Selecting Tenth Edition Week 5
Magicthegathering.com Staff
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
his week the first sketch vote results are in along with the winner for the equipment card vs. card vote, we finish up the final round of basic land art voting, we've got a new card vs. card vote we think will raise many eyebrows, and even more. All set?
Like the Week 3 vote, this card vs. card clash wasn't close.
Loxodon Warhammer returns in Tenth Edition!
Card Vote #5
Despite how it may seem to some, when putting together a set every slot is important. That said, some choices are more high-profile than others. With that in mind, we're pretty sure the one we've got planned for you this week is pretty spicy.
Click here to reveal your choice.
Comments from Matt Place
This week instead of arguing why the card I'm defending is better than Aaron's dumb card for Standard, I'm going to take a different perspective that may not be important to the enfranchised player but is very important for the game of Magic as a whole.
Kird Ape fills a unique roll in the base set. It shows off in a simple way “multicolor”. Since we do not include gold cards in the base set it is nice to have a card that can show new players a “gold” card without actually being gold. I know that for me multicolor is one of the most exciting mechanics in Magic. I started playing just before Legends came out. My friends and I were blown away when we got our hands on the first gold cards. We traded for as many gold cards as we could get. In hindsight it should have been Mana Drain and Mirror Universe we were collecting, but we chose to collect Kasimir the Lone Wolf instead. Oops!
Back to my point, I believe multicolor can be eye-popping for the new player and an important purpose of the base set is to not only be easy for a new player to understand but also to excite them about the game. Having a “multicolor” card like Kird Ape can help make their introduction to Magic that much more fun.
Comments from Aaron Forsythe
Oftentimes good cards get labeled "too good" by players and by R&D because of the company they keep. It's quite difficult to extricate a card from its environment and judge it solely on its own merits, but that's exactly what we get to do when choosing cards for a Core Set. The reprinting of Hypnotic Specter in Ninth Edition is a great example of separating an old card from its previous environment: Hyppie was considered "too good to print," but all previous experience with the card was tainted by other cards like Dark Ritual and Hymn to Tourach. Without those cards around, Hyppie has been merely good and not a problem at all.
Mogg Fanatic is another such card. People here in R&D have called him the best one-mana creature ever, and even nominated him (pre-Psychatog) as the best creature of all time. But the Fanatic always went hand-in-hand in every format it was legal with true powerhouses Jackal Pup and Cursed Scroll (except when the Scroll was banned in Block Constructed); on top of that, Fireblast and Ball Lightning were also legal in Standard for most of Mogg Fanatic's initial lifespan. How good is the Fanatic on its own, without all those other cards? Still quite good, I'd guess, but nowhere near unprintable. Don't hold him responsible for the sins of other more ridiculous cards. Give Fanatic a chance... Kird Ape already had his!
Basic Land Art
Last week you voted on the art from Kamigawa's panoramic basic lands. The closest vote? Turns out even John Avon has trouble beating John Avon in these things! Here's how it all came out once the dust had settled.
|
Plains
| Greg Staples 2 |
5953 |
49.8% |
| Greg Staples 4 |
2337 |
19.6% |
| Greg Staples 3 |
1920 |
16.1% |
| Greg Staples 1 |
1740 |
14.6% |
| Totals |
11950
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Island
| Martina Pilcerova 3 |
5475 |
45.8% |
| Martina Pilcerova 1 |
2615 |
21.9% |
| Martina Pilcerova 4 |
2168 |
18.1% |
| Martina Pilcerova 2 |
1692 |
14.2% |
| Totals |
11950
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Swamp
| Jim Nelson 3 |
3990 |
33.4% |
| Jim Nelson 4 |
3504 |
29.3% |
| Jim Nelson 1 |
2286 |
19.1% |
| Jim Nelson 2 |
2170 |
18.2% |
| Totals |
11950
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Mountain
| John Avon 4 |
3287 |
27.5% |
| John Avon 3 |
3239 |
27.1% |
| John Avon 1 |
2754 |
23.0% |
| John Avon 2 |
2670 |
22.3% |
| Totals |
11950
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Forest
| Rob Alexander 2 |
7004 |
58.6% |
| Rob Alexander 3 |
2170 |
18.2% |
| Rob Alexander 4 |
1750 |
14.6% |
| Rob Alexander 1 |
1026 |
8.6% |
| Totals |
11950
|
100%
|
|
|
This week you'll finish up the basic land votes by choosing from the block that got fourth in overall votes.
Remember, for each basic land type you'll pick your favorite. The top Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest from Urza's Saga will get their art reprinted in Tenth Edition. Here's what you'll be choosing from.
Plains
Rob Alexander 1
|
Rob Alexander 2
|
Rob Alexander 3
|
Rob Alexander 4
|
Island
Donata Giancola 1
|
Donata Giancola 2
|
Donata Giancola 3
|
Donata Giancola 4
|
Swamp
John Avon 1
|
John Avon 2
|
John Avon 3
|
John Avon 4
|
Mountain
John Avon 1
|
John Avon 2
|
John Avon 3
|
John Avon 4
|
Forest
Anthony S. Waters 1
|
Anthony S. Waters 2
|
Anthony S. Waters 3
|
Anthony S. Waters 4
|
Artist Sketches
Last week you chose between Mike Sutfin and Dave Allsop for sketches of how Lord of the Pit would look in Magic's next core set. For this one, it was "Sketch A" by Mike Sutfin that took the honors in what turned out to be a very close vote.
IN: Sketch A (Mike Sutfin) |
OUT: Sketch B (Dave Allsop) |
| Sketch A (Mike Sutfin) |
6146 |
51.4% |
| Sketch B (Dave Allsop) |
5804 |
48.6% |
|
Totals
|
11950
|
100%
|
This week, you'll be choosing between sketches for Fountain of Youth by Dan Scott and Anthony Waters.
Click here to reveal your choice.
Click each image for a larger version.
Sketch A
|
Sketch B
|
Go Vote!
To vote in the polls, you'll need to use your message boards account. If you don't have one yet, you can
go here to create one. Once you've done that, or if you already have an account, you're all set. You've got until the site updates Sunday night to get your vote in, so click the link below to launch the polling page and go make your voice heard!
Click here to launch the voting page.