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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:58 am 
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:11 am 
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Do you post this because you agree with the cause? It because you find it funny or absurd?

I personally agree with the ban. Paradox Engine makes it far too easy to do broken stuff without forcing any color restriction. I don't think I've ever seen the card used in any kind of fair or fun way.

Edit: after reading the actual petition, I can see where they are coming from. I would still argue that Engine is rarely used fairly, but that could also be from the catch-22 such powerful cards often face: because it can be used in degenerate ways, opponents tend to assume it will be used unfairly, and make you a target. So the only players who dare play it are the ones who abuse it. Omniscience definitely suffers from the same problem.

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:38 pm 
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None of the above, I don't play commander, but thought some here might be interested in it


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:18 pm 
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This conversation happened multiple times

Me: "I built a new deck! Look, it's got some cool interactions"
Other Player: "Oh, have you got Paradox Engine?"
Me: "No..."
Other Player: "Why the hell wouldn't you?!"
Me: It's... too easy."

And that really was the reason. Going infinite and playing out your whole deck feels great and fun... but doing with Paradox Engine was the pity screw of combos, It was cheap, reliable, and moderately resilient because you only needed to protect one piece, the Engine. Sisay could tutor it and go insane, and I don't even want to think about what Urza could do with the sucker. The only deck I ever slotted Engine into for more than a brief test phase was Kumena, and even then I was typically happier with my play when I relied on Intruder Alarm or Merrow Reejery instead. I typically found that the instant I tested a deck with Paradox Engine in it, the deck became all about finding the Paradox Engine because if you did, you just won.

I hear people complain about losing to combo and how it "Feels cheap", like they were cheated out of performing a real game because the combo player came at them from an angle other than fist approaching face. I've for one never sustained that; most Combos have a setup that you can, or should mess with, and learning to interact aggressively against things other than creatures in combat is a critical part of Magic, especially EDH. Paradox Engine, though... Using Paradox Engine myself felt cheap, it was just that simple and automatic. Every time I looked to win with engine, I felt cheated, and I bet the folks who lost to it felt even worse.

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