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4 years ago ::
Oct 22, 2009 - 2:44PM
#1
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This thread is for discussion of this week's Latest Developments, which goes live Friday morning on magicthegathering.com.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 22, 2009 - 9:06PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Sep 13, 2008
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Nice. I was hoping there would be a Vampire Weekend reference this week.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 22, 2009 - 10:46PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Jul 16, 2007
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 5:13AM
#4
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NH 11/19: Is there any way to make it more clear that this guy kills planeswalkers? Yeah is there not more ways to be completly explicit? Couldnt RnD start printing sheets of all the synergies it has found during development and ship them with the boosters. And all playtesters post on a special blog so there when the set come out there can be no new discovery. Actual contemplation is so 20th centuary. We dont want the dumb people to feel left outside. So now everyone can play, since RnD print such things out for everyone. No one left behind.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 5:38AM
#5
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I think the site should do a series of articles based on band names. Animal Collective can be about Zoo decks in Extended, Cut Copy can be about how you reprint cards for different sets and why we need Cancel in every block, and Phoenix can be about the creature type.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 7:22AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2005
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Oxford Comma 
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 8:07AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jul 28, 2009
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You didn't have space to remind people that this kills planeswalkers in the text, but you missed an opportunity by not using the art for it. While the current art is very good, it could fit many other small black creatures. Why not comission new art, and have the hexmage attacking Nissa or Chandra? Then, you could have some appropriate flavor text about how the vampire hexmages are a planeswalker's bane. Simple, effective, doesn't use any ugly reminder text, while nudging players in the right direction
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 8:50AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Oct 23, 2009
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"Our goal was not to be prescriptive; it is not our job to decide exactly what a Vampire deck should look like." 
This card ruins that statement. It doesn't check game state once it hits the stack, and it is a dead draw if you can't satisfy the two Vampire requirement. I don't know about the design and development of this card, but proscribing requirements as narrow as this makes the game less fun.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 10:32AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Jun 14, 2006
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Aggressive Constructed decks simply don't work without strong one-mana creatures.
That statement is flat-out wrong. Jund aggro decks of both last season and this one do not play one-mana creatures, because part of their lands come into play tapped and they want to use their turn one for those, and because one-drops are terrible cascades for Bloodbraid Elf and Bituminous Blast. Their curve starts at 2 with Putrid Leech, and it's the right way to build the deck. And there's worse : not to disapoint you, but the best Vampire decks do not play Lacerator or other one-drop creatures. The one Vampire deck that made the top 8 of the last Starcity 5k tournament didn't play them. Why ? While semi-aggressive, the Vampire deck, when well-built, is not pure beatdown, it's aggro-control. What you want in such a deck are solid threats with abilities that help you keep control of the game, not undercosted small drops with drawbacks to win as fast as possible. After realizing this, I took out the Lacerators from my own version and I haven't looked back yet. The truth is, to be a real beatdown deck, Vampires would have needed several more creatures with power higher than their mana cost or with non conditional haste, or more pump effects. As is, Vampires are much more built on resiliency and control aspects, which makes Lacerator stand out from the rest of his tribe. Don't get me wrong, there sure is a place for the Lacerator somewhere, and of course, I never said that good one-drops aren't usually great in a traditional aggro deck. But saying aggressive decks can't work without them is gravy.
 Magic The Gathering DCI Rules Advisor Don't hesitate to post rules question in the Rules Q&A forum for me and other competent advisors to answer : http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134778/Rules_Q38A
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4 years ago ::
Oct 23, 2009 - 10:53AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Jun 14, 2006
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You didn't have space to remind people that this kills planeswalkers in the text, but you missed an opportunity by not using the art for it.
While the current art is very good, it could fit many other small black creatures. Why not comission new art, and have the hexmage attacking Nissa or Chandra? Then, you could have some appropriate flavor text about how the vampire hexmages are a planeswalker's bane.
Simple, effective, doesn't use any ugly reminder text, while nudging players in the right direction
The flavor you're suggesting doesn't really work with current Magic flavor guidelines. First of all, despite the fact that players and R&D talk about the act of "killing a planeswalker" all the time, it was explained by the creative team that in their vision, planeswalkers summoned by you do not die when they get to 0 loyalty, they just stop wanting to work for you and depart. Second, normal denizens of Zendikar (and most other planes) don't know what the frig a planeswalker is. Third, even if some know, they also know that such beings are incredibly rare. So I doubt it would make sense for a relatively common type of vampire wizard to specialize in killing planeswalkers. Also, I don't think the Hexmage would remove counters by attacking things; rather, she would cast a powerful spell that costs her her life in other to deplete an object, enchantment, place or living being of its accumulated energy.
Magic The Gathering DCI Rules Advisor Don't hesitate to post rules question in the Rules Q&A forum for me and other competent advisors to answer : http://community.wizards.com/go/forum/view/75842/134778/Rules_Q38A
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