Common Design: Teroh's Faithful

I am trying to write more. Now that I've moved I want to write a little, every day. Some days I know I will need a prompt, and this series will hopefully serve to aide that. I am going to examine the  existence of commons through the light of the parameters I set out here and others that strike my fancy.

I wanted to get started and couldn't think of a good topic on my own so I went to Gatherer and hit "random" until a common of some interest came up. That card: Teroh's Faithful.

Since this card comes from before the advent of New World Order, I think it is important to look at that element first. With regards to on board complexity, Teroh's Faithful is actually a fantastic card. It has an enter's the battlefield effect and then sits around to act as a Horned Turtle. This is an ideal execution of the NWO. The card is elegant in design and execution but I wonder how it lends itself to repetitive game play. As Mark Rosewater often opines, Odyssey block draft was one of the Spike-ist formats of all time. Given the repeat factor of Magic Online one wonders if the four life boost by the Cleric would be too much when taken at a macro level. This is mitigated somewhat by being a common in the middle set in what is likely to be an underdrafted color due to the black heavy theme and draft order placing the White incentive later (that is unless you're Zvi). 

Tweaking the knobs and making this a slightly smaller creature for altering the mana cost to 1WW might affect the replay value, but all things considered (given the color diversity of the block), I feel that Teroh's faithful, from a pure limited perspective, is a fantastic common.

It also hits the right notes for a casual card. Players of all stripes love lifegain and this one comes in a respectable package. It also makes a fine defensive creature and has a relevant creature type in Cleric. While Teroh's Faithful might not be a stellar build around for a kitchen table affair, it does enough to provide solid game play value to warrant inclusion in brews of all kinds. it is also a high impact card, meaning that a player on a limited budget could always have one on hand to thwart that pesky red mage.

What about selling the world? Well, Odyssey did have some world building issues (namely resetting major creature types) but this one does some important things. First, it establishes white's role as a religious high ground in the set while also alluding to the character Major Teroh. The issue? This card has little to do with the actual Teroh and a player might not ever know that Teroh is a bird (would it be too hard to provide some avian iconography on those robes?). The flavor text also does not do a great job of highlighting the nature of the set as black heavy, but it is very hard to ask one card to do that, so it gets a pass.

So what's the verdict? Teroh's Faithful is more or less an ideal common. While it might need some massaging the current world of MTGO drafts and reduced limited complexity, it would not seem out of place (at least stats wise) in a modern block. 

But that's what I think- what about you? Tell me what you think about Teroh's Faithful and some other commons you'd like to see examined.

A Common Problem

Every few weeks, a question (and subsequent answer) shows up on Mark Rosewater's blog:

"teancrumpetsfan asked: Could you reprint a bunch of good uncommons as commons in a supplementary set for Pauper? Thanks.

Pauper is a format about working within the restrictions of common. Putting cards that don’t belong into common just to make them available for Pauper fights the very nature of the format."

-retrieved from Blogatog on November 26th, 2013

Without fail vocal members of the Pauper community will chime in and ask for certain powerful effects to be pushed down to common. The argument boils down to:

"Other formats are not beholden to rarity - why should ours?"

Here's the thing: Pauper is a format that exists only because there is a restriction of rarity. There have been errors from the past that have been corrected via the ban list including cards with Storm (an admitted mistake mechanic from Magic R & D) and those with unintended interactions (Invigorate and Infect) but the core of the format is to play Magic with only commons available on Magic Online (I am not going to debate the online vs offline issue today). Let us operate from the core principle: Pauper is a competitive format where you are only allowed to play commons. This begs the question: What is a common?

Commons are the bread and butter of Magic. They serve multiple functions and I hope to hit them all today. 

Commons have to be interesting enough to support casual play: This is probably the most important and most ignored attribute of commons that many Pauper players miss entirely. The vast majority of Magic is not played with full playsets and developed metagames. A lot of times its just two players jamming whatever they've cracked in their booster packs against one another. These players might have the resources to visit a web store like Star City Games or Channel Fireball and maybe they are entrenched enough in Magic to devote some of their care to improving their stack. Just as likely is that Magic is a game they play between playing other games. In this situation commons have to do tons of work. Not only do they have to serve as an entryway to the game (more on this later) but they have to supply consistent, fun, play value. 

Looking at Theros, examine Wingsteed Rider. This is clearly a powerful common that can go into many casual white decks. It does just fine on its own or supported with other cards (and is exceptional when paired with cards from Theros). It is consistent and will provide tons of play decisions over the course of many games. It forces the match to be played rather than decided. On the other side take a card like Nylea's Emissary. This card is simple enough to be common but over the course of ten or fifteen games when the Emissary player continues to draw their one copy and crush the Rider player, do we really think the white mage in this battle is going to want to keep up with Magic and learn more?

Commons are an entry point to the game and worlds of Magic: Open a booster pack and get transported to a new world every year. Commons have to tell this story. Mark Rosewater is fond of saying that "if a set's theme is not at common then it is not your theme." Commons bear so much weight of setting the tone that they have to be simple and elegant. By design they have to be the distilled essence of any new mechanic or trope. Additionally, they also have to sell the game of Magic to new players. Since you're going to get eleven commons for every one rare, the rare might be the paint job but the commons are the excellent gas mileage. Commons have to be able to hook three different kinds of Magicians: brand new, returning, and entrenched. Not only this, but each audience has a slightly different need. The best way to do this is to make simple and elegant cards that are still fun to play in games.

Wingsteed Rider tells you so much about Theros and does so in an incredibly interesting way. Compare this to Loyal Cathar- both are white commons but they clearly come from different worlds but by virtue of casting cost they go together. Two commons and suddenly there is a ton of information for a newcomer. 

Commons have to support limited: Yup. Here it is. People love to draft and with the advent of Magic Online there are more drafts happening than ever before. Commons are going to show up in every draft and often times in multiples. Much like the first point limited forces commons to have amazing repeat value. Sure, Gray Merchant of Asphodel can be a pain to face in the realm of 40 cards but it asks for some serious devotion. But what about when the deck doesn't come together? Then Gary is merely okay. And that's going to happen. Compare this to Sparksmith or Timberwatch Elf- commons that warpped formats and would clearly be Uncommon today. 

One reason that certain formats are worse for draft -Avacyn Restored, for example- is that the games play out largely the same. Look at successful draft formats -Rise of the Eldrazi and Innistrad- and you will find a bevy of reasonable commons that could provide tons of repetitive play value.

Commons have to see play in constructed: This is new but Wizards has stated that they want to see cards of all rarities in high level play. I think they are succeeding at this with pushed, if not broken, common cards.

So where does this leave us: Commons have to be elegant executions that provide insight to the worlds of Magic while providing solid repeatable game play experiences while also being strong enough to appeal to three large parties of players.

Are there cards out there today that are not common that could be "downgraded" in rarity? Absolutely! In fact, I want to know some Uncommons or Rares you think are reasonable at Common- post them in the comments or hit me up on Twitter or Facebook. Or if you have designs for Commons, let me know - would love to see them - but make sure they work at Common.

Pauper is about the restriction to common - don't shoehorn in any other rarity just because. If a card isn't common, well, it doesn't belong in Pauper.

Flat Earth

Technology, eh? How about it!

I moved in with my significant other on Monday and we're adjusting to a life lived together. I missed my article deadline for this week due to a) an overwhelming number of boxes to unpack b) not enough time with the internet to actually do the work needed to write. 

So much of my world outside work has been improved by technology. I write about a Magic Online format which likely wouldn't exist without the program. I have done this for multiple websites earning myself a decent amount of money (in the form of store credit, but still!). A character now exists that I created with the help of Facebook and Twitter - Alex Ullman, the Pauper Guy. When the follower list updates there are always new people from different corners of the world and varied walks of life. 

Without smaller, faster, and better processors, would this have ever happened?  Doubt it.

This month I started a podcast on Pauper with a friend. We have never met in person and have only communicated through, and around, the game of Magic. Twenty years ago when I cracked my first starter deck this would have been impossible.

Technology is fantastic at leveling the playing field. No one needs a connection to create anymore. Anyone can just record their voice, create a social media persona and go forth into the world.

And man, that's great.

Unrelated, this band is sweet:

I only heard about them because they followed me on Twitter. And then we started talking about D & D and Magic. Technology is fucking awesome.

A Song for Writers and Romantics

"Now I spend my days/sorta looking the perfect phrase"

"Show Me on the Doll Where the Music Touched You" - Red City Radio

I hate Hot Topic.

I am not fond of lyric videos.

Red City Radio is just an amazing band and this song does not let up. 

An October 13th Pauper Daily.

For the first time in I don't remember how long I had a block of time to play a Daily Event and one that lined up with this freedom. So of course I was going to play. 

The past few days had been filled with e-mails between myself, Jason, and Eric about the state of affairs in Pauper. This all started because I had been an advocate for Hopeful Eidolon in White Weenie and Jason took a list that featured the spirit to 3-1. I am a huge believer in Bestow for Pauper and was happy to see my thought exercise pan out for Jason. In that same chain we were discussing the recent dearth of Stompy decks placing in the Daily Events. Once a powerhouse the green machine is standing in the redwood shadow of its one-time greatness. When we examined why this was the case, I concluded that since Pauper had lost a step and gained a turn the fragile creatures of Stompy were more vulnerable than ever. Natural enemies such as Mono-Black Control and Dimir removal decks have littered the landscape which spells doom for a deck loaded with efficient creatures. My solution was to go bigger and slower with Leafcrown Dryad.

Jason whipped up a list for "Big Stompy" which gave up on the Sligh curve aspect of the deck in favor on accelerating out big monsters such as Imperiosaur. Leafcrown Dryad was a key player in this deck as a way to make monsters even bigger and block flying enemies. Alas, Big Stompy suffered against removal based attrition decks so I decided to go back to the drawing board. But I kept the name:

Big Stompy

18 Forest

4 Arbor Elf

4 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk

4 Nettle Sentinel

4 Garruk's Companion

4 Silhana Ledgewalker

4 Leafcrown Dryad

2 Drudge Beetle

4 Rancor

4 Vines of Vastwood

4 Gather Courage

4 Hunger of the Howlpack

Sideboard

3 Prey Upon

3 Young Wolf

3 Sundering Growth

3 Moment's Peace

2 Drudge Beetle

1 Nylea's Disciple

This deck was still Stompy but it definitely wanted to go larger and longer. Leafcrown Dryad and Drudge Beetle provided the late game mana sinks the deck wanted while also making my creatures too large to handle. Oh, they also provided a serviceable body on curve.

My soundtrack for this Daily Event included: Bangers, Crazy F**king Dreams, Dear Landlord, Dream Homes, and DIRECT HIT!, DOMESPLITTER

It all makes sense now - I was messed up in the head. I ended up 1-2 and dropped after the third round.

In round 1 I was paired up against Eye Candy. My opponent stalled on mana but I was not able to apply enough pressure. The enemy go Kiln Fiend online and made it unblockable, then gave it double strike.

Game two I kept a fine hand for an unknown opponent. In hindsight, I should have mulliganed aggressively into either Prey Upon or Moment's Peace

At 0-1 I won a hard fought three games against an opponent on White Weenie. Game one was awesome - full of back and forth. It got to the point where I win if my opponent wasn't holding Prismatic Strands. They weren't.

Game two I mulliganed to five and was never in it. Game three I led with a Nettle Sentinel while the enemy led with Icatian Javelineers. I played a second land, cast Prey Upon, swung in for two then cast a Pit-Skulk. On two lands my opponent tried to brick my Pit-Skulk with Kor Skyfisher. I had Rancor and kept a Forest untapped to protect my investment with Vines of Vastwood. I cracked in, knocked the enemy to fourteen, and passed. White Weenie had Bonesplitter and equipped it to, once again, stop my Skulk. 

At this point I have two Forests in play and two Vines of Vastwood (and other two drops) in hand. I decide to go for it and on consecutive turns cast main phase Vines of Vastwood on Pit-Skulk to crack in for victory.

And it tasted so sweet.

That taste lasted shorter than Juicy Fruit. Round three I go up against a Delver pilot. My first play is Dazed and I never get back into it.

One reason Delver continues to put up such great numbers is that there is no consensus on the right build. Because of this, a card like Daze goes way up in value since it has a huge amount of surprise value.

Game two I kept a hand full of threats but only one land. Any Forest in my first two draws puts me in great shape. But since I went 1-2, you know how this ends (hint: not well).

I'm not about to give up on Big Stompy. I think I am going back to Quirion Ranger and dropping Arbor Elf, since it did very little all day.

And maybe I'll play in another Daily, if I find the time.

Time Keeps on Slipping into the (Cosmic) Future

"If I can ask one thing when I am dead, would you lay me down by the riverbed? And just let me wash away, let it take me back from where I came. Cause all I am and all I was is just blood and dirt and bones and mud. And I'm better off that way.
I'm better off that way."

-Iron Chic