[M19] M19 Spoilers

[Bithlord]

From Blogatog:

cmbr021 asked: Seeing Mistcaller made me wonder: Is this effect (as last seen in Containment Priest and Hallowed Moonlight) now in blue's color pie in addition to white's or instead of?

We’re trying it in both.

Because, for fucks sake, why would we want an ability that blue doesn't have access to?

[Barook]

if mismanagement doesn't kill this game first, power creep like seen in this and other recent sets is going to kill it. this powercreep is insane, people are getting excited but if it continues like this this game will die in a decade or less.

This seems pretty tame in terms of power creep. They're also nerfing the everloving shit out of spells by recycling old ones and slapping at least +- - on the existing casting costs, so there's that. More answers seem always good as long as they're well designed (and not some Mental Misstep disaster).

As for the spirit, it seems pretty good. It's probably a low number main deck card (either 1 copy as Recruiter target or maybe even two) in D&T, unless it turns out to be amazing in actual gameplay. As a pure SB card, it seems to be too slow/low impact compared to existing GY hate options.

This and Goblin Chainwhirler pretty much put the nail in the coffin for any creature with toughness 1 for the standard season.

Completely forget about that. This is hilarious. Plague Mare still seems pretty good for other formats. With its body, it seems alot more playable than both Pontiff and Minister of Pain.

[Bithlord]

This seems pretty tame in terms of power creep. They're also nerfing the everloving shit out of spells by recycling old ones and slapping at least +- - on the existing casting costs, so there's that. More answers seem always good as long as they're well designed (and not some Mental Misstep disaster).

The power creep comes in the form of creatures, and spells is rolling backwards. Sometime in the last 10 years (i'm sure someone else can find an article confirming this, or giving a better date) WotC made a conscious decision to change magic from being spells with some creatures to being creatures with some spells. So, they rolled back the power level of spells dramatically. At the same time they ramped up the power level of creatures dramatically.

The net result is a standard / modern that is about the same power level, just shifted form spells to creatures. But... A legacy that goes off the chain, because the old powerful spells are still there, now matched with new powerful creatures.

[Fox]

I think the white 2/1 flyer is an attempt by R&D to impede Grixis Delver, both the Delver and the Gurmag portion. It's also quite good vs Czech.

[rufus]

...

Because, for fucks sake, why would we want an ability that blue doesn't have access to?

Maybe it started as an unsummon and they decided that wasn't 'fun' enough.

[Lemnear]

From Blogatog:

cmbr021 asked: Seeing Mistcaller made me wonder: Is this effect (as last seen in Containment Priest and Hallowed Moonlight) now in blue's color pie in addition to white's or instead of?

We’re trying it in both.

Because, for fucks sake, why would we want an ability that blue doesn't have access to?

Now imagine they would apply that to "card selection" and "library manipulation" in regards to other colors. lol

At this point I just wait for them to print a blue Swords to Plowshares and claim that the concept of "exile" and "removing from existance/reality" is part of the blue colorpie, pointing at Mindreaver, Grimoire thief, Selective Memory, Mindbreak Trap, Distant Memories, Misthollow Griffin, etc

[Fox]

Now imagine they would apply that to "card selection" and "library manipulation" in regards to other colors. lol

At this point I just wait for them to print a blue Swords to Plowshares and claim that the concept of "exile" and "removing from existance/reality" is part of the blue colorpie, pointing at Mindreaver, Grimoire thief, Selective Memory, Mindbreak Trap, Distant Memories, Misthollow Griffin, etc

Reality Shift, we're basically already there. Though to be fair, this card is more built for responding to SCM trigger targeting Brainstorm -> response to Brainstorm, manifest your Terminus.

[Bithlord]

Now imagine they would apply that to "card selection" and "library manipulation" in regards to other colors. lol

At this point I just wait for them to print a blue Swords to Plowshares and claim that the concept of "exile" and "removing from existance/reality" is part of the blue colorpie, pointing at Mindreaver, Grimoire thief, Selective Memory, Mindbreak Trap, Distant Memories, Misthollow Griffin, etc

It lacks exile, but Pongify is a thing. I remember ages ago I read an article about how R&D made a mistake in very early magic design of justifying black getting any ability, with a downside, because "sacrificing for an effect" was in blacks color pie. They are just doing the same thing for Blue now. They took away efficient counterspells (from standard), so they keep trying to give blue something to compensate.

It's just like creatures -- they decided that blue having the *best* evasion mechanic in the game, wasn't good enough because other colors had *more* evasion mechanics. So, they also gave blue unblockable, and protection from everything. So, now blue has all of the best evasion mechanics, instead of just one.

But, god forbid, another color get a weaker counterspell effect or cantrip. That would be stepping on blues toes.

[morgan_coke]

It lacks exile, but pongify ( https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/planar-chaos/pongify ) is a thing. I remember ages ago I read an article about how R&D made a mistake in very early magic design of justifying black getting any ability, with a downside, because "sacrificing for an effect" was in blacks color pie. They are just doing the same thing for Blue now. They took away efficient counterspells (from standard), so they keep trying to give blue something to compensate.

It's just like creatures -- they decided that blue having the *best* evasion mechanic in the game, wasn't good enough because other colors had *more* evasion mechanics. So, they also gave blue unblockable, and protection from everything. So, now blue has all of the best evasion mechanics, instead of just one.

But, god forbid, another color get a weaker counterspell effect or cantrip. That would be stepping on blues toes.

They almost manned up and printed a white Memory Lapse, but then they tacked on 1 to the cc. Censor could have been white very easily. Oath of Nissa and Ancient Stirrings and Adventerous Impulse are all really close to a green Ponder, but all miss the mark. They really just need to print G: pull a permanent from your top 3 cards. Boom, done.

[Bithlord]

They almost manned up and printed a white Memory Lapse, but then they tacked on 1 to the cc. Censor could have been white very easily. Oath of Nissa and Ancient Stirrings and Adventerous Impulse are all really close to a green Ponder, but all miss the mark. They really just need to print G: pull a permanent from your top 3 cards. Boom, done.

G: look at the top 3 cards of your library. You may reveal a permanent card among them. If you do, place the revealed card in your hand and shuffle your library. If you don't, return the 3 cards to the top of your library in any order and you may shuffle your deck.

Bam, Green flavored ponder. But, then we also need a few more variations on that in order to hit critical mass (and a free instant speed pitch based green combo hoser).

[H]

Amulet of Safekeeping 2
Artifact (Rare)
Whenever you become the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that opponent pays 1.
Creature tokens get -1/-0.
Whether it is magical, lucky, or merely old. It is cherished and that gives it power.

Wow, wizards really hates Storm. I don't blame them.

[Finn]

Amulet of Safekeeping 2
Artifact (Rare)
Whenever you become the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that opponent pays 1.
Creature tokens get -1/-0.
Whether it is magical, lucky, or merely old. It is cherished and that gives it power.

Wow, wizards really hates Storm. I don't blame them.

Yeah. I'm amazed how narrow and targeted that is.

[Bithlord]

Wow, wizards really hates Storm. I don't blame them.

I... kind of do. Storm isn't oppressive or devastating. I think the real issue is that WotC hates combo in all forms. If you win through some way other than turning your creatures sideways, they don't like it. I (personally) think that's bad for the game. But, obviously WotC doesn't.

[ReAnimator]

if mismanagement doesn't kill this game first, power creep like seen in this and other recent sets is going to kill it. this powercreep is insane, people are getting excited but if it continues like this this game will die in a decade or less.

Every new set discussion on the source:

1.
"OMG there is nothing playable in this set, Wotc only makes garbage now and it sucks we never get new cards, why don't they ever print new or interesting cards for legacy"

or

2.
"OMG there is something new and hideously powerful, Wotc keeps trying to ruin the game and power creep everything, i wish they would leave legacy alone"

[Dice_Box]

Or:

3. Wizards tried to golden gun something with a new printing and made the situation worse.

[BenBleiweiss]

Stops both Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens? Lavamancer & Young Pyromancer? IDK. It's a weird card.

[Megadeus]

Stops both Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens? Lavamancer & Young Pyromancer? IDK. It's a weird card.

Yeah screws storm over hard. I don't know if dazing all cabal therapy/hymns while making pyromancer tokens small is good enough, but it's not nothing.

[Jander78]

Amulet of Safekeeping 2
Artifact (Rare)
Whenever you become the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that opponent pays 1.
Creature tokens get -1/-0.
Whether it is magical, lucky, or merely old. It is cherished and that gives it power.

Wow, wizards really hates Storm. I don't blame them.

Does it really do enough to stop Legacy Storm decks? It seems like any other permanent hate they've had to bounce EOT (Chalice of the Void, Leyline of Sanctity, etc).

[Megadeus]

Does it really do enough to stop Legacy Storm decks? It seems like any other permanent hate they've had to bounce EOT (Chalice of the Void, Leyline of Sanctity, etc).

My thought too after further thought. Not stopping the set up means storm still just does it's thing and then kills you

[phonics]

Every new set discussion on the source:

1.
"OMG there is nothing playable in this set, Wotc only makes garbage now and it sucks we never get new cards, why don't they ever print new or interesting cards for legacy"

or

2.
"OMG there is something new and hideously powerful, Wotc keeps trying to ruin the game and power creep everything, i wish they would leave legacy alone"

I don't know if it is true, but it certainly feels like the only things they print that affect legacy are strong efficient cards (often blue, often creatures) that fit into the xerox shell, or hate for combo, both things generally make the format less diverse.