Quote Originally Posted by MaximumC View Post
Play Design Testing = Did you like how we've had tons of eternal playable in recent sets, and how sets have been awesome since we left the garbage can that was Theros? Well, screw you, because now we're going to make sure things are safe for Standard. I do not see a way in which this leads to less powerful and flexible effects. Kaladesh is going to join the pantheon of artifact sets with Urza (yes yes I know it was technically an enchantment-matters block but that was a stupid decision and I am going to ignore it) and Mirrodin, ushering us into a new era of Mercadian Masques and Kamigawa.
I disagree here on a number of fronts.

1) Many of the problem cards in current or recent Standards haven't been particularly overbearing in Legacy or Vintage. I'm thinking of things like Felidar Guardian or Emrakul, the Promised End, that lead to broken interactions in formats with poor answers but aren't anywhere close to breaking through Eternal's power floor. Conversely, cards like Fatal Push are often fine for Standard because their power level scales with the degeneracy of the environment. Cards that are incredibly efficient and explicitly care about raw efficiency make the transition without making waves; similarly, cards like Ad Nauseam, which thrive in busted environments but do fuck all in fair ones, are also safe to print. In fact, I'd say your biggest risk would stem from another Mental Misstep - a card explicitly designed and pushed for a format they don't regularly test - and not from filtering options for Standard.

2) The new one-set block models gives them the ability to be experimental without having to wallow in their mistakes for multiple sets. If they decide to give us a "Meanwhile, on New Phyrexia..." set that turns out to be busted beyond belief, they're not obligated to keep pumping out cards for it in "New Phyrexia II: Small Set Boogaloo". The new model lets them take more calculated risks because it lets them hedge better, and that's good for Eternal formats. Additionally, the return of Core Sets lets them print powerful but non-specific answers that are difficult from a flavor, space, or story perspective to slot into main sets (like Pithing Needle), which gives them additional safety valves.

3) More active B&R List management can shake up Eternal formats without having to crutch on new printings. We just had this with the loss of Top and the dethronement of Miracles. With their move to more frequent B&R announcements, they have more opportunities to actively cultivate their formats. Whether that's a good thing is itself debatable, but it's an option.