How would you fix the metagame?

[OfficeShredder]

Ok, let's drop the rhetoric about restricting cards, or unrestricting cards, or what's overpowered.  Here's the real question:

You work at WotC.  They want to "fix" the vintage metagame, so more strategies are viable than combo decks, aggro-control decks and artifact decks.  Specifically, they also want to make green and white more of a presence in the metagame.  However, they also don't want to rock the type 1 metagame too much, and risk unbalancing the format even more.  Neither do they want to print an enormous amount of potential brokenness into the type II pool.  So they give you the option of five cards that you can unrestrict, restrict, or make entirely new.  So, for example, you could restrict three cards, unrestrict one, and print one new card.  Alternatively, you could print two new cards, and restrict three cards.  The only other limit is you can print at most two cards, because printing more would just be cheating.

So what would you do?

[LordHomerCat]

Leave it alone, because the metagame isn't broken, its fine.

[Meanee]

For starters I would oracle Tinker into "non-creature artifact".
Then I would look at yawgwill, and I guess I wouldn't change it, but I would certainly check out the possibilities for a change.

- meanee

[The Atog Lord]

For starters I would oracle Tinker into "non-creature artifact".

I'm not sure that adding new, arbitrary power-level errata would be a good idea. WotC has not only spoken out against such errata, but also has removed a large amount of such errata. Therefore, adding more would seem not only to violate policy but also to move against recent steps which have been taken.

[Implacable]

This is my gauntlet of decks that I must take into account before each tournament (and forgive me if I forget anything):

Fish (U/W and U/B)
Oath (ICBM and GWS)
Long (Pitch and Grim)
Gifts (Meandeck and Repeal)
Control Slaver (Dry and Wet)
Stax (5C and Uba)

Those 12 decks are all potential tournament winners, and it is a rare tournament where the majority of them do not have representation in the T16.  This format is incredibly healthy and fun to play.

[netherspirit]

I'd like to see MonoBlue viable because to be honest I think the format could do with a hard control deck like that. And I'm sick of Tendrils being THE kill condition... the format is pretty boring for me at the moment.

One possible card would be:

UberBlueTutor
1UU
Instant
Search your library for a blue card, reveal it and put into your hand.
Then shuffle your library.

And maybe a new blue/artifact kill condition. Other than that I don't know what I'd do. If Crucible weren't around I'd unrestrict Strip Mine, but at the moment that would be insane.

  netherspirit

[diopter]

Restrict the following:

Dark Ritual
Mana Drain
Merchant Scroll
Mishra's Workshop
Wasteland

The goal is to weaken the Will decks by restricting their most efficient support cards. You would then have to restrict Workshop to prevent Stax from becoming the dominant unfair strategy. Restricting Wasteland allows for more diversity in deck design, allowing players to comfortably play nonbasics.

[Dante]

Restrict the following:

Dark Ritual
Mana Drain
Merchant Scroll
Mishra's Workshop
Wasteland

The goal is to weaken the Will decks by restricting their most efficient support cards. You would then have to restrict Workshop to prevent Stax from becoming the dominant unfair strategy. Restricting Wasteland allows for more diversity in deck design, allowing players to comfortably play nonbasics.

You'd need to add Bazaar to your list to be fair.  But the real question is - this would be [not really, but almost] Legacy with restricted cards, why bother?

As for wasteland, there should be a drawback to playing only/a majority of non-basics, a key one of those threats is wasteland.  There's plenty of deck diversity right now and plenty of non-basics being played.  If there were no drawbacks to using "bad" mana bases, the decks that actually get played and/or win would probably decrease, not increase.

[Illissius]

Vintage is so far gone, I don't think it's possible to ever get it to resemble something like a normal format again. For the people who like Vintage as it is, this is probably fine enough. I'm not one of them. Even if you deal with the current disgusting crop of Storm, prison, and combo-control decks, you'll be left with a pair of stupid broken aggro-combo decks: Goblins and Affinity. Along with things like Tinker, Oath, Dragon, Suicide Virus, Ichorid, MaskNaught. And Storm isn't possible to remove from the format without bannings. An earlier idea was "ban/restrict everything until Skullclamp is good, then ban/restrict Skullclamp", but I don't think that's going far enough.

To answer the question, I would:

unrestrict Gush
unrestrict Fact or Fiction
restrict Mishra's Workshop
restrict Dark Ritual
restrict one other Stormy card (Cabal Ritual, Empty the Warrens, Grim Tutor, other?)

If sanity is unattainable, you might as well try for something fun. (Note: Fun is purely subjective. Groatog was fun.) Maybe it's possible to have a decently interesting metagame of Groatog, Skullclamp-fueled aggro-combo (Goblins, Affinity), Ichorid, Oath, various Drain-based control and combo-control decks (BBS, Hulk, Slaver, Gifts, Keeper?), and assorted combo (Storm, Dragon, Belcher, Suicide, Trix). More likely, one or more of those will end up completely dominating over the rest, and the whole idea isn't worth shit.

[wethepeople]

I'd like to see MonoBlue viable because to be honest I think the format could do with a hard control deck like that. And I'm sick of Tendrils being THE kill condition... the format is pretty boring for me at the moment.

One possible card would be:

UberBlueTutor
1UU
Instant
Search your library for a blue card, reveal it and put into your hand.
Then shuffle your library.

Merchant Scroll is basically the equivalent to your desired card.

Also, Tendrils is no longer "THE kill condition". As of late, Empty the Warrens has been more-prefered in a wide-range of different decks.

They certainly should not restrict MWS, or else Stax/other Workshop decks will suck, and we will be lacking one more viable archetype in our format.

I'd like to see Gush become unrestricted. I would love to see Tog make a comeback. The deck can't really become that broken, because it really isnt hard for other decks to just add creature removal, not that they already haven't.

[Hi-Val]

Ban Yawgmoth's Will.

[orgcandman]

change storm to trigger on resolution instead of just playing it.

[nataz]

People are missing the point here. The poster set a very specific set of goals. He isn't asking your view on the state of the meta-game, he is asking you to create a specific meta-game, namely-

strategies are viable than combo decks, aggro-control decks and artifact decks.

Specifically, they also want to make green and white more of a presence in the metagame.

[/b]

Then he lists restrictions to the solution -

However, they also don't want to rock the type 1 metagame too much, and risk unbalancing the format even more.  Neither do they want to print an enormous amount of potential brokenness into the type II pool.  So they give you the option of five cards that you can unrestrict, restrict, or make entirely new.

Then he gives you an example -

So, for example, you could restrict three cards, unrestrict one, and print one new card.  Alternatively, you could print two new cards, and restrict three cards.  The only other limit is you can print at most two cards, because printing more would just be cheating.

If there is a problem with the question, its in the restrictions given. How do you force G/W into the meta game without "rocking" the Type I meta game?

But whatever, lets assume we want to make a G/W beatdown deck a force in Type I. Is that even possible with only a change of 5 cards?

Here is what I propose

- Rest. Dark Ritual
- Rest. Mana Drain
- Rest. Tormods Crypt
- Print a Green Ichorid
- Print a White Ichorid

:-p

Both of the new ichorids would have to have some kind of rest. on them like...

RFG a Green/White card every turn they are in play from the GY

and then make them better then a standard ichorid, i.e., give them better stats (5/3) and they don't go back to the graveyard.

[Illissius]

Yeah, I basically gave up on the "make green/white good" part of it, as figuring out a way to do it other than unrestricting or (re)printing a broken card in those colors would take effort. Oath is notably green, however.

[Smmenen]

Ban Yawg Will.

[nataz]

How would that fix G/W?

[netherspirit]

I'd like to see MonoBlue viable because to be honest I think the format could do with a hard control deck like that. And I'm sick of Tendrils being THE kill condition... the format is pretty boring for me at the moment.

One possible card would be:

UberBlueTutor
1UU
Instant
Search your library for a blue card, reveal it and put into your hand.
Then shuffle your library.

Merchant Scroll is basically the equivalent to your desired card.

Not really. The idea behind my card is that you don't have to get an instant. With it you could fetch a creature after casting a Mana Drain and then drop it next turn with the Drain mana.

Anyway, it's just a card to answer the original post. The point is that I think MUC deserves a shot.

[Illissius]

Two people have already mentioned it; is Yawgmoth's Will really the problem with the Vintage environment? Isn't it more of a symptom? Will basically says "everything you've done this game: you get to do it again", meaning it scales according to the power level of the rest of your cards: the more broken they are, the more broken Will becomes. Case in point, I don't recall Will being this powerful back when Type 1 was slower and Keeper was a good deck -- it was a popular pick for best card in the format, but it didn't have the same overwhelming lead as it does now, and plenty of people might have picked Ancestral or Balance over it (which I doubt they would now).

[Yare]

First, I would most seriously consider banning Yawgmoth's Will, as that would solve a lot of problems (however you choose to define that) regarding combo.

After that, I might consider restrciting Grim Tutor and Gifts Ungiven.  I guess I feel like the metagame is starting to get to that point where these two cards are having their way a little too much.

Beyond that, I would unrestrict Dream Halls and Black Vise.

Edit: So I asked my roommate about this:

Me: "So if you could ban Yawgmoth's Will, would you?"
Him: "No."
Me: "Why not?"
Him: "Because you can counter it."

I thought it was an interesting exchange.   

[silvernail]

I'd restrict Gifts Ungiven and unrestrict Earthcraft.

Then I'd print better green and white cards as opposed to the not so good cards they usually throw into green and white.

I'd also print some quality hate cards like :

GG
enchantment

Kicker sacrifice a forest.

If you paid the kicker cost [cardname] is uncoutnerable and may be played as though it had Flash.

When ever a player plays a blue or black spell add a charge counter to [cardname].

G, remove a counter from [cardname]: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool, or draw a card, or remove target card in a graveyard from the game.

and something like this for white



W
Enchantment

When ever a player plays a spell add a charge counter to [card name].

At the begining of any turn remove all charge counters from [cardname].

Spells cost an additonal X to play where X is the number of charge counters on card name.


Note on the white card: I chose begining of any turn instead of end of any turn to prevent end of turn shenanigans.

Green and white need more competitive hate cards and more competitive cards that promote playing white and / or green cards if we are to see an increase in those colors viablity.

[carlossb]

I'd restrict Gifts Ungiven and unrestrict Earthcraft.

Earthcraft is already unrestricted.

[TopSecret]

With the above set of goals,
     I would:

     Unrestrict Yawgmoth's Will
     Unrestrict Strip Mine
     Unrestrict Balance
     Unrestrict Crop Rotation
     Print: Leyline of the Squirrel
     Cost: G
     Type: Enchantment
     Text: If this card is in your starting hand, you may start the game with it in play.
            You may play this card as an instant, but if you do, sacrifice it at end of turn.
            Counter all Blue, Black, and Artifact Spells.
            If this is in your Standard deck, remove it from the game before the match begins.

     That's the closest I can get,
    although, the last card does sort of bend the rules.

     Maybe something along the lines of:

     Printing: The Amazing Psycho Janitor
     Cost: G
     Type: Creature - Elf Wizard Assembly Worker
     Power/ Toughness: 1/1
     Text: When [Cardname] comes into play, you may remove
     any number of cards from your opponent's graveyard.
     For every two cards removed this way, put a +1/+1 counter on [Cardname].
     Cumulative upkeep: Remove a card in your graveyard from the game.
     [Cardname] can't be countered.
     Storm does not trigger.
     You may play this card as an instant without paying its mana cost
     if your opponent controls a Swamp, Island, or a nonbasic land.
     Flavor Text: "All this mud, slime, goo, and water lying around...
                      the garbage cans are overflowing... and the chairs are broken...
                      I hate lunchtime at the academy."

     This card is overflowing with flavor!

[OfficeShredder]

Ok, to clarify, the idea wouldn't to be making green and white awesome colors.  But right now all green does is play oath of druids and dredge with golgari grave trolll, and all white does is play fish and auriok salvagers.  Not exactly the most exciting roles.

And I understand that no five card change will re-create the type of metagame you see in other formats, with aggro combo and control all duking it out.  But certainly you can imagine a way to start off the process.  For example, unrestricting balance would give white a much larger metagame presence.  Similiarly with unrestricting fastbond (whether those are what you'd want to do is another question).  But it's definitely very easy to make green and white powerful colors compared to what they have now.

Here's what I would do:

unrestrict regrowth.  We have a 2G version of it that sees no play, but a 1G version would be significantly superior (I tried with the Let's do the time warp again, regrowth was sooo much better than recollect).  This would give green a place in some control and combo decks besides its current role of 4x oath of druids and get the hell out of my deck, I need blue cards for FOW.

unrestrict gush.  Gush gave aggro decks in the form of gro the boost they needed to compete.  Sure, it was mostly a blue deck, but it's something completley unlike what we see in today's game... a deck actually casting spells, and killing with creatures.  And it's not fish!    Plus, that would give green a larger presence

Reprint balance at 2WW.  Balancing act isn't good enough for vintage, but if it was made to replicate the original balance, it just might be.  Plus, everyone knows they love playing balancing act in standard.  Plus, balancing act will be rotating, so you won't have to worry about someone playing 8x balance in an extended deck.

Print a green creature: cost of G, 1/1, with the ability "Sacrifice ~THIS~:  Counter target activated or triggered ability"
I think we can all see how that would be useful for stompy trying to stop a combo kill

Restrict empty the warrens.  Restricting tendrils of agony won't do too much because decks only run one or two anyway, but a lot of decks are maindecking 2-3 ETW to deal specifically with aggro.  So don't let them.  It's really that simple.

[Vegeta2711]

Restrict every non-creature blue card. That'll teach 'em!

[Matt]

1. Ban Will

2. Restrict Mana Drain

3. Print this:

{G}
Creature -- Dryad
1/1
Each player plays with their hand face-up.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, ~this~ deals damage to that player equal to the number of black and blue cards in their hand.

(Black and blue are green's enemies anyway so this won't look too weird for Standard)

4. Print this:

{W}
Enchantment
: Untap target artifact with converted mana cost X or less and gain control of it until end of turn.

5. Give me hundreds of dollars for saving the format

[EKM_Ichorid]

Create this:

CARDNAME    3
Artifact
If CARDNAME is in your hand, put it into play.
Whenever you search your library, and CARDNAME is in your library, you may put CARDNAME into play
Players may only play two spells or abilities per turn. This does not include mana abilities.
Sacrifice CARDNAME, discard your hand, and remove your graveyard from the game: Draw 3 cards.

Fixed.

[rvs]

without looking beyond the opening post, THE way to fix it is: Ban Yawgs Will and Tinker (aka: shut off lucksack wins) - And then see what's a problem.

[Hi-Val]

Illissus: Stephen Menendian has written an excellent article on Will and why it should be banned. I'm sure he can provide a link when he sees this thread next.

In one sentence: all decks in the format are geared towards maximizing Will and minimizing an opponent's Will, and the ones that only try to minimize the opponent's Will can't even do that very well.

And Will was insane as soon as it hit T1; Keeper matches definitely turned into who could resolve the best Will, and there was really no way to recover after a Will. The Shining used Burning Wish so that it could grab Will over and over.

[jcb193]

For example, unrestricting balance would give white a much larger metagame presence.  Similiarly with unrestricting fastbond (whether those are what you'd want to do is another question).  But it's definitely very easy to make green and white powerful colors compared to what they have now.

While I think the thought behind this is good, the fact we all need to realize is that any powerful card is quickly going to be used in nefarious ways.  Unrestricting balance a few years ago would have made every happy and giddy with mono white wheenie deck running around, or white/red, but today, all it would create would be a slaver-balance deck.  Not more fun. 

And fastbond might bring back some form of tog, but most likely would enhance combo.

Until we find a way to neutralize combo, or at least make it less consistent, many of these "old school fun cards" are going to become even more degenerate than years past.  I don't have a problem with combo in theory, but the less interactivity, the less exciting magic's future will be.   

[OfficeShredder]

While I think the thought behind this is good, the fact we all need to realize is that any powerful card is quickly going to be used in nefarious ways.  Unrestricting balance a few years ago would have made every happy and giddy with mono white wheenie deck running around, or white/red, but today, all it would create would be a slaver-balance deck.  Not more fun. 

And fastbond might bring back some form of tog, but most likely would enhance combo.

Until we find a way to neutralize combo, or at least make it less consistent, many of these "old school fun cards" are going to become even more degenerate than years past.  I don't have a problem with combo in theory, but the less interactivity, the less exciting magic's future will be.   

Uhh... this is kind of irrelevant, because you notice I point out that it's not really such a great idea, and don't use that as my solution (read the parentheses you cut out,  Or is this going to ignored too? :p)