raging Ravine
Creeping Tar Pit
Obviously I didn't expect all of these to be reprinted, but not a single one...? That is what I was saying.
Again, many of those are not plane specific, and I really don't understand people's belief that a return to the plane they first appeared in means we MUST see a reprint of them. For one thing, when have they ever reprinted a Legendary card? They basically always create a new version (which we got). It's disappointing to not see any of them, but it just makes no sense to me to expect them. If they reprint a lot of cards, that means they end up having to support the same mechanics and themes they did in the first block- Wizards is just not going to tie their hands like that.
we need aggressive reprints not conservative ones that don't do anything like printing Tarmogoyf at mythic rare in a limited print product.
Tarmogoyf has lost about 1/3 of its value over the past 3 years from these reprints... I wouldn't call that "not doing anything."
Instead of "crashing the prices" like some are foolishly suggesting, it would be better if Wizards would stay on top of the cards and reprint them when the opportunity presents itself. I could have sworn one of Wizards' reasonings for ditching core sets and going down to 2 sets per block was so they could revisit previous sets/blocks that needed "plane specific reprints." Well, what the heck was the point of returning to Zendikar if they aren't going to reprint Fetches, Goblin Guide, Inquisition, etc.
If we look at Goblin Guide's price history for example:
they had the chance of keeping it under $8 with MMA,
then the chance of keeping it under $15 with M15,
...$25 with MM2,
...$30 with Origins,
...$35 with BFZ/OGW...
But instead, now it sits over $40 with the hopes of it being in Eternal Masters as the only price resistance keeping it under $50.
Wizards could have easily kept the card under any of these price points, heck, the player base outright assumed it (look at the dips in price each aforementioned sets). But now we sit qued to jump over $50. There is no need to "crash the prices" and piss people off... They just need to get their collective heads out of the sand and reprint rising cards where they should be an obvious inclusion.
Inquisition is really the only card you mentioned that is plane specific. The rest could easily be slotted into any plane and any plane with goblins, respectively.
If AV and ThopterSword make a big impact on the metagame (this is still a big IF in my opinion), what are thoughts on trying to make Bob work in the deck? I am considering switching over from Jund, since Stony Silence just seems so good right now and Abzan also tends to be favored in grind-out situations. If we are able to run Bob along with a slightly pruned average CMC, along with our incidental lifegain, his constant card advantage could be a big deal against AV decks. Sprinkle in some Painful Truths and Thrun in the sideboard and don't think we are all that far behind in the value game.
Of course I've never played the deck and certainly never tried to make a Bob version work, so some informed opinions would be nice.
I still hate the modern frame. It still looks wrong. And even if I "get used to it", it's still worse to me and negatively impacts the way I experience the game (albeit in a minor way relative to the borders).
Why even mention cycling though? Could just say "whenever you discard a card"
Could use the "if you do, draw three cards" wording. But that's a little clunky. Card is fine as-is in my opinion.
This effect is much better in an aggro deck looking to push damage past potential blockers. Not having a 3 power body puts it far, far behind Thalia in power level. That's not evening mentioning the biggest issue, namely the land hate is the most appealing part of Thalia in modern
The second effect isn't going to help you against aggro unless you see the card in your opening hand. Would have possibly seen some play as an anti-twin card, as it stands I don't think it will see the light of day in Modern.
Giving spells fewer options and reducing more and more to sorcery speed is terrible. It takes away lines of play that reward tight play and make games more interesting. The fewer decisions players can make, the more games are determined before a single spell is played. It's a trend I hope Wizards reverses course on soon.
That being said this card would probably be busted in the new standard if it could go upstairs.
This is still a burn deck, not going to the dome is just a deal breaker in my opinion.
Again, many of those are not plane specific, and I really don't understand people's belief that a return to the plane they first appeared in means we MUST see a reprint of them. For one thing, when have they ever reprinted a Legendary card? They basically always create a new version (which we got). It's disappointing to not see any of them, but it just makes no sense to me to expect them. If they reprint a lot of cards, that means they end up having to support the same mechanics and themes they did in the first block- Wizards is just not going to tie their hands like that.
Inquisition is really the only card you mentioned that is plane specific. The rest could easily be slotted into any plane and any plane with goblins, respectively.
Of course I've never played the deck and certainly never tried to make a Bob version work, so some informed opinions would be nice.