Wizards Curb-Stomping Multicolored?
Standard forum
Posted on July 5, 2013, 4:01 a.m. by Popsicle.Season
I've noticed in the M14 spoilers that there are a lot of cards that have color-specific abilities (i.e. "Exile a green or white card in target opponents hand" or "Tap target red or green creature an opponent controls"). There are also some cards that hate on shocks and other nonbasic lands (i.e. Burning Earth and Encroaching Wastes).
Is this because multicolored decks have gotten too powerful or simply because multicolored decks are popular right now and so more cards are being made to counteract them.
I'm curious not only about your thoughts on my question but also your thoughts on these cards I'm referring to. Do you think they'll see play?
In the case of encroaching wasted, it's 4 to activate may keep it from highly competitive decks. Got to understand though, Wasteland is a highly played card with a similar ability, just tap to activate. None of this because of multi colored crap or shocks. E.w. can target Nephalia Drownyard or Kessig Wolf Run and other non basic land.
The other ones I wouldn't call multi color hate, but nice sideboard tech. None of this is extremely new either, color hate like this has existed since alpha. I would play these at 3cmc depending on deck design main board and local meta but most likely see time in my standard sideboard. So yeah I think they will see play.
July 5, 2013 4:21 a.m.
3 color decks will continue to be strong until the buddy lands rotate (depending on what, if any, lands get printed in Theros), but having a few checks and balances is never a bad thing. The more cards, archetypes and decks that are viable, the harder it is for the meta to shift to single dominate strategy. And notice that those hate creatures don't have straight up protection from X color, so even the colors they hate against are not straight up screwed against them.
Now if they were to re-print Price of Progress then you could say they were curb stomping multi-colored.
July 5, 2013 4:29 a.m.
Here I was clicking on the topic thinking this was panic that they didn't print any dual lands in M14... That has a higher chance of screwing with multicolored decks than anything the hate cards can do.
Wizards likes to keep their standard looking different each year, the average power level of a multicolored spell is much higher than the average power of single colored spells, to allow the cards of sets like M14 and Theros shine without power creeping these single color spells above what they should be (and they did do a sweet job making some sweet cards anyway) they had to make a lot of spells that are difficult for multicolored decks to reliably operate (double color costs, hurts you for ambitious land base) and become better when there are many decks that are weak to the hate (in the colors that the cards hate on or have ambitious mana bases).
Overall their goal is to make standard meta gaming more complex and fun, it's better to have a complex meta with many viable decks, than a standard with an easy meta where only one or maybe two decks are supreme... though it does make it difficult for those with just the budget to acquire 1-2 decks in a standard's lifetime.
July 5, 2013 4:40 a.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #6
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/254
I wouldn't get your hopes up, Demarge, I'm not sure there ARE printing any duals until Theros...
July 5, 2013 5 a.m.
I know they aren't being printed, it'll be interesting if gates get used or players are more willing to run basics.
July 5, 2013 5:05 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
Sam Stoddard mentioned that WOTC's testing revealed a trend toward fewer colors. This is at least in part due to Mutavault 's reprint (hard to run a heavily saturated tricolor deck with lands that don't produce color). However, the rotation of the check lands in September will force the issue a bit more.
On a side note, I've wanted them to finish the Nimbus Maze cycle ever since I saw Nimbus Maze itself. Given the design team's reasoning for omitting check lands in M14, it doesn't seem likely that Theros will be Nimbus Maze 's time to shine. I'm hoping for either some interesting duals or some good legendary lands.
July 5, 2013 5:33 a.m.
atreyujames says... #9
In regards to the dual lands thing, the rotation doesnt happen until theros comes in, so the buddy lands will be legal until then, than rotate out as new lands come in. Were not going to be losing much probably, maybe allied duals or enemy duals will be favoured but we will at least get some.
As for color-hate, there has frequently been color hate around since the start of magic. Things like Red Elemental Blast , Circle of Protection: Black , or more recently Autumn's Veil have always been around, and they always will be. It's also much more common to see that color hate in core sets because they have little to do with the flavour of a plane, there by fitting nicely into the general mesh of stuff in a core. In my opinion, this is just 1 rare cycle,1 land that follows in suit of others (Wasteland , Dust Bowl , Ghost Quarter ), and 1 offshoot of Manabarbs , nothing more nothing less.
July 5, 2013 5:38 a.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #10
Flashfreeze , Deathmark , Combust and the like are popular Core Set cards, for that matter. The new cycle of color-haters is just sort of a rare cycle of that.
July 5, 2013 6:36 a.m.
Epochalyptik I am hoping for the same, or a cycle of Tolaria West . I know they aren't dual lands but they are amazing :-) wouldn't be upset with filter lands from shadowmoor being reprinted as they are pretty damn useful and rather expensive right now too. I would also love to see more dual (OR TRI) coloured man lands like the zendikar ones. that would make my day!
July 5, 2013 8:22 a.m.
Popsicle.Season says... #12
I'm very much aware that color-hate like the protection circles and cards like wasteland exist, thanks very much. I just think that the color-hate cards are much more useful in this core set than before. Perhaps I just haven't been playing long enough. Encroaching Wastes is a piece of crap, I just figured that I should mention it as it fell under the subject.
July 6, 2013 7:36 p.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #13
@Popsicle.Season; True that, off a multicolour environment colour-hate cards are more usable in general. I mentioned Deathmark and co. and by the looks of it they might not be printed in this set, leaving the color hate at rare rather than uncommon. Interesting to note.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Core sets are designed to support colors independently.
That aside, the current Standard meta almost mandates that you play two, three, or even four colors to remain competitive.
July 5, 2013 4:11 a.m.