As a person who has no interest in trying to play at a Pro Tour, the info they released is good for me. I get a non-limited GP in my country for the first time in literally a dozen years, and the World Cup qualifiers are in the summer, making it easy for me to go to them.
I think the first solution they need to try is annual Modern Masters printings. They've tried the 2013 and 2015 split and prices only went up, so hopefully they acknowledge it's time for a new approach. The other solution is to print more Modern event decks on a much more regular basis, sticking 4-5 or so (they can figure out the #) playable rares and staples into each of them.
No doubt the event decks are a fine and elegant enough solution. But if they give up the idea of reprinting modern staples in standard, and acknowledge that the power gap between golden days and future editions is now too wide to cross, how could we get exciting new options in coming years ? Modern would become a frozen world, doomed to the lilgoyf syndrome.
Its not that there was some standard 3-4 years ago was super powerful and we are never going back. Its that all these cards combined make stuff that is really, really powerful while being incredibly efficient at the same time. Wizards has basically settled for 2-5 major reprints/making cards modern legal a year through Standard product. Maybe it even started earlier in M13 with Rancor. We've seen now with things like Mutavault, Chord of Calling, Thoughtseize, that you can print 1-2 things in a big set a year to push packs. It allows them to trickle out things without collapsing the market (even though there are a larger number of players, me included, that just want a price crash.) Maybe with the quicker Standard and 2-block-a-year move, we can get 1-2 good reprints in each block.
I've gotta think this is a hint at an upcoming Raging Ravine reprint.
I think with the new 2-sets a block paradigm, with the great, great possibility of fetches coming in, they wouldn't waste 2 cycles of lands in 1 block. It could mean that we will get the manlands and not the fetches, which would be surprising.
I got Goblin Guide's when they were only worth worth $10. Now that Burn is a strong deck in Modern, the Goblin Guides have catapulted in value to $30+.
At least the manabase is now affordable.
On the flipside, Daybreak Coronet's can now be had for $10 each. They used to be worth $35 up until a few weeks back. This I attribute to its reprinting in Modern Masters 2015 and the Bogles deck's descent from tier 2 to almost noncompetitive.
MM2, just like MM1, was good in lowering prices on stuff on the fringe of playability in Modern. Daybreak and Bridge From Below would be two examples of this. Both being from a super small supply 3rd set was the only thing keep those prices up. It also probably helped things that are usually used as 1-ofs in decks (Eldrazi, Elesh Norn) from getting out of control. Clique I guess would be an exception to that rule because it is usually not played as a 4-of in decks that would use it but it has continued to have a high price point.
If you have any large percentage of your net wealth invested into magic cards you are terrible with money.
How do you define large?
I don't know, enough where you actually think of your card collection as a serious wealth asset? If you plan on retiring on cardboard, you've already lost it.
MTG, as a game, would be way more expensive without speculators. Speculators push up card values by creating demand for cards that doesn't exist otherwise. Speculators are part of a healthy and dynamic market... when the speculators leave, I'd be wary about having any substantial portion of my wealth in Magic cards, as the markets will capitulate to lower demand and prices and card values will deteriorate. EV drops, singles are tougher to come by since shops aren't opening boosters for stock since it's a crappy business decision at that point. Suddenly, you find yourself buying boosters to get the cards you need and you're spending $4/pack rather than getting quick, fast access to the cards you want. You're spending $100 on booster boxes looking for cards rather than $50 on a playset of Flooded Strands. Market liquidity is never a bad thing, and that is what speculators provide.
Failure to understand that MTG is so much more than just a game is dangerous.
If you have any large percentage of your net wealth invested into magic cards you are terrible with money.
Its not that there was some standard 3-4 years ago was super powerful and we are never going back. Its that all these cards combined make stuff that is really, really powerful while being incredibly efficient at the same time. Wizards has basically settled for 2-5 major reprints/making cards modern legal a year through Standard product. Maybe it even started earlier in M13 with Rancor. We've seen now with things like Mutavault, Chord of Calling, Thoughtseize, that you can print 1-2 things in a big set a year to push packs. It allows them to trickle out things without collapsing the market (even though there are a larger number of players, me included, that just want a price crash.) Maybe with the quicker Standard and 2-block-a-year move, we can get 1-2 good reprints in each block.
I think with the new 2-sets a block paradigm, with the great, great possibility of fetches coming in, they wouldn't waste 2 cycles of lands in 1 block. It could mean that we will get the manlands and not the fetches, which would be surprising.
MM2, just like MM1, was good in lowering prices on stuff on the fringe of playability in Modern. Daybreak and Bridge From Below would be two examples of this. Both being from a super small supply 3rd set was the only thing keep those prices up. It also probably helped things that are usually used as 1-ofs in decks (Eldrazi, Elesh Norn) from getting out of control. Clique I guess would be an exception to that rule because it is usually not played as a 4-of in decks that would use it but it has continued to have a high price point.
How warped a standard format would you have with 2 2/2s for R out there?
I don't know, enough where you actually think of your card collection as a serious wealth asset? If you plan on retiring on cardboard, you've already lost it.
If you have any large percentage of your net wealth invested into magic cards you are terrible with money.