Note that play boosters only contain 14 cards (13 if you do not count basic land) so we will get less cards for the same price. "Because players complained some cards were often not used". Perhaps having less unplayable cards in sets that have set numbers go to four digits would be more preferable from players perspective?
If it was actually cool I would even like it, but these cookbooks are just an assortment of regular funky-named stuff or "Omg look, these spaghetti are black. Necromancers!"
Of course, it's incredibly hard to come up with actually good original dishes, so I guess this would always be out of scope for franchise-based cookbooks.
i don't think they are meant to be original dishes. it's rather just a coffe table book that is suposed to be browsed and invoke warm feelings that they found something that evokes spirit of particular guild, character etc. with cheesy name. not actual cookbook.
from the screens it seemsvlike they have some amout of flavor (pun intended), could have done better but also could have done much worse.
my issue is that the wording they chose looks like normal english sentence. cool but may be confusing because it does not stand out like cursived keywords we have on other cards. i would prefer to not deliberately make already complex game even more complex if possible.
I'm not sure people will be able to see the connection to the flavor text at all.
Oh, do you know what the flavor text is talking about? I was really confused myself
Yes. Or rather I understand the connection between flavor text and image but not the connection to the card. From the article:
DC: Our final card is the fan favorite Brainstorm. Who do we see in this card artwork? And I must know the story behind this flavor text—this entire scene seems very inspired!
JA: We see my youngest son, James. He also is in the video that will be shown at MagicCon: Las Vegas. Laurie (our eldest) had been featured in another recent artwork and we wanted to paint James! He also shares my love for the surreal and our humour is very similar. I have been called crazy, mad, and unhinged (somewhat ironically) often in my life, and Brainstorm is a fun take on the surreal dreamlike state of how much the world often does not make sense.
DC: And of the flavor text?
“James would let his duck compose now and then, but never make the tea!”
JA: In the video, we’ll see normal James, then him going into a dream where he experiences a “Brainstorm” and cannot understand why he sees himself five different times dressed up in an odd band of crazy versions of himself. All instruments are backwards and on the left he’s feeding a duck and on the right drinking tea, upside down. The “compose” part of the text is the musicians. In truth, after the huge heavy Monsters and the spiritual nature of the angel, I wanted to go fun and silly. It’s just that my version of fun is probably rather odd?
DC: Oddly wonderful, I’d say—there is nothing wrong with a bit of fun!
I was not commenting on financial value, rather usability of those cards in actual gameplay.
Emmy is indeed played in 4c control but its a deck that surfaced again only after WOE release, it's single copy, in sideboard, and only in some of the lists for 4c control. So fringe appearances in comparison to rest of the SL.
Does anyone get an AI generated vibe off the brainstorm? The right wrist kinda has a watch, the instruments at the bottom kinda tail off and something just feels a bit uncanny-valley about it. Avons into his digital/mixed-medium peices right? I wouldn't be surprised if he is experimenting with it a little.
The art itself isn't bad, bit not my thing. Emmy and Angel look nice though.
Edit: I had a closer look at the higher res art, and the instruments look less AI generated than I thought at first.
Check the article I linked. There is comment from Avon regarding scene on the artwork. I was not aware about Avon working with some photomanipulation but you might be very much spot on with your initial guess - maybe he painted over photo with a watch on and did not realized that. By the way those are renders so a lot of the details will be lost on physical cards. I'm not sure people will be able to see the connection to the flavor text at all.
Personal opinion:
Card selection is as always hit and miss. Brainstorm is played everywhere where it's legal so its nice. Emmy sees some fringe play. Progenitus was relegated to trade binders years ago and Serra Angel will go into the angels SLD EDH deck for fluff reasons at best. So again the whole SLD is propped by 1 playable card with some change.
The artwork looks like as usual from Avon - great quality but the Brainstorm one... I assume the guy is holding his head like that because people playing bass and guitar are holding them backwards. I know I would. I get the explanation with the connection to the flavor text Avon gave but I see no connection to the actual card from the artwork and text other than "because I wanted to put this art on a card".
the swirls in the art blend with the border unfortunately. otherwise its a decent reimagination of the card in eldrane visuals. sleeping beauty, evil queen etc. darker backround would help making it less of a blend and pop out the figures. but wotc art direction it is and white card needs to be very white.
it's very niche (compare for example with s&t latest addition - atraxa) and market already has more copies available than people wanting to buy it so it will be sad pull compared to other options. still, a fitting inclusion in the bonus sheet. #0024 might look very nice in foil if they did not screw this up. #0070 is yet again very generic anime artwork unfortunately but maybe someone is close to finishing their fully anime art deck so good for them i guess.
This is good in white decks that put permanents on the board (all of them)
Mono-white decks, perhaps. UW Control? Nah, this guy's getting pumped by a planeswalker or two and a creature or two and that's it. You're really lucky if an artifact or enchantment can join the fray.
Number of permanents, not permanent types. In a tokens EDH deck, wach token is one, not the Goyf phrasing
*nonland*
however that’s why I call this mtg variant of the killer rabbit from Monty python it’s pretty much always gonna be big the only things that could beat it is indestructible creatures with deathtouch or creatures with Pit Spawn abiltiy
why indestructible? just anything with deathtouch kills it. also any playable spot removal.
probably not good enough outside standard and seems pretty good in meta with lots of token enchantments.
Finally, proper versions of those cards. Now WotC just needs to end the other parts of the UB Reserved List with proper versions of 40k, LotR, Transformers, Dr. Who, and every other UB they'll do that nonsense with.
it took them only three years to get those out. they will get there with the rest in no time. /s
anyway edh is gonna be brutal now since Malik is a kill on sight commander since he has one of the most brutal ETB's and static ability I’ve ever seen (I've faced a couple of UB version and it’s the most back breaking decks I’ve ever seen)
its not that good really. it will usually just kill one untargettable creature and give you one mana. and to the contrary it incentivizes opponents to not kill it since it triggers on etb or you need to put a some work to get the second trigger again. removing sacrifice enabler is better since if opponent recast it you ended up in the same spot. i'm not sure from where your conclusion comes from.
Starting from Murders at Karlov Manor Draft and Set Boosters are going to be replaced with "Play Boosters" which will consist of:
Note that play boosters only contain 14 cards (13 if you do not count basic land) so we will get less cards for the same price. "Because players complained some cards were often not used". Perhaps having less unplayable cards in sets that have set numbers go to four digits would be more preferable from players perspective?
from the screens it seemsvlike they have some amout of flavor (pun intended), could have done better but also could have done much worse.
Yes. Or rather I understand the connection between flavor text and image but not the connection to the card. From the article:
Emmy is indeed played in 4c control but its a deck that surfaced again only after WOE release, it's single copy, in sideboard, and only in some of the lists for 4c control. So fringe appearances in comparison to rest of the SL.Check the article I linked. There is comment from Avon regarding scene on the artwork. I was not aware about Avon working with some photomanipulation but you might be very much spot on with your initial guess - maybe he painted over photo with a watch on and did not realized that. By the way those are renders so a lot of the details will be lost on physical cards. I'm not sure people will be able to see the connection to the flavor text at all.
There is some interview with John Avon in this article about the artwork if anyone is interested:
https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2023/09/mtg-secret-lair-artist-series-john-avon-available-october-2/
Price:
Card list:
- Emrakul, the Promised End
- Progenitus
- Brainstorm
- Serra Angel
New artwork:Personal opinion:
Card selection is as always hit and miss. Brainstorm is played everywhere where it's legal so its nice. Emmy sees some fringe play. Progenitus was relegated to trade binders years ago and Serra Angel will go into the angels SLD EDH deck for fluff reasons at best. So again the whole SLD is propped by 1 playable card with some change.
The artwork looks like as usual from Avon - great quality but the Brainstorm one... I assume the guy is holding his head like that because people playing bass and guitar are holding them backwards. I know I would. I get the explanation with the connection to the flavor text Avon gave but I see no connection to the actual card from the artwork and text other than "because I wanted to put this art on a card".
also, free lutri!
probably not good enough outside standard and seems pretty good in meta with lots of token enchantments.
its not that good really. it will usually just kill one untargettable creature and give you one mana. and to the contrary it incentivizes opponents to not kill it since it triggers on etb or you need to put a some work to get the second trigger again. removing sacrifice enabler is better since if opponent recast it you ended up in the same spot. i'm not sure from where your conclusion comes from.
oh boy, this is an ancient meme.
I can only add: "land creatures"? so it gives my creatures without flying +1/+1?