So I predict a return to Dominaria, with a Mishra's Bauble reprint. Take a look at Jhoira's lore and tell me she's not essentially Dominaria incarnate. Lovisa is also from Dominaria. New players coming to the game want to look up who these folks are, they get 100% of Dominaria's backstory.
So why do we make homebrew and variant formats? What is most interesting to you about doing so?
I'm interested to hear from people. There's a lot of formats out there; what do homebrews and variants bring to you that the current ones that are sanctioned or more popular don't? What are the eternal struggles (that may have been a pun) of those sanctioned/popular formats for you?
I have a list of ideas as to what brings people here; I'm interested to hear more:
90% of my cards become worthless and/or unplayable within 24 hours of opening them.
Eternal formats always seem to have the same problem: Scarce, expensive older cards with set decks and few new ones entering.
Rotating formats have similar issues: Expensive, continual investment and the majority of playable cards become worthless when rotating out
Excitement and fun of trying out a brand new format
Lack of a "solved" meta in new formats
Nostalgia factor of playing many of aforementioned, otherwise unplayable cards
Feeling left out of a tryhard competitive meta when I would rather play what you find fun
Magic: Timelines is a format designed to solve some of the challenges for both competitive and financial investment in playing the game. The format attempts to create a brand-new environment with more possibilities and play variations as well as a dynamic meta that has fewer solved staple cards.
This format is still in testing, so the limits on the format described below are subject to change.
Legal Timelines:
Lorwyn/Morningtide/Shadowmoor/Eventide
Shards of Alara/Conflux/Alara Reborn/M10
Zendikar/Worldwake/Rise of the Eldrazi/M11
Scars of Mirrodin/Mirrodin Besieged/New Phyrexia/M12
Innistrad/Dark Ascension/Avacyn Restored/M13
Return to Ravnica/Gatecrash/Dragon’s Maze/M14
Theros/Born of the Gods/Journey into Nyx/M15
Khans of Tarkir/Fate Reforged/Dragons of Tarkir/Origins
Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch/Shadows over Innistrad/Eldritch Moon
Kaladesh/Aether Revolt/Amonkhet/Hour of Devestation
Banned Cards:
Eye of Ugin
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Stoneforge Mystic
Rules for Deck Construction:
Deck size minimum is 60 cards.
Select up to two Timelines from the Legal Timelines list. You can only use cards from those Timelines when creating your deck. ***Timeline and/or set selection is the central component of the format, and so as a deck construction mechanic, it is not subject to removal***
You may select up to one nonland card from either Timeline; this card will be known as the Timeline Key (or Key for short). This card will be restricted to only one copy but will start each game in the Command Zone and can be cast as though it was in your hand once per game. After being cast, it follows the normal rules for the rest of the game. This card does not count as part of your deck for determining minimum deck size (you can’t have 59 cards and the Key but you can have 60 cards and the Key)
You may only have two copies of any legal card in your deck except for basic lands.
Sideboards are up to 15 cards.
The Watchlist:
These are cards that are potentially bannable. I will wait a good while before making any decisions as there are a lot of new decks that are going to be coming in soon, and the meta will surely evolve. I also want to be clear for folks wanting to spend time investing time in certain strategies. As always, cards suddenly appear and overwhelm the meta, so emergency bans might not be on this list (updated 12/24/16):
Birthing Pod
Bitterblossom
Bloodbraid Elf
Deathrite Shaman
Declaration of Naught
Dig Through Time
Eldrazi Temple
Inkmoth Nexus
Liquimetal Coating
Nevermore
Saheeli Rai
Scapeshift
Snapcaster Mage
Splinter Twin
Torpor Orb
Treasure Cruise
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Please reply and share:
Things that you think should be on the watchlist
Playtesting decklists and game results
Comments/Questions about the format
Not a good argument. Casting Coalition Victory without creatures is stupidity. Casting Tooth and Nail and not fetching an instant-win combo is not being a jerk and using the card more fairly.
The issue is that "not being a jerk' and 'using the card more fairly' are not defined terms of the game. And I do play with people that use it to just grab cute things, rather than win outright. But my whole point is that I've played in dozens of EDH metas, and I see that card over and over again go for the kill and win outright. I honestly can't remember a green deck I've played against that hasn't run it, other than 5-color control.
Let me preface with a bit about why I think the way I think about the cards I list below. I play commander anywhere from 5-7 days a week for about four hours at least each day. I get to experience a lot of what the format has to offer. I also have been playing since a good while before it was a recognized entity by Wizards. I remember how fun it was to find and experience old cards in a new light when the format was still going through a lot of major evolution. It's my belief that a lot of the commander meta has been soft-solved. In other words, there are now many lists of best-cards and must-includes in most decks. I think that banning a few of the problem cards could dramatically increase depth of play, or at least shake up a format that's been slowing down a lot lately.
There are a few things that lead to frustration in gameplay (not in order of importance):
1. Being priced out of a game, which is a noticeable trend I've seen in commander over the past several months.
2. Another is must-answer cards, especially generals, dominating games. Certain generals force at least one player at the table to have an unenjoyable experience. Either the pilot gets hosed by literally every other player and can't even resolve or swing once, or the other players basically watch them play their busted deck while being locked out or losing fast.
3. Finally, cards that end the game, or reset the game, without actually finishing it. These cards tend to, like those in number 2, force players to watch the game happen rather than be a part of it. These cards tend to not be inherently broken, unlike those in 2, but are instead simply unfun for the vast majority of players.
I think that there are all kinds of great cards for EDH that are bomby, but not quite busted. As an eternal format, there are all kinds of amazing cards and the format has incredible depth. A huge part of the format's success was in no small part the financial crash and recession. It forced players into the format who may have given up on magic entirely because it was an inexpensive alternative. This has dramatically changed in the past eighteen months or so. Now, in many metas, commander costs just as much as standard. In many cases, it costs much more. I don't believe that banning is a productive way of reducing prices, but I do think that making players feel like they have an out to the really busted stuff is important. If my removal can stop the crazy busted card (semi-reliably, and in time to really matter) I don't feel as though I've been priced out of a game, and my slightly less-than-perfect deck can still pull out a good play against a really strong one.
All that said, here are cards I'm flagging for at the very least a consideration for a ban, if not an outright one.
Azusa - Sometimes, she fizzles out and the lands stop coming. But that's something that happens to every deck, ever on bad days. Most other times it's really hard to even respond. usually she hits turn two, and then next turn it's not too much hyperbole to say the deck gets a few time walks and starts playing its fun cards well before everyone else, forcing the table to spend their turns casting removal instead of playing their decks, while Azusa trucks away. She's fine as a singleton but a consistent turn two is too much.
Zur, Animar, Narset - Each of these has the same issue. It finds too many good things too fast if the general sticks. What that means is the general gets hated off the field every time, in which case the pilot doesn't get to play, or it survives and the pilot "goes off." The problem here is that "going off" with these generals forces all of the other players to watch for what can be an incredibly long time. None of these is a solid kill-con, and other than Animar, they take a long time to end it, forcing the table to watch the pilot goldfish. Animar tends not to use attacking as a kill-con either, relying on some kind of infinite-out that can take time to find. I think that each of these generals can be a lot of fun, but only if certain nigh auto-include cards are eliminated from their decklists.
Deadeye Navigator - This card should have been banned a long time ago. It has multiple infinite combos and one of the strongest shields in the game. It has multiple two-card combos that it not only enables but protects (and it can protect both pieces). It also comes with likely counterspell backup in the Best Color in Magic(TM). This card is a must-ban for me.
Free Urza Creatures - It's time for these to go. At the very least, Palinchron should go. Eliminating Deadeye will be a good start, but it doesn't really change the result, just the method. Mind Over Matter - This also enables degenerate infinite combos. There's not really another purpose for it that I know of. It's pretty rare to even see it, but there's a pretty good chance the turn it arrives the game is ending.
Tooth and Nail - There are several dozen infinite-outs that this can fetch. If it resolves, it tends to end the game. Broken one-card combos are broken. this is a must-ban for me.
Prophet of Kruphix - If you wanted to play Seedborn Muse and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, it normally costs you 5UUUGG and two cards. Often backed up with counterspell protection and otherwise, there is not a deck worth its salt that runs blue and green and not this card. I've run this in decks with ten creatures and it still works great.
Felidar Sovereign - With more and more cards granting any little critter flash, this at EOT is getting more and more common. Basically, either this should be banned or Coalition Victory should be unbanned.
Armageddon/Cataclysm - Razia's Purification is fine because it costs 6 mana in two colors and gives folks some options. These cards tend to come cheap enough to lock down the game, but rarely end it outright, forcing players to watch the game rather than play in it.
I'm interested to hear from people. There's a lot of formats out there; what do homebrews and variants bring to you that the current ones that are sanctioned or more popular don't? What are the eternal struggles (that may have been a pun) of those sanctioned/popular formats for you?
I have a list of ideas as to what brings people here; I'm interested to hear more:
What else brings you here?
Magic: Timelines is a format designed to solve some of the challenges for both competitive and financial investment in playing the game. The format attempts to create a brand-new environment with more possibilities and play variations as well as a dynamic meta that has fewer solved staple cards.
This format is still in testing, so the limits on the format described below are subject to change.
Legal Timelines:
Lorwyn/Morningtide/Shadowmoor/Eventide
Shards of Alara/Conflux/Alara Reborn/M10
Zendikar/Worldwake/Rise of the Eldrazi/M11
Scars of Mirrodin/Mirrodin Besieged/New Phyrexia/M12
Innistrad/Dark Ascension/Avacyn Restored/M13
Return to Ravnica/Gatecrash/Dragon’s Maze/M14
Theros/Born of the Gods/Journey into Nyx/M15
Khans of Tarkir/Fate Reforged/Dragons of Tarkir/Origins
Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch/Shadows over Innistrad/Eldritch Moon
Kaladesh/Aether Revolt/Amonkhet/Hour of Devestation
Banned Cards:
Eye of Ugin
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Stoneforge Mystic
Rules for Deck Construction:
The Watchlist:
These are cards that are potentially bannable. I will wait a good while before making any decisions as there are a lot of new decks that are going to be coming in soon, and the meta will surely evolve. I also want to be clear for folks wanting to spend time investing time in certain strategies. As always, cards suddenly appear and overwhelm the meta, so emergency bans might not be on this list (updated 12/24/16):
Birthing Pod
Bitterblossom
Bloodbraid Elf
Deathrite Shaman
Declaration of Naught
Dig Through Time
Eldrazi Temple
Inkmoth Nexus
Liquimetal Coating
Nevermore
Saheeli Rai
Scapeshift
Snapcaster Mage
Splinter Twin
Torpor Orb
Treasure Cruise
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Please reply and share:
Things that you think should be on the watchlist
Playtesting decklists and game results
Comments/Questions about the format
Have fun playing some magic!
The issue is that "not being a jerk' and 'using the card more fairly' are not defined terms of the game. And I do play with people that use it to just grab cute things, rather than win outright. But my whole point is that I've played in dozens of EDH metas, and I see that card over and over again go for the kill and win outright. I honestly can't remember a green deck I've played against that hasn't run it, other than 5-color control.
Dawnglare Invoker is almost always better than Lorthos, the Tidemaker
There are a few things that lead to frustration in gameplay (not in order of importance):
1. Being priced out of a game, which is a noticeable trend I've seen in commander over the past several months.
2. Another is must-answer cards, especially generals, dominating games. Certain generals force at least one player at the table to have an unenjoyable experience. Either the pilot gets hosed by literally every other player and can't even resolve or swing once, or the other players basically watch them play their busted deck while being locked out or losing fast.
3. Finally, cards that end the game, or reset the game, without actually finishing it. These cards tend to, like those in number 2, force players to watch the game happen rather than be a part of it. These cards tend to not be inherently broken, unlike those in 2, but are instead simply unfun for the vast majority of players.
I think that there are all kinds of great cards for EDH that are bomby, but not quite busted. As an eternal format, there are all kinds of amazing cards and the format has incredible depth. A huge part of the format's success was in no small part the financial crash and recession. It forced players into the format who may have given up on magic entirely because it was an inexpensive alternative. This has dramatically changed in the past eighteen months or so. Now, in many metas, commander costs just as much as standard. In many cases, it costs much more. I don't believe that banning is a productive way of reducing prices, but I do think that making players feel like they have an out to the really busted stuff is important. If my removal can stop the crazy busted card (semi-reliably, and in time to really matter) I don't feel as though I've been priced out of a game, and my slightly less-than-perfect deck can still pull out a good play against a really strong one.
All that said, here are cards I'm flagging for at the very least a consideration for a ban, if not an outright one.
Generals:
Azusa - Sometimes, she fizzles out and the lands stop coming. But that's something that happens to every deck, ever on bad days. Most other times it's really hard to even respond. usually she hits turn two, and then next turn it's not too much hyperbole to say the deck gets a few time walks and starts playing its fun cards well before everyone else, forcing the table to spend their turns casting removal instead of playing their decks, while Azusa trucks away. She's fine as a singleton but a consistent turn two is too much.
Zur, Animar, Narset - Each of these has the same issue. It finds too many good things too fast if the general sticks. What that means is the general gets hated off the field every time, in which case the pilot doesn't get to play, or it survives and the pilot "goes off." The problem here is that "going off" with these generals forces all of the other players to watch for what can be an incredibly long time. None of these is a solid kill-con, and other than Animar, they take a long time to end it, forcing the table to watch the pilot goldfish. Animar tends not to use attacking as a kill-con either, relying on some kind of infinite-out that can take time to find. I think that each of these generals can be a lot of fun, but only if certain nigh auto-include cards are eliminated from their decklists.
Other cards:
White:
Blue:
Green:
Tooth and Nail
Multi:
Prophet of Kruphix
Deadeye Navigator - This card should have been banned a long time ago. It has multiple infinite combos and one of the strongest shields in the game. It has multiple two-card combos that it not only enables but protects (and it can protect both pieces). It also comes with likely counterspell backup in the Best Color in Magic(TM). This card is a must-ban for me.
Free Urza Creatures - It's time for these to go. At the very least, Palinchron should go. Eliminating Deadeye will be a good start, but it doesn't really change the result, just the method.
Mind Over Matter - This also enables degenerate infinite combos. There's not really another purpose for it that I know of. It's pretty rare to even see it, but there's a pretty good chance the turn it arrives the game is ending.
Tooth and Nail - There are several dozen infinite-outs that this can fetch. If it resolves, it tends to end the game. Broken one-card combos are broken. this is a must-ban for me.
Omniscience - Broken one-card combos are broken.
Prophet of Kruphix - If you wanted to play Seedborn Muse and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, it normally costs you 5UUUGG and two cards. Often backed up with counterspell protection and otherwise, there is not a deck worth its salt that runs blue and green and not this card. I've run this in decks with ten creatures and it still works great.
Felidar Sovereign - With more and more cards granting any little critter flash, this at EOT is getting more and more common. Basically, either this should be banned or Coalition Victory should be unbanned.
Armageddon/Cataclysm - Razia's Purification is fine because it costs 6 mana in two colors and gives folks some options. These cards tend to come cheap enough to lock down the game, but rarely end it outright, forcing players to watch the game rather than play in it.
Tldr: Must bans - Deadeye Navigator, Palinchron, and Tooth and Nail
Quality of life bans - everything else I listed.