Planechase

It's been awhile since I looked at different Magic formats (I should call them variants) . . . up today is Planechase.

In Planechase, each player brings a 60-card deck following normal construction rules (4 copies max of any non-basic-land card). The card pool can be whatever the players agree- standard, modern, casual, etc. Starting life is the same, too. The only difference: each player also has a 10-card 'planar' deck. Each card in that must be unique. These oversized cards represent planes featured throughout the years in Magic, and have an ability that affects all players (basically an enchantment) as well as a benefit if you roll the chaos symbol on the die (more on that in a moment). Example planar cards:

To start the game, the first player takes their top card of their planar deck and places it in the command zone. It affects all players. On a player's turn, they can (as a sorcery) roll the planar die, paying one generic mana more each time if they choose to try more than once. The result dictates what happens:

- Four sides are blank; no effect.

- One side has a planeswalker symbol. Roll that and the current plane is replaced by the topmost plane on the active player's planar deck (the replaced card goes to the bottom of its owner's planar deck)

- One side has a chaos symbol. Roll that and the chaos effect, printed on each planar card, triggers.

the planeswalker and chaos symbols

Planechase planar cards were originally released (four decks built for the format came with 10 planar cards each) in 2009. A follow-up, with new decks and planar cards, was published in 2012, and releases concluded with Planechase Anthology in 2016, which also came with four decks, but now 86 planar cards (some of which were 'phenomenon'- same concept, just different name), and the die.

It has been years since I played this variant, but I really enjoyed it. The planar cards add some craziness to the game, and their universal effects can result in hilarious situations. I picked up the set of 86 cards + die back in 2017, I think- then, it was very cheap to get those and forego the decks they came with (I think I paid $20). Today, just the set of planar cards will set you back $150, and that number at least doubles if you want the accompanying decks. So find a friend who has this and try it out if you can. Or write to Wizards and ask them to release it again. It's a fun experience.

Foiled Again and Overwhelmed

Incite Insight card art

The release of Double Masters 2022 features a new kind of foil for select cards: the textured foil (here are all 5 of those). This joins etched foils (which debuted with 86 cards in the previous set, Battle for Baldur's Gate, and is featured on 160 cards in Double Masters 2022) and 'regular' or traditional foils, which have been around (in booster packs) since 1999. When will it end? But foils aren't the only problem.

Between the explosion in number of releases per year and the new variations (both in foil types and card frames) within a given release, I have to ask . . . what is the goal? 

- We used to have 3-4 major releases per year. We had seven in 2021, and already have four in 2022- on pace for seven again this year. 

- Within a given release, it used to be simple to collect the cards: buy booster packs (there was only one kind) and maybe get a foil now and then. Almost all cards were 'normal' in frame and non-foil. Now, there are three types of boosters (draft, set, collector's)- sometimes more- and several types of frames, and (now) three types of foils. For some cards in a given set, you may be able to get the following versions:

- 'normal' (foil or non-foil)

- extended art (foil or non-foil) 

- borderless (foil or non-foil)

- showcase (foil or non-foil)

- an etched foil (featuring different frame)

- a textured foil (featuring different frame)

Not all of these are available in all sets- but the majority can be. Looking at these recent releases and counting foils, you could potentially have seven versions of a given card in one set. 

This explosion of releases and versions is accompanied, sadly, by a decrease in quality. I've had several problems in recent years- cards dirty or damaged in the package, cards of slightly different sizes or finishes, and the like.

I have to ask: is Wizards trying to glut the market? Testing the boundaries? Seeing how much people will buy or endure? On the one hand, I find this annoying. On the other, that is capitalism. So my advice (to myself and you) is simple: if it's too much for you (and it should be), don't buy. That is the clearest signal you can send to any business that is going too far. Send a message, either by not buying any of it or buying low numbers of those single cards you seek. As this point, there are 20,000+ unique Magic cards on the market. We have more than enough to build fun decks and have satisfying interactions for the rest of our lives. We don't need more. We want more- and that is okay, in moderation. But it isn't a need, so let's send a message. 

Framing the Future

As I said in a previous post, Magic has had three main card frames in its lifetime:

Frame 1 (1993-2003)            Frame 2 (2003-2014)            Frame 3 (2014-present)

Note that each has a run of about 10 years. We're coming up to that time again . . . so what does the future hold? The 2007 set, Future Sight, produced a futuristic frame that (mercifully) we haven't seen since (example below), so I don't think it is that. The answer, instead, may be in recent variants.

As I said in the aforementioned post, in 2019, Wizards made a major announcement about new frame treatments- more variants would be coming. And come they have! Each set since has featured a variety of variants- too many, in my opinion- but I'll focus on the two mainstays: extended art and borderless cards.

Extended art and borderless frames are the two treatments that have consistently been seen as variants in new releases. In Double Masters 2022, the borderless cards have swelled in number (78!) and feature astounding alternate art. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

Part of Magic's draw is the card art. These extended/borderless options bring the art to the fore without sacrificing readability of the card attributes and mechanics. I'm rooting for borderless to be the next primary frame, but that may be an unwise business decision (as these are chase cards today), so perhaps a more realistic hope is for extended art to take over. We shall see.

Deck Sculpting

Browse card art

Though there are several formats in Magic, you can be assured of one thing: in any given contest, you will see and cast only a small percentage of your deck's cards. From personal observation, my typical games last six or seven turns, meaning I will see 13-14 cards (the seven in my opening hand plus one drawn per turn), or ~25% of my 60-card deck. Following recommended deck building strategies, about 40% of your cards should be lands, meaning you will see only 8-9 of your deck's 36 spell cards and 5-6 of your lands. That's fine- if you have what you need. But how can you increase your odds of getting what you need, when you need it? Enter deck sculpting, the subject of today's post.

'Deck sculpting' means including spells or abilities that increase your odds of having the cards you need. Some ways to do this:

- Card draw spells or abilities. That's intuitive- the more cards you can access during the game, the greater the chance of hitting something you need. Cards like the below:

- Variations on card draw. Some spells or abilities allow you to draw and discard a card, or vice-versa. Though your hand remains the same quantitatively, you get more freedom to choose what is in that hand. See these examples:

- Selective filtering. There must be better terminology to use here, but whatever. There are a number of cards that allow you to look at the top [x] cards of your library, and choose a subset to keep (in your hand or put back on top of your library). Sometimes you must exile or put into the graveyard cards you do not choose, per the below examples.

- 'Scry N,' where N is a whole number. This is a specific (and common) type of selective filtering. Per the official rules:

701.18a To “scry N” means to look at the top N cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top of your library in any order.

- Search spells and abilities. The ultimate deck sculpting is going straight for what you need with spells or abilities like the below.

Any Magic veteran has had the agonizing experience of drawing a land when you needed a spell or vice-versa. "Top-decking" (drawing a needed card at the perfect time) is a great feeling but rare; increase your chances of success by adding deck sculpting cards to your mix.