Wizards of the Coast made a big announcement this morning:
Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic will both be banned in Standard effective July 1, 2011. Exception: The deck list for the "War of Attrition" Event Deck will be legal in Standard if kept completely intact. That deck, which went on sale on June 10, contains two copies of Stoneforge Mystic.
...and I think I heard the anguished cries of my tourney friends all the way from my house.
At the risk of upsetting a few people, and with the caveat that I'm still a new player to the game, I have to say: I support this move. First off though, I'm really sorry to all those who spent a lot of cash to get these cards. I know - I'd have done the same if I felt I could afford them and I'd be angry at the loss too.
But from a (newbie) gameplay perspective, these things were monstrous. I got so tired of playing against the same decks week after week, and not feeling I could compete except by luck. And while luck
is a factor in MTG, it shouldn't be the
only factor that determined whether my red deck could pull through against an opponent! But honestly, unless I drew out high damage early enough, I never felt I stood a chance. I realize that some part of that is due to my inexperience, but still - when virtually every week the same decks win the tourney, something's amiss. Because ultimately, for everyone's enjoyment and the health of the game, variety is key.
So, goodbye,
Jace. So long,
Stoneforge Mystic...you were fun for those who had you, and a pain for the rest of us. I do hope this move restores some balance to the local tourney and lets us all see some innovative new decks being built. I look forward to seeing what my next opponents come up with!
What do you think of the changes?
