I expect the story cards in the core set to be more like 15 cards than 5 and to be more like pocket histories showing key moments in the MTG story - a 'previously on MTG' if you will.
There will never be a return to Kamigawa set, ever. It may be used for flavour on a few iconic masters style extra cards or a commander deck or something but it's a dead world as far as the main story goes.
Remember that the original article talked about things happening a year later, and that anything this changes is likely to happen after Ixalan block.
I'd expect the DBToolkit product to morph into a core cards box with barely rotating standard valve cards added that help limit archetypes as needed. 4 sets a year is fine, double rotation is fine if sets stay in for a while.
The only budget format is this : play with cards you already own!
Either choose the player with the largest collection in your group to donate their bulk, or all donate draft spares to a box. Then just build and play from that box, adding bulk draft spares as needed. Each player gets 100 random cards to start and then has to trade back to the box or other players to change these.
Realistically no budget format survives interaction with strangers (even Pauper has tuned decks) so just play invite only bulk box.
During the M12 celebration I personally did terribly, but pulled a Jace and tons of other good stuff because there were two stores in my town running it. I agree that they'll never be able to pull that sort of event off again. Far too costly.
This will feature the same amount of boosters but with sample decks thrown in. It is also free to the store and the players. WOTC get a lot of good vibes and new players out of these days (and we as a store appreciate this) and the remainder boosts the prize pool so FNM gets a good turn out too!
Cheers for the link to my write up! I've added d00m's cards to the shards which only leaves 3 outstanding. They all seem to be playable decks this year which is nice - and kind of viable sealed/draft style decks.
Our Uk ones were M13 too, and as these are packed in the USA this seems like it was planned. Maybe they will switch to the other sets nearer Christmas, but it feels like they kept it out due to multicolour cards - all the non shard choices keep the mana as simple as possible.
I got new Garruk and Deathrite in my packs so automatically came out ahead, but I still think that even with unexciting rares these represent great value.
This is the sample decks for this year. Basically your going to need a seriously interesting pack to be able to play anything that isn't mono. Guess they are designing it to make it less taxing for new players and to discourage all the established players just going for free boosters.
Also we had 1 player with a pack that had no win conditions and was mostly tricks. This way he'd have just added the tricks to an existing deck and had fun and not just sulked all day. Most stores will play by their own rules too so it should just be a fun day. I expect that certain artefacts and rares will dominate if found in packs - haunted plate mail comes to mind.
I love how few people have read the actual text and are posting based on the title.
If true this is not only mythic but also a promo that all stores participating will get SIXTY copies of... That said there are inconsistencies between the 'press release' and what we know to be true - not massive ones but glaring ones. This leads me to think they have paraphrased or made up the story.
This is absolutely crazy when combined with Curse of Exhaustion. A two card, possibly 5th turn HARD LOCK with enchantments (the hardest permanents to deal with) is insane.
Curse of Echoes is pretty fun too - whatever they cast you get to Possibility Storm one of your spells of that type out of the deck for free. With the Exhaustion lock in place it's just icing, but it's a lot of fun.
To put this at rare both colours would have had to give +1/+1 so that it wasn't quite the combat confuser that it will prove to be for the inexperienced - also it brings back at the combat step which is a very unusual thing.
So:
Simple Legion's Initiative 3WR
Enchantment (R)
Red creatures you control get +1/+1.
White creatures you control get +1/+1.
WR, Exile Legion's Initiative: Exile all creatures you control. At the beginning of your next turn, return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control and those creatures gains haste until end of turn.
Much less interesting and less playable, but more in keeping with the rare enchantments. Due to the two colours you maybe could make it 2WR if it was pushed.
There will never be a return to Kamigawa set, ever. It may be used for flavour on a few iconic masters style extra cards or a commander deck or something but it's a dead world as far as the main story goes.
I'd expect the DBToolkit product to morph into a core cards box with barely rotating standard valve cards added that help limit archetypes as needed. 4 sets a year is fine, double rotation is fine if sets stay in for a while.
Either choose the player with the largest collection in your group to donate their bulk, or all donate draft spares to a box. Then just build and play from that box, adding bulk draft spares as needed. Each player gets 100 random cards to start and then has to trade back to the box or other players to change these.
Realistically no budget format survives interaction with strangers (even Pauper has tuned decks) so just play invite only bulk box.
This will feature the same amount of boosters but with sample decks thrown in. It is also free to the store and the players. WOTC get a lot of good vibes and new players out of these days (and we as a store appreciate this) and the remainder boosts the prize pool so FNM gets a good turn out too!
They all seem to be truncated real world phrases and words:
PAX Australia: DWNNDR (Down under)
San Diego: GKSNDR
Arcana: TRCKSC (Trick Secret Code)
FTHPTH
PRSTTT
This may help people guess future ones? What were the location for the bottom 2?
Cheers for the link to my write up! I've added d00m's cards to the shards which only leaves 3 outstanding. They all seem to be playable decks this year which is nice - and kind of viable sealed/draft style decks.
Deck Builder's ToolKit Core Set 2014
Our Uk ones were M13 too, and as these are packed in the USA this seems like it was planned. Maybe they will switch to the other sets nearer Christmas, but it feels like they kept it out due to multicolour cards - all the non shard choices keep the mana as simple as possible.
I got new Garruk and Deathrite in my packs so automatically came out ahead, but I still think that even with unexciting rares these represent great value.
This is the sample decks for this year. Basically your going to need a seriously interesting pack to be able to play anything that isn't mono. Guess they are designing it to make it less taxing for new players and to discourage all the established players just going for free boosters.
Also we had 1 player with a pack that had no win conditions and was mostly tricks. This way he'd have just added the tricks to an existing deck and had fun and not just sulked all day. Most stores will play by their own rules too so it should just be a fun day. I expect that certain artefacts and rares will dominate if found in packs - haunted plate mail comes to mind.
If true this is not only mythic but also a promo that all stores participating will get SIXTY copies of... That said there are inconsistencies between the 'press release' and what we know to be true - not massive ones but glaring ones. This leads me to think they have paraphrased or made up the story.
Curse of Echoes is pretty fun too - whatever they cast you get to Possibility Storm one of your spells of that type out of the deck for free. With the Exhaustion lock in place it's just icing, but it's a lot of fun.
So:
Simple Legion's Initiative 3WR
Enchantment (R)
Red creatures you control get +1/+1.
White creatures you control get +1/+1.
WR, Exile Legion's Initiative: Exile all creatures you control. At the beginning of your next turn, return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control and those creatures gains haste until end of turn.
Much less interesting and less playable, but more in keeping with the rare enchantments. Due to the two colours you maybe could make it 2WR if it was pushed.