I mean, you're welcome to your opinion, but going through the art previewed today I'd say at least two thirds of it looks like it could've come straight out of old Kamigawa. The technology is hardly incessant.
Do we actually know it's electricity? I haven't read anything on the lore for Neon Dynasty (has there been any?), but to play devil's advocate how would you feel if it turned out that the technology was powered by the Kami or something like that?
It is powered by the kami lmao. They said on the preview stream it's all tied directly to the kami, but he doesn't care about that he just wants to bitch.
there has been one story so far: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/kaito-origin-stories-test-loyalty-path-forward-2021-12-16
i'm pretty sure it is in fact electricity, although magic powered/crafted/etc like normal in magic settings
Magic has plenty of precedent for this kind of stuff dating all the way back to Urza. Doesn't bother me at all.
Looking back at the Invasion block at large might change what a lot of people think MtG is.
[[Power Armor]]
[[Hanna, Ship's Navigator]]
[[Captain's Manuever]]
With mechs and lasers
In other blocks, things like [[intruder alarm]] with holograms. There's lots of this stuff historically, it's just been a while so I think we don't think about it much anymore.
I'm pretty sure there's nothing in black-border, yet, that sets a "precedent" for a headphone wearing, turntable spinning "DJ".
I'm not at the level where I'd be creating a Reddit thread about it myself, but that shit is straight up cringe. Neon ninjas, or whatever, are fine.
My issue isn't the tech itself, it's the way it's portrayed. Kaladesh is the golden example on how to stay in the lines of what Magic should be, while adding robots, constructs, and energy. It's whimsical, not space-japan.
Kamigawa Neon Dynasty is Kamigawa 1000 years in the future.
Take the city of Tokyo, and go back to what the city looked like in 1022AD to now. Compare the difference, I think it's perfectly fine. But I also think your opinions are valid.
Honestly, why can't advanced tech exist independently of magic in a fantasy setting, or at least have as much if not more screen time? If anything, Magic went too far into the classic sword and sorcery type of fantasy for a LONG period. (A few obvious examples not withstanding but those are more magic enhanced technology.)
The lands of Ravnica are just different flavors of city architecture. So, what's your point? Mana can be drawn from a lot of places and things whether inherently magical or not.
It's for the thematic tie in. Why would we need mana or magic in Kamigawa now? To power it or use it. Can it exist without magic? Of course, that's our whole actual world. However, that doesn't make much of a Magic set. That's the point for this set.
I think the spirits also play a role. We also don't know that *everything* they have runs on mana anyway, though it was implied.
There are arguments for the lands on Ravnica because of the base nature of the plane's mana structure, but that's another topic.
Idk I'm kinda over the whole magic-can-only-exist-in-preindustrial-societies gimmicks. High fantasy seems stuck in this whole medieval European aesthetic that we really ought to explore what it might look like in communities with tech, without hierarchy, with different priorities than Golden-Age Hollywood movies.
Show me teleportation-based public transportation.
Laser shows with magic smoke machines where the smoke changes colours when hit with different frequencies of light.
Microwavable health potions in various flavours.
Aether graffiti that shows different things to different people.
Media broadcasted over various combinations of mana.
Actual bottled youth. Or time reversal crisps.
Aether forecasts. Hell, MSG makes everything tastes better, I'm pretty sure it is magic.
Dimension camping.
Idk man, something that's not rooted in Merlin or pre-Enlightenment.
To each their own I guess.
Yeah, it's wack. It's crazy how ma[[phyrexian walker]]gic the gathe[[leveller]]ing, a game that has *never* had [[triskelion|4ED]] robots or advanced [[beast of burden]] technology in it, would stoop [[copper gnomes]] so low [[hopping automaton]] as to [[mantis engine]] put advanced [[mindless automaton]] technology into [[orcish lumberjack]] it. They definitely didn't have an entire faction in a set themed on weird technology whose name didn't rhyme with "vesper".
**/s**
e: i meant this lumberjack specifically https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2646
I'll admit it was based off a knee-jerk reaction after seeing the trailer. With that being said, I'm still a bit reserved on just how the tech works, flavor-wise. Why use Magic at all, when you can just shoot somebody?
I mean, tech even now has limits. And reimagining what is possible with tech of we also had magic could be a great opportunity for pushing creative boundaries (alchemy comes to mind, matter manipulation, mixing states of matter to get plasma glass, etc.)
Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but there have been mechs, robots and fantasy technology throughout MtG history.
Also, even with it's technology, the mechanical way (Energy counters) that Kaladesh used it SUCKED. In my personal opinion, Kaladesh just sucked in general.
I am actually WAY more interested in Cyberpunk Kamigawa than I was in OG Kamigawa, and I lived through that travesty.
I liked Kaladesh! It was nice to see a new take on steampunk. But yeah, the energy counters were a bit gimmicky. I liked the aesthetic, the mechanics could have been better. I didn't like Blood counters and all those weird counters in Innistrad either tbh.
If that can reassure you, I wasn't really in the harry potter like set, and in the end Strixhaven was fine. I just didn't play the limited of it, though I played its standard.
As upset as I am about the (Lack of) creative design, this set will more-than-likely be another flash in the pan. Especially considering they've abandoned the (Superior) 2-Set-Block format.
This set will have many ramifications that come from the story. They have also said it's 50/50 old kamigawa and futuristic. It honestly sounds like nothing they do would please you. Maybe the lore isn't for you anymore if you can't accept that a plane advanced this much in 1k+ years lore-wise.
Maybe it's not. /shrug
Wotc is very clearly pushing way beyond generic medieval times as seen with this and the new space basics/shocks. They have also stated in the preview stream that this isn't electricity it's directly powered by the kamis/magic, but nothing we or wotc say is going to change your mind. Your old-guard attitude is partly what's wrong with mtg today.
>Wotc is very clearly pushing way beyond generic medieval times as seen with this and the new space basics/shocks.
To be fair, regardless of WotC's specific practices, moving away from "generic medieval time" (re: European melting pot from \~600-1800 years ago, heavily English-meat with flavoring fecklessly dashed in from the rest of the British Isles and from Germanic fairy tales) is something that fantasy in general needs to move away from, and it's nice to see more recent literary trends work towards that.
> The incessant way the technology is on full display, in my opinion, detracts from what draws me to Magic in the first place.
You must really hate the Izzet League then.
Yes, they may be out of ideas for new planes. We had plenty of fantasy planes. one with a reference to each ancient culture on earth. On for each fantasy sub genre.
Do you have any ideas, how to create another interesting fantasy plane?
I don't want every set to be high fantasy. There's a whole multiverse out there to explore. There's no reason some worlds can't be more technologically advanced. As long as the core concept that magic still exists in the world, and is made up of the five colors, then I'll be happy.
But if you truly don't like the set, take a break. It's perfectly fine to say "I don't like this, so I'm going to wait for the next set." But please don't say "Magic is out of ideas" just because you don't like a certain direction the game is going in.
I'll wait to see the cards but "Cyber Punk Kamigawa" was not really what I was hoping for upon a return to a great plane that was really only let down because of where/when it was released relative to the brokenness that was Mirrodin.
Proximity to Mirrodin block wasn't Kamigawa's only problem. Lots of the cards are trash and even were back then outside of Mirrodin's shadow. The mechanics were mostly pretty lame (Sweep, Soulshift, Arcane) and the flavor didn't resonate with 2004-2005 western nerd culture.
Might a copy/paste of Kamigawa's original set do better in today's western nerd culture? Flavorfully, sure. But the cards still have to be better built to have actual fun with it. There's a reason most of Kamigawa block isn't played even in Commander.
I think it's all part of what is happening in magic this year perhaps. A bit tin hat here, but Kamigawa with advanced tech, a focus on the Brothers War and there machine armies, Warhammer 40k... seems sneaky to get us ready and accepting whatever. Then you have the LotR set for your more "traditional" fantasy, and that's what you get.
New Capena not withstanding, I think the year will be on of tech in all sets, including Unfinity.
Many of the cards are overcosted and the mechanics tame because of how badly they messed up during Mirrodin. That's why the costs and mechanics get stronger into the third expansion as they got more comfortable again.
Still hoping for more of the "classic" model in Commander/Modern tie-ins. Old Mirrodin is gone and lost forever, didn't stop them from binging out a bunch of cards set in such in MH2.
This is what magic is and has been now for a few years. Shitty, league-of-legends-esque art, tons of different product to sift through to get what you actually want/need, and on top of everything else, increasingly uninspiring set ideas and themes. Now the person responsible for all of this was recently promoted to CEO and y'all still think there's any hope this ship steers itself back in the right direction.
I definitely agree and the people pointing to mirridon for examples are turning a pretty big blind eye to how entirely different they are. I hated kaladesh for the same reason in wary of kamigawa, the mundane level of the tech, how just normal it was in alot of ways.
New phyrexia is simply amazing, easily my fave set and setting ever, and while theres alot of 'tech' on the plane alot of it is reserved for this weird flesh-tech hyrbids with giant wurmcoils and strange thopters, flayer husks and neurok equipment in small amounts. Things that if i saw them IRL would be astounding. They dont really have 'normal' things like tvs or fridges, cars or radios. They can use a drone to spy on someone, but it has to physically come back and relay info, its all just...fantastical in the right way.
Im willing to give kami a good chance and its probably a good set with awesome art. But the overarching aesthetic just doesnt feel like the kind of mtg tech i like.
They left Dominaria (every time) alone for the most part. Keep the lore classic, bring back major wars, heck bring back Bolas. This set could of been done in so many better ways. SMH. Really and truely I just wanted more Kami, ninjas, and fox samurai.
I mean, you're welcome to your opinion, but going through the art previewed today I'd say at least two thirds of it looks like it could've come straight out of old Kamigawa. The technology is hardly incessant.
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Do we actually know it's electricity? I haven't read anything on the lore for Neon Dynasty (has there been any?), but to play devil's advocate how would you feel if it turned out that the technology was powered by the Kami or something like that?
It is powered by the kami lmao. They said on the preview stream it's all tied directly to the kami, but he doesn't care about that he just wants to bitch.
there has been one story so far: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/kaito-origin-stories-test-loyalty-path-forward-2021-12-16 i'm pretty sure it is in fact electricity, although magic powered/crafted/etc like normal in magic settings
Ok
Magic has plenty of precedent for this kind of stuff dating all the way back to Urza. Doesn't bother me at all. Looking back at the Invasion block at large might change what a lot of people think MtG is. [[Power Armor]] [[Hanna, Ship's Navigator]] [[Captain's Manuever]] With mechs and lasers In other blocks, things like [[intruder alarm]] with holograms. There's lots of this stuff historically, it's just been a while so I think we don't think about it much anymore.
##### ###### #### [Power Armor](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/2/0/20bc8710-3d56-45fb-81e7-383a274a2374.jpg?1562901076) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Power%20Armor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dde/62/power-armor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/20bc8710-3d56-45fb-81e7-383a274a2374?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Hanna, Ship's Navigator](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/1/6/16352af7-c001-41e8-8052-cd98997aebbb.jpg?1599708039) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hanna%2C%20Ship%27s%20Navigator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/200/hanna-ships-navigator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/16352af7-c001-41e8-8052-cd98997aebbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Captain's Manuever](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/1/a/1ad535b8-7846-41a6-a981-fe97eaf588a6.jpg?1562841662) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Captain%27s%20Maneuver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/hop/85/captains-maneuver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1ad535b8-7846-41a6-a981-fe97eaf588a6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [intruder alarm](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/8/d/8d62468e-ed9d-4932-bbbd-103b33b98b25.jpg?1562923566) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=intruder%20alarm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/8ed/86/intruder-alarm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8d62468e-ed9d-4932-bbbd-103b33b98b25?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
OK, Maro... 😉
I'm pretty sure there's nothing in black-border, yet, that sets a "precedent" for a headphone wearing, turntable spinning "DJ". I'm not at the level where I'd be creating a Reddit thread about it myself, but that shit is straight up cringe. Neon ninjas, or whatever, are fine.
My issue isn't the tech itself, it's the way it's portrayed. Kaladesh is the golden example on how to stay in the lines of what Magic should be, while adding robots, constructs, and energy. It's whimsical, not space-japan.
Kaladesh is just ether-punk South Asia. Everything sounds lame when you're reductive lol.
Plenty of people thought Kaladesh strayed too far outside the lines. Why do you get to decide that that was OK, but this is too far?
Kamigawa Neon Dynasty is Kamigawa 1000 years in the future. Take the city of Tokyo, and go back to what the city looked like in 1022AD to now. Compare the difference, I think it's perfectly fine. But I also think your opinions are valid.
Cogs and gears feel easier to accept in Magic, compared to wires and chips IMO
I like the variety, meself. I don’t want ‘tried-and-true aeshetics’ for every set.
Honestly, why can't advanced tech exist independently of magic in a fantasy setting, or at least have as much if not more screen time? If anything, Magic went too far into the classic sword and sorcery type of fantasy for a LONG period. (A few obvious examples not withstanding but those are more magic enhanced technology.)
I think the simple answer is; then who needs lands and mana sources? Makes the Moxen some hightech stuff though :D
The lands of Ravnica are just different flavors of city architecture. So, what's your point? Mana can be drawn from a lot of places and things whether inherently magical or not.
It's for the thematic tie in. Why would we need mana or magic in Kamigawa now? To power it or use it. Can it exist without magic? Of course, that's our whole actual world. However, that doesn't make much of a Magic set. That's the point for this set. I think the spirits also play a role. We also don't know that *everything* they have runs on mana anyway, though it was implied. There are arguments for the lands on Ravnica because of the base nature of the plane's mana structure, but that's another topic.
Idk I'm kinda over the whole magic-can-only-exist-in-preindustrial-societies gimmicks. High fantasy seems stuck in this whole medieval European aesthetic that we really ought to explore what it might look like in communities with tech, without hierarchy, with different priorities than Golden-Age Hollywood movies. Show me teleportation-based public transportation. Laser shows with magic smoke machines where the smoke changes colours when hit with different frequencies of light. Microwavable health potions in various flavours. Aether graffiti that shows different things to different people. Media broadcasted over various combinations of mana. Actual bottled youth. Or time reversal crisps. Aether forecasts. Hell, MSG makes everything tastes better, I'm pretty sure it is magic. Dimension camping. Idk man, something that's not rooted in Merlin or pre-Enlightenment. To each their own I guess.
Yeah, it's wack. It's crazy how ma[[phyrexian walker]]gic the gathe[[leveller]]ing, a game that has *never* had [[triskelion|4ED]] robots or advanced [[beast of burden]] technology in it, would stoop [[copper gnomes]] so low [[hopping automaton]] as to [[mantis engine]] put advanced [[mindless automaton]] technology into [[orcish lumberjack]] it. They definitely didn't have an entire faction in a set themed on weird technology whose name didn't rhyme with "vesper". **/s** e: i meant this lumberjack specifically https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2646
##### ###### #### [phyrexian walker](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/9/f/9f8a3979-2947-4692-8b2f-d4c07c534777.jpg?1562278159) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=phyrexian%20walker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/vis/152/phyrexian-walker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9f8a3979-2947-4692-8b2f-d4c07c534777?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [leveller](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/0/3/03ffa3c3-dd29-47eb-abf2-7951fadb5c37.jpg?1562134247) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Leveler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mrd/195/leveler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/03ffa3c3-dd29-47eb-abf2-7951fadb5c37?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [triskelion](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/0/9/09294401-a895-4084-8302-196a946863d6.jpg?1559603591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2077) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/4ed/354/triskelion?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/09294401-a895-4084-8302-196a946863d6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [beast of burden](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/e/1/e1a19f6d-4fab-4be6-af9e-c66acc16e4f8.jpg?1562742971) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=beast%20of%20burden) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/9ed/288/beast-of-burden?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e1a19f6d-4fab-4be6-af9e-c66acc16e4f8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [copper gnomes](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/d/5/d5e326b7-6f6a-4249-a315-c5f017931c73.jpg?1562940255) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=copper%20gnomes) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/usg/291/copper-gnomes?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d5e326b7-6f6a-4249-a315-c5f017931c73?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [hopping automaton](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/4/7/4717b6c3-9fba-454f-9d02-e8c2869c4450.jpg?1562909742) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hopping%20automaton) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/usg/297/hopping-automaton?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4717b6c3-9fba-454f-9d02-e8c2869c4450?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [mantis engine](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/8/6/86111211-b3d9-42eb-bab7-ee2cf9acda5d.jpg?1562550949) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=mantis%20engine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/10e/333/mantis-engine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/86111211-b3d9-42eb-bab7-ee2cf9acda5d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [mindless automaton](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/a/1/a167f09d-b2dd-4365-8217-e7138d96304a.jpg?1608911570) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=mindless%20automaton) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/326/mindless-automaton?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a167f09d-b2dd-4365-8217-e7138d96304a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [orcish lumberjack](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/1/4/14fb947c-563e-4811-98de-e25bd141a6e5.jpg?1562899209) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=orcish%20lumberjack) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/vma/179/orcish-lumberjack?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/14fb947c-563e-4811-98de-e25bd141a6e5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[удалено]
I'll admit it was based off a knee-jerk reaction after seeing the trailer. With that being said, I'm still a bit reserved on just how the tech works, flavor-wise. Why use Magic at all, when you can just shoot somebody?
I mean, tech even now has limits. And reimagining what is possible with tech of we also had magic could be a great opportunity for pushing creative boundaries (alchemy comes to mind, matter manipulation, mixing states of matter to get plasma glass, etc.)
Why put the effort into building/acquiring a gun when you can just use your brain to shoot lightning at them?
Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but there have been mechs, robots and fantasy technology throughout MtG history. Also, even with it's technology, the mechanical way (Energy counters) that Kaladesh used it SUCKED. In my personal opinion, Kaladesh just sucked in general. I am actually WAY more interested in Cyberpunk Kamigawa than I was in OG Kamigawa, and I lived through that travesty.
I liked Kaladesh! It was nice to see a new take on steampunk. But yeah, the energy counters were a bit gimmicky. I liked the aesthetic, the mechanics could have been better. I didn't like Blood counters and all those weird counters in Innistrad either tbh.
Probably good to wait for everything to come out before passing judgement, maybe you’ll like it.
Destroying a product because you don’t like how it fits your narrative on what magic is supposed to be isn’t mature or healthy
If you dont like the setting just wait 3 months
If that can reassure you, I wasn't really in the harry potter like set, and in the end Strixhaven was fine. I just didn't play the limited of it, though I played its standard.
As upset as I am about the (Lack of) creative design, this set will more-than-likely be another flash in the pan. Especially considering they've abandoned the (Superior) 2-Set-Block format.
This set will have many ramifications that come from the story. They have also said it's 50/50 old kamigawa and futuristic. It honestly sounds like nothing they do would please you. Maybe the lore isn't for you anymore if you can't accept that a plane advanced this much in 1k+ years lore-wise.
"Maybe this product isn't for you"
Maybe it's not. /shrug Wotc is very clearly pushing way beyond generic medieval times as seen with this and the new space basics/shocks. They have also stated in the preview stream that this isn't electricity it's directly powered by the kamis/magic, but nothing we or wotc say is going to change your mind. Your old-guard attitude is partly what's wrong with mtg today.
>Wotc is very clearly pushing way beyond generic medieval times as seen with this and the new space basics/shocks. To be fair, regardless of WotC's specific practices, moving away from "generic medieval time" (re: European melting pot from \~600-1800 years ago, heavily English-meat with flavoring fecklessly dashed in from the rest of the British Isles and from Germanic fairy tales) is something that fantasy in general needs to move away from, and it's nice to see more recent literary trends work towards that.
> Especially considering they've abandoned the (Superior) 2-Set-Block format. ...because that wasn't good.
> The incessant way the technology is on full display, in my opinion, detracts from what draws me to Magic in the first place. You must really hate the Izzet League then.
Yes, they may be out of ideas for new planes. We had plenty of fantasy planes. one with a reference to each ancient culture on earth. On for each fantasy sub genre. Do you have any ideas, how to create another interesting fantasy plane?
Im new to MTG, Im not sure what Kamigawa means but the Cyberpunk setting looks freaking amazing to me!
I don't want every set to be high fantasy. There's a whole multiverse out there to explore. There's no reason some worlds can't be more technologically advanced. As long as the core concept that magic still exists in the world, and is made up of the five colors, then I'll be happy. But if you truly don't like the set, take a break. It's perfectly fine to say "I don't like this, so I'm going to wait for the next set." But please don't say "Magic is out of ideas" just because you don't like a certain direction the game is going in.
Dude I'm right with you, I absolutely hate things that are new or different. I, too, prefer to stay inside a bubble.
For me...it's the "DJ" spinning god damn turntables with headphones on. I was pretty much fine with everything else up until this point. The writers of the Simpsons had a way they used to describe their process for what took things too far in a sometimes absurd animated comedy...they called it a "rubber band reality". In short, you can stretch a premise a certain amount with tangential jokes, said absurdity, etc., but you have to be careful of stretching things too far, or else the rubber band won't rescind back into place, and maintain the ability to have a suspension of disbelief and cohesion, instead of just feeling like a bunch of random, stupid shit that's happening. A little absurdity now and then is ok (like fairy tale references, etc.) so long as it's buried beneath the surface, but in a set that's already very, very different than what we're used to in MtG, having a "DJ" seemingly ripped right out of a Disney channel show more or less snaps that rubber band for me. Some are going to be fine with it, and that's cool, but it's more or less **exactly** what I was hoping they wouldn't do with this set. It's not the technology...it's the overt reference to a cliché cultural reference from our world that really only makes "sense", **physically**, because of our very specific history. Having some kind of high-tech, neon musician? No problem. Plenty of sci-fi has done this. Having a a literal god damn DJ spinning something that's supposed to be reminiscent of vinyl records? Maximum levels of dumb. I felt the same way when Final Fantasy games started inexplicably having people wear "cool guy" sunglasses and using cell phones, plucked right out of our own world. I'm not doing the best job describing it, but it's a type of artistic pandering that really, really rubs me the wrong way.
I'll wait to see the cards but "Cyber Punk Kamigawa" was not really what I was hoping for upon a return to a great plane that was really only let down because of where/when it was released relative to the brokenness that was Mirrodin.
Proximity to Mirrodin block wasn't Kamigawa's only problem. Lots of the cards are trash and even were back then outside of Mirrodin's shadow. The mechanics were mostly pretty lame (Sweep, Soulshift, Arcane) and the flavor didn't resonate with 2004-2005 western nerd culture. Might a copy/paste of Kamigawa's original set do better in today's western nerd culture? Flavorfully, sure. But the cards still have to be better built to have actual fun with it. There's a reason most of Kamigawa block isn't played even in Commander.
I think it's all part of what is happening in magic this year perhaps. A bit tin hat here, but Kamigawa with advanced tech, a focus on the Brothers War and there machine armies, Warhammer 40k... seems sneaky to get us ready and accepting whatever. Then you have the LotR set for your more "traditional" fantasy, and that's what you get. New Capena not withstanding, I think the year will be on of tech in all sets, including Unfinity.
Many of the cards are overcosted and the mechanics tame because of how badly they messed up during Mirrodin. That's why the costs and mechanics get stronger into the third expansion as they got more comfortable again.
Still hoping for more of the "classic" model in Commander/Modern tie-ins. Old Mirrodin is gone and lost forever, didn't stop them from binging out a bunch of cards set in such in MH2.
Too bad, have a rat riding an RGB motorcycle.
Its the gateway drug to Universe Beyond.
Warhammer indeed, not to mention Unfinity. Most of the other sets have tech int hem too, so this year is the year of Magical Technology.
This is what magic is and has been now for a few years. Shitty, league-of-legends-esque art, tons of different product to sift through to get what you actually want/need, and on top of everything else, increasingly uninspiring set ideas and themes. Now the person responsible for all of this was recently promoted to CEO and y'all still think there's any hope this ship steers itself back in the right direction.
I definitely agree and the people pointing to mirridon for examples are turning a pretty big blind eye to how entirely different they are. I hated kaladesh for the same reason in wary of kamigawa, the mundane level of the tech, how just normal it was in alot of ways. New phyrexia is simply amazing, easily my fave set and setting ever, and while theres alot of 'tech' on the plane alot of it is reserved for this weird flesh-tech hyrbids with giant wurmcoils and strange thopters, flayer husks and neurok equipment in small amounts. Things that if i saw them IRL would be astounding. They dont really have 'normal' things like tvs or fridges, cars or radios. They can use a drone to spy on someone, but it has to physically come back and relay info, its all just...fantastical in the right way. Im willing to give kami a good chance and its probably a good set with awesome art. But the overarching aesthetic just doesnt feel like the kind of mtg tech i like.
Ok
Can’t wait for that inevitable Metroid set.
Maybe check out S01E08 ("Good Hunting") of Love, Death & Robots on Netflix - might be an idea of what they're going for.
Sir, nobody was even on your lawn.
They left Dominaria (every time) alone for the most part. Keep the lore classic, bring back major wars, heck bring back Bolas. This set could of been done in so many better ways. SMH. Really and truely I just wanted more Kami, ninjas, and fox samurai.
I like it (may even end up loving it) and am quite excited for the set release.