Amonkhet was probably just about ready for the printer when rotation changed. They would not have changed rotation if fetches were in it, after the fiasco of Khans fetches and battle (tango) lands. We can safely assume fetches will not appear until after BFZ rotates in the fall.
Keep in mind, Wizards (or MaRo, if that's the same thing) does not want fetches in Frontier. You will either see Wizards try to seize control of the format with formal acknowledgement and a ban, or an announcement of a new format starting with set X (after Zen Fetches.) If that is the case, Zen fetches will be released asap, in the fall set, with the new format beginning immediately after.
Also you argument is a farce. Frontier was created because of card availability issues in Asia. Has nothing to do with power level.
The momentum driving Frontier's popularity though clearly has everything to do with a desire among players for a 'fresh start' format, of sorts.
It's also just something that came naturally with the m15 border - it crossed the minds of many people, ever since the new border was revealed.
So really Frontier's increasing popularity is a very natural progression.
Back to Modern...
...starting Modern from 8th ed+Mirrodin-on gave it inherent problems. From then until arguably Magic Origins there's a lot of R&D still 'finding itself' as it learns and settles on design consistencies.
It's a large chunk of Magic's history where the game was being balanced and seeing a lot of innovation.
Modern is a very volatile format, yet seems to be kept on a leash.
I think that's a good thing.
Modern should serve as the testing grounds for power level. It's the format where we can look at a dominant strategy or card and asks ourselves "Is this really where we want Magic to be?"
The answer for many powerful cards is "Well, this is excessive. But it we can allow it here as a measuring stick of what excessive is." Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant and Lightning Bolt come to mind.
Maybe the following list of analogies would constructive:
Limited is the streets of any particular suburb.
Standard is the everyday common urban road.
Frontier is the highway.
Modern is the autobahn/open road. (No 'limit' per say, but the vehicle must still be safe and road legal.)
Legacy is salt flats racing (Where Storm and Dredge are allowed to exist. Unreasonable dumb stuff.)
Vintage is a closed race track for experimental technology, where you race a cutting edge formula 1 Vs a toaster with a quantum jet engine Vs an absolute zero mist-dispensing military drone.
If we consider the list, then Modern is as crazy as we let things get while remaining 'street legal.'
It's probably healthiest as a well-policed format, if only for helping to keep the shape of Legacy and Frontier.
For instance, it's possible that down the line Simian Spirit Guide gets banned in Modern. That's a thought we can all entertain, even if we disagree with.
Modern is the powered format where you get to more seriously pose the question "Is this too powerful in Modern? Should this be something you can do?"
Legacy, on the other hand, is where we allow stuff like fast mana more trivially. "Ban Simian Spirit Guide? In Legacy? Nahh, c'mon."
I actually used to think it was R&D trying to find itself, but after looking into game design and the current change of CEO, I think the problem runs a bit deeper than that. The CEO shapes the company and R&D design the game to follow that vision, so the original CEO that was in before the new one had a vision of the game that looks like what we see today, with weak answers and a lot more draft fodder that is useless outside of constructed in order to keep people buying more booster boxes. It seems like that CEO was warming up to the idea of doing reprints and the like to try and solve some of the issues with the game, but stubbornly didn't want to give up the draft / constructed paradigm. People who pushed from the lower ranks to have a different game probably ended up running into problems, and looking into Glass Door that seems to be the story I'm reading up from the responses. So, in a nutshell it took an entire year of natural MTG disaster and discontent to actually get the message up through the ranks and when that didn't give results the shareholders voted for a new CEO.
I highly doubt the CEO is into the nuts and bolts of game design...if anything this is a slap in the face to 'design by market research'.
'Players do not feel good about removal/counters/strong answers'
'OK, then lets push those creatures!'
'Wait, players NOW feel out of control!'
'OH NOES!'
This forum in particular has been talking about a lack of answers for years. We had some good cards come out of Khans Block, but thats a blip on the radar.
It has finally gotten through all right, but not because of some CEO change.
lol yes it won more than 5% of its games without the combo, did you ever play it?!
Bolt Snap Bolt won MANY games.
As to your 5 decks, I disagree. Grixis Control did exist with Twin, TiTi/Kiln is a completely different (and faster potentially) combo, so no, UW Control, maybe but its not even T2 right now from what I can see (still no finisher worth a damn I would imagine) and RW Control (or is it Jeskai at Tier 2) could completely coexist.
UR Twin could exist with all of those except maybe UW Control that isnt even a thing above Tier 3, which would make me wonder why it would be played, after all why are they not playing Jeskai at Tier 2.
Respectfully, I think you are wrong on both points.
I agree with what you are saying only i am saying why hold the entire color blue hostage. They cannot print good cards in the color blue when this combo exists. The fact that it got to be a normal deck and then win out of nowhere. Meant if you were playing a dedicated combo deck the SOONEST it would be allowed to win is turn 4...... so WHY would you play that deck when you can play twin?
I agree with you. There are at least four or five different decks that would cease to exist in Modern if Twin was unbanned, even if Exarch replaced it on the list.
And those decks are what?
Between this and 'it can only win with the combo' I'm not sure what to make of this thread now.
Gives Modern some hope too, because without some balance being injected into Standard finally, there was no hope Modern could even begin to control itself.
Ramps, Wraths, Bolt, COUNTERSPELL, cards like Ancient Grudge. Better discards...
Ulamog spiked too, I should go sell him...
Mana without fetches is a miserable experience.
You arent going to get Liliana of the Veil, but Wizards takes a very different approach to the secondary market, and its worked for decades...
I highly doubt the CEO is into the nuts and bolts of game design...if anything this is a slap in the face to 'design by market research'.
'Players do not feel good about removal/counters/strong answers'
'OK, then lets push those creatures!'
'Wait, players NOW feel out of control!'
'OH NOES!'
This forum in particular has been talking about a lack of answers for years. We had some good cards come out of Khans Block, but thats a blip on the radar.
It has finally gotten through all right, but not because of some CEO change.
Yet Twin had to die? Blah.
Is there even a Tier 2 deck running it?
I would love a swap of exarch for twin. I think it would slot in and be fine.
Bolt Snap Bolt won MANY games.
As to your 5 decks, I disagree. Grixis Control did exist with Twin, TiTi/Kiln is a completely different (and faster potentially) combo, so no, UW Control, maybe but its not even T2 right now from what I can see (still no finisher worth a damn I would imagine) and RW Control (or is it Jeskai at Tier 2) could completely coexist.
UR Twin could exist with all of those except maybe UW Control that isnt even a thing above Tier 3, which would make me wonder why it would be played, after all why are they not playing Jeskai at Tier 2.
Respectfully, I think you are wrong on both points.
And those decks are what?
Between this and 'it can only win with the combo' I'm not sure what to make of this thread now.