Locations
[caption id="attachment_3466" align="alignright" width="187" caption="Mark Rosewater's pie is ready!"]
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1. Respect for the Pie - CORRECT - Not a huge surprise. This was explored in detail by WotC during the 2010 "rule-change-ageddon." M10 certainly takes the game back towards the color pie dominated world from whence it came. Cards in this set are flavorful and adhere strictly to the color they are printed in. Some cards have even been renamed in an effort to move towards a more universally recognizable fantasy realm. Alara coupled with the Lorwyn block lands are going to dominate competitive play but as those expansions rotate out there is the potential for mono colored decks to make a big comeback depending on what Zendikar looks like.
2. Revival of old mechanics and assigning thereof to various colors - NOT REALLY - Only one "new" mechanic was revived in M10 with Bogardan Hellkite. By "new" I mean mechanics such as Split Second, Suspend, Flash, etc. Modern mechanics. Wizards stuck to the basics this time around. Flying, First Strike, and Firebreathing dominate the new core set. They did however stick to their respective colors. For instance, there are no Blue creatures with first strike in M10 while first strike runs rampant in its native colors, red and white. This makes sense, it being a core set. But it makes even more sense since Mark Rosewater's recent comments on Zendikar indicating that the new expansion will feature a large number of new mechanics and a revival of an old one.
3. ZERO Multicolored Cards - CORRECT - I was either right or wrong on this one. I laid it all out there. "None, Zilch, Nada" I believe was the phrase and I was correct. Magic 2010 features not one Multicolored card. This is common in core sets and is also not a huge surprise. But you had to wonder.. in a post Lorwyn/Alara world, wouldn't you think that the core set might feature a gold card or two? Just a thought.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="208" caption="Reprints = Mad Scrilla."]
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4. Reprints with new names - CORRECT - While I thought wizards might reprint a few cards in order to "flavor-up" the core set, I wasn't expecting it to this magnitude. Scores of cards are being reduxed with new titles. From Spirit Link to Regeneration, a large chunk of the "new cards" we were looking forward to are simply reprints in disguise. This isn't entirely upsetting. This was to be expected in a core set / reboot. We're lucky to get anything new. And with Zendikar just around the corner as well as the Planechase game type, we're sure to have enough new content for the summer.
5. Planeswalkers featured in theme decks - WRONG - After the announcement of Garruck vs. Liliana, I knew this one was out the window. I appreciate the five original planeswalkers being featured in the core set. I feel they add a depth and attraction to the game that we haven't seen in many years. I suppose including the pw's in "starter decks" would have taken a bit of their shimmer away. Wiz has always indicated that they want to keep them special and including them in a $7 prepack with the likes of Nightmare and Shivan Dragon just doesn't do them justice.
6. More Rare Downgrades/Upgrades - CORRECT - The biggest surprise here for me was the upgrading of two artifacts to Mythic. Both Platinum Angel and Darksteel Colossus are now mythic. Righteousness has received a downgrade to uncommon. There are a number of other cards that I would have downgraded as well (Nightmare and Shivan Dragon come to mind). None of this is very surprising. Cards like Righteousness just doesn't pack the same punch in a world where 9/9 shrouded creatures cost seven mana and the ultimate removal spell costs one.
7. Wrath of God - WRONG - Probably the most shocking revelation outside the rule changes to come out of M10. It has certainly caused the most uproar. I think a lot of the disappointment has to do with the $50 playsets people have recently bought that now have to lay dormant for the next year (at least). I think it would be easier to accept if there were some sort of alternative. A spell that destroys all non-land permanents for 6 is not an acceptable alternative. The beauty of WoG was that it could go in almost any deck and stop a rush before you died. Turn six or seven sorcerys that cost 3 colored mana don't quite cut the mustard. Before the release of the full spoiler, I would have been worried for White's future. What are they going to do about the rush? But post-spoiler, I am worried about what anyone is going to do about the rush. Even Evacuate has been dismissed this go around. In the end, I was wrong about Wrath of God being reprinted in Magic 2010. And while that alone isn't enough to worry me, the lack of any effective sweep card certainly does.
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Well, well well... 4 out of 7. I must be some kind of psychic or something! I mean, with a %57 accuracy rating, how can you not heed these predictions? Though, this is certainly a better showing than my previous attempt. Maybe we should rename these articles to "New Expansion - Baseless Speculation and More!" It has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Keep refreshing your browsers (every 15 seconds should do it) because our Magic 2010 analysis is in full swing. You'll also want to be on the lookout for my Zendikar predictions, which should come fairly soon. I prefer to write these articles well in advance of any information we may have on the set. It makes them a tad more fun, don't you think? Until then, I hope you enjoyed your local Magic 2010 release events! I managed a 2nd place finish (out of 20) at my local shop thanks to a timely Great Sable Stag. Feel free to share your experiences. On another personal note, take a look at the latest contest from WotC over at Bragster. Ive entered all three dares thus far and could certainly use your support!
