Sagas won’t be returning with this set. Mark said that they will return in the future
MaRo specifically just said 'they will return'. He has also said 'maybe' about sagas specifically returning in ELD. It's not at all off the table.
Mark says maybe to a lot of things, mainly because the asker specifically asks for a maybe. I wouldn't read too much into it, as the alternative is probably Mark saying no to a lot of things. And considering Sagas fall under the "Historic" banner and Eldraine is a new-to-us plane, it's unlikely the set will include much of its' history on the first go-round.
Also, it's probably also unlikely they'd do two different alternate-layout cards in the same set.
I do like the idea of the Storybook cards being a Monstrosity variant.
My speculation for the set is that the timeline is concurrent with GRN/RNA/WAR. Not too significant, but it might explain the sudden change of focus and the lack of Gatewatch.
Besat part, there will be yearly dues starting at $100 and going up from there.
This is honestly a much better way to get WotC (or other game companies) to pay their judges instead of just hoping they'll do it. It should also reduce any sort of favoritism or "Old Boys' Club" type of thing that might exist (not saying there is, I don't know enough about the current judge program to say one way or the other.) like it exists/existed in other games' judging programs.
I especially like that it won't just be WotC, currently they're trying to get Asmodee and Keyforge into this as well. That might lead to X-Wing and Destiny being included, and other companies getting on board as well, some of which could use a real judge program.
Regardless, it's not the "nightmare" that certain alarmists out there are painting it to be. This type of thing works for companies, and if you want an actual path towards judging becoming a career, this is better than just taking a bunch of online tests and hoping someone is around to train you further.
Per Gavin Verhey on twitter, the Yuriko will be foil with the original art, and the Chalice is Seb McKinnon's art. Pool is by Peter Mohrbacher. Both of those are from MTGO. Mentor is Anastasia Ovchinnikova, with completely new art, I believe.
How many sets will be for this new plane? Just one like for Dominaria (still can't belive we only got one) or two?
I'm sure the only plane that will get more than one set under this new system will be Ravnica because they can't do their usual guild thing and fit everything in one set.
The end of paper Magic tournaments is nigh. All the "pro" events and qualifiers will be through Arena starting in 2020. Profit margins are higher, and there's no need for judges or TOs, or to scrounge enough physical product on hand to supply players and have prize support.
I would also not be surprised if the announcement stated that "Throne of Eldraine" will be the last paper Magic product.
If they want to kill the game, sure.
The pro circuit is ill-defined currently, and moving to online only, when a mobile version of Arena doesn't even seem to be on the docket, would be a stupid move.
Does anyone else think that Eldraine is an elf? The name is very similar to Eldamari, and we’re seen Magic use similar names for other characters, Minotaurs Tangarth and Angarth, vampires(Kazarov and Markov, and then all these vampire names end in “a”: Vona, Olivia, Lucia, Jeleva, Garza, Etrata, Elenda, Drana), and Goblins Grenzo and Krenko.
If we're going by names, Eldraine is very similar to Eldrazi too.
I imagine it's the name of a continent. Or the plane itself, if it's not Vryn. Kasmina being the planeswalker would've been my second guess, but it doesn't quite jibe with the whole "trying to do this for ten years" thing.
Iona is powerful, but is it possible what pushed it over the edge is that they wanted to unban Painter's Servant more? Having the two of those legal in the format at the same time would be pretty devastating.
I imagine the fall set will wrap up the hunt for Dovin Baan (the only fugitive that doesn't really have plot-baggage) and then on to New Phyrexia in some capacity.
my bet:
nordic/viking theme, with snow theme (lands as non full art), gods and a white villain
If it is a nordic/viking theme, it won't have snow lands. Rosewater pretty much nixed that recently in his blog. He said snow lands are more likely to show up again in a supplemental set than a standard set.
More likely in supplemental =/= as not going to appear in a standard legal set.
He said the same about Madness, and then Shadows over Innistrad happened. Anything that isn't an 11 on the Storm Scale can technically appear. And that means pretty much everything but Bands with other and substance can technically appear in a future standard legal set, it's just more or less likely.
I don't know how cagey he gets with potential spoilers, but I'm just guessing that if snow lands were going to appear in the very next Standard set, he might not have said it quite like he did. We'll see.
Mark says maybe to a lot of things, mainly because the asker specifically asks for a maybe. I wouldn't read too much into it, as the alternative is probably Mark saying no to a lot of things. And considering Sagas fall under the "Historic" banner and Eldraine is a new-to-us plane, it's unlikely the set will include much of its' history on the first go-round.
Also, it's probably also unlikely they'd do two different alternate-layout cards in the same set.
I do like the idea of the Storybook cards being a Monstrosity variant.
My speculation for the set is that the timeline is concurrent with GRN/RNA/WAR. Not too significant, but it might explain the sudden change of focus and the lack of Gatewatch.
This is honestly a much better way to get WotC (or other game companies) to pay their judges instead of just hoping they'll do it. It should also reduce any sort of favoritism or "Old Boys' Club" type of thing that might exist (not saying there is, I don't know enough about the current judge program to say one way or the other.) like it exists/existed in other games' judging programs.
I especially like that it won't just be WotC, currently they're trying to get Asmodee and Keyforge into this as well. That might lead to X-Wing and Destiny being included, and other companies getting on board as well, some of which could use a real judge program.
Regardless, it's not the "nightmare" that certain alarmists out there are painting it to be. This type of thing works for companies, and if you want an actual path towards judging becoming a career, this is better than just taking a bunch of online tests and hoping someone is around to train you further.
I'm sure the only plane that will get more than one set under this new system will be Ravnica because they can't do their usual guild thing and fit everything in one set.
Every castle could use a good Moat... (yes, I know).
If they want to kill the game, sure.
The pro circuit is ill-defined currently, and moving to online only, when a mobile version of Arena doesn't even seem to be on the docket, would be a stupid move.
If we're going by names, Eldraine is very similar to Eldrazi too.
I imagine it's the name of a continent. Or the plane itself, if it's not Vryn. Kasmina being the planeswalker would've been my second guess, but it doesn't quite jibe with the whole "trying to do this for ten years" thing.
What's Cryo? Can't figure that one out - it'll probably turn out to be something obvious.
They're already said there won't be. Nothing until SDCC.
I don't know how cagey he gets with potential spoilers, but I'm just guessing that if snow lands were going to appear in the very next Standard set, he might not have said it quite like he did. We'll see.