Suppose Cassandra somehow knows that exactly five years from now, a doomsday event would happen which would cause the immediate death of 99.99+% of humanity, leaving a small number of survivors. No other humans are aware of what Cassandra knows, and though Cassandra tries to warn the rest of humanity about the event, no one believes her.
Suppose Cassandra then discovers a way to DELAY (but not ultimately prevent) that doomsday event by one year, so that it occurs exactly six years from now instead of five years from now. She goes ahead and implements the delay, thereby granting most of humanity one additional year of life.
Doomsday arrives on year 6, and indeed, 99.99+% of humanity dies, leaving a small number of survivors.
Now, here's the philosophical question for this thread: Did Cassandra accomplish anything meaningful or of value by delaying doomsday for one year, or is what she did meaningless/worthless because doomsday still arrived anyway with only a fairly minimal delay? Is Cassandra a success or a failure?
They don't have color indicators listed in the printout of characteristics, even for the cards that were retrofitted to have them like the Pacts, which is a problem for text parsing of the set.
Seconded. It's definitely a problem for computer programs and scripts that make use of Gatherer.
WotC really dropped the ball with the lack of color indicators in Gatherer. They knew ahead of the release that they were adding new rules that got rid of the old color-defining abilities, and yet they couldn't even implement it in their official database, even though it's something simple that they could have just programmed in very quickly.
The official card reference now has incomplete information on card characteristics. Especially bad for new players looking up old cards and for judges.
Probably most egregious in the case of Transguild Courier. With neither Oracle text nor color indicator giving its colors...
IDW Publishing and Hasbro, Inc. today announced yet another extension of the companies’ long-term relationship with an all-new comic book series based on the ground-breaking MAGIC: THE GATHERING trading card game (TCG). Under license from Hasbro, Inc., and in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, IDW will launch a new series entitled MAGIC: THE GATHERING this fall, the first comic series in more than a decade based on the many worlds of the hugely popular game. Adding to the rich stories are exclusive, playable, alternate-art cards for the MAGIC: THE GATHERING TCG, which will only be available through select issues of the IDW comics.
[...]
IDW Publishing and Hasbro subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast will work closely together to ensure the comics offer another layer of experience for MAGIC: THE GATHERING fans. The initial four-issue miniseries will focus on a unique, new Planeswalker, a powerful mage with the ability to travel between worlds in the Magic Multiverse. Many popular MAGIC: THE GATHERING characters will be featured in the series, as well.
This comic series is written by renowned author and game designer Matt Forbeck (The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Amortals, The Marvel Encyclopedia), who is joined by talented newcomer, artist Martín Cóccolo.
tl;dr summary:
(1) New MTG comic book series this fall.
(2) Contains alt-art promo cards.
(3) Introduces new planeswalker character.
Can someone on Twitter please ask MaRo whether the invitational card is actually based on Denying Channel or on Tiago's SECOND submitted card as described in this thread?
Lorwyn/Shadowmoor played around with basic block construction. Zendikar/Rise of the Eldrazi re-examined what defines a block mechanically. Scars of Mirrodin block is tackling block design in a whole new way. There are no tricks in set size. Scars of Mirrodin block is a large fall set followed by small winter and spring sets. What we're doing this year is attacking block cohesion from a very different vantage point.
This year we're telling you a story and taking you along for a ride. I don't mean a traditional narrative story like the Weatherlight Saga. We're not making you line up art and flavor text to piece together a plot. Rather we're telling a story through environment. We have returned to Mirrodin because something big is about to happen. Unbeknownst to the Mirrans, a malevolent force has invaded their plane. It has slowly been corrupting it via a plan of total domination. The block is about what happens to the plane of Mirrodin as the two sides, the Mirrans and the Phyrexians, come into conflict.
Looks like all the speculation about a fifth set, etc., is all wrong. We're going to have to look for some other sort of explanation to account for the Dark Ascension, New Phyrexia, and Mirrodin Pure trademarks.
It's really cool to see the two greatest MTG players in history coming back and proving they can still play (Finkel with PT Kuala Lumpur 2008 and now Budde with PT Amsterdam 2010).
Hunter, don't we have enough card names (circa 30) to start the numerical list now? It's too bad we're missing collector numbers for the vast majority of them, but we can guess at rough placements from alphabetical order and color.
Mark Rosewater went on a huge tweeting binge shortly after infect was revealed; that tweeting binge is now over, according to him. This is a large enough series of tweets that I believe it deserves its own thread, apart from the Twitter Discussion Station. In this series of tweets, he gives lots of hints at various things. This thread is for general discussion and speculation of anything in this series of tweets:
Quote from maro254 »
Thanks for you all following my Tweet-a-palooza. I will now return you to my normal Tweet every once in a while mode.
about 2 hours ago via web
If you want to figure out what Scars is up to, look back to Mirrodin.
about 2 hours ago via web
When we made Mirrdon many years ago, we had the story of Scars in our mind. What happens in Scars is foreshadowed in Mirrodin block.
about 2 hours ago via web
I have to go write my article, so let me leave you with one last tease.
about 2 hours ago via web
So many of you want answers about how we are doing things. For those answers, you are going to have to wait and see the set.
about 2 hours ago via web
@MikeXIV I will explain all in my column. Let's say that my passion for poison was not shared by all.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to MikeXIV
@hma_meme_fan I've been trying to make indectructible a keyword for years.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to hma_meme_fan
@hma_meme_fan I gave advanced warning to unfollow. Also, it's hard to answer questions without give and take from other Twitterers.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to hma_meme_fan
@jsmu How does infect interact with Blah? Just like it interacts with any normal creature damage.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to jsmu
@elektrotal A well timed Howl could always decimate someone.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to elektrotal
@JediMasterJeff It was Wyatt Wingfoot. No really. Hey, he asked people wanting to hear more about infect.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JediMasterJeff
Infect (and wither) is rather good against creatures with indestructible. Just a little factoid to mull over. No reason I mentioned it.
about 2 hours ago via web
@BakabakaDesign I suggest waiting and seeing what else the set has to offer.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to BakabakaDesign
@surmem Obviously every element of the game needs answers. Removing poison counters though might not be that answer.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to surmem
@YomuYume I have no ability to gauge what will or won't be in Standard. I can say I hope infect shows up.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to YomuYume
@greatseth Magic is a game of change. Give Scars a try. I think you might actually like it.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to greatseth
@elektrotal Yes, if you Giant Growth a 1/1 with infect, it will give the defending player 4 poison if it damages them.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to elektrotal
@pirsqed Yes, infect has very much affected what development could do in sets around it.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to pirsqed
@jakpul Will there be ways to grant things infect? Maybe.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to jakpul
@Milky_Joe2158 I knew Scars was going to be the return of poison for many years, but I'd tried many times before so who knew if I'd succeed.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to Milky_Joe2158
@Dr_Jeebus You are asking me a development question. Infect was costed to be good but fair.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to Dr_Jeebus
@Trigunner As far as I know (and I don't know much ruleswise) we are doing nothing to change old cards with poison. They are what they are.
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to Trigunner
I'll take a few questions. Be aware that there is a lot I can't say. Also, I do not have a preview card to show you today. Sorry.
about 2 hours ago via web
I realized I was honestly panicked. I wasn't sure what to do. Infect adds a lot of unpredictability that old poison lacked.
about 2 hours ago via web
The thing I enjoy most about infect is that it makes poison scary. I remember a playtest I had 4 poison & was attacked with a 1/1 infect.
about 2 hours ago via web
Be aware that the set's design is very much aware of infect. There just might be a few things stuck in to help you get your opponent to 10.
about 2 hours ago via web
Infect is parasitic in that it likes playing with other infect creatures but as I just explained it als combos with a lot of "normal" Magic.
about 2 hours ago via web
When a 1/1 that gave you 1 poison attacked, you just weren't worried unless you already had 9 poison.
about 2 hours ago via web
The other thing I love about infect is how it interacts so nicely with many other factes of the game that pump power.
about 2 hours ago via web
Infect also fixes another major problem with poison, that the creatures tended to kill you with damage before they killed you with poison.
about 2 hours ago via web
One of the goals of making poison work was making sure that it wasn't just another life total.
about 2 hours ago via web
Here's a factoid to discuss among yourselves: I personally despise the card Leeches.
about 2 hours ago via web
Older creatures with poison will not be errattaed to have infect.
about 2 hours ago via web
I'm not at liberty to explain why infect is in the set from a big picture standpoint but once all is revealed you will see it's important.
about 2 hours ago via web
Will poison play a major role in the block? Yes. Will it have an impact on limited? Yes. Might you die to poison in the next year? YES!
about 3 hours ago via web
My first Scars article is going to be all about the journey of poison. It is long and twisted. The story not my article.
about 3 hours ago via web
The first set I tried to put poison in as a major element of the set was Tempest. That was 13 years ago!
about 3 hours ago via web
I will point out though that all damage to players by a creature with infect is dealt in poison counters. *All* damage.
about 3 hours ago via web
I'm not going to answer rules questions for two reasons. 1) I'm not supposed to and 2) I suck at the rules.
about 3 hours ago via web
Note that the ability is infect not infest. I can't explain why right now but check out a dictionary for a clue on what's going on in Scars.
about 3 hours ago via web
This, by the way, does not mean wither is dead as a mechanic. Wither could very well come back one day all by itself.
about 3 hours ago via web
We then decided it was dumb to have every creature have this new poison ability and wither so we combined them into a single ability.
about 3 hours ago via web
We decided to change poisonous to a mechanic that lined up with how wither worked. Damage turned into poison.
about 3 hours ago via web
For flavor reasons, we added wither to all the poison creatures but it was awkward as the two abilities don't work the same.
about 3 hours ago via web
Why didn't we use poisonous? We did. Scars design started with poisonous. It wasn't working like we needed it to.
about 3 hours ago via web
Creatures with infect damage planeswalkers as normal because only damage to players is in the form of poison counters.
about 3 hours ago via web
Technically, creatures with infect do damage players. It's just in the form of poison counters.
about 3 hours ago via web
Creatures with wither damage players. Creatures with infect don't. Thus a creature with wither has +'s and -'s over a creature with infect.
about 3 hours ago via web
A few points I've been dying to make since we revealed this yesterday: 1) Infect is not strictly better than wither.
about 3 hours ago via web
For those that don't know, the game has a rule that says if you have 10 poison counters, you lose the game.
about 3 hours ago via web
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
about 3 hours ago via web
It revealed a new mechanic from Scars of Mirrodin: Infect.
about 3 hours ago via web
There was a picture of a ten-sided die at the bottom of all the articles. If you clicked it, it started counting up. When it got to 10...
about 3 hours ago via web
Let's begin by recapping for those that don't know what I'm talking about. Yesterday, we had a little spoiler on magicthegathering.com.
about 3 hours ago via web
One last chance to unfollow me before I start talking all about the new mechanic.
about 3 hours ago via web
Heads up to my tweeps. Tomorrow I'm going to start talking about the revealed mechanic. Unfollow tonight if you don't want to hear about it.
about 14 hours ago via Echofon
@misterorange I am always impressed by you turn around to times. Hats off!
about 14 hours ago via Echofon
Why am I tweeting so much? Imagine having to wait an entire day to do something you *really* want to do. Now multiply it by 4,745.
8/19/2010 2:30:13 PM via web
I'm trying for today to not explicitly give the new mechanic away in my tweets. Later in the week, I'll actually talk about it.
8/19/2010 2:23:10 PM via web
To my tweeps that can't seem to find what I'm talking about, remember to "roll" with the punches (or you may "die").
8/19/2010 2:21:50 PM via web
In order to see what you want to see you need to have a browser that supports flash. Sorry iPhone users, I feel your pain.
11:06 AM Aug 19th via web
I had to hold this in for sixteen months. Twenty-eight if you count design. The fact that I didn't burst something is a medical miracle.
10:48 AM Aug 19th via web
@elektrotal It's hard for me to link to it. Go to magicthegathering.com and look around.
10:19 AM Aug 19th via web in reply to elektrotal
How long did it take me to accomplish the goal announced last night? 13 years! Persistence and stubbornness pay off.
10:15 AM Aug 19th via web
Yes, the mechanic revealed last night is in Scars of Mirrodon. It plays an important role as you will see.
9:03 AM Aug 19th via Echofon
For those wondering why we didn't use the Future Sight keyword, my first Scars of Mirrodin column will explain why not.
9:58 PM Aug 18th via Echofon
Re: Tonight's surprise - I may have had a little something to do with it.
9:56 PM Aug 18th via Echofon
You might want to check out magicthegathering.com tonight. There's something pretty cool if you can find it.
9:27 PM Aug 18th via Echofon
Some of the things to note:
- Rosewater confirms the interaction of infect with pump.
- Rosewater emphasizes that infect is NOT strictly better or worse than wither.
- Rosewater hints that indestructible is going to appear with some frequency in the set.
- Rosewater wrote, "If you want to figure out what Scars is up to, look back to Mirrodin. [...] When we made Mirrdon many years ago, we had the story of Scars in our mind. What happens in Scars is foreshadowed in Mirrodin block."
- Poison will have answers.
- Poison will play a major role in the block and is in the set for a good reason. It is important for the block from a "big picture standpoint."
I'm not at liberty to explain why infect is in the set from a big picture standpoint but once all is revealed you will see it's important.
about 2 hours ago via web
Hmm, why would infect be in the set and be important from a big picture standpoint? A good reason could be that poison is part of an overall Alternate Win Conditions theme of the set.
Could you guys involved in the various arguments (stretching over the last two pages) about +1/+1 counters please either start a new thread dedicated to +1/+1 counters or discuss it in the "SOM subtheme: Counters Matter?" thread instead of derailing this Alternate Win Conditions thread? Thanks.
Rich Hagon: "In five words or less, what do you think of your semifinal match?"
Shouta Yasooka: "Good matchup...but Finkel."
Ha ha ha lol, hilarious.
Suppose Cassandra then discovers a way to DELAY (but not ultimately prevent) that doomsday event by one year, so that it occurs exactly six years from now instead of five years from now. She goes ahead and implements the delay, thereby granting most of humanity one additional year of life.
Doomsday arrives on year 6, and indeed, 99.99+% of humanity dies, leaving a small number of survivors.
Now, here's the philosophical question for this thread: Did Cassandra accomplish anything meaningful or of value by delaying doomsday for one year, or is what she did meaningless/worthless because doomsday still arrived anyway with only a fairly minimal delay? Is Cassandra a success or a failure?
Seconded. It's definitely a problem for computer programs and scripts that make use of Gatherer.
WotC really dropped the ball with the lack of color indicators in Gatherer.
The official card reference now has incomplete information on card characteristics. Especially bad for new players looking up old cards and for judges.
Probably most egregious in the case of Transguild Courier. With neither Oracle text nor color indicator giving its colors...
tl;dr summary:
(1) New MTG comic book series this fall.
(2) Contains alt-art promo cards.
(3) Introduces new planeswalker character.
Also, this thread as well. Clearly, the Phyrexian invasion of Earth begins with the infection of the leaders of the countries of Earth.
If so, then the question arises: would they win?
"Until end of turn" is not "at end of turn."
Looks like all the speculation about a fifth set, etc., is all wrong. We're going to have to look for some other sort of explanation to account for the Dark Ascension, New Phyrexia, and Mirrodin Pure trademarks.
Fixed! (You left out the word "out".)
It's even more ridiculous when you consider the ones who narrowly missed T8:
9. Kenny Oberg (the Tezzerator)
10. Terry Soh (Rakdos Augermage)
11. LSV
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptams10/welcome
10th Pro Tour Top 8? Crazy.
It's really cool to see the two greatest MTG players in history coming back and proving they can still play (Finkel with PT Kuala Lumpur 2008 and now Budde with PT Amsterdam 2010).
Who's going to be watching the webcast?
And thanks for running the number crunch.
Some of the things to note:
- Rosewater confirms the interaction of infect with pump.
- Rosewater emphasizes that infect is NOT strictly better or worse than wither.
- Rosewater hints that indestructible is going to appear with some frequency in the set.
- Rosewater wrote, "If you want to figure out what Scars is up to, look back to Mirrodin. [...] When we made Mirrdon many years ago, we had the story of Scars in our mind. What happens in Scars is foreshadowed in Mirrodin block."
- Poison will have answers.
- Poison will play a major role in the block and is in the set for a good reason. It is important for the block from a "big picture standpoint."
Hmm, why would infect be in the set and be important from a big picture standpoint? A good reason could be that poison is part of an overall Alternate Win Conditions theme of the set.