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11 months ago ::
Jul 13, 2012 - 2:46PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Jun 24, 2008
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This thread is for discussion of this week's Making Magic, which goes live Monday morning on magicthegathering.com.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 9:35PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jul 29, 2006
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I quote
"The biggest design challenge red Planeswalkers do have is that red currently has the smallest amount of effects in its share of the color pie, giving us less to draw from when making distinct red Planeswalkers"
I have a bone to pick then with wizards. OK we have developed green and white and the color black even though black gets blurry in the face of R&D and blacks goals. Blue at least in it counters is being sucessfully punished right now. How about taking some time and re-evaluating what red can do and what red should do and maybe branch out from there.
Back in the day red would get interesting cards, sometimes powerfull most times not, like any other color. It seems like currently there is no R&D member willing to go out there and define the things red needs and can and cannot do. Or if we have a theme like say Krenko, maybe not following up as hard as they should. Mogg flunkies was a slap in reds face, when as a reprint ember hauler would have worked just as well in that spot and been more relevant to goblins overall.
Or why not streach the creative muscles and start pulling from the teriary abilitys that red's had over the years. Yes reds the color of chaos, and impuse but its also the color of warriors, and honor among the powerfull. We dont NEED another act of treason/mark of mutiny/act of aggresion/traitorous blood every single set. Please give me back char or make things like thunderous wrath if you have too, but let them be 1rrr, or 2rr so that we may have a chance to actually benifit from a new mechanic. I get that you design sets more around a sealed and limited format, but isnt standard the format that gets touted out more often?
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 10:00PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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You say there are lots of rares that play poorly in limited, and that's obviously true. But I wish you would constrain things a little. Formats like AVR strongly demonstrate that too many constructed-viable rares damage the limited environment in a big way.
Red Planeswalkers - It's less that you don't make strong red planeswalkers and more that you don't make red planeswalkers that play well. It really isn't about changing the numbers. Try to be objective: has anyone ever built a deck with Tibalt that used it in either a fun or consistently effective way? It wouldn't be better if it cost 1 mana; it would still be frustrating and disappointing half the time.
Master of the Pearl Trident is a card I really wonder about. I mean, ok, so you don't make a goblin lord of the same quality, sure. Goblins would gain a lot more from it. But why not ANY other tribe? There are dozens of interesting tribal cards out there just waiting to hit critical mass, but instead of pushing up any of them into the limelight with a strong tribal enabler, you take the best tribe and put it (even if only slightly) farther ahead. And even that would be less than galling if it weren't for the fact that the deck has to be a monoblue aggro deck, of all things. The decklist is basically a list of color pie mistakes, or rather, of the same color pie mistake being made over and over of thinking that blue is primary in little aggressive beaters.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 10:28PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 13, 2012
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Ffarqhuar @maro254 Why Thragtusk's second trigger is "leaves play," rather than dies (besides the obvious cross set synergy with AVR)? My best guess is that the designers wanted to allow some other synergies with other cards in the set.
zombielynx21 @maro254 What was the thinking behind reprinting Ground Seal? I wasn't involved in the process but I'm guessing it's something like this: "The previous block has a huge graveyard component. Just in case it gets out of hand, let's put a sideboard card in the following core set."
It's funny how clueless Maro is about the real reasons why Thragtusk is worded like that and Ground Seal got reprinted (to fight Vapor Snag and Snapcaster Mage, respectively). Yeah he doesn't have to know, but working in R&D you'd think he'd be more aware of the competitve scene and development choices.
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Okay, here is the clincher. I've been waiting to say this.
The "cam girl" this was inspired by was just a girl from a social networking website, Stickam. Her name was TinyTerror and she was just a regular girl who was on her webcam, totally unrelated to any type of adult content.
I hope you all feel really smart now. 
This is like someone coming into class with a bloody nose and everyone's like "Jeez what happened to you" and they're like "I ran into a wall" and everyone laughs at them for being an idiot but then at the end of the class they say "HAHA JUST KIDDING I PUNCHED MYSELF IN THE FACE!!!!!! TALK ABOUT OWNED HAHAHAHAHA"
I really enjoy imagining this from Kevin's perspective. Because in Kevin's world, Rosewater actually reads everything he types. Mark is sitting there right now, reading this, and thinking "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled. . ." Or some such. He chuckles low, then clicks on "The Best Of KEVINSET" and says "Yes, this'll do just fine. A busty lady with banding who deals direct damage to Zones!? Why this will be the star of my next set, and no one will ever believe you Kevin." Then he closes his Macbook, so his servant may move it out of the way, while another servant puts a Fetal Richard Garfield Clone lathered in Steak Sauce in front of him. Then Mark Feasts.
Sorin walked into the chamber where his newly wed bride, Vampy, awaited. A beam of moonlight illuminated his brilliant silver hair as he strode with confidence towards the bed. His shirtless body showcased his powerful abdominal muscles and he was wearing jeans with holes in the knees.
I wish more girls play magic cards...
Have you considered assassinating Kevin?
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 10:46PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Feb 19, 2009
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"Because down deep under it all, flavor is secondary to good game play."
I'm glad to hear that, but...Gem of Becoming?
It has about 5% the utility it would have if it said "three basic lands." Plus the Traveler's Amulet - Armillary Sphere - Gem of Becoming progression would have been natural that way. And you'd still be able to get all three colors of M13 hood ornament Nicol Bolas if you wanted to. Instead we've got Anaba Bodyguard 2.0, if you grok.
Clearly there are RtR duals that count as the basic land types, and I understand the shift from Rampant Growth to Farseek to accommodate this, but in the case of tournament-unplayables like Gem (and Ranger's Path), for the sake of Limited they 'should' have just gotten basic lands of the player's choice. As printed they're practically useless in Limited and too expensive for Constructed.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 11:37PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Mar 18, 2012
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I think the better question is why Ranger's Path  and not Skyshroud Claim  ?
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11 months ago ::
Jul 15, 2012 - 11:39PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Apr 21, 2009
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"Because down deep under it all, flavor is secondary to good game play."
I'm glad to hear that, but...Gem of Becoming?
It has about 5% the utility it would have if it said "three basic lands." Plus the Traveler's Amulet - Armillary Sphere - Gem of Becoming progression would have been natural that way. And you'd still be able to get all three colors of M13 hood ornament Nicol Bolas if you wanted to. Instead we've got Anaba Bodyguard 2.0, if you grok.
Clearly there are RtR duals that count as the basic land types, and I understand the shift from Rampant Growth to Farseek to accommodate this, but in the case of tournament-unplayables like Gem (and Ranger's Path), for the sake of Limited they 'should' have just gotten basic lands of the player's choice. As printed they're practically useless in Limited and too expensive for Constructed.
You do realize gem and ranger's don't say basic? They're fringe playable with typed duals in standard. Probably more likely the green one since it accelerates and 5color green is probably a deck at some point, but you never know how far control decks will need to go for card advantage and marginally improved draws. And in limited i've seen people in 2/3 of gem's colors run a basic of the third type as a free roll.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 16, 2012 - 1:39AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Oct 15, 2009
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I will probably quit magic if Zebra Unicorn is not in 2014 or at least Ravnica. (must have same flavor text. I sing that song to my girlfriend every night and day.)
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11 months ago ::
Jul 16, 2012 - 2:37AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2006
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What we found over time, though, was that randomness made it hard for us to make consistent red cards.
Took you a while to realize that, did it?
Red Planeswalkers - It's less that you don't make strong red planeswalkers and more that you don't make red planeswalkers that play well. It really isn't about changing the numbers. Try to be objective: has anyone ever built a deck with Tibalt that used it in either a fun or consistently effective way? It wouldn't be better if it cost 1 mana; it would still be frustrating and disappointing half the time.
Tibalt was intentionally pushing the cmc barrier so he's not a great example. The Chandras, especially 2.0, would have had potential at different costs. Also if they'd wanted to, Sarkhan Vol  probably could have been red-only. (Change the first ability to +1/+0.) It would have been a fine card. That said, Planeswalkers are inherently long-game cards and Red has never really found a place in the long game.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 16, 2012 - 7:27AM
#10
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I think the better question is why Ranger's Path and not Skyshroud Claim ?
I think it is because Skyshroud Claim defies the the expectation set by Rampant Growth  and Primeval Titan  . Players expect free lands to enter the battlefield tapped.
I will probably quit magic if Zebra Unicorn is not in 2014 or at least Ravnica. (must have same flavor text. I sing that song to my girlfriend every night and day.)
They probably will not reprint Zebra Unicorn  , because it looks like it has lifelink, but it does not.
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