[M10] Previews+Rule Changes

[Coldstone]

Originally Posted by Streetz

...Maybe not everything is changing in Magic, but several things will be changing. This thread is reserved for discussing the recent article on www.wizards.com that divulged both new cards for M2010 and major and minor rules changes. Link: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazin...ly/feature/42a

To summarize the rules changes, quoting Cashew:

Discuss them here!

-Streetz

Well, they've begun. And... OMG to new duals!!!



http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazin...ly/feature/42a

[Arix]

Glacial Fortress - HEY! I used to have lands like that in one of my long-dead projects! Awesome.

Child of Night - This, along with Vampire Nocturnus, pretty much cements the fact that Vampires are going to be more evenly spread throughout rarities, methinks. Probably still heavily in rare, but some more in others too.

Undead Slayer - Ergh. I always hate when people put this sort of thing in custom designs. Flavourful for sure, but very ergh design-wise.

Wait...Ball Lightning says "At the beginning of the end step"? I know "at end of turn" confused some people, but DAMN that's some funky wording there.

[Coldstone]

Agreed.

The rules changes they're making are going to seriously annoy a LOT of people, I think. =/

[Tekkactus]

Lifelink doesn't stack. Mana Burn is dead.

Am I making a lot of typos? I can't really read that well when MY EYES ARE FILLING WITH BLOOD. I'm typically one of the level headed guys here, but there's a RUINED FOREVER lurking in my throat and he wants out so very bad.

As for the cards:
New Duals: It's no Shockland, but they're okay. I would've liked them more if they were templated like the Tainted cycle and with the ability to add colorless.

Ball Lightning: Hey old friend. Missed you. When did you... grow fangs?

Clone: I am making a :| face right now.

Child of Night: Lifelink in black! Common 2 drop vampire! Oh how I swoon.

Undead Slayer: Hate to say it Arix, but you're dead wrong. Magic needs more Vorthos bones like this. I like it, even if Exile is vomit.

Acidic Slime: Cool uncommon.

Now I'm off to burn my Citadel of Pain, since they're tinder now.

[Arix]

Undead Slayer: Hate to say it Arix, but you're dead wrong. Magic needs more Vorthos bones like this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Vorthos additions (hell, when Alara just came out and I was building shard-based decks, I refused to use any basic land other than ones that represented the shard Iwas building a deck for). I just hate this sort of thing for reasons I can't really put into words.

[Tekkactus]

My only complaint is that it doesn't hit Spirits. So she can banish the undead, but not Ghosts? That's... odd.

The more I think about these changes the more I hate them. GRARGH.

[Swords to Factories]

I like the new dulas, I just wish they counted as Island/Plains because then they MIGHT be playable in Legacy.

Ball Lightning doesn't look as mean as it used to.

I like Acidic Slime a lot.

Where does it say Lifelink doesn't stack? That's super gay and pretty much means that I will take apart my Bant deck.

[Cashew]

7) Lifelink
The Reality: The fact that lifelink is a triggered ability leads to situations where the controller of a blocker with lifelink dies from combat damage before lifelink can grant that player enough life to stay alive. Many players get this interaction wrong; the subtle difference in timing is unfortunate.

The Fix: Lifelink, like deathtouch, is turning into a static ability. If a source with lifelink deals damage, its controller gains that much life as that damage is being dealt. This brings the timing much closer to spells like Consume Spirit and Lightning Helix. As a side effect, multiple instances of lifelink are no longer cumulative.

There are a lot of minor changes that will take quite sometime to get used to. Here they are wrapped up:

1. You both mulligan at the same time. (Tournament thing)
2. In Play Zone is now the Battlefield.
3. Removed from the Game Zone is now Exile.
4a. Cast is to play a spell.
4b. Play is to play a land.
4c. Activate is to play an activated ability.
5. "at the beginning of the end-of-turn step" is now "at the beginning of the end step"
6. There is no mana burn.
7. Mana empties at the end of every step (not just phase) now.
8. Token ownership = control now, not the creator.
9. Combat damage is instant. (They say its not huge, but it is for tournament caliber play) Basically: If you want to activate regeneration abilities, cast damage prevention spells, pump your creature's toughness, or do any other kinds of combat tricks, you now need to do so during the declare blockers step
10. Damage is now assigned sequentially by the attacker to blockers in order.
11. Deathtouch is now static (No stacking) (Also doesn't stack with lethal damage)
12. Lifelink is now static (No stacking)

[immotalas]

I don't like what they are doing with combat rules. At all. But I can live with it.
The new terminology is depressing. Why couldn't they just implement "cast" and leave the "in play" alone?
The fact that lifelink doesn't stack is dissapointing, but understandable.
I am seriously considering quitting magic for the next 5 years, while I go to collage. Mostly because there isn't a FLGS nearby, I'll be busy, and the way magic is going, there are likely to be a lot of people deciding to play magic that I wouldn't enjoy being around.

Edit: Which is dissapointing, considering the possible influx of vampires. *sigh*.

[Arix]

I just finished reading the whole article. In my nine years with the game, the change to combat damage no longer using the stack is the very first thing they've done that has made me think "NO! They did NOT! NO!". And not in a good way.

The token thing is kind of annoying (I've been wanting to build a Brand/token-giving deck for a while now), but that combat damage thing...man.

[final_press]

EXILE?!?!

* final_press goes and weeps into his pillow like the stroppy child he is....


Ahem, okay... sorry about that. Changing the combat damage step is genuinely upsetting me too... so many combat tricks that players rely on are no longer going to work. So many creatures that blink themselves back to your hand are now pretty much useless compared to thier previous power levels when they could hit and run. This dog wont hunt monsignor!!!

[Swords to Factories]

I understand the new combat damage stuff, but I don't like it. I quit playing after Urza block and the new combat tricks caused me some headaches when I started playing again, but once I figured it out I have been able to win countless games by manipulating things after damage is on the stack. I'm sad to see it go.

I don't like that mana empties at the end of every step. Mana burn going away will be interesting and make some cards infinitely better and some just junk.

THe new application of lifelink is interesting as well. I am disapointed that it doesn't stack anymore though.

[final_press]

I've never quite understod all the D&D players getting upset when they release new additions of the rules. Perhaps all of this isn't on the same scale as what happens in D&D, but I think I'm beginning to understand their pain!! Years from now I'll probably look back and think, "Yeah, those were all changes for the better".... but right now i'm fairly peeved off.

Having said all of that....

All these sorts of changes are things that do naturally happen during the evolution of a game. They're the kind of things that have happened before in the past. All you have to do is look at a card like Bazaar of Baghdad to see how much wording has changed over the years. And this isn't the first time they've changed rules like combat damage etc. It's to be expected that a lot of older players will be annoyed and feel alienated when such a significant change is made, but that's the kind of sacrifice WotC is prepared to make for the survival of the game. For every tourney-level player lamenting the fact that the stack is no longer involved in combat damage, they are hoping there will be three young kids who are going to be more willing to get in to the game thanks to simplified rules. And I hope there are too; I can't say I fault them for that.

I've been playing magic for about 10 years now... and I barely play it any more. Well, let me rephrase that, I barely BUY it any more. I have a huge archive of cards that I still play with at least once a week with my local gaming group... but I don't buy much product any more. And that isn't what keeps the game alive. What will keep the game alive is a kid that loves all this exciting, dramatic new terminology like "exile" and "battlefield", and will proceed to play the game for (hopefully) another 10 years.

edit - Also, the new dual lands are sexy!

[Grumpherys]

I was this far from quitting magic an hour ago:
l--------------l
now I am this close:
l---l

reasons:
lifelink was one of my favorite tricks, and the combat tricks were my pride and joy... it's all crushed now... I don't know what to do...

[Swords to Factories]

Originally Posted by Grumpherys

I was this far from quitting magic an hour ago:
l--------------l
now I am this close:
l---l

reasons:
lifelink was one of my favorite tricks, and the combat tricks were my pride and joy... it's all crushed now... I don't know what to do...

Aside from Lifelink not stacking, the ablility is much better now that it can save you from dying.

Also, combat tricks are far from from dead. Yes Mogg Fanatic, Qasali Pridemage, and Nantuko Husk my take a dip in power, but overall combat tricks are just as viable. That being said, I will seriously miss damage going on the stack.