From a Certain Point of View

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When a new Magic set is previewed, the Internet explodes with reviews.  And why not? It's fun to speculate on which cards and strategies will be the dominant ones.  But if you look closely, you'll notice that such reviews are always looking at a set from a certain point of view- in other words, they focus on a certain way to play Magic and tailor the review towards that format. Specifically, you'll find reviews that analyze a set:

• looking at how it will affect Constructed formats (like Standard, Pioneer, or Modern)
• judging the common cards it contains for Pauper
• gauging cards for how they may change Commander
• speculating on a card's worth in Limited environments

For Core 2021, for example, here are some reviews from these different perspectives:

• Constructed (the link is for green cards, but you can follow the other links on that page for the other colors)
• Pauper
• Commander
• Limited

If you look at any of these links, you may notice something: a card's playworthiness can vary greatly based on format. A good Limited card may be horrible in Constructed formats; something that will blow up Pauper won't see play in Commander.   It's a good reminder of a few things:

• Magic is an amazingly flexible game experience. Try all the options- you may find you greatly prefer one format to others, or just enjoy sampling the variety.
• Every card has a place . . . somewhere. In some format, it will provide value.
• We all have bias. Our initial judgment of a card is likely based on our preferred format.  Know the lens(es) through which you analyze a set.
• Wizards has a hard job. They strive to satisfy a variety of customers with every set they release, looking for balance and fun in multiple formats. It's hard enough to achieve this in one format; I can't imagine getting it right in all.  

Next time you see a set preview, try looking at it from different angles- you may be surprised what you find.