I have a question on this card, since it was not in the FAQ, and it is critical to whether it is a "one sided wrath" or not. Say the opponent has a 3/3 and 5 1/1 creatures. If I target the 3/3, does it die? Or, since it kills all the 1/1s, do they die before any damage is dealt to the 3/3?
It's the Helavault. They already said it was a much bigger deal than the card. Creatures won't go to the graveyard, but the vault [zone]. Everything new deals with the vault, so the graveyard effects don't make sense.
Of course this doesn't really explain why no flashback, since non-creature spells don't make sense going to the vault. But that is probably the innovation they have figured out.
It also doesn't explain why no DFCs, but I bet they just cut them off because they weren't sure they would be popular enough, and didn't want a disaster with the third set.
After doing some statistical sampling, I don't see any patterns that one could rely on to get a particular rare. There appears to be some evidence of locality, but order and predictability are not there. I think wizards is doing a good job of shuffling, and the days of box mapping are over. I would be interested in hearing otherwise, particularly if based on statistics on the samples in this thread, or that I missed a pattern that totally allows adjacency to be random, while still being predictable (which I consider unlikely).
Is this a higher than usual number of sealed GPs? Seems like they are pushing sealed more, but I don't know whether this was as common a format before.
I don't really care about the decision; what gets me is the way they slip this into some obscure announcement without any explanation. All of this thread is speculation about the reasons, but we don't really know. And they aren't telling so far, and I doubt they will.
Killing the regional pre-release events was a calculated risk, but at least they made it clear that it was to support the stores. And it has worked. Stores around here are mobbed on pre-release weekend.
And they have always made it clear that pre-releases are intended to be casual events, with low rules enforcement level. And cheating is rampant; the only way to be sure people aren't adding cards to their pool is to be in the first flight, and even then, friends are trading to sweeten their colors. I think they view this as not perceived by noobies, and thus not a problem. But I don't see us going to deck recording and swaps to solve it; not casual enough. If your store is still doing this, consider yourself lucky to have a fair tournament.
Back to topic; to Wizards: go ahead, kill the draft on weekend 1. But tell us why, don't do the marketing thing and act like it is some kind of feature. To quote:
" As a side effect of the Prerelease changes, booster draft will no longer be offered at Prerelease events. Sealed Deck and Two-Headed Giant Sealed Deck will be the available formats."
That is spin. There is nothing in the announcement that comes even close to explaining it.
From what I've seen of these 'tests', MTGSalvation players will try to force their builds around even the slightest hint of a rare bomb, resulting in some pretty lousy decks.
Well, I haven't seen your build yet.
This is a tough pool. I am leaning UGw. But I agree that Olivia, or any single card, is not justification to go with certain colors. She can be dealt with by so many cards.
Definitely playing Creepy Doll!
Due to popular demand, I've added a sealed deck builder. Its not perfect, but it works.
This is great. By the way, I had a build that did not include Bitterheart Witch as creatures. They were over in the land column when sorted by type, and they weren't in the creature count. It is the black 1/2 uncommon creature that allows you to tutor a curse and put it into play when it dies.
"its pretty good in limited" <--- im tired of hearing this. we get it. no one cares about limited as much as the other formats. does nto need to be pointed out 80 times. thanks!
I pretty much only play limited. Given the Standard of recent times, I think a lot of people are in the same boat. So let's discuss the cards' values in all formats, and not claim "no one cares about x".
In my opinion, this isn't great in limited, but I would probably play it, just to get a creature back.
No sympathy. They create this beast, this quarterly or so crescendo, that gives sites like this their raison d'etre. That they lose control of it from time to time is just like the cards they mess up on and end up releasing, like SkullClamp. That there is this pressure for leaks at all is a credit to them; the fact that it came out in one big bang is just a minor security issue.
My god, what are people going on about? Presuming 60% of your deck is non land cards - probably a little under that for the current 25 land lists - you have a .6 (60%) chance of drawing 1 card and a .4 chance of drawing two. Your odds of getting three cards is .4 * .4 (16%).
Your point may be correct, but your math is not. All the possibilities (including the chance of getting all of your remaining lands) have to add up to 1.0. In just your 3 cases, you are up to 1.16 -- which is itself incorrect.
But nit-picking aside, this will hit a non-land first a good chunk of time, which is why they could print it. But with even just a little library manipulation, a la Ponder, it becomes a very reliable multiple land drawer in a land-centered plane. It is a good card for this environment, even if it isn't a slam dunk for all blue decks.
I am not sure it is 3 disks. It might be 3 spheres, rising. The strange visual element is that they are tangent from our point of view, which implies touching disks. But I can't make out enough detail in the objects to determine depth. Strange art.
The product information page says that Worldwake has a sub-theme of animated lands. So I am sure there is a cycle of dual man-lands (orb seems to confirm, see mana costs), and probably auras for lands like has been shown already.
By way, looking at the art carefully shows the thing in the monument looks more like a demon. Has distinct humanoid arms and horns.
It had very little to do with flavor and alot to do with money.
What's the best way to boost sales of M10? (Aside from the obivous Baneslayer)
First, take out all the old staples that've been around for awhile that exist in multiple quantities. Replace them with either cards that do they exact same thing with a new name, or something almost exactly the same.
This is just a little too cynical. It ignores many of the issues and actual good decision making. M10 is better than prior core sets because they actually decided to make it better. Yes, that is more revenue, but the whole thing wasn't done just to "make people buy more cards".
If you want to knock them for bad, back-tracking decisions, the mythic rarity on Lotus Cobra is the shining example. That is a utility creature if there ever was one, and has no business being mythic. But probably off-topic. At least Baneslayer is a super-card.
Of course this doesn't really explain why no flashback, since non-creature spells don't make sense going to the vault. But that is probably the innovation they have figured out.
It also doesn't explain why no DFCs, but I bet they just cut them off because they weren't sure they would be popular enough, and didn't want a disaster with the third set.
Killing the regional pre-release events was a calculated risk, but at least they made it clear that it was to support the stores. And it has worked. Stores around here are mobbed on pre-release weekend.
And they have always made it clear that pre-releases are intended to be casual events, with low rules enforcement level. And cheating is rampant; the only way to be sure people aren't adding cards to their pool is to be in the first flight, and even then, friends are trading to sweeten their colors. I think they view this as not perceived by noobies, and thus not a problem. But I don't see us going to deck recording and swaps to solve it; not casual enough. If your store is still doing this, consider yourself lucky to have a fair tournament.
Back to topic; to Wizards: go ahead, kill the draft on weekend 1. But tell us why, don't do the marketing thing and act like it is some kind of feature. To quote:
" As a side effect of the Prerelease changes, booster draft will no longer be offered at Prerelease events. Sealed Deck and Two-Headed Giant Sealed Deck will be the available formats."
That is spin. There is nothing in the announcement that comes even close to explaining it.
Well, I haven't seen your build yet.
This is a tough pool. I am leaning UGw. But I agree that Olivia, or any single card, is not justification to go with certain colors. She can be dealt with by so many cards.
Definitely playing Creepy Doll!
This is great. By the way, I had a build that did not include Bitterheart Witch as creatures. They were over in the land column when sorted by type, and they weren't in the creature count. It is the black 1/2 uncommon creature that allows you to tutor a curse and put it into play when it dies.
I pretty much only play limited. Given the Standard of recent times, I think a lot of people are in the same boat. So let's discuss the cards' values in all formats, and not claim "no one cares about x".
In my opinion, this isn't great in limited, but I would probably play it, just to get a creature back.
Your point may be correct, but your math is not. All the possibilities (including the chance of getting all of your remaining lands) have to add up to 1.0. In just your 3 cases, you are up to 1.16 -- which is itself incorrect.
But nit-picking aside, this will hit a non-land first a good chunk of time, which is why they could print it. But with even just a little library manipulation, a la Ponder, it becomes a very reliable multiple land drawer in a land-centered plane. It is a good card for this environment, even if it isn't a slam dunk for all blue decks.
By way, looking at the art carefully shows the thing in the monument looks more like a demon. Has distinct humanoid arms and horns.
http://www.atcmuseum.org/providers/trip_reports/Boise_trip_report_graphics/kboi_vortac.jpg
Can anyone determine how many hedrons are in the circle? Maybe it is Eldrazi air-traffic control!
That isn't what the signature says. Why do you say Parkinson?
This is just a little too cynical. It ignores many of the issues and actual good decision making. M10 is better than prior core sets because they actually decided to make it better. Yes, that is more revenue, but the whole thing wasn't done just to "make people buy more cards".
If you want to knock them for bad, back-tracking decisions, the mythic rarity on Lotus Cobra is the shining example. That is a utility creature if there ever was one, and has no business being mythic. But probably off-topic. At least Baneslayer is a super-card.