I miss counterspell, but I miss not having to worry too much about haymaker after haymaker. You can't counter some of the threats you really want to and my removal isn't enough as that bomb already gave some value to the caster. I want magic in Magic back. Or just rename the game to Summoner the Gathering.
What is really baffling with this reward system and all is we still don't have any drafting system. We should be testing it after the wipe. Maybe the economy makes more sense with the drafting rewards. I really wish they could give us more game modes.
Actually I like the idea of a format without godly mana. No fetches makes game flow faster. I guess that's fine. They can't go back to older set as fast and this could be enough fix for a while till they can bring older sets to the fold.
Of course multiplayer format would be hard in that UI. UI is just bare bone. They should be able to have resources to make it work. They just are doing enough (to what they believe) to compete with the other offerings.
Shadowverse and HS have different ambitions. They could actually work on multiplayer too, but again they choose not to. SHadowverse is designed to last very shortly. If they wanted they could make it for campaign. HS did something that kinda work like that, 2p x 1 AI (which would be 3 "players" total). They could do something for more players. MTG is known for 4+ players. It's very challenging to do and MTGO it's very clunky, but serviceable. They could do a more clear way for singleplayer for instance.
There is a lot of space to be explored in card game space. It's a space that any developer could explore to distinguish themselves in this sea of card games. It's like saying FPS can't do multiplayer for more than 6 players excuse that big corps do all the time. It's challenging yes, but they just choose the lazy way.
That is the aspect that I dislike about Arena. The developers seem to only work the bare minimum. It's like a student aiming for a "C" in a test. Overall they are doing a great job at that if it's their aim. Eternal Beta it feels they are trying their hardest within their limitations. Shadowverse is also another game that tries hard to please their customer base.
If this was the beta 5 years ago, maybe I'd be very happy with it. Digital Games Studio has to step up their game.
Finally we can talk about this freely and I do have my two cents (more like twenty cents).
TL;DR version: This beta is disappointing.
Maybe I'm being too harsh, after all programming all the interactions and create an adequate engine for even Standard can be an arduous task, they don't have the luxury of limiting the number of objects that the system has to track like other online games; however, I'm disappointed about how the beta is being conducted. I think the game is being rushed even as a beta. It feels like an alpha build. I played various other betas, including card games like Eternal and HS and they had way more features and polish.
The UI is clunky and featureless. The UI should be clear and also express the flavor of the game. As of now it doesn't do a good job in anything. The collection should be easy to navigate, but the symbol system isn't that intuitive even for veteran MTG and other online card games. You can get used to it, but it doesn't mean it is good. Pack opening should be something exciting, but Arena gets this aspect wrong. Before the reset, you could accidentally skip what you got and there is no easy indicator of what cards you opened. After the reset its better visually, but it's still a wimpy experience. They have to make this experience a pleasure, not a chore.
At this point in the beta we should be testing a proper economy (both P2W and F2P aspects), other formats and game modes, and customization and communication features. The beta is too bare bone. Are we just looking for bugs in card interaction and simple ladder system? Other games do the same plus way more. They have to test card balance, something Arena doesn't need to worry about. I think they have the resources to handle all of it at the same time.
The rewards feel OK compared to HS. They give you a somewhat constant supply of cards, but you can't really freely choose your cards. You are too dependent of RNG. If you open those wildcards, good for you; otherwise, tough luck, keep your useless rares, uncommons, and commons that you will never touch in your life in your collection. The system is so inflexible compared to other card games. The reward system feels lazily done and inferior to the competition. If you played other card games, you know how lame Arena is right now. Being just comparable to HS isn't enough.
Another big problem inherent in MTG is because of the paper aspect they will likely never rebalance the cards. Eternal and Shadowverse make constant periodic changes to their card balance. Direwolf even buff underused cards, a concept that seems to elude Blizzard. At least Blizzard can nerf cards to the ground and shake up the meta. Direwolf can just give a free new card playset that may be just for funsies or may impact the metagame. WotC can't do anything about it except for erratas and bans. The reset has been just one day out and decks seem pretty fairly streamlined. Everyone and their mom in this beta know what are the cards to make and play. However, there is no system that helps new players to identify what is good and bad. They will probably waste precious wildcards and have a bad time with the only ladder system we got as of now.
What is this game for? Just MTG hardcore fan? If yes, MTG Arena is doing a good job because only hardcore MTG fan can tolerate the lack of feature and amateurish UI. To attract the casual players, twitch folks, and the mobile card game players, they need to get those aspects right. One thing MTG has that other cardgames lack is a variety of formats. Just give us these features. Imagine Draft, Sealed, Brawl, some form of 4 player format, and so on. Also, they could implement a cube system, something even MTGO lacks. A singleplayer that teachs the complex aspects of MTG rules plus add flavor to the setting would go a long way to attract new players and make regular customers happy. Even HS offers some form of singleplayer content that guides casual players. They have the resources to do a good job.
Also, it seems that WotC think buying packs and maybe drafts will be more than enough to get money from us. They shouldn't be lazy with that. MTG players like to express their individuality besides deck choices. Sleeves, playmat, alternate arts, and so on are a good source of revenue. Hopefully it's not just a lazy foil the cards system. MTG foils are so lame as is. The direct digital version of these won't cut it. We should be testing some of these options by now.
Although I'm being super negative and harsh, I really want this product to be awesome and successful. It can be a win-win for everyone if Arena can make a substantial dent on the online card game and hopefully the mobile market as well. I believe more players is for the most part beneficial for the future of this hobby we all love (to hate sometimes). I can see the potential, but I don't see the proper effort that Hasbro/WotC can deliver compared to the resources they have. I hope it's just a shaky beginning.
I hope we can see it in Arena ASAP. It seems great there. In paper, I'm not that sure, but hey any official format that may get proper support is fine by me.
When people/WotC use the excuse of "draft or limited health", I just wanna strangle a cat token. WotC can make a good limited set without water down value or making bad cards. The first Modern Master is a proof that they can make a coherent limited format and still have it powerful, fun, balanced, and full of value (MM3 was pretty close and Eternal Masters wasn't bad either, both Conspiracy sets felt competently done).
For instance, A25 has Living Death, Unearth, Zombify, and cycling creatures. Still it's not enough to warranty Rest in Piece as one of the rares you can open. Also, the whole reanimate focused strategy is very watered down and probably not worthy the trouble. Maybe if it had Reanimate, Animated Dead, Exhume, or Dread Return (or whatever, so many cheap better options than Zombify) and more worthy fatties maybe it could work. Also, maybe adding Relic of Progenitus as uncommon could be better than waste a rare slot that represents RtR. This is just one of the problems if we focus on the limited in A25. Also, no Astral Slide (a quarter buck card) with this amount of cycling and no real payoff for morphing (probably it shouldn't be even a theme).
I don't get why Master sets have just one or two PWs limit. They should pack more of them in the pool as well.
WotC really didn't spend much time design both Iconic and A25. It's just a lazy product all around.
Dunno where exactly it was, it was rampant during RTR as well. I don't recall much in Theros, but I'd not doubt if it was still a problem there as well. Still this is not a new problem. With the cheaply made cards we get nowadays, I'd not be surprised if the printing companies they hire screw up the process. However, I'd like better proof and sample size than a click-bait video.
I believe after RTR or Theros, WotC started to get more serious about making boxes less vulnerable to mapping. At least trying to make it to the point that mapping isn't profitable to do. Random is really hard. Also, there is the problem of making it feel random x as random as possible (random processes feel less random to people). I have seen people using software to predict what is the content of the booster with precision in Innistrad and RTR. I don't recall Theros as much.
Now about m25. People should understand about what is random first before freaking out over click-bait titles. Unless someone makes a detailed demonstration of precise prediction of the content of boxes, packs, and so on, I think we can just dismiss the case for mapping just because of such small sample size example. If the distribution is as random as possible, these type of occurrences would be normal (not frequent thou, but still possible).
It may be a case for bad distribution occurring in some samples, but that doesn't indicate it can be mapped for profit. Unless there is an easy way to track the content of the booster box or case, I don't see any reason for concern. If it's just mapping like RTR/Innistrad, the "only" problem would be buying loose boosters or tamped boxes from non-reputable sources. That's the case for any set since the dawn of MTG basically.
Even if it's easy mapping is real, it is a problem inherent in any physical card game anyway. Unless there is a dumb and easy mapping like opening a booster box to check the content of the entire case or just look at some code or something, I don't think the problem warrant the amount of the concern caused by the Internet. It's not a new problem and people should by now be aware of it and how to navigate it.
I think people who freak out because of this video should know what random really is and not what feels random is. If a distribution is truly random, this sorta thing should happen in a small sample size. Getting the same assortment from the same case is within the randomness. So you shouldn't be surprised if this happen.
That being said, MTG cards aren't packed randomly. They have some pattern that tries to feel random. You should be able to map any box if you know the pattern (of course, they are trying to make it harder/more expensive after RTR I think). I guess that was just a hiccup that again if truly random it should be a fine occurrence. Also, You can't check the uncommons and commons to see if both boxes follow a pattern as well. I once opened a case where all mm2 booster boxes had almost the same mirrored mythics (2 boxes with same mythics and the other 2 with a different same mythics) which was weird, but I didn't see much fuss about boxes with same/similar pulls anywhere.
If Rudy or someone else opened more cases that had this occurrence, maybe we should be worried about it. This video alone feels like just a click-bait. I hate Masters 25, but without good evidence, I can't take this case seriously.
Well, MTG YouTube isn't that big to being with. Tolarian Community College is one of the biggest if not the biggest on YT and it's like 300K subs only. That is about the same as some mid level YTer from niche games like Demon's Souls or a very low tier YTer for shooter or Let's Play channel. There isn't much of a market share there. Some amazing channels have less than 100K normally.
Also, the content you are making may not be that interesting to begin with compared to the competition. Opening a fatpack of new product may not be enough to call attention. And if you go with that, you will need to constant upload videos of this type of content to start getting an audience. If your content is indeed interesting, you may retain viewers and subs. Look at Jeremy before his channel started going for clickbaits, he basically monopolized this niche. He was quite earnest and charismatic enough during the openings, so I guess this was enough to get a following. The only channel that was close to his in this was Deriums.
Some other people who open products from older sets like Arabian Nights, Beta, and so on for years and yet have less than 50K. Dunno why, but MTG booster opening doesn't have the same appeal as Pokemon. Pokemon channels are more vibrant. The main public is probably way younger than MTG public. older audience are more selective and probably less interested in this aspect of MTG, as even Derium had a hard time passing 100K with this type of content and reached 300K in less time with Pokemon.
Travis Woo is a somewhat well known figure in MTG community who got into some controversy while working at CBF and does some unique content. Still one of his channels is under 20K for the longest time. Other pros also have small channels despite having some name attached to them. CFB probably has the biggest roster of pros with quality content, but their channel is just over 100K.
MTG finance has some lack of decent content. MTG Lion kinda filled this gap initially, but he is kinda a hack and click-baity for finance stuff, so he failed to proper provide content for this niche and never passed 30K and I don't think he will get anywhere if he stays the same. Rudy on the hand does provide way better finance related content. He started a little slow, but now he is growing very rapidly and steady. His content is controversial a lot of times, but he does delivery quality and I think the public recognize it even if he does some disagreeable things in the POV of some of the public. I still think MTG finance has a lot of gaps that aren't filled properly, so I see some potential here, but you need to deliver the goods.
MTGGoldfish does decktech content. I think it's the best as of now. Their channel were sub 30K for a really long time even though they had a decent site. Eventually they got past 100K.
MTG alter community is very niche and despite the quality of the content, they are really small. 10K is really a lot for them. Art channels are usually small compared to the quality of the content, but not that small. I guess there is no public for this in this area. Showing off alters from other artists may have more appeal.
Some people who do decent content usually tell they have a very slow start, usually less than 100 subs for one to two years. Eventually they start getting a critical mass of quantity and quality and get some luck from YouTube search or whatever it works and may go from sub 1K to 10K ~ 30K and if you work hard and your content has some substance or fit a niche, you may hit 100K eventually. As you can see not much out there to cover. Maybe you could do a Shoplife style or MTG finance for teens or a combination. No matter what, for the more successful channels the key is to churn content continuously and steadily. Even questionable content is fine. Sadly I think the best tactic is just flood your channel with content and try to manipulate YT a bit. Of course, if you want longevity, you need quality and variety, but initially,try to find something you truly enjoy making and keep it steady.
I actually disagree on reprints like Imperial Recruiter and commander cards. It would be better in a different product. They don't really have real demand per se. Just their supply were really low. This should be a product celebrating MTG, not just about reprinting fringe cards. So many slots were wasted. At the same time the limited environment seems pretty bad. So many questionable choices at rare and mythic for so many reasons.
The commons and uncommons were fine choices overall. Maybe they missed some cool cards like Astral Slide. Overall not bad but not enough to cover the badness of the rare/mythic selection. I am happy that Rishadan Port is rare thou. I think lot of people wouldn't be surprised if it was mythic.
It would be a nice surprise to see something else being added in the packs. Maybe original version of cards would be cool. Not a reprint, the originals. It would be a logistic nightmare to include in many packs to be noticeable (not hidden treasure rates), but I'd appreciate this set more even with all negativity if they go the extra mileage.
However, judging for the lack of care for this special set, I'd not even hold a candle for the printing quality as well.
If WotC had some decency as a corporation, they would just cancel M25.
I think this set is trash and am one of its biggest detractors but you can't "cancel" a set that has been printed and distributed already. If there hasn't been a second printing they could stop that but no corporation is going to produce and ship a product then pull it off the shelves at a massive loss.
What we need is for them to hear us and make it much better the next go around.
I'm well aware that will never happen because the way they streamline their production. It's just my wishful thinking. Their process is done way months in advance, so it's hard to stop it after the spoiler season. However, I believe they had a window to stop the distribution part if they had the awareness and the willingness to do so. If they had the decency after the IMA fiasco, they would take a loss and cancel M25 end of March release as a statement that they are ashamed of this. It's not about just money. Even EA took one in their chin. They knew in advance that IMA didn't make it with the public and M25 isn't much better, still they just went with it and hope that the name alone hypes the product.
I'm not particularly critical of WotC recent past misdeeds. For the most part I believe the community is a bit too whiny (including myself as well) over small stuff compared to bigger things that other hobbies get away with. However, I thing WotC reacts way too slow. Even if they change later (I mean we will only know that after 1 year or so), the community in the future already moved away for this issue, but the bad taste will stay. At least they could clear the bad taste before it happens at a loss. They could win us back. They hear us pretty well overall (like Modern PT case), but it doesn't matter much if they can't react as fast (like the case of bad tested cards, the problem started in BFZ or probably way earlier, but the fix just started around Rivals and probably will be felt after Dominaria).
Old thread or not, I still don't like MTG foils in general. Some of the cards look really good in foil, but it looks like an accidental design than made with care. I think MTG has the laziest foils in the TCG market.
Maybe it has something to do with how limited in terms of materials they are. They need to make them feel like MTG cards I guess. Still they can do so much more with foils in terms of design and making the card really look better than just make it shiny. Also the curling doesn't help much with that.
My problem with the master series in general is they don't feel special. MM1 was 6 tp 7 MSRP (of course real price was way higher than that), but it was kinda ok because it was really a special product during a special time.
After MM2 with the $10 MSRP this line of product started to rub me the wrong way. They should release master sets every two years at most. Make it like MM1 (and MM3 level). That way I would be ok with the $10 pricetag. Releasing it annually and the way they design the card choice, they should just treat it like Conspiracy. Now with the two master sets/year that's pushing it too far. Hopefully with their new policy with master sets, they will hold off on this cash grab.
Eternal Masters felt a bit special as it was the first master set with cards from older era of MTG, but rationally speaking it was just a cash grab just like MM2 onward were.
We do need reprints, but they should be proper in each specialty products like Conspiracy and Commander, and also be in normal sets. Preconstructed sets should be like Challenge decks as well. Master sets should be reserved for really special occasions. Also, they should not have cards that aren't proper for them. In this master 25, we shouldn't have commander set cards or even Imperial Recruiter. It would be a more proper reprint in Conspiracy-like sets. Having Commander set rares and mythics but no rare from original Ravnica, one of the most well received sets in MTG history, is insulting. Yeah people want foil versions of certain commander only cards. They could just print foil versions of these cards in Anthology sets (so we have more incentive to rebuy it).
Iconic Masters card selection was atrocious and not proper for what the set aimed for. Master 25 is almost the same level of bad design. It's just a little bit better than IMA. If WotC had some decency as a corporation, they would just cancel M25. After all the backlash against IMA should have been loud enough and the issues customers had with it clear as the sun. I know they print and design in advance, but if they were proper with their consumer base, they would cancel it and go back to the blackboard and do it justice. They are pulling an EA stunt with us. At least EA was shamed enough to temporarily cancel their micro transaction scheme. Master 25 is an embarrassment and Dominaria may not be enough to hide it like Unstable did with IMA.
Shadowverse and HS have different ambitions. They could actually work on multiplayer too, but again they choose not to. SHadowverse is designed to last very shortly. If they wanted they could make it for campaign. HS did something that kinda work like that, 2p x 1 AI (which would be 3 "players" total). They could do something for more players. MTG is known for 4+ players. It's very challenging to do and MTGO it's very clunky, but serviceable. They could do a more clear way for singleplayer for instance.
There is a lot of space to be explored in card game space. It's a space that any developer could explore to distinguish themselves in this sea of card games. It's like saying FPS can't do multiplayer for more than 6 players excuse that big corps do all the time. It's challenging yes, but they just choose the lazy way.
That is the aspect that I dislike about Arena. The developers seem to only work the bare minimum. It's like a student aiming for a "C" in a test. Overall they are doing a great job at that if it's their aim. Eternal Beta it feels they are trying their hardest within their limitations. Shadowverse is also another game that tries hard to please their customer base.
If this was the beta 5 years ago, maybe I'd be very happy with it. Digital Games Studio has to step up their game.
TL;DR version: This beta is disappointing.
Maybe I'm being too harsh, after all programming all the interactions and create an adequate engine for even Standard can be an arduous task, they don't have the luxury of limiting the number of objects that the system has to track like other online games; however, I'm disappointed about how the beta is being conducted. I think the game is being rushed even as a beta. It feels like an alpha build. I played various other betas, including card games like Eternal and HS and they had way more features and polish.
The UI is clunky and featureless. The UI should be clear and also express the flavor of the game. As of now it doesn't do a good job in anything. The collection should be easy to navigate, but the symbol system isn't that intuitive even for veteran MTG and other online card games. You can get used to it, but it doesn't mean it is good. Pack opening should be something exciting, but Arena gets this aspect wrong. Before the reset, you could accidentally skip what you got and there is no easy indicator of what cards you opened. After the reset its better visually, but it's still a wimpy experience. They have to make this experience a pleasure, not a chore.
At this point in the beta we should be testing a proper economy (both P2W and F2P aspects), other formats and game modes, and customization and communication features. The beta is too bare bone. Are we just looking for bugs in card interaction and simple ladder system? Other games do the same plus way more. They have to test card balance, something Arena doesn't need to worry about. I think they have the resources to handle all of it at the same time.
The rewards feel OK compared to HS. They give you a somewhat constant supply of cards, but you can't really freely choose your cards. You are too dependent of RNG. If you open those wildcards, good for you; otherwise, tough luck, keep your useless rares, uncommons, and commons that you will never touch in your life in your collection. The system is so inflexible compared to other card games. The reward system feels lazily done and inferior to the competition. If you played other card games, you know how lame Arena is right now. Being just comparable to HS isn't enough.
Another big problem inherent in MTG is because of the paper aspect they will likely never rebalance the cards. Eternal and Shadowverse make constant periodic changes to their card balance. Direwolf even buff underused cards, a concept that seems to elude Blizzard. At least Blizzard can nerf cards to the ground and shake up the meta. Direwolf can just give a free new card playset that may be just for funsies or may impact the metagame. WotC can't do anything about it except for erratas and bans. The reset has been just one day out and decks seem pretty fairly streamlined. Everyone and their mom in this beta know what are the cards to make and play. However, there is no system that helps new players to identify what is good and bad. They will probably waste precious wildcards and have a bad time with the only ladder system we got as of now.
What is this game for? Just MTG hardcore fan? If yes, MTG Arena is doing a good job because only hardcore MTG fan can tolerate the lack of feature and amateurish UI. To attract the casual players, twitch folks, and the mobile card game players, they need to get those aspects right. One thing MTG has that other cardgames lack is a variety of formats. Just give us these features. Imagine Draft, Sealed, Brawl, some form of 4 player format, and so on. Also, they could implement a cube system, something even MTGO lacks. A singleplayer that teachs the complex aspects of MTG rules plus add flavor to the setting would go a long way to attract new players and make regular customers happy. Even HS offers some form of singleplayer content that guides casual players. They have the resources to do a good job.
Also, it seems that WotC think buying packs and maybe drafts will be more than enough to get money from us. They shouldn't be lazy with that. MTG players like to express their individuality besides deck choices. Sleeves, playmat, alternate arts, and so on are a good source of revenue. Hopefully it's not just a lazy foil the cards system. MTG foils are so lame as is. The direct digital version of these won't cut it. We should be testing some of these options by now.
Although I'm being super negative and harsh, I really want this product to be awesome and successful. It can be a win-win for everyone if Arena can make a substantial dent on the online card game and hopefully the mobile market as well. I believe more players is for the most part beneficial for the future of this hobby we all love (to hate sometimes). I can see the potential, but I don't see the proper effort that Hasbro/WotC can deliver compared to the resources they have. I hope it's just a shaky beginning.
For instance, A25 has Living Death, Unearth, Zombify, and cycling creatures. Still it's not enough to warranty Rest in Piece as one of the rares you can open. Also, the whole reanimate focused strategy is very watered down and probably not worthy the trouble. Maybe if it had Reanimate, Animated Dead, Exhume, or Dread Return (or whatever, so many cheap better options than Zombify) and more worthy fatties maybe it could work. Also, maybe adding Relic of Progenitus as uncommon could be better than waste a rare slot that represents RtR. This is just one of the problems if we focus on the limited in A25. Also, no Astral Slide (a quarter buck card) with this amount of cycling and no real payoff for morphing (probably it shouldn't be even a theme).
I don't get why Master sets have just one or two PWs limit. They should pack more of them in the pool as well.
WotC really didn't spend much time design both Iconic and A25. It's just a lazy product all around.
Now about m25. People should understand about what is random first before freaking out over click-bait titles. Unless someone makes a detailed demonstration of precise prediction of the content of boxes, packs, and so on, I think we can just dismiss the case for mapping just because of such small sample size example. If the distribution is as random as possible, these type of occurrences would be normal (not frequent thou, but still possible).
It may be a case for bad distribution occurring in some samples, but that doesn't indicate it can be mapped for profit. Unless there is an easy way to track the content of the booster box or case, I don't see any reason for concern. If it's just mapping like RTR/Innistrad, the "only" problem would be buying loose boosters or tamped boxes from non-reputable sources. That's the case for any set since the dawn of MTG basically.
Even if it's easy mapping is real, it is a problem inherent in any physical card game anyway. Unless there is a dumb and easy mapping like opening a booster box to check the content of the entire case or just look at some code or something, I don't think the problem warrant the amount of the concern caused by the Internet. It's not a new problem and people should by now be aware of it and how to navigate it.
That being said, MTG cards aren't packed randomly. They have some pattern that tries to feel random. You should be able to map any box if you know the pattern (of course, they are trying to make it harder/more expensive after RTR I think). I guess that was just a hiccup that again if truly random it should be a fine occurrence. Also, You can't check the uncommons and commons to see if both boxes follow a pattern as well. I once opened a case where all mm2 booster boxes had almost the same mirrored mythics (2 boxes with same mythics and the other 2 with a different same mythics) which was weird, but I didn't see much fuss about boxes with same/similar pulls anywhere.
If Rudy or someone else opened more cases that had this occurrence, maybe we should be worried about it. This video alone feels like just a click-bait. I hate Masters 25, but without good evidence, I can't take this case seriously.
Also, the content you are making may not be that interesting to begin with compared to the competition. Opening a fatpack of new product may not be enough to call attention. And if you go with that, you will need to constant upload videos of this type of content to start getting an audience. If your content is indeed interesting, you may retain viewers and subs. Look at Jeremy before his channel started going for clickbaits, he basically monopolized this niche. He was quite earnest and charismatic enough during the openings, so I guess this was enough to get a following. The only channel that was close to his in this was Deriums.
Some other people who open products from older sets like Arabian Nights, Beta, and so on for years and yet have less than 50K. Dunno why, but MTG booster opening doesn't have the same appeal as Pokemon. Pokemon channels are more vibrant. The main public is probably way younger than MTG public. older audience are more selective and probably less interested in this aspect of MTG, as even Derium had a hard time passing 100K with this type of content and reached 300K in less time with Pokemon.
Travis Woo is a somewhat well known figure in MTG community who got into some controversy while working at CBF and does some unique content. Still one of his channels is under 20K for the longest time. Other pros also have small channels despite having some name attached to them. CFB probably has the biggest roster of pros with quality content, but their channel is just over 100K.
MTG finance has some lack of decent content. MTG Lion kinda filled this gap initially, but he is kinda a hack and click-baity for finance stuff, so he failed to proper provide content for this niche and never passed 30K and I don't think he will get anywhere if he stays the same. Rudy on the hand does provide way better finance related content. He started a little slow, but now he is growing very rapidly and steady. His content is controversial a lot of times, but he does delivery quality and I think the public recognize it even if he does some disagreeable things in the POV of some of the public. I still think MTG finance has a lot of gaps that aren't filled properly, so I see some potential here, but you need to deliver the goods.
MTGGoldfish does decktech content. I think it's the best as of now. Their channel were sub 30K for a really long time even though they had a decent site. Eventually they got past 100K.
MTG alter community is very niche and despite the quality of the content, they are really small. 10K is really a lot for them. Art channels are usually small compared to the quality of the content, but not that small. I guess there is no public for this in this area. Showing off alters from other artists may have more appeal.
Some people who do decent content usually tell they have a very slow start, usually less than 100 subs for one to two years. Eventually they start getting a critical mass of quantity and quality and get some luck from YouTube search or whatever it works and may go from sub 1K to 10K ~ 30K and if you work hard and your content has some substance or fit a niche, you may hit 100K eventually. As you can see not much out there to cover. Maybe you could do a Shoplife style or MTG finance for teens or a combination. No matter what, for the more successful channels the key is to churn content continuously and steadily. Even questionable content is fine. Sadly I think the best tactic is just flood your channel with content and try to manipulate YT a bit. Of course, if you want longevity, you need quality and variety, but initially,try to find something you truly enjoy making and keep it steady.
The commons and uncommons were fine choices overall. Maybe they missed some cool cards like Astral Slide. Overall not bad but not enough to cover the badness of the rare/mythic selection. I am happy that Rishadan Port is rare thou. I think lot of people wouldn't be surprised if it was mythic.
It would be a nice surprise to see something else being added in the packs. Maybe original version of cards would be cool. Not a reprint, the originals. It would be a logistic nightmare to include in many packs to be noticeable (not hidden treasure rates), but I'd appreciate this set more even with all negativity if they go the extra mileage.
However, judging for the lack of care for this special set, I'd not even hold a candle for the printing quality as well.
I'm well aware that will never happen because the way they streamline their production. It's just my wishful thinking. Their process is done way months in advance, so it's hard to stop it after the spoiler season. However, I believe they had a window to stop the distribution part if they had the awareness and the willingness to do so. If they had the decency after the IMA fiasco, they would take a loss and cancel M25 end of March release as a statement that they are ashamed of this. It's not about just money. Even EA took one in their chin. They knew in advance that IMA didn't make it with the public and M25 isn't much better, still they just went with it and hope that the name alone hypes the product.
I'm not particularly critical of WotC recent past misdeeds. For the most part I believe the community is a bit too whiny (including myself as well) over small stuff compared to bigger things that other hobbies get away with. However, I thing WotC reacts way too slow. Even if they change later (I mean we will only know that after 1 year or so), the community in the future already moved away for this issue, but the bad taste will stay. At least they could clear the bad taste before it happens at a loss. They could win us back. They hear us pretty well overall (like Modern PT case), but it doesn't matter much if they can't react as fast (like the case of bad tested cards, the problem started in BFZ or probably way earlier, but the fix just started around Rivals and probably will be felt after Dominaria).
Maybe it has something to do with how limited in terms of materials they are. They need to make them feel like MTG cards I guess. Still they can do so much more with foils in terms of design and making the card really look better than just make it shiny. Also the curling doesn't help much with that.
After MM2 with the $10 MSRP this line of product started to rub me the wrong way. They should release master sets every two years at most. Make it like MM1 (and MM3 level). That way I would be ok with the $10 pricetag. Releasing it annually and the way they design the card choice, they should just treat it like Conspiracy. Now with the two master sets/year that's pushing it too far. Hopefully with their new policy with master sets, they will hold off on this cash grab.
Eternal Masters felt a bit special as it was the first master set with cards from older era of MTG, but rationally speaking it was just a cash grab just like MM2 onward were.
We do need reprints, but they should be proper in each specialty products like Conspiracy and Commander, and also be in normal sets. Preconstructed sets should be like Challenge decks as well. Master sets should be reserved for really special occasions. Also, they should not have cards that aren't proper for them. In this master 25, we shouldn't have commander set cards or even Imperial Recruiter. It would be a more proper reprint in Conspiracy-like sets. Having Commander set rares and mythics but no rare from original Ravnica, one of the most well received sets in MTG history, is insulting. Yeah people want foil versions of certain commander only cards. They could just print foil versions of these cards in Anthology sets (so we have more incentive to rebuy it).
Iconic Masters card selection was atrocious and not proper for what the set aimed for. Master 25 is almost the same level of bad design. It's just a little bit better than IMA. If WotC had some decency as a corporation, they would just cancel M25. After all the backlash against IMA should have been loud enough and the issues customers had with it clear as the sun. I know they print and design in advance, but if they were proper with their consumer base, they would cancel it and go back to the blackboard and do it justice. They are pulling an EA stunt with us. At least EA was shamed enough to temporarily cancel their micro transaction scheme. Master 25 is an embarrassment and Dominaria may not be enough to hide it like Unstable did with IMA.