Thrive and Thrash seems really bad. It feels like someone went "oh crap, there's no removal" and tossed in a mountain and a couple of Ground Assaults to an inconsistent ramp deck.
I'm usually disappointed by these, and these two are no exception.
It's not really any better in the Seattle area. SCG occasionally heads up here for Opens, but that only happens 1-2 times a year. There's usually a Grand Prix or something in Seattle, but again, usually once a year. I've also found that there's a surprising lack of stores that run any events that aren't booster drafts.
What does that last one mean, exactly? I can't read it as anything other than Rock-style grinding midrange decks... or are they referring to the 2-for-1-fest that was Jund?
Probably has something to do with Cawblade as well.
I have zero issue with someone offering a handshake, win or lose, but saying "good game" isn't always appropriate. Saying "good luck in the next round" or something like that is fine though.
I think one of the ways to tell what FFL decks were doing well is by checking out the promos that are meant for Standard. For instance, Glistener Elf was one, even though mono-G Infect never really took off. This obviously isn't an exact science, since they'll be able to make some changes and adapt once a meta is settled, but I'm pretty sure they have to make the decisions of what cards to promo-ize quite a bit in advance.
It only included the cards present in the set, though, which isn't an incentive for anyone with much experience. For reference, here are the decklists:
Not exactly a power set unless you have some desperate need for Vizzerdrix, which wasn't printed in booster packs in 9th. I can't imagine anyone looking at that list and actually caring enough to redeem the code online. I personally would rather have cosmetic items (like Avatars) than this, which is just more clutter in my collection.
Arabian Nights was originally going to be a stand-alone set, so all five basic lands were scheduled to be included in the set. When it was decided that Arabian Nights would be just an expansion for Alpha/Beta/Unlimited, and not a stand-alone game, they decided to remove all the basic lands from the common sheet.
They missed one.
I thought it was because they needed an extra card to fill out the sheet.
I don't get the "It only costs Wizards pennies to make the cards, so we should only have to buy them for a quarter!" argument, since it pertains to a high-demand and limited-quantity collectible. If every card was common, then unless Wizards specifically printed significant extra copies of high-demand cards, they would still be more expensive on the secondary market than chaff, because people are willing to pay more to get a harder-to-find item. You don't see high-profile art being sold for the cost of the canvas and a few paint tubes. Old coins sell for many times their minted value.
tl;dr: Raw material costs don't determine value on collectibles.
This is a deck I would actually play with, too.
So what you're saying is that you want to play Legacy. Why not do that?
I'm usually disappointed by these, and these two are no exception.
http://magiccards.info/mr/en/300.html
Probably has something to do with Cawblade as well.
I run Worm Harvest in my Modern Aggro Loam deck. Only as a singleton, but it's definitely saved games for me.
It only included the cards present in the set, though, which isn't an incentive for anyone with much experience. For reference, here are the decklists:
8x Island
9x Plains
3x Giant Octopus
2x Vizzerdrix
2x Coral Eel
1x Fugitive Wizard
1x Wind Drake
1x Eager Cadet
1x Honor Guard
4x Glory Seeker
1x Telepathy
2x Vengeance
2x Sacred Nectar
1x Holy Day
1x Rod of Ruin
8x Forest
9x Mountain
2x Norwood Ranger
2x Grizzly Bears
1x Spined Wurm
1x Craw Wurm
2x Enormous Baloth
1x Ogre Taskmaster
2x Hill Giant
2x Goblin Raider
1x Anaba Shaman
1x Blanchwood Armor
1x Naturalize
2x Lava Axe
2x Volcanic Hammer
1x Stone Rain
1x Dancing Scimitar
Not exactly a power set unless you have some desperate need for Vizzerdrix, which wasn't printed in booster packs in 9th. I can't imagine anyone looking at that list and actually caring enough to redeem the code online. I personally would rather have cosmetic items (like Avatars) than this, which is just more clutter in my collection.
I thought it was because they needed an extra card to fill out the sheet.
tl;dr: Raw material costs don't determine value on collectibles.