Subject: article about an ISSUE Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 13:25:19 -0700 From: "Philip M. Wilson or Jennifer Bartenfelder" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com ----- How could they? No, really, how could they? Part I. ----- A cry goes up all over happy little Magic-land. “But mom, it’s not FAIR!” People everywhere are whining themselves into a frenzy over the latest developments in Magic. Lime green’s gone lemon-sour. Expansion overkill. Established (and baffled) players are losing to chest-hair-less twelve-year-olds with Cursed Scroll and Chub Toad in the same deck. People are (gasp!) cheating! Well storm the streets and burn down the White House, could anything more horrible be happening? Before I get to who’s to blame for all this, some notes and disclaimers: I have nothing against Chub Toads or people who use them in decks. I don’t advocate burning down the White House or any other building housing government activity. I’ve never been to a Pro Tour Qualifier. I listen to, and like, Night Ranger. Anyone still with me? I’d like to hope someone other than me reads this. Maybe it’s just me and three other people who now have “Sister Christian” running through their head. No matter. Every time a new expansion approaches people work themselves into a froth until it hits the stores (or they read a downloaded spoiler list again and again the two weeks before the set comes out.) Inevitably, the cries go out. “Another set? Already?” “Wow, this sucks.” “Wow, look at all the great blue cards!” “So what happened to green?” After a few months of pondering, testing, and flaming, people go back to their everyday lives. A few weeks later rumors about the next set start to filter down, and the whole blasted process begins anew. Is anyone else a little weary of it all? I am, which doesn’t explain why I’m writing this. I guess we all have our thoughts to vent. Here are mine about the great decline of green: 1. Green--it’s not what you play, it’s what you pay At Origins, WotC admitted green is a support color. In other (read: players’) words, not viable on its own. The whole thing is absurd. In more ways than one. Absurd in that the colors have been allowed to become so unbalanced, with green getting the best of the mess. But also absurd in that it IS viable, just not as viable (or as easy) as it could be. What happened? Did WotC give up on green? Are they out of ideas? Or have they just botched the set design of late? Methinks it’s mostly the last. Something to keep in mind, though: WotC designs sets months and months before their release. Some people seem to think they put a set together and a few months later it hits the stores. That all the things that went wrong with Set A can and should be corrected in Set B. Uh uh. I don’t know the exact time table, but from what I’ve read in the Duelist, my best understanding is that the entire Rath Cycle had been designed before a single Cursed Scroll was abused at the prereleases. (Read the article on Exodus in the latest Duelist and you’ll get an idea of how much work and politics go into a set.) I say it’s likely, though perhaps not forgivable, that WotC thought Green, as it was designed in the Rath Cycle, was as viable as any other color. The cards were designed and tested long before the public had a chance to collectively sneer--and complain. Don’t expect green leaves this fall, either. Urza’s Saga, *and* its expansions, is probably finished--in the can--neatly tied up with a big Blue bow--as I type this. The chances that green’s relatively poor status has been improved are about as high as your chances of finding a pile of free Tradewind Riders down at the local card shop. Maybe that’s a bit overblown, seeing as how green can’t help but improve. But it’s too early to expect WotC to completely rectify the problem. By now they know green needs serious help, but they obviously didn’t know or didn’t care during the design of the Tempest block, so how likely is that to have been corrected in the most-likely-finished Urza’s Saga block? “So what if I’m a green mage? What am I supposed to do until they fix it?” (By the way--does anyone else snicker when they see people describe themselves as a “green mage” or a “blue mage”, etc.? Like it’s some essential part of their being. It’s as corny as…as… as Night Ranger.) How does one cope with no immediate hope? (Yes, I write poetry. No, it doesn’t rhyme.) I suppose I could take the bastard approach and say “deal with it, buddy.” To which I already hear the reply: “I don’t WANNA! And you just don’t get it!” So you like green. I like beer. But I rarely drink it. Too expensive (the drinkable stuff, anyway.) Similar problem, different cause. I could call the brewery and complain, suggest a reduction in price. Suppose someone cared. How long before I’m drinking a two-dollar six pack of Pete’s Wicked Ale? Not bloody likely in the first place. Go ahead. Call Wizards. Protest. Spew your indignation all over the net and throughout card stores everywhere. See how quickly nothing happens. It’s going to be awhile, folks… Now I know what you’re thinking (yes I do!) You’re thinking WotC has deep pockets and plenty of time to get it right. There’s no REASON they can’t make green respectable. YOU could do better than they are! Damnit, WotC should be calling YOU for card ideas! You know what? You’re right. But only about WotC having the time and money to get it right. I don’t know why they can’t. But I can guess, and guessing is fun. Guess #1: set design is hard. We’d all like to believe it’s easy, that card ideas abound and that balancing the colors in a set is like balancing children’s alphabet blocks. I’m thinking it’s harder than most of us realize. Not to say they still didn’t goof it up… Guess #2: (for the conspiracy-prone) WotC is intentionally trying to weaken green. Yes, that’s right, they drew straws and green got the short one. Now it’s onwards and downwards for green. Does anyone really believe this sort of thing? Guess #3: WotC “pulled a Homer” (i.e. blew it.) Can anyone name a car company that hasn’t made some lousy cars? They’ve been doing it for years, and still there are cars that are to reliability what possum is to fine cuisine. Companies, even companies we give boatloads of money to, make mistakes. Sometimes many. Maybe it’s personnel. Maybe it’s poor forethought. Maybe it’s a fuzzy definition as to what green should be. All that said…well, there isn’t much left to say. WotC, for whatever reason(s), has mishandled green the last few expansions. And the next few may not be any better. One can hope the set designers will sit down and actually LOOK at the green population of the Tempest block and realize that while it has its moments, they’re few and far between. And that they’ll then try and change green’s status with whatever set they’re currently working on. I haven’t been playing Magic since the beginning, but it’s obvious certain colors rise and fall as time progresses. While green waits its turn, perhaps it’s time for “green mages” (*snicker*) to explore the other colors, or go outside and play kickball. While an inequitable Magic isn’t all it could be, it’s better than no Magic at all. Wow, what a lousy “catch-all” that was… Philip Wilson bleutears@earthlink.net