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Mechanics |
Recent updates to Conversation: (Generated at 2024-04-28 04:38:42)
Conversation: Cardlist | Visual spoiler | Export | Booster | Comments | Search | Recent activity |
Mechanics |
Recent updates to Conversation: (Generated at 2024-04-28 04:38:42)
@Link: League is an agreement between participants to open a number of booster packs and play Magic at an even level. At Myriad Games in Salem, we have a Thursday league (which I helped found 5 years ago) that goes something like this:
Week One: Open 4 packs of your choice. Make a 40 card deck.
Week Two: Add a pack to your collection. Make a 45 card deck.
Week Three: Add a pack. Make a 50 card deck.
Etc., Etc., until...
Week Seven: Add a pack. Make a 75 card deck.
At which point we reset. We used to have a "League Constructed" phase between Leagues where all the cards opened for all the leagues were valid for play, but that faded away after a few years, when the original group filtered out. We also had a year where we played tournament style, when the League was up to about 17 or so people. Since the league is back down to 4-5 now, though, we mostly play group games.
That, by the way, is a very, very cheap league. Wizards employees have their own league where, each time a new set is published, each employee in the league buys a box. Trades are welcome and encouraged.
I love league play. It evens the playing field and gives relavence to commonality. Mythics mean something, besides $40. The biggest deterrent, though, is continuously convincing people that you know what you're talking about, and that everyone should play your league. That's tough, since league isn't a sanctioned format. Everyone has their own opinion of how the league should be run. Trades? Ante? Bonus FNM cards passed out by the store? If I don't like my league pool, can I mulligan, and buy 4 new packs? Leading a league takes tact.
there's no point to disliking cheap (read: common) utility cards like cluestones. they serve their purpose well.
on the other hand, the champions are supposed to be the cool, chase rares, and at least half of them fail. some fail HARD. like "primitive legendaries from the Legends set" fail.
fuse is the obvious extension of split cards that many armchair designer has thought about. being split cards, they're for the most part fair and versatile. but a few are just a tad to quite overcosted.
There are definitely some great things about the design, to be sure. Personally, I think the 5-5-10 model was a good idea, and Fuse is very cool, even as a riff off of entwine. Making the gates into "basic" lands was also a great idea for color-fixing.
I do have at leasts two issues with the design, though.
1.) The guild champions are fairly disappointing. Yes, some of them are fairly good. To me, though, pushing one card (Ruric Thar) to be obviously powerful while others were left looking very lame by cpmparison (Emmara Tandris) is a huge design flaw.
2.) The Cluestones are boring. Yes, they're only meant to be common mana rocks to help fixing in a highly multicolor set, and the ability to cycle them from the battlefield is nice... but why are they SO similar, and mostly inferior, to the Keyrunes?
Jmgariepy, I have no idea what "league" is.
The set, by its nature, is interesting. I'm trying to make up my mind as to whether I enjoyed the 4-3-3 model better or the 5-5-10 model better... I suppose I'll have to wait and see how Dragon's Maze turns out. Unfortunately, I'll never have a way to really compare them, since I drafted a lot during the original Ravnica, and I leagued my way through Return to Ravnica.
League just has different needs. Let me tell ya... I'll be very happy when extort is gone (in like another two years. Stupid "Open any packs you want" league rules...) It's broken in multi-player limited. I understand why Wizards didn't test around that, because, um... who does multiplayer limited? Just my playgroup, evidently.
I agree that gates does seem kind of tacked on, but I don't know if that's really terrible. It only takes up a few cards in the end, and encourages 3+ color decks in a block that wouldn't actively encourage it otherwise. I don't know. I'll be at the pre-release. We'll see what my opinion is then.
A conversation cardset is a good idea. Multiverse may not be best at being a forum, but it's nice to have somewhere to continue discussions.