So I'm confused, and if I'm in the wrong spot I do apologize, but are they done posting weekly main storyline stories on DailyMTG? If that's the case I really think that's a bad idea...I've been lurking the forum for awhile trying to figure out the answer, but there hasn't really been any mention.
Maybe the game should go back to its 2005 roots. Rules, set structure, released products, etc. Oh they've tried but they can't bottle that same lightning twice that Ravnica had. Return to Ravnica tried to do that but it lacked many of the things in the set structure and rules of its era much better. Like when was the last time Birds of Paradise was reprinted for standard play? Lightning Bolt? Counterspell? Stone Rain? All these and many more classics considered "too strong for standard" and it really does comes across as the overprotective parent who deems certain things too dangerous for the children when they are just over worrying too much.
Oh lets not forget their major screw-up with core sets, namely the lack of them. Oh now they are returning them, only after the blunder has sat on the table for a couple years now. Like how do they forget to implement the necessary core cards into their future sets in order to make sure they have a home. As I could of sworn people were expecting at least that level of competence out of them.
Like just look in Ixalan, have you noticed a returning pattern? Like the lack of meaningful and cheap artifact removal yet again? Like Slice in Twain and Demolish. Why do I get the feeling they would say Naturalize is also "too powerful for standard".
Like the quality of card material is of a lower grade and has a higher chance of bending. Oh and WotC is aware, they are panicking, they are trying to perform damage control. Problem is that their products are technically faulty and people are not as fond of making a purchase of American versions of the cards which also hurts brick and mortar stores.
Man there is also the matter that they canned invitationals a decade ago. It was honestly one of the cool factors of MTG in that if you could win an invitational you could create a card with your likeness and that would get put in a set. Without this, its just one less reason to be competitive.
And who could forget NWO, one of the worst moves they made. Sure it sounds all nice on paper, simplifying the complexity of commons and uncommons, but its just hurt the game. Older decks used to need the backbone be commons and uncommons and a few rares, now its different. Decks are more likely to have a higher amount of rares and mythics in the maindeck and sideboard. Even limited doesn't benefit from NWO. Oh and just because Fatal Push is an uncommon, doesn't mean it has the quantity of one, more like a pseudo-rare, seriously $30+ for an uncommon playset is absolutely insane.
With all I said, its no wonder why attendance might be shaky to say the least.
This. ALL OF THIS. I’m so sick of hearing how integral parts of the game I LITERALLY grew up loving are “TOOOO POWERFUL!!” Bull. Magic just needs to go back to the 2001-2007 era.
I remember playing during Kamigawa-Rav Standard, and there were all kinds of different strategies you could play. Aggro, control, combo, aggro-control, LD, etc. I would go to FNM and there would be 30 people there and probably at least 15-20 unique decks. I LOVE to play LD, and so I did. Nobody talked about it being "unfun" to play against, rather they tried extra hard to destroy me and were twice as happy when they did. I died to several Sacred Grounds being played against me, and I still had fun.
What is upsetting to me is that Wizards (and it seems like MaRo in particular) just takes things away that were a part of the game since before I started.
No more LD
No more Mana Leak
No more *** effects
No more core set
Everything is TOO POWERFUL!!!111!!! now. Seriously, read some of the stuff MaRo says. Pyroclasm is too strong, but getting over half my life total taken from Mardu Vehicles by t3 isn't? *** is too powerful, but vehicles-a subtype that literally hoses sweepers-are completely fine?!
Stop worrying about "unfun" and stop micromanaging for draft. If you have boosters with 15 cards in a pack, people are going to draft them. Forget "as-fan", forget micromanaging card designs for "limited".
And STOP telling me that things are "TOO POWERFUL!!!"
::Edit::
In response to SuperHans99
I agree completely. But MaRo and his "market research" has assured us several times that nothing like that will ever happen again. One of my favorite things in mtg ever, and he was just like "nope, newer players didn't like it".
Uhh....I started playing during Onslaught-Mirrodin standard, so I was still relatively new, and I LOVED getting to play with mechanics and cards that my cousin (who got me started in mtg) and all of our teammates talked about "back in the old days". I actually got to cast Akroma in standard, that was fantastic. But nope, MaRo says never again and so it will never be...
Another issue is the micromanagement of limited. Create the cards for constructed, and drafters willl still draft the set. But design for limited and you end up with limited-fodder standard with a couple bomb mythics thrown in.
I agree with every sentiment in this thread so far, and I've asked myself several times if I'm looking through rose-colored nostalgia glasses, and the answer is simply "no". The problem is that everything has become too formulaic, and they are so focused on newer players that older players are never thought about. I've been playing this game since I was 15 years old, and I'm going on 30 this year. And yet, all of the things I enjoyed playing (sweepers, land destruction, etc.) is completely gone. It is now "Battlecruiser Magic" where my big guy slams into your big guy, and it just isn't interesting. SaffronOlive over at mtggoldfish brought up a good point recently where he said that an issue was that Wizards was trying to eliminate "unfun" ways to lose, but the problem is, ALL types of losses are unfun. If you lose to counter.dec you're going to say "I hate counterspells"! and then in the same tournament if you lose to aggro you're going to hate aggro.
The format NEEDS all of those strategies to thrive. Look at the diversity from Mtg's past vs. today and that gives a little glimpse as to what the problem is.
Not my mistake but it was my opponent's. I was playing UR Dragonstorm, my opponent wins game 1, I cast d-storm on turn 3 of game 2 and he gets all upset and concedes as soon as I cast it. This was a really tough matchup, but boarding was difficult. Seeing how I made him tilt, I boarded all 8 of my dragons out and brought in answers. I d-stormed for 4 and he snap conceded, packed up signed the slip and left. If he'd waited I would've had no dragons and would've had to concede lol
There is an Intel ad with a woman with red lines on her face that is popping up when I first get to the site. It takes up the whole page, and since I'm on my phone if I'm zoomed in looking at the spoiler or most recent topics it locks me up and I can't even close the page. Very annoying
What about the possibility that Sorin used Nahiri to replace the original Avacyn?
Something happens to the original, Innistrad loses its protector while Sorin is gone, and when he comes back he sees a similar situation to the one when Avacyn was locked in the Helvault. He takes Nahiri from Zendikar (because the Eldrazi have been dormant for a long time at this point, and Sorin has been quoted as saying that he only cares about Innistrad) due to her resemblance to Avacyn. He casts an illusion spell on her, makes her look like Avacyn and makes her forget her former life, and that's the end of it.
Anyone familiar with Heroes will note that it is very similar to what Peter and Angela did with Sylar. Wiped his mind, and transformed him into a double for Nathan.
Hi, is anybody having trouble playing duels on iOS this weekend? Worked fine when I went to bed last night, woke up this morning and I can't connect, it just says "unable to establish a connection".
Everything else is fine, my internet is fine, just can't connect.
When ~is to put in a graveyard from play add UG (or similar) to your mana pool
;-) If you want to have the Legendary aspect be interesting.
Since this is the last core set ever - I'm predicting some really amazing new dual lands to go out with a bang. I will be highly surprised if they aren't at least partial land types like:
~
Land - Forest (Tap: G to your mana pool)
Tap: add U to your mana pool, ~ deals 1 damage to you.
That first example would be really cool with Crucible of Worlds *wishful thinking*
Thanks
This. ALL OF THIS. I’m so sick of hearing how integral parts of the game I LITERALLY grew up loving are “TOOOO POWERFUL!!” Bull. Magic just needs to go back to the 2001-2007 era.
What is upsetting to me is that Wizards (and it seems like MaRo in particular) just takes things away that were a part of the game since before I started.
No more LD
No more Mana Leak
No more *** effects
No more core set
Everything is TOO POWERFUL!!!111!!! now. Seriously, read some of the stuff MaRo says. Pyroclasm is too strong, but getting over half my life total taken from Mardu Vehicles by t3 isn't? *** is too powerful, but vehicles-a subtype that literally hoses sweepers-are completely fine?!
Stop worrying about "unfun" and stop micromanaging for draft. If you have boosters with 15 cards in a pack, people are going to draft them. Forget "as-fan", forget micromanaging card designs for "limited".
And STOP telling me that things are "TOO POWERFUL!!!"
::Edit::
In response to SuperHans99
I agree completely. But MaRo and his "market research" has assured us several times that nothing like that will ever happen again. One of my favorite things in mtg ever, and he was just like "nope, newer players didn't like it".
Uhh....I started playing during Onslaught-Mirrodin standard, so I was still relatively new, and I LOVED getting to play with mechanics and cards that my cousin (who got me started in mtg) and all of our teammates talked about "back in the old days". I actually got to cast Akroma in standard, that was fantastic. But nope, MaRo says never again and so it will never be...
The format NEEDS all of those strategies to thrive. Look at the diversity from Mtg's past vs. today and that gives a little glimpse as to what the problem is.
That tentacle looks an awful lot like an Eldrazi tentacle...but maybe I'm just being....paranoid
Clicking on it comes up with a 404: Page Not Found error
This could be nothing (in which case, please delete) but just thought it was interesting.
-Damage would use the stack
-No mythic rarity
-No NWO
I cannot believe that Magic is in a current state of existence where Rampant Growth is deemed too powerful, along with Volcanic Hammer and Wrath of God.
Something happens to the original, Innistrad loses its protector while Sorin is gone, and when he comes back he sees a similar situation to the one when Avacyn was locked in the Helvault. He takes Nahiri from Zendikar (because the Eldrazi have been dormant for a long time at this point, and Sorin has been quoted as saying that he only cares about Innistrad) due to her resemblance to Avacyn. He casts an illusion spell on her, makes her look like Avacyn and makes her forget her former life, and that's the end of it.
Anyone familiar with Heroes will note that it is very similar to what Peter and Angela did with Sylar. Wiped his mind, and transformed him into a double for Nathan.
Everything else is fine, my internet is fine, just can't connect.
Isle of the Hawk's Nest
Legendary Land - Island Plains
If you control 4 Islands and 4 Plains ~ becomes a 4/4 Bird creature with Flying and First Strike.
I don't think something like that would be op
That first example would be really cool with Crucible of Worlds *wishful thinking*