MysticKetchup

I'm wondering if this is because Marvel also has Marvel Snap which they don't want Arena competing with. Or the rights for both paper and digital were just too high for Wizards

Regardless of the reason, yay for more Universes Within! This makes it a lot easier for them to reprint those cards in paper as well since the art + creative is already done

I was musing on the power level of Standard earlier but it's still shocking at how much Standard Izzet Prowess resembles Modern Izzet Prowess right now

I can't really blame anyone for wanting to walk away right now. When they first announced UB, admittedly I felt like people were overreacting. I thought they would be printing UW versions of most cards and that it wouldn't go beyond Commander release 1-2 times a year. Turns out I was very, very wrong. I think I was already tired about the constant UB releases and the encroachment into Modern, but Standard really solidified my distaste for it.

It's not like I hate everything about it, I think they've made some very cool designs that I don't know would ever get made otherwise. But in every case there's a card I like I would always rather have a UW card over the UB card. And the rate they're printing them has made it impossible to print UW versions to keep up.

Power creep is definitely happening, I feel like I'm less concerned about it because I played Yu-Gi-Oh before Magic, and compared to that the power creep in Magic is much slower. Still, it's made me much less interested in Standard given that it was nice to have a lower power format but now it feels almost as fast as other formats. I still enjoy Modern but looking at how MH3 in particular pushed out so many of the decks before it and how Wizards constantly drags its feet on banning obvious problem cards... It does not inspire confidence.

Obviously this new path is profitable, but I hardly think they need it. Based on sales of Bloomburrow and Dragonstorm they likely still would be doing fine with a slower release schedule and only in-universe sets. But it just wouldn't satisfy Hasbro's shareholders and the constant pressure for more profits, especially since WotC is basically propping up the rest of the company. I don't know how long they can keep this up, and I still enjoy so much of Magic that I don't really want it to crash, but there's just so much that's happening the I wish wasn't happening.

Wow, I had heard about Blue Prince but I didn't realize it was the same person behind Mythic Spoiler!

As expected from a starter kit, pretty basic cards. It does seem like there's an Equipment theme going on, and City is a new land type that could be interesting

10 copies is a really small amount, I would have thought they'd have a bigger stock for something like this.

Just wish they would just go back to print-to-demand SL. I've just tuned out SL releases now since I know I won't have a chance to get something if it's actually popular

I feel this way too. I didn't mind a lower power standard because I always had Modern (and then Pioneer) to go to. Admittedly I came in around SOI block and that was a very weak standard, but I thought the best time was during GRN/RNA block when there were so many decks that felt very strong and synergistic but not busted. I suppose they feel like casual Commander fills this void now

I think their ubiquity and simple rules make basic lands good for more adventurous art design. That being said, this one is not really up my alley (I do however love the Nyx and Planet basics). I'm glad they have the Dragon's Presence basics for a more traditional style of full art lands though

Haughty Djinn was originally printed in DMU, and given that Dominaria has a long history of Djinn going back to Alpha, Smirking Spelljacker is probably from there. Older Djinn didn't really have a cohesive visual identity, but comparing it to djinn from the more recent Dominaria sets, it seems to match up

Out of all the Djinn in Magic, only two other in-universe planes have had Djinn, Ravnica and Strixhaven. Strixhaven is the other possibility, but Spelljacker looks pretty wispy which would align more with Dominaria