Thanksgiving has arrived and that means a few traditions have too. Winter is almost here and it is time to see family and friends, enjoy some togetherness, and eat until you pass out. Also, if the group you share the Holiday with is anything like just about every other, one of the elder members will inevitably have one request. That everyone, in turn, tell the rest what they are thankful for. This cliche had held true at every Thanksgiving I have had since I was a toddler and I still get jealous when someone else takes the “I’m thankful for all of you” answer. Or as I call it, “not wanting to actually answer the question.” (Although I am probably just bitter because I became too old to use that answer about ten years ago. Now people expect an honest, meaningful response. Ugh.) In a literary sense, it has come my turn around the Gathering Magic table and I want to share the things about MTG I am thankful for in 2009.
well done wotc, well done
Everything Magic 2010 Did Right - And trust me, there was a lot to choose from. In no particular order here are the best things about M10: the rules changes, the return of classic cards, Baneslayer Angel, and more adherence to the typical fantasy flavor. When WotC released a 3500 word article on new changes to basic Magic rules our reaction as a fan base was mixed to put it lightly. At the time we here at Gathering Magic actually defended these new rules as a step towards a more intuitive and cleaner game. Not to mention more fun. Six months later the changes have all but been forgotten. And Magic is better for them. Duelists received a much more obvious reward when a few absolute historic cards were announced for the core set. Lightning Bolt alone would have been enough of a hook to grab many veteran players, but they added Duress, Ball Lightning, and Darksteel Colossus. Cards some players thought may never return. Lest we all think this set was purely a jab at our nostalgia Magic 2010 also gave birth to Baneslayer Angel. A creature so flat-out good that you could argue whether it was a Timmy card or a Spike card. And while you argue that, why not debate if it the greatest creature ever printed. After all it might be. Finally, the return to ‘classic’ fantasy for MTG was long over-due. No offense intended to Changeling/Kithkin/Boggart lovers everywhere.
what took so long?
Full Art Lands Available in a Real Expansion Set - Fantastic idea. Full art lands are visually better in every way to the crusty old school lands with giant skulls or trees smack in the middle of the text box. The way LB added to the appeal of M10, basic lands added to Zendikar. Draft tables no longer had piles of unused land waiting to be recycled or thrown out. Some of us bought fat-packs simply to make sure we had enough of each land type to fill out our decks. Of course the more you dwell on the greatness of these lands carrying some importance, the more one questions burns to the surface. What in the heck took so long?!? WotC removed all text from basic lands after the release of Portal in 1997 and that was about five years late. Even after the popularity of Unglued and Unhinged lands WotC still denied us. And now Mark Rosewater is telling us they were a one-time deal. A gimmick to fit with Zendikar’s land theme! Why!? Alright, I need to calm down before somebody gets smashed with a six-pound turkey leg.
A Fresh Breath of Mono-Colored Air - Much has been written in this space about the callous lack of respect for the color-pie displayed in 2008. Well allow a bit more. The Shadowmoor to Eventide to Shards of Alara to Conflux run meant no sets were released in 2008 without gold cards or hybrid mana. From the perspective of a person playing mostly casual and limited formats this was devastating. Drafting Alara? Good luck with that Rhox War Monk and Sprouting Thrinax combo. That was then and this is now. Zendikar (and of course M10) brought us back full circle with strictly mono-colored cards and it has been grand. No worries that my newly pulled Mythic can’t be played in any existing decks because none of them are Esper colors. It may not seem like much, but it has made a world of difference to some. Especially in formats where a mana-base isn’t quite so easy to fix.
the essence of cool
Sorin Markov, Planeswalker - What separates Sorin from his 2009 peers in planeswalking Nicol Bolas, Chandra Ablaze and Nissa Revane? A few things. First, the art is as cool as MTG cards get. Menacing vampires dressed in all black and looking ready to kick some serious butt are pretty much always awesome. Right Blade? Second, Sorin is the only walker of the four to hit every level of Magic play: casual, competitive, limited, multiplayer, EDH, etc. You name the format and chances are Sorin works pretty well within it. Third, the flavor of Sorin makes him the best candidate to be included in a future core set, maybe even M11. Unlike Nicol Bolas with his three colors or Nissa Revane with an ability that demands inclusion of another card (Nissa’s Chosen). Sorin will be bringing smiles to our faces for years.
Last but not least, I am thankful for a forum in which to discuss all these things. Gathering Magic is another child of 2009 and it could not have begun at a more perfect time. This was a big year for Magic. The core set brought about some of the most significant changes to gameplay in a decade. WotC continued to expand the Magic brand with new products like Divine vs Demonic, From the Vault: Exiled, Premium Decks: Slivers, Planechase, and Garruk vs Liliana. Alara Reborn produced one of the most dominant tournament builds in some time with Jund aggro. And Zendikar gave us priceless treasures to hunt along with the aforementioned lands. Pretty impressive and it was exciting to be following it all, and a priviledge to be writing about it too. For that I am most thankful.
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I remember the first time i played. When the magic & i where young. I played a diffrent game & i had not the money nor time for another love i watched from afar as fith came & went and longed for it finaly much older i again fell the spells surge & the magic flow. I am thankfull i dont have to stop having fun.
Wow, I hadn’t thought about Sorin being the black PW in M11. I’m not sure it’s too likely, though. I mean, his second ability doesn’t really make much sense without some “10 life matters” vampires around him, and the ones in Zendikar seem too setting-specific to go into a core set. But, it would be totally awesome, and there are still two more sets in the block, so here’s hoping!
Also, I’d love to see Elspeth replace Ajani in the core. Ajani has degenerated into a sorcery that sometimes has flashback, while Elspeth plays more like an actual planeswalker.
I agree that WotC painted themselves into corners with some of the recent Planewalker abilities. But I think setting a player’s life total up/down to ten is still useful.
I also totally agree with Elspeth over Ajani. Ajani is the least diverse Planeswalker in both his forms. Too bad, because he is a cool idea.
I actually tweeted about the possibility of Chandra Ablaze, New Jace, Sorin, Elspeth and Nissa making up the new M11 PWs. I was flamed because “Nissa/Sorin require other cards to work..” Uh huh.. like a 2/3 elf for 2 doesnt work in a core set? Or setting someone’s life to 10 doesnt work without Bloodgasts?.. wrong.
i Know without so many vampires sorin is more or less weak but i agree I would never thought Sorin being the PW in M11 it seems like every vampire i Know seems to need effects that require 10 or less life but i think for the kind of things i use a demon planeswalker would be so sweet but hey thats just me
Good article. I am thankful for the myriad of cards to choose from out of Zendikar that I think many have over looked as being good cards. Baneslayer? Just another toy for those white lovers. For the black/red in my blood (I have been black/red since the beginning of my playing time) I have to admit I have created a new deck, yes its true. Blue/Black/White with a splash of equipment. Yes M10 brought back the glory of equipment. Who can turn down a scope that lets you look at the top card of your library and if its a land, why not put it into play. Landfall? I believe another wizard has brought up this point in other columns. Splashing all colors with a little blue, why not? Blue is the coolest, but who really wants to admit they play it? Leaf I am thankful as well, I can’t wait to see what little secrets are behind the door to the next set and wish a fond farewell to Alara and her Multi-color existence, I have a feeling she will be missed by some and a good riddance for others. And hey Happy Thanksgiving good buddy and say hey to the guys for me.
A great year for MTG all-around…
I don’t know if Sorin and Nissa will see reprint in M11 but I do know Elspeth will not. She’s just too good. There’s a huge gap between her and the other Walkers outside of possibly Garruk. I think the higher costing Chandra Ablaze and Sorin will be the new standard. They’re still awesome but costly enough that they don’t screw your opponent too hard too early. Nissa being low-costing isnt such a huge issue in my opinion due to her being boltable and dealt with much easier than Elspeth, Sorin, Chandra, etc.
The idea was that a variation of Elspeth would be printed between now and M11 and would be reprinted in that core set. A lot of the rumors support an Elspeth variation.
Yes but WOTC claimed that they wouldn’t print a white PW in Zendikar because white’s PWs so far have been to powerful, so they must reprint Elspeth or reprint Ajani gold for the third time! They’ll have too print Chandra Ablaze, Sorin and Nissa because there are no other mono PW that haven’t been reprinted, and they’ll probably reprint Jace becuse Tezzeret only works with Atifacts. Unless of course they reprint the Alara PWs.
Personally, I wouldn’t consider Baneslayer one of the “good” things of M10 at Mythic. Too many factors contributed to a ridiculous overpricing of her. That makes me sad.
I have to agree with you. I hope Wizards never underestimates the value of the classic fantasy feel to the game. The full size lands are fantastic. I’ve been wondering if I should phase out my all foil lands for all Zendikar lands in my decks. The return to mono-color competitiveness was needed. I actually LOVE multi-color decks especially the hybrid mana cost cards. BUT this game can occasionally suffer from the painful feeling of being able to play NOTHING from your hand…wondering why in the world you didn’t mulligan. Mono-color is a staple of old-feel magic and something we should never deviate from for too long. Being able to have formats where multi- and mono- are both viable is crucial.
Lastly, badass vampire that can mess with both players life totals and has amazing synergy with his other vampires?? Well done, wizards. Well done.