[Question 12] Reprints?

[Nightmare]

From MattH:

"What single card that is not on the reserved list would you most want to see reprinted, and why?"

For your reference, the Official Reprint policy (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/products/ReprintPolicy).

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

I think the problem with naming one card is that ten candidate immediately jump to mind; Savannah, Taiga, Bayou, Tropical Island, Volcanic Island, Underground Sea, Tundra, Plateau, Scrublands, and Badlands.

I think that in the long term reprinting the dual lands will be necessary. They're not going to be going down in price, and the Ravnica lands are just sub-optimal. If they don't eventually reprint them in some limited and controlled fashion, they're going to make the format inaccessible.

[Sims]

Most of the cards that we would highly want reprinted are on the reserve list and out of the question.

Of cards that aren't reserved? Well they're mostly decently priced anyways and not that difficult to get for anyone with internet access, but I wouldn't mind seeing reprints in the vein of Stampeeding Serow. Different name, different creature (or spell) type, but functionally identical to some of the older cards that are harder to get just due to the sets that they're in. But the major problem with functional reprints is that it gives access to too much sometimes, but can be awesome other times.

To site examples, though ones that I don't feel are broken, but the Timeshifted slivers for instance. Having 8 Muscle Slivers really does wonders for your damage output and creature survivability, even if it does make you that much more susceptible to sweepers and mass removal. On the other hand, Plague Sliver is a functional reprint of Juzam Djinn (in non-sliver decks) but also doubles as a hate card in gaining other slivers powers and hurting the opponent sliver player. That, I feel, was an ingenious way to reprint a classic like Juzam and keep the feel and flavor of the creature intact while making it different enough to be somewhat useful.


More reprints like Serow or Plague Sliver would be awesome for a lot of cards that are on the reserved list, as I don't really think there is anything worth reprinting that's not easily accessible and isn't already on the reserve list. If this question were which cards on the list would I like to see reprinted in some manner, answer would be the original Duals above all other cards simply due to the fact, as Spat noted, that they aren't going down in price. They will eventually either be banned for cost in the vein of Illusionary Mask or make the format harder to access for players that didn't own them already/don't have the money to access them. A C-note for 4 cards may not seem like much to some people, but it can be a decent chunk of a paycheck to others. After the duals, I'd love to see cards like Moat or Maze of Ith reprinted.

[Tacosnape]

First of all, we're assuming some sort of special "Eternal only" set that doesn't affect Extended or Standard, else most of these reprints are a bad idea.

Secondly, to accurately answer this question, I think we need to take a look at some of the top staples for Legacy, and how accessible they are.

The Dual Lands (Reprint Necessity: Very High)
The Dual Lands are the staple for Legacy manabases everywhere. Other lands may fit the bill for certain decks, but most of the top decks in magic run these. Goblins runs them, Landstill runs them, Threshold runs them, Survival runs them, and even some combo decks over time have run them.

While they've been printed in more than one set, trying to get ahold of sets that were any earlier than Revised requires investments out of the price range of many Legacy players. Accessibility is a problem, also. In many markets, including Alabama, you can't -find- a set of duals to buy. A couple of collectors will often hold on to their 40 and not let them go for anything. This means you have to resort to the internet. Despite that all of us are internet savvy and most capable of buying cards online, many players for one reason or another are not. This can make finding the Duals quite difficult.

The Fetchlands (Reprint Necessity: High)
The Fetchlands are arguably a larger staple than the Duals themselves, as they provide mana stability, protection against land destruction, and a reshuffle effect, all at the price of 1 life and being vulnerable to the occasional Pithing Needle. Several mono-colored decks run these to support things like Brainstorm or Rotting Giant, and Fetchlands grew only stronger for decks packing recent beatsticks like Tarmogoyf and Jotun Grunt.

The Fetchlands are still attainable due to the fact that they're several years newer than their counterparts, the Dual Lands. However, the price of them, most notably Polluted Delta, has been steadily rising cards in the last couple years, and people are incredibly hesitant to part with them. Fetchlands are all but currency among the Legacy community, and the need to reprint them will only rise with time.

Force of Will (Reprint Necessity: Very High)
It's the granddaddy of all blue cards and easily one of the three most played nonland cards in Legacy. It keeps the entire format in check due to the fact that it can be played before you ever get a turn, meaning no combo deck or broken opening is faster than Force of Will.

Force's accessibility is fair. Not everyone plays blue, but anyone who does usually needs a set. They're generally a little easier to find than the Duals, though, but Force is arguably more important than half of the Duals.

Wasteland (Reprint Necessity: High)
The most bipolar card in Legacy, Wasteland goes through popularity upswings and downswings, but its function remains. It serves to punish players for playing too many powerful lands, whether it's Duals, Manlands, or whatever the case. Crucible and Loam have made it more of a staple than ever.

Finding it is less hard than it should be from its print timing due to the DCI foils that exist in addition to Tempest. However, this is another card that many Legacy communities don't have laying around and will have to gather from online.

Cabal Therapy, Duress (Reprint Necessity: Moderate, Low)
Therapy and its cousin Duress are the two biggest reasons to play Black in this format. Duress is still attainable due to being a common and having a reprint run in 7th edition. Therapy, however, is becoming quite a nuisance to get ahold of. Being uncommon and having DCI foils means there's still probably enough in circulation for the time being, though.

Swords to Plowshares (Reprint Necessity: Very Low)
Nobody's going to argue that this is the best white card in Legacy and one of the most played, and that it's a Legacy staple as much as Duress, Therapy, and Force.

However, STP has fortunately been in enough sets that finding a playset of either Revised, 4th, Ice Age, some random Box Set, or Coldsnap Precon Reprints isn't terribly hard.

Chalice of the Void (Reprint Necessity: Low)
Chalice of the Void has evolved into a Legacy staple, in everything from Chalice-based aggro decks, to Stax, to a generic anti-combo tool for decks that lack much combo disruption, to a crucial piece in various control decks. It's versatile, powerful, and something that every deck designer must keep in mind.

Chalice, however, is still relatively fresh in circulation, being out of Mirrodin. However, its staple status will begin to make them harder and harder to find over the coming year.

Pithing Needle, Tormod's Crypt (Already Reprinted)
Way to be on the ball, Wizards.

So there you have it. I've left out cards that are generally only used in one type of deck (Nantuko Shade, Survival of the Fittest, etc.) and have mostly focused on ones that find homes in several decks.

I think if I have to pick one, my pick is Force of Will. The reasoning for this is that while lack of Dual Lands will keep you from playing specific 2 or 3-color combinations, lack of Force of Will all but keeps you from playing blue. I feel that Legacy would benefit the most from more players having access to Force.

[Di]

First off, I'd like to note that the question reads, "What single card that is not on the reserved list", so that would rule out the idea of reprinting dual lands in the first place. Shame though, because it'd be great for the format.

Now, at first glance at the list, I see a glaring lack of Mana Drain. I find it strange why it isn't on there and yet there are so many bad cards on it, but I don't foresee Mana Drain being reprinting any time soon for obvious reasons.

On a more serious note, the more obvious candidates include Fetchlands, Force of Will, Goblin Lackey, Wasteland, and other high-end Legacy staples. Although these cards are easily obtained and relatively available, their prices will rise as time goes on. Seeing them reprinted would give a lot of newer players the chance at picking up these expensive cards. Goblin Lackey, an uncommon, is going upwards of $10, and being from saga makes it more difficult to obtain. For being one of the most played, if not the most played decks in the format, a card like Goblin Lackey would actually be among the hardest to get. Seeing this reprinted isn't such a bad idea. But the idea of it being banned is another issue altogether...

However, one card that gets glossed over a lot is Sea Drake. Its strength is really overshadowed by its rarity. Although the deck design is really prohibited due it's drawback, there are still a variety of options you can do with it. A 4/3 flyer for 3 is nuts, but not nuts enough to be worth like $40.

Otherwise pretty much all Legacy staples are either cheap or common/uncommon. Something like Swords to Plowshares or Pyroclasm, the best removal spells in the format, are worth almost nothing and incredibly easy to get.

[MattH]

FYI, here is the reserved list: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/products/ReprintPolicy

Wow, you guys really took this in a direction I wasn't expecting. I figured this would be a Sea Drake vs. Imperial Recruiter vs. Grim Tutor vs. Thunder Dragon portal-fest.

Even setting aside Portal, there are a number of hard-to-find cards not on the reserved list. Sinkhole, for one; perhaps more surprising, Berserk.

[Machinus]

Imperial Seal.

[Peter_Rotten]

I'd answer "Dual Lands" but that answer dodges the question - the duals are on the reserved list!

Personally, I'd love to see a reprint set like Chronicles II. When Chronicles was originally released, I had just started playing. As a casual kitchen table player then, I really loved playing with some old cards that I could never afford or would simply never see. I think a Chronicles II could spark some more interest in Vintage and Legacy. (Please note I've totally disregarded any dealer/collector/eBay concerns about prices).

So what cards to reprint that are not on the reserved list?

Staples - Classic
Force of Will. When building a blue deck, ppl automatically consider two cards - Brainstorm and FoW. FoWs cost about $20 each and, next to Duals, are probably considered the most basic Legacy staple. We need more in circulation. This, in my opinion, is the most needed reprint.

Goblin Lackey. These don't seem too difficult to obtain, but if we're reprinting cards, then why not reprint one of out most explosive critters?

Reset. Well, with the new wave of combo, Solidarity seems to be dead. But why not reprint this card and let the little kiddies play that deck and give us byes :wink:. JK.

Staples - New Classics
Should we see reprints of cards like Needle (I know it's in 10th), Jitte, Chalice, Mage, and Tarmo? I'm not sure about this one.

Big Money - Rarely Played
Beserk. The most abusive pump spell in the game has the price tag attached.

Moat. Big money for no reason. Put more in circulation please. (What!? You're on that reserved list too! WTF?)

Tabernacle - too bad it's on the reserved list. Grumble. This is getting harder.

Sinkhole. Let the masses play Red Death.

Would any of these cards see more play if the were more accessible?

Filler to reprint

Goblin Grenade, Hymn to Tourach, Dark Confidant, Survival (oops, on the list), Lightning Bolt, and Glacial Chasm.

Lastly, I'd like to say that CAngel's idea of "fuctional" reprints like Plague Sliver is a great one. But how could we functionally reprint something like Beserk without making it strictly worse?

[Ridiculous Hat]

I operate under the assumption that anything reprinted would be legal in the newer formats-- block, standard, extended, etc-- and that places yet another restriction on the potential candidates.

There are two reasons why I would want a card to be reprinted.

1) Price/Availability - this is the biggest one and the only one that matters to legacy.
2) Playability in modern formats - this is the biggest one that matters to the overall magic community and the main reason why a lot of cards have not been reprinted.

There is one card I can think of that is expensive, not dangerous to modern formats, and not on the reserved list. There is also one card that I can think of that is not expensive, not on the reserved list, and would be invaluable to modern formats.

Sea Drake - 3-toughness creatures tend to die a lot in the popular formats, and the card is expensive. I want more in circulation.
Brainstorm - This card is awesome and I want to play with it in extended and standard. Maybe we could get some sexy new art for it.

[TheInfamousBearAssassin]

I agree with Machinus. Imperial Seal is perfectly fair in non-Vintage formats, the only problem with it is the pricetag. Sea Drake as well, Imperial Recruiter... reprinting Ravages of War instead of Armageddon even makes sense, as it doesn't have an explicitly real-world reference in it's name.

Beyond the outrageously expensive Portal cards, there's shit like Portent, Hymn to Tourach, High Tide, etc., that need to be reprinted.

In the class of cards that are far too powerful to be reprinted in Extended/Standard but should still be reprinted to keep the Eternal formats going, we have the duals, Force, and to a lesser extent StP, which is creeping upwards but still not very expensive compared to any given Standard rare. I'm for just making these prizes, ala FNM; they could be given out to top 8's at Legacy PTQs or something. Or as the higher-end players rewards, ala the foily WoGs (except without accidentally overprinting them).

Alternately, they could release all the old sets eventually on MODO and then allow you to redeem them.

If they are going to reprint very expensive cards, however, I think that they should probably notify the players at least a year ahead of time. It's one thing when you know your investment is going to take a dive in a year or two (ala that playset of foil Dragonstorms), and another when your cards get suddenly tanked. If they don't want a repeat of Chronicles, just tread carefully and give players warning.