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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 8:07AM
#21
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Date Joined:
Oct 18, 2010
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Poison = Linear. First thing that came to mind when I saw the word.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 8:41AM
#22
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As for how linear Scars is, you all seem to be missing the huge, overarching theme of the set: Mirrans vs Phyrexians. Each side has cards that get better when you play them with more cards of the same side - hence the watermarks. I'm assuming this is a big part of what MaRo was referring to in his article.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 10:53AM
#23
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Date Joined:
Mar 13, 2004
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I know one questions that's going to be on the GDS3 test. :D Man they really dig deep into the definitions of threshold here huh. Some of them seem like they'd be better served having thier own names. But as a whole, a good read. As for how linear Scars is, you all seem to be missing the huge, overarching theme of the set: Mirrans vs Phyrexians. Each side has cards that get better when you play them with more cards of the same side - hence the watermarks. I'm assuming this is a big part of what MaRo was referring to in his article.
Scars is linear because only 1 mechanic (imprint) is modular. Nothing to suprising here.
… and then, the squirrels came.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 2:24PM
#24
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2006
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I think it's important to point out here that "Linear" is not a binary quality. It's not "yes/no". A set or mechanic can be more or less linear in comparison to other things. For example, every Magic card ever made is Linear because they are meant to be played with other Magic cards. The won't interface well with Pokemon or Pinochle cards. But that's a very low linearity because of all the options. So you could correctly say that Infect is highly linear because there are few infect/poison cards in existence. Proliferate is less so due to the wider array of sources, but still sets linear requirements. Metalcraft still less so, because there are many many artifacts. And yet it does push your deck toward more. So think of a score meter from 0 to 100 Modular Linear <----------------------------------------------> 0 100 And everything is in there somewhere. But it's not just a matter of 0 or 100.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 2:29PM
#25
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2006
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Good article. I'm happy to see something I noticed in Magic design be explicitly stated. (That such mechanics work better with a "sweet spot" number, rather than having a variety leading to brain freeze.)
(No, it's not super hard to guess, but a lot of designers tend to overcomplicate their mechanics.)
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 2:40PM
#26
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I think it's important to point out here that "Linear" is not a binary quality. It's not "yes/no". A set or mechanic can be more or less linear in comparison to other things.
For example, every Magic card ever made is Linear because they are meant to be played with other Magic cards. The won't interface well with Pokemon or Pinochle cards. But that's a very low linearity because of all the options.
So you could correctly say that Infect is highly linear because there are few infect/poison cards in existence. Proliferate is less so due to the wider array of sources, but still sets linear requirements. Metalcraft still less so, because there are many many artifacts. And yet it does push your deck toward more.
So think of a score meter from 0 to 100
Modular Linear
<---------------------------------------------->
0 100
And everything is in there somewhere. But it's not just a matter of 0 or 100.
What's also interesting to note is whether the mechanic is affected by other cards or affects other cards. metalcraft requires artifacts to do something itself. Proliferate requires cards with counters to let them do something. This inherently makes proliferate more opne-ended than metalcraft, because there are 22 cards with metalcraft but hundreds of cards with counters. 
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 2:41PM
#27
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Date Joined:
Oct 29, 2009
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I wonder: would the current R&D team ever see a card like Multani, Maro-Sorcerer  see print?
Sure. What about Lord of Extinction  ?
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 4:16PM
#28
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Date Joined:
Mar 13, 2004
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It also depends on the set it's in.
Modular in the Mirrodin block was less linear than Modular in Zendikar.
… and then, the squirrels came.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:26PM
#29
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From the article:
...this [brain freeze-creating] line varies from player to player.
*Literally* the next sentence:
Most players never have to think about concepts like brain freeze because R&D never lets brain freeze-inducing sets out the door.
That strikes me as Orwellian. :-) In the first sentence, the line is fuzzy. In the second, it's distinct, and R&D (Guardians of Justice And Perfection(tm)(R)) never let anything across that line.
Me, I don't think "Brain Freeze" is such a bad thing. (Although "Brain Freeze" the card was a pretty horrifying mistake...) Yes, gamestates can get complicated. That's ok, as long as it's not a constant thing. Complex gamestates are GOOD. They create complex decision trees, which reward strong play, and punish poor play. That's why games have decision trees to begin with.
At a minimum, I think R&D has pressed too far back against the "Must not let little Timmy get confused!" side of the building. That's why 8/8s with Annihilator get reminder text that tells you to attack with them, and that's stupid.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 7:46PM
#30
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Date Joined:
Jul 16, 2007
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The example of the wall that becomes a 10/10 can work with regular metalcraft simply by increasing the mana cost. Then the opponent still has to be just as worried about keeping you off metalcraft, but the card is not broken. Proliferate is a linear mechanic. "If I have some of this, do I want more of this?" If it's a modular mechanic like cycling, the answer is "not necessarily". But you wouldn't use proliferate in a deck that only has one or two cards that put counters on things, any more than you would run Relentless Rats  as a four of in a deck. You would use it when you put lots of counters on things. And then, since you have lots of counter-putting things, you want more proliferate. Two different buyback cards go in completely separate decks. But you wouldn't say that Contagion Clasp  and Contagion Engine  go in completely separate decks.
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