Never did really get around to watching most any of the after movie material, but the franchise as a whole is pretty solid

Life sucks as usual, so have a silly google translated Gandalf

As an appreciator of the absurd, I am thankful that I live in a world that has computer translation, but has not yet perfected it. I will miss these days when those systems work as intended...

To be fair I had to run through seven different languages

Have either of you fine gentleman heard of translationparty?

No, thanks!

I think I've recently come to a conclusion about how I feel about Magic.
Initially, I absolutely despised the idea of Universes Beyond, but that was before magic did all of... Pretty much everything they've done. Now my feelings are so much more complicated.
I hate what they've done to the lore and setting. It's exemplified by the upcoming sets.
But I find it really hard to hate the game. I still like Magic. I still like making decks, I still like theory crafting, I still like playing.
But the new lore doesn't inspire me.
Which makes me have to look at Universes Beyond and reassess that.
I'm no longer interested in making decks that reflect Magic unless they are very very deep cuts to old lore, but... I still see potential in new cards, but it's potential in how they could reflect expressions from OTHER properties.

I basically ignore the story and make decks however I like. Like red/white phyrexia and green/white zombies. Like you I have complicated feelings on this new direction, though I'm still excted for Caverns

I've heard it said here that the planeswalkers might have been desparked so they could slot into the role of legendary creatures and soak up the commander love. But why not just adopt a policy of giving the same characters both walker and creature cards? I don't think that would be terribly confusing to all that many people.
Or maybe they just want to cut down on the walkers so they can bring them back later and have them feel special?
Or maybe it is simply foolish to look for the logic behind such things.

I feel planeswalkers was what drove more audiences to Magic during the post-mending era, since it gave clear protagonists. This decision will bite Creative in the ass.

Happy Halloween everyone

It's rather sad Onyx Equinox was confirmed cancelled right as Lost Caverns of Ixalan is about the debut. Although I love Ixalan it has worldbuilding issues and lacks that authenticity Onyx Equinox had.

More overtly Red/White and less Blue than last time. Growth I guess: https://still-anchorage-15218.herokuapp.com

I took that quiz and got just shy of 50% blue and around 25% black. I guess being a modern urban resident who identifies with neither spiritualism nor risk-taking has predictable results

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FCV7aGAhJM

My contribution was Hilda

I'm worried that this will fall on apathetic ears, but I'd hardly blame anyone for having shrugged off any investment anymore, but i simply can't let this pass without any degree of a klaxon

They have officially phased out Viashino and Naga as creature types. It infuriates me. I know it's something that's long been on Rosewater's list of things he's pissy he hasn't gotten to do yet, but he finally got his way. (I blame phyrexian as a creature type)

Viashino, I'm more upset about, but also feel there's a stronger case for me to just shut up about it. Naga is an actual loss, as that is enough of a loaded fantasy creature that it comes with expectations. It would be the same as changing minotaur to "ox" though they'd likely never dare do that, though I feel it would be more justified than Naga, as the minotaur was a single creature.

I know I'm bitching into the wind, but I just can't let nothing be said about it.

I had not heard of that. I agree that it's an unfortunate flavor loss.

There is also;

-Rakshasa losing cat and getting a full redesign. This was part of seemly them soft-rebooting Tarkirs flavor (no word fully give but was part of Khans coming to arena). This also why naga are now snakes.

-Efreets are now Djinn. This is part of Tarkir as well.

-Cephalid are now octopi, this them now wanting animal-folks to match what animal they are folk of.

Fist off, everyone hide the Homarids.

Secondly, I'm just going to leave this here. (The original flavor text, of course)

Wasn't the Rakshasa thing for cultural reasons at least, same with efreet I assume. The other changes are just bizarre. I guess they want to allow people more typal stuff to be easier idk