1. Lorwyn/Shards might of had great manabases, but you forget the major thing of that standard: the best duals were uncommon. Reflecting pool was rare, and so were hybrid lands, but tri and vivids were easy to get.
2. By having too many rare duals, you seperate decks too much. You get those who can afford $200 landbases and those who can't. The last times (besides now) there's always been a way to play around them. spreading seas and stone rain are no longer in standard. Without a cheap alternative, players end up not playing if they can't afford standard. Granted the shocks have dropped enough in price now where they are almost budget, so good job wotc.
3. I'm not against onslaught fetches returning. I'm against them returning while shocks are in standard. Maybe next year. But for now, i'm against this.
4. Collectible parasites would whine, and wotc somehow feels like they must appeal to collectors who do nothing for this game, rarely even playing it. Yes I'm biased here, but if you are investing future worth of cards, sometimes you make bad investments. Knowing when to sell is a part of playing the market. Face it, if you complain when a card gets reprinted (and drops in price) because you didn't sell it, you probably weren't going to. Therefore it wasnt worth anything.
So yes, reprint the fetches, but reprint them in a clean standard. Not the current one. You don't even have to worry about extended anymore for print times.
After Alara Reborn and Legions both not being popular (both were 100% sets), I don't think we'll see 100% sets outside of the regulars (100% mono colored or colorless, etc)
And why (at the time) legions sold well was because it appealed to timmy. Outside of Akroma, Phage, Mistform Ultimus, and Krosan Cloudscraper, name a card that changed Magic from Legions.
The Weaver King didn't herald anyone, did it? All I remember is that the King was one of Scott's worse ideas.:thumbsdown:
He heralded Leshrac's return. Who once revealed got killed by Bolas.
Also they've shown walkers we still haven't heard crap about. Nissa, Tibalt, Vraska, Tamiyo, Domri. Though I think WotC has started introducing walkers and not giving them much backstory to see if players like them first. If they don't they get no story. If they do, they get story the second time round.
And Ashiok already feels like a better UB walker then Tezzeret ever did (ability wise).
I am fairly certain that Bolas has a kill switch in Tezzeret should the latter become unruly. He is the master of Mind Rape after all.
Of course. Bolas is like the Evil, Draconic Batman of Magic. He only loses when something he didn't foresee occurs, and if given time to plan cant lose barring that. One doesn't revive an enemy without some leverage over them. Tezzeret knows this. That alone is why he doesn't step out of line.
How exactly is Damnation functionally different from a sufficiently large Mutilate? Easy, Damnation won't kill indestructible creatures.
Damnation is perfectly fine in any environment in which Mutilate is perfectly fine.
Yes and no. In a mono black deck, a turn 4 mutilate and turn 4 damnation are essentially the same, though mutilate holds the edge there. In a two color deck, a turn 4 mutilate and a turn 4 damnation are very different (assuming even division of lands).
Though I agree. If an environment can hold a four mana destroy all effect, it would be able to hold damnation. The issue is how many "good" wraths a standard can hold.
In pre-theros standard, there are at least 6 wraths, 3 at cmc 4 (divine reckoning, supreme verdict, mutilate). Out of the 6, 4 have seen play (bonfire, verdict, terminus, cleansing). Standard is rotating so only 2 remain (that i recall). This leaves a void that needs to be filled. I think if we dont see damnation this block, we'll probably see it when Supreme Verdict rotates, or at least a Day of Judgement style of damnation. A "Hell Slaughter" or "Erobos's Toll".
And if they should happen to make Tezzeret their new Father of Machines, well, then Bolas has an army of fanatics at his indirect disposal.
It's basically Win/Win for the dragon.
Cept Bolas and Tezzeret hate each other. Tezzeret did this favor as repayment for Bolas restoring his mind. They are actually rivals. If Tezzeret simply stopped doing his mission, Bolas would just kill him, and Tezzeret knows this. If Tezzeret becomes the Father of Machines, he failed his mission and Bolas kills him. Bolas would have trouble with New Phyrexia as it is, and he doesn't want to face it directly. He has more important things to do, like disappear for 3 years and with no mention. So just send a minion to stop it from gaining power. A disposable minion at that.
This thread seems to have gotten off topic somehow.
You're correct in that he had no place in Lorwyn's storyline. But his machinations were quite important to what happened on Zendikar, and his use of Tezzeret on Mirrodin pretty much confirms that he has serious plans to manipulate the Phyrexians there (although, in fairness, HOW his influence will affect Mirrodin has yet to be made clear).
Actually Bolas sent Tezzeret to Mirrodin to prevent The Phyrexians from getting a leader and therefore cause them to infight. Bolas sees Phyrexia as a threat, but one that can be delayed before it gets multiversal power. Without a Father of Machines, phyrexia has no direction.
I wouldn't bank on it. 50 shades of the same character coming to a block near you.
I know. I'm sick of Jace, Chandra (though she never really has been relevant), and Elspeth is getting there. And don't get me started with Garruk. I know he's the perfect embodiment for a green walker, but variety is nice. For mono green walkers you have the choice of Garruk, Garruk, Garruk, Garruk, or Nissa.
removal is so bad and creatures are so good. hope we get something like this soon...
That's actually on purpose. Since removal was so good and creatures were so bad for about 15 years. They are trying to balance it out now.
And you can't have regeneration be relevant if you've only printed 2 good cards with it since 2010 and made it expensive on all the other cards it appears on.
It strikes me that to justify these at rare they needed to have the land types,
as is, just adding scry 1 to a common land does not make a rare.
Again, Elfhame Palace, Boreal Shelf. golgari guildgate is the exception that proves the rule, not the rule. Outside of the plane of Ravnica, there are no common duals that enter play tapped.
ETBfT duals are uncommon unless a limited format demands it.
I would have though the Ice-age painlands would have been optimal. You can't run too many of them, but 4 is always ok.
That way they help 2 color, while making 3 color murderous for your life total (as if a burning earth just for you started in play).
One major point why I think these lands suck is, they don't treat all archtypes the same.
They are actually quite nice for control, but they are horrible for 2 color aggro.
That means RDW will reign, because they are faster than any other multicolor beatdown deck and control get's slowed down alot.
Sorry, I meant the Ice Age Depletion Lands, not the Pain lands.
And I don't think this will push mono-colored decks over the top, though they will become better. The current three color standard will probably shift to a 2 color with a possible splash. You know, back to how the original Ravnica block standard was barring 2 decks (RBW ghostway/pandemonium and RUW good stuff). I honestly don't think Wotc wanted three color decks to be as common as they were (are).
Blessing can only targetbetween 1 and 4 creatures. thrive would be better.
2. By having too many rare duals, you seperate decks too much. You get those who can afford $200 landbases and those who can't. The last times (besides now) there's always been a way to play around them. spreading seas and stone rain are no longer in standard. Without a cheap alternative, players end up not playing if they can't afford standard. Granted the shocks have dropped enough in price now where they are almost budget, so good job wotc.
3. I'm not against onslaught fetches returning. I'm against them returning while shocks are in standard. Maybe next year. But for now, i'm against this.
4. Collectible parasites would whine, and wotc somehow feels like they must appeal to collectors who do nothing for this game, rarely even playing it. Yes I'm biased here, but if you are investing future worth of cards, sometimes you make bad investments. Knowing when to sell is a part of playing the market. Face it, if you complain when a card gets reprinted (and drops in price) because you didn't sell it, you probably weren't going to. Therefore it wasnt worth anything.
So yes, reprint the fetches, but reprint them in a clean standard. Not the current one. You don't even have to worry about extended anymore for print times.
And why (at the time) legions sold well was because it appealed to timmy. Outside of Akroma, Phage, Mistform Ultimus, and Krosan Cloudscraper, name a card that changed Magic from Legions.
He heralded Leshrac's return. Who once revealed got killed by Bolas.
Also they've shown walkers we still haven't heard crap about. Nissa, Tibalt, Vraska, Tamiyo, Domri. Though I think WotC has started introducing walkers and not giving them much backstory to see if players like them first. If they don't they get no story. If they do, they get story the second time round.
And Ashiok already feels like a better UB walker then Tezzeret ever did (ability wise).
Of course. Bolas is like the Evil, Draconic Batman of Magic. He only loses when something he didn't foresee occurs, and if given time to plan cant lose barring that. One doesn't revive an enemy without some leverage over them. Tezzeret knows this. That alone is why he doesn't step out of line.
Yes and no. In a mono black deck, a turn 4 mutilate and turn 4 damnation are essentially the same, though mutilate holds the edge there. In a two color deck, a turn 4 mutilate and a turn 4 damnation are very different (assuming even division of lands).
Though I agree. If an environment can hold a four mana destroy all effect, it would be able to hold damnation. The issue is how many "good" wraths a standard can hold.
In pre-theros standard, there are at least 6 wraths, 3 at cmc 4 (divine reckoning, supreme verdict, mutilate). Out of the 6, 4 have seen play (bonfire, verdict, terminus, cleansing). Standard is rotating so only 2 remain (that i recall). This leaves a void that needs to be filled. I think if we dont see damnation this block, we'll probably see it when Supreme Verdict rotates, or at least a Day of Judgement style of damnation. A "Hell Slaughter" or "Erobos's Toll".
Cept Bolas and Tezzeret hate each other. Tezzeret did this favor as repayment for Bolas restoring his mind. They are actually rivals. If Tezzeret simply stopped doing his mission, Bolas would just kill him, and Tezzeret knows this. If Tezzeret becomes the Father of Machines, he failed his mission and Bolas kills him. Bolas would have trouble with New Phyrexia as it is, and he doesn't want to face it directly. He has more important things to do, like disappear for 3 years and with no mention. So just send a minion to stop it from gaining power. A disposable minion at that.
This thread seems to have gotten off topic somehow.
Actually Bolas sent Tezzeret to Mirrodin to prevent The Phyrexians from getting a leader and therefore cause them to infight. Bolas sees Phyrexia as a threat, but one that can be delayed before it gets multiversal power. Without a Father of Machines, phyrexia has no direction.
I know. I'm sick of Jace, Chandra (though she never really has been relevant), and Elspeth is getting there. And don't get me started with Garruk. I know he's the perfect embodiment for a green walker, but variety is nice. For mono green walkers you have the choice of Garruk, Garruk, Garruk, Garruk, or Nissa.
It's a never ending cycle. tarmogoyf, dark confident, shock lands, thoughtseize, and now damnation and zendikar fetches. Once those are printed it will change again.
That's actually on purpose. Since removal was so good and creatures were so bad for about 15 years. They are trying to balance it out now.
And you can't have regeneration be relevant if you've only printed 2 good cards with it since 2010 and made it expensive on all the other cards it appears on.
Again, Elfhame Palace, Boreal Shelf. golgari guildgate is the exception that proves the rule, not the rule. Outside of the plane of Ravnica, there are no common duals that enter play tapped.
ETBfT duals are uncommon unless a limited format demands it.
Sorry, I meant the Ice Age Depletion Lands, not the Pain lands.
And I don't think this will push mono-colored decks over the top, though they will become better. The current three color standard will probably shift to a 2 color with a possible splash. You know, back to how the original Ravnica block standard was barring 2 decks (RBW ghostway/pandemonium and RUW good stuff). I honestly don't think Wotc wanted three color decks to be as common as they were (are).