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Magic: the Gathering |OT4| Izzet Me; Izzet You? A Love Story
- Thread starter The Technomancer
- Start date
- Status
"God's Beard!"
Member
Home of the Champion
Legendary Land
pay 5 life: You may move Home of the Champion from outside the game to the top of your library. Activate this ability only during your first upkeep.
t: add (1) to your mana pool.
shrapnelmagnet
Member
B/W Flashland
Land
Flash
If B/W Flashland enters the battlefield on your turn, put a Patience counter on it.
[T]: Add (1) to your mana pool
[T]: Add (B) or (W) to your mana pool. Only activate this if there is a Patience counter on B/W Flashland
- - -
lol
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
So it's Sol Ring
Risible
Member
Wanted to get some opinions, was wondering if you guys could help me.
I used to play Magic right when beta transitioned into standard, during Arabian Nights and such. I played until around Ice Age or so and then fell off, it was just too much cash to keep up.
In the interim I've sold off a large portion of my collection, mostly on eBay. However, I have a few cards that are odd that I want to sell and I'm not sure what to do.
Early on their were very few counterfeit cards. The biggest card scandal back then was due to a guy named Christian Pantages. He sold a bunch of very, very good fakes that some rumored were printed by the factory that actually printed the Magic cards back then. You can read about it here: http://www.apathyhouse.com/fake/page50.php
I was one of the people that bought cards from him. I never sold them as I found out they were fake. I've had dealers look at them and most are fooled by them.
I have a Lotus, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Juzam Djinn, Timewalk, and Ancestral Recall.
They would quite frankly easily pass in a tournament setting that allowed Power 9 cards.
Any ideas on selling them? They're a bit of history, plus can pass for Power 9, so I don't know what to do. I want to be on the up and up, of course. Any ideas or thoughts wold be appreciated. Thanks!
(I should mention I have impeccable feedback here and on eBay)
I used to play Magic right when beta transitioned into standard, during Arabian Nights and such. I played until around Ice Age or so and then fell off, it was just too much cash to keep up.
In the interim I've sold off a large portion of my collection, mostly on eBay. However, I have a few cards that are odd that I want to sell and I'm not sure what to do.
Early on their were very few counterfeit cards. The biggest card scandal back then was due to a guy named Christian Pantages. He sold a bunch of very, very good fakes that some rumored were printed by the factory that actually printed the Magic cards back then. You can read about it here: http://www.apathyhouse.com/fake/page50.php
I was one of the people that bought cards from him. I never sold them as I found out they were fake. I've had dealers look at them and most are fooled by them.
I have a Lotus, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby, Juzam Djinn, Timewalk, and Ancestral Recall.
They would quite frankly easily pass in a tournament setting that allowed Power 9 cards.
Any ideas on selling them? They're a bit of history, plus can pass for Power 9, so I don't know what to do. I want to be on the up and up, of course. Any ideas or thoughts wold be appreciated. Thanks!
(I should mention I have impeccable feedback here and on eBay)
shrapnelmagnet
Member
I don't even think it works with the current rules, lol. I suppose you could play it during Combat, etc. But I don't think the rules support playing land on someone else's turn. Just thought it'd be funny to have Flash on a land
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
It doesn't. Lands can't have flash because they arent spells.I don't even think it works with the current rules, lol. I suppose you could play it during Combat, etc. But I don't think the rules support playing land on someone else's turn. Just thought it'd be funny to have Flash on a land
Royal_Flush
Member
I think the closest you can come to designing a colorless flash land is the following (which isn't actually a land but a total mess):
Totally a land
Artifact - {0}
Flash
You can't cast ~ if you played a land this turn.
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands or cast spells named ~ until the end step of your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
Slightly weaker but easier to understand alternatives:
Only flash land
Artifact - {0}
Flash
Cast ~ only during your opponent's turn
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands during your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
One of land
Legendary Artifact - {0}
Flash
You can't cast ~ if you played a land this turn.
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands until the end step of your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
Totally a land
Artifact - {0}
Flash
You can't cast ~ if you played a land this turn.
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands or cast spells named ~ until the end step of your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
Slightly weaker but easier to understand alternatives:
Only flash land
Artifact - {0}
Flash
Cast ~ only during your opponent's turn
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands during your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
One of land
Legendary Artifact - {0}
Flash
You can't cast ~ if you played a land this turn.
When ~ enters the battlefield, you can't play lands until the end step of your next turn.
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
Ended up trading for 3 Dark Confidant at fnm tonight, I believe I have 1 more stashed away somewhere I'm gonna try to find. Ended up getting 2nd at fnm with a fun bant megamorph deck:
http://decks.deckedbuilder.com/d/96539
Got flooded round 1 against 5c Abzan Dragons but won g1 pretty easily, then beat Abzan Control, Mono White Aggro, and Rg Devotion. Prophet then pass with Stratus Dancer in hand is pretty sweet!
EDIT: anyone have a Dark Confidant or Liliana of the Veil for trade? Turns out I only traded for 2 Confidants today lol, still need 1 more.
http://decks.deckedbuilder.com/d/96539
Got flooded round 1 against 5c Abzan Dragons but won g1 pretty easily, then beat Abzan Control, Mono White Aggro, and Rg Devotion. Prophet then pass with Stratus Dancer in hand is pretty sweet!
EDIT: anyone have a Dark Confidant or Liliana of the Veil for trade? Turns out I only traded for 2 Confidants today lol, still need 1 more.
charlequin
Banned
I'm not saying you have to like it yourself, but being able to understand why other people like things shouldn't be all that difficult in most of these cases.
Why is being Mardu important? Well, because people who play Magic identify super-heavily with color combinations, so there are a bunch of people who've been into white-red-black for ages. Until recently there were only three options for that color combo, one being the boring option of Oros and the last being Kaalia, who has a reputation as a powerful shark commander. If Tariel was just boring and lame that wouldn't matter, but her ability lets her reanimate and steal things from opponents, an ability that can be pretty strong in multiplayer and is certainly something lots of people (especially the people who really want to run a red-white-black deck) really enjoy. And Wayne Reynolds is certainly polarizing but there's plenty of people who do like him. And given the things that make people potentially like the card, it means there's demand for a foil version that until now didn't exist at all.
All of that seems like a pretty obvious setup for why the card might be included in a set like this.
Those would be some bad lands.
Yeah I've been wondering about that.
Yes, the trigger just fizzles.
Thanks!
SigmasonicX
Member
I was looking back on our discussion on the new two-set block model, when I came across this post. Kudos to Cosmo Clock 21 on guessing Magic Origin's name.
Anyway, are official spoilers starting on the 31st or September 7th? Assuming the former, then I expect the schedule for Making Magic to be:
10th - Green color philosophy
17th - State of Design 2015
24th - Explanation of the new beginner product, which MaRo keeps saying is coming on Blogatog.
Even though it's still about four weeks away no matter what, I feel on working on the opening post of my planned OT for Battle for Zendikar block, so I'll post a draft of it later today.
Anyway, are official spoilers starting on the 31st or September 7th? Assuming the former, then I expect the schedule for Making Magic to be:
10th - Green color philosophy
17th - State of Design 2015
24th - Explanation of the new beginner product, which MaRo keeps saying is coming on Blogatog.
Even though it's still about four weeks away no matter what, I feel on working on the opening post of my planned OT for Battle for Zendikar block, so I'll post a draft of it later today.
But... the name of the set is Magic Oranges.
We'll probably get our first spoilers, including a couple more cards from the Duel Deck, at PAX. Spoilers proper should start on September 7th.
I guess I get it? But I still think it's a bad card and a slot that could have been used on better cards. That said, there really are few other options in that color scheme. Alesha and Zurgo 1.0 come to mind as the only two you missed. Mardu players have it rough.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
I hope whatever they do with dual lands is interesting. My guess is the duals will still be fetches but instead of losing a life to search for a land which isnt that much of a drawback anyway, your opponent gets to pick what land type (out of 2) you can search for.
Incoming flip duals. You choose which side when you play it.
Tbh i don't think they will do any kind of fetches, they slow the game too much especially when you have to play 8+ of them in ur deck.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Yeah just realized my idea aint that hot because the new fetches are instantly better than the old when your Ravnica lands are both anyway. Doh.
blindrocket
Member
I have both, mint condition. I'd probably like to keep them though but what do you have?
I'm in the process of making a Decked Builder list of cards for trade, I'll try to get it together soon but I doubt I'll have it done today.
charlequin
Banned
PAX is always a spoiler blowout. We'll get 10+ cards, all the mechanics, and several of the big draws including PWs and/or legends and the dual land cycle. This year they actually have a bigger presence at PAX than ever before so it might be even more than that.
The only real question is "Set 1 or Set 2?"
3 in first, 2 in second? Would be smart to split them up.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
PAX is whether they spoiled pretty much everything cool about Khans of Tarkir, including Fetches, Sarkhan, Sorin, etc.
charlequin
Banned
I would guess set 2 purely because Origins has enemy lands, so if they do an ally cycle in set one it'll be more of an alternating order. (And a little bit because manlands were in set 2 in the original block, I guess.)
For any other block I'd consider this, but it's Zendikar so it's gonna have like 35 nonbasic lands across the two sets.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Manlands make almost too much sense, but somehow I get the feeling they'd be obnoxious as fuck. Even Mutavault was a horrible pain in the ass when it was printed in M14.
They were fine the last time in Standard. But we also had Tectonic Edge around.
And we might again.
Realllly doubt that one.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I can't see them printing man lands on the level of the Allied Manlands without having some kind of more reliable way to kill it than hoping you have instant speed removal.
If we have like 30ish nonbasics on the way why couldn't some land destro desperately in need of reprinting?
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
You'll love this Encroaching Wastes reprint
Because they've really soured on it lately. Only decent LD spell doesn't even see play. (The destroy a mountain one.)
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Everything I'm seeing suggests we're in for a big LANDS MATTER set complete with ways to put more of them in play than usual.
There was a hot minute where R/W Midrange was a legit deck with Chained to the Rocks as a serious removal spell and I had Peak Eruption in the board for the mirror.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Enemy fastlands
Wulfric
Member
Anyone do Game Day today? I usually don't play standard, but I busted out my old Abzan aggro deck and managed to get into the Top 8. Got knocked out in the first round (double Sphinx's Tutelage D, but at least I got a full art Languish for my troubles. It's quite pretty.
I also traded some Origins stuff into a Japanese Steam Vents, so overall a good Game Day for me.
, but at least I got a full art Languish for my troubles. It's quite pretty.I also traded some Origins stuff into a Japanese Steam Vents, so overall a good Game Day for me.
charlequin
Banned
Yeah, but it's a land set. They don't like to do good mana-denial land destruction any more since it's a bad influence on basically every format, but they still provide ways to deal with powerful utility lands in every block they show up in (RAV, ZEN, and ISD all had them, and there's still room for other comparable designs if they decide Ghost Quarter isn't on flavor for Zendikar.) There are a lot of concerns I have about BFZ, but them printing shitty manlands because they're afraid to print a silver-bullet answer isn't high on the list.
SigmasonicX
Member
Considering how much happens at PAX, it occurs to me that it may be better for me to create the Battle for Zendikar OT before that instead of the official spoiler week.
Draft of Battle for Zendikar OT, as promised. Please give critiques.
Block: Set 1 of 2 in the Battle for Zendikar block
Number of Cards: 274
Prerelease Events: September 26-27, 2015
Release Date: October 2, 2015
Welcome to the Multiverse! There are multiple worlds that exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, generated from bonds to the land, that can be channeled into powerful magic. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the unique ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a big hit, it is currently bigger than it ever has been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down to 0 life, from a start of 20, wins.
To get started, check out this link by TheSeks (somewhat outdated) or the official page. It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). Despite several issues, it's a great way to learn the game on your own.
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
STORY
Stories leading up to Battle for Zendikar:
Limits - Gideon fights day and night on both Zendikar and Ravnica, until he discovers a ray of hope in Zendikar's leylines.
Catching Up - Jace is asked for help on Ravnica.
Unkindness of Ravens - As Liliana wonders if she should help on Zendikar, she encounters an old foe.
Offers to the Fire - Chandra tries to find peace at her old monastery.
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Lands - In our first visit to Zendikar, the major gimmick was lands. Lands that do things when they enter the battlefield, lands that can become creatures, a mechanic that cared about lands entering the battlefield known as landfall, and other one-off cards that cared about lands. This set will also have full-art lands, like this Forest from the original Zendikar set.
Allies - Zendikar introduced a creature type called Ally. Allies have abilities that care about other Allies you control, representing a close-knit RPG party. They are confirmed to be returning.
Eldrazi - The last set of the Zendikar block, Rise of the Eldrazi, introduced this creature type. Pure Eldrazi are colorless, but are not artifacts; there are colored Eldrazi Drone creatures, though. The pure Eldrazi originally all cost over 7 mana and had a devastating ability called annihilator, but they don't have that ability this set and now appear at lower costs, with a different ability now being used to represent their devastation.
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT
Fetchlands. Enjoy your $90 Scalding Tarns.
RECENT CHANGES
This set marks the start of a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Battle for Zendikar block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (see FAQ for explanation) will rotate with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months.
There has also been a shift to place much greater focus on the story. Plot points will be visible not just on the cards, but also on online stories, and in the story mode of Magic Duels. Plus, the shift to two blocks a year means that instead of plot developments taking forever, they now only take half of forever.
For you Old Fogeys out there who played the game before but left, here's what you should know.
If you left before Sixth Edition:
Uh, well. It might be better if you just learned the game again from scratch. It's basically still the same, but a lot of small things add up. Back in the day, Magic rules were like the Wild West, and Sixth Edition worked to make everything consistent. Among other things, interrupts are now just instants, spells are cast on a stack (last in, first out), and tapped blockers still deal damage.
If you left before Magic 2010 (core set after Tenth Edition):
Magic 2010 rules changes to note:
* The in-play zone is now called "the battlefield", and permanents will "enter the battlefield" instead of coming into play. You now cast spells and activate abilities. You still play lands. To remove something from the game is now to "exile".
* Mana burn no longer exists. Unspent mana simply empties out of your pool and goes to waste.
* Combat damage no longer uses the stack. This means you can no longer have Mogg Fanatic deal combat damage to a blocker and also sacrifice it to deal damage to something.
Miscellaneous later changes:
* Legendary permanents now only look at your side of the board, so both you and your foe can have Chandler out if you really want.
* When the "legend rule" activates, you choose which permanents to sacrifice. So if Chandler has a bad enchantment on him, you can cast another Chandler and sacrifice the one that was enchanted.
* The above also applies to Planeswalkers.
Exhaustive list of rule changes through Return to Ravnica
FAQ
Why an OT?
Magic has been going through some major changes, and Wizards of the Coast has started doing a lot to attract new players. Previous OT threads that touched on the topic of Magic, and especially the Magic Duels topic in Gaming, showed that there are a lot of people on GAF who used to play or are interested in playing, so I thought this would be a great time to piggyback on Wizards' current efforts.
Why make this thread now, if the release date is so far away?
It's spoiler season! Wizards of the Coast will slowly unveil new cards up until a week before the prerelease events, and this is always one of the most exciting times to be a Magic player.
How will this work with the Community thread?
In theory, this thread will be active during spoiler season, but then normal discussion will flow back to the Community thread. Assuming this thread goes well, then when the next set of this block comes around, this thread will be brought back to life, and then we go back to the Community thread when spoilers end. Then I guess with the next block, a new thread will come around. Who knows, though.
What are the play formats?
Legacy - A format that includes all cards, with a lengthy ban list. Similarly, Vintage is a format with the same range and a much smaller ban list. The most expensive format to get into.
Modern - A format that includes all cards released in sets from 8th Edition on, with a ban list. Legal cards are generally recognizable by having the modern card frame, though cards with modern frames printed in supplemental products aren't necessarily legal.
Standard - A rotating format that only includes the latest sets, and the legal sets rotate with the release of each block. This is by far the most popular tournament format, and Planet Money did an episode about it. With the release of Battle for Zendikar, the legal sets will be: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, and Battle for Zendikar.
Isn't power creep crazy in this game?
Kind of, but not really. Creatures are definitely stronger than they were 20 years ago, but they are pretty consistent now, and other things have been dialed down, such as counterspells, card draw, land destruction, creature destruction, and direct damage (with the occasional exception). Blue in particular has been dialed back a lot; you won't see anything as strong as Storm Crow nowadays (sorry, Magic in-joke). In any case, one thing Magic is really good at is giving the illusion of constantly increasing power, by emphasizing one aspect of the game and weakening another with each set. You probably won't be seeing a creature stronger and more efficient than Primeval Titan and its friends in Standard, because that's been set as a high point for that aspect of the game. Extra Credits has some good videos about this. Power Creep. Perfect Imbalance.
The land system is a real pain, why bother with it?
One of the number one complaints with Magic is the land system, which can result in you not drawing enough lands, drawing too many lands, or not drawing the right kinds of lands. Mark Rosewater (head designer of Magic) wrote this article in defense of it, though the part pertaining to that aspect of the land system only comes at the end. He was also one of the creators of Duel Masters, which uses a system where any card can be used as a resource once per turn, but felt that was a weaker system. You can disagree with his premise that having each game with the same decks feel different from the last is better for the game than consistency, and that it's good for a stronger player to sometimes lose to a weaker one, but I feel he does make some good points.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Uncharted Realms, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Latest Developments, written by various Magic developers. For older articles before the site changed, go here.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete, so I rarely use it.
Draft of Battle for Zendikar OT, as promised. Please give critiques.
Block: Set 1 of 2 in the Battle for Zendikar block
Number of Cards: 274
Prerelease Events: September 26-27, 2015
Release Date: October 2, 2015
Welcome to the Multiverse! There are multiple worlds that exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, generated from bonds to the land, that can be channeled into powerful magic. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the unique ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a big hit, it is currently bigger than it ever has been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down to 0 life, from a start of 20, wins.
To get started, check out this link by TheSeks (somewhat outdated) or the official page. It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). Despite several issues, it's a great way to learn the game on your own.
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
STORY
Long ago, before mana even developed distinct colors, the Eldrazi were born in the gaps between planes. Like Planeswalkers, they are able to travel between worlds, but they devour every one that they come across. There appear to be swarms of Eldrazi, but in fact, there are only three, whose projections into the third dimension appear as distinct beings. Over 6000 years ago, they were sealed inside Zendikar, a wild plane overflowing with mana. When we last visited that plane, they were released thanks to the machinations of an evil dragon Planeswalker named Nicol Bolas. The good Planeswalkers present were forced to flee, but as a clue to defeating them is found in the leylines of Zendikar, and two of the three Planeswalkers who originally sealed the Eldrazi reunite, it becomes clear that now is the time to fight back.
Stories leading up to Battle for Zendikar:
Limits - Gideon fights day and night on both Zendikar and Ravnica, until he discovers a ray of hope in Zendikar's leylines.
Catching Up - Jace is asked for help on Ravnica.
Unkindness of Ravens - As Liliana wonders if she should help on Zendikar, she encounters an old foe.
Offers to the Fire - Chandra tries to find peace at her old monastery.
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Lands - In our first visit to Zendikar, the major gimmick was lands. Lands that do things when they enter the battlefield, lands that can become creatures, a mechanic that cared about lands entering the battlefield known as landfall, and other one-off cards that cared about lands. This set will also have full-art lands, like this Forest from the original Zendikar set.
Allies - Zendikar introduced a creature type called Ally. Allies have abilities that care about other Allies you control, representing a close-knit RPG party. They are confirmed to be returning.
Eldrazi - The last set of the Zendikar block, Rise of the Eldrazi, introduced this creature type. Pure Eldrazi are colorless, but are not artifacts; there are colored Eldrazi Drone creatures, though. The pure Eldrazi originally all cost over 7 mana and had a devastating ability called annihilator, but they don't have that ability this set and now appear at lower costs, with a different ability now being used to represent their devastation.
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT
Fetchlands. Enjoy your $90 Scalding Tarns.
RECENT CHANGES
This set marks the start of a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Battle for Zendikar block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (see FAQ for explanation) will rotate with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months.
There has also been a shift to place much greater focus on the story. Plot points will be visible not just on the cards, but also on online stories, and in the story mode of Magic Duels. Plus, the shift to two blocks a year means that instead of plot developments taking forever, they now only take half of forever.
For you Old Fogeys out there who played the game before but left, here's what you should know.
If you left before Sixth Edition:
Uh, well. It might be better if you just learned the game again from scratch. It's basically still the same, but a lot of small things add up. Back in the day, Magic rules were like the Wild West, and Sixth Edition worked to make everything consistent. Among other things, interrupts are now just instants, spells are cast on a stack (last in, first out), and tapped blockers still deal damage.
If you left before Magic 2010 (core set after Tenth Edition):
Magic 2010 rules changes to note:
* The in-play zone is now called "the battlefield", and permanents will "enter the battlefield" instead of coming into play. You now cast spells and activate abilities. You still play lands. To remove something from the game is now to "exile".
* Mana burn no longer exists. Unspent mana simply empties out of your pool and goes to waste.
* Combat damage no longer uses the stack. This means you can no longer have Mogg Fanatic deal combat damage to a blocker and also sacrifice it to deal damage to something.
Miscellaneous later changes:
* Legendary permanents now only look at your side of the board, so both you and your foe can have Chandler out if you really want.
* When the "legend rule" activates, you choose which permanents to sacrifice. So if Chandler has a bad enchantment on him, you can cast another Chandler and sacrifice the one that was enchanted.
* The above also applies to Planeswalkers.
Exhaustive list of rule changes through Return to Ravnica
FAQ
Why an OT?
Magic has been going through some major changes, and Wizards of the Coast has started doing a lot to attract new players. Previous OT threads that touched on the topic of Magic, and especially the Magic Duels topic in Gaming, showed that there are a lot of people on GAF who used to play or are interested in playing, so I thought this would be a great time to piggyback on Wizards' current efforts.
Why make this thread now, if the release date is so far away?
It's spoiler season! Wizards of the Coast will slowly unveil new cards up until a week before the prerelease events, and this is always one of the most exciting times to be a Magic player.
How will this work with the Community thread?
In theory, this thread will be active during spoiler season, but then normal discussion will flow back to the Community thread. Assuming this thread goes well, then when the next set of this block comes around, this thread will be brought back to life, and then we go back to the Community thread when spoilers end. Then I guess with the next block, a new thread will come around. Who knows, though.
What are the play formats?
Legacy - A format that includes all cards, with a lengthy ban list. Similarly, Vintage is a format with the same range and a much smaller ban list. The most expensive format to get into.
Modern - A format that includes all cards released in sets from 8th Edition on, with a ban list. Legal cards are generally recognizable by having the modern card frame, though cards with modern frames printed in supplemental products aren't necessarily legal.
Standard - A rotating format that only includes the latest sets, and the legal sets rotate with the release of each block. This is by far the most popular tournament format, and Planet Money did an episode about it. With the release of Battle for Zendikar, the legal sets will be: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, and Battle for Zendikar.
Isn't power creep crazy in this game?
Kind of, but not really. Creatures are definitely stronger than they were 20 years ago, but they are pretty consistent now, and other things have been dialed down, such as counterspells, card draw, land destruction, creature destruction, and direct damage (with the occasional exception). Blue in particular has been dialed back a lot; you won't see anything as strong as Storm Crow nowadays (sorry, Magic in-joke). In any case, one thing Magic is really good at is giving the illusion of constantly increasing power, by emphasizing one aspect of the game and weakening another with each set. You probably won't be seeing a creature stronger and more efficient than Primeval Titan and its friends in Standard, because that's been set as a high point for that aspect of the game. Extra Credits has some good videos about this. Power Creep. Perfect Imbalance.
The land system is a real pain, why bother with it?
One of the number one complaints with Magic is the land system, which can result in you not drawing enough lands, drawing too many lands, or not drawing the right kinds of lands. Mark Rosewater (head designer of Magic) wrote this article in defense of it, though the part pertaining to that aspect of the land system only comes at the end. He was also one of the creators of Duel Masters, which uses a system where any card can be used as a resource once per turn, but felt that was a weaker system. You can disagree with his premise that having each game with the same decks feel different from the last is better for the game than consistency, and that it's good for a stronger player to sometimes lose to a weaker one, but I feel he does make some good points.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Uncharted Realms, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Latest Developments, written by various Magic developers. For older articles before the site changed, go here.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete, so I rarely use it.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Bad Option: Encroaching Wastes
Fair to Middling Option: Ghost Quarter
Good Option: Tectonic Edge
Comedy Option: Stone Rain
Double Secret Comedy Option: Armageddon
I don't think you should put up an official thread until spoiler weeks regardless of what is at PAX because you're going to end up with the thread buried until spoilers actually start.
The critique I would make is that I think its a bit busy. A lot of this stuff probably doesn't need to be there and some stuff needs to be way bigger and more prominent, e.g. what sets are legal, how much money it costs to buy in, etc. You are going to want Duels, links to where to get it, formats, etc. really high up in the article because you are absolutely going to pull in a bunch of people who barely play or played 10 years ago, etc.
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