I know that the standard format typically costs more than other formats to keep up with, but does the new rotation seem more ridiculous than normal, or is it just me?
Not to mention that there are dozens other cards that would go for $5+. I know - it sounds like I'm whining about card prices, and there is a little bit of that; I'm more irritated at Wizards than I ever have been because of the impact that mythics have had on competitive Magic. I guess I'm just more amazed that so many people on here listing their decks for critique can afford what must be $150+ competitive decks. I'm lucky I can trade some of my older cards away, because I don't have the money to spend on new ones, but as a teacher I know that a lot of kids that just don't have the capital to compete on this level.
So I guess my question is this - do you expect this to level off, or when the meta becomes more established will this just push the chase rares and mythics even higher?
There are budget decks and budget solutions to a lot of what you just posted.
Moreover, if you camp the Sales Lot on MTGS you can find a lot of this stuff for cheaper (I've never payed more than $20 for Elspeth)
So I guess my question is this - do you expect this to level off, or when the meta becomes more established will this just push the chase rares and mythics even higher?
Yes and... yes?
I expect several of these cards to plummet in value. Whether most of them drop below your $10 mark (is $10 really too much?) is probably pushing it.
I also expect some more cards not on that list to hit $10. I don't know which ones because the meta is so up in the air right now. There are, obviously, all sorts of predictions floating around.
A number of the cards you posted are not competitive necessities (Nissa, Progenitus, etc).
I expect that some cards will go up once there's some pro tourneys (2-4 sleepers, 4-8 chase rares), some cards will go down once there's some pro tourney's (~4 overhyped deck specific rares, 4-8 meta infeasible good cards), and most of Zendikar will drop in price since new sets are always overpriced.
Personally, I think that the current meta is looking to have a number of competitive budget decks and that having ~4 cards in the super-$20 range is not out of line for recent Standard.
There will almost always be a few good Tier 2 decks that come in at a decent cost, like RB Aggro isn't that expensive for instance, but Standard does tend to be pricier to keep up with by its very nature. I generally only play budget/lower-cost decks in standard anymore and play the more pricey stuff in Extended, since I know my investment will last much longer. But if you want to play a Tier 1 deck in Standard, prepare to violate your wallet.
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Decks
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite) Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks) Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks) Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
One thing one player at FNM sugests to do is this. Fine a Tier 1 decklist, then see what cards can be replaced with cheaper subtitutes. Just because a deck has Baneslayer Angel does not automatically make it Tier 1, it depends on how the deck works as a whole.
One thing one player at FNM sugests to do is this. Fine a Tier 1 decklist, then see what cards can be replaced with cheaper subtitutes. Just because a deck has Baneslayer Angel does not automatically make it Tier 1, it depends on how the deck works as a whole.
Alas, for most decks, most of their cost lies in their manabase, even now. Swapping chase rares only gets you so far...
prices go up not down. Wizards prints better cards not worse ones.
If you dont like it build a legacy deck or a vintage deck. No mana ichorid is straight up cheeper than some standard decks (800 for baazars 50 for the rest of the deck lol) and will be good forever. Threshold ranges from 700 to 1000 but has been good for years and years and years (I think 5?)
Standard costs you 500$ per deck, with the deck dropping to about 200 post rotation. Guess what, that means this format is by far the most expensive because you can resell your old decks so at no time (other than time of useage) are you really down money, your just locked in. Its like buying a home vs buying a car. One goes up in value the other goes down in value.
Clearly this is just another whine thread, I'm suprised they took the other sticky down. On that point I'll still contribute one of the continually reposted arguements. Next someone will counter argue something else that's frivolous then in the end the discussion will get us nowhere.
On to the point. Competitive magic costs money, and lots of it. This game is tailored to make money, and secondary market prices are nothing wizards can control. If you get fed up that mindbreak trap costs 15$, it isn't wizards fault they printed a good card that people want. They have them all over the place for a low cost of 4$ or less a pack. You just need to find the right one. It's a ploy to make you purchase boosters so they make money and lots of it. They aren't concerned if you can't play competitively either because the game is fun and they expect you to take it as that.
Honestly I was thinking about going on a rant for longer but I think I'll end it on wizards want money. I want halo ODST but not for 70 bucks. Do as I do, and just don't buy it.
I know that the standard format typically costs more than other formats to keep up with, but does the new rotation seem more ridiculous than normal, or is it just me?
Not to mention that there are dozens other cards that would go for $5+. I know - it sounds like I'm whining about card prices, and there is a little bit of that; I'm more irritated at Wizards than I ever have been because of the impact that mythics have had on competitive Magic. I guess I'm just more amazed that so many people on here listing their decks for critique can afford what must be $150+ competitive decks. I'm lucky I can trade some of my older cards away, because I don't have the money to spend on new ones, but as a teacher I know that a lot of kids that just don't have the capital to compete on this level.
So I guess my question is this - do you expect this to level off, or when the meta becomes more established will this just push the chase rares and mythics even higher?
very few of these are more than 40 for a set, and lotus cobra isn't even played, blue fetches aren't played in standard, nicol bolas is casual crap, tezzeret sarkhan ajani goldmane sorin are all not played, progenitus not played. etc
Clearly this is just another whine thread, I'm suprised they took the other sticky down. On that point I'll still contribute one of the continually reposted arguements. Next someone will counter argue something else that's frivolous then in the end the discussion will get us nowhere.
On to the point. Competitive magic costs money, and lots of it. This game is tailored to make money, and secondary market prices are nothing wizards can control. If you get fed up that mindbreak trap costs 15$, it isn't wizards fault they printed a good card that people want. They have them all over the place for a low cost of 4$ or less a pack. You just need to find the right one. It's a ploy to make you purchase boosters so they make money and lots of it. They aren't concerned if you can't play competitively either because the game is fun and they expect you to take it as that.
Honestly I was thinking about going on a rant for longer but I think I'll end it on wizards want money. I want halo ODST but not for 70 bucks. Do as I do, and just don't buy it.
^ Win. Especially the ODST bit :D.
More players want card X, more card X will cost, and WotC has squat to do with it.
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Decks
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite) Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks) Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks) Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
Personally the current standard seems WAY cheaper than all other environments I've played in before. I saw the title of this thread and was expecting that type of response.
Listing lots of cards that cost a fair amount is pointless because you will not be playing nearly all of those cards in a deck. Actually, due to the ridiculously wide range of decks out now, it's possible to make decks which are very good and also very cheap, which use little to none of those "expensive" cards which you've posted above.
And some of them are dumb... like... Progenitus? Nissa Revane? Sorin Markov? These are seeing 0 play in competitive decks, which brings the list down even further.
As for the fact that Standard does indeed still cost some money, I'll hold back from posting any of the million reasons/answers for this that have already been posted. Instead, you can just read this previous post right here:
Clearly this is just another whine thread, I'm suprised they took the other sticky down. On that point I'll still contribute one of the continually reposted arguements. Next someone will counter argue something else that's frivolous then in the end the discussion will get us nowhere.
On to the point. Competitive magic costs money, and lots of it. This game is tailored to make money, and secondary market prices are nothing wizards can control. If you get fed up that mindbreak trap costs 15$, it isn't wizards fault they printed a good card that people want. They have them all over the place for a low cost of 4$ or less a pack. You just need to find the right one. It's a ploy to make you purchase boosters so they make money and lots of it. They aren't concerned if you can't play competitively either because the game is fun and they expect you to take it as that.
Honestly I was thinking about going on a rant for longer but I think I'll end it on wizards want money. I want halo ODST but not for 70 bucks. Do as I do, and just don't buy it.
Okay I want to share my secret to consitantly playing standard while not loosing a fourtune. First off 300$ a year for cards really is not that unreasonable but it does not even really have to cost $300. Take for isntant last seasons 4 color control. Now this deck when properly built was by no means a budget deck and I did not keep recietes but I easily spent $300 on it. here is the thing two month before the rotation I sold off all of my cards on ebay. I made about $240 of it back. With that deck I played in 10 FNM magics costing $5 each and won prizes in 7 of those which won me a total of $100 worth of cards. Now if you do all the math I spent about $350 dollars and won/ sold cards worth $340 so it cost me $10 to have fun and paly a season of magic (and pick up a few sets of less valuable cards I did not sell) If you keep every deck you ever make yes cards are expensive but if you buy competitive decks play in tournaments and sell your competitive deck before rotation you don't loose that much money and you pick up valuable commons and uncommon for casual decks with your friends.
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Originally Posted by badjuju
As the Last of the Control Players, we are all part of a sacred brotherhood; a band of brothers who would rather die on their knees tapping islands and giving permission than live on our feet cascading into Blightning.
if you buy competitive decks play in tournaments and sell your competitive deck before rotation you don't loose that much money and you pick up valuable commons and uncommon for casual decks with your friends.
I get the jist of what your saying, but it's just shy of selling out. Sorry but I don't usually splurge on decks that I KNOW will win me money back, that destroys so much of the game. Starting off from scratch and figuring out on one's own what works and what doesn't, is where the fun is. Oddly enough, maybe that's why I don't like selling cards or decks that I put together myself, where as "competitive" players didn't create the deck on their own so why should they keep something that they have no attachment to other than the prizes is let them reap?
I think getting started seems more costly from the outside than those who have experience with the game and prices.
Awesome lists of cards WILL be forced into some type of competitive play, even if they fail, because some people strive to find use for the junk cards people rarely take notice to.
Sure if you went out and bought, card for card, a tier one deck, it would set you back a bunch. If you play limited at all, you should have at least some trade bait. I have 2 BSA but i just traded up for them, and it wasnt that hard (besides finding someone willing to trade...)
Try the Crypt Combo deck. It's relatively cheap, as long as you don't mind switching out Banefire for Consume Spirit. The rest of the nonlands all cost less than $1, and most of them are under a dime.
You could also do what you can to get a playset of Vampire Nocturnus. The rest of a Vamp Aggro deck is pretty cheap.
And you can find lot of those cards for under $10. Check Card Shark to find lots of great deals. Banefire is about $4. Almost all other cards are cheaper than they are on eBay. Sure, you'll still be paying a pretty penny for a nice tier 1 deck, but it's still a pretty good way to buy.
And remember, just because a card is expensive doesn't mean that it is better than a card that is inexpensive. Expensive cards are cards that a staples in any deck that runs that color (Baneslayer, Rare Lands, Lightning Bolt, Path to Exile, etc.). If you can build a deck that runs cards that are equally powerful, but not as versatile in other decks, you can build an equally powerful deck pretty cheaply.
I actually just posted my MBC deck in the budget forum- when I was working on it I wasn't designing it to be Budget but it definitely is. About 1/2 the cost comes from Liliana Vess and Gargoyle Castles, and honestly, the deck does not need those to function, so if if you want to get yourself a cheap and (i think) good deck, check it out here:MBC Budget Thread
I spent $90 on the two prerelease events and the launch party for Zendikar, and with the product I got, plus prizes and stuff I built my Vampire deck for competitive play (nocturnus set, 2 sorins, bloodghasts, bloodwithces, etc) plus angels for my casual angel deck and some good cards for my other casuals.
If you're a good trader and get a little bit of luck (Foil Mindbreak for example :glee:) building a great deck costs much less.
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Yes sir, I take fantasy art and character design commissions, PM me for rates.
prices go up not down. Wizards prints better cards not worse ones.
If you dont like it build a legacy deck or a vintage deck. No mana ichorid is straight up cheeper than some standard decks (800 for baazars 50 for the rest of the deck lol) and will be good forever. Threshold ranges from 700 to 1000 but has been good for years and years and years (I think 5?)
Standard costs you 500$ per deck, with the deck dropping to about 200 post rotation. Guess what, that means this format is by far the most expensive because you can resell your old decks so at no time (other than time of useage) are you really down money, your just locked in. Its like buying a home vs buying a car. One goes up in value the other goes down in value.
this is why I am getting out of competitive magic (for good i think this time)...the game is a HUGE money sink. It honestly is more costly to play than warhammer 40k which is infamous for being overpriced.
Standard decks don't always cost $500 or more (some do), but still...
I wish I had the cash for 3 more bazaars to run ichorid, of course many ichorid lists run power now days...
Think I am going to switch over to Shadowfist and Redemption (both have been around forever and are unlikely to disappear soon...'fist has a new set coming soon and redemption just had its own version of "from the vault" come out recently.)
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"But then are we most in order when we are most out of order."-Jack Cade
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
I truly believe that the new attitude in terms of mythic rare design is driving up costs.
Furthermore, with Lorwyn gone and Alara block poised as the main body of cards supplementing Zendikar you have the wonderful problem of Alara being a Multicolor intensive block with relatively little effective mana fixing.
Now Zendikar may be less color intensive, but it is if anything more land intensive...I foresee Naya landfall and other competitive builds requiring maximum fetchlands to run at top efficiency, it's no longer just about your mana base or curve, its about 2 for 1 landfall.
Seems perfectly designed to force players into buying the new (and rather costly) fetchlands en' masse.
I think White Weenie is going to see ALOT of play in addition to Monoblack Vampires when it comes to people breaking into the new standard.
They are decks that can be built with relatively few rare lands or mythic rares, and also conveniently line up with some of the pre-constructed decks. They also have elegant simplicity, both in attack plan and construction, in a rather compacted and untested standard format.
1) Strict Superiority of Cards
15 years ago when a friend came up with a killer deck, we went to our collection to figure out how to beat it. Now we go to gatherer. This is because people are stuck on the idea of strict superiority - a card or a deck being able to outperform others in all settings. And of course, we as humans aren't comfortable knowing something better is out there. Compare Baneslayer's value to Battlegrace Angel. Then ask yourself if $30 a card is a fair price to pay for first strike and lifelink on the defensive.
2) Diverse v. Local
Pro decks are tuned for a tournament environment where there is a lingering uncertainty about what will show up. You used to know what cards your friend down the street did and didn't have in his box. And for that matter, you still know what decks your friends at the local card shop are and aren't playing. But of course, for some reason people feel like they need to tune for what they view as the most competitive setting that exits, even when most people never tread there. We're human. We all like to think that we're masters of our own universe, which is the main reason a lot of people continue to play.
3) Established Standings
Six months into the season, no one is messing around with untested decks. In some circles, you even take flak for it if you show up with one. I know that on Modo, whenever I show up with an original decklist that takes the first few rounds I always get a ton of spam from opponents about how bad of a player I am and how lucky I got. And when you add this to the inherent conceptual difficulty of building a worthy decklist, most people just give up.
Consequently, cards that are used are going to be used universally. Cards that aren't are going to be shelved.
Kids don't play this game anymore. We do.
What's really funny is the assurance we got from Rosewater that mythics wouldn't all be tournament staples. Now we see that a mono-colored 2/1 for 2, something that has close to zero timmy value, is the most powerful card in the new set.
One thing one player at FNM sugests to do is this. Fine a Tier 1 decklist, then see what cards can be replaced with cheaper subtitutes. Just because a deck has Baneslayer Angel does not automatically make it Tier 1, it depends on how the deck works as a whole.
Sorry but there is no substitute for Baneslayer Agnel. The reason why BSA is good is because she is the best creature; no other creature can race her that doesn't cost an absurd amount of mana. My point is that you can't really substitute for the power cards; you would be lucky to win a single game. So if you want to win then it does seem like you have to spend a lot. I think I agree with the original post.
prices go up not down. Wizards prints better cards not worse ones.
Well, if everything they print is good, shouldn't that DECREASE the value of the cards a a whole?
SEriously, Wizards needs to start selling singles themselves. I'm sure if they sold them at the same price (maybe 10-20% more?) as the current online vendors it would knock a good 30% off the prices. If Wizards id about those random moneygrabs, right?
It's understandable blue control players would be shocked and in denial at the notion of this card, since their decks have been dominating multiple formats for an eternity yet they've curiously never once had to deal with any counter-hosers that weren't ineffectual, narrow CRAP.
If you are paying more than 7$ for Banefire you are getting ripped off.
They Sttarted a Column on ChannelFireball.com about picking a deck an developing it over time. You don't really need all the best cards. Just the one's for your deck.
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PTQ Top 8: 11/21/2009 Zendikar Sealed 4th
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A playset of Elspeth, Baneslayer Angel, or Lotus Cobra will each set you back $100, which means that, at most, the non-hardcore tournament player is going to be able to afford 2 non-cracked copies of any one of them. Right now there are 26 cards that would cost more than $10 apiece on Ebay
Banefire
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Knight of the Reliquary
Maelstrom Pulse
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Noble Hierarch
Progenitus
Rafiq of the Many
Sarkhan Vol
Tezzeret the Seeker
Ajani Goldmane
Baneslayer Angel
Garruk Wildspeaker
Vampire Nocturuns
Great Sable Stag
Lotus Cobra
Mindbreak Trap
Nissa Revane
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Sorin Markov
Arid Mesa
Day of Judgement
Marsh Flats
Misty Rainforest
Scalding Tarn
Verdant Catacombs
Not to mention that there are dozens other cards that would go for $5+. I know - it sounds like I'm whining about card prices, and there is a little bit of that; I'm more irritated at Wizards than I ever have been because of the impact that mythics have had on competitive Magic. I guess I'm just more amazed that so many people on here listing their decks for critique can afford what must be $150+ competitive decks. I'm lucky I can trade some of my older cards away, because I don't have the money to spend on new ones, but as a teacher I know that a lot of kids that just don't have the capital to compete on this level.
So I guess my question is this - do you expect this to level off, or when the meta becomes more established will this just push the chase rares and mythics even higher?
Moreover, if you camp the Sales Lot on MTGS you can find a lot of this stuff for cheaper (I've never payed more than $20 for Elspeth)
Yes and... yes?
I expect several of these cards to plummet in value. Whether most of them drop below your $10 mark (is $10 really too much?) is probably pushing it.
I also expect some more cards not on that list to hit $10. I don't know which ones because the meta is so up in the air right now. There are, obviously, all sorts of predictions floating around.
I expect that some cards will go up once there's some pro tourneys (2-4 sleepers, 4-8 chase rares), some cards will go down once there's some pro tourney's (~4 overhyped deck specific rares, 4-8 meta infeasible good cards), and most of Zendikar will drop in price since new sets are always overpriced.
Personally, I think that the current meta is looking to have a number of competitive budget decks and that having ~4 cards in the super-$20 range is not out of line for recent Standard.
Spam infraction.
- SC
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite)
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks)
Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks)
Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
Standard
Waiting for Innistrad...
Extended
Hah!
Modern
Living End Cascade (RGB)
Legacy
Burn
Vintage
None
Casual
WB Aggro-Control
Green Stompy
Pink Floyd (UWr Wall Control)
Lunch Box (Fatty ramp)
D-Bag (White Control)
Level 13 Task Mage
Alas, for most decks, most of their cost lies in their manabase, even now. Swapping chase rares only gets you so far...
Damn... I had to buy 4 online for 23 a piece... I am a broke broke University student.
This is a highly underrated format.
If you dont like it build a legacy deck or a vintage deck. No mana ichorid is straight up cheeper than some standard decks (800 for baazars 50 for the rest of the deck lol) and will be good forever. Threshold ranges from 700 to 1000 but has been good for years and years and years (I think 5?)
Standard costs you 500$ per deck, with the deck dropping to about 200 post rotation. Guess what, that means this format is by far the most expensive because you can resell your old decks so at no time (other than time of useage) are you really down money, your just locked in. Its like buying a home vs buying a car. One goes up in value the other goes down in value.
Wizards in relation to modern.
"The bannings will continue until attendance improves."
Not sure if trolling or just very stupid.:fry:
On to the point. Competitive magic costs money, and lots of it. This game is tailored to make money, and secondary market prices are nothing wizards can control. If you get fed up that mindbreak trap costs 15$, it isn't wizards fault they printed a good card that people want. They have them all over the place for a low cost of 4$ or less a pack. You just need to find the right one. It's a ploy to make you purchase boosters so they make money and lots of it. They aren't concerned if you can't play competitively either because the game is fun and they expect you to take it as that.
Honestly I was thinking about going on a rant for longer but I think I'll end it on wizards want money. I want halo ODST but not for 70 bucks. Do as I do, and just don't buy it.
Thanks spiderboy4 from High~Light Studios
Member of Team Revolution
very few of these are more than 40 for a set, and lotus cobra isn't even played, blue fetches aren't played in standard, nicol bolas is casual crap, tezzeret sarkhan ajani goldmane sorin are all not played, progenitus not played. etc
^ Win. Especially the ODST bit :D.
More players want card X, more card X will cost, and WotC has squat to do with it.
Commander
Ezuri, Renegade Leader (Aggro/Combo - Favorite)
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (Sac and Grave hijinks)
Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Landfall hijinks)
Kaalia of the Vast (Heavily modded)
Standard
Waiting for Innistrad...
Extended
Hah!
Modern
Living End Cascade (RGB)
Legacy
Burn
Vintage
None
Casual
WB Aggro-Control
Green Stompy
Pink Floyd (UWr Wall Control)
Lunch Box (Fatty ramp)
D-Bag (White Control)
Level 13 Task Mage
Listing lots of cards that cost a fair amount is pointless because you will not be playing nearly all of those cards in a deck. Actually, due to the ridiculously wide range of decks out now, it's possible to make decks which are very good and also very cheap, which use little to none of those "expensive" cards which you've posted above.
And some of them are dumb... like... Progenitus? Nissa Revane? Sorin Markov? These are seeing 0 play in competitive decks, which brings the list down even further.
As for the fact that Standard does indeed still cost some money, I'll hold back from posting any of the million reasons/answers for this that have already been posted. Instead, you can just read this previous post right here:
I get the jist of what your saying, but it's just shy of selling out. Sorry but I don't usually splurge on decks that I KNOW will win me money back, that destroys so much of the game. Starting off from scratch and figuring out on one's own what works and what doesn't, is where the fun is. Oddly enough, maybe that's why I don't like selling cards or decks that I put together myself, where as "competitive" players didn't create the deck on their own so why should they keep something that they have no attachment to other than the prizes is let them reap?
I think getting started seems more costly from the outside than those who have experience with the game and prices.
Awesome lists of cards WILL be forced into some type of competitive play, even if they fail, because some people strive to find use for the junk cards people rarely take notice to.
Trades = http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=4602991#post4602991
You could also do what you can to get a playset of Vampire Nocturnus. The rest of a Vamp Aggro deck is pretty cheap.
And you can find lot of those cards for under $10. Check Card Shark to find lots of great deals. Banefire is about $4. Almost all other cards are cheaper than they are on eBay. Sure, you'll still be paying a pretty penny for a nice tier 1 deck, but it's still a pretty good way to buy.
And remember, just because a card is expensive doesn't mean that it is better than a card that is inexpensive. Expensive cards are cards that a staples in any deck that runs that color (Baneslayer, Rare Lands, Lightning Bolt, Path to Exile, etc.). If you can build a deck that runs cards that are equally powerful, but not as versatile in other decks, you can build an equally powerful deck pretty cheaply.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
If you're a good trader and get a little bit of luck (Foil Mindbreak for example :glee:) building a great deck costs much less.
this is why I am getting out of competitive magic (for good i think this time)...the game is a HUGE money sink. It honestly is more costly to play than warhammer 40k which is infamous for being overpriced.
Standard decks don't always cost $500 or more (some do), but still...
I wish I had the cash for 3 more bazaars to run ichorid, of course many ichorid lists run power now days...
Think I am going to switch over to Shadowfist and Redemption (both have been around forever and are unlikely to disappear soon...'fist has a new set coming soon and redemption just had its own version of "from the vault" come out recently.)
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die."
- H.P. Lovecraft
Furthermore, with Lorwyn gone and Alara block poised as the main body of cards supplementing Zendikar you have the wonderful problem of Alara being a Multicolor intensive block with relatively little effective mana fixing.
Now Zendikar may be less color intensive, but it is if anything more land intensive...I foresee Naya landfall and other competitive builds requiring maximum fetchlands to run at top efficiency, it's no longer just about your mana base or curve, its about 2 for 1 landfall.
Seems perfectly designed to force players into buying the new (and rather costly) fetchlands en' masse.
I think White Weenie is going to see ALOT of play in addition to Monoblack Vampires when it comes to people breaking into the new standard.
They are decks that can be built with relatively few rare lands or mythic rares, and also conveniently line up with some of the pre-constructed decks. They also have elegant simplicity, both in attack plan and construction, in a rather compacted and untested standard format.
Expect to see them at FNM often. Especially after this: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazin.../daily/boab/59
1) Strict Superiority of Cards
15 years ago when a friend came up with a killer deck, we went to our collection to figure out how to beat it. Now we go to gatherer. This is because people are stuck on the idea of strict superiority - a card or a deck being able to outperform others in all settings. And of course, we as humans aren't comfortable knowing something better is out there. Compare Baneslayer's value to Battlegrace Angel. Then ask yourself if $30 a card is a fair price to pay for first strike and lifelink on the defensive.
2) Diverse v. Local
Pro decks are tuned for a tournament environment where there is a lingering uncertainty about what will show up. You used to know what cards your friend down the street did and didn't have in his box. And for that matter, you still know what decks your friends at the local card shop are and aren't playing. But of course, for some reason people feel like they need to tune for what they view as the most competitive setting that exits, even when most people never tread there. We're human. We all like to think that we're masters of our own universe, which is the main reason a lot of people continue to play.
3) Established Standings
Six months into the season, no one is messing around with untested decks. In some circles, you even take flak for it if you show up with one. I know that on Modo, whenever I show up with an original decklist that takes the first few rounds I always get a ton of spam from opponents about how bad of a player I am and how lucky I got. And when you add this to the inherent conceptual difficulty of building a worthy decklist, most people just give up.
Consequently, cards that are used are going to be used universally. Cards that aren't are going to be shelved.
Kids don't play this game anymore. We do.
What's really funny is the assurance we got from Rosewater that mythics wouldn't all be tournament staples. Now we see that a mono-colored 2/1 for 2, something that has close to zero timmy value, is the most powerful card in the new set.
Sorry but there is no substitute for Baneslayer Agnel. The reason why BSA is good is because she is the best creature; no other creature can race her that doesn't cost an absurd amount of mana. My point is that you can't really substitute for the power cards; you would be lucky to win a single game. So if you want to win then it does seem like you have to spend a lot. I think I agree with the original post.
Well, if everything they print is good, shouldn't that DECREASE the value of the cards a a whole?
SEriously, Wizards needs to start selling singles themselves. I'm sure if they sold them at the same price (maybe 10-20% more?) as the current online vendors it would knock a good 30% off the prices. If Wizards id about those random moneygrabs, right?
They Sttarted a Column on ChannelFireball.com about picking a deck an developing it over time. You don't really need all the best cards. Just the one's for your deck.
PTQ Top 8: 11/21/2009 Zendikar Sealed 4th