Subject: Broken!
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 13:56:28 EDT
From: GIBS0NLESP@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

    Maybe it's just me, but I have been noticing the use of the term "broken"
far too often.  The decks posted on this sight normally have card lists with
explinations after them.  Such as "Reverant (big fattie)".  That is fine, but
when I see "Impulse(broken)"  it makes me a bit mad.  Either the people
writing these don't know the true defination of broken, or honestly think the
cards are broken because they have never had any experience with any true
broken cards.  Lets for example, take the card impulse.  This card is
described as broken constantly on this sight.  Hmm, demonic tutor, sure it's a
sorcery, but it allows you to get any card in your library where as impulse
just lets you look at 4.  I am not saying impulse is bad, it is a very strong
type 2 card, but it is basically a poor demonic tutor.  Now anyone who played
during the revised era will tell you that demonic tutor was a great card, but
in no way did it sway the balance of the game so grosely in one person's favor
that it was considered broken. So if the Demonic Tutor is not broken, how can
the impulse possibly be?  This brings me to the definition of a broken card.
A broken card is a card that is so good, it completely sways the game to one
player's favor and has an efficient casting cost.  Now you tell me, does an
impulse or a wall of blossoms truely do that?  Often both these cards are
described as broken, but does one of them normally sway the game so much in
one player's favor that it offsets the match?  The answer is no.  Now I am not
saying that there aren't truely broken cards in the game, Ancestral recall,
Timewalk, and the Black Lotus are just a few examples, but as for type 2, the
only card which could be considered half way broken is cursed scroll.  And
still, that is a stretch.  Of course the cursed scroll is a good card, but for
it to work you must have no cards in your hand, which means that your options
are truely limited, and if you are willing to stay nearly handless and have
very few options for the ability to do 2 damage a turn, then that's your
perogative.  The Necro deck tries to do the exact opposite, it tries to keep
it's hand full by taking damage, and look at how long that deck dominated the
tournament scene.  The truth of the matter is, that after 4th left, all the
truely broken cards were removed.  The last remaining 2 were balance and mind
twist.  Sure there are still very good cards out there, such as tradewind
rider and armageddon, but they each come with their own drawbacks.  The
tradewind is useless unless you have 2 other creatures on the board with it,
and unless u have creature dominance, an armageddon will hurt you equally or
more than your opponent.  I hope this letter has shed some new light on the
definition of broken cards, and made people realize how truely balanced the
game is compared to 3 or 4 years ago.  Thanks and later,

Dave "Flailing Drake" Wolkoff