Magic Sucks Right Now

LordLink · Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 74

Theres always someone pissed at magic at any given time, can't really be helped.

But except for Rav/Tsp name any point in magics long history where the metagame has been more diverse. Rav/Tsp is special and many will agree it was the best standard ever, however it was also the standard dominated by $500 manabases and Tarmogoyf.

Paying $25 for Reflecting Pools and then forking out for filter and painlands can be a bitch yes, but then thats always been true. However:

1. Wizards looks like they're fixing this, the Shardlands were uncommon and the duals in M10 will be uncommon.

2. Older players are often willing to lend out things like Painlands for tournament play.

3. You don't fucking need an expensive manabase, just run some terramorphic expanses and accept you don't have an "optimal" manabase. Magic players need to examine the difference between strong and optimal and accept that it is possible to win without the best possible combination of cards that you can assemble.

Extended Doran is amusing. Each card costs around $25.

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 1271

thoughtseize and goyf... what else costs 25 bucks in ext doran. magic will always cost money. wizards does not decide the cost of singles. magic is a buisness so wizards makes cards so u will still buy them, for every 1 person who quits 5 more new people start. you dont like paying dont play.

EMA · Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 53

Don't forget that Rav Tsp had also coldsnap, hence a wider pool. Wasn't that format dominated by dragonstorm btw?

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 1271

how was it dominated at all by dstorm

Balthazar88 · Joined: 08 Jan 2007 Posts: 67

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1674

Personally I think magic is very good right now and I find the idea that only as few decks are viable wrong. In Kami block if you were green you could play all 5 colours or otherwise the mana fixing was so bad it's mono coloured deck for you. Note gifts ungiven was more sucessful in terms of trophies over its block season than affinity was through out mirrodin block.

The great diversity in the number of different ways to pose a question in the game now means contol decks can never blankett the whole format, equally there are enough specific answers that aggro decks also can not do the same. Equally there are good hate cards for any combo decks though wizards have done an excellent job of keeping anything to degenerate out of t2. A mass of decks ranging from all 5 colours to single colour strategies are all viable atm, I think you need to look at other reasons why you are not winning before automatically citing the format as the problem. For Example viable stratergies in T2 mono white kithkin, mono red burn, mono green elf ball, RW lark, UW lark, BW tokens, RB blightning, GB elves, UB faeries, GBW elves, RGB jund ramp, UGW bant, UWB esper lark, 5cc, variants and dark bant there was no where near so many viable decks or possible combinations due to the limiting mana base's during kami block's time.

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 2151

Since there are so many viable strategies in Standard (because no deck beats them all), tournaments become a bit more random. Skill and a good build could take you far, but not guarantee success, because you could be unlucky and face too many bad matchups.

Since noone knows how many decks there will be of one strategy, the choice of deck will to a lesser degree be a strategy on its own. Instead players would have to choose the deck they are most comfortable with.

I like this.

I like the fact that the meta does not consist of a few big decks and antistrategies. Instead, each deck needs a selection of answers and a diversity of approach that enables them to face both proven decks and rogue decks (which actually oppose a real threat).

What the format lacks are perhaps tools for Pure aggro and Pure control to be part of the gang.

For instance something like this:

GG
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3, shroud and trample until end of turn.
Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature into play.

(in other words something that would allow mono green aggro to trample through with less risk of 2-for-1'ing.)

3UW
Creature - Angel
3/4
Flash. Vigilance. Shroud.

(in other words a instant wincondition for counter-control decks.)

Delicious · Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 818

i play only online.

The game has come to time consuming and expensive. i play online because it's free and i still get the enjoyment.

Trotsky1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1674

center · Joined: 06 May 2006 Posts: 435

Elves is obv the most fun you can have playing magic in the history of magic.

Chord of Calling is the best card ever

weezy · Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 48

Magic was much more varied a few years ago, especially in extended. This year's extended is so much worse than that of years past. Call me old school, but I remember there being over a hundred viable decks in extended, which has always been my favorite format. Also,I do believe limited is still very good.

koolgogg · Joined: 14 Dec 2005 Posts: 530 Location: New York

plusua · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 27

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 2151