So it's pretty obvious to me that the something old will be fetchlands, especially with shocklands rotating out. They also complement scry in an interesting way, plus scrylands won't be fetchable. The fact that they would be reprinted with the new, "more secure" frame is nothing to ignore either. Seems like it would be a good time to reprint them before counterfeiters can break the new look.
The never been done before makes me think of 4-color legends, I think this goes in contrast with THS block which was (mostly) mono-color heavy with the devotion mechanic. WoTC has gone all-in on Commander. Combined with Commander 2014, it would give a lot of new interesting stuff for casual players.
If the fetchlands end up not returning, maybe the something new would be legendary duals? With the something old being... I don't know, the leyline mechanic? a simplified version of banding does make sense, that mechanic has been due for a restructuring since Alpha-Beta-Unlimited.
Well, if the block has a snow mechanic, they could actually do snow duals. Snow would be right at the same time frame as return to Mirrodin and Return to Ravnica. It would crush shocks in to uselessness, though, if they actually did snow original duals. It would also be something they've never done in printing something better than the original dual lands since they'll likely have some kind of synergy with being snow. They could even justify it this time since snow duals would have a point other than screwing people that own original duals.
Of course, I'd like something silly and un-set like double sided flip cards, but I guess good lands is fine, too.
Big absence from magic for a long time? Counterspell confirmed in new block!
Pretty unlikely but it would be really sweet. Especially since it would be useful in Modern and basically all the control goodies rotate out so it wouldnt be as oppressive as it would be now in Standard.
C'mon, R/W Sarkhan Vol! I and many others would LOVE full-art snow lands. I skipped Theros for drafting because it had such poor value, so I'm looking forward to an exciting draft environment.
I wish my 4/4s with haste and first strike that acted as Goblin Warchiefs were better and didn't die to instants and overshadowed all other 4 drops in the format. And that they had evasion too, and some way to dodge wrath effects.
I would imagine the unique event is that even though it Large Small Large, we still draft the block.
Also, I like that Sarkan brought a small chunk of Hedron with him.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I fear I won't have much time to play Magic these days.
I get to watch worlds develop around me.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
Here's the Sarkhan art, taken from the HQ video, for OP use.
I quickly made a mock-up walker card with that art, and it doesn't fit very well, his staff is really high. As usual, I don't think this is his card art, but promotional art. Happened with Chandra, Sorin, Elspeth, etc.
Well, if the block has a snow mechanic, they could actually do snow duals. Snow would be right at the same time frame as return to Mirrodin and Return to Ravnica. It would crush shocks in to uselessness, though, if they actually did snow original duals. It would also be something they've never done in printing something better than the original dual lands since they'll likely have some kind of synergy with being snow. They could even justify it this time since snow duals would have a point other than screwing people that own original duals.
Of course, I'd like something silly and un-set like double sided flip cards, but I guess good lands is fine, too.
"Yaggrael Plains enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a nonland snow permanent."
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I fear I won't have much time to play Magic these days.
I get to watch worlds develop around me.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
I feel the safest bets for what might be returning are old tribal themes like rebels and such and snow permanents. As for new....a new card type? Or maybe they're doing new combinations like enchantment lands? It's going to be fun to see what's coming up.
The something new is adding a 5th color we are getting Purple!!!!1!!!1!1!!!1111!!
No possible way magic could ever be played with 5 colors...that's just crazy-talk!
Didn't MaRo already say something about Bushido coming back but not called bushido...seems like that's the most obvious choice for old. And i'm sticking with 3-color wedge for new.
I don't think it's possible to base 2 large and 1 small set around just nomadic tribes. There will be some catch about the block lore otherwise it will be 800+ cards of "dude with bow" and "dude with bow on horse".
Another color theory seems plausible. Nomads are all about drifting from one land to another. Some variant of landfall that produces it's own color of mana maybe?
This may sound bland, but I'm thinking the unique thing about the block structure will be that all of the sets of it are to be drafted together. This, of course, is contrary to the other Large-Small-Large sets we've had where the final set is drafted is always drafted by itself, such as Avacyn Restored and Rise of the Eldrazi.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My List of Current Decks: -Modern- WMartyrProcB BBurnR -Commander-
There are two things in the block that we, the players, have been asking for for a long time. One of them is something that hasn't been done in a long time, and one other is something that hasn't been done in Magic yet.
Orc tribal and purple (jk I hope it's dark elves).
Fetchlands?
Scrylands (theros in general) are slow enough to justify that standard won't be blown up by their return
And the main reason is actually they want to lure more players into Modern - will drastically increase the numbers if they reprint fetches
Sometimes I think no one cares about new sets beyond eternal implications haha. I want snow to return just cause it's so cool and flavorful, but I don't particularly care about snow duals.
As soon as I saw Large-Small-Large, and the mention of a different block structure, I was thinking something like this: Huey comes out (drafted Huey-Huey-Huey), then Duey comes out (Duey-Huey-Huey), then Louie comes out (Louie-Louie-Duey). That would definitely mix up the draft structure and be a very cool way to make the block interesting. I was thinking that maybe like the first and third sets are two different factions and the second is the warzone in between?
The "multicolor pendulum" is meant to be at its most monocolor point for this block, so I am fairly sure we aren't looking at BizarrAlara (the Legendary Warlords and Dragons could be Wedge, though).
The never been done before makes me think of 4-color legends, I think this goes in contrast with THS block which was (mostly) mono-color heavy with the devotion mechanic. WoTC has gone all-in on Commander. Combined with Commander 2014, it would give a lot of new interesting stuff for casual players.
If the fetchlands end up not returning, maybe the something new would be legendary duals? With the something old being...
I don't know, the leyline mechanic?a simplified version of banding does make sense, that mechanic has been due for a restructuring since Alpha-Beta-Unlimited.Modern
Mono-U Tron
Zombie Loam
Infect
Legacy
Delver
TES
Of course, I'd like something silly and un-set like double sided flip cards, but I guess good lands is fine, too.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Counterspell confirmed in new block!
Pretty unlikely but it would be really sweet. Especially since it would be useful in Modern and basically all the control goodies rotate out so it wouldnt be as oppressive as it would be now in Standard.
My current decks!
http://tappedout.net/users/ThePhasewalker/
Also, I like that Sarkan brought a small chunk of Hedron with him.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
I quickly made a mock-up walker card with that art, and it doesn't fit very well, his staff is really high. As usual, I don't think this is his card art, but promotional art. Happened with Chandra, Sorin, Elspeth, etc.
"Yaggrael Plains enters the battlefield tapped unless you control a nonland snow permanent."
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
No possible way magic could ever be played with 5 colors...that's just crazy-talk!
Didn't MaRo already say something about Bushido coming back but not called bushido...seems like that's the most obvious choice for old. And i'm sticking with 3-color wedge for new.
Another color theory seems plausible. Nomads are all about drifting from one land to another. Some variant of landfall that produces it's own color of mana maybe?
-Modern-
WMartyrProcB
BBurnR
-Commander-
Modern
Mono-U Tron
Zombie Loam
Infect
Legacy
Delver
TES
Orc tribal and purple (jk I hope it's dark elves).
RoblinTheGoblin's Pro M15 Template:
RoblinTheGoblin's Pro M15 Template v1.3
Also includes M15+ real god stars, promo template, super art template, planeswalker template
Scrylands (theros in general) are slow enough to justify that standard won't be blown up by their return
And the main reason is actually they want to lure more players into Modern - will drastically increase the numbers if they reprint fetches
BANDING IS BACK!
I say this jokingly; but, hysterically, this would be great.