Edit: I know Sacrifice isn't supposed to work like it does on arena. Here's a video link, go to 7:55 the video is full of attacks getting canceled. If its a bug, then its over 10 months old, has never been patched and instead of fixing it Wizards of the coast nerfed the deck and banned the cat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN9HefCKYPE
Coming back I found that my old decks in wild were more fun than I've been having for 2 months in MTG.
When I left during Witchwood, It was probably that I needed a breather after playing for so long.
So earlier this year I thought I'd try Magic Arena. The games jank is great (though it hardly happens), and while my card collection was low I mostly only played against other bad decks. But once the new core set had been out for a bit and my collection could be competitive man did it get bad.
Now to be fair there's a lot of talk about Magic having been in a rut for a bout a year. A couple expacs were well above the typical power level and have been auto includes in most every deck. Mana doublers, ramp that also draws cards, Teferi, ect.
Now I want to rant about everything I've come to hate about magic because it would be auto taken down anywhere else.
Hearthstone improved A LOT from Magic, sidestepping its pitfall and creating more interactivity (generally).
- Land cards make larger minions a liability, especially in multi-colored decks Especially if they require 2 of the same land to cast (even if it costs 4 or 5). They also create games where someone auto loses for not drawing them.
- Flash. These deck are meant to play on the opponents turn. Anything with flash or instant, or "this cards let other cards be flash/instant' can be played after the last opportunity for the other guy to play, but before you're turn.
- - - - here's the issue. While I doubt that entire decks made of flash are supposed to be competitive, seeing what you're opponent played, casting you're own card after theirs, but ALWAYS coming into play before theirs. Is a huge advantage, especially with access to removal like counter which prevents cards from coming into play. It makes even battlecrys useless. Flash is strangling like the over abundance of removal in the game.
- Removal. People make entire decks out of removal. White has 4 mana wipe the whole board cards. Look up Elspeth Conquers death, or Teferi Time Traveler which coined the 'Teferi test' for standard viability. There is so much strong removal that being a creature card is a knock in viability.
- Removal is so ingrained into Magic's core game play that the worst daily quest in the game is "destroy 25 creatures". Despite being worth 750 gold (3/4 of a booster) it takes over 10 games to complete it at times.
- minion sacrifice. Cat + cauldron was competitive 1. it cost 0 mana to sac. 2. it came back for 0 mana over and over. 3. Sac works at instant speed. 4. if it blocks an attack and gets sacced before combat the attack DOESN'T HAPPEN. yeah, set an 8/8 dude with trample to attack and nothing happens. Doesn't matter that trample means excess damage goes to damage face. a 1/1 cat will forever block it. Now cat got banned and a replacement cauldron was made that costs mana. but when Sacrifice is strong it stops minion aggression. Did I mention creatures get the short end of the stick a lot.
So playing hearthstone and seeing my minions stay on the board for a bit was amazing. Getting a free deck was great. Seeing priest's new board wipe at 7 mana was awesome, seeing that a dormant minion evades it was great too. Seeing a few deals on the store is nice as well. Playing the single players stuff again is fun, like having Valanyr duplicate a ton in the Knobold PvE was great.
Its not that I would have a bad time going on a losing streak every now and then. It was how oppressive magic can be that made me have a bad time. I swear the core of magic is about preventing you're opponent from playing.
Rant over.
