Since you gave us an easy button, can we collect the cards now?

babar3355

Some people like cycling, some people hate cycling.  Some think it demands an immediate nerf, others think it will fade from popularity.  But few people can deny that it makes the game FAR easier.

Exhibit A is the 43 person tie for top spot in the platinum bracket of last weekend's ToS.  I know dozens of others lost top spots by freezes or crashes.

Newer players should be able to now compete against the "toxic elite" due to the introduction of standard and cycling. 

This also means that I don't actually care about collecting any new cards from the set (or really any set) as far as deck improvement.  My decks might get slightly faster, but wont get any higher win consistency. IE, I will not be spending any real money to chase any cards.

Thus, perhaps you make this game more like an actual collectible game, where the incentive is to collect all the cards?  It is hard to believe that people wouldn't spend far more money chasing those last cards to complete a set (perhaps give them a badge or different background for complete sets) than they would in a game that has no late game incentive.

Cycling fixed what austerity couldn't.  Can we please collect the cards now? 

Emanon2000

43 People that have the 'right' cards... 
While others get duplicate after duplicate of cards that they can't use or no one would want...

This isn't even skill... Just pure ... luck!?

babar3355

Emanon2000 said:

43 People that have the 'right' cards... 
While others get duplicate after duplicate of cards that they can't use or no one would want...

This isn't even skill... Just pure ... luck!?

By the "right cards" I assume you mean New Perspective or Shefnet Monitor...  Drake Have, A.S.S. FotD are just some of the many ways to win with cycling.

Thésée

I think they will soon realise that they have distributed too many pink crystals with so many people tied at first place, which is a bad bad thing in those austerity times. Two ways to adress this : nerf cycling or lower the rewards. I can't help but be pessimistic about it.... 

Thuran

Yup, it is going to be really fun to watch how much people will care about Ixalan.

Hey, remember how the release of Amonkhet was staggerede in order to keep things a little more fresh? Sure saw a lot of changes to the game when the angel and samut and temmet came out. Pull from tomorrow is in the game now? Who cares? 

HOU will only be considered in regards to which new cycling cards will be in the set, since none of the rest of it matters. Ixalan does not even have that benefit! It is a set built up around big dinosaurs in red and green, and pirate synergy and "clues" in the other colours, are any of those mechanics going to be able to compete with cycling?

Knowing that none of the cards have been put into JC's spreadsheet yet (should have been a month or two ago, since pretty much the entire set is out in terms of rares and mechanics), I am still confident in saying that no new expansion is going to matter a damn thing for as long as cycling is legal, meaning that the earliest we will get new cards for this game, is going to be with the release of Dominaria in may 2018. And then we would still have cycling crushing legacy events! 

Does anyone truly care what the scarab god does? The locust god is going to be seeing play, but that is because it will be another wheel in the cycle monster that JC has created. Maybe if cards were tested beforehand, like a PTR, all of this could have been avoided.


Also, I would totally support your entire collection from a certain set to become foil cards if you complete the set, or maybe have the ability to pay for foiling certain cards. Include a fancy little animation, akin to what heartstone golden cards are like! 

Something as simple as Gisela moving her wings a little, or just the sun burning on overwhelming splendor would be fantastic Especially if you only limit it to mythics (since masterpieces don't exsist anymore)

You could even include an option to turn animations off, or something similar to the SDCC planeswalkers as alternate art for your favorite walkers!

The possibilities are endless! Heck, I would gladly draw up a plan for free, but it seems absurd to ignore all this possibility in favour or selling overpriced 40$ unplayable mythics (thanks to cycling)

Emanon2000

babar3355 said:

Emanon2000 said:

43 People that have the 'right' cards... 
While others get duplicate after duplicate of cards that they can't use or no one would want...

This isn't even skill... Just pure ... luck!?

By the "right cards" I assume you mean New Perspective or Shefnet Monitor...  Drake Have, A.S.S. FotD are just some of the many ways to win with cycling.

Correct.  Personally I have 22 of the 40 rares with almost half of those that have 3 or more of the same card (duplicates).  Without the 'key' cards and keep getting the cards that don't function for this type of win is why some are frustrated... Just 'Luck' for those that have them while the others bang their heads.   In PAPER I can simply go out and buy the cards I need/want to create the deck I want.   In this environment I am stuck with their p!ss poor randomizer making me (and others) wonder why I (we) keep coming back. 

madwren

Thésée said:

I think they will soon realise that they have distributed too many pink crystals with so many people tied at first place, which is a bad bad thing in those austerity times. Two ways to adress this : nerf cycling or lower the rewards. I can't help but be pessimistic about it.... 

There's a third way to address it, which is to adjust the objectives to make it more difficult to get full points. Adding luck-based objectives like "take less than 10 damage", or "win in 4 turns", for example.

blacklotus

madwren said:

Thésée said:

I think they will soon realise that they have distributed too many pink crystals with so many people tied at first place, which is a bad bad thing in those austerity times. Two ways to adress this : nerf cycling or lower the rewards. I can't help but be pessimistic about it.... 

There's a third way to address it, which is to adjust the objectives to make it more difficult to get full points. Adding luck-based objectives like "take less than 10 damage", or "win in 4 turns", for example.

madwren said:

Thésée said:

I think they will soon realise that they have distributed too many pink crystals with so many people tied at first place, which is a bad bad thing in those austerity times. Two ways to adress this : nerf cycling or lower the rewards. I can't help but be pessimistic about it.... 

There's a third way to address it, which is to adjust the objectives to make it more difficult to get full points. Adding luck-based objectives like "take less than 10 damage", or "win in 4 turns", for example.

Madwren: why the half measures? Go all the way. Here's my objectives for the Ultimate Challenge for Hardcore MtgPQ players:

Win on 1 turn
Take No Damage
Win with exactly 1 hp

Yvendros

I don't really mind cycling.  I don't have any of the cycling engines, but these decks sure make events easier!  I hope they don't teach the AI how to cycle...

madwren

blacklotus said:

Madwren: why the half measures? Go all the way. Here's my objectives for the Ultimate Challenge for Hardcore MtgPQ players:

Win on 1 turn
Take No Damage
Win with exactly 1 hp

Brilliant, sir.  You are hired. Report directly to d3go and collect your paycheck.

mournfen

Hey I actually just got a free win against Nehab. He just died after dealing me 64 damage. I dealt him none. Missed the take 60 damage objective, despite taking 64 and got the win with doing 0 damage.