@clarknes.bsky.social
Mostly talk about mtg. Sometimes other things.
I completely agree. I have a lot of issues with the Lorewyn story, and this is definitely one of them. Not sure it’s my biggest one but this retcon on Oko is such a letdown for him. It really feels like they saw him get broken, decided to squeezed every drop of story capital he had.
December 17, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I completely agree. I have a lot of issues with the Lorewyn story, and this is definitely one of them. Not sure it’s my biggest one but this retcon on Oko is such a letdown for him. It really feels like they saw him get broken, decided to squeezed every drop of story capital he had.
Overall, I would say this was a major tick downward for story in a while. What I will say is that most of these issues come down to structural issues imo. I think they had too many non native characters, and too much of Lorewyn that had to get covered. I don’t think it was poorly written necessarily
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Overall, I would say this was a major tick downward for story in a while. What I will say is that most of these issues come down to structural issues imo. I think they had too many non native characters, and too much of Lorewyn that had to get covered. I don’t think it was poorly written necessarily
Additionally, the conflict didn’t really feel like it had much in the way of stakes. They didn’t really create believable risk for the students since we know they will be part of the next set, and they didn’t make me care about whether Marelyn died or not. Maybe I would have if I played OG Lorewyn.
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Additionally, the conflict didn’t really feel like it had much in the way of stakes. They didn’t really create believable risk for the students since we know they will be part of the next set, and they didn’t make me care about whether Marelyn died or not. Maybe I would have if I played OG Lorewyn.
Cast of non native characters, who were being dragged around the plane with almost no agency, while world spanning plot beats happened around them. The Lorewyn locals got so little focus and we barely got to see much of how they think about things or why they do what they do.
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Cast of non native characters, who were being dragged around the plane with almost no agency, while world spanning plot beats happened around them. The Lorewyn locals got so little focus and we barely got to see much of how they think about things or why they do what they do.
I was fairly disappointed in it tbh. Now, this comes with the caveat of it followed EoE which is imo, one of the best magic stories of all time, possible the best. But Lorewyn felt like someone was trying to recreate every problem discussed from the plane hopping era. It exclusively followed a
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I was fairly disappointed in it tbh. Now, this comes with the caveat of it followed EoE which is imo, one of the best magic stories of all time, possible the best. But Lorewyn felt like someone was trying to recreate every problem discussed from the plane hopping era. It exclusively followed a
This was my desktop background for like 2 years
December 15, 2025 at 5:16 AM
This was my desktop background for like 2 years
Give me a second avatar jumpstart set that’s all avatar extended universe stuff. Make it happen.
December 6, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Give me a second avatar jumpstart set that’s all avatar extended universe stuff. Make it happen.
Personally:
Edge of Eternities
Avatar the Last Airbender
Tarkir Dragonstorm
Aetherdrift
Final Fantasy
Spider-Man
Edge of Eternities
Avatar the Last Airbender
Tarkir Dragonstorm
Aetherdrift
Final Fantasy
Spider-Man
December 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Personally:
Edge of Eternities
Avatar the Last Airbender
Tarkir Dragonstorm
Aetherdrift
Final Fantasy
Spider-Man
Edge of Eternities
Avatar the Last Airbender
Tarkir Dragonstorm
Aetherdrift
Final Fantasy
Spider-Man
One last thing though worth pointing out. They kind of pulled a fast one by saying there was only 6 sets this year. Avatar really was 2 full sets. The standard set, and the jumpstart set. If you count just the new avatar eternal cards, it’s 138 cards still.
November 23, 2025 at 12:36 AM
One last thing though worth pointing out. They kind of pulled a fast one by saying there was only 6 sets this year. Avatar really was 2 full sets. The standard set, and the jumpstart set. If you count just the new avatar eternal cards, it’s 138 cards still.
Another interesting trend though is we are seeing a pattern starting to form with bigger and then smaller years. Next year looks to hold the pattern true with the TMNT set. A set size that fits exactly in line with the size fluctuations we’ve been seeing.
November 23, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Another interesting trend though is we are seeing a pattern starting to form with bigger and then smaller years. Next year looks to hold the pattern true with the TMNT set. A set size that fits exactly in line with the size fluctuations we’ve been seeing.
The big jump coincides with a number of changes. Innovation products pivoted to mostly new cards with Modern Horizons (and now are standard legal), commander sets with every set, and the removal of the core set. So far the pivot to 6 all standard sets hasn’t made a huge jump in the # of cards.
November 23, 2025 at 12:31 AM
The big jump coincides with a number of changes. Innovation products pivoted to mostly new cards with Modern Horizons (and now are standard legal), commander sets with every set, and the removal of the core set. So far the pivot to 6 all standard sets hasn’t made a huge jump in the # of cards.
Here this might actually:
2025: 2,019
2024: 2,186
2023: 2,018
2022: 2,433
2021: 1,988
2020: 1,247 (the last year with a core set. Turns out core sets did a lot to lower new card count)
So the number of cards overall doesn’t seem to actually be increasing, so much as it jumped once and is fluctuating
2025: 2,019
2024: 2,186
2023: 2,018
2022: 2,433
2021: 1,988
2020: 1,247 (the last year with a core set. Turns out core sets did a lot to lower new card count)
So the number of cards overall doesn’t seem to actually be increasing, so much as it jumped once and is fluctuating
November 23, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Here this might actually:
2025: 2,019
2024: 2,186
2023: 2,018
2022: 2,433
2021: 1,988
2020: 1,247 (the last year with a core set. Turns out core sets did a lot to lower new card count)
So the number of cards overall doesn’t seem to actually be increasing, so much as it jumped once and is fluctuating
2025: 2,019
2024: 2,186
2023: 2,018
2022: 2,433
2021: 1,988
2020: 1,247 (the last year with a core set. Turns out core sets did a lot to lower new card count)
So the number of cards overall doesn’t seem to actually be increasing, so much as it jumped once and is fluctuating
Reality Fracture is mine rn, followed by Strixhaven.
November 21, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Reality Fracture is mine rn, followed by Strixhaven.
There is no way he isn’t in it right? That’s gotta be what that means.
November 18, 2025 at 10:24 PM
There is no way he isn’t in it right? That’s gotta be what that means.
…what’s the grammar error? How bad is it? I can’t even tell
November 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
…what’s the grammar error? How bad is it? I can’t even tell
Just sent you a friend request
November 15, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Just sent you a friend request
You know, fair enough.
November 13, 2025 at 5:12 PM
You know, fair enough.
Genuine question, why boo? This sounds solid.
November 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Genuine question, why boo? This sounds solid.
Oh I’m sure, but that doesn’t stop players from seeing him repeat that over and over and using it as a cudgel to disagree with basically every change in every format ever.
November 10, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Oh I’m sure, but that doesn’t stop players from seeing him repeat that over and over and using it as a cudgel to disagree with basically every change in every format ever.
Okay, I gotta ask. Far-right boot licking? What are you referring to? I haven’t heard anything about that? I see the examples for AI art and advertisements, but not that one.
November 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Okay, I gotta ask. Far-right boot licking? What are you referring to? I haven’t heard anything about that? I see the examples for AI art and advertisements, but not that one.
That wasn’t the right restriction. Sure it forced people to get clever with their shard decks, but it didn’t create a broadly interesting format. Not all restrictions are good. Not all creative output makes good gameplay. Creativity isn’t always equal and it isn’t always good.
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
That wasn’t the right restriction. Sure it forced people to get clever with their shard decks, but it didn’t create a broadly interesting format. Not all restrictions are good. Not all creative output makes good gameplay. Creativity isn’t always equal and it isn’t always good.
Doesn’t magically make all creative output better in every way. It’s the job of the game designer to craft the correct restrictions and provide the correct tools to create a good gameplay experience. That’s why commander doesn’t just use the original 5 elder dragons still.
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Doesn’t magically make all creative output better in every way. It’s the job of the game designer to craft the correct restrictions and provide the correct tools to create a good gameplay experience. That’s why commander doesn’t just use the original 5 elder dragons still.
Okay I kind of have an issue with MaRo just repeating this phrase all the time without context, for exactly this reason. Restrictions breed creativity but they do so in a very specific way. The type of creative output is directly based off the type of restriction. Putting arbitrary restrictions
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Okay I kind of have an issue with MaRo just repeating this phrase all the time without context, for exactly this reason. Restrictions breed creativity but they do so in a very specific way. The type of creative output is directly based off the type of restriction. Putting arbitrary restrictions
Player demand. WotC has said it repeatedly. They had been talking about trying it for years but kept not and then every time they experimented with it, it went off phenomenally well.
November 10, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Player demand. WotC has said it repeatedly. They had been talking about trying it for years but kept not and then every time they experimented with it, it went off phenomenally well.