deathtouchroadrunner

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I like the concept of split tokens as it should help with storage and space on the battlefield. I also think it might solve the problems with land tokens and land token creatures.

Hello Mark, do tokens absolutely need to be full size? Would it be possible to print tokens like split cards when it makes sense - eg: vanilla zombie or goblins - that we can cut down in half so they take a little less space on the battlefield and we get more variety?

I’m not sure a lot of players want to cut their cards.

Is this something you all would like?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I'd be happier with two releases of at least 4 decks, + the starter decks yearly. I dislike the releases of just two decks because then we can't play the precons as a group of 4 friends. And a full set of 4+ more than twice a year is probably a bit too frequent.

Hey Mark, just wanted to express my voice and say I hate commander decks every sets. Commander used to be the place I could play all the cards that lay unused in my shoe boxes, but now there is a stream of new powerfull cards every two months and it is just too much. I wish we could go just to the one commander set per year (gosh, what an excitement that was), but that wasn't all that profitable I guess

Our goal is to meet player demand. How many Commander decks a year would you all like to see?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

1. Enchantments (*that aren’t creatures*) along with more graveyard recursion for enchantments in white and more enchantment synergy cards per set in white. Some kind of enchantment midrange-prisony-long-game archetype should be White’s version of “Big Red,” “Green Ramp,” “Blue Draw-Go,” and “Mono-black discard-control.” Every other color sometimes has a midrange or late-game mono-color archetype and white really deserves the same treatment. (Just like every color sometimes has an aggro-ish mono-color archetype. Red has burn/aggro, green has stompy, blue has evasive beater aggro/tempo, black has graveyard synergy aggro every so often, and white has anthem-based aggro...)   2. Magic lore and story to be better run/handled. The amount of retconning minor stuff that’s starting to happen seemingly every set is extremely irritating. The story quality is also wildly inconsistent. And character development needs to have progression, not random abrupt changes just to bootlick for China. Theros: Beyond Death seems to have a good story, but the green-background spoiler slides with lore don’t even seems like they got reviewed by an editor of any kind.  3. BW Angel(s).   4. At least some of the time moving enchantment archetypes from being centered in GW to being centered in WB.  5. In general better handling white as a color in MTG.  6. More products that use a “Lego Set” model like Commander decks do, rather than things using the (child) exploitative booster pack and loot crate type models. If “draft boosters” are really for draft and other products aren’t, the other products shouldn’t be so random.  7. Not quite so many returns (to planes). Sooooo sick of anything Ravnica or Zendikar in particular. And seeing new ideas is often more interesting than returning. 8. A little more creativity with card design. There’s so much space that’s not explored but things for a while now seem like retreads of very very similar mechanics (clues, energy, food, and even Ingest + Processors are all really similar...). It’d be nice to spend a few years away from mechanics that deal with specialized alternate resources.  9. More enchantment sacrifice outlets in BW.  10. I hear this is coming, but more frequent, judicious, and interesting use of reprints.  11. Brawl queue on Arena every day. 12. A tad lighter on the average density of artifacts. 13. More non-human planeswalkers. 14. More unique and interesting art. Like Seb McKinnon, the special Adventure Frames in Eldraine, etc. Consistent, unique, and high quality art styles really help the Magic brand seem different, better, and higher quality (rather than derivative). (I’d love a more 2-D Seb McKinnon style Arena battleground.)

Help on Future Head-to-Head

Can you tell me things you want more of in Magic?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

There are three issues with Modern Horizons: 1. The price is ridiculous. 2. The supply isn’t sufficient for long term. 3. There weren’t enough reprints. I personally find #1 and #2 also really irritating as an EDH player. Number 3 in general is kind of weird. I assumed this was the set where WoTC would try things like putting Mom in modern rather than making a worse Mom for modern. That said, it was fun, and the things its done in modern are mostly fun. Hogaak is more or less the kind of mistake it’s okay to make once in a while. I enjoyed the single draft of it I could justify playing (as it’s priced like Sam Adams Utopias, which isn’t really a good look for a card game that’s supposed to be all ages). My secondary question is whether the goal of it was purposefully to maybe to make modern less accessible mostly by making it so a bunch of archetypes would be significantly supply constrained? I don’t think WoTC wants modern to be anywhere near as accessible as standard. And we also live in an era of wealth bifurcation which means that they’re probably going to have to chase the more moneyed portion of the population as the middle class hollows out, meaning increased prices, reduced supply in general. I think we’re starting to see the signs of MTG being turned into more of a “luxury good” and less of general availability game product. I also somewhat wonder if Hogaak is more than anything a commentary on how weak white is as a color as hypothetically white should have the tools to shut down something like Hogaak easily as white should be able to hate on everything Hogaak is. It’s a huge creature with a graveyard mechanic, alternate cost mechanics and also a black card/spell. White should be able to hate on all four of those things. But it effectively dodges White’s best hate for all of those, and Containment Priest style hate too. Presumably blue should also have been able to hate on it somehow being green, but also couldn’t? So I guess my question is “if it’s easy to play Hogaak and nothing can stop it, just how bad is White as a color?”

How has Modern Horizons adding cards directly into Modern been received? From what I can tell it has some loud naysayers, but I'm curious what the general response has been.

Here’s a fine place to ask. What do you all think?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

Sure, but a dedicated enchantment world would be even better, like a Mirrodin for enchantments.

Will the return to theros focus more heavily on enchantments than the first visit?

Would you all like it to?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

It depends on the theme.

I would BOLDLY like to request a snow commander that isn't 5 colors. I'm tired of "everything and the kitchen sink" commanders. I want something that has restrictions to build around. I want something that rewards me for constructing my deck and playing in a unique way.

This leads to an interesting question. When making a commander for a theme, do you prefer us hitting every color that has the theme or using just the ones with the majority?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I’d rather have Masterpieces than Mythic editions 100000000 times over. With masterpieces regular players can once in a while get really sweet cards. With Mythic editions regular players get nothing.

I'd like to arrogantly submit that I loved masterpieces and I only came back to the game after they had been discontinued, so I am sad. Are any products like Masterpieces ever going to come back?

That sounds like a good question for you all to answer. Would you like Masterpueces to return and why or why not?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

Sounds fun to me...

Since it is OK for lands to become creatures, maybe we will eventually see a "Artifact Land - Vehicle Plains"?

I wouldn’t get your hopes up. : )

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I think it’d interesting to see fortifications, but as enchantments that equip to lands, and not as artifacts, which is more or less how I see things like the Girdle of Melian from Tolkien’s legendarium.

After that, I’d like to see more done with phasing or constellation, though I think both technically have cards that came out in Commander products.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

Today’s question: If you could bring back any one mechanic that’s never been brought back before, which one would it be and why?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

So... I originally replied to this using the reply button and then couldn't easily find my own comments, so reposting as a lightly editted reblog to make it easier to for me to find.

Would like to see overall:

A less obnoxious price tag (sets like Conspiracy and Battlebond are the only ones I buy boxes of and this being similar but more expensive is lousy).

Part of why this is lousy is the lack of reprints relative to the quantity of cards that are either very fringe or not constructed playable. Higher prices really need deeper reprints and demand less limited filler.

Would like to see specifically on cards:

Some kind of support for a viable modern enchantment deck (prison/combo/value/drain/resource denial, etc.) that's not Bogles.

(Even for Bogles, a worse 3cmc Daybreak Coronet will never be constructed optimal beyond Standard.)

Roadrunner tribal!

In general better white cards (its own topic).

An enchantment land.

A little more in the way of reprints.

Tangents

I'd like to see a sacrifice-based enchantment theme sometime. Enchantments seem like magical batteries lying around for the repurposing by the right mage. (BW non-lifegain theme, maybe?)

I'd like to see an "each opponent" Brain Maggot style enchantment that's not a creature sometime.

Back to that "white cards" issue...

Most magic colors have at leat a couple characteristic mono-color non-tribal archetypes, at least one of which is an aggro variant, and at least one of which isn't.

Blue has evasive tempo (like in recent standard), classic control (like in Pauper), and mill (sometimes shared with Black).

Black has aggro, often with some graveyard synergies or symmetric life loss, mono black control (like Pauper or Theros standard), and once in a while discard (8 rack).

Red has burn and red deck wins in aggro slots, and big red aggressive decks (usually dragons and phoenixes on top of a solid curve).

Green has Stompy aggro and Ramp decks.

White has some overlapping permutations of aggro decks (basic aggro, or maybe Death and Taxes once in a while)... and no other color associated archtype!

White desperately needs some sort of consistent non-aggro identity supported with some regularity.

Enchantment Prison/Combo is probably the obvious thing, but I don't think it's liked internally within WOTC.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

Today’s question is about Modern Horizons. What thing were you hoping to see in Modern Horizons that wasn’t there?

[deathtouchroadrunner]

Constellation first. It's the only good/fun enchantment-centric mechanic Magic has ever had. Last place is Inspired (it didn't really work last time at least), though it wasn't on this list. If I have to pick from this list, I'd say Monstrous, just because it's been used again and we have several similar mechanics.

When we return to Theros, which mechanic is most likely to return: Heroic, Monstrous, Constellation, or Strive?

Here’s a good question for all of you. If we returned to Theros, what is your preference order for a returning mechanic? Number 1 through 4 with one being first choice and four being last choice. If you want to explain why, that would be great.

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I’d love to see:

Moby Dick world.

Anasazi World

Primordial (still forming/settling) world, maybe with extra-planar researchers/manipulators.

Dying ancient world like CS Lewis’ Charn or Equilor.

Also:

More “magical” world.

Norse World

Planetoid world - many small planetoids connected by air.

Underground world

Underwater world

Inquiring Minds Want To Know - New Worlds

My question for today is about new worlds you’d like to see (for a Standard-legal set). You can tell me about any source material (cultural or genre) you’d like to see serve as an inspiration for a set or any existing mechanical components or themes you’d like to see a set built around. The only thing I ask for you not to give me is mechanical things Magic has not done yet (aka I am not soliciting new Magic cards, mechanics or mechanical components). Thanks.

[deathtouchroadrunner]

1. Saskia's Plane. Want some love for Iron Age/Viking age stuff. (Kaldheim?) 2. Lorwyn/Shadowmoor. Not enough enchanted magical worlds. (If Theros atmospherically drifted closer to this, it might be an okay alternative.)

3. Arkhos. Seems real creepy, weird, and novel. 4. Equilor. Kind of a more calm and restive permutation of the Charn aesthetic. 5. Wherever you think you could do a nautical mercantile world with tall ships and whales and such. (Mercadia! ... maaaaaybe?) Bonus #6: Pyrulea ... Other planes I’m pretty much okay with (not in any order): Alara, Tarkir, Fiora, Kamigawa, Ixalan, Mirrodin/New Phyrexia, Dominaria, Shandalar, Muraganda, Moag, Serra’s Realm, Kolbahan, Xerex. Planes I’m kind of tired of: Ravnica, Innistrad, Zendikar, Amonkhet.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know - Planes to Visit in the Future

In today’s information gathering, I’m interested to hear what planes you want to visit in an upcoming Standard-legal set. Here’s how I would like you to respond. Please list, in order, your favorites from one up to five. You can list less than five, but please restrict yourself to five answers. Number 1 should be the plane you most want to see us visit in the future. 

If you’re interested you may also tell me why you want to return to that plane. You can list any known plane including ones we’ve never visited before. I need names of existing planes though and not “wild west plane”. 

Here’s an example:

1. Innistrad - It’s my favorite plane

2. Fiora - I love Conspiracy and would like to see Fiora in a Standard-legal set.

3. Tarkir - Go back, but there better be clans.

4. Rath - I don’t know how you’d do it, but I’d love it.

5. Alara - More Esper please.

I would love to get a lot of data, so please pass this along to your Magic friends to answer as well.

Please number your answers as the data will be weighted. I will count them in the order listed if you don’t number them. Please don’t list the same plane more than once. 

[deathtouchroadrunner]

TLDR: You have an issue with product release timing/spacing and not product quantity.

I think the timing is off more so than the quantity being off. Eldritch Moon standard was short, plus Conspiracy and Eternal masters reduced drafting of the last couple standard sets. And now Conspiracy is getting cut short a tad by Kaladesh. Pretty much I think Eternal sets need a month of draft time, Conspiracy needs around 1.5 months of draft time, and regulars sets need around 2 or 3 months of draft time. And standard should last at least 3 months without rotating. I’m *super* sad I only got to play Starfield + Lunar Force for 2 months. My math suggests that means you should have 3.5 standard sets a year rather than 4, but since 3 is clearly slightly too few, 4 is probably right if you want to have schedule consistency. In any case, it’s feels particularly annoying since we’ll have roughly 4 months of Kaladesh before Aether Revolt. It kind of feels like Kaladesh should have come out two weeks later, I guess.

you guys put out A LOT of product (thanks) this summer. was there any concern that too many players wouldn't keep up with the accelerated schedule?

This is a great question.

Right now Magic is putting out:

a) too little product

b) too much product

c) just the right amount

Please pick a), b) or c). It would be great if you could also explain why.

[deathtouchroadrunner]

If if black never got much regeneration overall things like Drudge Skeletons have always been super iconic Black cards.

While I can see the simplicity upside, I really dislike the decision to replace regeneration with 'indestructible until end of turn'. You often speak of the importance of differentiating colours (e.g. 'tap' vs. 'can't block' for white vs. red) and indestructible feels like a white ability that black shouldn't have.

Black didn’t get all that much regeneration.

[deathtouchroadrunner]

I don’t think it’s a matter of quantity. It’s that they’re not very mythic. They tend to come across as reanimating suicide chickens, which, despite having a decent level of utility, just aren’t mythic, particularly since they seem to be mostly the same every time: use a block keyword + cost as a trigger to return to the hand or battlefield. Mythics shouldn’t be repeating themselves.

People would probably be happy to see the same number or more of Phoenixes in rare or uncommon. I liked seeing Skarrgan Firebird at uncommon in MM 2015, it felt good every time and didn’t seem super overpowered unless the game started stalling.

It’s when you make it mythic and it’s anything less than Fawkes class that it doesn’t seem mythic, even if it’s otherwise decent, particularly since they always seems pretty much exactly the same as every phoenix that went before.

That was a funny joke but as someone who also dislikes phoenixes (and other archetypes of cards you've exhausted the design space for), could you at least acknowledge our concerns?

Let’s do a little market research. We do one or two Phoenixes most blocks. Pick how you feel:

A) Too many Phoenixes.B) Just the right amount of Phoenixes.C) Not enough Phoenixes.

[deathtouchroadrunner]

Lorwyn is pretty much it. Wouldn’t hate Innistrad or Alara.

What Worlds Do You Want to Go Back to?

This poll is about worlds you’d like to return to. You can list as many as you like but please put them in order of preference so that your number one choice is where you may want to return.