There's quite a lot of interest here for low power cubes. Crumbling Vestige looks like it could be a lot of fun with bouncelands and other effects that return lands to your hand.
Sets [OGW] Oath of the Gatewatch Spoiler Thread
- Thread starter shamizy
- Start date
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Maybes:
Anyone else notice how all the goblins on zendikar have Deathwing Chin?
This is a really interesting discussion.
The funny thing is that I still prefer the original, less-planned-out approach to delivering flavor: random instances of magic and monsters in a greater, somewhat opaque world. It gives the feeling of being a visitor in a mysterious place, where each card is individually adding to the lore of the environment while making me ask questions and want to discover more. My imagination fills in the gaps until I see more cards.
In sets today, after you've seen like 8 cards you've basically seen everything that the lore of that world has to offer.
To pile on the criticism here: these epic war scenarios have become really tiresome IMO, and by having so many of them it completely destroys the "vast" feeling they're supposed to impart.
I kind of like the story being focused around the planeswalkers as it allows diverse worlds whilst still having a common thread of familiarity. The only thing that worries me is that standard from now on is going to be all about my planeswalkers facing down their planeswalkers in every match.
At least, it would worry me if I played standard.
At least, it would worry me if I played standard.
I apreciate getting a free short story every week. I also like getting more story and worldbuilding with my cards.
The actual stories though are pretty meh. I really wish they were storytelling like they are now in Innistrad and Ravnica blocks. The Uncharted Realms recently featuring Teysa was really good - primarily because Ravnica is such an interesting place.
Regarding the spoileres, plenty have found a place in my cube. Cohort is too weak and parasitic but Surge is at a good power level and fits Blue and Red.
The actual stories though are pretty meh. I really wish they were storytelling like they are now in Innistrad and Ravnica blocks. The Uncharted Realms recently featuring Teysa was really good - primarily because Ravnica is such an interesting place.
Regarding the spoileres, plenty have found a place in my cube. Cohort is too weak and parasitic but Surge is at a good power level and fits Blue and Red.
I wasn't into the magic novels but I could still get the gist of the old mans war with phyrexia and the weatherlights trip and their trials and betrayals along the way. It was kinda nice that everything wasn't epic, or at least when it was, it took you several blocks to get into an actual big conflict.
Completely agree on the epic confrontation point
We went from weatherlight through tempest block, urzas and masques to finally get to invasion and boy were we ready for it.
Even odyssey was a six set story, that was kinda neat.
I guess this is more of "Lucas complains about the new art" but I honestly think we've come a long way and it's been mostly downhill. They learned how to make the gameplay a little more rich but they lost it with the flavor, sorta like comparing fallout 1 or arcanum to world of warcraft lol.
Completely agree on the epic confrontation point
We went from weatherlight through tempest block, urzas and masques to finally get to invasion and boy were we ready for it.
Even odyssey was a six set story, that was kinda neat.
I guess this is more of "Lucas complains about the new art" but I honestly think we've come a long way and it's been mostly downhill. They learned how to make the gameplay a little more rich but they lost it with the flavor, sorta like comparing fallout 1 or arcanum to world of warcraft lol.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
I kinda see what you're saying. Like, this card I kinda take umbridge with:
Very little about this card is there for any reason than story. Did we need an indestructible/hexproof hoser? Does it need to be activated?
Being anchored to this world makes you targetable?
Kozilek doesn't even have the other ability so its a failure there too!
I feel like if shit like this costs me the next wild mongrel because they want to push planeswalkers as a copyrightable marketing vehicle, we've all failed. Some more than others, but we've all failed.
Very little about this card is there for any reason than story. Did we need an indestructible/hexproof hoser? Does it need to be activated?
Being anchored to this world makes you targetable?
Kozilek doesn't even have the other ability so its a failure there too!
I feel like if shit like this costs me the next wild mongrel because they want to push planeswalkers as a copyrightable marketing vehicle, we've all failed. Some more than others, but we've all failed.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
You underestimate how much casual players hate [playing against] hexproof IMO
its mega weird because they also hate it when people remove their creatures for 2 mana.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I feel you, Invasion was my first set, but I also think this is bound to happen when you're staying with one brand for a long, long time.
I kinda see what you're saying. Like, this card I kinda take umbridge with:
Very little about this card is there for any reason than story. Did we need an indestructible/hexproof hoser? Does it need to be activated?
Being anchored to this world makes you targetable?
Kozilek doesn't even have the other ability so its a failure there too!.
Hey, just because Emrakul (with Hexproof now) isn't out yet...
Also I just think it's bad because Ulamog is an answer to it, and can't be counter-targeted by it before it dies.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Not the biggest list of cards I want to test this time. But there's a couple I'm really excited about, primarily the two planeswalkers!
Slip through space is probably better served as shadow rift, which can also be used as stun
(Kinda like the pressure point/Niveous Wisps discussion we had around dragons
My Oath includes:
I was gonna say distortion strike for rebound (and power) but that 'stun' tech is neato
Also I didn't realize the new card was a cantrip. Sweet.
I'm sure they all will fulfill my expectations at least.
E: Darn, I forgot that those cards aren't in the data bank yet.
Any updates after some hands-on time with the cards?
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I'm tempted to make custom mana fixing to be honest. There's got to be a good design out there that can accommodate colorless mana (other than painlands and filters that is).
I've played a bit with Captain's Claws, and it's extremely underwhelming, unless that ally triggers all sorts of shit. So, without explicit ally support (and I mean the old Zendikar allies or BfZ rallies here) it is not going to do anything in cube.
I'll admit I had pretty high hopes for Captain's Claws, but after hearing multiple reports that it doesn't really live up to expectations, I'm realizing that maybe it falls into the same camp as another similarly templated card with equally high hopes that also fell flat: Militia's Pride. The +1/+0 bonus is worth less than a card, so the token making needs to provide enough value to compensate, but I suppose it's always been difficult to make good use of a 1/1 that's already in the red zone by the time it comes into play.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I just ordered 36 to add to my basic land pile. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun playing a common land!
I'm considering just errata-ing several of the diamond-mana cards to cost the equivalent CMC/ability cost in generic mana. There's a lot of interesting cards in this set, but not a high-enough quantity that I want to warp my cube around the 6th-color minigame.
Changing the colorless requirement to generic does power-up several of these cards, but in a high-power cube I don't think any of these would be oppressive.
Good colorless cards that fit in many decks are the spice of life, anyway.
Thought-Knot Seer
Reality Smasher
Eldrazi Displacer
Endbringer
Matter Reshaper
Spatial Contortion
Mirrorpool
Changing the colorless requirement to generic does power-up several of these cards, but in a high-power cube I don't think any of these would be oppressive.
Good colorless cards that fit in many decks are the spice of life, anyway.
Thought-Knot Seer
Reality Smasher
Eldrazi Displacer
Endbringer
Matter Reshaper
Spatial Contortion
Mirrorpool