Banding: Nearly impossible to understand and mostly pointless once you did.
Rampage: Are you playing Lure? No? Then, ignore this text.
Cumulative Upkeep: Hey, remember every turn to pay a cost that changes.
Mercenaries: See those cool Rebels? Let's be a worse version of that with crappies creatures too!
Moral of this story: Magic is in a much better place now that the "good ole days" of yore. Hexproof? Really? I understand hating the two powerful cards that have the ability, but hating the whole ability because of that? I think it adds an interesting dimension of how we answer creatures. You can't just play Murder because some creatures avoid that kill spell.
People seem to blame Hexproof for lack of interactivity. I am just dumbfounded by this statement. Hexproof creatures can still be blocked, right? (Again dismissing the dumb cards, not the ability) And isn't forcing players to consider their deck choices and not just shove spot removal in willy nilly increasing deck diversity and forcing players to interact with creatures with other creatures and explored options?
Cascade? Yes, it was capable of doing dumb things. Wizards admitted it was probably a mistake. I can concede this mechanic is fair to be hated against.
I can also understand how Miracles can cause frustration too. However, they aren't killing Standard as far as I can tell, and in Legacy they provide something and are less luck based because of how the format works. So I'll consider this one a wash.
(Ninja edit: I have been playing Magic for a loooong time, and have played with each of those abilities while they were available for Standard decks. I figured they were fair game as others have broken the "Standard now" deal.)
I'm going to just assume everyone stating that FoW wouldn't be played in Standard has been playing Magic for only a few years. Remember, FoW was in Standard once and was heavily played. The fact that people call it card disadvantage as if that makes the card bad is proof enough that these people don't have a clue.
I checked "no". You want Force? Save up and buy it. Otherwise, just quit complaining and move on. I have a playset of FoW's because I saved up for months and bought one at a time. I still want a Mana Drain but haven't saved up enough to get it yet. Does that mean it should be reprinted just to convenience me?
Magic players need to stop acting so privileged. If your hobby is working on cars, do you insist they Ford manufacture a T-Model engine just to lower the price and make you happier. Force is an iconic powerful card that deserves to be wanted by the players who don't understand it's impact on a format in the first place.
Long story short, I'm certain Wizards doesn't want Force in Standard or Modern. If a supplemental product gets it, all these players complaining about its price will be more vocal when the newer version drives the price of that product up beyond their budget as well. There is no easy fix so just accept the situation. Sheesh.
The RL will never go away, and it will never kill Magic. By the the time legacy goes bottom up, people will just switch to Modern. I heard this same bull **** 10 years ago when Vintage was dying. Players adapt. And as long as Magic is still being made, duals won't tank. Legacy is not the only format that is driving their price increase. EDH, I assure you, is doing more than it's share of price gouging.
Put simply, deal with it. The RL is what it is. They still have every set from Mirrodin on they can reprint. If YOU want to quit because an awesome format may die 20 years from now, be my guest. But I promise that Magic won't miss you.
P.s. just because a group of people you know act or feel a certain way, doesn't mean that's the way it is. Magic is bigger than you or I. I'd venture to say that at least 80% of all pack sales are to people who will never visit a Magic forum. I've been playing for nearly 20 years, and I have a ton of history with this game. Trust me, Magic is doing great.
How about the fact that those Guildmages were also alongside Glare of the Subdual, a spell that's probably considered too good for current Magic.
Magic evolves it changes. I don't mind calling Wizards on cards that "ruin" the game. But the great thing is, they listen to us when we complain. Titans too good? Gone. Hexproof too strong on hard to block creatures? Toned down. An unbalanced 'Walker since Jace? Not yet. Wizards admitted Delver was too strong and Snapcaster should have been red.
I love Magic. Been playing since Revised and never quit. The reason why is because I grow with the game. I consider Wizard's business model. They need new players and a steady profit to keep the game alive. I read articles and tweets and tumblr's of game designers and developers. Know what?
They love Magic too. If a card or facet of the game bothers you, play with it first. If it doesn't make the game unfun, deal with it. It bothers me that so many people complain about a card. Why? Because they probably don't even play against it. For example, everyone seems to hate Thragtusk because it's the cool thing to do. I don't think I've ever heard even a similar outcry to Hellrider and it sees just as much play.
Point? Love the game and give a card a chance. (And creature power has crept since Ravnica. They flat out admit that. But we don't have Remand which was unfair to play against. So things change.)
1. How did you hear about the game and how much were packs at the time?
- I learned in 8th grade when I was in military school. Fallen Empires had just come out and packs were just under $2 where I shopped.
2. Did you pull any Power, and if so, do you still have them?
- I never pulled one, no. I did win a few at tourneys, but I always sale them or trade them for cards I'd actually use.
3. Did you ever think that a Black Lotus would be worth thousands of dollars? (i say this because i remember one guy told me he used to buy them for like 5 bucks....the envy...)
-I remember them being worth much less, but I don't think I could have guessed they'd be worth a grand, no. Even so, I wouldn't go back in time and invest in them. That's not really that good of an investment really.
4. Whats kept you playing this long? (almost 20 years..thats a LONG time..)
- The fact that the game keeps evolving and the community keeps growing. And it's still easy for me to teach the game to new players.
5. What was your first deck you ever built? what was the goal? (aggro, control, etc)
- It was a 130 card monstrosity which desperately wanted to cast my three Craw Wurms. Haha. Good times.
6. Whats been your favorite deck of all time to play and why?
- My favorite deck of all time to play is Grim Grin or Rafiq EDH. They both are capable of doing stupid broken things which makes me feel boss, but also require a ton of skill which is why I truly love them.
7. Do you like the way the game has evolved and if so, why?
- Absolutely. I love where Magic has been, where it is, and where it is going. Any and everyone who constantly complains about how much Magic sucks now compared to the "good ole days" make me wish they'd quit and go play something else. Magic is awesome because you shape your own play experience.
8. After all these years, have you stuck to your favorite color and what is your favorite color?
- Blue took over around Ice Age and it is still my absolute favorite color. Oh yeah, Mana Leak and Counterspell are too powerfull for Standard. Old players like me should especially realize why that is true.
It's a throwback to Flametongue Kavu which was another awesome choice. The original was 4 mana for 4 damage and 4 power. Firemaw?
6 mana for 6 combined damage. 6 total power and toughness. 6 echo cost. What makes me love this card most though is the many different ways to use it.
Play it, shock a guy, pay the echo, swing til he dies then flame burst a guy.
Play it, shock a guy, don't pay the echo, flame burst a guy.
Play it, shock itself, flame burst a guy.
It's just so amazingly designed. The art's a little meh, but the fact that their is so much going on design wise with the rest of the card...I just love it.
I did very well at the pre-release, and I even pulled two Lilianas. So all in all you would assume that I love the set, right?
I hate Innistrad. While the flavor is resonant, and I can't argue with the desire to pull in new players, I was just bored out of my skull. Most of the games, I just laid out creatures while my opponent laid out creatures and we attacked. That's really boring.
In the final 4 things were a little more skill intensive. By that, I mean I spent one game going back and forth until I got out my Grimgrin and just won. The next match was so much better where I had to watch three Invisible Stalkers pick up all forms of equipment as I sat hoping for my one Rolling Tremblor. Needless to say, it didn't come and I lost.
I understand that the limited environment could be fun for some players. But for me, I just found it boring. I was playing black and blue with a splash of red, and I did consistently well just laying out flying creatures and knowing that there is very little removal. If my opponent tried to race me on the ground, I'd just use Rolling Tembler and continue the assault.
However, I am going to come right out say that Invisible Stalker should have been uncommon and Inquisitor's Flail flat out shuts out games when put on a flyer. Other than that, I guess I'm just in the minority.
For reference, I've been playing since Fallen Empires. This isn't the worst set, but I think I'll pick up the rest of the enemy duals, a few Snapcasters, and some other cheap singles and call it a day.
"Broken" is extremely over-used in my opinion. The word once described cards which were just that: broken. Cards which would destroy the game whether by eliminating interaction or doing very stupid thinks. Think along the lines of Necropotence, Tolarian Academy, or Recurring Nightmare. These cards do things which break the fundemental rules of Magic. Necropotence offers obscene amounts of card advantage for practically nothing, Academy offers obscene amounts of mana with little trouble, and Nightmare offers constant recycling of creatures with the inability to remove it easily.
Flame Slash kills some creatures for R as a Sorcery. How does that break anything. It's not broken because that's what magic has been doing since day one with Lightning Bolt (a card that is really good, but still not broken). Armadillo Cloak is fun and somewhat powerful, but also nowhere near broken. You invest mana to make your creature better. However, you also set yourself up for a 2-for-1. That's completely fair.
I think your playgroup needs to either lay off calling things broken or start calling broken things something else.
Squalling Plains
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if a land entered the battlefield under your control this turn.
I think, as you said, having a cycle would really push 4-5 color decks. This is why I summed it all into one. I agree the land I made would probably be to powerful, but here's the biggest knock against mine I think you missed. Without fetchlands, you can't activate them on your opponents turn. So consider that too.
Utopian Aqueducts(Common)
Land T: Add W or U to your mana pool.
Um...what? No, just no. I understand that you want powerful lands that everyone can get, but the fact is there is no creativity in this idea. I like it when players have to think to build their mana bases. How mana lands etb tapped? How many hurt you? etc.
Shimmering Grotto is a perfect example of a great common multicolored land. The invasion dual land cycle could probably be at common as well.
I'm very good, I think. I love playing limited because I consistently do well. I've won the last several pre-releases I've been to. The thing is, I truly enjoy playing Magic for fun first. Because of this, I never go to GP's or am even remotely interested in PT's. I'm sure that even if I'm not good enough to win a major tournament, I could get there with some practice. But Magic is, always has been, and always will be my source of fun. I don't want to ruin that.
Well, that and I have two house payments, two car payments, a family, and schooling to worry about. I make decent enough money to buy singles from each set, but nowhere near enough to stay competitive.
I will offer what I feel made me a good player: play everything! I know great control players, great aggro and combo players. Don't allow yourself to fall into that trap. Play and master each of these. Even if you stick with what you have affinity for, knowing how other decks play are huge. Also, read. I spend a few hours a week reading strategy, design, and development articles. Nothing has improved my limited game more than reading.
Finally, play a High Tide deck. Seriously. If you have any issues with the stack at all, this will allow you to learn it. If you can't tell, I'm a "throw him in the water and he'll learn how to swim" type of guy, but I honestly feel that more often than not, it works!
Awesome stuff! I really liked the BEST.DRAW.EVER. The best part about this exercise is it really encourages Johnny to have some fun.
Here's another for fun:
Leeches Everywhere! 1W
Enchantment 1: Remove a poison counter from yourself. You lose 2 life. Ow...OW!
Super Gain Life Fun Time W
Instant
Your life total becomes equal to your life total as you cast Super Gain Life Fun Time. Me life you long time.
I actually think this is a really decent card with pay life cards. Play this, then pump up your Immolating Souleater until you're at 1, then gain it all back! Woo-Hoo!
Finally, a little landness for you're enjoyment:
Whoville
Land 1, T: Add one mana of the type of mana used to pay Whoville's activation cost to your mana pool. It should be called Whyville.
read the card. "return another land". To be fair, that might mean that although the card works mechanically, it might not be a good design if a lot of people misread that.
That's a good point. Good design also takes into account how people naturally read cards. In that case, you can do what the Lair lands did and just give them all a type. The card would return a non-type.
Here's another card I was thinking of recently (tying to come up for a INN multicolored land)
Lotus Cemetery
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add one mana of a color of a card in your graveyard to your mana pool.
I'm not sure on the wording, but you get the gist. Also, one more idea I had (yes, I spend far too much effort thinking about this):
Heart of Zendikar
Land
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battelfield under your control this turn, Heart of Zendikar gains, "T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool," until end of turn.
Now, how's about that for first turn no drawbacks for any color of mana? It may be too powerful, but it deserves some testing. Finally, when thinking of Fetchable lands, something dawned on me yesterday: my favorite land to fetch in EDH is Murmoring Bosk. Therefore, why not try to riff on that idea?
Ichor Tarn
Land - Swamp (T: Add B to your mana pool.)
Marsh Ruins enters the battlefield tapped unless you control another swamp. T, Pay 1 life: Add U or R to your mana pool.
Banding: Nearly impossible to understand and mostly pointless once you did.
Rampage: Are you playing Lure? No? Then, ignore this text.
Cumulative Upkeep: Hey, remember every turn to pay a cost that changes.
Mercenaries: See those cool Rebels? Let's be a worse version of that with crappies creatures too!
Moral of this story: Magic is in a much better place now that the "good ole days" of yore. Hexproof? Really? I understand hating the two powerful cards that have the ability, but hating the whole ability because of that? I think it adds an interesting dimension of how we answer creatures. You can't just play Murder because some creatures avoid that kill spell.
People seem to blame Hexproof for lack of interactivity. I am just dumbfounded by this statement. Hexproof creatures can still be blocked, right? (Again dismissing the dumb cards, not the ability) And isn't forcing players to consider their deck choices and not just shove spot removal in willy nilly increasing deck diversity and forcing players to interact with creatures with other creatures and explored options?
Cascade? Yes, it was capable of doing dumb things. Wizards admitted it was probably a mistake. I can concede this mechanic is fair to be hated against.
I can also understand how Miracles can cause frustration too. However, they aren't killing Standard as far as I can tell, and in Legacy they provide something and are less luck based because of how the format works. So I'll consider this one a wash.
(Ninja edit: I have been playing Magic for a loooong time, and have played with each of those abilities while they were available for Standard decks. I figured they were fair game as others have broken the "Standard now" deal.)
I checked "no". You want Force? Save up and buy it. Otherwise, just quit complaining and move on. I have a playset of FoW's because I saved up for months and bought one at a time. I still want a Mana Drain but haven't saved up enough to get it yet. Does that mean it should be reprinted just to convenience me?
Magic players need to stop acting so privileged. If your hobby is working on cars, do you insist they Ford manufacture a T-Model engine just to lower the price and make you happier. Force is an iconic powerful card that deserves to be wanted by the players who don't understand it's impact on a format in the first place.
Long story short, I'm certain Wizards doesn't want Force in Standard or Modern. If a supplemental product gets it, all these players complaining about its price will be more vocal when the newer version drives the price of that product up beyond their budget as well. There is no easy fix so just accept the situation. Sheesh.
As for Hasbro cutting jobs, no one knows who it will affect, but it seems unlikely Magic is the area that needs cutting.
Put simply, deal with it. The RL is what it is. They still have every set from Mirrodin on they can reprint. If YOU want to quit because an awesome format may die 20 years from now, be my guest. But I promise that Magic won't miss you.
P.s. just because a group of people you know act or feel a certain way, doesn't mean that's the way it is. Magic is bigger than you or I. I'd venture to say that at least 80% of all pack sales are to people who will never visit a Magic forum. I've been playing for nearly 20 years, and I have a ton of history with this game. Trust me, Magic is doing great.
Magic evolves it changes. I don't mind calling Wizards on cards that "ruin" the game. But the great thing is, they listen to us when we complain. Titans too good? Gone. Hexproof too strong on hard to block creatures? Toned down. An unbalanced 'Walker since Jace? Not yet. Wizards admitted Delver was too strong and Snapcaster should have been red.
I love Magic. Been playing since Revised and never quit. The reason why is because I grow with the game. I consider Wizard's business model. They need new players and a steady profit to keep the game alive. I read articles and tweets and tumblr's of game designers and developers. Know what?
They love Magic too. If a card or facet of the game bothers you, play with it first. If it doesn't make the game unfun, deal with it. It bothers me that so many people complain about a card. Why? Because they probably don't even play against it. For example, everyone seems to hate Thragtusk because it's the cool thing to do. I don't think I've ever heard even a similar outcry to Hellrider and it sees just as much play.
Point? Love the game and give a card a chance. (And creature power has crept since Ravnica. They flat out admit that. But we don't have Remand which was unfair to play against. So things change.)
1. How did you hear about the game and how much were packs at the time?
- I learned in 8th grade when I was in military school. Fallen Empires had just come out and packs were just under $2 where I shopped.
2. Did you pull any Power, and if so, do you still have them?
- I never pulled one, no. I did win a few at tourneys, but I always sale them or trade them for cards I'd actually use.
3. Did you ever think that a Black Lotus would be worth thousands of dollars? (i say this because i remember one guy told me he used to buy them for like 5 bucks....the envy...)
-I remember them being worth much less, but I don't think I could have guessed they'd be worth a grand, no. Even so, I wouldn't go back in time and invest in them. That's not really that good of an investment really.
4. Whats kept you playing this long? (almost 20 years..thats a LONG time..)
- The fact that the game keeps evolving and the community keeps growing. And it's still easy for me to teach the game to new players.
5. What was your first deck you ever built? what was the goal? (aggro, control, etc)
- It was a 130 card monstrosity which desperately wanted to cast my three Craw Wurms. Haha. Good times.
6. Whats been your favorite deck of all time to play and why?
- My favorite deck of all time to play is Grim Grin or Rafiq EDH. They both are capable of doing stupid broken things which makes me feel boss, but also require a ton of skill which is why I truly love them.
7. Do you like the way the game has evolved and if so, why?
- Absolutely. I love where Magic has been, where it is, and where it is going. Any and everyone who constantly complains about how much Magic sucks now compared to the "good ole days" make me wish they'd quit and go play something else. Magic is awesome because you shape your own play experience.
8. After all these years, have you stuck to your favorite color and what is your favorite color?
- Blue took over around Ice Age and it is still my absolute favorite color. Oh yeah, Mana Leak and Counterspell are too powerfull for Standard. Old players like me should especially realize why that is true.
More questions!!!!
It's a throwback to Flametongue Kavu which was another awesome choice. The original was 4 mana for 4 damage and 4 power. Firemaw?
6 mana for 6 combined damage. 6 total power and toughness. 6 echo cost. What makes me love this card most though is the many different ways to use it.
Play it, shock a guy, pay the echo, swing til he dies then flame burst a guy.
Play it, shock a guy, don't pay the echo, flame burst a guy.
Play it, shock itself, flame burst a guy.
It's just so amazingly designed. The art's a little meh, but the fact that their is so much going on design wise with the rest of the card...I just love it.
I hate Innistrad. While the flavor is resonant, and I can't argue with the desire to pull in new players, I was just bored out of my skull. Most of the games, I just laid out creatures while my opponent laid out creatures and we attacked. That's really boring.
In the final 4 things were a little more skill intensive. By that, I mean I spent one game going back and forth until I got out my Grimgrin and just won. The next match was so much better where I had to watch three Invisible Stalkers pick up all forms of equipment as I sat hoping for my one Rolling Tremblor. Needless to say, it didn't come and I lost.
I understand that the limited environment could be fun for some players. But for me, I just found it boring. I was playing black and blue with a splash of red, and I did consistently well just laying out flying creatures and knowing that there is very little removal. If my opponent tried to race me on the ground, I'd just use Rolling Tembler and continue the assault.
However, I am going to come right out say that Invisible Stalker should have been uncommon and Inquisitor's Flail flat out shuts out games when put on a flyer. Other than that, I guess I'm just in the minority.
For reference, I've been playing since Fallen Empires. This isn't the worst set, but I think I'll pick up the rest of the enemy duals, a few Snapcasters, and some other cheap singles and call it a day.
Ball Lightning, Ernham Djinn, Sengir Vampire and Serra Angel all have been reprinted with no issues.
Pretty much if it was a creature, it's probably safe to reprint with zero issues.
Flame Slash kills some creatures for R as a Sorcery. How does that break anything. It's not broken because that's what magic has been doing since day one with Lightning Bolt (a card that is really good, but still not broken). Armadillo Cloak is fun and somewhat powerful, but also nowhere near broken. You invest mana to make your creature better. However, you also set yourself up for a 2-for-1. That's completely fair.
I think your playgroup needs to either lay off calling things broken or start calling broken things something else.
I think, as you said, having a cycle would really push 4-5 color decks. This is why I summed it all into one. I agree the land I made would probably be to powerful, but here's the biggest knock against mine I think you missed. Without fetchlands, you can't activate them on your opponents turn. So consider that too.
Um...what? No, just no. I understand that you want powerful lands that everyone can get, but the fact is there is no creativity in this idea. I like it when players have to think to build their mana bases. How mana lands etb tapped? How many hurt you? etc.
Shimmering Grotto is a perfect example of a great common multicolored land. The invasion dual land cycle could probably be at common as well.
Well, that and I have two house payments, two car payments, a family, and schooling to worry about. I make decent enough money to buy singles from each set, but nowhere near enough to stay competitive.
I will offer what I feel made me a good player: play everything! I know great control players, great aggro and combo players. Don't allow yourself to fall into that trap. Play and master each of these. Even if you stick with what you have affinity for, knowing how other decks play are huge. Also, read. I spend a few hours a week reading strategy, design, and development articles. Nothing has improved my limited game more than reading.
Finally, play a High Tide deck. Seriously. If you have any issues with the stack at all, this will allow you to learn it. If you can't tell, I'm a "throw him in the water and he'll learn how to swim" type of guy, but I honestly feel that more often than not, it works!
Here's another for fun:
Leeches Everywhere!
1W
Enchantment
1: Remove a poison counter from yourself. You lose 2 life.
Ow...OW!
Super Gain Life Fun Time
W
Instant
Your life total becomes equal to your life total as you cast Super Gain Life Fun Time.
Me life you long time.
I actually think this is a really decent card with pay life cards. Play this, then pump up your Immolating Souleater until you're at 1, then gain it all back! Woo-Hoo!
Finally, a little landness for you're enjoyment:
Whoville
Land
1, T: Add one mana of the type of mana used to pay Whoville's activation cost to your mana pool.
It should be called Whyville.
That's a good point. Good design also takes into account how people naturally read cards. In that case, you can do what the Lair lands did and just give them all a type. The card would return a non-type.
Here's another card I was thinking of recently (tying to come up for a INN multicolored land)
Lotus Cemetery
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T: Add one mana of a color of a card in your graveyard to your mana pool.
I'm not sure on the wording, but you get the gist. Also, one more idea I had (yes, I spend far too much effort thinking about this):
Heart of Zendikar
Land
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battelfield under your control this turn, Heart of Zendikar gains, "T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool," until end of turn.
Now, how's about that for first turn no drawbacks for any color of mana? It may be too powerful, but it deserves some testing. Finally, when thinking of Fetchable lands, something dawned on me yesterday: my favorite land to fetch in EDH is Murmoring Bosk. Therefore, why not try to riff on that idea?
Ichor Tarn
Land - Swamp
(T: Add B to your mana pool.)
Marsh Ruins enters the battlefield tapped unless you control another swamp.
T, Pay 1 life: Add U or R to your mana pool.
So waddaya think?