Sets (AFR) Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Previews- Dripping with Flavor, and Excess Words!

Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
It feels like a core set

Hits:
-Ability Words (I don't mind them, and these are at base a ton of modal cards, which I love)
-Simple reference cards (Portable Hole, Dancing Sword, Grim Wanderer, Hulking Bugbear, Check for Traps, ect)
-Classes (Even if they aren't all hits)

Misses:
-Dungeon
-Most of the D20 stuff (I'm still of the opinion they're not broken, they're just costed as if you always hit the middle, and sometimes you wont)

Neutral:
-D&D being mechanically different from magic (Wish being a useable magic card instead of a 9th level spell that gets you anything, blue dragons being lightning based and living in the desert, Literally any discussion on the Deck of Many Things*, etc)

*My roommate has argued that Wish should read "Search scryfall for a card and then cast it without paying its mana cost", and that the Deck of Many things should have 22 outcomes, half of which actively ruin your game of magic on the level of "sacrifice all lands you control and discard your hand" or "You lose the game".
These are not cards that should exist in magic :p
 
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shamizy

shamizy

@Velrun is much more generous in his assessment than me. Straight up my least favorite set of all time by far, not sure I even want to play any Limited for this set at all. I'm sure it's fun for anyone into D&D with various references and deep cuts, but that's a complete zero for me. Add in mechanics like venturing into a dungeon and dice-rolling along with the not mechanic text to simulate D&D choices and I'm already glancing past like 70% of this set. After experiences with mechanics like Energy in the past, I'm sure that this will be a fun self-contained experience within the set, but I'm not really interested in trying it elsewhere.

There is some neat stuff for EDH that I'll probably give a shot, and I think I counted like 3 cards I wanted to try out (along with the manland cycle in my ULD), but the core identity and mechanics of this set are a big turnoff to me for the most part. Just not my thing at all, I'd give it like a 2/10.
 
Velrun

Velrun

Chris Taylor said:
My roommate has argued that Wish should read "Search scryfall for a card and then cast it without paying its mana cost"
Click to expand...

In their defense. If you have infinite mana, Wish can cast any spell from Scryfall. And what kind of level 9 character can look himself in the eyes if he doesn’t have infinite mana?
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
I mean his intention was for wish to be able to cast Emrakul in formats it wasn't legal in for free.
Maybe that's fine for like, {10}{R}{R}{R}{R}{R}{R}?
 
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Brad

Brad

templeofthedragonqueen.jpg

Basically an Evolving Wilds (ETB tapped, make 1 color) but can support Dragon or Changeling themes. Someone wants this. Maybe my Onslaught cube is that someone.

deadlydispute.jpg

Nice little spell, especially if you can sac a treasure. Instant speed is big here. Will help anyone with artifact and sac themes, I think.

asmodeusthearchfiend.jpg

Is this... how good is it? BBBB: Griselbrand effect? That's maybe good? I really can't fucking tell.
COMBO: Donate this and Mindslaver them, pay B and put the cards into your hand and they lose 7 life! For only {1}{6}{U}{B}{B}{B}{B}{B}!
 
Velrun

Velrun

I have never said this before about a set. Wizards normally make a lot of money of a set. I hope they this time only make a small profit. Still a success but less than normall. Enough damage for them to not make Secret Lair large sets again.
 
japahn

japahn

I'm just fine with the set? Could be better, could be worse. Definitely feels like a D&D MtG Set. No, it does not feel like playing D&D, but I don't think that would have been possible. And more specific than D&D, it's a Forgotten Realms set, so the focus on the setting's characters seems natural.

In terms of includes, I see why people are down as the power level seems to be low overall. That means the set is promising for my cube.

High agency is built into mechanics like dungeon, modal cards, equipment, classes. Ability words are resonant. Die rolls can be high variance, and I'm ambivalent about them, but rolling a 20 will probably feel good for you and not too bad for your opponent.

Dungeons is probably one of those things that I'll avoid due to complexity and inelegance. I expect it to work out well in retail limited, but don't expect it to get into my cube.
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
Since I'm not paying too much attention to Magic atm I haven't done an in-depth look at what is going to fit in my cube, but I like Chris's format.

Hits:
- Ability Words (I absolutely love these. Flavor punch meets modal spell.)
- Dungeon (The cards themselves are straightforward, but the three different dungeons that are always available mean you've got plenty of decisions to make when venturing. This looks to me like it will play really well and I'm excited to try it.)
- Equipment (It's not that most of these are a hit for my cube, but I always love sets with a heavy equipment ratio because it's one card type that still needs more solid cards. You know, stuff that's not either horribly annoying/broken or absolutely unplayable. Dancing Sword, Plate Armor, Trickster's Talisman, Reaper's Talisman, Thieves' Tools, Boots of Speed, and Goblin Morningstar (ugh... d20) seem like they have some potential, even if not all for my cube. I hate that Delver's Torch wasn't way more aggressively costed.)

Misses:
- The d20 mechanic (I highly dislike the variable effects, and they're especially egregious on the cards that do something absolutely silly for the mana cost when you crit. As a D&D player, this was absolutely not the thing I wanted them to port over to Magic. The first time you lose a game because an opponent critted Deck of Many Things is going to feel like the time they topdecked Bonfire of the Damned for the win.)
- Planeswalkers (Technically planeswalking is a thing in D&D, Ellywick is a bard who crosses the realms for example, but for me the card type is so inextricably linked to Magic's universe, that I hate seeing these in this set.)
- The Underpowered Stuff (I know Kaldheim was the same, but I really loved the power band in Throne of Eldraine, and I wish they'ld return to not printing as many overcosted and unexciting commons and uncommons already. I mean, who is going to look at Half-Elf Monk, Eyes of the Beholder, or Improvised Weaponry and think: "Woo! Where were you all my life!?")

Neutral:
- Classes (None of these appealed to me enough to get excited over a brand new card frame.)
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I just... normally don't get that excited about core sets, so my expectations weren't that high to begin. I'm reasonably optimistic about it as a draft set, but it's hard to give a proper verdict on some of these (dungeons, d20) until I've played with them.
 
B

blacksmithy

i like the modal stuff and the goofy ability words, i want to like venturing but it’s too parasitic for me to get any use from, and i like the creature lands.
i don’t like d20 nonsense. Yusri is the only straight up gambling card i need in my cube thank you very much.
i do like that they made all the d20 cards horribly bad so that most formats will be unaffected.
 
Velrun

Velrun

Jason Waddell said:
I just... normally don't get that excited about core sets, so my expectations weren't that high to begin. I'm reasonably optimistic about it as a draft set, but it's hard to give a proper verdict on some of these (dungeons, d20) until I've played with them.
Click to expand...
Yeah in the line of ‘This set replaces a Core set’ it’s actually fine. Core sets are also never home runs. I for one actually don’t mind the trade here if I am being honest.
 
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TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

Brad said:
asmodeusthearchfiend.jpg

Is this... how good is it? BBBB: Griselbrand effect? That's maybe good? I really can't fucking tell.
COMBO: Donate this and Mindslaver them, pay B and put the cards into your hand and they lose 7 life! For only {1}{6}{U}{B}{B}{B}{B}{B}!
Click to expand...
Think smaller! Play this with a sacrifice outlet like Viscera Seer or Goblin Bombardment, activate the {B}{B}{B} ability to draw 7, and while the Trigger is on the stack sacrifice this to the outlet. Since this card disappears before the draw 7 resolves, you never exile them!
 
ravnic

ravnic

With the venture/dungeon mechanic, I still don't really get the flavor. Who is actually venturing into the dungeon? My creature, which is still somehow on the battlefield to trade with my opponent's flier, even though it just ventured (deeper) into the dungeon? Or is it me, the mighty spellcaster, who's lifepoints were just decreased by an opponent's goblin horde? Or is the whole battle now inside a dungeon? But why can my opponent and me battle while venturing into different dungeons? And why can I be inside of three different dungeons, when I control no creatures or planeswalkers but just Fifty Feet of Rope?

They tried to make a very flavorful mechanic here, but it's actually the weird flavor, that makes me less interested in trying it.
 
TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

ravnic said:
With the venture/dungeon mechanic, I still don't really get the flavor. Who is actually venturing into the dungeon? My creature, which is still somehow on the battlefield to trade with my opponent's flier, even though it just ventured (deeper) into the dungeon? Or is it me, the mighty spellcaster, who's lifepoints were just decreased by an opponent's goblin horde? Or is the whole battle now inside a dungeon? But why can my opponent and me battle while venturing into different dungeons? And why can I be inside of three different dungeons, when I control no creatures or planeswalkers but just Fifty Feet of Rope?

They tried to make a very flavorful mechanic here, but it's actually the weird flavor, that makes me less interested in trying it.
Click to expand...
You and your creatures represent a Party, and you Venture in together. So when you only have Fifty Feet of Rope, that just means you're playing a Solo Campaign like in this Stephen Colbert adventure!

Also you can only be inside one Dungeon at a time. You can't Venture into another Dungeon if you've already started another adventure but haven't completed it yet.
 
sigh

sigh

If Asmodeus didn't also lock away your normal draw-per-turn it would be a lot stronger, but it's only a rare, so it's not going to be the same style of busted as Griselbrand. Still a repeatable source of draw-7, which is pretty strong.
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
The fact that it eats your normal draw means it can't stick around for long or you're going to lose because your opponent is literally drawing infinitely more cards than you. I think this card is pretty bad. If you're not abusing the draw 7, it's absolutely crippling. I mean, that is fitting because drawing 7 is so incredibly broken...
 
sigh

sigh

Onderzeeboot said:
The fact that it eats your normal draw means it can't stick around for long or you're going to lose because your opponent is literally drawing infinitely more cards than you. I think this card is pretty bad. If you're not abusing the draw 7, it's absolutely crippling. I mean, that is fitting because drawing 7 is so incredibly broken...
Click to expand...
You can pay the {B} per turn to get your normal draws. they aren't gone forever. Still not the best, but the draw 7 ability does not cost that much, so you shouldn't be coming out negatively overall...

Edit: BUSTED with Necrotic Ooze!
 
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