Time Spiral almost out. How many Boxes will you buy?

[Raatcharch]

I only buy boxes for my gaming club to draft with, so I don't buy boxes in the technical sense.

I just draft, and then trade for the cards I need.

[DeathwingZERO]

No, you misunderstand. I never said the reprinted cards wouldn't shoot up in value- obviously they will. I bought Shadowmages at 5$ immediately afterwards, and I'm sure Desert is going to creep up hugely from the 1-2$ it's still at by the time people remember how good that card is in a format full of creature combat. My point was that the reprints being so powerful weakens the value of all other cards in the pack- the Timeshifted cards are going to be far more format-defining than the actual Time Spiral cards. Last year's T2 was at a power level where cards like Pillory of the Sleepless and Ryusei, the Falling Star could be considered Tier 1. Cards like Looter il-Kor and Weatherseed Totem might've been strong enough to be played in a format at this power level. But bump it up to the level that that the Time-shifted cards move T2, and even more so Block Constructed, and they're overshadowed completely.

This is probably going to be true, for T2 at least. But I think that honestly was the point that Wizards was trying to do with this block, because I've heard nobody knows anything about the Timeshifted from the next sets, but rumor had it that there would be timeshifts from the past (Time Spiral), then present time (Planar Chaos), then future (Future Sight). Predictions are we're going to be seeing in Future Sight (set 3) cards that will be PRINTED a few years from now, as Timeshifts. That will be really interesting to find out if it's true, as right now it's just really extreme predictions.

As for the set itself vs the timeshifts, I think they actually did a really good job keeping a relative balance to the power levels. All the cards that seem to be the nuts in the 'Shifts could just as very well be good reprints for a Core set, with the execption of those that would be considered bad to reprint (Psionic Blast, Crypt, Cane...randomness like that).

[al the great]

QFT. 3 dollar foil Psionic Blasts are fuckin MINT!

Yea i agree. some of those foils if you crack open and get one.....it'll cover the booster box itself. This time the ratio is alot higher to get amazingly money cards. Hey i'm not complaining.

Anyways I'm getting a booster box a day early this morning so I'll let you guys know if i get good shiz.

[TheInfamousBearAssassin]

That will be really interesting to find out if it's true, as right now it's just really extreme predictions.

How wacky and exciting; seeing in print first a card that will be printed later.

Oh, wait, I think they've done that a few times. Like, when they successfully predicted that Birds of Paradise would some day be in Ravnica twelve years in advance.

[DeathwingZERO]

I don't think you understand the possibility this concept would bring to the table. IF this particular situation would come to be, it could very well be the first time that R&D actually would allow players to have a mechanic "ahead" of it's time to toy around with, basically using us as beta testers for things in the future sets. As stated before though, it's all based on speculation, but it wouldn't be something farfetched from what Wizards has done over the past few years. Now, as for the Birds example:

Birds of Paradise being in an expansion set after already being printed (and starting in) a core set was a complete fluke, even Rosewater stated that. It was pretty much down to a vote of monetary value and playability issues, and unfortunately for the Birds, it's not a "starter" level creature for green, at all.

Note that Birds of Paradise is the ONLY card to have seen regular print in an expansion set AFTER being printed initially in a core set, and was done so after it was already agreed to be put into an expansion to let Llanowar Elves and Utopia Tree (the much cheaper mana accelerants, money wise) to stay in the core game. The "core" editions were there strictly to enforce 2 things: consistency in the 2 "common" format's shifts in power levels between each color and interactions between blocks, and to also be inexpensive enough to allow a starter player on a tight budget to build into something that would allow them basic concepts of the game.

Now if you compare the two, Llanowar Elves fit into both, quite nicely. Green doesn't accelerate into any other color in any way equally as fast as it's own, and typically it doesn't have flying creatures, especially cost efficient ones. Utopia Tree covered the ability to splash multiple colors, which is what 9th was trying to do.

So now that logic has shot down why Birds went from a core set staple to a multi-colored theme expansion set, any other cards you'd like to share in that "a few times" statement? Cause in all honesty, next to the Birds, it's never happened up until this point. I'm interested in seeing if you've seen something I missed over the past 13 years.

[Vardaman]

Note that Birds of Paradise is the ONLY card to have seen regular print in an expansion set AFTER being printed initially in a core set

That's wrong but I see what you're saying. (Dark Ritual, Counterspell, Disenchant, Shatter, and these are ones that I'm pulling off the top of my head. I'm sure there are other "core set" cards reprinted in expansion sets.)

I have no idea how they're going to handle "future-prints" and it sounds kind of dumb.

[TheInfamousBearAssassin]

I don't think you understand the possibility this concept would bring to the table. IF this particular situation would come to be, it could very well be the first time that R&D actually would allow players to have a mechanic "ahead" of it's time to toy around with, basically using us as beta testers for things in the future sets.

Well, as has already been mentioned, you're completely wrong about the staple issue; much more so if you include cards that jumped from later expansions to core sets to later expansions like Shock and Creeping Mold.

Regarding this quote, I want you to explain how this would be different from Wizards letting us "toy around" with cycling as a "preview" in Urza's and the printing it "for real" in Onslaught, or Madness in Torment/Time Spiral.

Or Shock, Wood Elves, Volcanic Hammer, Ravenous Rats, Tidal Kraken, Elves of Deep Shadow, Triskelion, Befoul, or Eron the Relentless for that matter. Because it sounds like you're just saying things without understanding what they mean as you say them.

[Caboose]

I've hated all three of Deathwing's posts so far this thread. Having to read his posts is like having to listen to Rosie O'Donnell have sex.

As for boxes, I might buy one. When we draft, we play for rares, so I always swap out the hot rares for janky ones. For example, I cracked a foil Akroma last night, and since I suck at drafting, I swapped it out for the lame red guy that cant attack or block. If I buy a box, I can do that twelve times. Sounds like fun!

[swishandamiss]

I've hated all three of Deathwing's posts so far this thread. Having to read his posts is like having to listen to Rosie O'Donnell have sex.

As for boxes, I might buy one. When we draft, we play for rares, so I always swap out the hot rares for janky ones. For example, I cracked a foil Akroma last night, and since I suck at drafting, I swapped it out for the lame red guy that cant attack or block. If I buy a box, I can do that twelve times. Sounds like fun!

thats cheating otherwise the winner gets nothing man, u take the fun out of 2v2ing :(

[xsockmonkeyx]

Birds of Paradise being in an expansion set after already being printed (and starting in) a core set was a complete fluke, even Rosewater stated that. It was pretty much down to a vote of monetary value and playability issues, and unfortunately for the Birds, it's not a "starter" level creature for green, at all.

Note that Birds of Paradise is the ONLY card to have seen regular print in an expansion set AFTER being printed initially in a core set, and was done so after it was already agreed to be put into an expansion to let Llanowar Elves and Utopia Tree (the much cheaper mana accelerants, money wise) to stay in the core game. The "core" editions were there strictly to enforce 2 things: consistency in the 2 "common" format's shifts in power levels between each color and interactions between blocks, and to also be inexpensive enough to allow a starter player on a tight budget to build into something that would allow them basic concepts of the game.

White freaking Knight from Legions is another beta reprint. They do this shit all the time.

[SillyMetalGAT]

Cause in all honesty, next to the Birds, it's never happened up until this point. I'm interested in seeing if you've seen something I missed over the past 13 years.

Stone Rain FTL?

[mikekelley]

I've hated all three of Deathwing's posts so far this thread. Having to read his posts is like having to listen to Rosie O'Donnell have sex.

As for boxes, I might buy one. When we draft, we play for rares, so I always swap out the hot rares for janky ones. For example, I cracked a foil Akroma last night, and since I suck at drafting, I swapped it out for the lame red guy that cant attack or block. If I buy a box, I can do that twelve times. Sounds like fun!

I hope your collection is burned in a fire

[Caboose]

I hope your collection is burned in a fire

My collection consists of a UGW Threshold deck and a bunch of janky commons that have been in the presence of Mike Herbig.

[DeathwingZERO]

Well, as has already been mentioned, you're completely wrong about the staple issue; much more so if you include cards that jumped from later expansions to core sets to later expansions like Shock and Creeping Mold.

Regarding this quote, I want you to explain how this would be different from Wizards letting us "toy around" with cycling as a "preview" in Urza's and the printing it "for real" in Onslaught, or Madness in Torment/Time Spiral.

Or Shock, Wood Elves, Volcanic Hammer, Ravenous Rats, Tidal Kraken, Elves of Deep Shadow, Triskelion, Befoul, or Eron the Relentless for that matter. Because it sounds like you're just saying things without understanding what they mean as you say them.

So far I'm not, because as stated, I was referring to Birds as a rare. That's the main reason why it got so much hype when it did go to Ravnica, because 9th would lose it's biggest money card next to WoG. Of course commons and uncommons from Alpha would be reprinted in expansions, otherwise they wouldn't have been deemed "staples" in the first place. My bad on not doing a better explaination, I already figured it was wordy enough.

As for cycling, yes the mechanic came back in Onslaught. But it changed enough in it's cost and uses (Decree of Justice, Krosan Tusker for example) by having activated abilities or triggered ones added to them. Also, they modified the cycling costs of cards as well, from just 2 mana costs to colored uses. So rather than the mechanic seen just as a reprint, it actually changed the outlook of them to "uncounterable spells" in a lot of cases.

It also could very well be intended that they could have cards of the same "name" that would change. Example: printing a "current story" version of something legendary (as Time Spiral is considered a "past", pre-planeswalker of Teferi and such) in a set in a future expansion a few years from now, having different costs, abilities and effects, but having a "future" version of said legend in Future Sight, possibly more powerful, aptly naming the set for what it does. I don't think you understood that as what I intended as a possibility. The example of allowing us Keyworded abilities to mess around with would just be the simplest thing they could do, by no means is it the only one.

Edit: Oh, I did forget Sleight of Mind, which came back in IA, and Sengir Vampire, which was bumped from Uncommon to Rare, in a special case to fit into the Torment black "staple rare" slot they were trying to fill. Just thought I'd admit there actually was a rare reprinted other than Birds, just nobody cared about Sleight.

[Angel of Despair]

On the subject of buying boxes, I hope to at least get one. It's so much fun to open packs. I can hardly contain my excitement!

[DeathwingZERO]

Just for helping those who actually are looking for foils of the Timeshifted cards, they average about 1 1/2 to each foil rare per-box ratio. After opening about 60 boxes, I had 102 foil Timeshifts, to my 60 or so foil rares. It also appears that most of the Timeshifted foils follow the patterns of being printed/boxed in the rarity they last had (meaning I ended up seeing less of the "rare" cards than I did of the "common/uncommons" in ratios, much like as if they were printed as a part of an expansion set).

Also, the foil commons in the boxes tend to act more like "core" set foils, where you'll average between 2-4 foil basic lands instead of a healthy amount of foil commons. So expect to be shorted a couple of your commons and having lands in place of them if you're buying more than a box or two.

Just some info in case people are looking to put together foil sets or decksets of particular cards.

EDIT: Oh, and Drafting/Sealed Deck with this set is the nuts. All I can really say after seeing a friend draft, Cockatrice > Akroma