"Revolt is on scant-few cards that reward defense, and plays far stronger when you are on the beat-down. Yes, enablers like the Implement cycle and self-bounce exist, but it feels horrible to be holding onto some Revolt card while you're getting beaten down and light on catalysts, finding out that your 187-critter is now a vanilla Grey Ogre (and your opponent is not falling for the "attack Servo into a 3/3" line)."
I agree. However, I consider all of this a positive. I like that revolt is overall somewhat weak, and not something you just build because you are in the colors. The 187-critter Deadeye Harpooner is not even a good card overall in my view, I would rather just not include it, but some people like it and I think that diversity in opinions is good for the game.
Regarding improvise: "This means it's not a mechanic you build around, or really factor into your drafting; you just go off of rudimentary raw power evaluations. Snore."
I disagree. Several pros at the recent pro tour commented about drafting an improvise deck and I have done it a few times myself. I was wrong about this initially, because I was not impressed with improvise as a mechanic during spoilers but I have come around. Casting a common 5/5 can't be blocked by artifacts on turn 5 or a common 4/4 hexproof on turn 4 due to including a lot of cheap artifacts in the deck (building around), or just casting it even during some mana screw, is a big game and it can be done with decent reliability (or even earlier than my examples) if you build your deck around it. There are plenty of cheap artifacts, and the implements are in my view a great design since they cycle so at worst they are not too harmful to have in a deck.
"And then there are the Commons. Sure, some of them are pretty good, but there are so many godawful, borderline unplayable pieces of jank stuffing these packs."
I agree. But once again I consider this as a positive. One of the reasons I only play limited is that we all have to play with mediocre cards and make the best of what we can get. I like looking at what my opponent played and silently laughing, then looking down at one of the cards in my hand and stop laughing.
"What the heck were the developers thinking with cards like Ridgescale Tusker or Untethered Express?"
I agree with this. I wish that WotC would stop printing super-powerful uncommons like these two which are by far the most egregious in AER. They seem to do this in every set, though these two are even worse than in other recent sets.
LSV indicated that his CFG pro tour testing group found that Aether Chaser is the best common, period. I don't know that I would agree with that, but I would first pick it over Lifecraft Cavalry by a country mile (i.e. it's not close).
Lifecraft Cavalry is a 5 drop and I only want a small number of 5+ drops in any deck. Consequently, by taking it first I would significantly alter the rest of the early part of my draft to avoid additional 5+ drops. The first-pick cavalry is just not worth that. By contrast, I will take pretty much all of the good 2 drops I could get. There are not many good 2 drops, and a 2/1 first strike for 2 is good even without the additional energy abilities.
Also, revolt is in my view not reliable. Even if I have implements in my deck there are games in which I need to sacrifice the implement before turn 6 when I would cast the cavalry so that I can draw a card to advance my board. On top of that, a turn 6 6/6 with trample is good but not great. I like the cavalry better than a vanilla 6/6 for 6 (Cowl Prowler), but there are times when a cavalry would be just a 4/4 trample for 5 which in my view is slightly sub-par (though it is okay). Despite my comments I like the cavalry overall quite a bit and I want one or two in my green decks, but I want to avoid taking it too early.
"I felt like my Aether Revolt cards were all so mediocre that it was impossible to make a deck without having to play disappointing cards no matter what color combination I ended up in. Kaladesh didn't have that problem; in fact you usually were cutting good cards to get down to 23-34 non-land cards that were going to make your deck." -Forgotten One
It is too early for me to say but just from what I have seen I agree that the Aether Revolt cards seem to have a lower power level than Kaladesh cards, so I think we will need to play some quite mediocre cards. If that is the case, then I consider this a good thing because one of the reasons I play only limited is that everyone (or most everyone) has to play with mediocre cards rather than a bunch of haymakers. Getting value out of mediocre cards is part of what I enjoy about MtG, as long as my opponents are going through similar issues, so if someone were to complain about decks being not as powerful I would consider that as a positive.
The reason to play Magic, or any other game, is for fun. If you are having fun initially, then keep playing. In my view (and the view of millions of others) Magic is a very fun game. It is more complex than Hearthstone and in my view more difficult to play, and I consider those as positives, there is more to enjoy.
I enjoy only limited (mostly draft), which does not have most of the issues brought up in the original post. On top of each game playing out in a different way due to the draws, each deck is different. There is a learning curve in terms of understanding card strengths while drafting, but that's part of the fun, and a starting point is not that far off from the end point when the next set is about to be released.
I have never lost to it yet (albeit out of just a few times) nor have a seen a streamer lose to it yet, and when it has been played while I watched it has been mediocre. That said, I agree that if you can get shananigans going, especially a sufficient number of self-flicker effects in the deck (in other words a theme deck), then it can be a good part of a deck. That said, I have seen LSV draft the card so he still thinks it's at least decent.
As an update to my earlier post, I am warming up to this format, though I'm still not sure. As I draft I am focusing on getting at least one or two cards which can help slightly recover from mana flood such as a mana sink (there are not many) or Cathartic Reunion, and I am also playing 16 lands for many of my decks unless I have a couple of mana sinks or high-drops.
In watching early streams and reading comments from pros I thought I would see plenty of board stalls but somehow I have avoided that altogether, with aggressive trading in combat.
I am enjoying the Fabricate mechanic quite a bit as it provides a legit strategy decision based upon the game situation and the deck.
Now that I have vented in another thread (albeit on topic), here is my actual vent.
I am not enjoying KLD draft at all. More than one out of every two games so far for me have been decided by mana screw or by mana flood due to not having decent mana sinks. My vent is that I have been the one losing almost all of these games which are decided by that.
If my opponent is doing cool things with their deck, or just has the right stuff at the right time, and there is a legit game of Magic in which my opponent wins, then so be it. But when I keep drawing 10 lands out of 15 cards even the one time I had only 16 lands in my deck, or I have to mulligan almost one out of two games (and then flood in some of those) and just lose to lack of resources, that is just not fun.
I am going through a streak of that (hence the vent) coinciding with KLD beginning on MtGO, so I will wait until variance is not such a factor before I really decide whether or not I enjoy KLD. It’s time for me to take a break, though.
"...this format is just terrible. Way, way too many games are completely one sided, mostly due to vehicles or creatures that grow without bounds every turn. You're either blown out early or you enter a holding pattern while you want to see who draws their bomb."
In draft I have experienced this, but also I am experiencing something worse. Because there are almost no mana sinks, games are often decided by who draws more lands. More than one out of two games I have played has either been decided by mana screw (which can happen in almost every format) or mana flood (which is much more painful here due to not having mana sinks).
It’s very unfun for me so far. I have enjoyed all of the recent sets back to M14 but KLD so far is very unfun for me. I imagine it will get better as variance “evens out” and my record improves but it is not promising.
If my opponent casts HtW and I choose the second option on IW, am I correct in believing that I need to choose 1) any one of my opponent’s creatures to get the +1/+1 counter and 2) any creature of mine to fight, then the two creatures would fight? Or may I choose one of my creatures to get the counter?
Also, if I choose the third option on IW, am I correct in believing that I need to choose 1) any one of my creatures to get the +1/+1 counter and 2) any creature of my opponent’s to fight? Or must I choose one of my opponent’s creatures to get the counter?
In addition, with the third option, am I correct in believing that my copy of the spell resolves first?
As an example, my opponent has only one creature, a 3/3 vanilla creature call it A, and I have two 3/3 vanilla creatures call them B and C. If my opponent casts HtW targeting A (to get the counter) and B, and I respond with the third option of IW targeting C (to get the counter) and A, am I right in believing that creature A is the only creature which dies in this? My thinking is that my copy of the spell would resolve first, giving C a counter and killing A, and then my opponent’s HtW would try to resolve but A is gone so no damage would be dealt.
I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere. I looked through here and also on gatherer but I was not able to find the answers.
I like Narnam Cobra quite a bit in a green deck. It is just the type of 2-drop I would want to play: useful in the early game (to block and trade with a Thriving Grubs, for example), and useful in the late game (to block and trade with most any ground creature). I would not at all want play it in a deck without green mana, though, except maybe from the sideboard on the draw if my deck is low on 2-drop creatures and if my opponent has a deck focusing on early aggression of 1- and 2- toughness creatures.
Unlike Sky Skiff, Renegade Freighter makes it worthwhile to use another creature to crew it up (albeit the skiff is crew 1 while this is crew 2). A 5/4 trample somewhat early in the game is a big deal.
I don't like two 1/1 flyers for 4 mana, unless there was some synergy such as delirium (for the sorcery in EMN) or anthem effects.
If this card cost 4 -- a 0/3 flyer and two 1/1 flyers -- then I would like it without synergies, but at 5 mana it's sub-par in my view unless there are synergies.
I agree. However, I consider all of this a positive. I like that revolt is overall somewhat weak, and not something you just build because you are in the colors. The 187-critter Deadeye Harpooner is not even a good card overall in my view, I would rather just not include it, but some people like it and I think that diversity in opinions is good for the game.
Regarding improvise: "This means it's not a mechanic you build around, or really factor into your drafting; you just go off of rudimentary raw power evaluations. Snore."
I disagree. Several pros at the recent pro tour commented about drafting an improvise deck and I have done it a few times myself. I was wrong about this initially, because I was not impressed with improvise as a mechanic during spoilers but I have come around. Casting a common 5/5 can't be blocked by artifacts on turn 5 or a common 4/4 hexproof on turn 4 due to including a lot of cheap artifacts in the deck (building around), or just casting it even during some mana screw, is a big game and it can be done with decent reliability (or even earlier than my examples) if you build your deck around it. There are plenty of cheap artifacts, and the implements are in my view a great design since they cycle so at worst they are not too harmful to have in a deck.
"And then there are the Commons. Sure, some of them are pretty good, but there are so many godawful, borderline unplayable pieces of jank stuffing these packs."
I agree. But once again I consider this as a positive. One of the reasons I only play limited is that we all have to play with mediocre cards and make the best of what we can get. I like looking at what my opponent played and silently laughing, then looking down at one of the cards in my hand and stop laughing.
"What the heck were the developers thinking with cards like Ridgescale Tusker or Untethered Express?"
I agree with this. I wish that WotC would stop printing super-powerful uncommons like these two which are by far the most egregious in AER. They seem to do this in every set, though these two are even worse than in other recent sets.
Overall I like AER.
Lifecraft Cavalry is a 5 drop and I only want a small number of 5+ drops in any deck. Consequently, by taking it first I would significantly alter the rest of the early part of my draft to avoid additional 5+ drops. The first-pick cavalry is just not worth that. By contrast, I will take pretty much all of the good 2 drops I could get. There are not many good 2 drops, and a 2/1 first strike for 2 is good even without the additional energy abilities.
Also, revolt is in my view not reliable. Even if I have implements in my deck there are games in which I need to sacrifice the implement before turn 6 when I would cast the cavalry so that I can draw a card to advance my board. On top of that, a turn 6 6/6 with trample is good but not great. I like the cavalry better than a vanilla 6/6 for 6 (Cowl Prowler), but there are times when a cavalry would be just a 4/4 trample for 5 which in my view is slightly sub-par (though it is okay). Despite my comments I like the cavalry overall quite a bit and I want one or two in my green decks, but I want to avoid taking it too early.
It is too early for me to say but just from what I have seen I agree that the Aether Revolt cards seem to have a lower power level than Kaladesh cards, so I think we will need to play some quite mediocre cards. If that is the case, then I consider this a good thing because one of the reasons I play only limited is that everyone (or most everyone) has to play with mediocre cards rather than a bunch of haymakers. Getting value out of mediocre cards is part of what I enjoy about MtG, as long as my opponents are going through similar issues, so if someone were to complain about decks being not as powerful I would consider that as a positive.
Magic the Gathering Online (MtGO) is not limited in deck construction, and you can easily ignore or turn off the chat feature.
In watching early streams and reading comments from pros I thought I would see plenty of board stalls but somehow I have avoided that altogether, with aggressive trading in combat.
I am enjoying the Fabricate mechanic quite a bit as it provides a legit strategy decision based upon the game situation and the deck.
I am not enjoying KLD draft at all. More than one out of every two games so far for me have been decided by mana screw or by mana flood due to not having decent mana sinks. My vent is that I have been the one losing almost all of these games which are decided by that.
If my opponent is doing cool things with their deck, or just has the right stuff at the right time, and there is a legit game of Magic in which my opponent wins, then so be it. But when I keep drawing 10 lands out of 15 cards even the one time I had only 16 lands in my deck, or I have to mulligan almost one out of two games (and then flood in some of those) and just lose to lack of resources, that is just not fun.
I am going through a streak of that (hence the vent) coinciding with KLD beginning on MtGO, so I will wait until variance is not such a factor before I really decide whether or not I enjoy KLD. It’s time for me to take a break, though.
In draft I have experienced this, but also I am experiencing something worse. Because there are almost no mana sinks, games are often decided by who draws more lands. More than one out of two games I have played has either been decided by mana screw (which can happen in almost every format) or mana flood (which is much more painful here due to not having mana sinks).
It’s very unfun for me so far. I have enjoyed all of the recent sets back to M14 but KLD so far is very unfun for me. I imagine it will get better as variance “evens out” and my record improves but it is not promising.
If my opponent casts HtW and I choose the second option on IW, am I correct in believing that I need to choose 1) any one of my opponent’s creatures to get the +1/+1 counter and 2) any creature of mine to fight, then the two creatures would fight? Or may I choose one of my creatures to get the counter?
Also, if I choose the third option on IW, am I correct in believing that I need to choose 1) any one of my creatures to get the +1/+1 counter and 2) any creature of my opponent’s to fight? Or must I choose one of my opponent’s creatures to get the counter?
In addition, with the third option, am I correct in believing that my copy of the spell resolves first?
As an example, my opponent has only one creature, a 3/3 vanilla creature call it A, and I have two 3/3 vanilla creatures call them B and C. If my opponent casts HtW targeting A (to get the counter) and B, and I respond with the third option of IW targeting C (to get the counter) and A, am I right in believing that creature A is the only creature which dies in this? My thinking is that my copy of the spell would resolve first, giving C a counter and killing A, and then my opponent’s HtW would try to resolve but A is gone so no damage would be dealt.
I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere. I looked through here and also on gatherer but I was not able to find the answers.
If this card cost 4 -- a 0/3 flyer and two 1/1 flyers -- then I would like it without synergies, but at 5 mana it's sub-par in my view unless there are synergies.