Where do we go from here?

ZW2007-

With the release of Kaladesh, the PQ version finally caught up to it's paper counter-part for the first time (up until two days ago when the paper version of Aether Revolt was released). Now we are quickly approaching the 'end' of KLD. There is one exclusive mythic left to come to the vault (Bristling Hydra) and one more planeswalker (Nissa, Vital Force). So, where does the game go from here?

First, lets take a look at a list of the sets in PQ and their release dates in both PQ* and paper:

Origins (ORI)
PQ: 12/10/15 (Launch day)
Paper: 7/17/15

Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
PQ: Unknown, after 3/8/16 but presumably close to that date.
Paper: 9/26/15

Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)
PQ: 6/28/16
Paper: 1/16/16

Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
PQ: 8/11/16
Paper: 4/2/16

Eldritch Moon (EMN)
PQ: 10/19/16
Paper: 7/16/16

Kaladesh (KLD)
PQ: 12/8/16
Paper: 9/30/16

Aether Revolt (AER)
PQ: I estimate as early as 2/2/17 but more likely around 3/2/17.
Paper: 1/20/17

Amonkhet (AKH)
PQ: No earlier than the paper set; likely 6-8 weeks after the paper release.
Paper: 4/28/17

*PQ release dates were gathered from D3's blog posts on their site.

As you can see, since the release of OGW, new sets have been released on an average of about one set every 7 weeks and 5 days. Given this rate, we could potentially see Aether Revolt any day now. However, if they were only able to see AER cards once WotC revealed the set publicly, then it will be closer to 3/2/17 that we see the set in PQ (AER was officially fully revealed in paper on 1/6/17). In either case, there will be significant downtime between Aether Revolt and Amonkhet.

Now that that's out of the way, let me get to the point of this post. Will the devs take this opportunity to slow down and try fix all or most of this game's biggest issues? Or will they rush to release Aether Revolt as quickly as possible?

Personally, I really hope they start to fix everything that is broken with the game before adding Aether Revolt. There will be plenty of time now to maintain pace with paper releases as opposed to the massive catch-up to paper sets since M:tG PQ launched. Now is the perfect time to focus on fixing everything that is wrong with the game. Bugs that cause soft freezes and crashes, cheaters running rampant in QB and presumably events, and poor planeswalker menu and deck editing being chief among them. The longer these issues go unfixed, the more existing players will leave the game. New content can only keep us coming back for so long before existing bugs (and the new ones that are inevitably introduced with each batch of new content) push us away. It's so much better to look forward to updates for new content to play as opposed to looking forward to updates in the hopes that the game will just become more playable.

I would love to see them eventually start working backwards and adding sets pre-ORI to PQ once they are keeping steady pace with new paper releases but I don't want to see that come at the expense of a stable, fair, and easy to navigate game.

TL;DR
Devs, now that we are (sort of) caught up to paper M:tG, please slow down the set releases and focus your attention on improving the core of the game.

THEMAGICkMAN

I agree, AER can wait a few more weeks until the lag, cheaters and tiebreakers are dealt with

blacklotus

THEMAGICkMAN wrote:

I agree, AER can wait a few more weeks until the lag, cheaters and tiebreakers are dealt with

sorry. those 3 items do not generate new income, unlike the release of a new set.

I am of the opinion AR will be coming to mtgpq before those 3 issues are fixed, if ever.

THEMAGICkMAN

blacklotus wrote:

THEMAGICkMAN wrote:

I agree, AER can wait a few more weeks until the lag, cheaters and tiebreakers are dealt with

sorry. those 3 items do not generate new income, unlike the release of a new set.

I am of the opinion AR will be coming to mtgpq before those 3 issues are fixed, if ever.

Unfortunately I agree with you. But we can hope right?

Steeme

Will Aether Revolt bring more energize and fabricate to the game? If so, please skip the set entirely. Focus on current issues then begin development on the set following AER.

JopeX37

blacklotus wrote:

THEMAGICkMAN wrote:

I agree, AER can wait a few more weeks until the lag, cheaters and tiebreakers are dealt with

sorry. those 3 items do not generate new income, unlike the release of a new set.

I am of the opinion AR will be coming to mtgpq before those 3 issues are fixed, if ever.

If D3 were smart they'd realize that those three issues may not bring in income but they certainly can and do prevent it.

wereotter

Steeme wrote:

Will Aether Revolt bring more energize and fabricate to the game? If so, please skip the set entirely. Focus on current issues then begin development on the set following AER.

Energize, yes. Fabricate, probably not.

The mechanics of Aether Revolt included energy and vehicles returning from Kaladesh and new mechanics of Revolt, which you benefit if one of your permanents left play, and Improvise, where you may use artifacts to help pay for spells.

It's too early to say how those new mechanics will translate into Puzzle Quest, but I would assume that improvise spells will gain mana when you have a support enter play. Hard to figure how they'll make Revolt work.

ZW2007-

ZW2007- wrote:

Aether Revolt (AER)
PQ: I estimate as early as 2/2/17 but more likely around 3/2/17.
Paper: 1/20/17

Nailed it. But seriously, now what? Where does everyone else want to see this game go? Since they did get AER out so fast, I'm hoping there will be some serious bug fixing work done in the next month or so. After that, I'd love to see their take on some of the older sets. I'd imagine if they do start making old sets, they won't go back past Lorwyn since that was when pw cards were first introduced. And in that case, I predict Return to Ravnica. Popular set and I'd love to get Vraska in game.

madwren

ZW2007- wrote:

ZW2007- wrote:

Aether Revolt (AER)
PQ: I estimate as early as 2/2/17 but more likely around 3/2/17.
Paper: 1/20/17

Nailed it. But seriously, now what? Where does everyone else want to see this game go? Since they did get AER out so fast, I'm hoping there will be some serious bug fixing work done in the next month or so. After that, I'd love to see their take on some of the older sets. I'd imagine if they do start making old sets, they won't go back past Lorwyn since that was when pw cards were first introduced. And in that case, I predict Return to Ravnica. Popular set and I'd love to get Vraska in game.

Serious, non-trolly answer:

What have we seen, beyond the first month, that indicate they're in any way going to return to older sets? I think they're doing all they can to keep up with paper releases, which is probably their MTG-given mandate.

wereotter

ZW2007- wrote:

ZW2007- wrote:

Aether Revolt (AER)
PQ: I estimate as early as 2/2/17 but more likely around 3/2/17.
Paper: 1/20/17

Nailed it. But seriously, now what? Where does everyone else want to see this game go? Since they did get AER out so fast, I'm hoping there will be some serious bug fixing work done in the next month or so. After that, I'd love to see their take on some of the older sets. I'd imagine if they do start making old sets, they won't go back past Lorwyn since that was when pw cards were first introduced. And in that case, I predict Return to Ravnica. Popular set and I'd love to get Vraska in game.

Conspiracy:Take the Crown could be interesting. The mechanics might not translate well but getting Kaya and Daretti would be nice.

buscemi

I'd like to go to Innistrad so we can get some more werewolves for Arlinn and zombies for Liliana 2, and Zendikar so we can get some more Allies for Gideon 2. I'm not sure we gain any useful Eldrazi synergies from Rise of the Eldrazi, tho... unless of course they were to just redesign those cards to have void/devoid/ingest on them.

In short, I'd like to see cards that interact well with what we have, not just a bunch of flashy stuff being printed for the sake of being different.

While it would be really cool to see something like morph turn up (make 'em all 2/2 blockers that Transform when they block! Cool, eh?), does anyone have the slightest confidence that Hibernum could get that mechanic working properly inside of 6 months?

ZW2007-

madwren wrote:

Serious, non-trolly answer:

What have we seen, beyond the first month, that indicate they're in any way going to return to older sets? I think they're doing all they can to keep up with paper releases, which is probably their MTG-given mandate.

Given the fact that the next paper release is over 3 months away (4/28/17), I don't see what else they would do during that time. They have been averaging new card sets every 8 weeks and players are now used to that so I think they will have to do something in the interim.

madwren

ZW2007- wrote:

madwren wrote:

Serious, non-trolly answer:

What have we seen, beyond the first month, that indicate they're in any way going to return to older sets? I think they're doing all they can to keep up with paper releases, which is probably their MTG-given mandate.

Given the fact that the next paper release is over 3 months away (4/28/17), I don't see what else they would do during that time. They have been averaging new card sets every 8 weeks and players are now used to that so I think they will have to do something in the interim.

Sure, and I bet it will involve a lot of Fateful Showdowns.

Honestly, though, I'm just not sure they have permission/rights to do that beyond the initial planeswalker seeding pre-BFZ. They've been nothing but linear since.

ZW2007-

madwren wrote:

ZW2007- wrote:

madwren wrote:

Serious, non-trolly answer:

What have we seen, beyond the first month, that indicate they're in any way going to return to older sets? I think they're doing all they can to keep up with paper releases, which is probably their MTG-given mandate.

Given the fact that the next paper release is over 3 months away (4/28/17), I don't see what else they would do during that time. They have been averaging new card sets every 8 weeks and players are now used to that so I think they will have to do something in the interim.

Sure, and I bet it will involve a lot of Fateful Showdowns.

Honestly, though, I'm just not sure they have permission/rights to do that beyond the initial planeswalker seeding pre-BFZ. They've been nothing but linear since.

This is the first time they've been in a position to even attempt to work backwards. I don't disagree with you that the odds are slim but I was hoping to get some incite from the powers that be.

wereotter

Sets that launched since Origins that don't exist in Puzzle Quest:

Eternal Masters - Could be a good chance to get some staple effects for each color into the game, but the power level of these cards might be a bit high for what we have going on currently. Also included Jace the Mindsculptor and Dack Fayden as planeswalkers, so a new red-blue planeswalker possibility.

Conspiracy: Take the Crown - Draft mechanics wouldn't translate well into Puzzle Quest, though there are many cards that don't involve this mechanic that do. Melee, Goad, and Monarch are mechanics they'd have a hard time implementing as they currently exist, but I trust they could if they tried. This set could also be fun for a new type of content wherein you open packs when you start a match and create a deck from those for any planeswalker you currently own, and then the cards disappear after the match (they don't go into your inventory) and the system generates a random deck from applicable cards for any other planeswalker, and you play each other at equal level. The set featured Kaya and Daretti as black-white and black-red planeswalkers.

Other supplementary products included From the Vault and Commander products, however these feature very few new cards and would likely only be able to be added as special promo offers.

As far as older sets are concerned, creating cards from Innistrad and Dark Ascension would be appreciated for Arlinn as would the original Zendikar block, primarily for Gideon, but also for any other deck that runs allies. If they do try to get access to older sets, I would hope these two are the blocks they attempt to get first. (maybe minus Rise of the Eldrazi. We really don't need any more of that nonsense )

The_Cheater

If they really spend that 2 month time frame to fix bugs and implement features that players have wanted for ages, it will be incredibly reassuring. I'm talking, fix fetch cards, PW selection screen, double tapping a support to see it, saved deck slots. The people I know that have quit or stopped spending money on this game aren't tempted by $30 broken mythics or one shot ultimate PWs anymore. They just want a stable game and are more than eager to support it financially.