Magic: the Gathering - Maro's Mistakes

[Cantih]

https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/an...beyond-updates

For the remainder of 2025, two Universes Beyond sets will be coming to MTG Arena and Magic Online: Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ and Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™.

One 2025 set, Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel's Spider-Man (as well as future Marvel sets) will not be coming to digital Magic platforms. Instead, we will release our first Through the Omenpaths set on September 23. We'll have more information on that set as we get closer to the release date.

[Demosthenes]

The obvious reason for this is marvel has its own digital card game. It's also possible Disney wanted a cut that would eat into the profitability. Arena will get a set that is 100% the same except the art, names of spells and abilities will be changed.

[Aelfinn]

The obvious reason for this is marvel has its own digital card game. It's also possible Disney wanted a cut that would eat into the profitability. Arena will get a set that is 100% the same except the art, names of spells and abilities will be changed.

i'm 100% ok with this, only wish they would also release these non-magic IP versions in paper as well.

[Demosthenes]

i'm 100% ok with this, only wish they would also release these non-magic IP versions in paper as well.

That defeats the entire purpose for paper. The targets are as follows.

1. People that just like magic and will play whatever.
2. People that like magic and marvel shit.
3. People that like marvel and might consider this as a gateway into mtg.
4. MTG "collectors."
5. Marvel "collectors."

The most important part is there in bold. That is the entire point of collabs. Whining about the art and keywords coming from "outside" mtg is silly. Mechanically, it's still MTG. Double printing the same exact set but different, because some people are poopooing it, is a logistical nightmare that will not be worth the cost. It will also produce either scarcity of what people want or stock on shelves that will refuse to move, make the secondary market more valuable than half of your set (which one that will be is up in the air), and confuse new players.

[Tomiko]

There will be a lot of FF reveals at PAX this weekend. Some have already been revealed. Just going to link the Reddit posts.

Zenos Yae Galvus - Pretty cool. I don't know the lore, but people seem to be happy with it.

Kefka & Sepharoth (both flip cards) - Art only, but they look great.

They did our girl, Shantotto, dirty. - Very disappointed with this.

[Demosthenes]

Can't stand that character at all, but to make her better she'd have to cost more which would make her hard to play. One more mana to give her storm. Maybe 5 or 6 to give her copy spells. I don't think fortell is an evergreen mechanic. Granting plot is the closest thing that is viable for her in the current meta, but I don't think they want to let plot have value in standard outside of OTJ. She'll do fine if there is room for her in izzet aggro because monstrous rage.

[Tomiko]

Lots of new spoilers from PAX today.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/final-fantasy

[Demosthenes]

Pssh, no hexproof or indestructible. Trash.

[synistar]

They put all 15 Cids in the set - https://magic.wizards.com/en/product...y?cigquery=cid

[Lyltia]

Pssh, no hexproof or indestructible. Trash.

Do you mean from a mechanical or flavor standpoint? Mechanically speaking, hexproof is baked-into "protection from each of your opponents" and is in fact a straight upgrade to it, as offensive auras get around Hexproof but won't get around player protection.

[Krandor]

Pretty sure he means on AV itself.

Cause stuff like "can't be countered" don't mean shit if it's just gonna instantly go splat to any removal effect.

[Lyltia]

Oh! I misread that - apologies!

Hmm. Well, uncounterable is pretty strong in of itself as protection, especially as you move up power levels. I can see why that's as far as they'd want to go with it considering it's in azorius - it's got the strongest protection by far (counterspells, flickers, phases), and if you cast AV without any of that in hand and it eats a swords, that's kinda on you.

[Mrbeansman]

Was looking around the spoilers to see if there was anything I'd want to build an EDH deck around. Been pretty underwhelming so far.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Demosthenes]

It was a joke, and yes. But also I meant giving it hexproof considering it dies to every single removal. You have hexproof, not the creature.

[Edit] didn't see the next page with Krandor's reply.

[Lyltia]

Magic has really moved toward being creature-centric in design for years now, I don't really consider powerful effects stapled to creatures as a handicap as much as a deliberate balancing of the game toward creature interaction. Sure, it dies to any number of low-cost to free removal effects, but so are those effects stymied by similarly-costed protection effects. The upshot is more interaction, which is where the fun and complexity of the game lies. "Run more protection" is the new "run more lands," imo.

[Krandor]

Not every card needs to be good, but an 8 cost (mythic rare no less) that has no immediate value upon entering the battlefield that can be taken out by any non edict removal effect is just bad.

[Lyltia]

That's a fair assessment, but anything can be taken out by removal, I don't agree with that being one of the weaknesses of the card, especially as it has some pretty good protection built into it.

[Demosthenes]

Effort to obtain and maintain should always be balanced against effort to remove per archetype. For the record, magic has ALWAYS been creature-centric. Other methods just exist in tandem to that. A majority of creep since the 90s has been in trying to make sure creature decks can still dropkick control. In addition, yes, bad and mediocre cards NEED to exist. It's how Timmy learns to assess cards and they inspire creativity. There are three viable ways to play AV. Ramp, which isn't really a thing in UW (and pointless since the card itself isn't really a wincon, though it can jail some decks). Cheating it out which W can do sometimes and U can do on an even rarer scale. LMAOhardcasting, the only way that works is in a really oppressive UW deck (maybe if they bring pathway lands back that might make that easier).
Of course I can't predict future printed cards and the meta. As Krandor says, an 8 mana mythic that doesn't do anything on entry and is able to be removed the same turn it comes in is just a "win more" card.

[Krandor]

It's basically a variation on the "you can't lose the game" cards that the Timmys of the world have been trying to build decks around forever

[Demosthenes]

It's basically a variation on the "you can't lose the game" cards that the Timmys of the world have been trying to build decks around forever

Funny you mention that. I had great success with this during foundations, though it struggled against B and UB.

3 Authority of the Consuls
3 Get Lost
3 Day of Judgment
3 Beza, the Bounding Spring
4 Caretaker's Talent
3 Overlord of the Mistmoors
3 Sunfall
2 Lyra Dawnbringer
2 Herald of Eternal Dawn
3 Elspeth's Smite
3 High Noon
3 Felidar Retreat
15 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Fountainport
1 Blast Zone
2 Demolition Field
4 Fabled Passage

Wonder if I can retool it with the new Elspeth, but it will really stuggle against pixie type bounce shit in addition to B, UB and fucking Omniscience. Not sure it can even make a dent against steelcutter unless I nut draw all my removals.