Our Least Favorite Cards

So yeah Breya and others are 100% justified, because even if this card is overhyped and not as good as it seems (it is still very good mind you) it is a complete and utter fuck you from WotC to the Commander format, and the CRC are in WotC’s pocket and have been told not to ban the card because the CRC are basically nothing more than corrupt lawmakers taking bribes from their supporters to do nothing but allow WotC to do whatever they want. That is why The Walking Dead Secret Lair is legal, and why this card will be legal.

Slivers are a more popular strategy and sliver queen is nearly $200. The reserved list has become this hoard for collectors who want to treat the game like stocks and bonds and it makes certain cards 100% inaccessible.

“But the reserved list is the backbone of the market!” Bruh are you serious? It’s a cardboard trading card game. It only holds value so long as people play it. It’s not the stock market. It’s a game people play over the kitchen table or at local tournaments.

“But then wizards can just reprint anything and damage the value of all the cards I hoarded!” Yes. That’s the point. Its your fault you looked at a card game and saw an investment opportunity instead of a card game. You played yourself.

“But the high end collectors are the backbone of the game! That’s who MTG should cater to!” We’re literally in a casual boom. Honestly, most high end collectors wheel store credit with standard legal cards to make their collection while casual players tend to flat out buy more product. High end collectors also tend to be spikier snd create an unfriendly, clubhouse like environment that discourages people from playing the game.

HEY

MTGCommander site appears to be down, but here’s the changes to the banlist.

But I hate 90% of all MTG players. Like. The crowd here on tumblr is here for story and fun kitchen table play which is why I’m here too.

Whenever I go to a card shop to play casual EDH I get hit by infinite combos, degenerate proxies, overbearing control, and one shot kills. “Oh great Magister Sphinx. Please tell me again how you used it for control against lifegain when you hit me at 40 life. Clearly I was out of control.”

Its like 90% of MTG players can only have fun if no one else is having fun. One shop owner literally told me my most prized deck (Riku hugs) wasn’t winning because it didn’t run the expensive staples every deck uses. Like, I get that it works but its boring and kills the game’s creativity.

That selfishness goes into the game’s market, too. Notice how anything in low supply suffered hoarding buyouts to resell at the raised price. One of the best tracking sites is literally called mtgstocks. I also get that without a secondary market there’s less incentive for players to buy sealed product that pays the bills so we can keep playing with cardboard but a $250 Mythic Edition is fucked. It just feels like a mad dash to take as much as you can for yourself instead of playing the game like a normal person.

I love playing mtg for its extensive library of cards and fun interactions that make for an exciting game.

I think Cyclonic Rift should be banned in EDH.

Now, EDH promotes flexible deckbuilding and cultivates a small banlist to provide tons of options on how people want to play. Cards aren’t really banned unless the multiplayer, 40 life rules of the format really warp the card beyond what its original purpose was.

If you look at Sway of the Stars, you’ll find the reset to 7 life is so much more powerful here. As is Worldfire’s everyone at 1. Cards really aren’t banned unless their power is severely boosted by the high mana, altered life totals/libraries of the format.

So some things about Cyc Rift. What stands out to me is it outclasses every single boardwipe in the game. There are hardly any downsides to it and it shows.

First of all, its a one sided boardwipe that only hits all of your opponents things. The comparison I have here is Plague Wind. Destroy all your opponents’ creatures but let yours live for a high mana cost. Plague Wind only hits in black’s colors, when you look at Cyc Rift it hits every permanent on your opponents’ field. That’s an incredible range of coverage.

On top of that, Mass Calcify, In Garruk’s Wake, Plague Wind, these are all at sorcery speed. Cyc Rift is not only substantially more powerful but it also can be cast during your opponents’ turn.

The card gets two times better when you have three opponents for it. Hitting every nonland permanent only your opponents control in blue at instant speed is absurdly powerful, especially in EDH where boardstates take time to assemble and reassemble. Its a much different impact.

Lastly, how is Cyc Rift used? Similar to how Worldfire can be used to instantly win. My problem with cyc rift in game (is opinionated) is that either the game ends or takes another hour that turn. Either you negate the entire game of magic the gathering by removing the combat element for an OHKO for a win in the least fun way or the game drags on for another hour.