tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post8895243558463562489..comments2024-03-11T02:32:15.295-04:00Comments on Goblin Artisans: Return to Ravnica - First ImpressionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-45190036945016868172012-10-01T00:27:06.101-04:002012-10-01T00:27:06.101-04:00Modern design tenets did at least simplify some as...Modern design tenets did at least simplify some aspects of what made the original Ravnica very complicated, as there are much fewer on-board activated abilities (especially repeatable abilities without any cost) and much more vanilla creatures. And among the keywords, nothing is as complicated as Dredge or something like Haunt.<br /><br />But yes, there's a reason they don't regularly put 10 keywords in a block. metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-31242321995068922102012-09-30T22:50:41.735-04:002012-09-30T22:50:41.735-04:00Search Warrant also fails to have very much to do ...Search Warrant also fails to have very much to do with an actual warrant. I search your bag/home/office and I . . . get healthier?<br /><br />I think you make a good point about Unleash that could equally be made about Detain.While it's not exactly the point you made, I would add that all the keywords and associated reminder text make the set feel complicated and intimidating. I don't have any nostalgia for Ravinica, not having been playing then, and the walls of text are reinforcing the sense that newer players aren't welcome in this set.Thomas Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-66966001224249037652012-09-30T21:46:23.765-04:002012-09-30T21:46:23.765-04:00Mhm, I tried a different PC on a different network...Mhm, I tried a different PC on a different network and it works. It's probably because I'm on a heavily restricted government network here.<br /><br />The problem is entirely on my side.Philnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-60527926296425826782012-09-29T10:37:55.791-04:002012-09-29T10:37:55.791-04:00I would guess that the reason Izzet Keyrune has it...I would guess that the reason Izzet Keyrune has it is that the original template tacked the third ability onto the effect of the second ability (notice that all other Keyrunes only have two abilities). When they made it its own ability, they forgot to change the templating back.<br /><br />One "gets" and one "gains" seems to be their limit before they swap "Until" around to the front, hence Mizzium Skin.Jenesishttp://goblinartisans.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-3983334819053738132012-09-29T02:14:08.437-04:002012-09-29T02:14:08.437-04:00Well, there's a lot of difference in a draft e...Well, there's a lot of difference in a draft enviroment where you have to spend the first few picks on lands (Original Ravnica) or where you have the opportunity to draft a 5 color deck because the ample fixing comes around late enough were you don't have to worry (Alara). Wizards wants a middle ground here, so they've provided pretty strong incentives to stay two color (more restrictive mana, less fixing), but because mana bases need to be more evenly split than a Cc-style core set enviroment they need more fixing. So they give you little incentives to up the fixing like Gates maters cards.<br /><br />It's also possible that the gates are important plot points, as Maro has suggested. Certainly the name of Gatecrash is a sign in that direction. This could foreshadow an open civil war on Ravnica come set 3, or it could hint that Ravnica somehow opens "gates" to other planes (Jace and Giddeon recruit the guilds to fight the Eldrazi). Who knows? The point is that "gates-matter" has lead to some interesting Top-down cards as metaghost noted, and it certainly lends a clear hook into the next set. Wobbleshttp://twitter.com/wobblesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-29925450634630815192012-09-28T13:41:04.430-04:002012-09-28T13:41:04.430-04:00Lee Sharpe confirmed on Twitter exactly your suspi...Lee Sharpe confirmed on Twitter exactly your suspicion, "'Until end of turn' gets frontloaded when there are multiple effects with that duration. It's backloaded if only one." But you're right that it seems to have been applied inconsistently. Curious.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-47387962884692654132012-09-28T13:20:48.487-04:002012-09-28T13:20:48.487-04:00I think the "Until end of turn" thing wa...I think the "Until end of turn" thing was done because some new players may assume that the stat bonus is permanent and the keyword is not. The mystery is in how incredibly inconsistent they were in applying this template. I see no reason that Izzet Keyrune should have it, and even less that Korozda Guildmage and Mizzium Skin miss it. I'm not sure if the charm structure made them avoid the extra comma in Selesnya Charm though.Circeushttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/member.php?u=103318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-71152530820400871222012-09-28T13:18:56.589-04:002012-09-28T13:18:56.589-04:00Stormfront Pegasus and Welkin Tern are effectively...Stormfront Pegasus and Welkin Tern are effectively the same thing; chump-blocking is not a dramatically powerful ability, and if you're playing maindeck Tern or Pegasus, your goal is to attack, attack, and then attack some more.<br /><br />And let's not pretend Delver of Secrets isn't a thing, even if it's a thing that probably shouldn't have been printed.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-22305959766709404542012-09-28T12:57:00.106-04:002012-09-28T12:57:00.106-04:00White is #1 for small creatures, and blue is #5. ...White is #1 for small creatures, and blue is #5. Flying is primary in both, but white gets Stormfront Pegasus where blue has Welkin Tern, which is significantly worse. Leonin Skyhunter is one of white's better common weenies. It's hard to extrapolate from incomplete data, since CC doesn't get printed much at common, but I just don't think it makes sense in blue.<br /><br />But they are definitely pushing two-color decks more than last time. Old Ravnica had Signets + Bouncelands, and new Ravnica has Gates, so the fixing is substantially worse. Old Ravnica's common hybrid cards each cost ?H, and new Ravnica's cost ?HH.HavelockVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698268009797139251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-79415428474568911922012-09-28T11:30:34.206-04:002012-09-28T11:30:34.206-04:00Development would certainly care about where fixin...Development would certainly care about where fixing gets picked, as the prioritization of fixing impacts the general complexion of decks being built. If, as Wobbles posits above, Development strove to design a format in which two-colors are best, it's reasonable to presume fixing should not go as highly as it would in a format in which 3+ colors are the ideal.<br /><br />As to your second question:<br /><br />Gatecreeper Vine means you take Gates higher.<br />Having Gates means that you take Ogre Jailbreaker higher.<br />And you never take Armory Guard unless there's nothing better.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-74220116906027914532012-09-28T10:56:38.070-04:002012-09-28T10:56:38.070-04:00Also, thanks Phil.Also, thanks Phil.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-57058150651759414192012-09-28T10:56:25.313-04:002012-09-28T10:56:25.313-04:00Why does Wizards care whether mana fixing gets pic...Why does Wizards care whether mana fixing gets picked 6th or 12th? As long as it gets picked, players will play them and their decks will work.<br /><br />Does knowing that Ogre Jailbreaker and Armory Guard exist actually make you pick a Gate higher than if they didn't? I'm skeptical. I think instead you pick the Ogre higher when you've already got a couple gates (and you take Armory Guard regardless).Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-83276218576770316722012-09-28T10:51:58.901-04:002012-09-28T10:51:58.901-04:001HH is definitely easier to cast than 1CC and 2H i...1HH is definitely easier to cast than 1CC and 2H is definitely easier than 2C (though it becomes a debate when you compare 1HH to 2C).<br /><br />I'd agree that the soul's 1HH cost makes it more likely Azorius players will get it instead of W/!U and U/!W players, though I'm curious about this statement: "They are pushing 2 colored decks…" What makes you say that? What have they done differently from the original where three-color decks were the norm?<br /><br />A UU 2/2 flyer is definitely printable—even at common—but would be a bold move indeed and it would be a rare set that wants it, much less can justify it.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-20468337947048874172012-09-28T10:44:57.926-04:002012-09-28T10:44:57.926-04:00Hmm, can you make sure you have JavaScript turned ...Hmm, can you make sure you have JavaScript turned on and script-/ad-blocking for the site turned off? (We don't have ads anyway.) Please let me know if that helps or not.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-43962460939928567052012-09-28T00:42:37.597-04:002012-09-28T00:42:37.597-04:00You can print a 2/2 Flyer at common for WW (Leonin...You can print a 2/2 Flyer at common for WW (Leonin Skyhunter) and WU (Azorious First Wing) and 2U (Wind Drake) and a Welkin Tern for 1U, Blue and White share primary flying, but a 2/2 flyer for UU is somehow inappropriate?<br /><br />And I'll concede the statistical reality of their costs, but in the context of RtR I don't see a deck in which Vassal Soul offers some ease-of-casting that validates its existence. Yes, I could play it in an Izzet deck, unlike Sunspire, but that seems like a dubious purpose considering its guild alignment.<br /><br />A pure 2/1 flyer for HH should at least be something we can agree on, reflecting the structure of the Longlegs in which you see a compromise of existing constructs. Plus, it'd be weak to Electrickery and Izzet Staticaster for, you know, added guild-relevant antagonism.<br /><br />metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-29212087582726780372012-09-27T23:54:25.658-04:002012-09-27T23:54:25.658-04:00I believe you're mistaken, or perhaps I'm ...I believe you're mistaken, or perhaps I'm misunderstanding your claim. If you're only running lands that produce W/U, Vassal Soul can be cast with any combination of lands. Sunspire Griffin requires WW, which you might not have on turn three.<br /><br />In fact, even a card that costs 1WU is easier to cast than one that costs 1WW, provided that you're playing a WU deck with a relatively even land split.<br /><br />The reason Sundering Growth beats Naturalize is because HH is not strictly easier than 1C- you might not be playing both colors of the H. But 1HH is always easier than 1CC. There are times you can cast 1HH but not 1CC, and there are no times you can cast 1CC and not 1HH.<br /><br />If they'd wanted Vassal Soul to be similarly stronger than a 1CC card, they'd have to make it cost HHH, which I'd assume looks too restrictive on a common. But I don't buy the idea that it once cost HH. You can't print a 2/2 flyer for UU at common!HavelockVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698268009797139251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-9127309572603841602012-09-27T23:00:14.115-04:002012-09-27T23:00:14.115-04:00Thx. I tried it with Opera and Chrome. Nothing wor...Thx. I tried it with Opera and Chrome. Nothing works. I'll try a different PC next.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-80234275533449681222012-09-27T22:09:50.088-04:002012-09-27T22:09:50.088-04:00Any card that's underlined should function as ...Any card that's underlined should function as a pop-up. If pop-ups don't work for you, it's either a browser issue that Jay may know the solution to, or it's because someone misspelled the name of the card.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-70939764597537055522012-09-27T22:08:14.440-04:002012-09-27T22:08:14.440-04:00As flexible as hybrid is, it never results in a co...As flexible as hybrid is, it never results in a cost that is less difficult to achieve than Sunspire Griffin's, especially with regards to the format they are both in.<br /><br />Vassal Soul is not playable in a deck that doesn't use one of its colors as a base.<br /><br />Note how the other hybrid commons are designed:<br /><br />1. Goblin Piker/Dakmor Scorpion w/Haste<br />2. Naturalize/Disenchant w/Populate<br />3. Discount Flowstone Aquamoeboid<br />4. Better Zombie Goliath / Worse Hallowhenge Beast<br /><br />And Azorious gets a card that is commonly found at the SPLASHABLE costs of 2W (Wild Griffin) or 2U (Wind Drake).<br /><br />That strikes me as odd.<br />metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-55492597317594391552012-09-27T21:46:28.257-04:002012-09-27T21:46:28.257-04:00Little bit off-topic.
I really love this blog. Th...Little bit off-topic.<br /><br />I really love this blog. The articles are very well written and fun to read. (not to mention the card of the day <3)<br /><br />But the fact that mentioned cards are only underlined and not hyperlinked is so sad... I don't know most cards by heart. It would be so fantastic if a little card-popup would show up (like on most large magic blogs) if you hover over a card. Then this would probably become my n°1 blog to read about MTG. xD<br /><br />Or did I miss something and is this function already in, but it just doesn't work for me?Philnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-50511533920646810882012-09-27T19:58:52.402-04:002012-09-27T19:58:52.402-04:00I would guess that Sunspire Griffin has an extra p...I would guess that Sunspire Griffin has an extra point of toughness because it's _harder_ to cast. Your argument about mana costs seems backwards to me.HavelockVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698268009797139251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-63584874201275747662012-09-27T19:50:53.203-04:002012-09-27T19:50:53.203-04:00Jay didn't mention this, but I think Vassal So...Jay didn't mention this, but I think Vassal Soul is a failure because, unless they plan on introducing a significant Spirit theme later on, Vassal Soul being worse than Sunspire Griffin is just weird.<br /><br />If you consider what the costs of Vassal Soul represent (1WW, 1UW, or 1UU), you should always end up with something equal to or greater than the Sunspire Griffin, especially when you consider that the hybrid cards were being used to highlight intriguing facets of their guild. I feel like they must have added a colorless mana late in development without really thinking about how it looked in context. metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-45297165606826804122012-09-27T19:44:28.455-04:002012-09-27T19:44:28.455-04:00It doesn't hurt that the flavor of the Gate-ce...It doesn't hurt that the flavor of the Gate-centric cards is quite good. In fact, most of the top-down designs in this set are awesome.<br /><br />It's just then you have terrible flavor faux pas like "Arresters".metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-51067641237742196622012-09-27T18:30:09.090-04:002012-09-27T18:30:09.090-04:00Ogre Jailbreaker and the other cares-about gates c...Ogre Jailbreaker and the other cares-about gates cards are forced, but for good effect. Especially in limited, new players are often loathed to pick the mana fixing early enough. This was especially true the last time we were in Ravnica, where the format literally changed overnight once Karoos became a known quantity. Gate related cards give new players a non-intrusive reminder that "hey, these lands are pretty good". Wobblesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-78241284244289489982012-09-27T18:23:13.028-04:002012-09-27T18:23:13.028-04:00Search Warrant is just a stapled effect? No, you j...Search Warrant is just a stapled effect? No, you just get to be really, REALLY sure how many cards they have in their hand.<br /><br />Vassal Soul couldn't have been 2W/U because they are pushing 2 colored decks much more heavily this time through Ravnica. Hybrid mana allows for a ton of flexibility, and it's a flavor fail not to really have any benefit for being in a dedicated Azorious deck.<br /><br />Viashino Racketeer was probably on the receiving end of development balancing, but it's also good to note that R&D has been actively working to reduce common creature toughness to make 1 drops more relevant. Moving filler to 1 toughness makes the 1 damage removal more relevant and the 1 power guys much better. <br /><br />Wobbleshttp://twitter.com/wobblesnoreply@blogger.com