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gigaguessmtg · 6 years

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So. Knowing that each set will be represented, we have a list to work through (Omitting all reprint sets, like...well...every core set until Magic 2010) As a list we have (Masters 25 spoilers below the cut, of course. And please let me know if I missed anything):

Alpha, Beta and Unlimited (They're listed as one in the Magic Site, so this is how I'm counting them: Lightning Bolt, Giant Growth, Dark Ritual, Armageddon, Savannah Lions, Blue Elemental Blast, Red Elemental Blast, Regrowth, Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares, Will-o'-the-Wisp Arabian Knights: Erg Raiders Antiquities: Mishra’s Factory, Primal Clay Legends: Nicol Bolas, Pendelhaven, Hell's Caretaker, Stangg, Fallen Angel The Dark: Ball Lightning, Blood Moon, Ghost Ship Fallen Empires: Goblin War Drums Ice Age: Brainstorm, Pyroclasm Starter 1999: Loyal Sentry, Cinder Storm Portal: Path of Peace Portal Second Age: Ancient Craving Portal Three Kingdoms: Imperial Recruiter, Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon", Borrowing 100,000 Arrows Homelands: Ihsan's Shade Alliances: Pillage, Balduvian Horde, Arcane Denial Mirage: Flash, Pacifism Weatherlight: Doomsday Visions: Man-o'-War, Quicksand Exodus: Merfolk Looter, Curiosity Stronghold: Ensnaring Bridge, Sift, Mogg Flunkies Tempest: Living Death, Kindle, Diabolic Edict, Jackal Pup Urza's Destiny: Elvish Piper, Trumpet Blast Urza's Legacy: Rancor, Unearth Urza's Saga: Lull, Angelic Page, Horseshoe Crab Mercadian Masques: Rishadan Port, Invigorate Nemesis: Accumulated Knowledge, Stampede Driver Prophecy: Plague Wind Invasion: Hanna, Ship’s Navigator, Exclude, Kavu Climber Planeshift: Eladamri’s Call Apocalypse: Vindicate, Mystic Snake, Pernicious Deed, Quicksilver Dagger Odyssey: Zombify, Shadowmage Infiltrator, Auramancer, Caustic Tar Torment: Laquatus's Champion, Mesmeric Fiend Judgment: Living Wish, Browbeat Onslaught: Akroma’s Vengeance, Undead Gladiator, Renewed Faith, Dirge of Dread, Krosan Tusker, Krosan Colossus, Broodhatch Nantuko, Skirk Commando, Choking Tethers Legions: Willbender, Akroma, Angel of Wrath Scourge: Decree of Justice, Fierce Empath, Elvish Aberration, Karona's Zealot, Noble Templar, Shoreline Ranger, Death's-Head Buzzard, Twisted Abomination, Chartooth Cougar Mirrodin: Chalice of the Void, Spikeshot Goblin Darksteel: Sundering Titan, Echoing Courage Fifth Dawn: Relentless Rats Champions of Kamigawa: Nezumi Cutthroat, Azusa, Lost but Seeking Betrayers of Kamigawa: Iwamori of the Open Fist, Genju of the Falls, Genju of the Spires Saviors of Kamigawa: Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, Promise of Bunrei, Freed from the Real Ravnica: City of Guilds: Frenzied Goblin, Watchwolf Guildpact: Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, Pillory of the Sleepless Dissension: Ratcatcher, Protean Hulk, Utopia Sprawl, Court Hussar Cold Snap: Darien, King of Kjeldor Time Spiral: Brine Elemental, Fathom Seer, Vesuvan Shapeshifter, Fortune Thief, Assemby-Worker Planar Chaos: Akroma, Angel of Fury, Simian Spirit Guide, Kavu Predator, Whitemane Lion Future Sight: Coalition Relic, Pact of Negation, Summoner’s Pact, Street Wraith, Zoetic Cavern Lorwyn: Brion Stoutarm, Soulbright Flamekin Morningtide: Vendilion Clique, Ambassador Oak Shadowmoor: Cursecatcher, Presence of Gond Eventide: Fetid Heath, Flooded Grove, Rugged Prairies, Twilight Mire, Cascade Bluffs, Nettle Sentinel Shards of Alara: Blightning, Skeletonize, Knight of the Skyward Eye Conflux: Conflux, Ember Weaver Alara Reborn: Lorescale Coatl Magic 2010: Master of the Wild Hunt, Act of Treason Zendikar: Luminarch Ascension, Disfigure, Vampire Lacerator Worldwake: Kor Firewalker, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Arbor Elf Rise of the Eldrazi: Ancient Stirrings, Prophetic Prism, Wildheart Invoker Magic 2011: Plummet, Cultivate, Squadron Hawk, Chandra's Outrage Scars of Mirrodin: Perilous Myr, Nihil Spellbomb, Heavy Arbalest, Twisted Image Mirrodin Besieged: Blue Sun's Zenith New Phyrexia: Phyrexian Obliterator Magic 2012: Swiftfoot Boots, Phantasmal Bear, Crimson Mage Innistrad: Tree of Redemption, Fiend Hunter, Murder of Crows Dark Ascension: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Haunted Fengraf Avacyn Restored: Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Cloudshift Magic 2013: Murder, Timberpack Wolf, Griffin Protector, Bloodhunter Bat Return to Ravnica: Rest in Peace, Fencing Ace Gatecrash: Totally Lost, Boros Charm, Urbis Protector Dragon's Maze: Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, Notion Thief Magic 2014: Strionic Resonator Theros: Bident of Thassa, Gods Willing, Ordeal of Heliod, Returned Phalanx Born of the Gods: Courser of Kruphix, Retraction Helix Journey Into Nyx: Eidolon of the Great Revel, Nyx-Fleece Ram Magic 2015: Jalira, Master Polymorphist, Geist of the Moors Khans of Tarkir: Hordeling Outburst, Woolly Loxodon, Dragon's Eye Savants, Mystic of the Hidden Way, Ruthless Ripper Fate Reforged: Humble Defector Dragons of Tarkir: Epic Confrontation, Ainok Survivalist, Ire Shaman Magic Origins: Enthralling Victor, Valor in Akros Battle for Zendikar: Zada, Hedron Grinder, Coralhelm Guide, Zulaport Cutthroat Oath of the Gatewatch: Baloth Null Shadows Over Innistrad: Triskaidekaphobia, Vessel of Nascency, Uncaged Fury, Pyre Hound, Dauntless Cathar Eldritch Moon: Lunarch Mantle Kaladesh: Cloudblazer, Self-Assembler Aether Revolt: Treasure Keeper Amonkhet: Thresher Lizard, Horror of the Broken Lands, Supernatural Stamina Hour of Devastation: Act of Heroism Ixalan: Colossal Dreadmaw Rivals of Ixalan: Ravenous Chupacabra, Dusk Legion Zealot Commander: Animar, Soul of Elements Commander 2013: Prossh, Skyraider of Kher Commander 2014: Reef Worm, Myriad Landscape Commander 2015: Magus of the Wheel Commander 2016: Ash Barrens Commander 2017: Izzet Chemister Planechase 2012: Sai of the Shinobi Conspiracy: Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Conspiracy: Take the Crown: Deadly Designs

#Masters 25 #mtg #spoilers

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askkrenko · 7 years

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Why Aetherborn are what’s wrong with Magic: the Gathering

A discussion of creature types and their role

Screw this card in particular.

This is a stupid card that should not exist, not because I don’t feel that Design and Development made a bad call in specifically creating it, but because I feel that Design and Development have consistently made bad decisions throughout Magic’s lifespan that necessitated this worthless piece of junk taking up one of the rare slots in Aether Revolt.

So what do I think this bad decision is? Adding Aetherborn to the game.

I hate “Aetherborn.” This is not to say I hate the race; they are a unique and interesting people. This is not to say I hate their design; they look cool and make for a non-standard black race. This is not even to say that I hate the name; Aetherborn is a cool and evocative word. What I hate is this. Right here.

I have, in the past, spoken about how 234 is too many creatures types in the game, and that was shortly before Aetherborn existed. While 235 is not, specifically, my tipping point, the introduction of a specific lord for this creature type of a mere sixteen members exemplifies my problem.

The first question to ask here is “Why do we have creature types?” When Magic: the Gathering was first created, eighty eight creatures had creature types, and the rest were artifact creatures. Most of these types did literally nothing as far as gameplay was concerned. In Alpha, only Wall, Goblin, Merfolk, and Zombie had any mechanical effect. The rest were effectively dead text on a card. Still, the design was clear from the start. Any creature’s type could begin to matter in an expansion, and it wasn’t long before other types began to count.

The problem, ultimately, is that in the vast majority of games, a creature’s type simply doesn’t matter. Tarmogoyf would be just as good were it a Bear or a Goat, and even Birds of Paradise almost never gets to take advantage of its particularly common creature type of Bird. Still, these words are on nearly every creature printed throughout the history of Magic: the Gathering, so what decides what creature types get benefits and what don’t?

Having some pushed per set and others not works fine for a set, a block, or even a standard, but Wizards has realized that players want lords for every creature type. Thus, they attempt to include a small bit of tribal support in every set. While this works fine for common creature types, like the Spirit and Zombie support in Innistrad, or even the mechanically unique types like Ally and Werewolf, there’s also a tendency to include tribal support for creatures when it’s their “best chance.” This includes creatures like Ishkanah in Innistrad, but also Midnight Entourage in Aether Revolt. The problem is, with only forty five spiders, spread across the history of Magic, and only sixteen aetherborn (with a significant wait likely before any more), these cards’ tribal elements are too small for any format. Ishkanah, at least, is self contained. She is strong enough to see significant play as the only Spider in her deck. Midnight Entourage will live or die based on the strength of the other fifteen Aetherborn, and by that I mean it will die. It will die horribly, only to be used in janky casual decks and Commander decks that don’t realize Yahenni doesn’t actually die if you send them back to the command zone.

Aetherborn having a lord, however, is not the problem. It’s a symptom. The problem is that, unlike Lorwyn’s Flamekin, Aetherborn have their own creature type. If Aetherborn were instead Elementals, not only would the Aetherborn lord not have been necessarily stuffed into Kaladesh, but it would have applied to twenty one additional creatures in the current standard, plus an additional three hundred sixty creatures (and many more tokens) in older formats.

Aetherborn isn’t the only culprit, of course. With two hundred thirty five creature types, the chances of all of them mattering mechanically is particularly low, and I’d argue that any creature type that isn’t mechanically relevant or likely to be mechanically relevant needs to exist in a broader category. Some of these categories would be very broad, certainly, while others could remain narrow.

As an example of what I’m speaking of, let’s look at everyone’s favorite creature type: cat. There are 140 Cats in Magic: the Gathering, a mixture of cat people and cat animals, as well as a number of cards that create cat tokens. This is particularly high for a creature type that not a single card in over twenty years cares about, and much higher than the Aetherborn count. In addition, there are 71 Hounds, still without a card that cares about them. While I’m willing to accept that dogs and cats are very different animals in real life, do the rules of Magic really need to separate them? Could they not both count as “Beasts?” What makes Chartooth Cougar and Felidar Cub different from other Cats? Why can Skirk Outrider ride a Felidar Cub, but not a Fleecemane Lion?

It’s times like this I look to other TCGs for answers, and one that I used to play offers a much cleaner method of handling creature types. Yu-Gi-Oh! Effectively gives every monster two types: an Attribute (Dark, Earth, Fire, Light, Water, or Wind, which seem analogous to color, but functionally just work like a creature type), and a Type (Aqua, Beast, Beast-Warrior, Dinosaur, Dragon, Fairy, Fiend, Fish, Insect, Machine, Plant, Psychic, Pyro, Reptile, Rock, Sea Serpent, Spellcaster, Thunder, Warrior, Winged Beast, Wyrm, and Zombie.) Obviously, this limited list has some issues, but the simple fact is that such a short list means there are cards that care about every single Attribute and Type in the game, without the need for “choose a type” cards. (Note: Some particularly special cards have their own unique attributes and types, but it’s a very small number.)

Last time I brought up the topic of creature types, I went through a brief list of ones like Graveborn and Efreet that could easily be folded into something adjacent to them. This time I want to talk more about casting wide nets. I’m going to talk about a few specific creature types, identifying the good and the bad.

“Bird” is a perfect creature type. It casts a wide enough net to capture over two hundred cards, appears on every world, but isn’t so large as to take more than its fair share. It’s usually obvious what is or is not a bird, and any given would could conceivably ‘push’ birds. There’s no plane where a few strong bird cards would be out of place. I’m actually a bit surprised that there are only two hundred and ten birds, though the fact that nearly all of them have flying limits design space slightly.

“Soldier” is a very good creature type, but its net could be wider. While a Soldier is definitely a concrete thing that shows up everywhere, the Warrior creature type could conceivably include all Soldiers, Barbarians, Samurai, and Knights. The sheer volume of these (over 500 soldiers and 500 warriors, plus 200 knights) would make up for a significant portion of Magic’s 8727 creatures, but that would merely ensure that support for this conglomerate type could show up in every set, and no set would ever risk being without. The bigger issue is that it’s not instinctively clear what is a Soldier, what is a Warrior, and what is a Knight. With such large numbers on both, keeping Soldier and Warrior separate is fine, but I do feel that Soldier should absorb Knight and Samurai.

“Goblin” feels like a perfect creature type, but that’s partially because it’s incredibly pushed. There are actually much fewer goblins than there are of many less popular creature types, but goblins have gotten more tribal support than any creature type other than slivers and perhaps zombies. Folding Orcs (and Kobolds) into Goblins would go a long way to support those tribes and encourage Orcs on more worlds. The Goblin type is intentionally vague on Wizards’ part, with creatures ranging from Akki to Boggarts, so using Goblin as a creature type for a few more goblin-esque things would make those things more viable.

Here’s a list of some creature types that are real world mammals: Antelope, Ape, Aurochs, Badger, Bat, Bear, Boar, Camel, Caribou, Cat, Elk, Elephant, Ferret, Fox, Goat, Hippo, Horse, Hound, Human… And there’s plenty more after that. I’m not suggesting these all be the same creature type, especially not Human, but if the cards are never going to make us care if something’s an Antelope, a Caribou, or an Elk, why are these separate types? Ungulate may be a word not enough people know, but I propose real world mammals be divided into Humans, Ungulates (which include antelopes, aurochs, boar, camel, caribou, elephant, elk, goat, hippo, and horse), and Beasts (basically anything else. Cat? Beast. Ferret? Beast. Squirrel? Beast.) This would either require Ainok and Leonin to get their own type (something that included them, minotaurs, viashino, and the weird Monger things from Mercadia) or to just be Beast with a class. Either would be fine. There are only 342 beasts.

While on the topic, we only need “Reptile,” and “Amphibian.” While I respect wanting to separate snakes from lizards, or frogs from salamanders, there’s just not enough of any of them printed for this to be useful. The total number of creatures I’d propose folding into the Reptile type is still less than the number of cats there already are. Viashino could be Reptile or whatever term is used for humanoid beasts.

And then there’s Undead. Creature types include Zombie, Skeleton, Specter, Wraith, Vampire, and other forms of undead, and the simple fact is: this doesn’t help anyone. Zombies get the lion’s share of tribal support, with Vampires getting some, and the other types never receiving any. While I accept that, at this point, combining Vampires and Zombies into one tribe would be a mess, having all Undead being labeled as Undead would make things easier on everyone. Having Vampire still be a creature type would be fine, especially with this then granting the ability to differentiate between the living vampires (Innistrad, Zendikar) with the actual undead ones seen on most planes. This would have the added effect of making the true Undead Vampires stronger by being able to fit in either tribe.

I will say that I’m fine with creature types used as flags for specific mechanics in a set, like “Flagbearer” or “Slivers.” Neither of these creature types would work properly if there were a slew of random creatures that shared their type. Similarly, some types like “Coward” exist to make a mechanic work. This isn’t the cleanest, but it’s fine.

I could go on and through the whole of the creature types, explaining how to best combine them and how to simplify them down to something both reasonable and useful, but I think I’ve made my point. There are just too many creature types, and Aetherborn not being elementals makes them worse cards and does a disservice to the elementals, who have been here the whole time and haven’t gotten their fair share of tribal support.

#let's talk about #mtgaer #aetherborn #mtg

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