Keep in mind that EDH is meant to be a format for kitchen table players - people who know each other, bound by mutual respect, following a polite agreement that everybody gets to have fun and nobody should be a jerk.
This also explains a lot about the RC's philosophy. They ban cards and make rules changes based on what they, personally, find fun or unfun. It isn't meant to be rigorous in any way... and that shows. Rules changes that many players have been clamoring for for years get ignored (poison counters to 20, limiting extra turns) while other rules changes come out of nowhere (tuck rule).
The RC's attitude if you don't like it is to convince your playgroup to implement a house rule. The easy analogy here is open source software: if you don't like the canonical version, modify it yourself.
This all breaks down when sitting down in a competitive environment with strangers. Even if we mutually respect each other and want to just have fun, what your playgroup considers bad behavior might be different from mine. Maybe you hate two-card infinite combos like Mike and Trike while I hate decks that generate huge amounts of mana too quickly with cards like Gaea's Cradle. Everybody has a different idea of what "don't be a jerk" means.
I don't want Wizards to take over EDH, but I do think there's room for a competitive version. Before last month's rules update, I felt that French (aka Duel) Commander filled that niche nicely. But the change to 20 life and the subsequent unbanning of problem cards like Grindstone have thrown that up in the air.
Before November, I strongly felt that any organized or semi-organized play, where there any prizes or even a semblance of competitiveness, should be using the French Commander banlist... even in multiplayer. I'm cautiously optimistic that French Commander will find its footing again.
The high-value cards in wide-release (ie, not Arsenal) Commander products are almost always new cards with applications in Legacy (True-Name Nemesis, Flusterstorm, etc.).
I can't remember if a Commander (other than Arsenal) product has ever had a reprint worth over $20. Oblivion Stone, I guess? That's probably the only one.
Personally, I'm excited for new-frame reprints of Dragon Mage, Black Market, and Stroke of Genius... because I'm one of those weirdos who actually prefers the new card frame.
I love both sets. As a draft environment, I prefer MM2 over MM1 (though this is like saying I prefer a fine wine over a good beer - I'm going to enjoy it either way).
Here is why I like MM2 over MM1:
More color flexibility: in MM1, nongreen mana fixing was weak. We had Vivid lands, Manamorphose, and Paradise Mantle at UC. At C you had Terramorphic Expanse and a cycle of basic landcycling. In MM2, we have Evolving Wilds, Sphere of the Suns, and Wayfarer's Bauble at C. (Smokebraider, too, if you want to count that.) At UC we have Ravnica karoo-lands. I see a lot more viable 3-color decks in MM2 than I did in MM1.
More archetype flexibility. Half of the archetypes in MM1 were tribal (WB Rebels, WR Giants, WG Fungus, UB Faeries, BR Goblins) and the tribal cards were very focused. UB was faeries and faeries were UB and that was that. In MM2 we only have two tribes (Spirits and Elementals) and the Elemental deck can go either RG or UR. In MM1, if you were drafting one of those color pairs, you were tribal. Full stop. In MM2, you can still draft a reasonable UR tempo deck or WB token/sac deck if you can't go tribal.
MM2 archetypes have more overlap. For example, the BR bloodthirst deck can pick cards meant for the UB proliferate deck which can pick cards meant for the UG graft deck, and so on.
Less reliance on specific cards. MM1 Rebels needed Amrou Scout or Blightspeaker in your opening hand, otherwise you mulled until you found one. MM1's UR deck was amazing if you drafted 3 Dampen Thoughts, decent if you got 2, and poor otherwise. BG dredge wanted Worm Harvests.
(Slightly) more viable 5-color deck. I drafted the sunburst deck in MM1 exactly once, and only because I was passed Progenitus. Sunburst artifacts and domain just weren't good enough otherwise. In MM2, Dragonsoul Knight and Worldheart Phoenix mean the deck is a little less gimmicky.
Better archetype balance. MM1's affinity deck was brutal. MM2's is fair and there is more artifact removal at common. BG suspend waa a close second place. The lessened reliance on specific cards and the improved color flexibility means that other archetypes are more viable.
I also have a slightly irrational dislike of the MM1 Fungus deck, because it led to too many stalled games that went to time. And I got pretty tired of pulling those mythic dragons.
That said, things I miss about MM1:
Bulldozing people with absurd affinity decks.
Suspend. Fun mechanic. I'm sorry its gone.
Dampen Thought was hilarious when it worked.
This also explains a lot about the RC's philosophy. They ban cards and make rules changes based on what they, personally, find fun or unfun. It isn't meant to be rigorous in any way... and that shows. Rules changes that many players have been clamoring for for years get ignored (poison counters to 20, limiting extra turns) while other rules changes come out of nowhere (tuck rule).
The RC's attitude if you don't like it is to convince your playgroup to implement a house rule. The easy analogy here is open source software: if you don't like the canonical version, modify it yourself.
This all breaks down when sitting down in a competitive environment with strangers. Even if we mutually respect each other and want to just have fun, what your playgroup considers bad behavior might be different from mine. Maybe you hate two-card infinite combos like Mike and Trike while I hate decks that generate huge amounts of mana too quickly with cards like Gaea's Cradle. Everybody has a different idea of what "don't be a jerk" means.
I don't want Wizards to take over EDH, but I do think there's room for a competitive version. Before last month's rules update, I felt that French (aka Duel) Commander filled that niche nicely. But the change to 20 life and the subsequent unbanning of problem cards like Grindstone have thrown that up in the air.
Before November, I strongly felt that any organized or semi-organized play, where there any prizes or even a semblance of competitiveness, should be using the French Commander banlist... even in multiplayer. I'm cautiously optimistic that French Commander will find its footing again.
I can't remember if a Commander (other than Arsenal) product has ever had a reprint worth over $20. Oblivion Stone, I guess? That's probably the only one.
Personally, I'm excited for new-frame reprints of Dragon Mage, Black Market, and Stroke of Genius... because I'm one of those weirdos who actually prefers the new card frame.
Karador's ability is a cost reduction effect, which works on additional costs.
Here is why I like MM2 over MM1:
I also have a slightly irrational dislike of the MM1 Fungus deck, because it led to too many stalled games that went to time. And I got pretty tired of pulling those mythic dragons.
That said, things I miss about MM1:
Bulldozing people with absurd affinity decks.
Suspend. Fun mechanic. I'm sorry its gone.
Dampen Thought was hilarious when it worked.