MTGO to get a Classic Set!

[Zherbus]

We heard hints of it from Worth via podcast, and here was my immediate prediction:

I'm HOPING and actually betting that it's Legacy age staple cards that WILL NOT see print in the current release plans (IE, no Oath of Druids and Survival, since we get those a little later). Largely it would probably be greatest hits from Dark through Alliances. It would probably include some hits from older sets via 4th-6th edition and Chronicles. I would be REALLY surprised to see things from Revised (dual lands namely) and earlier core sets (I'm certain we won't see Power9, or even stuff like Sinkhole). As far as Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends go, we're not going to see Juzam's, Workshops, or Moat.

Notice I didn't say Mana Drain...

Mana Drain isn't on the reprint policy list...

I don't think we'll actually get it...

But I will be pleased if I do!

...notice I said "I"... It's my card.

Seriously.

Moving on. Some possibilities:

Force of Will
Diminishing Returns
Contagion
Order of Leitbur
Order of the Ebon Hand
Hymn to Tourach
Ball Lightning
Maze of Ith
Mishra's Factory (though, it appears as a promo card)
Serendib Efreet (see above)
Necropotence and Demonic Consultation (I know it's a stretch, but it COULD happen)
Sylvan Library

Here is the first link of said set:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/magiconline/article072007a

[Machinus]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

[Matt]

Kobolds!

[Zherbus]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

It'll be on sale for months. And it's going to be fully integrated in all Classic-based formats (Classic, Prismatic, Singleton). And it'll be fully legal for the weekly Premier events they just started. Inches and Inches closer to Legacy, but still quite a far cry off.

[Ambitious]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

They've said that they'll hold events involving it and tenth edition, i. e. (X = tenth, Me = Master's Edition, the new set) XXXMeMe for premier events, XXMe for drafts.

[Zherbus]

Force of Will is definitely in.

[dangerlinto]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

Ummm, just to clear something up there - in MTGO, there is no such thing as card supply.  The store can't run out of packs.  Well I guess it could but that would mean the data storage for all objects is full, and that's not happening.

This set is on for a limited TIME. 

[Anusien]

They just added Juzaam Djinn.  Does anyone else think that the Classic Set is intended to bring Legacy and Classic more in sync so that MODO can be used to test Legacy for Worlds?

[Zherbus]

Yes, though it won't get there until:

1) It finishes releasing the retro-sets. Weatherlight comes in December, then Tempest block, then Urza's block, then Masques until we're 'caught up'.

2) They release Masters Edition II to bring in dual lands and other cards, which they will probably not print with Masters Edition. Dual lands, above all other things, change the dynamics of the format. Where you start a game at 19-18 life in Legacy/Vintage on average due to fetchlands, you start with 15 or so in Classic because we have to use Ravinca duals.

Though, right now looking to Legacy and Vintage is where many of the ideas for Classic decks come from. The major difference is we have Flash still.

[Machinus]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

Ummm, just to clear something up there - in MTGO, there is no such thing as card supply.  The store can't run out of packs.  Well I guess it could but that would mean the data storage for all objects is full, and that's not happening.

This set is on for a limited TIME. 

Thank you for clearing that up. Virtual cards have always confused me until this moment.

Let me compensate for your reading comprehension. What guarantee is there that people will buy enough product to support a large event?

[Ambitious]

This would be really awesome except it is a limited edition set. I can't help but think that means they won't be using it for any official events as there would be no way to guarantee the card supply.

Ummm, just to clear something up there - in MTGO, there is no such thing as card supply.  The store can't run out of packs.  Well I guess it could but that would mean the data storage for all objects is full, and that's not happening.

This set is on for a limited TIME. 

Thank you for clearing that up. Virtual cards have always confused me until this moment.

Let me compensate for your reading comprehension. What guarantee is there that people will buy enough product to support a large event?

Are you talking about constructed or limited?

If you mean limited, the only way people can join the event is by buying the product.  The product is part of the entry fee.

If you mean constructed, if they print anything worthwhile, like Force of Will, people will buy it.

[Zherbus]

Machinus, there's a fair amount of Mirage and Visions, and those sets are FAR less desireable than a set where we know only two cards and they are: Force of Will and Juzam Djinn.

I *THINK* that the prismatic, singleton, classic (that's us *waves hello*), and casual crowd will be buying a ton of this. Many of us share your concern and will be drafting and cracking packs until infinity. Also, the store bots like cardbot, stock up and always have at least 4 of every card in.

I'm not so much concerned about the actual amounts, than the actual pricing. The two are certainly hand in hand, but people drop a ton more money to play Meddling Mage, Vindicate, Deed, and Orim's Chant for Extended.

[akfox]

As far as Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends go, we're not going to see Juzam's, Workshops, or Moat.

Juzam was previewed this morning.

I speculate that this will bring Classic more in line with Legacy, as I can't see them making Power 9, Bazaars, Shops, or LoA available online.  That being said, I hope that they put the duals in here.  IF they're going to try to get Legacy going on MTGO, they really need them.  The Rav duals are a close substitute, but 2-4 damage a game, though subtle, could actually be format warping. 

[ErkBek]

Tip to all MTGO users here. By LED now before the price shoots up! Once classic has a bigger card base, more people are going to want those staples from Mirage and Visions that aren't available anymore. I'm not sure Vamp will be legal, but LED definitely will be legal for a while. Last time I checked (about 6 months ago) LED costs around 8 tickets, there is no way it's going to drop in value so invest in them.

[Machinus]

Machinus, there's a fair amount of Mirage and Visions, and those sets are FAR less desireable than a set where we know only two cards and they are: Force of Will and Juzam Djinn.

I *THINK* that the prismatic, singleton, classic (that's us *waves hello*), and casual crowd will be buying a ton of this. Many of us share your concern and will be drafting and cracking packs until infinity. Also, the store bots like cardbot, stock up and always have at least 4 of every card in.

I'm not so much concerned about the actual amounts, than the actual pricing. The two are certainly hand in hand, but people drop a ton more money to play Meddling Mage, Vindicate, Deed, and Orim's Chant for Extended.

That's interesting about the online retailers. I am still skeptical that MO will ever be significantly relevant for Legacy, but this set is obviously a huge opportunity for that so I will be paying close attention.

[Zherbus]

Machinus, I agree. It'll be a while before it catches up, if it ever does completely. It'll probably be a 'close but no cigar' kind of thing.

kobefan, Vamps and LED's were my first must-haves. They are up around 11 tickets or so. Vamps are cresting over 33 right about now.

Though, with Flash as the absolute best combo, LED's are sitting around waiting to be broken again. Noone dares play Ichorid because Leylines are everywhere. Noones playing Tendrils because Flash is just better. And Madness is just missing something... Oh, Bazaar.

[Zherbus]

Next up is Armageddon.

[ErkBek]

Though, with Flash as the absolute best combo, LED's are sitting around waiting to be broken again. Noone dares play Ichorid because Leylines are everywhere. Noones playing Tendrils because Flash is just better. And Madness is just missing something... Oh, Bazaar.

Yeah, Flash is good. Don't you think that they're going to ban Flash though, to make the format more like Legacy? I guess we'll see all what they do first though before calling bannings in this new format, like if they reprint Duals. Question, would Reset-tide be any good in classic? It seems like a cheap combo deck that'd draw me into the format since that deck is tons of fun to play. Other than FoW, C wish and fetches are the only cards worth anything in that deck and I know I could borrow C Wishes off some people. 

I'd be really nice if they'd reprint some stuff like Wasteland, Lackey, Fanatic, and what not so they could really get the format going.

I'd love to see Vintage online so much, I'd definitley buy up a collection and start playing for a while. I think that they could keep things like power and stuff like Shop, Bazaar, and Drain in check buy just selling them as singles or in a Vintage starter pack directly through wizards. That way prices of Vintage cards wouldn't go nuts much like how Jitte didn't because it was in a precon. I'd happily pay 40 tix for a set of power 9 directly through wizards. I'm sure that there are tons of people that'd do the exact same thing.   

EDIT: They should just sell a restricted pack in which you get all the cards on the list for like $50. That'd be awesome...but I know it's not going to happen. sigh

[Ambitious]

Though, with Flash as the absolute best combo, LED's are sitting around waiting to be broken again. Noone dares play Ichorid because Leylines are everywhere. Noones playing Tendrils because Flash is just better. And Madness is just missing something... Oh, Bazaar.

Yeah, Flash is good. Don't you think that they're going to ban Flash though, to make the format more like Legacy? I guess we'll see all what they do first though before calling bannings in this new format, like if they reprint Duals. Question, would Reset-tide be any good in classic? It seems like a cheap combo deck that'd draw me into the format since that deck is tons of fun to play. Other than FoW, C wish and fetches are the only cards worth anything in that deck and I know I could borrow C Wishes off some people.

First of all, Classic is supposedly going to have restrictions, not bannings.

I don't see why they should restrict Flash.  Yes, Flash is good, but it's not unbeatable.  First turn swamp, duress makes its life hard, as does first turn plains, chrome mox removing a blue card, Meddling Mage, or plains, mox removing a white card, Samurai of the Pale Curtain.  Leyline of the Void's effect is obvious.

Of course, all that could change when Force of Will comes.  Any of those except Leyline can be forced.  One leyline alone is not enough due to Chain of Vapor and the like, and two leylines in one opening hand is very unlikely.

I don't know enough about High Tide to make an educated comment, but my impression is that it won't work, especially because we're not getting Turnabout or Stroke of Genius for a long time.

I'd be really nice if they'd reprint some stuff like Wasteland, Lackey, Fanatic, and what not so they could really get the format going.

I'd love to see Vintage online so much, I'd definitley buy up a collection and start playing for a while. I think that they could keep things like power and stuff like Shop, Bazaar, and Drain in check buy just selling them as singles or in a Vintage starter pack directly through wizards. That way prices of Vintage cards wouldn't go nuts much like how Jitte didn't because it was in a precon. I'd happily pay 40 tix for a set of power 9 directly through wizards. I'm sure that there are tons of people that'd do the exact same thing.   

EDIT: They should just sell a restricted pack in which you get all the cards on the list for like $50. That'd be awesome...but I know it's not going to happen. sigh

They've said that Master's Edition will not contain anything from Mirage or later, but they will reprint all the post-Mirage sets over time.

[Zherbus]

kobefan, the equation to Legacy will take a while. We need Tempest, Urza's, and Masques block on top of pre-Mirage goodies. Flash is "in check" right now, but I think FoW will help it way more than the control decks that foil it.

My prediction, for the long run, is to give us about 1/3 of what we need pre-Mirage. Now we get some nice staples, like FoW. Later, probably just before Urza's block hits, we'll get "Masters Edition II" and we might see stuff like duals... maybe just the in-color ones. After Masques, they'll probably cap off the playables with "Masters Editions III".

I don't think we'll see Vintage staples like P9, Workshops, and Bazaars... likely ever. However, I can see them branching it off to Classic (which will be like Vintage lite, with restricted cards... MTGO will have that as the token format that allows most everything) and MTGO Legacy, which will mostly mirror REAL Legacy, eventually. The only difference will be a bunch of cards most people won't use for the most part. I mean, who will really care if Invoke Prejudice ever gets printed?

[MrJolly]

This looks like something that I'd be interested in getting in on. I've done a handful of drafts between Odyssey until Time Spiral, and have a very small collection. But this seems like it would be a push for me to start getting things together for that format.

Today's card is Lightning Bolt.

[DJ Catchem]

Lightning Bolt is a fantastic addition.  It's also very exciting, as it really shows us WotC isn't fooling around.  Four days, four official previews, and four cards that are of high power or value in the paper world.  I think this is going to be huge.  I haven't bought packs of anything online since Mirrodin block, nor the paper world since the release of Ravnica, and I'm already drooling thinking about shredding open some online packaging.

In any case, there's no doubt that the format is going to see restriction in September.  I believe this is one of the reasons that Worth told the community that the whole MED set would be spoiled by then.  All signs point to restricted cards popping up in here somewhere, and I'm sure that some we already have will also be on the chopping block.

@ Jav-

You're missing the point on Flash.  Because a deck is beatable somehow doesn't mean it shouldn't be touched.  Heck, I remember playing pre-restriction Long in vintage.  Even that could be tripped up on the draw by a Duress.  It still got nailed hard.

The fact is that once MED hits, the deck will have several things going for it that will make it strong enough that it will be format distorting.  Not *unbeatable*, but distorting, which is not healthy.

-With Dreadnaught errata removed, it now laughs at Pithing Needle.
-With Stifle, it can change up and run an aggro plan over Mage, Samurai, and Leyline.
-Most importantly, with access to a full eight free hard counters, it can effectively invalidate any opponent in the first turn.

And remember, even now, it still gets the draws to win through any of that stuff. 

We're talking an environment where most decks will need to run blue for Force and maindeck Leyline to have a chance, and that's not healthy.  Not to mention that we haven't seen any of the mana acceleration offerings in the set.  If for some reason we get Elvish Spirit Guide, the deck will be unstoppable.

--->DJ

 

[Zherbus]

Next up: Berserk!

[Zherbus]

So far we know we're getting (items in BLUE are NOT confirmed):

Blue:

Force of Will
Serendib Efreet
High Tide

Black:

Juzam Djinn
Khabal Ghoul
Hymn to Tourach
Baron Sengir

White:

Armageddon
Moat
Hand of Justice
Preacher
Thunder Spirit
Argivian Archaeologist[/b]

Green:

Berserk
Sylvan Library
Yavimaya Ants
Ifh-Biff Efreet

Red:

Lightning Bolt
Goblin Grenade
Ball Lightning
Jokulhaups
Two-headed Giant of Foriys
Sedge Troll
Fork

Artifact:

Mirror Universe
Forcefield
Nevinyrral's Disk
Tawnos's Coffin
Zuran Orb

Gold:

Pheldagriff
Lim-dul's Vault

Land:

Thawing Glaciers
Mishra's Factory
Lake of the Dead
Island
Island
Island
Swamp
Swamp
Swamp
Plains
Plains
Plains
Forest
Forest
Forest
Mountain
Mountain
Mountain

[MrJolly]

Whoops. Didn't know it was already posted.

[Zherbus]

Thawing Glaciers... bleh.

[MrJolly]

Moat is up next.

[Zherbus]

Yeah, it's nice I guess. We're in a Flash-shaped format right now, so it's not going to make any immediate impact.

[Zherbus]

Worth hinted at a possible Nevinyrral's Disk in this post:
http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13241852&postcount=47

[DJ Catchem]

Sylvan Library today. 

--->DJ