On a related note about the issues with R&D. It is my belief (and has been for several years) that WoTC is not hiring with quite the right mindset. They like to pull players with experience and knowledge of the game and some history of success. That part is great and I believe they should continue.
The main problem is they are hiring very good players but not excellent deckbuilders. The last great deckbuilder who worked for WoTC in some capacity was Zvi. WoTC can put together all the greatest players they want but if none of them are excellent deck builders the balance problems of late will continue.
Bantian MortarWG/
Creature - Human Cleric t: prevent the next 1 damage that would be delt to a creature you control. R/ Bantian Mortar gains haste until end of turn.
1/1
Though that would make the expansion way to similar to shaddowmoor/eventide
I don't think a card of this nature is grokkable enough for widespread use in a set. Maybe a whacky one-of or even a rare cycle but definitely not as a common theme. There's just too much going on.
Another thing i'd like to point out is that there are already enemy color pairs in Shards. Jhessian Infiltrator for example. I don't see much point in making the big theme of their second set somthing they already did in the first set.
I tend to agree. Ever since the theme of Alara and name of Conflux was made public I have thought that the set would cycle from 3 to 4 to 5 colors. In Conflux each shard would gain access to a fourth color of mana (which still makes them 5 unique shards but with more overlap, fitting the name especially well) and then in the final set the shards would essentially "collide" and have access to all five colors of mana with the distinction coming in flavor and mechanics instead of colored mana.
Anyone else think that is a viable path for the block?
I have to agree that Rhys seems quite underwhelming and very fragile.
Considering he is a 1/1 in a set with a large -1/-1 counter theme, I just don't see him as anything impressive. He'd be a nuisance if left alive for an entire game but otherwise he's rather meh.
OK, it does die to every removal spell... but so do all other kithkin, so I'm not sure were you're getting at. The point of a weenie deck is to keep bringing out threats and keeping dealing damage, until they run out of removal and die.
Playing creatures for free while keeping mana available for any shenanigans you have (defensive or offensive) sounds like a solid plan to me, and given the existance of the Chameleon Colossus and Thoughtweft Trio, I don't think this is a worst turn 3 play than the Anthem.
It's definitely worse than anthem in a Kithkin deck. Consider that most Kithkin decks will top out at 3 mana (4 if they are playing a couple Ajani or possibly Trio) and should have 2-3 creatures online by turn 3. So the difference is giving each of those creatures a point of additional power to attack with on turn three or casting a 2 power creature that won't attack until turn 4 is huge for a deck that wants to deal 20 as quickly as possible. Combine that with the potential of not having any soldiers in hand to put into play and it is clearly inferior for an aggro deck.
There is no IF there. Chameleon Colossus is technically an amazing Soldier, and Thoughtweft Trio is not bad either.
If the guy doesn't live a full turn, then he did his job anyway, by drawing removal from the opponent. Next turn you play your Colossus or Trio anyway. If he does survive, then you get a creature for free... having a creature in hand to drop for free in an aggro deck doesn't sound at all improbable, especially if you curve your deck up to 4cc or 5cc creatures.
Chameleon Colossus cannot be considered if you are sticking to your white soldier deck but since you brought it up... In a Doran style deck you can hard cast the Colossus on turn three with acceleration which would allow you to attack for 8 on turn 4 and more importantly you avoid the need for the Captain to survive a turn in advance. True that if you have both the captain and the Colossus and the captain survives to attack you can deal 10 on turn 4 but run the numbers for a 60 card deck and see how poor the odds are. Basic math and deckbuilding principles at work. Thoughtweft Trio would be even less damage as you still have to champion for it.
It is less playable in limited than in constructed... as it requires you to build a deck partially around him, which you are unlikely to achieve in limited.
There is no miracle required as there are already solid 4cc creatures to drop with this (Colossus and Trio). You can bet that this WILL be played in Lorwyn block, and very likely in standard too.
Anyway, for every card there is always a legion of people saying "this is unplayable" and then someone shows up with it in a tournament and does well and suddenly everyone is after it.
I got my Tarmogoyfs at $1,50 apiece, when people were still calling them unplayable, and you can bet I'll be getting my playset of these early also before they start to show up in constructed decks.
The Captain may show up in block decks but given that block will also include SHA and doughnut it is very difficult to see this card being good enough to make the cut and whether or not Soldiers will even be a viable strategy.
A question:
Given the ridiculous ease of casting multi-colored cards why would anyone building a competitive deck play this card in the 3cc slot over something like Doran?
It dies to every single removal spell not named Sunlance or Peppersmoke and the p/t is poor at best. In a dedicated Kithkin deck this card fights with Glorious Anthem in the 3 slot but is worse in almost every conceivable way.
Even if there is some amazing Soldier printed in Morningtide, this guy has to live a full turn to attack AND you have to have the other card in hand which is too many variables for anything remotely constructed worthy.
Bottom line - most good players would grimace seeing this in their sealed deck pool and barring some miracle Mor cards it is unworthy of constructed consideration. Next please.
Once Morningtide comes out, I will be sure to only draft in 84 queues on MTGO because drafting Lorwyn is already a huge pita in 4322. It is frustrating that drafting in a pool of poor players is considerably more difficult than drafting next to good ones. The games are more difficult with better players but at least the draft makes some sense.
Block Constructed counts them as one block? Well... that'll be awkward.
Given that they are mechanically and thematically different yet will still be synergistic enough to work effectively in a block setting, I offer a single card from Tenth Edition to illustrate how that synergy might work:
I highly doubt this. MaRo confirms that tribal will be a theme, and why else would they have printed a Tribal Aura -- of a relevant tribe, no less -- in Future Sight?
As one of the two major easter eggs foreshadowing Lorwyn? It would be quite humorous (and a bit ironic) if the card type only briefly mentioned on a creature's reminder text (and thus hotly debated as to whether or not it was a red herring) would actually exist whereas a card type created for Future Sight would not.
Sounds very much like Gleemax humor to me and I don't find it strange or unfathomable but I've also believed from day 1 that Planeswalker would become a card type and that tribal (the card type, not the theme) was just bait for the message boards.
20 could be:Earth Elemental and 17 possibly is: Essence Drain because you see 3 energy trails moving from the creature or planeswalker going away to another location (pressumably the other planeswalker) or Consume Spirit but definately not Terror.
The more I look at it, the more I like 17 for Essence Drain and not 13. The art matches the functionality and flavor much better.
13 is still puzzling. It could realisitically be art for Hex or Dark Banishing. The art really fits Hex the best but I did not think they would print that in a core set.
#10 may be Guerrilla Tactics (note the flames shoot from inside the jacket - a surprise means) and #13 may be Essence Drain (you can see life draining out but some of the art details make that a confusing match)
It is very possible (and perhaps even likely) that they are creating an online-only "UN" set. MaRo made brief mention during an article around the release of the last UN paper set that they knew the online folks weren't ever going to get the sets due to the complexity (and outright impossibility) to code them but that in the future there may be the chance of something online only. It was not planned at the time but it was discussed internally.
Given the release of the new client in the (near? distant?) future, the first online UN set could very much be a reality and this the very first real clue as to its existence.
edit: while they cannot do some of the bizarre human and card interactions that we are used to seeing in UN sets please keep in mind that there are still some very unique and fun design spaces that can *only* be coded online (think Momir and Jhoira avatars) so don't brush off the set (or the possibility of it) just yet.
On the other hand, the "pro blue" thing was very much in place on the piledriver. Goblins are at their best ruining a blue contol deck, it would be quite a shame to get your piledriver bounced before damage.
Piledriver was given pro-blue late in development as a foil to Dr. Teeth; being protected from bounce was a side effect.
And the real power behind goblin decks is Warchief. Without him, the power level is reasonable.
@ Alesco: I think that you're confusing Arturan with Arthurian, but I also have to disagree about some things, like the Enchantment Creatures. I hope, for the sanity of the game, that these aren't kept, because they're just stupid. I mean, we can have a creature with the same ability as any enchantment, right? So why do we need to make Enchantment Creatures? The truth is, they're unnecessary and stupid.
I rather enjoyed the interaction between Lost Auramancers and Lucent Liminids during the pre-release. A lot of the players at the draft completely missed the synergy between the cards and let them both go rather late.
The idea that a creature has another type makes it more accessible (able to be tutored for in more ways) and also makes it more vulnerable to removal. That design space is interesting and opens up a lot of new possibilities so I disagree with your "unnecessary and stupid" assessment.
The main problem is they are hiring very good players but not excellent deckbuilders. The last great deckbuilder who worked for WoTC in some capacity was Zvi. WoTC can put together all the greatest players they want but if none of them are excellent deck builders the balance problems of late will continue.
Trying to figure out an elegant three color influenced modal ultimate. Not an easy task.
I don't think a card of this nature is grokkable enough for widespread use in a set. Maybe a whacky one-of or even a rare cycle but definitely not as a common theme. There's just too much going on.
I tend to agree. Ever since the theme of Alara and name of Conflux was made public I have thought that the set would cycle from 3 to 4 to 5 colors. In Conflux each shard would gain access to a fourth color of mana (which still makes them 5 unique shards but with more overlap, fitting the name especially well) and then in the final set the shards would essentially "collide" and have access to all five colors of mana with the distinction coming in flavor and mechanics instead of colored mana.
Anyone else think that is a viable path for the block?
Considering he is a 1/1 in a set with a large -1/-1 counter theme, I just don't see him as anything impressive. He'd be a nuisance if left alive for an entire game but otherwise he's rather meh.
A competitive white soldier deck? It is a stretch to think there will be enough white soldiers printed in MOR to make that pipe dream a reality.
It's definitely worse than anthem in a Kithkin deck. Consider that most Kithkin decks will top out at 3 mana (4 if they are playing a couple Ajani or possibly Trio) and should have 2-3 creatures online by turn 3. So the difference is giving each of those creatures a point of additional power to attack with on turn three or casting a 2 power creature that won't attack until turn 4 is huge for a deck that wants to deal 20 as quickly as possible. Combine that with the potential of not having any soldiers in hand to put into play and it is clearly inferior for an aggro deck.
Chameleon Colossus cannot be considered if you are sticking to your white soldier deck but since you brought it up... In a Doran style deck you can hard cast the Colossus on turn three with acceleration which would allow you to attack for 8 on turn 4 and more importantly you avoid the need for the Captain to survive a turn in advance. True that if you have both the captain and the Colossus and the captain survives to attack you can deal 10 on turn 4 but run the numbers for a 60 card deck and see how poor the odds are. Basic math and deckbuilding principles at work. Thoughtweft Trio would be even less damage as you still have to champion for it.
The Captain may show up in block decks but given that block will also include SHA and doughnut it is very difficult to see this card being good enough to make the cut and whether or not Soldiers will even be a viable strategy.
Given the ridiculous ease of casting multi-colored cards why would anyone building a competitive deck play this card in the 3cc slot over something like Doran?
It dies to every single removal spell not named Sunlance or Peppersmoke and the p/t is poor at best. In a dedicated
Even if there is some amazing Soldier printed in Morningtide, this guy has to live a full turn to attack AND you have to have the other card in hand which is too many variables for anything remotely constructed worthy.
Bottom line - most good players would grimace seeing this in their sealed deck pool and barring some miracle Mor cards it is unworthy of constructed consideration. Next please.
Once Morningtide comes out, I will be sure to only draft in 84 queues on MTGO because drafting Lorwyn is already a huge pita in 4322. It is frustrating that drafting in a pool of poor players is considerably more difficult than drafting next to good ones. The games are more difficult with better players but at least the draft makes some sense.
Given that they are mechanically and thematically different yet will still be synergistic enough to work effectively in a block setting, I offer a single card from Tenth Edition to illustrate how that synergy might work:
Mortal Combat
Voila! Tribal and Graveyard playing in the sandbox together.
As one of the two major easter eggs foreshadowing Lorwyn? It would be quite humorous (and a bit ironic) if the card type only briefly mentioned on a creature's reminder text (and thus hotly debated as to whether or not it was a red herring) would actually exist whereas a card type created for Future Sight would not.
Sounds very much like Gleemax humor to me and I don't find it strange or unfathomable but I've also believed from day 1 that Planeswalker would become a card type and that tribal (the card type, not the theme) was just bait for the message boards.
The more I look at it, the more I like 17 for Essence Drain and not 13. The art matches the functionality and flavor much better.
13 is still puzzling. It could realisitically be art for Hex or Dark Banishing. The art really fits Hex the best but I did not think they would print that in a core set.
Given the release of the new client in the (near? distant?) future, the first online UN set could very much be a reality and this the very first real clue as to its existence.
edit: while they cannot do some of the bizarre human and card interactions that we are used to seeing in UN sets please keep in mind that there are still some very unique and fun design spaces that can *only* be coded online (think Momir and Jhoira avatars) so don't brush off the set (or the possibility of it) just yet.
Piledriver was given pro-blue late in development as a foil to Dr. Teeth; being protected from bounce was a side effect.
And the real power behind goblin decks is Warchief. Without him, the power level is reasonable.
I rather enjoyed the interaction between Lost Auramancers and Lucent Liminids during the pre-release. A lot of the players at the draft completely missed the synergy between the cards and let them both go rather late.
The idea that a creature has another type makes it more accessible (able to be tutored for in more ways) and also makes it more vulnerable to removal. That design space is interesting and opens up a lot of new possibilities so I disagree with your "unnecessary and stupid" assessment.