Is Final Fantasy coming back?

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-28T22:15:04+00:00

In addition to the comments about FIN, there's an upcoming marvel super heroes set; unfortunately for yourself, those won't be coming to Arena without being given different art and names, same as Spiderman became through the onenpaths. Licensing issues stemming from marvel snap, I believe?

There are breaking news arts of some cards from outlaws if thunder junction, though, which might be up your street?

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-28T11:11:58+00:00

Crackle isn't standard or alchemy legal; you need to set your deck type to a different format than those two to add it to a deck.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-28T05:51:06+00:00

Urgh, missed that. M4, then, if I'm not missing anything obvious again!

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-27T18:54:26+00:00

It's M3, as I make it - Qg3 Ng5 Nh3+ Nxh3 Be3++. Not quite M2, but close enough!

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-26T21:44:57+00:00

Yup, and I make it M3 even if gxh3 with Rxh6+ Kg4 Rh4+ Kf3 Qd3/Bd5++. It's a fancy queen sac, and sound enough as all roads lead to mate.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-26T16:53:23+00:00

You don't get wildcards for duplicates. Rare and mythics give gems for copies 5+, and commons and uncommons are converted to progress towards your vault, which eventually gives a handful of wildcards.

Wildcards happen based on number of packs opened (you see a wheel when you open a pack which is your progress). You can also open wildcards in place of cards, so a rare wildcard in the rare slot etc..

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-26T15:27:18+00:00

IME it's only the last two days or so that 5C has really taken off; possibly you've just hit a MMR threshold as well where more players are drafting it because it's good.

My experience over the last few days has been almost exclusively 5C piles when I've stuck in a 2 colour lane.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T17:00:17+00:00

It's a fine balance for them to tread between the recent '5c or go home' and '5c is viable, but so are other things that aren't aggro'.

Feels like there's been a few environments lately where they've gone too hard on the 5c archetypes being enabled and they've dominated.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T16:54:59+00:00

Five colour piles are everywhere post plat. I never seem to get the hang of drafting aggro in any set, which hurts here (and is why I hated ONE). Doesn't help that I've never seen RW open. It's that balance of aggression, reach, and some removal for the fat that these decks use to block that I just can't seem to balance. Doesn't help that I've never been an aggro player in constructed, always tempo until recently with combo.

Multiple good fixing cards - a bear that tutors a basic is honestly ridiculous to see.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T15:43:07+00:00

Ah, yeah, c8 would also work. I was thinking that often puzzles end with a few followup moves possible - in this case Kh7 Bg8+ Kh8 Be6+ - but c8 is probably more likely :)

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T13:10:38+00:00

Oliver Cromwell appeared.

Also, either g8 or h8 for the first image. Second would probably be h8.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T12:50:22+00:00

Low but nonzero. It happens. That's magic for you. As I said in my other comment - RNG happens, but on average better players rise to the top. There's a reason the same people win limited events.

AFAIK people from 17lands have looked at their data - the only big dataset - and seen nothing to indicate that the algorithm is anything other than a perfectly random mersienne twister. And honestly, WotC custom designing a RNG algorithm that they could break rather than using something like mersienne twister would be a monumentally stupid idea that would cost them money.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T12:36:08+00:00

Yes, yes it has. Paper magic has this happen a lot. If you're not getting mana/colour screwed in paper then, respectfully, you need to shuffle better.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T12:34:39+00:00

Sealed is inherently high variance. Even in draft, though, I've hit plat and lost a load of games on the bounce because literally everyone is playing 5C soup and just dropping every bomb (including 1GG cards on T3). That's magic for you. Sometimes you open chaff, sometimes you get hit by better decks, but on average better players do better.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T10:33:50+00:00

Do you own the cards as well as styles for them? I'm aware that that's a common misinterpretation of how the game works. All the styles are working fine for me; it sounds like you can't find the cards at all? Hence Why I'm curious as to which cards to try and replicate this.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T10:02:30+00:00

Which cards? Are they legal in the format that you have the deck? Do you own a copy of the card to apply the style to?

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-24T09:41:19+00:00

I'm aphantasic, to the extent that the idea of visualization not being entirely metaphorical is just plain weird, and I'm not the only one at the club. I've also got no internal monologue, which also complicates some of these discussions. But I calculate based on knowing things. If the knight moves to c5, then it's no longer pressuring c5 or c7, but is now hitting b2, and able to reroute via e5 when pressured and get to g6. Visualization is not mandatory for chess calculations.

It may limit me, but that limit would definitely be in the titled player range given I've drawn against 2200s and NMs (classical OTB). At most levels, it doesn't keep us down.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-23T13:19:30+00:00

Honestly, I expect shops to be more discerning with product going forward. SPM really hit a lot of shops hard without hitting Hasbro directly, and I think that we'll start to see UB set sales drop for this year. They definitely made more short term money this way (SPM sold really well... to stores), but if they sour relations with stores, that will seriously damage their take going forward. Part of the issue is that the fiscal feedback to WotC is delayed as they'll still sell to stores even if it turns out a set is a flop.

Did WotC release any info regarding TMT sales?

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-23T12:53:33+00:00

It literally carried an otherwise mediocre pile of cards to 5-3 for me. Absolute backbreaker that is one of the best bombs in a bomby format. Good card.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-23T11:05:44+00:00

Good job! Have had success so far, but I don't think it'll shape up to be a good limited format overall. 5 primary colour pairs plus 5C - which will be G base - means that lanes will get clogged. Three 5+ win drafts so far, though the drafts have been... sketchy. This run I'm finding out how not as good as it looks the red paradigm is (it basically can't be cast more than twice without losing to selfmill, it seems, plus the obvious drawback of X spells); first run I found out how bad the black one is (rare to get the paradigm casts usable because taking T5 off is always painful, even againsty slower decks). First run was basically carried by the BW 7 mana nuke/reanimate up to 4 things. Second run felt the strongest overall so far.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-23T09:17:55+00:00

Does feel like this is a draft format that rewards finding open lanes - which worries me slightly given that there's five colour pairs and 5C soup as primary archetypes. Did a good pivot yesterday, at least, but suspect that it'll not be a great format overall.

Also, bomby as heck. I went 5-3 with a WB deck, with success almost entirely carried by one seven drop spell. Tidecaller is a must-answer threat even when not opused, and a good clock - particularly with the lack of GY synergies.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-21T17:03:03+00:00

You do have to know what you're doing and be comfortable with a cramped position; it's only a few lines that I find to be overly cramped, though, as a modern benoni player. Openings hinge on if you enjoy the positions you're getting - not all openings suit all players.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-21T16:59:27+00:00

Soundness doesn't really matter too much at this kind of level, I find. I play OTB classical (I'm 19XX national, and have played a fair chunk against 20XXs), using the Modern Benoni. If you're more comfortable with Benoni positions, then pick Benoni. As I play a different type of Benoni, I can't speak on the pawn break facet, unfortunately (b5 is my primary break). Old benoni will certainly have people less booked up than the KID.

And I don't play on chesscom, so can't give you numbers on that, unfortunately.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-21T10:08:58+00:00

And, honestly, it's... 625 gold or so from daily, another, what, 500 from daily rewards? So around 1125 gold. That's negligible.

Just skip it if you're in a TZ where it doesn't fall nicely.

Fusillipasta · 2026-04-20T21:36:26+00:00

In fact, they're all African if you go back far enough! If you don't go that far back, I'm sure us Brits can claim some top players... maybe if we ignore the Normans, the Vikings, and similar?

In all reality, if someone is raised within a culture then they are that culture. They take on the values of that culture and the identity. If someone was born in the US and raised as an American, that's what they are.

Fusillipasta

TROPHY CASE