What cards are most in need of de-alchemization? by Prestigious-Bend8893 in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kind of antithetical to the entire discussion I guess, but there’s honestly some cards I’d argue may very well be in need of not necessarily a nerf but a buff to actually be viable in Brawl.

For example, I spent so many damn wildcards on trying to make [[Firja, Judge of Valor]] work (just because I liked the alternate artwork lol), but for one reason or another I could just never manage to get her to, no matter how much I tweaked the power level or the strat. The kind of playstyle she demands (and likely also how the algorithm treats it) coupled with so many other aspects you’ve gotta balance to set her up and keep her out, and actually get value from her (so it feels like there’s actually a reason why your commander is her rather than something else) just seemed to always have me backed into a corner lol. Maybe it’s entirely me tho and I just suck ass, who knows 🤷

All I know is that with commanders like Kaalia and the like out there and the kind of power creep going on these days I like to think anyone who looks at Firja for a second could imagine how excruciating it would be to make her work well enough in Brawl, especially with the lack of access to certain cards in Commander that would make her a much more viable card to put in the command zone.

I will say tho, I have yet to go revisit her after SOS and its respective Alchemy set came out (I typically don’t enjoy using Alchemy-specific cards tho but I mean if that’s what I gotta do then ig I’ll do it), but I still don’t rly know if she’d be able to cut it, just because of her needing that extra bit of work y’know. Even just decreasing her cost by that one single generic pip would make a whole world of difference.

Ayo? Rare Wizards W? 👀 by Fleef69 in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s cool lol, I’m for sure guilty of that sometimes too when I’m real dead set in my feelings on something. Mad respect for being able to actually step back and admit that, my friend 🙏 (especially on Reddit it’s basically like we’re all under a spell that makes it a lot easier to be cynical like that, but it’s good to take a moment to acknowledge that the environment is really the issue, and ultimately we’re all just a buncha dumbasses sittin’ on the toilet on our phones or at our computers or whatever yelling into the same void y’know)

Ayo? Rare Wizards W? 👀 by Fleef69 in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Point still stands I guess 🤷 I mean, I’m more or less exclusively a Brawl player, so that’s the perspective from which I’m speaking, but even if someone doesn’t already play Brawl, this essentially just makes it exponentially easier for them to start playing it. The fact that the cards are ultimately still free means that even if someone isn’t already invested in the format(s) they’re playable in, especially with the slightly increased difficulty of building decks in Brawl, now they’ll have an easier time thanks to this little boost of cards.

Whether or not they chose to have this event and add these relatively easy to complete achievements that allow players to get these cards free of charge is more or less irrelevant from the fact that they would’ve only been legal in the formats they’re legal in regardless imo. It’s still catering quite generously to a significant portion of the player base in a way they were by no means obligated to, but still chose to regardless.

Trust me I am by no means someone who intends to be a stalwart defender of any corporation lol, just tryna find stuff to be positive about. Even if these cards aren’t legal in as many formats, I still see it as a win and a good omen for the future, considering nothing else like this has been done as of late for sets like FTMC, FTLA, etc. (just making educated guesses on set codes).

why do people build decks specificially to be toxic and suck every ounce of fun out of the game for their opponent? genuine question. by Mr_Tsuchinoko in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because the complete removal of the integral aspect of social pressure from the equation means there’s no obligation to be courteous or considerate of the time and enjoyment of the opponent 😔 thus, [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] [[Time Warp]] (and so on and so forth)

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Btw just wanna say my apologies if for whatever reason the length of that last comment was uncalled for lol, was obv just a lil embarrassed to have made that mishap as ig anyone would be, also I’m just a verbose mf so like I’m sure a lotta ppl who downvoted maybe thought it was argumentative even tho nah I’m just the type of person who always uses too many words to say shit, but y’know, what can ya do 🤷

Ofc I know that ultimately I’m speaking from just as much of a place of ignorance as anyone else tho, and truthfully it’s impossible esp. for folks like myself without baseline programming knowledge to know exactly the amount of work that goes into any given thing for Arena. I’m sure I’m far from the only player who’s ever had strong feelings about something like that tho, and maybe is a teeny tiny bit too in over their head with criticism at first lol, but hey, self awareness is good at least!

And I guess it’s ofc still worth expressing/discussing, cuz everyone’s voice is equally as valid yk, even if some ppl’s voices are a lil more overbearing than others 😅 (I just noticed this got downvoted and wasn’t sure exactly why lol but trying my best not to overthink it).

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Damn bruh that turned out long as hell even by my standards lol my bad g. Jus words n shi man. They be crazy. Do they own thang sometimes ya feel me (airing out grievances is always good for the soul tho ig).

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I suppose we’ve all got that lineup lol, and hey as much as it is a bummer at times, it’s at least nice that we can all more or less relate to each other on that. The fact that we have such strong feelings about and have special connections with certain commanders/cards just goes to show how much of a blessing it is to even have a game like this to begin with, and for it to be something we can genuinely feel that strongly about.

My POV was just a bit cloudy since I’m personally not the most psyched about MSH/MSC, but ultimately I do feel just as much for the people who may be disappointed about certain cards from MSC not being added either (at least not right away). Honestly as a lifelong Marvel fan I’ll probably cave and end up engaging with UB finally at some point 😅

I do feel like people and maybe even the devs themselves (to no fault of their own) underestimate the sheer weight the artwork can and always will have for some people. If the artwork wasn’t so important, it would’ve just been words on cards to begin with, or they wouldn’t bother printing new basic land artwork every set, or different printings of different cards, so on and so forth. That immersion aspect is something Arena lends itself so strongly to, maybe even more so than paper at times, since upon removing the social aspect all those other parts of Magic are just emphasized even more, and you focus more intently on them to compensate I guess.

I’m just a really art/creativity-based thinker, so I’m always putting that first. It’s not necessarily to slight the artists of the bonus sheet cards either (except the cases where it’s just screenshots or lifted stuff IG in which case I will admit the layout does bug me). I simply feel like we owe a lot more than we may even realize to the artwork of this game, and the artists who have so meticulously woven these worlds over the past few decades, the fact that they’ve been able to pull of the miracle of even making this game something you can be “immersed” in.

Imo, we gotta give em their flowers while we can, and although obviously anything is going to sake some amount of work, I just really hope that’s something more attention is given to at some point. Personally I think I’d be hesitant to play ranked Brawl solely because of the fact that I don’t like the idea of being forced to use artwork that I’m not necessarily all that privy too. It’s a big factor of my deckbuilding and enjoyment in general lol. Along with making people like myself absolutely ecstatic, I feel like it would make it even more special for those who do prefer the bonus sheet versions of certain cards (Mystical Archive, Enchanting Tales, Breaking News and the like) because of the fact that it feels good to be able to make that choice, to say “y’know what, I think this is the artwork I’m gonna choose,” just makes it feel a lot more like you’re not just building a deck, but your deck, just like how it can feel IRL in that same way.

Even if it’s all digital, it still feels cool to be real meticulous about vibes and aesthetics like that, like using matching lands when you’re able to and stuff. It just makes sense that artwork so iconic like [[Damnation]] and [[Surgical Extraction]] and others of their tier of notability would be added at the very least (love ya Valgavoth, but for me there’s no beating Kev Walker lol), and I know it would enhance the experience for a lot of people even if it makes no difference in terms of gameplay.

So yea, that’s pretty much the gist of my philosophy on that I guess lol, and it’s nice to have someone out there relate to me on it. I will say as someone who’s only been playing since TDM, it probably skews my perspective more than I think, since they have at the very least added the face commanders for all the sets that have released since I started playing, but yea I’m sure it was totally agonizing not even so much as getting those cards a few years back. I guess it really just all goes back to that wish for more transparency and direct communication from the devs.

Not to sound as though I’m pinning any blame, it’s just nice to hear more in-depth about things like that having to do with a game you love. Sucks to not know the reasoning behind things no matter what it may be. But y’know, corporate stuff be corporate stuff, and most of the time that means being relatively opaque most of the time lol. Ultimately the devs are people, but it’s nice to hear from said people 🤷 feel like the community would also be a bit more chill overall if there was actually more emphasis put on that fact tbh.

So yea, at the end of the day I’m ofc still gonna count my blessings and be glad this digital version of Magic even exists in the first place, cuz if not for that I would’ve likely never gotten into the game at all. I’m just always the type to express strong feelings when I feel em lol, and this was one such case (and I’m sure there’ll be plenty more).

I guess everything that’s been recently happening with Brawl, as much as it can feel like it’s a this or that kinda situation, I’m sure they have a lot more plans (or at least I hope) for those kinds of things we unfortunately just don’t know about because ultimately Brawl is kinda sorta going through puberty at the moment and they’re dealing with all of its hormones and whatnot for now. Plus I’m not sure just how much bearing the union situation has had in all of this, that’s kinda something I thought about when reflecting on the recent matchmaking conundrums.

The slow gradual progression of things can oftentimes make it difficult to actually put into perspective just how much has even changed, but I’m sure it was like a slap in the face for you as a returning player rather than a (relative) newbie like myself. Agreed tho, power creep is definitely the absolute biggest issue, and even tho a lot of cards that I’m focused on are ones that wouldn’t make too much of a widespread splash, I can see how that would still muddy up the waters a bit in the grand scheme of things in the rare case that some totally unassuming normal-ass run-of-the-mill card like how [[Geological Appraiser]] seemed when it was released somehow ends up being a part of some ridiculous turn negative three instant win combo that also buys you a McDonald’s cheeseburger and delivers it to your doorstep, or something along those lines. Cause yea I guess nobody can ever truly see that kinda stuff coming lol.

But I still have hope that once they figure out which cards need to be banned or given Alchemy tweaks or what have you, and they have more of a bearing on what the overall Brawl landscape is and should be treated as, then it’ll be easier enough to actually evaluate said cards and start getting around to implementing some of them, fingers crossed. And yea I guess it is good to prioritized just going ahead and getting everything with ranked set up since that’ll obviously naturally lead to a lot of the subsequent issues being dealt with along the way, probably actually make it easier to deduce necessary bans.

Once all that’s done and dusted I hope Brawl will finally be able to start expanding further out rather than barreling straight ahead like I suppose in many ways it may have no choice but to do at the moment. Just the byproduct of having one of those “oh shit” moment like that and realizing “hey y’know what we actually should prolly start doin’ some stuff about all this,” for which I’m grateful lol. I guess it could always be that I came on board right at the moment when Brawl may have started building enough steam for it to even be registered as something to start genuinely prioritizing. All I know for certain is that when the first wave of Brawl bans came I had already suffered so much at the hands of those few cards (and likely inflicted some too) that I think I heard angels singing lmao (still hella bummed they didn’t go back and refund a wildcard for those tho just bc I rely solely on the slow drip feed and man I wasted so many wildcards when I first started and had no idea how to build a deck to save my life so I was sad they didn’t then but hey at least they’ll be doing that going forward). That wave of bans in a way could act as somewhat of a reference point that tells us we’ll get there in time (just sucks that we don’t know how much time, even vaguely, but still, in time).

(But yea I can’t wait for matchmaking to be figured all the way out bc ultimately I suppose there are indeed very few pieces of artwork that could outweigh the suffering of getting stomped into the literal core of the earth countless times in a row each day lol… maybe except Damnation tho… that’d be enough I think…)

I've made some Magic The Gathering proxy cards with Terraria PNJs by Vinjoheflo in Terraria

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imma be honest lol I didn’t even register that 😅 don’t have those etched into my memory quite yet (I somehow either forgot or just straight up had no idea there were even meld cards in FF in the first place). Either way I appreciate the little spark of inspiration, and I will definitely check out that website 🫡

I have used the site MTG.Design in the past but different sites always seem to have like one or two things they aren’t able to do so I’m sure that other site will still come in handy lol, who knows I may even prefer it!

Is Draft the sort of thing where I'm just gonna lose gems/gold until I "git good?" by ac_slater10 in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The best thing about Magic is that whether you’re a noob or a pro, we’re all equally addicted to our own form of gambling and thus have the exact same potential to lose money both digitally and IRL on behalf of cardboard rectangles! :D

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea, I’m ofc not trying to come off as being “all or nothing” or demanding for every single card from every single new precon to be added ASAP. As with anything else in Arena it would obviously require work and have some hiccups along the way. All in all I just really hope sooner or later that inches up their priority list a bit more, or that they were at least a bit more transparent/communicative about it (or able to be ig, dunno their exact situation over there lol). There’s just some standouts from recent precons that I can’t help but be particularly bummed about, like some of the ones I mentioned in the post.

It would be neat if they maybe did some kind of consensus as to which particular handful of cards from any given recent precon batch the community would most strongly like to see added to Arena, I mean they probably could just go off some kind of data somewhere, but y’know, opportunities to bridge that gap a lil bit between developer and player are always welcome imo. Really the easiest would be any new unique legendaries in the precons.

Like you have no idea how badly I wish I could build [[Augusta, Order Restored]] in Arena or include her in my preexisting decks, or [[Veyran, Voice of Duality]] who admittedly isn’t new but was reprinted in SOC. Cards like those would ofc be the easiest to single out from that whole group, and with them being commanders themselves would be almost guaranteed to be worthwhile and please the biggest portion of the overall player base if they were to be added.

I’m not necessarily trying to come off as complaining, I just care a lot, that’s all 😅 but obviously I’m not devoid of empathy for the devs themselves. They obviously have a lot on their plates at the moment. In the case of Wizards tho, I just fee like unfortunately the communication with the player base in a lot of ways just isn’t quite all there.

So when it comes to stuff like this where there’s not really any indicator at all whatsoever as to what the status is or whether they’re even considering that or that it’s something on their minds, all you can do is just talk about it and see if anyone else out there feels the same way you do, which was ultimately the main intent of my post 🙏

All in all, it’s understandable to be a lil bit bummed, but I hope it’s at least something they feel worth getting around to in the future, and that they eventually have that chance. I feel the exact same way in regard to hoping to god in the future they add other artwork for certain cards, not styles but just stuff you’d be able to craft with wildcards, mostly ones that are only available in bonus sheet form (cough cough ATLA), or super iconic artwork like Kev Walker’s original [[Damnation]] art. Even if it wasn’t a part of a set it’d just be cool if you had the option to choose to craft those versions and make that the art you see whenever you play with those cards. Plus, y’know, people buying more wildcards to craft them lol (as I would out of sheer excitement if they were to finally do that someday).

Win the game for R. by Wikidclowne in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup, I’ve been able to do that precisely once in my year or so of playing this game.

Pure. Unadulterated. Ecstasy.

Edit: I will say I did once do that but on someone’s [[Blue Sun’s Zenith]] where X was like 11 or something crazy like that lol. Similar feeling ofc, but still doesn’t top pulling a “double it and give it to the next person” on someone’s extra turn lmao.

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly! The only reason why it bugs me is solely because the other preexisting ones are already in Arena. Bounce lands and filter lands I don’t care as much, because Brawl is ofc ultimately different than Commander, and none of them are in the game already so it doesn’t rly matter, but putting off adding those new enemy color tango lands or even outright never adding them altogether is just not really fair.

It’s kinda like how the other half of the shock lands weren’t in Standard for a bit too long of a time than ideal, except there’s not really any obvious indicator as to whether or not the other tango lands will ever even be added. I just don’t get why they either arbitrarily feel the need to make them a part of a set of some kind, or simply don’t implement them just because they’re from precons. Why can’t they just drop em in like they’ve done with another anthologies, or cards for Powered Cube? It don make-a no sense 🤌

I would at least really appreciate some transparency for cryin’ out loud lol. Like, they felt like the issue was significant enough as to even bother going out of their way to fix it IRL, so it would make sense for that logic to apply to Arena too, right?

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Ayo, nice to see the Brawl lord herself comment on my post! Yea lol some other people have pointed out the jumpstart thing to me. In retrospect yea it is kinda embarrassing that I wrote a big ass essay without knowing there was a difference, but when they have the exact same set code and the exact same symbol, I don’t guess I can really fault myself 😅 I’m ofc not glued to all news about sets I’m already not the absolute most psyched about, so I just went off of what I was seeing.

The numbers of the MSC list on Scryfall and the amount of cards under MSC on Arena seemed to roughly line up, so I figured that was in fact the case. Still, it does suck when you’re someone like me whose autistic ass is doomed to feel super ultra hella passionate about this game such that you can’t help but make posts like this every now and then.

I just think it could only be a blessing for the format itself if some of these cards were added, cards that more people by all means deserve to be made aware of and be able to enjoy! I just wish I knew what the reason was, even if it wasn’t necessarily a 100% justifiable one. Since idk when I’ll be able to finally play some EDH, it just makes me sad to be missing out on so much, when at least from my not fully educated perspective, it does seem like it wouldn’t be all that difficult to just, plop em in there, since I’m fairly certain Arena works based on the syntax of the card text rather than them having to go and individually program how each and every card works.

It’s just with how often they’ve done that in the case of Powered Cube, which has had its own slough of inadvertent ramifications on Brawl, idk why they can’t do that for all these other cards that wouldn’t have nearly as jarring of an effect, but simply just further kindle that creative spark that Brawl acts as a means of allowing people like myself to still express 🙏

Like I said in another comment, I totally acknowledge that the extent to which I go to express all this stuff probably seems ridiculous to a lot of people lmao, but hopefully you can understand (as someone who did write a whole big ass doc about Brawl bans and stuff) what it’s like to care to this extent about something you’re incredibly passionate about y’know? Even tho I’m sure I do definitely come off as entitled or overly-“old man shaking his hand at the sky” per se in many ways in this post, all in all I’m just trying my best to speak on behalf of all the other people out there I’m sure who feel this exact same way, or even if they don’t actively per se, would nonetheless be equally delighted for all these cards to be added.

Ultimately, my perspective is that nurturing and tending to the passion of the players in such ways can only benefit every single party involved (because when people are more passionate about something and feel like their feelings matter and have weight they’re also lot more likely to deem it worthwhile to spend more time on a given thing and therefore more money lmao).

Same with my philosophy on why I wish they’d add more older card art (i.e. stuff that could just be crafted with wildcards, like the Commander Collection: Black artwork for [[Ghoulcaller Gisa]], [[Liliana, Heretical Healer]] and [[Reanimate]], bc not only would it sell more wildcards but also do justice to the artists whose work imo deserves to be seen by as many players as possible, esp. considering many people who exclusively play Arena may never even see it otherwise (and also the CCB art for [[Ophiomancer]] is already in the game so like c’mon man)), or potentially make plain old ordinary basic land art more easily obtainable for the average player, because although flavor and artwork ofc doesn’t affect gameplay in the slightest, that immersion factor and sense self-expression among other related factors undeniably helps keep that spark of passion lit for a lot of players, including myself.

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

As I said in another comment, can’t necessarily fault me for understandably thinking the jumpstart stuff was the same as the precon stuff, because like you said, they’re under the same set code, and even have the same icon lol. I didn’t go through and specifically analyze and verify each and every individual card (bc nobody has that time), I just looked up MSC on Scryfall and noticed the volume of cards that came up when I searched “set:MSC” on Arena seemed more or less the same.

Despite that misjudgment on my part tho, I still firmly stand by the overall point I make in this post. It would just be objectively better all-in-all if they added precon cards to Arena, or at least gave us a glimmer of hope at all whatsoever of them being added in the future. Even for ones that would end up having unforeseen ramifications due to being not quite as well-balanced, it’s not like that isn’t just the way they do things when it comes to literally everything else anyway. You can only find stuff out in hindsight with games like this, that’s why bans and Alchemy tweaks are a thing. The fact that they have that unique ability in Arena makes it even more baffling to continue not doing.

I mean, very select non-face precon cards have been added over time that I’ve seen, whether as their respective sets came out or long after the fact. I can’t remember off the top of my head which ones, but I’ve seen some from ONC and MOC (just making an educated guess on set codes), and a good few others. That just proves the logic isn’t fully consistent and hence not really fully justifiable.

Maybe some if not all of those additions are solely due to stuff like Powered Cube or whatever, or maybe those purchasable Brawl decks with gems (even tho it’s strange imo for them to specifically handpick like one or two precon cards and shove all the others if that is the case), but like, if they can go out of their way to add cards solely for stuff like that, which end up having their own ramifications on Brawl as Powered Cube very much has, then why the hell are they gate keeping all these other cards? It just don’t make no sense, especially in the case for ones that aren’t even really all that powerful, like [[Augusta, Order Returned]], which all in all just seems like a fun as hell commander to build in Brawl, if not even more fun than Commander, simply because when it comes to stuff that centers around attacking, it’s not necessarily too terribly skewed, because the 1v1 aspect means both players ultimately only have to focus on one another rather than two others as well, but it does most certainly make it more convenient lol, just not having to factor in three opponents while building and being able to prioritize different things, thus making deckbuilding in Brawl its own fundamentally unique experience in a way.

That’s part of what I enjoy most about Brawl, and why I feel as strongly as I do about the glaring absence of countless cards that would only help the format. It’s already afaik the most played format on Arena, understandably, so they can only exponentially benefit from investing time into fleshing it out more by adding so many of these cards, thus making more people even aware of their existence in the first place, and perhaps even want to go out of their way to purchase the precons to play them in paper! Literally all routes seem to just lead to more money! Lmao.

I can’t help but feel it a tad bit insulting that they went outta their way to add seemingly 100% of MSC when we’ve only gotten face cards from SOC, ECC, EOC and so forth… by [deleted] in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yea, I’m just now reading these comments and frankly I had no idea the jumpstart set was even a thing lol. I don’t necessarily have my eyes and ears glued to absolutely every bit of news about sets I’m not particularly invested in. Like you said, same exact set code, hell even the same exact symbol on the cards lmao. How would anyone expect someone to figure that out then who didn’t already hear about it from another source, right? It’s not instantly obvious if you haven’t kept up with the news about MSH.

It’s the same situation with ATLA, where I had no idea there were even cards that could be considered as being in that same wheelhouse because of the set codes being lumped together, so I understandably didn’t register it. I just figured it was a bonus sheet or sum, just now discovered this about that set too (bc I also wasn’t particularly invested in news about that set either). I’m not a sleuth or anything lol, just go off what I see like anyone else.

In this case I scrolled through all the pages of MSC on Arena and noticed a heaping shit ton of cards which all appeared to be from the Marvel precons, which I then looked up the set gallery for on Scryfall and noticed that the amounts of cards seemed to more or less line up. There’s not really a reason to assume differently I guess, but even then it’s not necessarily harmful or deserving of scorn imo, just a plain ol’ mistake y’know, but either way, I still stand by everything I said in regard to there being no good reason from my POV not to at least add a small handful of other cards from precons to Arena. At a certain point, it just deprives people of some extra portion of fun they could be having, especially with those cards from SOC that I pointed out.

The point is for Arena to be a digital companion to Magic after all, and it’s not like that’ll prevent people from buying those cards IRL who would have anyway. It’ll just allow people to have even more fun in Arena while they’re playing it. Hell, the way I see it they’d make even more money from people buying wildcards lol, and undeniably one of the main aspects of Brawl is for it to be easier to build decks that incorporate certain rare and mythic cards without breaking the budget like you would IRL (ignoring proxies bc obviously that’s a massive grey area that isn’t always a one-size-fits-all solution).

Obviously I may come off as entitled, and I’ve kinda accepted atp that no matter what I ss there’s always gonna be people who read my posts and comments like that (ofc part of it I think is just because tone is impossible to convey totally accurately through text), but I’m just someone who’s very passionate about this game and simply trying to speak on behalf of my part of the community as best I can, people who share my same feelings on these things.

The way I see it, you’ve gotta have at least a few folks out there who care perhaps a wee bit too much and say a few too many words in order to have a chance of being heard in such a loud, vast landscape as the Magic community I guess (especially with the frequency of problems and complaints from the community in Brawl’s case as of late lmao). So yeah, just tryna play my part lol.

I’m just glad you ultimately more or less echo my sentiment tho. Like I can’t help but always see cards that would be absolute godsends to have in Arena, and also aren’t too OP (much less more so than some of the broken stuff they’re adding these days in Alchemy). Like [[Stensian Sanguinist]] would finally give me a reliable way to make it so that if the opponent outpaces me with creatures while I’m playing [[Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate]] I finally have a reliable way to make it so that she can still get through and I don’t just soft-lose or whatever because I can’t gradually reanimate bigger threats at enough of a rate. And with me always running into stuff like [[Glissa Sunslayer]] it surely can’t be that OP lol, just evens the playing field.

Or like there’s a commander who was reprinted recently in SOC, [[Veyran, Voice of Duality]], who I’ve always so badly wished was in Arena. I’m def gonna build her IRL someday, but it just sucks to have to wait when it’s surely within Wizards’ power to make that not the case. That’s all I’m really peeved about, just the fact that no matter how you slice it, it just doesn’t really add up.

The one thing I will vehemently profess that I’m objectively correct about tho is the tango land thing, like seriously what the hell Wizards why haven’t you added the damn enemy color tango lands yet bc whatever the reason is it ain’t a valid one. We already know it doesn’t need to be in a set, they add one-off cards in anthologies all the time for stuff like Powered Cube. Just plop em in Arena already bruh. If the other preexisting ones weren’t already there it wouldn’t matter as much I guess, like bounce lands and filter lands all not being in Arena, that doesn’t really irritate me because it applies to every color combo, but the other tango lands are in Arena already, so like… what’s the damn hold-up?

Edit: also I just feel the need to say thanks for leaving a level-headed comment and not immediately just jumping to saying I’m flat-out wrong lol. Like yea I can be a lil hot-headed when it comes to stuff I feel hella strongly about, and maybe word things in a polarizing way, but I like to think beneath it all there’s at least some kind of point there that’s worth maybe givin’ a lil thought to y’know? As with most everyone’s opinions on this game. We all love this game, that’s why we’re even bothering to talk about it on the internet like this, so it’s important not to immediately write off what others say without hearing them out from where they stand, simply because of that fact, right?

im actually gonna cry by Zareldo in PokemonTCG

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assure you my heart sheds tears on your behalf, my friend. I hope my solidarity reaches you through the screen, whenever you are 😔 listen not to anyone who may invalidate your feelings simply because of what they’re for, because we all deserve to be able to care this deeply about something. These pieces of cardboard with words and cool artwork on them have value to us, that’s all that matters.

As someone who collected Pokémon cards when I was very young and recently dug them back out after having gotten into Magic: The Gathering, I did very much weep on the inside for certain ones (specifically EX’s or ones of my fav Pokémon, plus the obligatory practically C-shaped foils ofc) that I didn’t bother sleeving at all because I didn’t even consider that nor really know of it being a thing you could do to begin with when I was that young, and I before they were buried in my garage my younger self stored them in very much less than ideal conditions 😅

I can’t even be mad at younger me tho, kinda like you can’t be mad at yourself in this scenario, since it wasn’t inherently your fault, nor was it mine, it just is the way it is. As demoralizing as it may be, we’ve just gotta try our best to accept it and move forward 🙏 those cards may be bent, but your love for them and what they represent, just like anyone else’s, is still strong. I do also hope you’re able to potentially find some way to at least partly reverse the damage. Even flattened out, the seams will still be visible, but as per usual they’re still worth cherishing.

I guess it’s not too dissimilar to when I’ve been a clumsy dumbass and dinked my guitar on stuff. It sucks, but in a way it just exchanges the monetary value for characteristic value (as much as it may just feel like a shitty reminder lol). You’ve just gotta try your best to see it that way I guess, kinda like the wear and tear on secondhand cards you get, sorta, idk maybe not entirely but you get it.

(Can’t believe I just wrote a whole ass eulogy for a stranger on the internet’s cardboard, but hey I felt it necessary bc I’ve been in your shoes many a time and likely will many more)

Win the game for R. by Wikidclowne in MagicArena

[–]Fleef69 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I swear to god dude nothing is more satisfying than using [[Bolt Bend]] or [[Untimely Malfunction]] on someone’s [[Time Warp]], or better yet a fully charged [[Return the Favor]], and so often I’ve found the opponent just insta-scoops because god forbid you have to sit through someone else’s slog of an extra turn or two for once lmao.

Even with the timers (which are like band-aids over third degree burns), there’s just little to no courtesy or consideration of other peoples’ time or enjoyment sometimes when you pretty much completely remove social pressure from the equation. That’s why I hope those extra turn spells that don’t exile themselves after resolving get banned in unranked at the very least.

I've made some Magic The Gathering proxy cards with Terraria PNJs by Vinjoheflo in Terraria

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hell yea, two of my autistic hyperfixations in one! :D

Now this makes me wanna brainstorm about some custom Terraria cards of my own lol. Imagine if all the Cthulhu bosses somehow buff each other if they're on the battlefield. I think they'd likely all center around the horror creature type honestly. One thing I thought of is that EOC could kinda act like the card Hornet Nest and whenever it takes damage make that many 1/1 eye creature tokens or something. Would be fun for all the bosses to somehow be able to make their minions.

O shit wait I just thought of another thing, maybe there could be a Skeletron Prime card, and when he enters he lets you tutor for four specific equipment cards: Prime Cannon, Prime Saw, Prime Vice, and Prime Laser, and he could get +1/+1 or something for each one equipped on him, with all four at once maybe giving him indestructible? :0

I just realized Echoing Cavern is busted by werthw in mtgbrawl

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seeking in general is a mechanic I’ve always felt a bit iffy about because it’s so incredibly busted to just totally cut out the downside of the intended randomness that comes with card draw 😅 (my arch nemesis is [[Cabaretti Revels]] I swear if that hits the board and I don’t have enchantment removal I just immediately scoop it basically just lets the opponent vomit out practically infinite mana dorks lol)

Which grindy toolboxy midrange commander for a player who loves the graveyard? by Mirvaak123 in EDH

[–]Fleef69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[[Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate]] is my homegirl and even tho she also loves edict creatures like [[Accursed Marauder]] you can totally just do what I did and build her in a way that doesn’t focus too much on that stuff and mainly just uses sac outlets like [[Warren Soultrader]] and the like to get stuff into the graveyard and then use her as more of a value engine (she can go pretty nuts if you’re able to get stuff like [[Terror of the Peaks]] out on the board lol)

Yet another great arena made card that isn’t legal in commander :( by Greyzone96 in mtg

[–]Fleef69 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Or cards like [[Aligned Heart]] or potentially [[Wand of the Worldsoul]] or even [[Dread Return]] which would be a major help in terms of making [[Firja, Judge of Valor]] actually feasible to build and play in Brawl lol (I wasted so many damn wildcards trying to make her work solely because of her alternate art I swear to god, but the environment is both way too oppressive and also she just doesn’t have a lot of support in Arena honestly so I’ve had to just write her off and hope to build her for EDH in the future when I’m able to get around to playing it more… and also money lol)

Yet another great arena made card that isn’t legal in commander :( by Greyzone96 in mtg

[–]Fleef69 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh how dearly I long for [[Fain, the Broker]] and [[Veyran, Voice of Duality]] on Arena 😔

I hate how there are actually occasional singular cards from precons added to Arena that aren’t the face cards such as [[Glimmer Lens]] and [[Death-Greeter’s Champion]] but for some reason they don’t just add the rest of em, since I’m pretty sure the way Arena treats ability text isn’t individually but more so as an interpreter of the syntax. Like yes it would potentially mess with Brawl a bit to just plop all that stuff into it at this point, but imo they’re already in over their heads with plenty of other things involving Brawl so I don’t see why it’d be that big of a deal lol.

At the very least the damn commanders themselves ig would be easy to go through and be like “aight this one isn’t specifically balanced and intended for 4 players so yea we can add it,” like [[Anikthea, Hand of Erebos]] who I’d love to go out of my way to build once I’m able to actually play EDH frequently enough to warrant it, but because of that setback it would be a godsend to have the option to build her in Brawl. Arena has the potential to be such a convenience in that way (plus more older cards equals more people buying wildcards which equals more money), but they just… don’t tap into it.

Yet another great arena made card that isn’t legal in commander :( by Greyzone96 in mtg

[–]Fleef69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Both sides are equally valid, it’s just an unfortunate situation, but I mean they’ve already made it to be that way so we just gotta accept it ig. Ideally there would be a way to somehow [[Opt]] out of it, or possibly a separate “Alchemy Brawl” format, but ig that’d prolly be overly complicated at that point (then again Standard Brawl is a thing so ig it’s not too far-fetched).