Dragon's Maze (Baseless Speculation and Spoilers)

[Death Gaara]

I literally cannot stand rdw and stuff like it, but why do control players feel like the master race? No one color should rule the pie, blue and white got  {Supreme Verdict}  {Azorius Charm}  {Feeling of Dread} just tons of things, why do you people complain so much about another color getting a good card??

I literally cannot stand people who make false assumptions about control players feeling like the master race. See? I can whine meaningless banter too. Nowhere did I say aggro was beneath me nor did I say control is the only way to play magic. I am implying that WotC does not have variance in a type of game that thrives on variance. What is the point in playing a card game where the only strategies are attack, attack, and attack. I am not whining about control. I am saying that WotC pushed aggro very far the past few years. I am fine with that. Sure, whatever works for people. But what I do not understand is why on earth they continue to add cards to their existing pool. Seriously tell me this sounds right to you. Aggro has

{Boros Reckoner}
{Falkenwrath Aristocrat}
{Huntmaster of the Fells}
{Restoration Angel}
{Hellrider}
{Thundermaw Hellkite}
{Thragtusk}
{Burning Tree Emissary}
{Flinthoof Boar}
{Champion of the Parish}
Xx many more I do not want to list

Control on the other hand has only one measly reliable way to draw cards right now. And to top this off, many of those aggro creatures have ETB abilities. So this new Boros card effectively makes us lose the ability to wrath when needed, and the the aggro players get more activations off of Thundermaw, Huntmaster, Thragtusk, Restoration Angel, etc.

The fact of the matter is Aggro is incredibly pushed right now and to compensate for other style decks WotC has decided to push it even more. This agitates me. There is no point in playing a card game where I can use different cards to make a deck I want when the only deck that even has a chance is Aggro. I am not above playing Aggro. I just think that it is pointless to play a card game where all you do is attack. I could get the same enjoyment doing the same thing by button mashing a fighting game for much less money.

Let me ask you this. Why do you play Magic? What makes it fun?

For me it was a few different things. The first reason was of its complexity. I wanted an outlet that let me engage my mind in a non destructive way. Magic let me match wits with people and play mind games without actually hurting anyone. I also enjoyed the variance. My buddy could be playing an Aggro deck that sought to play threats while my Control deck sought to answer these threats. It was a back and forth style fight with each side slowly giving way to the other. The options used to be endless! You could show up to a tournament and take it by storm with a random rouge combo or control deck that nobody saw coming. But then WotC went ahead and turned standard into a game of "WHO CAN DROP MORE CREATURES AND POWER FIRST!!!!". This began to eliminate variance in the game. Why would somebody play control when on turn 2 you could have 7-8 power on the board? This stupid mentality is leaking into Modern too. As far as I am concerned that format is close to dead at the rate it is going.

It is not about Control vs Aggro anymore. I have grown tired of that argument. However, it does not seem right that WotC gives Aggro an answer (Boros Charm) to control's only hope (Wraths) and then 2 sets later puts the nail in the coffin with another answer to wraths it did not need. Aggro was pushed, creatures became really powerful with amazing ETB abilities, and WotC decides to protect them from wraths, power them up, and let them reuse their amazing abilities again? For me it does not even matter if the card is good enough to be played or not. It is a matter of something is wrong with that mentality. Where is the sense of fairness? Where is the variance? There is none. The answer is simple. WotC is trying to appeal to the newer players that migrated over from a ton of other games that spammed attacking (see any number of video games, yugioh, pokemon, etc.). No, I am not hating on the newer players. I am glad the game is growing. I am saying that WotC no longer cares about their playerbase. They only care about pleasing the new players so they can make more money. Yeah it sucks, but that is business. WotC is not here to make people happy. They are here to make money. So they will listen to whichever side brings them the most profit. Sadly, the newer players seem to outnumber the old school veterans of the game. Why do you think that when people whine and cry for a ban that WotC delivers? They do not want to take the time of day to solve the problem. It is easier to complain until you get your way. That is why characters get nerfed in fighting games, and why Konami has a stupid long ban list for their unbalanced mess of a card game. Because people saw the need to keep complaining instead of working with what they had. There is no excuse for some of the cards on the Modern ban list. There is no excuse only one type of deck is playable in standard. There is no excuse why Modern costs so much money to get into after the promises they made. There is no excuse that players should have to suffer at the hands of collectors because of the reserved list.

It has evolved far past Aggro, Combo, and Control now. The poor business decisions, the unbalancing of a game that used to be balanced, and the little recognition to the players that made Magic what it is today are the problems.

Do not get me wrong. I love Magic a lot. I will probably play the game until either one of us dies whichever comes first.  But being a part of this game for so many years and seeing this increase in poor decisions really makes me wonder why I should care? WotC does not seem to care, so why should the players?

I want to first inform you I read all of your post. Second I can't really even type a rebuttal up because I do only play standard and draft, but less and less of standard because yes it is an aggro heavy format. However there are answers. I see the power creep, believe me I know it's rediculous, but counter spells exist. You have acces to several wraiths. You have acces to bounce spells. You were given {blind obedience}. You were given creatures with etb as well {augur of bolas} {snapcaster mage} {restoration angel}.
  Magic was after all designed to be won after losing your life or your mind, and which is faster to destroy? I've read your articles dg, but your post just disgusts me. I thought you were better than just complaining about big fattys, I thought you made answers. That's all I was trying to state in my previous post, that these aggro heavy decks can be worked around, that this card really shouldn't cause so much butthurt. You seemed capable of working around aggro.
You then took a side tangent off into how Wotc is just out to make money, and again I completely agree. I don't even have to say anything past commanders arsenal and any modern masters sets.
I just don't see why this raised such a storm. Aggro players were astounded by {supreme verdict} and I remember seeing the same butthurt on other forums from that in the past. Lets not forget the rest of the set hasnt even been spoiled yet, there could still be some amazing answers. I still like the azourious champion, she's not great but she seems abusable. Anyway like I stated I can't really contend a lot of your points because I'm not an eternal format player, it's too hard to get into here in the Midwest. But I've stated my opinion and there you have it.

This is the kind of response I anticipated. You see, you have me pegged at one main point. I create solutions. I am glad you read my articles and find them insightful. But you seem to have missed the main point in all of this. I am not complaining about fatties and aggro. This is where your analysis took a turn on the misinterpreted side. I am not complaining about aggro as stated in this quote from my post: "I am not whining about control. I am saying that WotC pushed aggro very far the past few years. I am fine with that. Sure, whatever works for people. But what I do not understand is why on earth they continue to add cards to their existing pool".

For starters, this disproves your point about me "complaining about big fattys". Actually, I enjoy a challenge and accept this change just so I can find a way to out think the rest of the aggro players.

The point of that post was to show the truth. The point you missed was the principle of the matter. I could care less they never printed another blue card again. However, when WotC is making stupid moves just to appeal to a newer audience just so they get some easy money it irritates me.

My point was reinforced in this quote: "It is not about Control vs Aggro anymore. I have grown tired of that argument. However, it does not seem right that WotC gives Aggro an answer (Boros Charm) to control's only hope (Wraths) and then 2 sets later puts the nail in the coffin with another answer to wraths it did not need".

Further supported by this here: "It has evolved far past Aggro, Combo, and Control now".

I am sorry that you find my post disgusting, but I am not here to please anyone. I am only speaking the truth which most do not want to hear.

And please do me a favor for the future. You may dissect my posts and engage in some sort of sense using logical reasoning with me if you wish. But please do not take my posts so lightly. It is not the material that is important, but the universal ideas that comes from it. Look at the ideas of what my posts indicate, not the face value. If anybody wants any hope at all of trying to understand what I say, they must use critical thinking to digest the ideas of my writing (this includes both articles and posts).

I am sorry if I have offended you at all, but that is they way I am. Again it is not about Aggro vs Control or vice versa. It is not about how far they are pushing aggro. It is the principles they are using to do this which nobody seems to get (with the exception of a few people such as Dudecore). They can push aggro all they want in every format. It does not mean I will just complain and stop finding answers. However, I will critique their mediocre principles when I see them because without recognition of an idea, there is no progress.

EDIT: Also, without having played multiple formats please withhold your judgment on my ideas before you experience both sides of the claim. It makes understanding the overall issue easier. The idea of a stale format exists. See past formats such a Jund, Faeries, and Caw Blade for example (yes, I even knock on blue sometimes). Standard is heading for a really stale format in my opinion. Sorry if you do not agree with this, but again please try and see the ideas behind such acts of acknowledgment towards ill signs of regression amongst the format.

[FlickerYourOwnIdentity]

Although, yes I do agree garra, they have pushed aggro.  And I personally hate aggro with a passion, but you guys are still complaining, so please stop arguing, and come up with a solution.

[Dudecore]

Although, yes I do agree garra, they have pushed aggro.  And I personally hate aggro with a passion, but you guys are still complaining, so please stop arguing, and come up with a solution.

Quit standard because its a broken, vile, uninteresting format that spews out the same 4 decks until they print answers for those decks every 3 months? Sounds about right.

And this is a message board, what else is there to do but complain?

[5/9 Turtle]

Can you guys seriously stop bickering

[Death Gaara]

Although, yes I do agree garra, they have pushed aggro.  And I personally hate aggro with a passion, but you guys are still complaining, so please stop arguing, and come up with a solution.

I will not engage with your inability to see the ideas that are present here. How many times did I just state that I did not care they were pushing aggro? Please count for me as I know I said it at least three times. It is not aggro that I have a problem with. I will play Jund control if I really have to. Solutions are not the problem. I could provide solutions for days, but it does not change the principle. Again, not whining about solutions. Those are easy enough to find. It is the idea that WotC does this, and people continually buy into it both literally and figuratively. If you have read any of my work you know that I am not the type to whine and not create solutions. However, you would also then know that I call bullshit when I see it. Two separate ideas that walk almost the same line. Please understand that these two ideas converge and ride along a line that runs the same direction but has multiple interpretations.

[Silent1236]

Well, since there is a whole lot of complaining going on, I'll go ahead and throw in my 2 cents. 

I'm sick of Boros in a block-constructed view.  All the guilds were mediocre at best, then Boros happened.  Boros is so fast and overpowered that it is worthless to play the garbage the other guilds were given.  I'm in a casual block-constructed tournament with some friends, but we all already know that the Boros player will win.  They just aren't printing anything very good outside of {R}{W} bs.  Every time a guild gets a good looking card, Boros one-ups it.  It's ridiculous. 

[Death Gaara]

Well, since there is a whole lot of complaining going on, I'll go ahead and throw in my 2 cents. 

I'm sick of Boros in a block-constructed view.  All the guilds were mediocre at best, then Boros happened.  Boros is so fast and overpowered that it is worthless to play the garbage the other guilds were given.  I'm in a casual block-constructed tournament with some friends, but we all already know that the Boros player will win.  They just aren't printing anything very good outside of {R}{W} bs.  Every time a guild gets a good looking card, Boros one-ups it.  It's ridiculous.

Boros is pretty powerful in block, but I would venture to say that some sort of BUG control deck would work well (I have not tested this, but it sounds viable in my head at least). Again, it is not that I am complaining. Rather, I am bringing ideas to light that nobody else wants to recognize or talk about. It comes off as complaining until you really think about it and why it matters.

[Dudecore]

In the interest of slightly changing this unpopular subject: could you take 3 attack phases if you used {Aurelia, the Warleader}, then used {Legion Initiative} between attack phases?

[5/9 Turtle]

I wouldn't think so because she has already attacked once

[Death Gaara]

In the interest of slightly changing this unpopular subject: could you take 3 attack phases if you used {Aurelia, the Warleader}, then used {Legion Initiative} between attack phases?

I do not believe so since Aurelia only works for the first attack she makes in that turn. Come round 2 even after the Legion Initiative it is no longer the first attack. On a side note, anybody else want to throw a bunch of RW legendary creatures in a deck, Mass Polymorph them into play and cast this card and call it the Avengers Initiative? I sense EDH all over this!

[Mikefrompluto]

Accusing someone of complaining when they're just voicing their opinion is usually a sign that you have no valid argument. I agree with everything DG and DC have said. Aggro has made for a stale environment. FNM is no longer fun because as soon as you hear "Turn one, I play {stomping ground}/{sacred foundry}," you know exactly what you're in for. Aggro (like net decks) have their place in Magic, but should Wizards cater to it and ban unnecessary things? Absolutely not. Magic is turning into Star Wars. Where else have you seen such a rabid fan base turn against the creator of its passion? I haven't seen it since the very first time Lucas retouched Star Wars in '98 or '99. That's starting to happen in Magic.

Tl;dr Leave what we love alone and stop changing the fundamentals of it to cater to one group.

[Dudecore]

Accusing someone of complaining when they're just voicing their opinion is usually a sign that you have no valid argument. I agree with everything DG and DC have said. Aggro has made for a stale environment. FNM is no longer fun because as soon as you hear "Turn one, I play {stomping ground}/{sacred foundry}," you know exactly what you're in for. Aggro (like net decks) have their place in Magic, but should Wizards cater to it and ban unnecessary things? Absolutely not. Magic is turning into Star Wars. Where else have you seen such a rabid fan base turn against the creator of its passion? I haven't seen it since the very first time Lucas retouched Star Wars in '98 or '99. That's starting to happen in Magic.

Tl;dr Leave what we love alone and stop changing the fundamentals of it to cater to one group.

In all fairness to those people, have you SEEN The Phantom Menace? It's purely one of the worst movies ever made, it failed on every single level, George Lucas or not - it was a career ender.

Also, Magic has never been more popular - I've also never seen this much resistance to Wizafds of the Coast. As far as I'm aware, they're the only thing really keeping Hasbro afloat financially - and Hasbro allegedly strip mines all the money from Wizards and leaves them with very small budgets and pushes them towards making powerful cards at mythic.

[Keyeto]

In the interest of slightly changing this unpopular subject: could you take 3 attack phases if you used {Aurelia, the Warleader}, then used {Legion Initiative} between attack phases?

It works with {Cloudshift}, so I see no reason it wouldn't work here. When a creature is exiled and comes back, it is considered a new object, as if it had just entered the battlefield for the first time.

Edit: And time to eat my words. It wouldn't work, since you can only activate it at sorcery speed, and you cannot cast sorceries during the combat step.

[Mikefrompluto]

Accusing someone of complaining when they're just voicing their opinion is usually a sign that you have no valid argument. I agree with everything DG and DC have said. Aggro has made for a stale environment. FNM is no longer fun because as soon as you hear "Turn one, I play {stomping ground}/{sacred foundry}," you know exactly what you're in for. Aggro (like net decks) have their place in Magic, but should Wizards cater to it and ban unnecessary things? Absolutely not. Magic is turning into Star Wars. Where else have you seen such a rabid fan base turn against the creator of its passion? I haven't seen it since the very first time Lucas retouched Star Wars in '98 or '99. That's starting to happen in Magic.

Tl;dr Leave what we love alone and stop changing the fundamentals of it to cater to one group.

In all fairness to those people, have you SEEN The Phantom Menace? It's purely one of the worst movies ever made, it failed on every single level, George Lucas or not - it was a career ender.

Also, Magic has never been more popular - I've also never seen this much resistance to Wizafds of the Coast. As far as I'm aware, they're the only thing really keeping Hasbro afloat financially - and Hasbro allegedly strip mines all the money from Wizards and leaves them with very small budgets and pushes them towards making powerful cards at mythic.

Oh no, I was talking about when he added stuff to the originals. Bigger explosion of the Deathstar, Greedo shot first, putting Jabba in the first one, changing the names to Episodes 4, 5, and 6. Episodes 1, 2, and 3 were garbage.

[5/9 Turtle]

Plus she has already attacked for the first time in that turn, I would think that regardless of whether she is treated like a new object or not she's already attacked twice.