Top 5 Steps to bring Modern back to its Glory Days - Magic the Gathering
369Incoming Wall of Text:
How to Fix Modern:
#1 Clear, Concise Goals on what you want to achieve with the format.
- How "Fair" or Interactive do you want it to be?
- What crosses the boundaries of uninteractive or unfair? Eggs? Bloom?
- Where should the Power Level be? Pod, Deathrite, SFM, Jace?
- Does Dominance play a factor or not? Should Players worry if their deck becomes a certain level of "dominant"? For example twin was only about 16% of the meta but happened to win consecutive high profile events, is this too "dominant?"
- How Aggressive should the format be? You have mentioned Turn 4 in the past, is this still the rule of thumb?
- What about poor designed cards or cards not working as intended?
- What about excessive "hate" cards like Blood Moon
It doesn't seem to me, that WotC has established clear goals, in fact in this comment section I am assuming that there will be arguments, hearsay and disagreements about what exactly IS modern supposed to achieve. This is compounded by WotC themselves often muddling the airways with their own convolutions and contradictions.
#2 Consistency. Once WotC has established goals, they need to be consistent. The ban list looks more and more like darts being thrown at the board. Some fast mana cards are banned, others are legal. Some supposed format warping cards like BBE, Twin, Pod are banned but similar powerful strategies and "dominance" are fair game. Some uninteractive combo decks have been axed, others are still untouched.
#3: Coverage
- Players need a reason to play, they need examples at the highest level possible. I understand that WotC needs to spotlight their latest sets, and Modern Pro Tours do not achieve this. Unfortunately just a handful of Grand Prix are not the answer. GPs are basically a stepping stone, a qualifier or a grind to get people on the "big show". There needs to be something more exciting, something with a draw. Maybe a once a year "Modern Championship" with its own road to qualifications that is independent of the Pro Tour.
#4 Communication
- WotC needs to effectively communicate with its player base. They have jumped the gun and missed the mark plenty of times in the past. The first time WotC tried to pull Modern from the Pro Tour circuit there was an outcry by fans. After the Eldrazi Winter, which I personally thought made a very entertaining and exciting Pro Tour, wizard once again decided to quash Modern Pro Tours in an almost "I told you so" manner.
Wotc has warned that if we want a more competitive scene, then bannings are inevitable. However, WotC does a terrible job at communicating this. Once upon a time there was discussion about a "watch list" to give players ample notice that certain cards are in danger of being banned. What happened to this? In short, Wotc needs to do a better job communicating with its players and fans. If modern is the most popular eternal format, they should actively be asking how to improve and make the experience more exciting!
#5: Change the tone on Eternal Formats.
- It is very clear that WotC wants to focus all in on Standard, but I think this is a trap. I have seen it time and again. A new player excitedly joins the magic scene. They at first are hesitant, just dipping their toes into the action, usually gravitating towards standard, playing with a few cards here and there that they have pulled and just making due with what they have. A rotation goes by, this time, they are all in. They hit it hard, build a tier 1 deck and just when they get settled, whoops it is time for another rotation! They then get frustrated, feel like they have invested too much in a format that is going to devalue 90%. They look for an alternative MODERN and think that modern is a better format to invest in long term. Rather than quit magic, they now have something to turn to. In short, modern is the glue that holds the competitive spirit together.
It is a huge myth that Modern does not sell packs. Once a player is hooked, they actually look forward to a new set to see what MODERN potentials await. I know I DO. IT is the VERY FIRST THING I DO when I look at spoilers. Which cards can go in Soul Sisters, how about Skred, any other stand out card?!?!? Modern cards also spike and retain value WHILE IN STANDARD SETS better than standard only cards. Look at Prized Amalgam, Eldrazi Displacer and Collective Brutality! Modern is the drive for those cards and they are keeping up with their standard only competitors.
In short MODERN and other eternal/casual formats sell sets. WotC needs to identify and appreciate this fact.
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