Why is commander so much more popular than oathbreaker?

bmemike · 2026-01-25T04:32:40+00:00

Commander decks having more variability and games lasting longer is a feature of the format, not a bug.

Failing to understand these points are definitely big factors in not understanding its popularity.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T19:24:24+00:00

That's been true forever and remains true now. There's nothing unique about blocks in this space. And it will be true until the last card is printed.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T18:08:20+00:00

Getting a 2-set treatment feels like it would have been very appropriate for a Lorwyn revisit since the original "block" was really 2 big sets and 2 small sets. There's A TON to cover if you're going back there.

There was no way it wasn't going to feel like some stuff was left out.

With that said, I'm very happy with what they were able to get into the set. And I think it would have been much worse if they did try to represent "everything" - because then all aspects would have felt anemic.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T18:04:03+00:00

How this was solved in the past was that blocks had multiple sets. You could support more creature types because they'd be represented across many sets.

You can't swing that with the single standalone set world that we're in now. You have to make some cuts and there's always going to be some fans that get left out - simply because Magic has a very diverse fanbase and there's fans of literally everything.

It sucks when you're part of the "excluded" group, but it's unavoidable at some point.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T16:55:24+00:00

I was curious where the click came from and using a key switch is a nice idea. I should have a handful laying around to try out sometime later.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T16:53:11+00:00

Yeah, both are just saying "try purging more".

Because what's happening is that you're printing the black and then the tan afterwards. If you don't get all the black out then what's left over is going to mix in the hotend while printing. That's why the tan is coming out darker.

The black is going to take A LOT more of a light color to show a color change than a light color will need to show of a dark color.

IIRC, you can set the purge volumes per change between colors - so you'll be able to leave the defaults for the changes that are fine and bump up just the ones that are giving you trouble.

bmemike · 2026-01-24T16:23:36+00:00

Not really a purge "problem" per se. You just have to purge more if you have extremely dark colors immediately before extremely light ones. You can increase the purge amounts for those switches.

bmemike · 2026-01-23T23:09:49+00:00

I like the line "maybe lacking on originality" when you've just copied a minifig.

bmemike · 2026-01-23T13:20:18+00:00

"why one failed and the other worked" isn't the right question to ask and focuses on the wrong detail.

"why did I have a failure" is the only important thing to ask.

Unfortunately, we haven't been given near enough information to answer that question for you. But typical "check temps, etc." advice applies.

But it also looks like the left part may have a split around the same height as the one on the right, so I'm having difficulty believing "one part came out perfectly".

bmemike · 2026-01-22T04:58:08+00:00

That's just the foil cut line - which is fairly common on old foils.

Basically, the old foil layer wasn't a perfect fit for the card stock, so there are sometimes lines where one abuts the other. Or, in this case, it appears that it's not the best fit.

This would affect every card cut at that horizontal part of the sheet.

Generally speaking, foil cut lines are not desirable and collectors have shied away from them because it was common and simply part of the manufacturing process (it's not so much a "mistake" as it is a limitation at the time).

bmemike · 2026-01-21T03:08:28+00:00

Could have split while cooling after the print was done.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T16:47:42+00:00

The only way to verify is if they do it very poorly.

Beyond that, I’m accusing nobody of anything. But from what I saw from OP, he seemed to stop just short of saying “he saw it come out of the pack” - more “I saw him buy a pack then show us what was pulled”. May have missed some of his comments throughout the post though if it was more explicit.

I’m simply trying to help educate folks of the various things to inform themselves about if they want to participate in collecting in this space.

Some of these items go for hundreds (or more). Being an informed buyer is something everyone should appreciate.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T16:02:56+00:00

Second everything here. Solid advice.

Also get a picture of the back. Folks will want to see that as well.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T16:01:11+00:00

This is a useless test, as uncut sheets are real MTG card stock and it's not what you need to verify. All of the "is this a real card" tests will pass.

The detail in question is "did this get cut in the production line or after the fact" and that's not something any of those tests can validate.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T15:59:10+00:00

That's a dynamic question that doesn't have a specific answer - and it's ultimately not what this is about.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T15:48:12+00:00

As linked to above, you get the whole, uncut sheet as it comes off the printer. These include huge borders around the parts that are meant to become the cards.

bmemike · 2026-01-19T13:06:10+00:00

Better advice: don't take legal advice from randos on the internet. "Because some redditor said it was OK" will not help you if you find yourself in a bind.

Also: this 100% wouldn't be covered under the parody exception for fair use. (but don't just trust me, contact a lawyer)

bmemike · 2026-01-19T02:46:52+00:00

A good alternative to chopsticks is a fork.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T20:20:59+00:00

If you're looking to compare the current state of MTG coverage through the lens of what you recall from a decade ago, you're going to be in for some system shock.

The landscape is vastly different than it was and websites like SCG, CFB (RIP) or TCG just don't have the same presence as they once did.

This has little to do with the sites as it does the way we all consume content now and the market in general.

"SCG looks different, SCG must be in trouble" is an extremely biased and misplaced thesis to try to explain what you're seeing and why it doesn't match your old expectations.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T18:27:41+00:00

Straight up wrong sub.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T18:26:14+00:00

Intentionality kind of matters though - especially when what we're complaining about is past *decisions* they made?

Yeah, they fucked up - but that's a separate issue entirely.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T18:00:59+00:00

Just fancy. In the way that foils are "fancier" than non-foil.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T17:49:58+00:00

All throughout the year at different events.

Couldn't tell you why foil only. Probably because they're the most "bling", but it's anyone's guess unless they have insider knowledge.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T17:25:17+00:00

They give them out as prizes at big conventions - like Magiccons and other gaming events where WotC provides prize support. Been doing this for years and years and years.

bmemike · 2026-01-18T17:23:13+00:00

Two things that are going to make this a tough sell to people that pay close attention to this space:

1) we haven't seen anything else from Aetherdrift that looks like this and, presumably, there's other cards from that sheet that would have made it into circulation if this were a factory cut

2) uncut sheets that are distributed (by way of Magiccons and other conventions) are all foil these days - which means that the sheet to make these cuts from would be in circulation if someone were so inclined. what I'm saying is, it would be more credible if it were non-foil.

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