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[OnPoint]

It's a shame Gideon can't protect creatures around him as that's more of an Ajani thing to do. It would be interesting to have him use his invulnerability ability to somehow keep your guys safe. Especially since he literally did it with Chandra in the story.

I think they'll still have him produce tokens now though. I don't think that's going to be an Elspeth ability anymore once she returns (or she'll make zombies lol).

 

[traveler]

As fun as it is to turn off my brain, cast Hellrider, and sac all my lands to greater gargadon to 14 my opponent for lethal, how do you actually draft modern cube? Never played with this so just went brain dead mono red.

 

[Tunoku]

Gideon, the Living Swole Pact 3WW
+1: Come at me, Bro!
0: You wanna throw down?
-7: You thought you could hang?
{5}

Fixed.

---


I'm looking at the premier event calendar and thinking about going to my first Grand Prix this year. There is one in Amsterdam during a holiday weekend this year (June 2-4), so I'm considering it. Format is Standard. I think I'd participate in the main event just to see how it is. And who knows, maybe Standard is gonna be awesome by then!

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Bring a 420 card deck that's all forests

 

[Bandini]

Well I went 3-0 in my first Modern Cube on MTGO with GW Aggro. Won a match I shouldn't have, I did a desperation all in attack at 1 life and my opponent miscounted blocks or forgot about my Hero of Bladehold tokens or something.

Actually a pretty fun cube, would draft again.

 

[Joe Molotov]

Gideon, Alpha Bro 3WW
+1: Come at me, Bro!
+1: *takes off shirt*
0: You wanna throw down?
-7: You thought you could hang?
{5}

fixed

 

[An-Det]

"ChannelFireball Events will be Wizards of the Coast's exclusive global partner to run all Grand Prix."

http://magic.wizards.com/en/article.../future-grand-prix-2018-and-beyond-2017-03-09

 

[kirblar]

"ChannelFireball Events will be Wizards of the Coast's exclusive global partner to run all Grand Prix."

http://magic.wizards.com/en/article.../future-grand-prix-2018-and-beyond-2017-03-09

Looks like this is their answer to entry fees.

 

[OnPoint]

"ChannelFireball Events will be Wizards of the Coast's exclusive global partner to run all Grand Prix."

http://magic.wizards.com/en/article.../future-grand-prix-2018-and-beyond-2017-03-09

Take that SCG.

CFB has been stepping their game up hard lately. Good to see it pay off.

 

[bigkrev]

Looks like this is their answer to entry fees.

Good. Fuck past times

Hope they are planning on a video team line SCG has and we get at least one GP each week covered

 

[Supast4r]

It's a shame Gideon can't protect creatures around him as that's more of an Ajani thing to do. It would be interesting to have him use his invulnerability ability to somehow keep your guys safe. Especially since he literally did it with Chandra in the story.

I think they'll still have him produce tokens now though. I don't think that's going to be an Elspeth ability anymore once she returns (or she'll make zombies lol).

I agree. I would love to see Gideon with some mother of runes flavor.

 

[Santiako]

"ChannelFireball Events will be Wizards of the Coast's exclusive global partner to run all Grand Prix."

http://magic.wizards.com/en/article.../future-grand-prix-2018-and-beyond-2017-03-09

Ooh, that's big. I hope that doesn't mean less GPs outside of the US.

 

[charlequin]

Exclusive GP partnership seems like a big upgrade to me. With a ton of small-bore organizers it's too hard for WotC to individually police them, and each one has an individual incentive to push the envelope by increasing fees while decreasing prizes/service. With one big exclusive organizer they can benefit from economies of scale, while WotC can set reasonable expectations about things like entry fees since they can always threaten to switch to a different exclusive partner.

Ooh, that's big. I hope that doesn't mean less GPs outside of the US.

I am confident that this deal involves WotC maintaining primary control over distribution of GPs, including requirements for how many need to be run per region.

 

[Firemind]

Does this mean judges will finally get paid?

 

[kirblar]

Does this mean judges will finally get paid?

They're already being paid, no?

 

[f0rk]

They're already being paid, no?

I don't really know details but I think there was a big drama with judges in the UK last time channel Fireball did a GP here

 

[ironmang]

I guess there will be some benefits but I'll wait and see. Not like Fireball are really setting any examples lately. The GP this weekend is $85 for no playmat in a venue that requires portable toilets to accommodate the thousands of people that will be there since it only has like 2 small bathrooms. I know this because I went to the GP they hosted there last year.

Hope next year they go back to giving good promos too. Progenitus is basically a $3 off coupon.

 

[Jhriad]

Looks like this is their answer to entry fees.

*looks at the entry fee & side event fees for GP Vegas, a Channel Fireball run event*

We'll see.

There's certainly some cost savings to be had here but I imagine that one of the real incentives is to make the eSport aspects (coverage, announcers, overlay, interstitials, etc.) more uniform regardless of location. Then there's the added benefit of hopefully giving a more uniform experience to GP attendees. We all know there are some subpar event organizers out there that have run GPs in the past so this will fix that issue.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Didn't post it last time but we definitely are getting a new Nissa

 

[Angry Grimace]

do artists not know the difference between "glowing planeswalker eyes" and "weird solid color eyes without sclera?"

 

[Santiako]

Didn't post it last time but we definitely are getting a new Nissa

Way too many Nissas. 4 within 4 blocks (OGW, 2xKLD, AMK) is reaching a point of saturation.

do artists not know the difference between "glowing planeswalker eyes" and "weird solid color eyes without sclera?"

Nissa's eyes have always been solid green afaik

 

[Angry Grimace]

Way too many Nissas. 4 within 4 blocks (OGW, 2xKLD, AMK) is reaching a point of saturation.

We reached saturation with Vital Force.

It's no longer just a funny obsession with these characters, its just annoying. They're rarely interesting and they devour all of the design space for mono-colored planeswalkers. The only standard legal mono-colored planeswalker that isn't in the GW is Ob Nixilis, and I bet you anything they'd go back and make him B/R if they could.

Way too many Nissas. 4 within 4 blocks (OGW, 2xKLD, AMK) is reaching a point of saturation.



Nissa's eyes have always been solid green afaik

They seem to either glow, or she normally has actual irises. But I've seen several recently where its just blank green.

 

[Tunoku]

No matter how you twist and turn it, another Nissa makes no sense to me. Even if the Oath one would have rotated out, we still got Kaladesh Nissa. And Kaladesh Nissa wasn't a great fit either. Maybe she does really well in focus testing?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

The ridiculous part really is that we already know 3 PWs in Amonkhet and they are Gideon, Liliana and Nissa. We might not see any other PWs at all in the set.

 

[Santiako]

The ridiculous part really is that we already know 3 PWs in Amonkhet and they are Gideon, Liliana and Nissa. We might not see any other PWs at all in the set.

Yeah, it's ridiculous. We even get 2 Gideons and 2 Lilianas. We know Bolas is in Hour of Devastation so that leaves 1 or 2 spots for the block, and I'm betting it's Jace in HOU.

 

[Tunoku]

And a new Jace is basically a lock. SoI Jace is rotating in October.

 

[jph139]

I don't mind having Gatewatch cards every set - I mean, we used to have the same few guys show up annually in the core sets, and 2-3 Gatewatch members per set is more or less the same amount.

The issue is that they're all new designs. How many times can you do "Nissa, but a little bit different" before you run out of space? Just reprint Worldwaker or something with new art.

Or start doing Planeswalkers with block mechanics, that could probably stretch things out. I guess Ally Gideon sort of counts there...

 

[OnPoint]

And a new Jace is basically a lock. SoI Jace is rotating in October.

Um, doesn't BFZ rotate and SOI stay another year? Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[charlequin]

*looks at the entry fee & side event fees for GP Vegas, a Channel Fireball run event*

We'll see.

What's the situation where they start charging more money now than they would have otherwise? Worst case scenario is pretty much that entry fees stay high like they already were, best case is they go down again.

Um, doesn't BFZ rotate and SOI stay another year? Maybe I'm wrong.

You're wrong.

And a new Jace is basically a lock.

Nah, they're not gonna spend four slots on Gatewatch characters.

 

[keeblerdrow]

It's the same rotation as when we had before all the changes, except we have 2 blocks in a year instead of 1 block and a core set. SOI block goes with BFZ. Only the fall blocks get the full shebang in standard.

 

[OnPoint]

Huh. I feel like it works differently than I would have thought. Ah well. I'll make the mental adjustment. A new Jace is a guarantee then. I almost expect it in HOD.

 

[Santiako]

Nah, they're not gonna spend four slots on Gatewatch characters.

I think WotC really wants Jace vs Bolas. I'm almost positive they are the HOD Planeswalkers decks.

 

[jph139]

I assume they'll want a new Amonkhet Planeswalker at least. I don't think they've ever done a set and not introduced a Planeswalking native - BFZ being the closest since Ob Nixilis isn't TECHNICALLY new.

 

[Angry Grimace]

What's the situation where they start charging more money now than they would have otherwise? Worst case scenario is pretty much that entry fees stay high like they already were, best case is they go down again.



You're wrong.



Nah, they're not gonna spend four slots on Gatewatch characters.

There's not even necessarily 4 planeswalkers in Amonkhet.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I assume they'll want a new Amonkhet Planeswalker at least. I don't think they've ever done a set and not introduced a Planeswalking native - BFZ being the closest since Ob Nixilis isn't TECHNICALLY new.

Looking at the promotional art only 1 of the packs has the potential to be a PW imo. They dumped all the PW art on us at once as well.

 

[charlequin]

I don't mind having Gatewatch cards every set - I mean, we used to have the same few guys show up annually in the core sets, and 2-3 Gatewatch members per set is more or less the same amount.

Yeah, there were 5-7 cards for Gatewatch characters (or the equivalent) each year in the Core Set era, and there are 5-7 cards for Gatewatch characters each year now. Not really much different. It is weird to have Nissa in back to back blocks though.

A new Jace is a guarantee then. I almost expect it in HOD.

Why? If Jace is in Atlazan there's never a point where he has zero cards in Standard.

I think WotC really wants Jace vs Bolas. I'm almost positive they are the HOD Planeswalkers decks.

What is this based on besides the usual "lololol Jace" stuff? There's two whole characters in the Gatewatch with much more relevant connections in their backstory.

There's not even necessarily 4 planeswalkers in Amonkhet.

There'll be five in the block and if the first set is three Gatewatch characters that makes it even less likely the second is Bolas and another GWer.

 

[OnPoint]

Why? If Jace is in Atlazan there's never a point where he has zero cards in Standard.

When SOI rotates there is no Jace right? Am I forgetting one? (I was wrong about rotation so why not this too lol) Not until Altazan, which is a long time to have no Jace if he's the marquee character.

 

[Santiako]

What is this based on besides the usual "lololol Jace" stuff? There's two whole characters in the Gatewatch with much more relevant connections in their backstory.

Because I think those are their most popular hero and villain, so it'd be a big seller.

When SOI rotates there is no Jace right? Am I forgetting one? (I was wrong about rotation so why not this too lol) Not until Altazan, which is a long time to have no Jace if he's the marquee character.

BFZ and SOI blocks rotate out when Atlazan rotates in. Nothing rotates out with Amonkhet release.

 

[charlequin]

When SOI rotates there is no Jace right? Am I forgetting one? (I was wrong about rotation so why not this too lol) Not until Altazan, which is a long time to have no Jace if he's the marquee character.

Nothing rotates again until Atlazan. If Jace is in that set the SOI version will be in Standard until a new one is printed.

Because I think those are their most popular hero and villain, so it'd be a big seller.

Right but I mean they have infinite time to do this, it's hardly as if this is going to be the resolution of the Bolas story. It's not a piece of evidence that they'll break previous patterns to jam another random Jace card in the block.

Looking at the promotional art only 1 of the packs has the potential to be a PW imo.

Either the dude or the lady could be, although the lady has a more PW-y pose.

 

[OnPoint]

I am having a day. Lol

I should read up on rotation before talking anymore lol

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Either the dude or the lady could be, although the lady has a more PW-y pose.

The dude is a ceremonial drummer, highly doubt he's gonna be a PW. You can see the full art on the packaging leak.

 

[Ashodin]

I think we're officially reaching gatewatch fatigue

On new Liliana: she's got some of the most popular planeswalker cards, and every time she's been printed at 1BB she's been really good. A new two of her seems a bit much.

On new Gideon: I'm ready. Ally of Zendikar has had its time in the sun but come Atlazan that will be put behind us.

On new Nissa: jesus christ for an anti-social elf she seems to like to go out a lot

 

[SigmasonicX]

If Nissa really is getting a new card in Amonkhet, I wonder if they are setting her up to die.

 

[Ashodin]

The dude is a ceremonial drummer, highly doubt he's gonna be a PW. You can see the full art on the packaging leak.

I'm hoping for merfolk planeswalker

Yes I am an Ambassador Laquatus fan

 

[Santiako]

If Nissa really is getting a new card in Amonkhet, I wonder if they are setting her up to die.

 

[Infinite Stars]

The issue I have is that Wizards keeps trying to push the Gatewatch as a Justice League, not realizing that the Justice league only assembles for actual JL sized problems. No one calls the League, or the Avengers, to deal with a rebellion. They call them when there's an invasion, Or Darkseid/Thanos are trying to destroy reality. The whole Gatewatch should only be united in a block if it's an actual Multiverse Ending threat(Eldrazi, Bolas, Phyrexians). Make the Whole-Gatewatch centric blocks be events, not every fucking block.

Hey, you know what also works really well for this that I've brought up before? Give each Gatewatch member a mechanic that is really fucking low on the Storm scale to show that they're in the set. Let's say, for instance, that Atlazan is a Meso-American world that we have Jace and Ajani on. If there's a grand mystery over the "Conquest of Power", maybe have Investigate be a thing for Jace? Since Ajani's all about healing, maybe have Protection on a few cards? I'm not saying make these be full on mechanics, but is it really a terrible idea to convey your Planeswalkers(and what they are about) beyond just the art?

Like, just rambling:
Gideon can get Raid/, Jace gets Investigate, Liliana gets Morbid, Chandra gets Spell Mastery, Nissa gets Convoke.

I'm probably 90% off on this, but this gives each Planeswalker Something that actually makes them feel there (and less like just there for marketing)

 

[Angry Grimace]

The dude is a ceremonial drummer, highly doubt he's gonna be a PW. You can see the full art on the packaging leak.

Parupapumpum, Timekeeper

The issue I have is that Wizards keeps trying to push the Gatewatch as a Justice League, not realizing that the Justice league only assembles for actual JL sized problems. No one calls the League, or the Avengers, to deal with a rebellion. They call them when there's an invasion, Or Darkseid/Thanos are trying to destroy reality. The whole Gatewatch should only be united in a block if it's an actual Multiverse Ending threat(Eldrazi, Bolas, Phyrexians). Make the Whole-Gatewatch centric blocks be events, not every fucking block.

Hey, you know what also works really well for this that I've brought up before? Give each Gatewatch member a mechanic that is really fucking low on the Storm scale to show that they're in the set. Let's say, for instance, that Atlazan is a Meso-American world that we have Jace and Ajani on. If there's a grand mystery over the "Conquest of Power", maybe have Investigate be a thing for Jace? Since Ajani's all about healing, maybe have Protection on a few cards? I'm not saying make these be full on mechanics, but is it really a terrible idea to convey your Planeswalkers(and what they are about) beyond just the art?

Like, just rambling:
Gideon can get Raid/, Jace gets Investigate, Liliana gets Morbid, Chandra gets Spell Mastery, Nissa gets Convoke.

I'm probably 90% off on this, but this gives each Planeswalker Something that actually makes them feel there (and less like just there for marketing)

It's so they can ship the members together in the story

 

[Infinite Stars]

Parupapumpum, Timekeeper


It's so they can ship the members together in the story

Does that confirm Amonkhet will have Time Counters?

 

[red13th]

I hate the Jacetice League.

 

[Rafy]

Just posted on Reddit