I've been looking though the previous un-sets to see what kind of comedy "gold" the "comedic geniuses" at WoTC came up with previously so I can get a better idea of what to expect.
It's not good. I am not hopeful at all.
you have cards like:
and
I'm dying here! TOOOOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!!! It's funny because it's a death-parrot, and Parrots are so fun and tropical and not scary at all, so funny! I just LOVE that flavor text and can't wait to say it like a pirate, my play-group will think I'm soooooo funny!!!!
Or what about:
So good! I mean, MTG is a confusing game, with confusing/complex rules, so it's funny to point that out! I bet they will make a card called Layer Cake that makes fun of tricky rules interactions involving layers. Maybe it could be a "layer" land too! Get it? to play on the word Lair?
What about the series of cards about CLAMS!!!! ROTFLAO /s
Can anyone that does enjoy the Un-sets clue me in on some of the comedy gold that exists here? I know not everyone shares the same sense of humor, and that it may not be for me. I get it. But I do really want to know what people that enjoy this kind of thing see as the highlights. Fun is allowed, people are certainly free to enjoy whatever they want, and Maro has earned it. I just don't get it, please help!
I don't want to come off as making fun of people that enjoy the un-sets in a hateful or spiteful way. I'm sorry, please forgive me for my mini rant!
I actually like Carnivorous Death-Parrot a lot. First, there's the absurdity of having to say, "Save a kill spell to deal with this guy," for a 2/2 flier over and over, which yes, I do find funny on its own. There's also the design aspect that a 2/2 flier for 2 is generally stronger than what blue gets at that rarity, but that's balanced by the fact that the upkeep trigger also triggers almost every gotcha trigger. Granted, MaRo himself has admitted that gotcha is a badly designed mechanic, since it discouraged players from talking to each other, but it's quite clever.
Occasionally some mildly interesting designs come out of these sets too. Booster Tutor, Rocket-Powered Turbo Slug, Who//What//When//Where//Why, Togglodyte, etc.
Well, there are two aspects to Un sets: The cards themselves and playing with them. In regards to the latter, Unhinged was a bit of a mess because "Gotcha" was a bad mechanic. As for the former, I tend to agree the raw joke cards are meh. The more interesting cards are the ones with neat mechanics and/or in-jokes/references/interactions. For example, with R&D's Secret Lair in play the target player has to pay for the drink from Ashnod's Coupon. Big Furry Monster stuck out to people because it was a different use of cards. Chaos Confetti is/was a bit of a meme.
Just a lot of cards reference things from the era that honestly probably are only interesting for people familiar with that era (and even then maybe not). Like, Fascist Art Director and Persecute Artist seem totally random outside their context.
Now all that aside, I do agree most of the stuff isn't laugh out loud hilarious. A lot is you smirk and appreciate (if it strikes you).
I appreciate the quick responses! I'm still not feeling it, and that is fine.
I'd much rather the design space be explored in supplemental sets like Conspiracy or other yet to be produced sets like that. I also don't find any of the in-jokes to be particularly interesting or entertaining...it's just not for me.
Again, as I've openly stated before: I am still in to buy a handful of packs or two (because I can't help it).
My favorite joke in either Unset is the "Elemental" at the end of "Our Market Research Shows That Players Like Really Long Card Names So We Made this Card to Have the Absolute Longest Card Name Ever Elemental".
Likely Ixalan spoilers out there. Check out Saffron Olives twitter.
Sorceress Spyglass
2
Artifact
As Sorceress Spyglass enters the battlefield look at an opponent's hand then choose any card name.
Activated abilities of sources with this chosen name cant be activated unless they're mana abilities
Arcane Adaptation
2U
Enhancement
As Arcane Adaption enters the battlefield choose a creature type
Creatures you control are the chosen type in addition to their other types
The same is true for creature spells you control and creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield
Vanquishers Banner
5
Artifact
As Vanquishers Banner enters the battlefield choose a creature type
Creatures you control of the chosen type get +1/+1
Whenever you cast a creature spell of the chosen type, draw a card
We've been getting a ton of fairly convincing potential leaks lately. This is kind of weird if it's all real since WotC had been pretty good about limiting those for the last few sets.
So... that planeswalker ult in the top left of the leaked picture. I'm pretty sure that says something like "Create [n] tokens that are copies of Jace, [insert illegible title here], except they do not have any planeswalker types."
Jace finally making illusions!
EDIT: Card on the left side is probably something like:
"Exile all creature cards from all graveyards. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put each card from a pile of your choice onto the battlefield under your control, and the rest into their owner's graveyards."
The problem is the first row of text is too short (on the card, "creature" is the last word in that row) - anyone have suggestions?
By the way, if the full sheet is revealed, I propose that we DO NOT post it here. Or at least, talk about it under spoiler tags. It's really a minor miracle that what 's been posted only reveals one mechanic, and it's not a keyword mechanic.
THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY PRO TOUR WILL BE A SPECIAL TEAM TRIOS EVENT
Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan will still take place two weeks after the set releases (Feb. 2–4, 2018), but the Pro Tours for the rest of the year will not.
Gonna play Pirate tribal and everytime I attack, I'm going to say "Soon you'll be wearing my sword like a shish kebab!" If they play a combat trick, they can say "First you better stop waving it about like a feather duster."
I would really hate to qualify for this 25th anniversary pro tour then have to scrap together with strangers for a team event because my normal crew isn't qualified. There's some potential feel bads there.
I would really hate to qualify for this 25th anniversary pro tour then have to scrap together with strangers for a team event because my normal crew isn't qualified. There's some potential feel bads there.
This is separate from the Pro Tour Team Series, as groups of three players will compete together as a team for just this event! Stay tuned for more info on how your team of Magic buddies can qualify for this special event, but our goal is to make this event a culmination of the 25th anniversary celebration, so we expect it to be awesome!
