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This thread is for discussion of this week's Making Magic, which goes live Monday morning on magicthegathering.com.

I most certainly began reading this article wholly expecting a self-serving back-patting "we had a good year, let's keep it going!" type of article.  I was pleasantly surprised.  You hit most of the nails right on the head, and you actually pointed out most of the things that you did wrong this past year.  Here are a few comments for you:

1) I simply have to respond to this passage from the article:

Avacyn Restored was a giant success. By what metric? People buying packs. A lot—a LOT—of Avacyn Restored has been sold. So much so that R&D had a meeting to discuss all the things we did right in the set.

The question I always love to ask R&D, and which I have yet to receive an answer to, is: Do you guys really believe that players buy packs because they enjoy the set?  I'm sure there's an element of players who simply must have that fourth Seraph of Dawn or second Avacyn, Angel of Hope, but do you really think that is what sells packs?  Is it more influential than, say, the fact that Bonfire of the Damned is currently approximately $50 AND RISING on most online retailers?  How about the fact that Cavern of Souls was $30 for quite some time (is now around $25)?  Avacyn herself was (is?) $15 for a very long time, and Griselbrand was...well let's say he generated an entire Twitter hashtag all on his own (#griselbanned, for the non-Legacy players in the audience). There are many other examples I could name.  Is it really the "love of the set", and not "the love of the value" that sold the set?

Furthermore, do you truly believe this was a "triumph" in terms of the future of Magic?  Do you believe it's healthy when all the marquee cards in a set cost $10 or more?  When the prices of cards go up, the barrier to entry goes up as well...

2) You failed to mention the #1 most important card for older formats printed in the last...well, probably since the Zendikar Fetchlands.  That being, of course, Delver of Secrets.  Do you feel Delver was a triumph or a failure on the part of R&D?  Is the tournament popularity of Delver a hint of future things to come, or a hint of things R&D will seek to avoid from now on?

Ertai's comment brought up a point I hadn't considered. How much does a Standard competitve deck cost now compared to 10 years ago? Or how about 5? I know Wizards likes Mythic rares, and yes, they have to sell packs, but it seems to me that costs are rising prohibitively.

For once, I would really like a clear and honest communication from a Wizards employee about their views on what the price structure of the secondary market should be. Sure, supply and demand is what drives it and they have no immediate control over singles prices, but it sure would be good to clear the air on the topic for all the frustrated Spikes who can't afford to play their favorite game competitively (myself among them).

Almost every single article posted on the mothership gets a complaint like mine or Ertai87's on the cost of playing the game we're addicted to, yet NEVER do we get even an acknowledgment of the issue from the powers that be. 

C'mon Wizards, at least throw us a bone.

I think the last goal for 2013 is going to be a tricky one.  a SMALL set with 10 multicolored pairings, 10 mechanics all fighting for attention? It seems to me that either giving none of the guilds enough attention,  would be almost unavoidable without risking the set's overall balance.

Also, one of the biggest things that would improve on Ravnica is not to be as slavish to the structure of the guilds and the cycles with the cards.  Instead of giving each guild a this, a that, and so on, keep the essense of the guilds alive in the cards through creative design and flavorful mechanics without designing the set too rigidly that things become predictable.

Hi!  I love magic.  Thanks for you article and all that you do.  I cannot wait for Return to Ravnica.  

For me Innistrad was a miss.  I became obsessed with Magic around Mirrodin block.  But every so often I take a block off.  This pattern started during Time Spiral.  For many of the reasons you have written about before, Time Spiral made me stay home.  I didn't buy packs and I stopped playing.  When Alara came around I jumped back in.  It's interesting that you are proudest of Innistrad and the last four years.  If I had to name my favorite blocks of the modern era I would probably say Ravnica, Lorwynn/Shadowmoor, Alara, and Mirrodin Besieged - largely because of the stellar New Phyrexia.

I was excited about a gothic horror set, but when previews came out for Innistrad I immediatelly knew I was out.  The reason:  Double face cards.  In my view they simply violate a basic principle of card game functionality.  The cards you draw are the cards you are able to play and your opponent can't tell what cards you are holding.  Double face cards don't work.  Having a sneaky checklist card that lets everyone know what other card you are really holding that actually wouldn't work in the game if you shuffled into your deck violates some basic threshold of design elegance that I can't get past.  A thing should do what it does.

I have enjoyed reading about the set on the website and checking out the cards on line.  But I haven't bought any.  Because I don't want any double faced cards.  I'm sure I'm in the minority.  This is not a rant.  If other people liked them, I get it, it's cool.  But please don't dismiss my two cents.  I am really really into magic.  I have a huge collection of cards, I read all your articles,  I love to build decks, I introduce new players to the game all the time.  I'm mostly happy about where the game is headed.  But I think it's worth letting you know that one of the things you consider one of your top successes of the year, I consider a failure. 

Thanks for your article.  Looking forward to a great year of magic in Ravnica!