Honestly this card makes me want to play Pop Quiz as a one or two-of in UW Control. Having an instant speed Divination where one of the cards is always a universal removal spell seems gas.
I don't understand why it's relevant that you can use Lesson cards in a maindeck as the Learn mechanic does not let you tutor for them. Agreed though that some of the colorless cards may be useful if they otherwise synergize with what a deck is already trying to do.
And MaRo said Ward will not be replacing Hexproff, they will coexist. But he did mention a week ago Hexproof is the evergreen ability most in danger of losing its evergreen status.
Yeah, I'd guess those sorts of cards will receive an update. They barely put hexproof on stuff anymore anyway, or it's conditional like on Dream Trawler. This is the sort of thing that bothers me though--why get rid of hexproof? Just print answers to it like you always have. Give us more playable edicts and wraths and hexproof is fine.
Cards look sweet so far. Learn and Lessons are cool mechanics--going to be difficult to figure out a correct balance. Both the Learn and the Lesson cards are mostly below-rate, but having consistent access to them makes them worth more than they would be otherwise. The 5 CMC (MV?) removal spell in particular is interesting--you'd never maindeck that card but having access to it when there's a weird permanent that's going to kill you is neat.
I second that the issue is less about netdecking and more about the popularity of Arena and current research and design issues.
WotC is convinced (and they have the data, so I'm not saying they're wrong) that MtG is less "fun" when your opponent can stop you from doing the stuff you want to do. Current design philosophy is heavily skewed towards threats over answers. This bums me out, because I like to play reactively.
I agree that grinding the Arena ladder just isn't super fun because when everyone can afford to play a tier 1 strategy, that's what everyone does. When you have a limited pool like in Standard, that means you get at best three or four truly viable decks. Historic is a little better, which is why I find myself playing that more than Standard these days. When I do play Standard, it's usually an event or just regular play--I usually avoid ranked.
I like having Arena as an option, but I'm very much looking forward to FNMs again because there's definitely more diversity.
From a Standard-playability standpoint, I'm not seeing it, but it's too early in the preview season to know for sure. Seems a lot closer to Dovin, Grand Arbiter than Oko or Tef3ri. Always wary of the "it's good if you already have something else going on" cards.
There are easier/better infinite combos. Ral, Storm Conduit could also let you win with two Twincasts in hand and it was meme, at best. I believe you are putting way too much confidence in Magecraft at this juncture. Seeing one six-drop card and calling shenanigans is definitely premature.
Unless there will be only 5 magecraft cards in this set, there are not. Ral is a single card, almost useless without the other combo pieces.
If magecraft will be one of the main mechanic of the set (and i think it will be) there will 10+ cards to combo with twincast (and variants), making it extremely more versatile than the Ral combo.
Really it is so hard to understand that consistency is also what makes a combo strong?
And all of this without even considering storm, bitter ordeal and chain of smog.
None of that stuff goes infinite without relying on a fragile combo costing 4+ mana, no disruption, an untap after casting the magecraft card, 3+ cards, and season's blessings. None of the cards in the combo are playable until you're comboing.
twincast is an unplayable card?
having whatever magecraft permanent on the board is hard?
paying 4 mana is hard?
not everyone is playing vintage sweetie
I mean, heck, the card that started this discussion is a six mana planeswalker that can't generate card advantage her first turn on board. If you have a 6 mana permanent, and 3 other specific cards, and access to the mana, you should just be able to win the game. It's not broken.
Feel free to post the decklist you have in mind that seems to be illiciting such an extreme reaction to such a bad card
don't worry, after the spoilers i'll surely will
Lol--cracks me up when people dig in so hard like you have here. You can't really walk your stance back at this point if you turn out to be totally wrong.
While I think this card will probably see some play just because the Magecraft trigger is so strong in control decks, I don't see any format-defining infinite combos happening any time soon. As was already mentioned, the last Standard format had a cheaper version of this in Ral (also partly his own enabler) AND an extremely functional copy spell in Expansion//Explosion, and the combo decks just didn't materialize. I think Magecraft will be good and as a control player I'm looking forward to a spell-centric set after so many creature-centric ones, but I don't think it's going to break anything with regard to generating infinite combos.
Abundant Harvest isn't banned. This is the official list:
Channel
Counterspell
Dark Ritual
Demonic Tutor
Lightning Bolt
Natural Order
Swords to Plowshares
Yeah, I'd guess those sorts of cards will receive an update. They barely put hexproof on stuff anymore anyway, or it's conditional like on Dream Trawler. This is the sort of thing that bothers me though--why get rid of hexproof? Just print answers to it like you always have. Give us more playable edicts and wraths and hexproof is fine.
Why? I think they're awesome. More decision-points = more interesting games and more chances for skilled play to matter.
That's my guess for the MDFC teaser. Either a Legendary Creature on both sides or a Planeswalker. That would be sweet.
WotC is convinced (and they have the data, so I'm not saying they're wrong) that MtG is less "fun" when your opponent can stop you from doing the stuff you want to do. Current design philosophy is heavily skewed towards threats over answers. This bums me out, because I like to play reactively.
I agree that grinding the Arena ladder just isn't super fun because when everyone can afford to play a tier 1 strategy, that's what everyone does. When you have a limited pool like in Standard, that means you get at best three or four truly viable decks. Historic is a little better, which is why I find myself playing that more than Standard these days. When I do play Standard, it's usually an event or just regular play--I usually avoid ranked.
I like having Arena as an option, but I'm very much looking forward to FNMs again because there's definitely more diversity.
Lol--cracks me up when people dig in so hard like you have here. You can't really walk your stance back at this point if you turn out to be totally wrong.
While I think this card will probably see some play just because the Magecraft trigger is so strong in control decks, I don't see any format-defining infinite combos happening any time soon. As was already mentioned, the last Standard format had a cheaper version of this in Ral (also partly his own enabler) AND an extremely functional copy spell in Expansion//Explosion, and the combo decks just didn't materialize. I think Magecraft will be good and as a control player I'm looking forward to a spell-centric set after so many creature-centric ones, but I don't think it's going to break anything with regard to generating infinite combos.