Farewell, Core 2021

Today is part 4 (of 4) of my look at sets departing standard, looking at Core 2021 (M21). Released in July 2020, this core set featured themes of +1/+1 counters, "flying matters," and dogs as a new tribe.

Favorites
I like core sets in general, and M21 was no different. I could have featured more than the five below:

Teferi was the basis of my mill deck. Vito is outstanding in vampire decks (or Orzhov lifegain ones). Terror was a great red card, and Gargaroth and great green. Conclave Mentor was fun in +1/+1 counter decks.

Good Riddance

There's just one here.

I don't like planeswalkers in general, and Ugin's abilities were especially annoying (and usually game-ending).

Final Thoughts

It was fun to see dogs get their tribe in M21, and I'm sad that we didn't get a core set this year. Bye, M21- I hope more core sets are coming soon.

Farewell, Ikoria

Today is part 3 of my look at sets departing standard, looking at Ikoria (IKO). Released in April 2020, this was the first set in the pandemic, and (I suspect) suffered as a result. IKO drew inspiration from lore of gigantic Japanese monsters; its mechanics featured 'mutate' and cycling.

Favorites

As with TBD, I didn't have a ton of cards I enjoyed in this one.

The Octopus was nice for card draw. Heartless Act is a great removal spell. Fire Prophecy is, too, and has some deck sculpting to boot. Kogla's 'enter the battlefield' ability is fun, and Zenith Flare was a staple of cycle decks.

Good Riddance

While there weren't many cards that annoyed me, those that did annoyed me a lot.

Winota caused a lot of problems, and the companions (especially Lurrus and Yorion) showed up frequently, even after the rules modification slowed them down a bit. Yorion in particular made 80+-card decks a common sight, and was extremely frustrating to play against.

Final Thoughts

I didn't care for this set. The mutate mechanic led to complexities (in paper; online was fine). Cycling was fun but a one-trick pony. The companions were annoying. I'm glad this set is rotating.

Farewell, Theros Beyond Death

Today is part 2 of my look at sets departing standard, looking at Theros Beyond Death (TBD). Released in January 2020, this was the last set in our pre-pandemic world. TBD drew inspiration from Greek mythology, returning to the world laid out in 2013's Theros block. Its mechanics featured enchantments and escaping from the graveyard (underworld in Greek lore).

Favorites

Yesterday, I had problems choosing only five Eldraine cards to feature here. Today, I struggled coming up with five TBD cards I really care about.

Banishing Light was a solid removal card; I loved Nadir Kraken but never got it to work. Gray Merchant was fun in a black devotion deck, and Setessan Champion made enchantment decks viable.

Good Riddance

It was easier finding cards for this category.

Alseid was okay but so annoying in the protection it offered others. Thassa frustrated me in bounce decks. Elspeth's was a control spell I grew to disdain. And Kroxa, Polukranos, and Uro used TBD's 'graveyard' mechanics to be super-annoying. (Uro would later be banned.) 

Final Thoughts

Overall, I'm ambivalent towards this set. I'd categorize it as 'underwhelming' or 'forgettable.' I'm neither thrilled nor sad to see it go.

Farewell, Throne of Eldraine

current and future standard- image from here

It's that time again. If you follow standard, you know that September is 'rotation month'- when the 4 oldest sets in standard rotate out of the format. The cards can still be used, of course, in other formats (modern, pioneer, commander, etc.) or casually. But since they're leaving standard, prices for single cards will drop (in most cases) as players seek to update their favorite decks for the format. This month, I'll look at each set that's leaving, lamenting the cards I'll miss or celebrating the ones I won't. First up: Throne of Eldraine (ELD).

Released in September 2019, Eldraine was a nod to Arthurian lore and Grimm's Fairy Tales. I was very excited for this set based on this theme. And I wasn't disappointed- the theme was great, the mechanics were fun, and the cards were powerful- overly so, in fact (many Eldraine cards are still heavily featured in standard-legal decks, even after seven subsequent sets became legal in the format).

Favorites

Here are five of my favorite cards; listing them all would take forever, so I chose one from each color.

Knights were a fun theme, appearing most often in white, black, and red. Worthy Knight was a great inclusion in a white knight deck. Into the Story was a staple for mill decks. Rankle was aptly named as "Master of Pranks," with fun options when he dealt combat damage. Bonecrusher Giant still enjoys frequent standard play, and The Great Henge was a killer, granting mana, life gain, and card draw all in one card.

Good Riddance

This one was harder. I found Midnight Clock and Doom Foretold annoying, because their presence signified a control deck that made games take forever. Cauldron Familiar was a key cog in a 'ping' deck until its ban. Claim the Firstborn generally meant my creatures would attack me, then be sacrificed to my opponent's gain. And Embercleave is a great card in Commander but super-annoying in standard play; it generally meant guaranteed win.

Overall

Eldraine was a great set that delivered on many fronts. It was too powerful, so I am interested to see what standard looks like after this set rotates.

Set vs. Draft Booster Packs

 

For Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, I took a new collecting approach. As mentioned a few months ago, there are now many different types of Magic packs, which is confusing. Draft boosters were the staple for decades, but now we have set, theme, and collector boosters as well. How does one approach this?

It depends, of course, on what you want. The idea behind set boosters, as the name implies, is that this type of pack is better for those interested in collecting the set- which is generally my interest. It has (proportionately) more uncommons, rares, and mythic rares than draft boosters. In the past, I'd buy a draft booster box and generally end up with playset (4 copies) of the commons, but ~100 uncommons (about 25% of the way to a playset of those) and ~36 rares & mythics (nowhere near a playset). If you buy more packs, you accumulate so many extra commons. For AFR, I decided to go with a set booster box instead. How did I fare?

Well, it turns out. The set booster is appropriately named. I ended up buying two set booster boxes, and was very pleased with the percentage of playsets I ended up with across commons and uncommons (I have this data somewhere- I think- and will add it to this post when I find it). I got a healthy chunk of rares and mythics, too (even a playset of one mythic card). In short, I'm now on-board with set boosters. Theme and collector boosters, not so much.

Draft boosters will, I suspect, continue to be the mainstay of Magic- and rightfully so. Drafting is a really fun experience. But these set boosters are also a nice option for those uninterested in drafting.

Thoughts on AFR

The latest Magic set, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, has been out for two weeks now (digitally; one week in paper). This highly anticipated set is a crossover, incorporating elements from Dungeons & Dragons RPG (also a Wizards of the Coast product) into the world of Magic. I've never played the RPG, but I'm loving the set so far. Here's why:

• It's fun to play. This is ultimately the measure of any set: is it fun? And the answer, here, is a resounding 'yes.' I was disappointed in Strixhaven and underwhelmed or annoyed by several recent releases; this set makes Magic fun again.
• It has 42 legendary cards. I really like those in general, giving lots of options in commander and other formats.
• It has 19 "choose one" cards. Meaningful choices is what makes games fun and challenging. In Magic, there is a great deal of choice in both deck construction and execution; in this set, a third 'layer' is added by these modal cards that allow you to choose between one of two effects.
• The theme works. DnD's fantasy world is a natural fit for the Magic mechanics. And I love the ability words they've added to many cards (like the 'choose one' cards previously mentioned). 
• For the unfamiliar, "An ability word appears in italics at the beginning of some abilities. Ability words are similar to keywords in that they tie together cards that have similar functionality, but they have no special rules meaning and no individual entries in the Comprehensive Rules." (comprehensive rules, 207.2c). See the example card below: Journey On and Make Camp are ability words that have no special rules, but give some flavor to the card. 
• In this set, ability words give Magic a 'choose your own adventure' feel- just like a RPG. Adding so many ability words to this set is something they've never done before. Generally, a set will have one or two ability words that tie together cards with similar functionality (see above quote). Here, I count 35 or more. No bearing on game play, but it adds some flavor and fun.

Overall, this is a fun experience. Check it out.

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Sealed

A new Magic set is out! Adventures in the Forgotten Realms brings the characters from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic, and I'm thrilled. I've never played DnD, but it seems the perfect crossover. Anyway, Arena is running its typical sealed event. I participated three times.

Deck 1: 3-3

I ran a blue/black deck that worked reasonably well. 

1 The Deck of Many Things (AFR) 241

1 Spiked Pit Trap (AFR) 251

2 Evolving Wilds (AFR) 256

1 Krydle of Baldur's Gate (AFR) 226

6 Swamp (AFR) 273

7 Island (AFR) 269

2 Pixie Guide (AFR) 66

1 Shocking Grasp (AFR) 72

2 Charmed Sleep (AFR) 50

1 Air-Cult Elemental (AFR) 45

1 Rimeshield Frost Giant (AFR) 69

1 Shortcut Seeker (AFR) 73

2 Contact Other Plane (AFR) 52

1 You Find the Villains' Lair (AFR) 84

1 Scion of Stygia (AFR) 70

1 Shambling Ghast (AFR) 119

1 Forsworn Paladin (AFR) 104

1 Fates' Reversal (AFR) 102

1 Vampire Spawn (AFR) 123

1 Manticore (AFR) 113

1 Yuan-Ti Fang-Blade (AFR) 128

1 Demogorgon's Clutches (AFR) 96

1 Black Dragon (AFR) 90

1 Baleful Beholder (AFR) 89

1 Herald of Hadar (AFR) 108

Deck 2: 4-3

I ran another blue/black deck. I wanted to explore other colors, but it didn't make sense based on my packs. This one also went well.

1 Evolving Wilds (AFR) 256

2 Spiked Pit Trap (AFR) 251

8 Island (AFR) 269

7 Swamp (AFR) 273

1 Black Dragon (AFR) 90

1 Zombie Ogre (AFR) 129

1 Drider (AFR) 98

1 Manticore (AFR) 113

1 Gelatinous Cube (AFR) 105

1 Demogorgon's Clutches (AFR) 96

1 Precipitous Drop (AFR) 115

1 Skullport Merchant (AFR) 120

1 Clattering Skeletons (AFR) 93

1 Death-Priest of Myrkul (AFR) 95

1 Fly (AFR) 59

1 Secret Door (AFR) 71

1 Arcane Investigator (AFR) 46

2 Pixie Guide (AFR) 66

2 Power of Persuasion (AFR) 67

1 Scion of Stygia (AFR) 70

1 Soulknife Spy (AFR) 75

1 You Find the Villains' Lair (AFR) 84

1 Djinni Windseer (AFR) 55

1 Shortcut Seeker (AFR) 73

1 Rimeshield Frost Giant (AFR) 69

1 Rogue Class (AFR) 230

Deck 3: 0-3

Thump. This white/blue/black one fell flat. Too many colors, I think. Three is hard in a 40-card deck.

1 Monk Class (AFR) 228

5 Island (AFR) 269

5 Swamp (AFR) 273

1 Triumphant Adventurer (AFR) 237

5 Plains (AFR) 265

1 Barrowin of Clan Undurr (AFR) 218

1 Evolving Wilds (AFR) 256

1 Monk of the Open Hand (AFR) 25

1 Portable Hole (AFR) 33

1 Dawnbringer Cleric (AFR) 9

1 Flumph (AFR) 15

1 Steadfast Paladin (AFR) 38

1 Celestial Unicorn (AFR) 5

2 Minimus Containment (AFR) 24

1 Half-Elf Monk (AFR) 19

1 Planar Ally (AFR) 31

1 White Dragon (AFR) 41

1 Hall of Storm Giants (AFR) 257

1 Charmed Sleep (AFR) 50

1 Guild Thief (AFR) 61

1 Silver Raven (AFR) 74

1 Wizard's Spellbook (AFR) 82

1 Arcane Investigator (AFR) 46

1 Shortcut Seeker (AFR) 73

1 Feign Death (AFR) 103

1 Shambling Ghast (AFR) 119

1 Fates' Reversal (AFR) 102

1 Baleful Beholder (AFR) 89

1 Clattering Skeletons (AFR) 93

1 Grim Bounty (AFR) 106

1 Precipitous Drop (AFR) 115

Initial impression: this looks to be a great set; I had a lot of fun.