Magic: The Gathering

[thisismyusername]

what's going on in play design is confusing. their explanation for oko in that they didn't really use it on their opponents stuff that much  how did they not use repeatable beast within on their opponents permanents and realise it's very, very good.

Could be "gentlemen's agreements" in R&D to not use obviously broken shit like Oko just for the sake of thinking they aren't broken.

"Oh, nobody is going to +1 Elk when they can +2 Food Token for their cats to come back and chump block!" *balanced!*

[Raist]

From the team that brought you "Oh, we knew about Saheeli/Cat, we just thought it wasn't a big deal".

Going infinite with two cards from the same set is just fine brehs.

[Joe Molotov]

I've been sucking butt in Eldraine draft, probably because I keep trying to force aggro and then get bodied by the dudes that just take every Cat, Oven, and Revenge of the Ravens that comes by.

So, I fire up a Rav draft instead. P1P1, Rakdos, the Showstopper.

Being dead on board, praying to Khorne, and then slamming Rakdos and watching your opponent's board evaporate. Now this is podracing Magic the way Richard Garfield intended.

Edit:


And we got there, with just the absolute clutchest Rakdos topdeck/wipe of all time. My opponent was at 7, I was at 3; I had a 2/2 on board, my opponent had an 8/8 and we were both in topdeck mode. I attacked with my 2/2 to knock him down to 5 and then slammed Rakdos and killed his big boi. His top deck was a 3/3 with haste, see ya never. 

[Human Snorenado]

RNA arena draft is the best, because it's just like, they put both Rakdos AND Gruul in the same fucking set, why not just tell me to draft Jund? Anyone that doesn't deserves the beating they get.

[naff]

re:pioneer. my (hot) take: ban thoughtseize, ouat, oko, t3feri, field and nexus 

maybe copter and mutavault too.

rip the bandaid off.

as long as seize is around, the format will be skewed towards black. just like theros block standard. formats with such terrible card selection can't handle thoughtseize. it's too crushing.

[Kara]

What's going on in play design is that they have no clout to derail the Rosewater/Forsythe Express, and as time goes by they're probably getting dumber and less likely to recognize broken shit/interactions, so it likely gets worse from here.

To me, Rosewater is actually not awful at his job. It's his job to shit out a million ideas. Forsythe is the unforgivable one, his job is to curb the nonsense and he doesn't seem to give a shit. I remember his explanation for having Stoneforge Mystic and Batterskull in the same format was that "Scars was a heavy artifact block, and the direct sequel to the block that introduced equipment, so we didn't want to let the existence of Stoneforge Mystic stop us from doing cool equipment" or something along those lines. Dude has been trash for at least a decade, fire him.

Mark thinks Magic is Hollywood scriptwriting and applies inflexible creative rules to the game. The color pie has become ossified in his "mature" stage as a designer as a result.

On a podcast he did about color pie bends (or maybe breaks?) he talked about how you can't print a green creature with deathtouch and a comes into play, fights another creature ability because it's Murder and only black can get Murder. Depending on mana cost and stats that's a powerful card to be sure, but the problem with that card at this point in time is that they've fucked up the strength of green for a long time now, not that it's a better removal spell in green.

Also that card is maybe Nekrataal strength (in that it has counter play options), to liken it to Murder is just pure ideology.

RE: Scars block - I know that there were going concern issues with the game in Zendikar block which is why cards like Jace, the Mind Sculptor are so obviously juiced. Had that reversed by the time Scars block dropped?

[Raist]

I feel like those colour pie rules have been slightly bent out of shape for Green in the past couple sets... Got a bit ridiculous.

[thisismyusername]

Color pie rules in general are pretty dumb. I get the "flavor" and "what players should expect," reasonings. But would printing counter-spells with different abilities (within reason) for different colors really hurt Islands so much? Same with giving other colors some bigger-buffer creatures that are in Forest's wheelhouse.

I mean the power-creep in general has kinda ruined the "color-wheel" in general. Having rigid abilities that don't step-out into other colors as needed seems to be a problem.

Edit: Actually checking Gatherer they do print Beefy-creatures within Blue, mind-playing tricks on me. I remember a reddit conversation to this effect that older (pre-NuWalkers) sets had a very strict color-pie to where Vizzerdrix was about the only beefy creature in Blue and my mind must've jumped tracks to including that in all/future sets.

But in any case, point stands: They should probably blur the pie a little more than they do.

[Joe Molotov]

KILL MARK ROSEWATER AND PRINT CHAOS WARP IN STANDARD!

[naff]

colour pie is broken enough imo. veil of summer aka the green cryptic being a gross recent culprit. colour pie restrictions on functionality are so important.

[naff]

it's kinda funny veil was banned though, as it was really the only decent interaction against thoughtseize in the format. just reprint mental misstep heh

[thisismyusername]

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/e3owi7/update_arabian_nights_mountains_swapped_for/

So story time: Girlfriend of OP goes to LGS, get "prey'd upon" by trading cards (which aren't hers, for the record) of OP for "newer prettier art!" to put in OP's modern deck. She gave away $1,000 and he doesn't "have the heart to tell her because if I do she'll quit Magic and I don't want that!"

Bunch of white-knights come in and say "Oh, I totally understand OP!" (Which sounds heartless when It put it like that) and other more reasonable folks are like "well, she screwed up and you should tell her gently that she did and next-time she'll know better." Generally the thread is a whole bunch of while folks are "delete the reddit, Lawyer up, hit the FLGS owner."

So now the link: OP tells her, she wants to quit Magic over it (OH NO!!!) while the FLGS owner is like "tough-break, dude. She willingly traded them, it wasn't theft." (Which is the logical answer for this) and OP still wants to pursue legal action to get the 4 of the 6 he didn't get back... back.



Like, I feel for him but: Why is he letting her play his Modern decks unassisted/unseen at the FLGS and why is she trading cards without his permission (which IIRC in the older OP he stated such a thing of not doing)?

I think the biggest take-away here is that newer players need to be told "these cards have value, all. of. them! Even basic lands have value because of their art! You should check for the value before entering into any trades!" and this would've solve the issue (hopefully) of said Girlfriend trading things (that aren't hers) for cheaper cards without knowing that she's giving away more expensive cards over the art. The sooner you do it, the better so they understand that a trading card game like Magic has a secondary/value market.

And while I feel bad about the girlfriend no longer wanting to play Magic: She screwed up, the trade [as scummy as the dude was about it] was legal: She agreed to it, she wasn't coerced (based on OP's writing)//twisted into giving them away unwillingly and she did it under her own volition without knowing the value of the cards so it isn't "theft" so the cops and FLGS can't do shit about it. And taking the dude to court isn't really going to get his cards back per-se if the dude really did sell them (possibly by eBay or something to get them gone fast) unless there's a legal paper trail and even then see: Girlfriend willingly traded them away and it was a legal trade. Similar to how some folks in video (and non-video) games give away older items to newer players. Just in this case it's like the reverse and had more value.

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/e3owi7/update_arabian_nights_mountains_swapped_for/f94nd7j/

She willingly traded it under her own volition, dude. Not the store (or other dude, but kinda is the other dudes) fault she traded unknowingly of the value.

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/e3owi7/update_arabian_nights_mountains_swapped_for/f94no2a/

BASED as the kids would say.

[Joe Molotov]

There's always a few scumbags at every LGS.

[naff]

are you a lawyer timu?

[thisismyusername]

are you a lawyer timu?

No, but it's pretty open and shut: Girlfriend did a trade, wasn't coerced/held at gunpoint to do it. Everyone on reddit saying it's "theft" do not understand that term at all. There was no slight of hand or gunpoint/forcing her to turn over the cards from what OP has made it sound like.

Is the dude a scum for "scamming" her out of older-lands without saying they had value? Sure, I'll agree with that. Saying "you want to trade those older lands for these newer/prettier lands?" is slightly misleading, but not necessarily malicious depending on the mindset of the person saying that.

But everyone going "oh take him to small claims court!" is missing that 1) the cards are sold, the only thing he'll get back is "damages"/money from the sale and that might not be worth it in the end and 2) it doesn't train his girl to not trade shit that isn't hers AND that all cards have value and she needs to check the value before trading.

Edit: I'm removing shitty misogyny because it really doesn't have a place in the discussion wither reddit white-knighting for the girlfriend is relevant or not to her fucking up.

[thisismyusername]

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/e4r9eo/magic_junior_sets_have_been_released_i_made_the/

Interesting Concept. But having a "take another turn" card in baby-Magic seems... broken.  Full rules aren't out yet, so right now it's just "print these and smash two of them together" but if they allow kids to deck-build, I can see broken shit probably happening.

[Raist]

WotC: "Oh but of course, feel free to distribute this, as long as you don't sell it.  fan-made stuff "




"Thanks for your free help converting fresh souls to our IP. We'll be delighted to get their pocket money ASAP.

Also, if this is successful, we'll totally rip it off."

[Joe Molotov]

Even in Magic Junior, white gets screwed. Blue gets a slightly worse Ancestral Recall, Red gets Lightning Bolt, Green gets Regrowth, and White gets a worse Healing Salve.

[thisismyusername]

Even in Magic Junior, white gets screwed. Blue gets a slightly worse Ancestral Recall, Red gets Lightning Bolt, Green gets Regrowth, and White gets a worse Healing Salve.

Gotta teach them young to play which is the superior flavor of Magic.

WotC: "Oh but of course, feel free to distribute this, as long as you don't sell it.  fan-made stuff "




"Thanks for your free help converting fresh souls to our IP. We'll be delighted to get their pocket money ASAP.

Also, if this is successful, we'll totally rip it off."

I mean it worked for them with Commander (did the folks that made that even get credits in the format listing for it?) so..

[Joe Molotov]

I don't typically play control, but I gotta say playing Counterburn at FNM did feel good.  I lost in the finals to Azorius Control. A resolved Teferi is basically an (non)instant scoop for this deck, but it was still a close round.

Also Brazen Borrowers are $30 now, yikes. That's double from two weeks ago when I bought mine. Oko's nearly $50.

[thisismyusername]

Apparently, the Secret Lair stuff is getting Arena redemption codes. Noooooooo... I could've gotten Kitty tokens. :'(

[Joe Molotov]

The brands, just out there having an extremely normal one.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Someone pointed out that it was probably intended to be a penis size joke, then immediately deleted after they realized that's only the second most logical interpretation.

[close]

[thisismyusername]

Even as a Penis size joke it makes no sense since 12+ inch dicks are rare (despite what Blacked/porn would want you to believe).

[Human Snorenado]

2020 is back up for ranked draft on Arena, and elementals is so good even the worst 2 color combo in it can easily go 7-1, especially if you draft 4 Lavakin Brawlers (could have been 5 but I wisely took the Chandra's Outrage instead)

[Joe Molotov]

The bots passed me a Chandra, Awakened Inferno in Pack 2.   

[Joe Molotov]

I almost just binned this Omrath meme draft, but I'm glad I didn't. This is me winning with two cards left in my library after my opponent topdecked a Disenchant one turn too late for it to save him.

[thisismyusername]

"Gee, our mini-commander mode seems popular on Arena! What can we do to make it more popular than being Wednesday only, my dudes?"
"Make our customers pay $10,000 in gold(!!!!! -Editor) to enter it on non-Wednesdays, my dudes."
"PERFECT!"
---
Why does Wizard's hate their customers so fucking much?

[Joe Molotov]

I got to 52 life entirely with Gilded Goose but still lost because my deck sucked opponent got me in a Bog Naughty + Savvy Hunter hard lock.

[thisismyusername]

"Gee, our mini-commander mode seems popular on Arena! What can we do to make it more popular than being Wednesday only, my dudes?"
"Make our customers pay 10,000 in gold(!!!!! -Editor) to enter it on non-Wednesdays, my dudes."
"PERFECT!"
---
Why does Wizard's hate their customers so fucking much?

https://www.reddit.com/r/MagicArena/comments/e9qo9l/when_arena_players_demand_a_permanent_brawl_queue/

[Kara]

colour pie restrictions on functionality are so important.

I don't disagree, my main point of contention is that the restrictions should be subservient to gameplay when they take the game to a predictable endpoint.

What Ails White? has been a popular topic of late so I'll use that as an example.

Drawing cards (or filtering them) is something that really can't be concentrated in one color unless you think the game as it was from inception through the early Modern period is the ideal form of Magic. 4 of the colors have ways of drawing cards that are mostly rooted in their distinct identities (blue's being the least interesting of course). Per Mark, white can't receive card draw too because it's an inflexible color (flavor) that does everything (function).

Setting aside the internal contradiction of "a color that can do anything is inflexible," and the fact that black can also do everything but also gets to be flexible , perhaps it's worth altering the fundamental characteristic of the color if the existing one hobbles it in perpetuity.

Of course you could lean on tutoring as an alternative to card draw (as the joke goes, Squadron Hawk says "draw 3 cards that are named Squadron Hawk") but R&D has chosen--for gameplay reasons!--to keep shuffling midgame as infrequent as possible, so here we find ourselves.

A mirror of this is the insistence that black be the absolute best color at removal bringing us to a point where black removal frequently removes creatures from the game even though it's supposedly the color of death and decay. It won't kill you to print more Declarations in Stone, Mark.

[Kara]

Last night I went to FNM for Modern Horizons draft even though I should have stayed at home (too tired) and I conceded a game where I had lethal on the board.

Not even as the result of a line of play, all I had to do was alpha strike.

I only saw that my opponent had 9 toughness in play to soak up my Hogaak and just ignored the fact that I had 2 other creatures in play.

Thankfully I am now the punchline of a running joke with the draft crew. Negative reinforcement.

[Transhuman]

I lost a prerelease once because I forgot that Disowned Ancestor could still attack even though it had 0 power (and I had Master of Pearls face-down)

Everyone gets one fuckup, just remember that now that you've used yours you never get to fuck up again

[naff]

lol https://www.playmagiclegends.com/en

[thisismyusername]

lol https://www.playmagiclegends.com/en

Dunno the developers, but apparently "Neverwinter" was fucking horrible?

Also an MMO: lol, worst genre to try to make their digital next product in.

Isn't this 4-years behind as well? Since "Magic Digital Next" or whatever was supposed to be Arena (which "launched [lol without a friends list lol]" already) and this? I guess it being an MMO makes it taking forever sense, but....

[naff]

I just don't really know who the intended core for this is. so many supplemental products already.

[Kara]

I signed up.

[thisismyusername]

I just don't really know who the intended core for this is. so many supplemental products already.

Karak--

I signed up.

--and.

[Human Snorenado]

Oko and Nexus of Fate banned in Pioneer, MUCH SURPRISE

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/december-16-2019-pioneer-banned-announcement/?whatever=thingamajig

[Raist]

I'm sure they've learnt from this, and clearly broken cards won't get released anymore.

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[thisismyusername]

Apparently a LGS that WotC employees go to is closing because they fuck over the store.

/r/MagicTCG: "But why is the stores putting all their money into the Magic basket despite it bringing in 50% more players than other games nightly?"

[Transhuman]

Fuck over how

[Joe Molotov]

https://twitter.com/adamwasmo/status/1207431686331490304

 

[naff]

re:pioneer. my (hot) take: ban thoughtseize, ouat, oko, t3feri, field and nexus 

maybe copter and mutavault too.

rip the bandaid off.

as long as seize is around, the format will be skewed towards black. just like theros block standard. formats with such terrible card selection can't handle thoughtseize. it's too crushing.

only mutavault, t3feri and thoughtseize to go!

tbh, these might be ok. i still think seize should go, but can see it sticking around.

[Kara]

No matter how much it shits up a format they'll never ban Thoughtseize in anything.

[thisismyusername]

Fuck over how

Secret Lair and other shit that is direct-to-order and not able to be filled by the FLGS's.

OH AND SPEAKING OF WHICH:

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/edtds9/my_stained_glass_foil_pw_from_a_secret_lair_not/

$40 BUCKERINOS FOR THIS
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LMAO
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SAD!

[The Sceneman]

That secret lair thing was such a bad joke, you knew that foiling was gonna be terrible but hey.

Some cool spoilers coming out for Theros 2. I'm liking the silly fish subtheme:



I really wanna give this a crack in limited

[Tripon]

[Raist]

That secret lair thing was such a bad joke, you knew that foiling was gonna be terrible but hey.

Some cool spoilers coming out for Theros 2. I'm liking the silly fish subtheme:

(Image removed from quote.)

I really wanna give this a crack in limited

Cool. I guess Simic Flash wasn't obnoxious enough already

[Raist]

MOAR SIMIC FLASH

[Kara]

Quite yer whining, we get a new Yawgmoth's Win and a new Sneak Attack.

Enchantments

[Joe Molotov]

I want to build Big (Pig) Red with Purphoros and Raze-Boar sneaking in whatever ridiculous crap is available.

[Kara]

Enchantments



Spoilered this next one to keep Raist off tilt.

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[close]

[Raist]

[Kara]

After a year of obnoxious planeswalker cards that had to be banned or restricted (and need to be banned looking at how much Modern has homogenized around Oko, Thief of Crowns) Wizards brings us........



a Kismet for planeswalkers.

  This is going to be a pathetic 5+ years for constructed Magic.

[Raist]

Apparently TBD is introducing a brand new planeswalker. I'm sure it won't be broken as fuck.

[Joe Molotov]

If you mean Calix, he's preeeeeeety narrow.

[Kara]

That card could have been interesting if the minus three loyalty ability was target nonland permanent instead of target creature or enchantment. Imagine all the screwball things you could do with the most garbage enchantments printed.

[Raist]

"Hey guys, did we break green enough with the past couple of sets?"

"No. We need to go deeper".



Weaver of Destiny - 1G
Enchantment Creature - Human
Creature and enchantment spells you control can't be countered.
3G: Target land you control becomes an X/X Elemental until the end of turn with haste and trample, where X is the number of enchantments you control. It's still a land.

[Joe Molotov]

seems p. dece

[Kara]

  Printing an insanely pushed piece of equipment in an enchantment set.

This seems fun, if probably hamstrung by the creature requirement. Red is getting the treatment white has desperately needed.