I refuse to play that way, ever. Not for a tournament, not for casual play. Mana burn was part of the game for nearly 20 years for a reason. It forces players to actually make calculated decisions with their resources. Without mana burn, players can just haphazardly tap their lands for mana in a sloppy manner. Mana burn also makes cards like Black Lotus, Sol Ring, and Mana Drain slightly balanced. Seriously, these cards would actually be considerably more powerful - if you can imagine that - without the threat of mana burn. Is this what we want?
Then we have cards like Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Mishra's Workshop, and the Urza lands. You have to actually think before tapping this cards - if mana burn exists, as it should.
And finally, there's cards like Power Surge, which were obviously designed with the reality of mana burn in mind. Of course, so was Mana Drain - the threat of mana burn was the only thing keeping it even slightly sane!!
Why the hell did WotC throw mana burn on the scrapheap? My guess is it was to simplify the game yet further, for the Pokemon kids. Just like eliminating interrupts was. They have changed Magic: the Gathering far too many times in its short lifespan. Imagine if chess went through zillions of changes every decade? It wouldn't have lasted several centuries, that's for sure.
Aside from a few anecdotal examples, mana burn doesn't come up nearly as often as anyone would think. At best, you might have had to take a hit from a dual land if you didn't have a firebreather out yet.
I remember when modern started and everything was thrown out the window. You want to talk about angry players over rules changes, maybe you should start there.
Mana Burn. Pfft.
...or I could be completely wrong. Who really knows?
Back when I was in high school, I used to write little quotes on the whiteboard of my chemistry class, little, funny things that I'd made up and attributed to an anonymous author. Just tiny things I found amusing. Some time near the end of the year, a substitute teacher game in, read it, and told us a quote she had heard from a 13 year old girl. I don't remember what it was, but the quote sounded deep and philosophical. Then I actually thought about it. I realized that the quote was actually meaningless, but simply couched in the language of philosophy and depth. And that's what your post is. It is meaningless bull**** that you said in such a way as to make it seem sophisticated. But just as a lab coat doesn't make you a scientist, language won't make you a philosopher. Only love of wisdom will. And until then, you will always remind me of a nameless 13 year old.
Would someone seriously not run a Black Lotus for fear of mana burn? A Dark Ritual for the same reason? A Sol Ring along the same train of thought? I don't buy that. People will still use those cards if we revert back to mana burn, for the same reason that people still use City of Brass and Verdant Catacombs - the upside is definitely worth it.
Mana burn was fine when it was around, but the environment is more enjoyable and user friendly without it around. In any case, I feel like I was just trolled, but w/e.
I'm all about super-control in MTG. If you're able to stop my shenanigans, then there aren't enough shenanigans.
The number of games where mana burn actually came up were few and the number of games where mana burn actually made an effect on the outcome of the game were so few that I can honestly say I haven't noticed a difference in general gameplay.
I do remember a game where my opponent accidentally killed himself through mana burn. I think he was the guy who put the mana flares out, too. Then again, one of the spells in his combo was countered, so he couldn't sink all the mana into an X casting cost.
Oh well, I don't miss it too much. Lack of mana burn helps me in MtGO When I accidentally tap a land (hate that.)
You are both rational and emotional. You value creation and discovery, and feel strongly about what I create. At best, you're innovative and intuitive. At worst, you're scattered and unpredictable.
