magic 2010 rules changes

Just thought I'd post this here and get a reaction from some "casual" magic players

www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.a...tg/daily/feature/42a

big change to some of the basic rules in magic.

no more mana burn(I think it is a good decision)

combat damage no longer goes on the stack(I'm undecided on this one)

name changes for some zones removed from game is now exile in-play is now the battlefeild(this is fine by me but the functional change to wishes kind of sucks)

anyway what do you guys think?

blarknob wrote:

anyway what do you guys think?

As a casual cube-drafter it has no effect on me. I'll still be using the rules from when my cards were current.

No more Mana burn?! What?! That's nonsense, I think that sucks. Call me old school, but that should have stayed.

Damage not on the stack simplifies things a little, I think that's a decent one.

Name changes? Whatever. Veterans won't change what they call the play areas.

Mad Dog wrote:

As a casual cube-drafter it has no effect on me. I'll still be using the rules from when my cards were current.

It will if you ever add new cards or play with someone new. It is always a good idea to keep current even in casual formats.

Bah...disappointed.

No mana burn has a pretty big effect on Type I play -- namely, timing around Tolarian Academy won't matter anymore. Additionally, there are some more subtle effects and decks that are designed to win when your own life is pretty low become much easier to play, and in some cases it eliminates an agonizing choice between playing a spell NOW at the cost of a life or two or waiting another turn. In addition to no mana burn, you can't float magic between steps (so the mana pool empties after phases and after steps) -- this eliminates a little strategy, but not too much.

Combat damage not going on the stack renders some of the "take that" instants less powerful/surprising, which I think detracts a little from strategy as well.

The claim is that they are changing some of these rules to free-up design space for cards. My guess is they are trying to simplify the game a bit because the learning curve for serious play (where they make all their money) is a little steep and that market segment is getting close to saturated.

They actually make most of their money off of casual players. The tournament scene actually costs them money.

The only tournaments that make money are limited tournaments where buying packs is required to play, constructed doesn't really sell packs.

1) Simultaneous Mulligans
Who gives a shit? This might matter in Prison v Prison or Owling Mine v Owling Mine games, but folks should goddamn kill themselves before that stuff comes up.
2) Terminology Changes (battlefield, "cast" vs. "play," exile, end step)
I like everything in here, especially "exile." That folks could "rescue" cards lost to Swords or a bad Demonic Consultation always bothered me.
3) Mana Pools and Mana Burn
Zzzz. This will almost never matter. Makes Mana Drains a leeeetle better though. Damn those things are awesome.
4) Token Ownership
I played a LOT of MtG, and this has never come up. Mostly because I don't play with people that play things like Brand.
5) Combat Damage No Longer Uses the Stack
This is a HUGE change, biggest announcement by far! I used to play in this step allll day long. This will take relearning.
6) Deathtouch
Does anyone care about this?
7) Lifelink
Only shift here is that Lifelinks aren't cumulative, unless you use old cards. That's a bit weak.

Yeah, I've been playing since the beginning and every change sounds great to me except the combat change. I'm still not sure how to feel about that. It does move it back to how the game used to be, and it does make a whole lot more sense, but I'll miss all the tricks you're able to pull right now. In the end, though, I trust them.

Losing mana burn sucks? Wha? Mana burn was the stupidest, most nonessential rule ever. Thank goodness it's gone.

And actually, the more I think about it, the more I like the change in combat rules. Despite what everyone is saying (because of what they're used to), I think it will actually make for MORE interesting decisions. No longer can you easily bounce or sac your creature after damage is on the stack, having your cake and eating it too: now you actually have to decide whether you'd rather your creature deal its damage, or whether you'd rather save it with bounce or use its sac effect.

dragonstout wrote:

And actually, the more I think about it, the more I like the change in combat rules. Despite what everyone is saying (because of what they're used to), I think it will actually make for MORE interesting decisions. No longer can you easily bounce or sac your creature after damage is on the stack, having your cake and eating it too: now you actually have to decide whether you'd rather your creature deal its damage, or whether you'd rather save it with bounce or use its sac effect.

I'll use *your* sac effect.





Oh God, I didnt...

From what I know of the changes, I think they're good. Tapping creatures to use their abilities after lethal damage was assigned to them never made any sense and felt like an exploit or loophole. I started playing at 4th edition and remember when I saw someone pull that mogg fanatic trick the first time in 6th. It seemed rediculous and counterintuitive.

Name changes last "casting" and "battlefield" instead of "playing" and "in play" are welcome. A little more chrome without changing the actual rules.

I don't care either way about mana burn being gone. It was pretty much an unnecessary and nearly pointless rule that was never used (and when it was, it just sucked).

Aarontu wrote:

Tapping creatures to use their abilities after lethal damage was assigned to them never made any sense and felt like an exploit or loophole.

I'm not sure I'm fully grasping the Combat rule change. Let's say a 1/1 creature attacks and is blocked by another 1/1 creature that has "B: Regenerate". How would this go down exactly? Then the same scenario except the blocker has "Tap: discard to draw a card" instead of regenerate.

I'm not sure I'm fully grasping the Combat rule change. Let's say a 1/1 creature attacks and is blocked by another 1/1 creature that has "B: Regenerate". How would this go down exactly? Then the same scenario except the blocker has "Tap: discard to draw a card" instead of regenerate.

Neither of those things will change at *all*. Here's how I've been summing up the rules change to friends who don't know the nitty-gritty Magic rules:

Now, in order for a creature to do combat damage, it has to still BE there.

Basically, that's what the rule says.

So no Boomeranging the creature back to your hand after damage is already assigned, or sacrificing your Mogg Fanatic after damage is assigned. You've got a choice to make now: Boomerang your creature and save it, or have it do its damage? Have your Mogg Fanatic do its combat damage, or sacrifice it?

OH: unless you mean "tap: sacrifice this to draw a card" instead of what you wrote, which was "tap: discard a card to draw a card". In which case yes, you'd either have to sacrifice it for the card before damage is dealt (so it won't hurt the attacker) or not sacrifice it so it can do its damage to the attacker.

I found it funny that they state that there goal is to make the game more accessible.

We opened up everything about how we make Magic cards to scrutiny in an attempt to make that set, and the game as a whole, more accessible.

Which them leads them to rewrite the text of a card to say something like this.

Rakdos Guildmage's second ability: : Put a 2/1 red Goblin creature token with haste onto the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.

They have added so much jargon to the game and now they are taking the basics and giving them jargon names to make the game more accessible.

I always liked the concept of Manaburn. The very idea of drawing too much power that it melts your face was awesome. But I don't even know how todays cards look like, I stopped playing when they announced the new design which I didn't like and by that time I couldn't find enough time to keep on the tournament level.

Btw anyone likes the "new" design? I was pretty dissapointed as I was when they redesigned Jyhad. But maybe I am just being anachronic.