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Magic: the Gathering |OT9| Kaladesh - Cruisin' Down the Street in my 6/4
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
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Infinite Stars
Member
What else am I supposed to use as a general metric then? You can tell a lot about a format in what the top 50 cards are, it's not this narrow slice of a format.
But to try and "fix" what you dub as a narrow view, Here's MTG Top 8's Breakdown of top cards by color over the past 2 months:
http://mtgtop8.com/topcards
Cards in Mainboards that are X Coloured that are above 3% of the Metagame(MonoColoured):
White: 16(6)
Blue: 23(18)
Black: 23(10)
Red: 27(16)
Green: 35(25)
Does that look balanced? Even when we go look at the sideboards, we see the following outcome:
White: 18( 13)
Blue:8 (8)
Black: 17(8)
Red: 20(11)
Green: 13(8)
Combining these 2 groups together, we have as follows:
White: 34(19)
Blue: 31(26)
Black: 40(18)
Red: 47( 27)
Green: 48(31)
Even factoring out stuff like Prized Amalagam/Narcomemba, White's mainboard is still below that of every other color, and it's sideboard still loses to red in terms of "Most played sideboard color".
So tell me again how I'm looking at this narrowly, because clearly the assertions of "White is the best sideboard color" would be seen when looking at these numbers, but they aren't.
also, they have phased out regeneration, no?
I feel like there should be a line between regeneration and indestructability.
Yes but I don't know that it would matter in a Masterpiece type reprinting.
Infinite Stars
Member
Maybe some sort of "Regeneration" Shield? Something more like Kytheon's "Indestructable" ability, where it's less a permanent effect.
SigmasonicX
Member
If you mean activated indestructible, that's what they're already doing to replace regeneration.
shrapnelmagnet
Member
Article said:
Hasn't Pauper been picking up steam in paper, too, annoyingly (for prices)?
If you mean activated indestructible, that's what they're already doing to replace regeneration.
Yep, it's a lot less flavorful but mechanically much more sound.
charlequin
Banned
I think creatures as a whole is too broad. I think in the future they'll frequently either do pretty narrowly constrained sets of creatures (to preserve Masterpiece design space) or sets with more thematic concepts that let them cut across card types.
Anything off the RL is fair game for Masterpieces, even with keywords, effects, etc. they don't do anymore.
Infinite Stars
Member
For Expeditions, I think they have some pretty clear niches carved out for specific worlds. Like, Theros is probably Enchantments, or if they're going full ham, Enchantment Creatures( The gods and the eidolons are 20 cards right there, and the gods are loved by casuals.)
I totally blanked on this existing outside of Kytheon.If you mean activated indestructible, that's what they're already doing to replace regeneration.
I've actually seen people play Fire Imp in legacy. It's surprisingly effective. It can't hit players, though.
I recently "bought in" on Infect, which is something like $50 if you already own Nexus and Noble. I fully expect it to survive a Become Immense banning, because it was already a high tier deck before the printing
Infinite Stars
Member
Become Immense, SSG, Golgari Grave-Troll, Mox Opal all banned? No, but I can dream. Become Immense and something from Dredge are likely going to be hit though, the other two are just hopes.
Yup. It's a clean ban because it kills zero decks.
SigmasonicX
Member
I feel like all they need to do is print a troll with activated indestructible and flavor text like,"I stabbed it with my sword, but the skin healed over so quickly it was stuck in there," and you have a flavor justification for indestructible replacing regenerate.
Back in my day it was all about the FTK.I've actually seen people play Fire Imp in legacy. It's surprisingly effective. It can't hit players, though.
(again, only creatures)
charlequin
Banned
attn kirblar: "Don't ban SSG" is currently winning LSV's twitter poll 53-47.
People are bad.
Infinite Stars
Member
People also tend to think Twin needs to be unbanned and that a Twin Unban would fix modern(see some of the highest comments on r/magictcgs thread about Seth's article.
I'm not going to deny that Twin likely made Death's Shadow Aggro/Infect not be so good, but Dredge/Eldrazi were non-existant and wouldn't have been kept in check by Twin.
Plus, Twin forced answers by being a combo win, yes, but it did so in a way made it unsafe to tap out at any point past turn 3. Twin wasn't and isn't a healing factor, it's a bandaid that concealed all the worst parts of modern.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
I've been hoping for some time for PWs to get more common interaction spells with creatures akin to despise. In the hopes of being more constructed playable and PWs being less obnoxious in Limited.
If you could counter a PW with Remove Soul for instance or a lightning strike for creature or PW, etc.
Right now the type is somewhat aloof either being hit by cards from before they were a thing or almost not being referenced at all.
If you could counter a PW with Remove Soul for instance or a lightning strike for creature or PW, etc.
Right now the type is somewhat aloof either being hit by cards from before they were a thing or almost not being referenced at all.
Wulfric
Member
Wherefore art thou, Birthing Pod?
*sniffle*
Well, SSG certainly isn't making headlines these days. Bloodghast, however, I'm a little less happy with.
Twin ban was a good idea, imo. It was frustrating to play cards that didn't matter until the other guy combos out. Dredge and Affinty are just easier to deal with in Game 1.
Infinite Stars
Member
Affinity I'll agree with, Dredge.. eh, not so much. Dredge effectively blanks damage based removal forcing you to have either grave hate or paths to fully beat. Even arguably the best graveyard hate that's playable in the main(my boy Scooze and Cletus, traitor of The) isn't that good when he's played after an opponent has dredged 12+ cards.
I say this fully cognizant of the fact that my deck has a piss poor Affinity matchup Game 1 and a good/great Dredge matchup(at least before Cathartic reunion, it's more mixed after it was printed). As in 20% of my Sideboard is Kataki's and Fracturing Gusts, with Worship, Revoker, and Qasali Pridemage also being in that list.
I say this fully cognizant of the fact that my deck has a piss poor Affinity matchup Game 1 and a good/great Dredge matchup(at least before Cathartic reunion, it's more mixed after it was printed). As in 20% of my Sideboard is Kataki's and Fracturing Gusts, with Worship, Revoker, and Qasali Pridemage also being in that list.
I agree(Planeswalkers have become such a part of the game that it's wierd how they're rarely mentioned on rules text), but I wonder if part of this is tied to NWO and complexity or if it's just a result of Wizards developing new ideas. Of a quick gatherer search, the cards that to reference Planeswalkers or creatures tend to be more recent(To the Slaughter, the Red 3 Mana Bounce a land deal 5 from Oath)
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I think that second ability has to be reveal their hand. Reveal hand and look at hand have different rules meaning and you can't make something happen that is conditional based on a player's hand without revealing the hand to all players so they can verify the condition was met. Clique works like that but all players see the card that goes to the bottom.After some hiatus to deal with real life stuff / Kaladesh / other stuff, I'm back on the Riptide Project Laboratory train again
Today's Legendrule, Wu Scout
->
Just an upgrade of her ability (can be used more than once!) and better stats overall.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Dredge really fucked modern up. Making it so that the best way to combat it is to play equally unfair decks like infect and affinity.
The rarity makes sense in so far that you hardly ever play against PWs in limited so printing more interaction just complicates cards for little actual use. This does result is in rather lopsided matches whenever you do end up facing them in limited though and only ends up giving red and black clean answers to them.
Infinite Stars
Member
Modern's in a bad shape, as the rise of Dredge has killed two of the more, for lack of a better term, "fair" decks in the form of Abzan Company/Jeskai Harbinger. The most played cards against Dredge is Relic of Progenitus and Grafdigger's Cage, both of which have the added benefit of killing off the ways these decks win. So the only viable options to beat Dredge is go under it(Infect, Burn, affinity, and suicide zoo), outrace it in terms of efficiency(Bant Eldrazi, Valakut based decks using Primetime/aiming to kill fast), or prepare about 5+ slots of your sideboard to beat it game 2/3, while still having room in that remaining 10 slots for the other big decks. It's reaching a semi cyclical metagame where if you own Affinity, Dredge, Infect, and Bant Eldrazi you could probably do whatever Modern SCG events there are and do well based on what everyone's shaving for the most recent issues.
Wizards has made some cards that fit what control wants for the format recently, but they're the escalate cards, of which Brutality is showing up in Dredge(hey, free discard!)
Honestly, I think one could make the argument for Planeswalkers getting errata'd into being able to hit by Creature targeting spells. I know Rosewater/R&D don't like having functional errata, but Planeswalker's are more like creatures then players in terms of the role they play. I mean, giving a way to deal with Planeswalkers to each color should be on the list of things to handle. Granted, from comments made by Wizard's staff there's nothing wrong with Grixis being unable to deal with Enchantments so I'm not quite sure they agree.
Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that no one in Modern has found a way to break Emerge, considering how they've broken nearly every other cost reduction mechanic in the format in some way due to R&D missing something. Granted, Emerge has been around as long as Dredge has been big, so it might just be out of everyone's mind. Delve, Affinity, Phyrexian Mana, anything I'm missing? Maybe the Shoal cycle considering Blazing Shoal on the list and the way that Nourishing shoal fuels Grishoalbrand?
Simply Sarah
Member
I strongly disagree with treating planeswalkers as creatures for the purpose of removal for a whole host of reasons.
First, you're either going to have to make it so every card that can target or effect creatures now functions against PWs, which will lead to all sorts of weird nonsense, or you're going to have to individually errata hundreds of cards to be specific about it. Neither of these is a good option.
Second, it simply makes them too easy to remove and would just result in worse creature removal being printed and basically none of it being available in Limited. Of hard removal cards that specific the type of permanent they can hit (as opposed to all permanents or being "non-x") there has never been one that affects PWs printed below rare. Number of cards that can deal damage to creatures and PWs but not players below rare? One: Devour in Flames. It's very clear, and understandably so, that they're not interested in a Limited where your 5 mana mythic bomb gets wrecked at instant speed (yes, you can activate once but that's it) by a common or uncommon that most people would maindeck in Limited anyway.
Third, is just the general flavour reasons. Players are PWs themselves and damage that hits only creatures really shouldn't hit PWs regularly nor should things that just remove creatures.
First, you're either going to have to make it so every card that can target or effect creatures now functions against PWs, which will lead to all sorts of weird nonsense, or you're going to have to individually errata hundreds of cards to be specific about it. Neither of these is a good option.
Second, it simply makes them too easy to remove and would just result in worse creature removal being printed and basically none of it being available in Limited. Of hard removal cards that specific the type of permanent they can hit (as opposed to all permanents or being "non-x") there has never been one that affects PWs printed below rare. Number of cards that can deal damage to creatures and PWs but not players below rare? One: Devour in Flames. It's very clear, and understandably so, that they're not interested in a Limited where your 5 mana mythic bomb gets wrecked at instant speed (yes, you can activate once but that's it) by a common or uncommon that most people would maindeck in Limited anyway.
Third, is just the general flavour reasons. Players are PWs themselves and damage that hits only creatures really shouldn't hit PWs regularly nor should things that just remove creatures.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
I agree with you expect with effects affecting them being rare and up. PWs are bomb enough as is and bombs tend to make limited miserable.
Simply Sarah
Member
Oh, I'm fine with lower rarity removal for planeswalkers and I think they should be an option. It's just very clear that there is going to be a something at least somewhat holding back common play of those cards in Limited, be it rarity or cost or something else.
charlequin
Banned
This would be an enormous (and enormously bad) change.
"God's Beard!"
Member
If your plan is to ban proactive threats rather than printing broad answers you're just going to keep banning proactive threats until the end of time.
Now I wish there was an announcement that Wizards was dissolving the reserved list and their first reprint was Masticore with a big article about him lol
"You asked, we listened!"
Now I wish there was an announcement that Wizards was dissolving the reserved list and their first reprint was Masticore with a big article about him lol
"You asked, we listened!"
Aside from removal, and every (non-black) Planeswalker dying to Doom Blade, being able to bounce Planeswalkers with creature-based spells like Vapor Snag seems way too abusable. Reset your guys when they're low on loyalty, or your opponent's when they're getting close to their ultimate.
SigmasonicX
Member
New Kaladesh survey. Has your opinion shifted since the full reveal?
well it's Warcraft, it ain't meant to be taken seriously - much like current MTG
Infinite Stars
Member
I have to legitimately wonder how much of this is homage and how much is Blizzard mimicking Magic. I mean, from Blackrock Mountain being "Dragons!!" a month after DtK to Whispers of the Old Gods launching right as Shadows over Innistrad came out to this being Ravnica light it just feels.. wierd.
Each "triclass card" or "faction card" has the faction's logo on it too, so it's very much very similar to Ravnica. Gangs are trying to control the streets and stuff, each with their own "ideals" and "motives".
Infinite Stars
Member
I'm not saying it's Ravnica-Light, because that's probably just a coincidence..
But it's totally Ravnica-light
Wulfric
Member
Omg I love it. The trailer is amazing. Blizzard some the best illustrators in the industry, imo.
I might have to jump back in that game for the winter. I'm not really feeling Affinity or Dredge and there really aren't any big modern events coming up locally.
How can anyone love that art style? They're like cartoon caricatures.
Basically everything I hate about Modern Berserk.
Basically everything I hate about Modern Berserk.
Wulfric
Member
Well, umm, they are caricatures essenially. It's an extremely stylized form of illustration. And much like Magic (at least within the past <6 years), Warcraft is consistent from expansion to expansion. For most artwork you can immediately tell what block/game it is from.
Lmao, that's my favorite Berserk too.
Lmao, that's my favorite Berserk too.
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