A More Exciting Core Set
I used to hate the core sets in Magic. It used to be filled with the most boring cards imaginable. Creatures that didn’t really do anything. Simple spells that were usually pretty straightforward. Really, Vizzerdrix
Vizzerdrix would have been such a disappointing rare to find in a pack. Fortunately, things have gotten more interesting. It’s great that overall there are fewer of these bland cards, there are a lot more things to look forward to in these sets now.
The introduction of more abilities has led to the most interesting cards. These abilities have all been real familiar. Magic 2011 had Scry and 2012 had Bloodthirst. They are relatively simple abilities, usually not something that takes a lot of time to keep track of. The Exalted mechanic for Magic 2013 is a little more complex but still a lot of fun. I think this has been real great for newer players who get an introduction to abilities that are more complicated and may have been missed.
It’s great to see these mechanics return as a more experienced player as well. We get to see new cards for the ability that may not have shown up in the original set because of space, balancing, or it just didn’t fit with the story. Bant decks can be really pumped up with new Exalted cards, but it also looks like you could make an Exalted Grixis deck if the new cards are any indication. One of the preconstructed decks even revolves around this theme with a new legendary Exalted creature.
Each deck in the new set looks to be based around 5 new legendary creatures that will be leading each deck. These cards are also related to another card that really supports their abilities as well. I personally really like having these cards that go together, like the Planeswalkers and their cards that are also returning in this set. These cards have so much flavor I love creating decks that can fit into these themes.
Once again I am more excited than ever about the next set to be released. Core sets aren’t usually as exciting as the more advanced sets like the Innistrad block but I think this new set will appeal to experienced players while still being a great introduction to the game. My favorite will definitely be those new legendary creatures to build decks around. What’s yours?
