If you would kindly stop reading my mind for a few moments I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. Thank you for your recent changes to Magic the Gathering’s core sets. This shift in focus and resources is much appreciated and will surely lure the endless hordes of fantasy fans to the game. In this time of economic uncertainty it is good to know that the game is still ready and willing to cater to a larger audience. Much like Nintendo’s Wii has done. I speak for the entire GatheringMagic.com staff (2 guys) when I wish you godspeed and good luck as you work to better the game of Magic.
Your newly invigorated fan,
Reinhart
As I see it there are 3 main changes to the game with the release of Magic 2010.
A decisive shift towards classic fantasy likeness and player/color identity
Wizards has been slowly moving the game in this direction since 10th edition. If you’ll recall, the promotional items launched with that set were all about “finding your color” and choosing your destiny. While most core sets attempt something similar this push was harder than usual. With the eventual introduction of planeswalkers and the renewed focus on the player actually being a planeswalker, Wizard’s strategy began to take shape. Unfortunately, I think that strategy was lost in the complex “rainbow theme” of the last few expansions. With Magic 2010, the game is taking one giant leap towards establishing the individual “player identity” that has launched World of Warcraft and its MMO cousins into the mainstream.
A card everyone can appreciate
In the official announcement, we learn that a core set will no longer be exclusively reprints of old cards. Nearly half the set will contain new cards that use universally identifiable terms. For example the term “Counterspell” or “Disenchant” feel and play naturally for any lover of the fantasy genre in the world. While cards such as Nantuko Husk are a mystery to anyone not physically holding the card in their hand. It will feel less like a “rehash” or as the article puts it “a list of cards still playable in standard” and more like a rejuvenation of the color wheel and player identity. In the Alara block, it was difficult to identify who you were or what your motives were as the player. The concept of being a planeswalker was pushed heavily but I never really felt like a “Necromancer” or a “Druid” while I was building or playing with my decks. With new cards like Silence in a white deck you can really become a White Knight for 20 minutes. Isn’t that what fantasy games are all about? The success of programs like Second Life and Facebook prove that building a personal avatar is essential to keeping players interested.
Keep it simple, stupid - The new rotation calendar
There is much to be said for keeping a game with 10,000 different pieces as simple as possible. Its no wonder new players feel overwhelmed when they enter the game. Some cards and sets are legal, some aren’t. Dealing with new card types, rotation schedules, rules etc. But with a “refresh” every year a player can walk into a store, buy a box of 2010 and be ready to go! You’re more than able to play a casual game with your buddies, but you also have a great base for a tournament playable collection! Buying the core set has always been the way to start playing but now more than ever the core set is the train station where new and returning players hop on.
With the core sets now consisting of 50% new cards and new expansions hitting every 3 months, players can look forward to something fresh more frequently. While newer players can easily catch up with the now smaller set sizes. The shorter cycle also allows the game to refresh itself each year as opposed to every two. Magic 2010 simply does a better job of refreshing the game than say, 9th edition did because it brings with it original cards that are focused on giving new and old players distinctive identities. It allows players to try different things each year. Too often with the old format players would establish “the deck” after the first expansion and players would simply augment that strategy with new cards throughout the entire two years that set was legal. It makes the game feel stale and tired. A reset every 365 days is just what this game needs to keep the excitement and freshness factor at peak.
Magic the Gathering for Everyone – Come one, come all!
The recent trend in gaming is to try and appeal to the more “casual gamer”. With the monster success of Wii Fit, The Sims and more, gaming companies have been tapping into the previously unreachable demographic of women, parents and casual gamers. A complex, CCG-type game like MTG will never be as big of a success story as the Wii regarding those demos, but with this recent shift in priorities WotC is looking to take their share of that market. The core set’s new “train station” approach is appealing to both new players and returning players. Returning players will now be looking at a game that not only includes cards they grew up playing, but cards they instantly relate to with their established knowledge of Tolkien-esque lore. It will give older Magic collections a breath of life they desperatly need. The simplicity and familiarity of the new set will also bring in brand new players who might be looking for something new yet familiar to dive into.
If other gaming companies can capture this demographic so convincingly then surely there is a little room for a card game or two, right?
The great thing about core sets is that they appeal to everyone for different reasons. Older players love the throwback cards and power of mono-colored classics while newer players are excited by the prospect of getting into a game at the beginning. No one wants to start playing World of Warcraft on an established server after 3 expansions have been released. You’d much rather start on a fresh server where everyone is in the same boat and starting from scratch.
I, for one, have not been so excited about a company’s decision for as long as I can remember. When Blizzard, Nintendo, Apple or even Wizard’s of the Coast announce their latest product, or upgrade, it always comes with a bit of good and a bit of bad. But for me, these changes represent everything I love about Magic the Gathering and where I’d like to see the game go. The only possible pitfall is the dumbing down of the game in an attempt to lure in “non-gamers”. Fortunately, what we’ve seen so far shows no indication of such and I can only assume Wizards will continue to please the hardcore gamer as well as their new fans.
So, thank you Wizards of the Coast. I haven’t been this excited about Magic since Ice Age.
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The new direction core sets are taking does make me smile . . . the higher rate of rotation through standard makes me wince.
[...] of these cards. And keep in mind, some of these cards could become legal in the new core set (Magic 2010). You could even purchase two of the same box set to make playsets and great monocolored decks [...]
You are nuts. This is only ‘good’ for one group and that is WotC. Let’s see, this will boost the price of singles WAY through the roof then in a year they will drop to nothing because they will be unplayable. So WotC wants me to go out and spend $200 every year on their game? I don’t think so. I played a LONG time ago and when I came back into the game (with Shards) and enjoyed some aspects of the game. I cannot stand it that to honestly compete you need a deck that, by itself, costs over $200. The worse part is that trying to “collect” those cards by purchasing boosters etc. would be next to impossible and would cost thousands.
I don’t see how this is supposed to “bring in casual gamers” because it will discourage anyone once they realize that their cards will be useless in less than a year.
Honestly the only way to bring in casual gamers would be to develop a children’s TV show and market the game THROUGH that. Both Microsoft and Nintendo have done that and look where they are (Viva Pinata for MS and advertising/licensing for the Wii).
On the other hand I feel MTG may lose quite a bit of “core” gamers and such simply because this will make all of their cards instantaneously obsolete. So then that makes them beg the question “Start over with MTG or give a newer, more refined game a chance.” This is a very scary thought simply because you should NEVER make your customers question a competitor… EVER.
MTG is a game that is very discouraging for any NEW player to get into. The only way you can really get into and enjoy the game is if you are introduced to the game through friends. One of my first purchases coming back to the game was the Jace vs. Chandra decks. It screams with “NEW” on the package and I figured what better way to get me back into the game than with some pretty sweet looking pre-built decks that have some awesome Plainswalkers in them only to find out that a total of about 16 cards (not counting lands) are usable in Standard… 16!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you going to tell me that ISN’T frustrating to a new player; or returning one?
Then don’t even get me started with “the rulebooks” that according to the forum and admins etc. that post on it “the basic rulebook doesn’t have all the rules and some of the rules contradict each other” and getting an understanding on a way a card acts and trying to get an “official ruling” on a card is impossible. I could get into what I am referring to but it comes down to a card that either should have 1) not been printed, 2) printed with reminder text on it (there was tons of space for it) and 3) should have been worded differently so that it was clear cut with no need for reminder text. In the end I did find how to truly play the card but it took reading about half the comprehensive rulebook and by reading I mean bouncing around to look different places because I had to first lookup how a “card ability” is defined then you have to lookup terms in that… so on and so forth. Very frustrating to a new player that was not there when this type of situation was introduced and still questions why it was not worded the same as it was in the past and was given tons of crap answers and was even told by someone who worked on the design team that they fought over this card etc.
I think they should change the “Standard” format. Get rid of it and change it entirely to something new where they change quarterly (as new expansions come out) what sets will be “Standard”. Meaning that next quarter they could make time spiral part of “Standard”. Otherwise you just end up accumulating cards that end up worthless in just over a year.
Here’s another PERFECT scenario as to why I cannot stand WotC and MTG sometimes. Let’s say you are a new player wanting to get into the game. You hear from some friends that Conflux just came out or even that Alara Reborn is coming at the end of the month. So you go down and purchase an “Intro Pack” because well that sounds like what you would purchase if you wanted to enter the game. So let’s look at this. Intro pack contents: (Bant on the March) = 41 CARDS + 1 Booster Pack. Ok so a STARTER COMES WITH 56 CARDS!!!!!!!!! Last time I read the rules (yesterday as well as 10 years ago when I first played the game… not counting portal rules) you need 60 cards to play!
Ok so just like on the forums many argued with me that Conflux/Shards/Shadowmoore are not “core” and are “expansions” and are not meant to be “Starter Sets”. Ok so then you say that the “Core Theme Decks” would be the starter right? WRONG, they contain only 40 cards + 15 in the booster pack! So again 55 does not equal 60. So as a “new player” I cannot simply buy my starter and head to FNM (which is supposed to be where you learn the game of magic in a casual atmosphere) and play because I’m a lousy 4 or 5 cards short (depending on what I purchased initially).
So how does WotC plan on getting casual gamers in the game if they cannot even provide them with enough cards to play. The BEST thing they had for the “casual” gamer was the portal series. You could buy a “starter” set that came with two pre-built decks that were “portal” legal (I think you only needed 40 cards(maybe 30) for portal) and in the instruction manual it even described about this was different rules but would get you into the game of magic and explained that there are differences like needing 60 cards minimum etc.
WotC is losing the younger crowd to “other” games and they need to realize this and possibly drastically change the rules and/or come out with a new game that uses some of the mechanics that other games do to combat some of the issues that new players don’t like that are not really needed anymore in CCGs.
I actually just saw a video with Richard Garfield (the creator of Magic) about how he wishes there weren’t 50$ cards and 1500$ cards and that the game could be more accessible. Icametogame.com I believe.
Anyway.. I agree with some of what you’re saying. The game is generally to expensive.. thats why I buy online.. or at my local shop that actually sells all packs for 2.50.
Its kindof like the old RPG Ultima online where they want to keep it hardcore for the installed base. But that just doesnt work. Your base grows up and doesnt buy your stuff anymore. Look at Nintendo or ANY OTHER CCG EVER. They all die if they don’;t go casual.
While this doesn’t solve or even address all of the issues you’re talking about, moving to more standard fantasy themes and makeing the game more casual/accessible might be the only way to keep a 20 year old CCG alive.
And just FYI.. most “new” players are not “standard” players. Thats pretty much the definition of casual is that you dont just play standard.
Just read your second comment
I do wish they could incorporate older cards more effectively. What I like is when they reprint old cards in new sets (core sets or even normal Expansions) so that you CAN use your old cards!
If extended were played more I would be happy but you’re right (at least on this point) that being able to play with your old cards (or not even that old!) would be nice.
I think you just need to get over standard if you dont like it and play casually with friends. You can still have some great competition.
Just a few things:
WotC needs to make money, it is fundamental to a business. I don’t always agree with their ‘twelve hotdogs, eight buns’ product, but it’s nothing new in gaming.
Just like any other activity/game, it takes a few bucks to get started. But the only people you should be ‘competing’ against are your friends/peers. Not the idea of some great netdeck out there. (Yes, if you want a tournament deck you need to spend $200, if you want a decent playable deck you can score that for $10.)
MTG is not a video game. There are different marketing techniques here. I play MTG to socialize and because I spend enough of my day staring at screens.
Ok about the whole cards are so expensive line. Obviously in order to make a good tournement deck you are going to need 200 plus, But then you are complaining about trading and buying single packs. If you are just starting magic you arnt going to be like.. wow.. i need to make the new black/white token deck…. wait it cost 350 plus. you buy a starter deck and have your friends help you out. Also you keep complaining about how the starter decks dont have enought cards to play in “fnm”. Well, if the local people you play fnm with dont let you play because you dont have enough cards they shouldbt be there…. because that is why the darn day was designated in the first place. So, out of this what do we have you say?
New players arnt going to play in the grand prix or pro tours so they really dont have to worry about spending a million dollars on magic cards,A.
B. If you are brand new to magic and you get 55 cards in a starter deck. Dont get mad. Just go to your local fnm, and if they dont let you play, forget them. Play with friends or find somewhere else to play. ITs not Magic the gathering or Wizards fault that they are jerks.
To, wizards
Great job…. You through me of on lorwen’s hardcore trible but you pulled it off. Good job. Keep on keepin on and i wish you luck in the long run
This is a very interesting convo going on here. I think Hallsie makes some valid points. I agree it is hard for a player to start the game and be able to play in standard format. I also agree, that the rules of magic are almost impossable for a beginner to understand.
On the other hand… How many players do you know, started magic, when nobody they knew played? I have never seen a Magic T.V advertisement. The fact is almost every player today started cause they knew people who played. So, practacaly nobody starts the game without the support and knowledge of senior players.
SC it’s very cheap to obtain a decent deck. Go buy a good amount of commans and uncommons and a couple of cheap rares and you are ready to play and learn the game.
I think Hallsie’s statement’s bear a good amount of valididy, but magic is not gonna die out anytime soon. They are always bringing out new and exciting things such as: Duel Decks, From the Vault series, Books, new sets and expansions, new card types, promotional release and pre-release events and more.
I think magic has come a long way. The game has much more to offer in the future
(please disregard my horrable spelling and punctuation. Im at work and i dont have time to check it)
I definately feel both sides of the arguement here and a few personal thoughts did come to mind.
i first learned to play magic when i was like 9 in boy scouts. i didnt know any of the proper rules and played with all sorts of variations like all mana down and what not. hell i didnt even know the value of individual cards and didnt take good care of my cards at the time when i bought my own first cards ice age was out. but the bottom line was, not knowing the real rules or anything like that… i had fun! at the time all the things people worry about for new plays didnt bug me. we played on camping trips in the dirt! and it was fun. As i moved around alot i phased out of paly for awhile… but then i moved to a town where people competed in tourniments at the mall… it wsas there i met good friends and mentors and learned the real rules and got somewhat competative. and again it was fun! and again after a while i phased out… now i play casually with older decks with old friends and on occasion buy some new cards… and still the game is fun! changes are not the end all be all and you dont have to spend 200$ just to get in. its gradual the important thing is that its fun!
plus why dont people trade for what they need anymore?
jsut a thought
i think that most of the complaints actually hinder the current player and not the new player, because i play casual. I proxy standard decks but i will not spend excess of 200$ to have a deck that is no longer legal in two years and now its a year which sucks even more, and even if it is legal, after one block it will be much too weak so its more like 200$ per block which is a lot. It is kind of like having to buy a new system for the same game, at least with games like wow you can always use the old versions but with magic it is a constant spend. i have spent excess of 200 on fat packs ect and i can still only make decent decks now imagine spending that and only having one real deck. i think the new core sets will make more casual players but a lot less hardcore players, which is unfortunate.
I think most of the complaints (all valid points) come from those who think new players are going to focus on being hard core players who only play to win.
I’ve been playing for around 8 years now and i still have not made a single Standard deck, I have too much fun taking the old and the new and making a great casual deck, and most of the people i play with play the same way (taking most from 6th edition back)
I think 2010 is a great step forward for MTG and that adding new cards ever year is great for the collectiabilty factor of MTG.
I agree with crash. I think people are over-reacting to the avaerage duelists desire for a standard, tournament worthy, deck.
We can all agree that competitive players and casual players are not really playing the same game.
Not to mention, many of the most popular tournament styles are limited and only require a few boosters and/or a tournament pack. About a $20 commitment plus you get to keep your cards.
Thanks Leaf and something else to add, many causal players go to drafts and for 15 or so a week they are going to get a good amount of cards plus a selection of rares, this is a great way to get your standard deck and get to play casually, and 15 dollars a week could really add up over time but its a better way to get cards and play than buying a 20$ single…
This change to MTG is terrible, and I will be leaving the game because of it.
They need to stop screwing with the core game. If they want to make it more accessible to idiots and players who don’t want to learn the rules, they need to bring back the Starter game or Basic editions and leave the EXPERT level game alone. I’ve invested thousands of dollars in MTG, and now they’re fudging me over. I quit.
The whiners sound the same as the whiners from 6th Edition. If you believe their claims the game is already dumbed down for kids. They also said it would kill Magic, which it obviously hasn’t. My prediction: The knee-jerk reactions will die off, very few people will actually quit (and most of those are just scared about being proven wrong), and most people will adapt and have fun as usual. In two or three years the general opinion will be that the changes were for the better after all.
I just started playing a year ago and got really into the fact that the cards you collect for their art, rarity, foil factor, flavor or fantasy role, and strength or srategic purpose of the card could also be used in your own deck to duel against others. I had never heard of a collectible card game until I heard Dario Mineri, an Italian poker player in the WSOP mention MTG during a short interview clip on ESPN. I googled MTG and was blown away because I never knew the collectible card game genre existed for so many years and how I had missed it(prolly cause I was doing too many drugs and because there was no internet). I then realized what Pokemon was really all about because that is the only card game I heard of but did not understand what it was all about. I think the points from both sides are put rather well; however, I would agree that the game is very complex and takes months if not years to really understand, especially if you are getting into it only a year ago like I did. So, I like the fact thay they are changing the rules of combat to make it a little easier to grasp, and I also like the fact that the core set will refresh itself every year. If you are competitive, yes, decks can be expensive to construct, and then after a year, they would no longer be any good wheather it be one reason or another, new expansions with stronger or countering cards, or rotation purposes. But I like the way FNM is set up with booster drafts: open a pack, choose a card, and pass to your left. That is a lot of fun and only costs like 15 bucks to get it and you can keep the cards. My only gripe with Magic, is that, too many of the cards are unplayable, and that is something I really never understood. A lot of the commons are so bad that no one would ever put it in a deck for a pro or grand prix tournament. That’s what I really don’t like. They make too many cards too often, and in one way keeps the game fresh, but in another way a lot of the cards are useless in any kind of play unless you are playing for fun at the kithen table. I feel that all the cards should have some spot in a tournamnet deck, all cards should have a weakness, and that is simply not the case. Some cards are too strong while others are so awful you would never use them in a competitive match. That’s what bothers me most, is that every card should have some “role” or “strength” or “strategic purpose” if you so choose. But some cards like Hill Giant are unplayable in a competitive role and that is really lame. All cards should have a role in a competitive deck. Look at the new block, some cards are straight up awful, so why even make it? Some cards are straight up too powerful, like wooly thoctar ( there are ‘prolly a lot more better examples, but you know what I mean), 3 different mana for a 5 6 or something. That’s my biggest issue, but I love the game and think it needs more tweaking, but this core set 2010 is a right move for now, for sure. Maybe in the next core set 2011, they will make all the cards a potential possibility in a deck. Anthony.
I’ve been in and out of Magic since Revised. I have to say that I have never been more excited for a set release before. I think 2010 is going to be a super sick set. I can totally understand what the Standard players are not happy about, but I have always been a Vintage player, so in that regard, cards never become “useless” to me. The only real concern to me is the secondary market on these cards. I have been around long enough to know that when sets phase out of Standard the prices of a lot of the cards drop dramatically (which is another reason why Standard blows). It’s actually amusing looking at the prices of some of the cards today and recalling what they were worth a long time ago. This actually works both ways too though, because some cards happen to be hot in Vintage at the moment and are worth way more then they used to be (Bazaar of Baghdad the best card in Arabian!? Lion’s Eye Diamond!? WTF!!). My strategy since coming back for the third time is to completely stay away from purchasing boosters, and just straight up buy the singles I want. As was just previously mentioned by Anthony, WoTC has the tendency to print what I call “filler cards” that are completely useless in any construction and are just there to fill the pack. Should I buy four boxes of [insert set here] at $320 dollars so I can get four of this and four of that and end up with a closet full of 40 copies each of useless cards and two binders full of crappy filler rares worth a quarter, or just buy the cards I want for $100? I hate the idea of mythic rares as well. Now I have to buy a case to get four copies of that card? I make proxy decks and rework them until I get to where I want the deck, and then buy the cards when I am comfortable with the construction. This works better when you have a friend or two to play with that do not mind using proxies (hello Black Lotus and P9!). The thing that is brilliant about M10 is first of all the dual lands, which are as close as you can get to the originals without completely pissing off the people who spent $40 for each of their original duals on the secondary market. The reprints of the planeswalkers (although mythic) and a crazy amount of great playable rares actually makes it worth buying packs of this set. I am seriously going to buy a few boxes of 2010 on the release date, because I am certain that a whole lot of the cards in this set will still find a home in Vintage and retain their value long after they phase out of Standard. Outside of the mythic rares, this set will not be the usual cash grab by WoTC. It will be a total refresher, the likes of which have not been seen since the Urza’s block. There will be a ton of cards worth playing and worth cash coming from this set, mark my words.
Okay, I guess I’m the noob these cards are targeted at. Magic sort of passed me by back in the day and when I eventually did consider it the sheer size and cost of the game made it a no-go. Then several months ago a friend taught me to play and we played several games one night and, except for that one night, that’s been it in my lifetime. We had mixed the cards we had up and just divided them in half, not sure if we even had 60, and in a few short games I had the rules down and enjoyed it.
Fast forward to now, a bunch of friends are getting together for a little vacation and I have decided to buy some Magic cards and bring them along. So, I do a little research…hmm, 10 editions, okay…something about rule changes for certain editions…and shortly I’m pretty tired of the whole thing.
Luckily I spotted an add or article for M10 before buying anything else and just waited for the release date. I purchased 3 of the “intro packs” and checked out the new rules right off, liked them, simple enough for everyone coming along on vacation to “get” quickly. (Not that the rules seemed hard before, but, I only had that handful of games under my belt so maybe there was more to it, dunno. I did notice that the “intro pack” with the 41 cards and 15 card booster only totaled 56 cards when 60 were recommended, so, we’re going to play with 56 card decks. I highly recommend making the change to 56 card decks because the intro pack has…56 cards. The decks of Magic cards we used the first time keep getting lost and resurfacing (currently missing) so playability with old editions isn’t a worry. I don’t think we’ll be purchasing any singles. If one gets beer soaked or falls off the table and into a floor vent we might just grab one of the 10 cent cards at the store and write over it, voila’, one Mythic Rare replaced for a few pennies, so the secondary market doesn’t really concern us.
So, since we have pick-up-and-go rules, and have eliminated the recommended deck count issue, the compatibility with older editions problem, and any care about buying or reselling card values, we’re just left with the fun.
-side note- One bummer is not being able to play at the local shop competitively due to cost, especially if you hate losing. It’s nice to go in once in a while though and find someone hanging around who’s willing to buy a starter/intro deck right there too and just go head-to-head all afternoon with those cards.
[...] start this off by reiterating my absolute adoration for Magic 2010. While my feelings pre-release were strong, my post-release opinion of the set is even more positive. I am particularly struck by the sheer [...]
Thanks for your support, this article is just great, especially for beginners.
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