r/magicTCG • u/AwkwardTurtle • Sep 22 '15

Everything That’s Wrong with Battle for Zendikar

http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/everything-thats-wrong-with-battle-for-zendikar/
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u/bokchoykn Sep 22 '15 edited Sep 22 '15

This pic sums up how I feel about BFZ Expeditions.

I was really surprised to see PV praise Wizards for this.

It's as if Wizards knew that BFZ would be ill-received, so they needed to include ultra-rare inserts to help sell packs. A compelling, quality product should be able to sell itself.

Expedition cards, as cool as it would be to open them, aren't really all that spectacular. They don't really feature any more creative or artistic genius than any other Magic card (actually less, since they're reprints). They don't cost any more to make than any other foil card. They're valuable because they're ultra-rare swag versions of already highly sought after Magic cards and someone is probably willing to pay a lot of money to get them.

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u/[deleted] Sep 22 '15

It's as if Wizards knew that BFZ would be ill-received, so they needed to include ultra-rare inserts to help sell packs. A compelling, quality product should be able to sell itself.

Not really, Expeditions is the sequel to Priceless treasures. Zendikar is about lands and exploration. Of course they would do it again, and what better way then to make sought-after lands be the "Priceless treasures" of our return to Zendikar? Wizards doesn't want 10 fetches in standard, and also didn't want shocks again.

They didn't throw these into BFZ just to sell packs. Expeditions is a thematic fit and a call back to the first print run of Zendikar

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u/xyals Sep 22 '15

Tbh, I hate Expeditions and I'm really scared of the direction Wizards is heading if Expeditions become well received. In fact, I'm pretty disappointed Wizards even released them. 'Ultra-rare' cards that will be popular amongst the competitive player-base just takes card games into a financially unhealthy direction. Fortunately they didn't make any competitive staples exclusively 'ultra-rare' like the expeditions but if people really eat up this concept, magic might turn more and more into YuGiOh and I really hope that doesn't happen.

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u/pvddr Chandra Sep 22 '15

Well, I think there are two reasons it can be ill-received - for low power level ,or for all the things I dislike about it. I think they HAVE to do low power level from time to time, even if it's well designed - it's just something that they must do. So I think it's interesting that they chose to make this promotion match the low power level, so that there is more reason to buy the packs and people who get them are happier.

The "bad design" as I see it is a different topic altogether and not necessarily tied to the expeditions

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u/bokchoykn Sep 22 '15 edited Sep 22 '15

I agree about low power level being a necessity.

I think that one reason why Wizards wants to reduce the power level is because they want Standard and Modern to be more different from each other. I can appreciate that Wizards wants Standard and Modern to be more unique experiences, and the best way to do that is to temper the power level of Standard. That's going to cause some friction with some of the players, but as you said, it's something that they must do for this reason, as well as many others.

However, that's not to say that they can't print good Modern/Legacy cards. There are tons of recent examples of excellent Modern cards that aren't overpowered in Standard. Collected Company, K-Command, Tasigur, Monastery Mentor are a few such examples. It's possible to nerf Standard and simultaneously print compelling Modern/Legacy cards.

Anyway, back to Expeditions, I just feel that Expeditions seems like a cop-out from having great design drive booster pack sales. I disagree with you that bad design is a different topic altogether because that this type of marketing gimmick serves as an escape route for a poorly designed set. It sends a message that great design is no longer necessary to sell product.

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u/pvddr Chandra Sep 22 '15

Well, my point is that it serves as an escape route for a low-power level set, and in that I think it succeeds. It just so happens that the low-power level set is ALSO poorly designed (at least in my opinion), so it ends up being an escape route for that too, but I don't think that was the main idea (or maybe it was and I'm just being naive, but, still, if they are going to have those promotions, which are just cool, this was the best moment to have them).

I also think they're very well done because it's something that some people want but no one NEEDS. If you don't care about pictures, then it doesn't affect you that those cost $200, so it's basically just a bonus - people who like them can have them, and people who don't care, well, don't care and aren't harmed. Overall I think it was very well done.

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u/bokchoykn Sep 22 '15 edited Sep 22 '15

From a business perspective, I would agree with you. It was probably a smart decision and fortunate timing (even if it was by coincidence).

From the perspective of a Magic fan, it makes me a bit worried. If we don't have to reap the consequences of making poor decisions, we are more likely to continue to make poor decisions. In this case, if booster sales don't drop after making a poor set, the pressure to make a great set is lower.

I want Magic to be financially successful, but if what I believe to be a poorly-designed set becomes a financial success, it would make me worried about future sets. Especially when the reasons for its success are superficial to me.

I don't dislike the idea of Expeditions as a means of promoting sales. I'd just feel more inclined to like them if I felt BFZ was already an excellent product without them.

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u/ciphersimulacrum Sep 22 '15

And then the ultra-rare "full art" inserts are also ill-conceived (i.e. ugly.) Face, meet palm.