MOTHER OF GOD.

Where can I go to catch up on this?

Howdy, Xeno!

I actually wasn't around during the Beforetimes -- I'm fairly new blood around these parts -- but, as someone who is a tremendous fan of everything M:EM, I just wanted to say how happy it makes me that you're here. So, welcome!

Having had some time to reflect on it, I have some thoughts about the Planeswalker system as it's written.

First, capacity and spellcasting checks. I worried about this one part of the rules more than any other and I'm still genuinely unsure whether they belong in the game or not.
Pro: It lets people get good at spellcasting. If you take the "white magic" skill you will be better at casting white spells than other people. If you invest in your capacity your natural talent will make you better at spellcasting than those without. I like allowing mechanical diversity among characters. I think it helps everyone feel special.
Pro: It makes big spells harder to cast than little spells. The bigger the effect the more skill, talent, or luck you need to handle it. It seems like that's how it should feel to cast huge spells, and it helps balance the game just a little bit when you can cast anything on "turn 1."
Pro: It makes those broken combos people were worried about less reliable. The more spells you need to cast at once the more likely something will break and your tactic will fail. This makes those combos just a little bit less annoying if they get into the game, and it encourages characters to focus on the utility and practicality of each individual spell, which I personally like.
Con: It's another set of rules. Complexity is precious. Every drop of it should be in the game because it needs to be there. This is one more thing to learn and one more die to roll while playing.
CON: IT MAKES SPELLS FAIL. Obviously. In M:tG you cast a spell and it just goes. You know for a fact it will do exactly what you want it to unless your opponent deliberately interferes with spells of their own. Is it worth the benefits to take this away in Planeswalker and make players always wonder if their spell will work or it'll just crap out on them from a bad roll?

And I also had another rule to consider. Because it's so easy for creatures and NPCs to get a defense value, and player characters get one for free, I noticed cheap tiny damage effects like Power of Fire, Goblin Sharpshooter, and Hornet Sting are in many cases just... useless. And it makes cards like Fireball much harder to spread among multiple targets. So what if this were an option:

"If a spell or effect deals a set amount of damage to any creatures or players, you may choose to roll that many dice instead as a degree of success roll to determine the damage assigned."

So you can choose the flat rate or roll dice which, up to about 3, would be the better option in most cases. My only concern is- does this make those tiny cheap effects too powerful? And because of that does it make creatures too weak, offensively and defensively? Or! Would that even be a problem at all? Would it be a bad thing if combat in Planeswalker slightly favored spells over creatures in some situations? Especially when there's also a third option of going Garruk and fighting with your own two hands?

Oh, and hello Orcish Librarian! Pleased to meet you.