[State of the Art 2016] by Mark Rosewater

[Mr Miagi]

I'm sorry for the offtopic, but this forum, or better say some threads, or just putting it bluntly, individuals are getting toxic, and that does not benefit The Source (also turn people away from reading or participating in the forum).

But for the post to not be totally offtopic, I agree with what Lars and Dice said on this topic. Also to note that Maro's article is focused more on standard and limited, so I don't know why are you all going crazy. Wizards are making limited/T2 cards primarily. Legacy is just taking some of the cards of that pool. I'm down with that.

[Lemnear]

I'm sorry for the offtopic, but this forum, or better say some threads, or just putting it bluntly, individuals are getting toxic, and that does not benefit The Source (also turn people away from reading or participating in the forum).

But for the post to not be totally offtopic, I agree with what Lars and Dice said on this topic. Also to note that Maro's article is focused more on standard and limited, so I don't know why are you all going crazy. Wizards are making limited/T2 cards primarily. Legacy is just taking some of the cards of that pool. I'm down with that.

we argue on MaRos statements like...

- card complexity in standard/limited is "too high"
- that it needed 7 years of NWO to realize that their flood of keywords confuses player and was impossible to recognize earlier
- that Awaken is an instant classic of a mechanic
- that messing with the exile zone to turn it into another graveyard was good
- that putting Eldrazi into everything is amazing
- that Meld is a perfect mechanic
- etc.

... in a general context of where the game and design as a whole is heading. You are free to link the NWO to how the Eternal Formats evolved thanks to it

[LarsLeif]

I think NWO gets too much credit for every design decision that R&D deals with. NWO focuses mainly on moving complexity out of common and into higher rarities, and in some other ways just avoid having to make all cards at all rarities have Ice Cauldronesque smokings of text in their wording. Makes sense when you consider most of their audience are beginners.

Keywording stuff isn't an integral part of NWO, that change would probably have come anyways because it is just good design to indicate that abilities that have the same mechanic "feel and function" actually is the same mechanic. If two different cards have long rules texts and you are comparing them, they might seem to work the same way but it's harder to tell just by reading the rules text. But if they both suddenly have the keyword Morph, well, now you now they should mechanically work the same - it just reduces cognitive load. However, as MaRo says, the lessons is that it could also increase it if used on all possible things e.g Devoid etc. As Dieter Rams wisely put it, good design is as little design as possible.

[Echelon]

One decision I never understood was to have keyword abilities with the text of the ability behind it every single time to explain what the ability does (not just as reminder text). That beats the purpose of a keyword ability - just give the damn card a certain ability without putting that stupid keyword in front of it. People'd understand the card all the same and wouldn't have to be bothered with remembering another keyword.

[Julian23]

What Echelon said. There's tons of "keywords" that don't mean anything except for that the card's mechanic is related to a certain theme.

Like Chroma, Battalion, Fateful hour, Ferocious, Sweep and all the others. I want my keyword abilities to stand on their own. Otherwise they're mostly just a waste of text. Some can make the card feel more flavorful, but I feel most of the time they don't.

[Lemnear]

Come on, if you create keywords for 7-11 cards only before they are forgotten, you have to print the Full ability text, because no one fuckin remembers every random, fringe keyword WotC comes up with

[Zombie]

What Echelon said. There's tons of "keywords" that don't mean anything except for that the card's mechanic is related to a certain theme.

Like Chroma, Battalion, Fateful hour, Ferocious, Sweep and all the others. I want my keyword abilities to stand on their own. Otherwise they're mostly just a waste of text. Some can make the card feel more flavorful, but I feel most of the time they don't.

Come on, if you create keywords for 7-11 cards only before they are forgotten, you have to print the Full ability text, because no one fuckin remembers every random, fringe keyword WotC comes up with

The reason WotC cites is that people apparently can't spot themes on cards without a note saying "btw, this is a theme." They literally get complaints that there's nothing in the sets without tagging mechanics as such.

I weep for humanity.

[Julian23]

If Urza's Legacy was reprinted today, Rancor, Brilliant Halo and the other "return-upon-death" enchantments would probably also have a keyword. Like "Constant Renewal — When ~ is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return ~ to its owner's hand."

[Lemnear]

Why isn't Cantrip - Draw a Card already a keyword printed on Preordain, Wall of Blossoms, Ponder, etc. yet?

[LarsLeif]

I agree with you points, but it's tough because their users vary a lot. As stated - yes there are actually people complaining that they don't get the theme when R&D don't include them.

Regarding the combo of Keywords and the ability text it mainly comes down taking the perspective of the standard user (rookies if you will). To do this - ask the following questions:

1. Is the keyword evergreen?

2. Is it a recent or brand new keyword?

3. Is the mechanic it conveys complicated?

The answers to these types of questions will lead you to the answer of why they sometimes include both, and why they sometimes don't. Evergreen keywords like Flying, First Strike and Trample are so common and so integral to the game that they do not require any explanation. Prowess on the other hand is also an Evergreen keyword - but it is newer and therefore also has the reminder text written out. In the future, Prowess will probably not have that, but as it is still recent - it does. This journey of evergreen keywords has already been undertaken by other keywords. Vigilance for example started out as a non-keyword ability, then got a keyword + reminder text, and now it is only Vigilance.

Regarding brand new keywords for non evergreen mechanics - having both the keyword and the reminder text lets the user both more easily understand that they are in fact looking at the same mechanic ("Oh, this card has Manifest, and so does that card - they must work the same!") without having to verify they are looking at the same mechanic by reading the rules text closely. But the keyword of course also has to be explained if it is a new mechanic and therefore it also gets the accompanying rules text.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to convey here - the decision of Keyword + Rules text is by no means random or "just because there is room".

[Cliq]

My bad for commenting FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE in a LEGACY FORUM instead of a Standard/Limited/Draft one. In a world where printing Prelate for 3cc is fine but 3cc counterspells are the design-norm due to NWO, its clear why non-creature cards have a tough time sinking into Legacy grounds

From the last few sets we have Dark Petition, K command, Murderous Cut/TCruise/Dig, Councils Judgement, Invasive Surgery, Swan Song, new Daretti & old Daretti, and new Gideon (ok fine, he's practically a creature).

What do you think happens to the meta when we get a bunch of counterspells on the power level of Daze printed in standard sets all of a sudden? Hint: it's not going to be fun. The truth is we get a few playable spells every set, and that's fine. In an ideal world I'd like to see more new archetypes, stuff like Serra's Sanctum, but what we've got is way better than a new treasure cruise every set.

Anyway, I think his assessment is valid, with the exception of the story. I wonder if their market research team is dropping the ball there and giving them bad info. The story sucks. But, limited has been great and he addressed everything that went wrong with the sets and even some things i wouldn't have thought of, like the excessive keywords.

[Barook]

Anyway, I think his assessment is valid, with the exception of the story. I wonder if their market research team is dropping the ball there and giving them bad info. The story sucks. But, limited has been great and he addressed everything that went wrong with the sets and even some things i wouldn't have thought of, like the excessive keywords.

Given the "quality" people WotC attracts with their below industry standards wage, I wouldn't be suprised if the people at their marketing research also suck. Remember - if it isn't R&D, it sucks. That's basically the mantra of all Ex-WotC employees on glassdoorreviews.

Let's be honest, their primary target group are ~13 year old boys, but I do wonder if the badly written adventures of the Jacetice League isn't too dumb even for them. Emrakul trapping herself in the moon for unknown reasons was an OK-twist, but "Chandra's Eldrazi BBQ Party" was unforgivable.

[Lemnear]

From the last few sets we have Dark Petition, K command, Murderous Cut/TCruise/Dig, Councils Judgement, Invasive Surgery, Swan Song, new Daretti & old Daretti, and new Gideon (ok fine, he's practically a creature).

What do you think happens to the meta when we get a bunch of counterspells on the power level of Daze printed in standard sets all of a sudden? Hint: it's not going to be fun. The truth is we get a few playable spells every set, and that's fine. In an ideal world I'd like to see more new archetypes, stuff like Serra's Sanctum, but what we've got is way better than a new treasure cruise every set.

Anyway, I think his assessment is valid, with the exception of the story. I wonder if their market research team is dropping the ball there and giving them bad info. The story sucks. But, limited has been great and he addressed everything that went wrong with the sets and even some things i wouldn't have thought of, like the excessive keywords.

I dunno if I can take you serious if you are that desperate to come up with Daretti, Song and Surgery. I tell you what would happen with Daze in standard: Nothing. Simply because the deck don't operate on one-land-hands like in Legacy. Treasure Cruise & Dg through time broken on first sight. That shit didn't require even playtesting to see that imo

[TsumiBand]

Why isn't Cantrip - Draw a Card already a keyword printed on Preordain, Wall of Blossoms, Ponder, etc. yet?

They should really just evergreen that shit, right

[PirateKing]

Or do you wish they make great stuff like rampage/bushido again?

Keywords like Bushido always get picked on, but I appreciate when they give keywords variables that don't cap the power level potential.
Devour got printed originally with 1 and 2, then a single 3, but it gave them the room to print Thromok the Insatiable as a real twist to the mechanic.
So when they print Megamorph with the 1 baked in, it just limited from the onset.

[Begle1]

My thoughts on the article:

Less emphasis on more and more mechanics should be a good thing. For years he has talked more about "mechanics" than individual cards; there's so many times he talks about how market research says a mechanic sucks when I think it'd be different if only all the cards with the mechanic didn't suck. Like, if Converge was more playable and on better/ funner cards, maybe it would have been better received? I think they've spent more time coming up with mechanics and then wondering how to use them than crafting good single "lenticular" cards. The game would improve if they ask "what cards enable this color to beat this situation?" rather than "what awesome mechanic can we print to make awesome?"

He admits Battle for Zendikar was a cluster. It totally was. My wife is a newer player and she usually enjoys Magic, but BfZ was very weird. And then the Oath came out and was also really weird, but the two weirds didn't complement each other. It was very jarring, didn't attract many new players. She didn't like drafting it and neither did I. Khans was complex too, but in the right way; the options it gave you played into coherent strategies. Shadows is okay, better than BfZ but worse than Khans. I think he called things correctly, that's good.

He didn't say "players like the stories"; his metric of success was "players are aware of the stories". I think story telling (and art) peaked in Mirage and Visions, when the cards all talked about these general abstract mysterious things and let the players fill in the blanks and figure it out. Fallen Empires, Homelands, Ice Age; they didn't tell the story, they just referenced it a ton and it gave an impression of what was going on. They saved money and made things better by having players fill in the blanks. They can't be farther from that, they're trying now to make things as obvious as possible. Their decision.

[Lemnear]

They should really just evergreen that shit, right

Or Loot X - Target player draws X cards and then discards X cards afterwards

My thoughts on the article:

Less emphasis on more and more mechanics should be a good thing. For years he has talked more about "mechanics" than individual cards; there's so many times he talks about how market research says a mechanic sucks when I think it'd be different if only all the cards with the mechanic didn't suck. Like, if Converge was more playable and on better/ funner cards, maybe it would have been better received? I think they've spent more time coming up with mechanics and then wondering how to use them than crafting good single "lenticular" cards. The game would improve if they ask "what cards enable this color to beat this situation?" rather than "what awesome mechanic can we print to make awesome?"

He admits Battle for Zendikar was a cluster. It totally was. My wife is a newer player and she usually enjoys Magic, but BfZ was very weird. And then the Oath came out and was also really weird, but the two weirds didn't complement each other. It was very jarring, didn't attract many new players. She didn't like drafting it and neither did I. Khans was complex too, but in the right way; the options it gave you played into coherent strategies. Shadows is okay, better than BfZ but worse than Khans. I think he called things correctly, that's good.

He didn't say "players like the stories"; his metric of success was "players are aware of the stories". I think story telling (and art) peaked in Mirage and Visions, when the cards all talked about these general abstract mysterious things and let the players fill in the blanks and figure it out. Fallen Empires, Homelands, Ice Age; they didn't tell the story, they just referenced it a ton and it gave an impression of what was going on. They saved money and made things better by having players fill in the blanks. They can't be farther from that, they're trying now to make things as obvious as possible. Their decision.

Tbh the last time Card artwork and card names across an expansion really told a story was during Urzas Saga. I wonder if its possible these days to arrange the cards of an expansion to tell the story basically in a comic strip like it was possible back then

[Ace/Homebrew]

I wonder if its possible these days to arrange the cards of an expansion to tell the story basically in a comic strip like it was possible back then

I think the real question is if the story is worth reading...

[Lemnear]

Never noticed that Bounds of Mortality and Fall of the Titans had Copy&Paste artworks

[Echelon]

The reason WotC cites is that people apparently can't spot themes on cards without a note saying "btw, this is a theme." They literally get complaints that there's nothing in the sets without tagging mechanics as such.

I weep for humanity.

Yeah, same here. 13 year old me was perfectly capable of picking up on those themes (even those as awesome as having all your lands tapped, during Prophecy) and I'm not even a native speaker of English. Where did it start going south? You know what the point is with complaints - you don't need to act on every complaint you get. If you do, you just keep running around in circles. "We want keywords" (throw in BS keywords), "we only want real keywords" (skip on BS keywords), "we want more keywords" (go back to throwing in BS keywords) and so on and so on. You need to address complaints, sure, but that can also mean you just explain why you did or didn't do something rather than try to fulfill every desire voiced.

Keywords that ticked me off were Landfall and Constellation (and other such abilities). Those are just triggered abilities with a word in front of them to point out when they're triggered. We don't need WotC to point out to us that something is a triggered ability, dammit. We know how to play Magic (or are willing to learn), we're not Muggles! What's next? Upkeepism - At the beginning of your upkeep yada yada? Dammit-I-died - Whenever X is put into your graveyard from the battlefield yada yada?