Sets (LTR) The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth

[gaytransmulldrifter]

We also end up with a lot of cards that are technically backwards compatible, but have trinkety text on them that doesn't matter outside the context of the set. Void from EoE is one example, but there's also stuff like Creeping Peeper and the Eerie cards from DSK, where it's like, enchantments matter but also rooms matter. And you can technically play these in a cube with your old shit but people will ask questions about them. What's a room.

 

[Seeker]

It pains me when we see a bunch of cool cards but they say something "if a card Voided this turn" because that just translates to "if a card Did The Set Gimmick" and it just isolates that card.

Sort-of-partial counterpoint: not all the X Matters cards are like that these days. One of these four was a major "cycling matters" draft buildaround in its set, but you probably can't tell which if you don't already know:

And like, you do know - it's Monument to Endurance - but you get what I mean, not everything is Drake Haven where it has the mechanic on it.

I think Void's awful in that it mentions Warp, but I get why they did it that way. That said, if it didn't, I'd have Void up there with "commit a crime" as something they should not only do more often but just make evergreen. Bring back Revolt, or something... although I think I actually want either "a permanent left the battlefield" or "a nonland permanent left the battlefield"? Void's been nice that it cares about your opponent's stuff leaving too, I am willing to give up working with fetchlands for that if necessary for power level.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I would also like to comment that while there are "cycling matters" cards, and those are """parisitic""" in the sense of only caring explicitly about cycling, the cycling mechanic itself can show up in whatever set.

That is both true for all mechanics, and 20/20 hindsight. When Astral Slide premiered, it was the first time they brought back a set mechanic, and the last time we had seen it was in Urza’s block, 4 years prior. Barring Future Sight, it would take another 6 years before we saw cycling again in Alara block. Cycling has become a much revisited mechanic, but it wasn’t at all clear at the time that that would be the case. Kicker and flashback have been used even more sparingly. Apart from some Time Spiral shenanigans, kicker would take 10 years to reappear.

Obviously, the change from three-set blocks to two-set blocks to no blocks changed how many sets feature a given mechanic, but also, mechanics from these old set have the advantage of time. We will see the newer mechanics back in due time, and they do try to vary on themes if possible. Duskmourn had manifest dread after Murders at Markov Manor had disguise and cloak. Initiative is a variation on exploring dungeons. Surveil is a spin on scry, which itself has even become evergreen.

 

[LadyMapi]

My thought is less "extrinsic payoffs for mechanics = bad", and more "a mechanic having a high density of extrinsic payoffs is a design smell". Astral Slide is cool and fun and adds a new justification for playing with an already cool and fun mechanic, while Start Your Engines! is basically all Astral Slides and feels kinda awkward and weird.

(Insert short essay about how you can frame mechanics in terms of set-up/payoff/overhead and how that makes them feel more or less gimmicky because I can't think of a concise and coherent way to explain it.)

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Hmm… agree to disagree? I think Start Your Engines, apart from having to use an external device (be it the designated “token” card or a die), vibes very well with the natural objective of games: getting your opponent to 0 life.