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housebeleren · 4 years

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Theros Beyond Death Odds & Ends Part 2

Just when I thought we’d gotten most or all of the info we were going to get on Theros Beyond Death before the holidays, a couple more tidbits were dropped. And the Magic community (and I) have thoughts about them.

Theme Booster Rares

First up, we have the announcement of the Theros Beyond Death Theme Boosters. Normally, I’ve given literally zero thought to these, but this time, there are changes. 10 rares, two of each color, that will be possible pulls in the Theme Boosters. Of them, a few seem potentially interesting for Brawl & Commander, particularly the three below.

Once these were previewed, the opinions came in rapidly, and from what I’ve seen, the feelings are generally quite negative, mainly regarding the distribution method. I confess that I am... torn.

On the one hand, I understand the theory behind these cards. Every set has some number of cards that are designed for Commander, and don’t particularly fit into the set itself. Think Clone Legion in Dragons of Tarkir or Indomitable Creativity in Aether Revolt. These cards are basically unplayable in Limited, rarely find uses in Standard or other Constructed formats, and end up effectively being whiffs when opened in normal boosters. As Commander has grown in popularity, so has Wizards’ need to create more cards geared towards it. Putting these cards in the main set would warp Limited too much, so an ancillary product is really the main option that makes sense.

On the other hand, this contributes further to the issue I was mentioning in my last post, which is that it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep track of the cards in a given set and how to get ahold of them. Additionally, every card printed not in the main set has the possibility of being the next Nexus of Fate, not intended for major Constructed play that suddenly finds itself a $50 card as the lynchpin of a Standard archetype. We’re seeing this with Korvold, who’s spiked up in the last month as he’s found Standard play, and it’s likely that there will be more. If these cards end up being very limited in supply and the single prices are high, it’ll end up being a major feel bad.

I’ll just say for me, the jury’s still out on this one. If the supply of these is very small and I have to shell out more than a couple bucks to get the ones I want, it will be very frustrating. And let’s be clear, I am NOT at all interested in actually purchasing the Theme Boosters, just to end up with piles of Commons. (Seriously, you get SO MANY Commons. The chaff abounds.) But if they are readily available for reasonable prices, it may turn out that people are being too preemptively critical of this move.

Either way, I do think Wizards needs to do some simplification of the product lines. Shit’s getting confusing AF.

Theros Beyond Death Story

Thennnnn there was this little drop: Theros Beyond Death Story on Cards

In particular, “Note that for Theros Beyond Death, there are currently no plans for an ebook, so make sure to check out this page throughout preview season.”

And, as confirmed by the good people at Hipsters of the Coast, there are no plans for MTG web fiction either.

This is, to put it mildly, disappointing. After several years of solid story presentation with tight connections to the set design (Tarkir-M19, to be specific), this past year has been one misstep after another.

A Brief Digression

First up in the past year, Guilds of Ravnica & Ravnica Allegiance have basically no story whatsoever, though the “life on Ravnica” bits of web fiction were enjoyable, if tangential. The greatest shame of this is that Django Wexler “The Gathering Storm” series is truly a fun read, and was well-integrated with the corresponding sets, but probably failed to get high readership due to the super-delayed and bizarre method of distribution. Fortunately you can read all of it HERE, and I highly encourage you to do so, because these were honestly my favorite MTG stories since M19.

Despite the lack of lead-in lore, War of the Spark had the benefit of having probably the most story-engaged player base Magic has had in years, thanks in large part to a truly outstanding and honestly game-changing trailer. Then it succeeded in squandering virtually all of it by presenting a mediocre book (which failed to deliver on a number of preset plot points, such as the Jace/Vraska mind-erasure scheme) and a set of cards that was largely incongruous with the corresponding book beyond the most rudimentary of plot points.

Dack Fayden not getting a card despite being a major viewpoint character in the book? That card where Liliana confronts Bolas and defeats him with the Chain Veil that didn’t actually happen? And there are countless other similar examples. I get it, these things happen, and as has been pointed out many times, the timelines involved in MTG’s card set creation don’t line up well with the story timelines.

But at the end of the day, it was unsatisfying. Magic is a brand, it is a business. And the end result of all the hype of War of the Spark? I felt let down, less interested, and less invested in the brand than I did before. To be absolutely clear, I have purchased less sealed product from Standard sets, participated in fewer draft events, and consumed less MTG related content since War of the Spark than in the 3-4 years leading up to it. And I know I am not alone. The story matters, because for huge segments of the playing population, it is a critical way in which we connect to the cards, aka the product. Without that connection, it becomes *just* a game, and there are tons of games out there.

These feelings were amplified by the complete absence of story from M20, an otherwise excellent core set, the decision to make the Wildred Quest (which I have heard is excellent) only available as an e-book (a format I do not typically engage with), and the total and utter clusterfuck that was War of the Spark: Forsaken. (Don’t take my word for it, take The Professor’s.)

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Which brings us to now. Theros Beyond Death is coming up. Standard, despite being better since the recent bannings, is failing to draw interest. Tournament attendance is down.

Magic needs story right now.

Magic needs something compelling to remind its fanbase why this is a property worth being invested in. We have the imminent and triumphant return of one of Magic’s most beloved heroines and..... we’re not going to get any story for it? It’s just going to be the cards and some synopsis on the website?

Why should I care?

Believe me when I say I would rather there be no story at all than have some poorly-written and problematic word vomit the likes of which we got this year. But I can’t help but reiterate how disappointing this turn of events is. My honest and sincere hope is that Wizards (and Hasbro) have learned that the answer doesn’t lie in trying to monetize Magic fiction through hastily-written books or by placing it behind paywalls. After this last year, I’m going to be very hesitant to spend money on Magic story going forward.

Instead, let people who love and cherish these characters write the story, give them time in advance to do it, then offer the story freely to the fans. Return to the method we had in the glory years of Magic’s story, which was really not that long ago, and the stories will monetize themselves. This is because the fanbase will be bought in again, and they will therefore be invested again. At least I will.

Here’s hoping.

#MtG #theros beyond death

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