Yeap. All the cleverness in the world is useless in the face of the optimal deck for a particular class of tournament. If you're in possession of said optimal deck, you'll likely face someone with the same deck, possibly card-for-card, and it will be a crapshoot as to who wins.
Magic would be much more interesting if deck construction were part of the game mechanics.
Yeap. All the cleverness in the world is useless in the face of the optimal deck for a particular class of tournament. If you're in possession of said optimal deck, you'll likely face someone with the same deck, possibly card-for-card, and it will be a crapshoot as to who wins.
Magic would be much more interesting if deck construction were part of the game mechanics.
I completely agree. magic is actually really fun if you buy the cheapo 12$ boxes with 1000 magic card and give them to your friends. It gives everyone an equal playing field and everyone has fun. the fact of the matter is that the magic playing system is actually fun until you try and exploit.
Where are these cheapo boxes of 1000 cards for $12?
Go have a look at just about any gaming store that sells M:TG singles. I'd almost guarantee you they've got a huge pile of Commons they'd be willing to sell for cheap.
When it comes to Magic, I, along with most of my mates, were in the camp of making fun interesting decks that would have no chance in a tournament but were fun to play against each other instead of playing two separate games of solitaire and seeing who hits their game winning, infinite damage/mill combo first.
I picked Magic up again recently after a few years break. Loving M11. I got Duels of the Planeswalkers off of Steam during the big sale. The limited deck options is annoying. It should allow you to build whatever deck you want from the cards you've collected. The whole premade, limited customization deck system is a major let down, but I guess it was made that way so that it wouldn't be competing with MTGO (Not sure if I'm ever going to touch that game. I find the idea of paying the same price I'd pay for physical cards for virtual ones kind of dumb).
Also, for you guys looking to get lots of cards fast, Troll and Toad does random lots for $.01 per card. I picked up 1000 cards for $10. They were from a bunch of sets printed between 1995-2007. They also have Deck Builders Toolkits for like $15 that come with 100 land, 200 or so standard legal cards and 3 booster packs from current sets. If you just want a ton of the latest set, StarCityGames sells M11 boxes for like $85.
In about two weeks from now, WotC is going to release a new Magic expansion called "New Phyrexia". As every time when a new set is about to be released, the MTG section of the internet is abuzz with rumors and some spoiled cards early, of course going ever stronger with new cards beings spoiled by various media outlets with permission from the guys in Seattle, and some unofficial spoilers by various sources who may have gotten early products or leaks.
Well, last night, it came a bit different, since somebody on the internet published a so called "Goodbook", which contained a lot of information about the new set, including every single card. WotC is now apparently trying to take legal action against the people who leaked the information and supposedly there has been at least one arrest, though I'm not sure what the charge is.
This is perhaps the biggest spoiler ever for a Magic Set, and might become the most impacting after some actual playtest cards were leaked about 7 years ago. What happened then was that Hasbro more or less threatened to sue the pants off the de factor Rumor God of the Magic world called Rancored_Elf. They settled out of court and more or less neutered R_E's ability to spoil cards.
This leak may also have a lot of legal repercussions, and might be bad for the game and the community overall as a lot of smaller Magic sites will now lose a lot of traffic they would have gotten of the preview cards they were supposed to get sent by WotC.
Well, it's not really the rules of the game. More like the elements of the game. Think of somebody spoiling a video playing through the entire Portal 2 single player campaign, two weeks before the game goes public. We actually had that kind of situation with Half-Life 2, and that german kid sitting in Valve's company network playing early versions of the game.
It is somewhat understandable of Wizards. They get a lot of traffic and advertising, buzz and excitement for their new product out of the rumor season. Now all this excitement basically has been whizzed away and that could have some actual legal repercussions. I actually think knowing what you buy helps, but more than two weeks ahead of release is kinda crazy.
Well, it's not really the rules of the game. More like the elements of the game. Think of somebody spoiling a video playing through the entire Portal 2 single player campaign, two weeks before the game goes public. We actually had that kind of situation with Half-Life 2, and that german kid sitting in Valve's company network playing early versions of the game.
There is no story to Magic though, there is nothing to spoil but your own surprise at the cards. Even then, the experience of the guards is in using them, not knowing what they look like or what their rules are...
I am sure that in Hasbro's mind, their carefully crafted slow release of information relating to the set is done in order to maximize hype, and therefore sales. A full blown scanned set on the internet is going to upset the apple cart, and they see it as lost sales.
What about the study that showed how games with demos have lower sales? Does a magic set where everyone has seen all of the cards already cause less people to buy a booster box on launch day?
I am sure that in Hasbro's mind, their carefully crafted slow release of information relating to the set is done in order to maximize hype, and therefore sales. A full blown scanned set on the internet is going to upset the apple cart, and they see it as lost sales.
What about the study that showed how games with demos have lower sales? Does a magic set where everyone has seen all of the cards already cause less people to buy a booster box on launch day?
I think it depends. I think demos decrease sales statistically is because most games suck. Therefore, you play a demo you won't be fooled into buying a shit game. I would like to see the statistics split between good games and crappy games. I hypothesize that demos increase sales of good games.
In that same vein, I would think that this would only hurt sales of Magic cards if it turned out to be a shitty set that nobody wants. In the end, people who are already wasting money on Magic are already wasting money on Magic. If they are in that community, and they keep playing, they are going to need the cards one way or another. Also, only the hardest core people in the community are probably following these blogs and seeing this card list. The vast majority of Magic players probably never go online for Magic information, and will buy plenty of cards. Just like the vast majority of MLP watchers aren't Bronies, and have no idea WTF is happening on the Internets.
Yeah, it definitely has more to do with fucking up their hype machine than any damage they think it'll cause the metagame.
It speaks to their view of their community; cattle to be milked (and occasionally slaughtered).
Compare this to how Privateer Press handled the MK.2 release of the Warmachine and Hordes rules; they posted all of the rules in plain text for free and called for community feed back. That included all of the modified rules for every model in the game. Treating your players like partners instead of subjects vital, especially for something as expensive and niche as collection games; how the hell else do you expect it to spread?
Since I only play with my old highlander deck, I love having a set spoiled. Means I can browse through at work and pick out the singles that I want to order. Usually just a handful of the funnier or cooler cards to spice up our decks a bit. I only play about 2-3 times a year when we all get together, its sort of a tradition.
I can't stand competitive magic in any form, the cost is too steep. But the core mechanics of magic are fantastic. I'll probably play on and off casually forever, even if they stop releasing sets.
Random aside about spoilers... Select Pro players, back in the day, were given advance lists to help test out the cards before release. While I never played on a professional level officially, I can spot broken/OP Magic cards a mile away and was frequently invited to playtest decks and such with my local SoCal pros. ^_^ Those were the good old days.
To follow up on the spoiler incident I was talking about: The leak apparently came about when a french Magic player, who got a copy of the Godbook in order to write articles about the set for the french magazine Lotus Noir, shared it with friends to get their input, and it was later leaked. The guys confessed and Wizards has now taken action. The original leaker, Guillaume Matignon, happens to be the reigning world champion and placed second (after a series of tie-breaker games) in the player of the year race 2010. However, now he has been suspended for 3 years by the DCI, the official Magic tournament organization run by WotC. Three other french players, Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, who lost in the finals to Matignon in last years World Championship and is regarded as one of the best deck builders currently in the game, Martial Moreau and David Gauthier (two guys I have never heard about) have been suspended for a year and a half.
The whole thing reveals a completely different mess of course, i.e. why do pro Magic players and magazines get so much information in the first place? How long has this been going on? How much abuse of that information can be generated in regard to investment into cards and analysis of the set for limited play (i.e. Booster Draft)? As far as I'm told, the biggest online retailer for Magic cards, StarCityGames.com, does not get a Godbook.
Oh wow, didn't expect the leak to have happened from so close to the top of the pro player circuit. I actually met both of the Guillaumes when I was in France covering the pro tour. I'm not really into Magic so it was sort of a "figure this shit out as you go" and "don't turn down a free trip to France" type of assignment, but I was surprised at the number of people who showed up just to see these pros play.
Was that the "Magic Weekend" earlier this year when Matignon played Brad Nelson for player of the year? If so, there was of course a lot of people, because there was also a "Grand Prix" at the same location the same weekend. Grand Prixs are the largest public events. Particular european Grand Prixs in France and Spain are busting attendance records almost every time they happen.
But yeah, the leak being that high up in the circuit was really a shocker.
So, another set comes out at the end of September and yesterday at PAX was the big reveal of new mechanics and the like. And unfortunately, Magic might have officially jumped the shark with the introduction of double-faced cards. While they did reasonable job at ensuring that you can play the game using those cards and not worry about having a marked deck, it still seems like a janky and unappealing way that could easily be exploited by cheaters. I'm now rather thankful that I only play the game casually anymore and only via internet programs, so I'm less concerned with the troubles and restrictions of cardboard.
I liked the old flip cards better. With the old cards, you didn't have to deal with this whack new method of flipping: You just flipped them. Boom. Done.
They were very limited in application, though. The space for card effects were far too small, and they weren't able to "Flip" (or in this case, Transform) back and forth like you can with the new cards. Plus, you wouldn't be able to get full-bodied effects like Wolfpack Alpha, or Garruk (A Transforming Planeswalker).
Comments
Magic would be much more interesting if deck construction were part of the game mechanics.
Also, for you guys looking to get lots of cards fast, Troll and Toad does random lots for $.01 per card. I picked up 1000 cards for $10. They were from a bunch of sets printed between 1995-2007. They also have Deck Builders Toolkits for like $15 that come with 100 land, 200 or so standard legal cards and 3 booster packs from current sets. If you just want a ton of the latest set, StarCityGames sells M11 boxes for like $85.
In about two weeks from now, WotC is going to release a new Magic expansion called "New Phyrexia". As every time when a new set is about to be released, the MTG section of the internet is abuzz with rumors and some spoiled cards early, of course going ever stronger with new cards beings spoiled by various media outlets with permission from the guys in Seattle, and some unofficial spoilers by various sources who may have gotten early products or leaks.
Well, last night, it came a bit different, since somebody on the internet published a so called "Goodbook", which contained a lot of information about the new set, including every single card. WotC is now apparently trying to take legal action against the people who leaked the information and supposedly there has been at least one arrest, though I'm not sure what the charge is.
This is perhaps the biggest spoiler ever for a Magic Set, and might become the most impacting after some actual playtest cards were leaked about 7 years ago. What happened then was that Hasbro more or less threatened to sue the pants off the de factor Rumor God of the Magic world called Rancored_Elf. They settled out of court and more or less neutered R_E's ability to spoil cards.
This leak may also have a lot of legal repercussions, and might be bad for the game and the community overall as a lot of smaller Magic sites will now lose a lot of traffic they would have gotten of the preview cards they were supposed to get sent by WotC.
Imagine if the day before Puerto Rico came out I told you "buildings don't work unless they have a colonist in them. *GASP*"
I definitely won't say this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, but it's extremely stupid.
It is somewhat understandable of Wizards. They get a lot of traffic and advertising, buzz and excitement for their new product out of the rumor season. Now all this excitement basically has been whizzed away and that could have some actual legal repercussions. I actually think knowing what you buy helps, but more than two weeks ahead of release is kinda crazy.
EDIT: Also, the Phyrexians would like to have a word with you.
What about the study that showed how games with demos have lower sales? Does a magic set where everyone has seen all of the cards already cause less people to buy a booster box on launch day?
In that same vein, I would think that this would only hurt sales of Magic cards if it turned out to be a shitty set that nobody wants. In the end, people who are already wasting money on Magic are already wasting money on Magic. If they are in that community, and they keep playing, they are going to need the cards one way or another. Also, only the hardest core people in the community are probably following these blogs and seeing this card list. The vast majority of Magic players probably never go online for Magic information, and will buy plenty of cards. Just like the vast majority of MLP watchers aren't Bronies, and have no idea WTF is happening on the Internets.
It speaks to their view of their community; cattle to be milked (and occasionally slaughtered).
Compare this to how Privateer Press handled the MK.2 release of the Warmachine and Hordes rules; they posted all of the rules in plain text for free and called for community feed back. That included all of the modified rules for every model in the game. Treating your players like partners instead of subjects vital, especially for something as expensive and niche as collection games; how the hell else do you expect it to spread?
I can't stand competitive magic in any form, the cost is too steep. But the core mechanics of magic are fantastic. I'll probably play on and off casually forever, even if they stop releasing sets.
The whole thing reveals a completely different mess of course, i.e. why do pro Magic players and magazines get so much information in the first place? How long has this been going on? How much abuse of that information can be generated in regard to investment into cards and analysis of the set for limited play (i.e. Booster Draft)? As far as I'm told, the biggest online retailer for Magic cards, StarCityGames.com, does not get a Godbook.
But yeah, the leak being that high up in the circuit was really a shocker.
With the old cards, you didn't have to deal with this whack new method of flipping: You just flipped them. Boom. Done.