I find your defense abstract would you like to actually defend specific points. For instance, their justification for no counterspell in their own stream? This criticism isn't coming out of a vacuum. I mean I don't think you actually personally believe counterspell is too good for Modern so I be surprised if you want to die on this hill.
Assuming the second half of spoilers are as mediocre as the first, I think we'll have to seriously question wotc's understanding of the format and how that affects B&R decisions or rule changes.
I have literally been saying this for years, and constantly mocked for it. But time and time again, they show that their understanding of the format is embarrassingly thin and almost entirely dictated by spreadsheets and data sets of names. There is no deep and fundamental understanding of the actual format meta or how the decks interact with each other, outside of the absolute most basic, surface level observations. Is this set what it finally takes for others to see that?
Honestly what makes it disgraceful is that it aint hard for WOTC if they care about this stuff to sign up to some Forums like this, Cruise multiple Reddit for Magic and sit in Discords. This isn't the 90s or early 00s. If they actually cared it wouldnt be that hard to do a decent job. If they wanted to do some research and find out what people think about various decks it be easy. But I honestly don't think they care and wanna fix things.
I mean really we don't want to give some colors answers cause they make the current answers bad? What do you care your selling packs not singles and presumably you want your new stuff to sell...stuff like this makes it hard to believe WOTC doesn't profit off the Secondary Market. But also its just a fundamental flawed people want new answers cause the current ones are lagging behind. I respect them more if they just flat out said we don't want better answers. But not printing Counterspell aint going to make people play 3 CMC Counter in Modern. They will pay the 2 CMC ones they got and the 1 CMC options. Besides Cryptic cause that is special.
Interesting which Walkers did you replace in UW and UWR to play Splicer. Cause I don't know a constant token generator seems pretty good with Walkers for protecting when you don't have a wipe or want to save spot removal. Against little Teferi they cannot counter at all and to a lesser extent big Teferi helps you get mana to keep splicing.
Now on Force of Negation I agree the main use seems to be saying nope to their Walkers.
4 vials, 4 caverns, 4 hive and 4 unclaimed territory. And add 4 mana generator slivers. It should not be difficult to cast.
Indeed Humans proved that the question is which color is the dominant color in Slivers. Humans is W then U then Everything Else.
Guess we should wait to see more.
Oh yeah that justification was simply awful. Also it messes with the color pie if Blue is not allowed to have good counterspells and White cannot have good answers cause what it invalidates bad cards? Funny cause it seems Green and Black are always expanding their Color Pie while getting basically exclusive access to discard and ramp.
I mean the only time Force of Virtue cost reduction helps you is if your opponent full swings all their creatures when your tapped out (so they don't expect the trap) with a bunch of creatures on your side as well so its what a Human vs Human/Spirits mirror breaker? Cause the most likely thing a person does is reach for their boardwipe of choice of which most of them care about CMC or are unconditional.
Well I make the case obsoleting all other 2 CMC counterpsells is the point.
Logic Knot can be fine late game sure but early game the cost reduction from delve aint helping you much. Especially against anyone with mana acceleration be it guides, dorks, tron lands, etc.
3 mana teferi is good against control, but he's weak to a ton of other decks...anything with more than 1-2 dudes turning sideways will chew through him.
Karn is fine. If you're losing to 4 drop + 6 drop your deck isn't competing very well against almost every other T1-2 deck that can also close out a game by t4-5.
I mean sure maybe if you are playing a Red Prison Deck. But Karn mostly does is his work in G Tron.
And the combo tends to be get 7 mana by Turn 3 or 4. Play Karn and Bridge or Trinisphere depending. Then Drop Lattice next turn which cannot be stopped without counters or lets say SSG in hand to make mana for artifact removal. The difference is Karn in G Tron has especially narrow answers to stop it if you don't have counter magic. It has total inevitability.
And after all that BS of Maro saying we almost put counterspell in Dominaria...SMFH. No unconditional total answer counter and probably no good white removal either...SMFH.
I mean the problem in Modern is there are a lot of creatures you want to Counter.
I mean honestly the exile clause would be way better against creatures anyway. The spell exiling is niche outside of what Faithless Looting? And in control mirrors?
I mean could be useful if we are overrun with Neoform decks post London Mulligan I certainly would have played it during the time London Mulligan was active on MTGO that and the Force of Black would have been quite useful lol.
Makes a pretty good combat trick, and token decks with cards like Brimaz and Hero of Bladehold love them some anthems.
I mean I guess but its not an Answer and is this card really going to bring them back. Also it does nothing to protect them from removal or boardwipes. The BW tribal anthem does a better job at least it gives indestructible for 1 mana and a sacrifice. This meanwhile does nothing when your opponent wipes out all your creatures with basically any board wipe in modern.
I mean think its clear this set didn't start being about Modern and WOTC loves their Drafting. That said when looking at the Forces specifically, I don't think its asking for too much for Force of Virtue to be like the others Force and Mainboardable at best and a sideboard option at worse. Instead of straight unplayable. This doesn't answer anything and is clearly weaker then the other Forces by a significant margin. Now maybe I am wrong as I don't play Humans but I don't see them playing it and that is like the only white creature deck around and I guess Spirits but again. Maybe they have enough cards to make some strong token decks post MH but eh right now a real letdown. And unlike the other Forces it doesn't even look like they tried at all.
Honestly what makes it disgraceful is that it aint hard for WOTC if they care about this stuff to sign up to some Forums like this, Cruise multiple Reddit for Magic and sit in Discords. This isn't the 90s or early 00s. If they actually cared it wouldnt be that hard to do a decent job. If they wanted to do some research and find out what people think about various decks it be easy. But I honestly don't think they care and wanna fix things.
I mean really we don't want to give some colors answers cause they make the current answers bad? What do you care your selling packs not singles and presumably you want your new stuff to sell...stuff like this makes it hard to believe WOTC doesn't profit off the Secondary Market. But also its just a fundamental flawed people want new answers cause the current ones are lagging behind. I respect them more if they just flat out said we don't want better answers. But not printing Counterspell aint going to make people play 3 CMC Counter in Modern. They will pay the 2 CMC ones they got and the 1 CMC options. Besides Cryptic cause that is special.
Now on Force of Negation I agree the main use seems to be saying nope to their Walkers.
Indeed Humans proved that the question is which color is the dominant color in Slivers. Humans is W then U then Everything Else.
Guess we should wait to see more.
Logic Knot can be fine late game sure but early game the cost reduction from delve aint helping you much. Especially against anyone with mana acceleration be it guides, dorks, tron lands, etc.
I mean sure maybe if you are playing a Red Prison Deck. But Karn mostly does is his work in G Tron.
And the combo tends to be get 7 mana by Turn 3 or 4. Play Karn and Bridge or Trinisphere depending. Then Drop Lattice next turn which cannot be stopped without counters or lets say SSG in hand to make mana for artifact removal. The difference is Karn in G Tron has especially narrow answers to stop it if you don't have counter magic. It has total inevitability.
And after all that BS of Maro saying we almost put counterspell in Dominaria...SMFH. No unconditional total answer counter and probably no good white removal either...SMFH.
I mean honestly the exile clause would be way better against creatures anyway. The spell exiling is niche outside of what Faithless Looting? And in control mirrors?
I mean I guess but its not an Answer and is this card really going to bring them back. Also it does nothing to protect them from removal or boardwipes. The BW tribal anthem does a better job at least it gives indestructible for 1 mana and a sacrifice. This meanwhile does nothing when your opponent wipes out all your creatures with basically any board wipe in modern.
I mean think its clear this set didn't start being about Modern and WOTC loves their Drafting. That said when looking at the Forces specifically, I don't think its asking for too much for Force of Virtue to be like the others Force and Mainboardable at best and a sideboard option at worse. Instead of straight unplayable. This doesn't answer anything and is clearly weaker then the other Forces by a significant margin. Now maybe I am wrong as I don't play Humans but I don't see them playing it and that is like the only white creature deck around and I guess Spirits but again. Maybe they have enough cards to make some strong token decks post MH but eh right now a real letdown. And unlike the other Forces it doesn't even look like they tried at all.