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Unfortunately there's basically no way to avoid that if you keep printing more stuff for the game.  MTG's power creep is sort of intentional at this point because most people just play with recent cards and the environment constantly being in flux is part of the appeal of the game, but even if you are studiously avoiding increasing raw power on individual components, a customizable game always increases in power as you can combine more stuff.  Sure, Beast Mastery making creatures from Sting of Lolth better is probably intentional, but the more components you have, the more of that stuff goes on and the less predictable it is.

Ultimately I think you probably already need every set (or at least most of them) in duplicates if you want to make the "best" currently available DC deck(s).   The saving grace here is that there's enough skill in the gameplay that having a good deck doesn't trump it, but there's literally no way to avoid some kind of combination-based power inflation.  Having out-of-the-box Sting of Lolth be as good as a super tuned Bugbear Combo or Priestess/Beast deck or whatever is just not possible, and the gap can only grow as more stuff comes out.

I still want them to make more, but "customizable gameplay without Magic's grind" is a great marketing phrase, while only really being possible insofar as removing collectibility lets you limit your buy-in more effectively.

Mar 3, 2013 -- 10:50PM, Ultiville wrote:

... even if you are studiously avoiding increasing raw power on individual components, a customizable game always increases in power as you can combine more stuff.  Sure, Beast Mastery making creatures from Sting of Lolth better is probably intentional, but the more components you have, the more of that stuff goes on and the less predictable it is.

... Having out-of-the-box Sting of Lolth be as good as a super tuned Bugbear Combo or Priestess/Beast deck or whatever is just not possible, and the gap can only grow as more stuff comes out.

+1 to this.

In any kind of customizable game, those with more parts to pick from will always be able to build better teams.

To think that those box sets will remain competitive over the long term is unrealistic. It is important, however, to have pre-made sets available so that a casual player can have a reasonable entry point to the game. Two friends want to play? Each picks up a box set and now they can start right away and experience all parts of the game. The problem with the old blind booster packs was that two friends could buy a couple of boosters and end up with a terrible play experience. 

MtG makes those dueling pre-made decks which are really fun to play head to head but using them  in competition would be pointless. While scoffed at by tournament players, they do serve an important purpose in the overall health of the game. I see the DC boxed sets in exactly the same role.

What I'm hoping is that somewhere down the road once enough boxed sets are available we'll get some randomized minis + cards booster packs. They could help flesh out everyone's options and I do love a good draft party  But the boxed sets should always be available to keep bringing in new blood.

Mar 6, 2013 -- 12:44PM, Style75 wrote:

What I'm hoping is that somewhere down the road once enough boxed sets are available we'll get some randomized minis + cards booster packs. They could help flesh out everyone's options and I do love a good draft party  But the boxed sets should always be available to keep bringing in new blood.

No, no, no, no, no.

If they start releasing randomised boosters I know plenty of people who will basically stop buying. I personally despise not knowing what I am paying for. It's one of the main reasons I stopped playing MTG and other TCGs.

Randomised boosters just mean you have to spend an exorbitant amount to get what you want (unless you are very lucky), end up with piles of useless items that everyone has too many of and are just a way of creating a culture of "I must buy either many boosters or off ebay in order to get a competetive deck."

As it stands, even someone with only one deck can be competitive if played well. I personally only have one of each deck and frequently play someone who has four of each, and we are evenly matched.

As for drafting: we have done that. You open a box, one player picks one creature and one order, then passes it round. Ok that was for a prize rather than a competition, but you could do the same with half-as-many boxes as players, fighting with half an army (as per the two-players, one-box rules). Entry would be more expensive obviously but would avoid the problems of random boosters. (Besides a higher entry is justified if you are getting models, cards and tiles.)