Magic: The Gathering Overload

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[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Head to keeps.com/tolarian to get 50% off your first order of hair loss treatment.

[@jeffnorris211]

My hair is falling out due to lack of ability to keep up with what new cards I want, need and don’t have.

[@ymmijx6061]

@@jeffnorris211 oh don't worry. they made a card that counters hair loss but it's exclusive to arena premium and costs 5 mythic wild cards to craft.

[@angush40]

@@ymmijx6061 good joke

[@jeffnorris211]

And I probably need a play set XD

[@ymmijx6061]

@@jeffnorris211 well obviously.

[@PokeStatsStudios]

Kaldheim felt like watching Avengers: infinity war without having seen a single previous marvel movie before it. You could tell there was an interesting world in the background, but you didn't have time to explore it through the game.

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

Yeah, it's like if the Infinity War trailer heavily advertised the planet Titan, putting it all over the trailers, asking actors about it in interviews, even naming the movie something like "Battle for Titan." Then playing the movie out just like normal. Everyone'd be like, "...ok, but what's this planet like? Who lives here? What are all these characters from other movies doing here?"

[@bensaylor9093]

I miss when we had year-long blocks, full of flavor and novels and immersion on the plane before we were introduced to some new temporary home plane, and a new beginning to a dynamic story

[@bluekeeper12]

As someone who saw only five Marvel movies before Infinity War: you're not wrong. Which makes me quite sad, Kaldheim was my favorite set since Kaladesh! Best thing they've made in five years, and they swept it away in two months...

[@ameliaclark1917]

exactly, I think this is one of the main reasons that moving away from the blocks system was a really bad move, 3 sets in Kaldheim would have given plenty of time to get players invested in the setting but instead we whistle through some events then boom, Strixhaven, but we're not staying long, just enough for this one event to happen then we're off to the Forgotten Realms. its like ok, but, I wanna know more about Kaldheim, hell, I wanna know more about Strixhaven too but we're going to have to wait now for them to maybe do a return to kaldheim set in a few years...maybe

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

@@ameliaclark1917 I think it's a backfiring fear of customer boredom. This big flight from 3-block sets was spurred in large part by strong backlash against Battle for Zendikar... players were like, "Thanks, I hate it, and now I'm stuck with mechanics and themes I hate for an entire year." Unfortunately, WotC failed to learn the actual lesson from that backlash. They thought they needed to make _shorter_ sets, and that it wasn't even possible that they should just make _good_ sets. So here we are today, with great new interesting settings and themes, but the company is too scared of us getting bored that they hop right outta them before we have a chance to even get to know them.

[@Seafoo_]

Damn, this really speaks to the apathy i've been feeling about the game lately.

[@ymmijx6061]

ya know i used to buy at least one of each commander set? i haven't bought a new commander product in 2 years.

[@TheLegalCustodian]

Amen

[@tflceia]

Same over here. Stopped even playing after Strixheaven. Magic is quite dead to me rn

[@NightfallTH]

Consume. Consume. Consume. Until your soul is consumed.

[@registereduser]

Perfect word.

[@spencerp6190]

"You can shear the sheep many times, but you can only skin it once." WotC's looking at that sheepskin like 😍😍😍

[@KrepsyK]

I've never heard that, but it's so fitting here.

[@8628416]

Bravo!

[@Cerberusarms]

Thank god someone is talking about this. I love D&D, but couldn’t care less about TFR set that just came out. Consumer fatigue and a clear lack of inspiration and time put into it made TFR very underwhelming. OG Innistrad was my favorite set and I can’t even get excited about Midnight Hunt just knowing a fraction of the time was spent on designing it. Great vid Prof!

[@boothang]

I’m a d&d fan who stoped playing Mtg a while back but the dnd set got me back into playing limited I just love the flavour so much. The amount of new sets is overwellming to me tho as a returning player

[@timetokilltime]

Hey D! Glad I decided to read new comments 😃 I agree with you on most what you said. AFR only initially piqued my interest because of the DnD mechanics, but now they feel like a gimmick. Recently I've been finding myself losing interest in Magic content like the Command Zone (btw enjoyed your Game Knights appearance!) It was really confusing since I love all my creators and still love the game, but I know the main reason now. It's a sensory overload. I don't give a damn that were going back to Innistrad - I have barely taken in our third trip to Zendikar, even though OG Zendikar is about when I started.

[@Slabri]

the new commander precons are badass! you're missing out nublet!

[@SickOfItAll1988]

tbh, seeing the first previews, there is one card that feels like Innistrad, the rest just look like straight out the AFT set

[@jankspanking8836]

Also Theros is based of Greek mythology but when people see Theros they see Theros, but when people see Kaldiem or Ikoria they think of that Viking or Monster hunter plane.

[@zach3553]

Prof: "One benefit - it is making MONEY!" WotC: "This was such a GREAT video, no need to continue the other 12 minutes!"

[@nharviala]

I feel like part of the player fatigue also comes from how rapidly we go through sets nowadays. They could easily expand the story to each plane through multiple sets, like with Kaldheim. Give us a glimpse at the gods, and some of the mystery surrounding the realms. Someone is going through and messing things up, and all we see are the results. In the next set, reveal Tibalt/Loki as the main reason why. Make people make their own connections, that he's not just some random, one-of walker we see occasionally, he's a real threat. Let the story be told! Instead, we flash through Kaldheim, see Tibalt, go "Oh, that's neat." and we're whisked away before we could see more. Same for Zendikar. I would have loved to see the world recover from the Eldrazi threat, maybe have one or two Eldrazi as pockets of leaderless drones being hunted down, then the next Zendikar set would show the world's natural recovery, completely Eldrazi-free. Don't just wave a magic wand and poof! no Eldrazi or sign of them anymore. And a quick edit: Agreed on complete burn-out. I've been playing since 2006, and was over the moon for Premium Series: Graveborn. Nowadays, it feels like they've stopped caring about the higher quality products like that. You can't really do a super expensive booster for 3 times the price of a deck filled with guaranteed, premium, highly valued reprints, and expect it to go over well (the Double Masters VIP). Meme about Magic dying aside, I don't see the game lasting as long as it would have if they let corporate and shareholder greed dictate decisions made, rather than the playerbase that's kept them truly afloat for this long.

[@rhvette]

They really threw the baby out with the bath water by getting rid of two set blocks. I didn’t get into Magic until the tail end of three set blocks, but I played enough during Kahn’s Block to at least accept the argument that doing two big and a small set always leaves something feeling unfinished, regardless of if the small set is the middle or the last one, while also feeling overdone. So sure, take the three sets, pull out some filler, and distill it into two better sets. But Wizards just can’t change one variable and let it shake out, and then they overreact when something doesn’t go to plan. So their first two set block was BFZ which was, well, a bit crap. And from the timing, that was apparently enough for them to decide to scrap the concept and stop developing sets in pairs. And so now all we get is drive-by pastiche of a semblance of a setting. What’s happening on Strixhaven? Is Strixhaven even the name of the plane? Who cares, it’s spoiler season for the next set!

[@ymmijx6061]

@@rhvette tbh the biggest problem with block drafting was always that we had to draft sets that had been out for a while. i didn't come to the prerelease for journey into nix to open theros packs. i want to open and play the new set, you can set multiple sets on the same plane without needing to make these weird forced draft environments.

[@AricHaldan0782]

@@rhvette it isn't btw, strixhaven's plane is Argivios or something. Which only goes to prove your point even further.

[@The_Murder_Party]

@@rhvette well, BFZ wasn’t great, but oath sure as hell was... there’s no reason we needed to dump the at least two set model, though it did have an unfortunate tendency to be “everything’s fine -> everything is totally aweful” as the entire story for like three planes.

[@snakeman830]

@@rhvette I'm fine with single sets on returning planes, but any new plane needs two sets to introduce.

[@SlyFox454]

Honestly, I would love to park it on one plane for a year, have the sets released act as chapters to the story and really pull me into the world. Haven't felt that in a long time.

[@dragonamp2]

I miss blocks, they were such a good way to really get into a set and savor it and get cool lore and story building. but that is not shiny new thing enough for hasbro's coast.

[@Qobp]

One-off sets like Dominaria are great! Same with the lil DnD set/Conspiracy sets. But yeah it feels theyve gone too fair into not doing more multi set world.

[@dragonamp2]

@@Qobp I agree. Dominaria was an amazing standalone. Also AFR works as a stand alone well and is a fun sealed. I kinda wish they would replace core sets with these products, or even the masters sets.

[@maeslandry8261]

This. Losing blocks makes new planes fly by too fast and feel like throw-aways.

[@bigmookie27]

For sure, and not just the lore and story building, but the mechanics. I would LOVE to see Foretell fleshed out with a bit more support. But we got 1 set, with some lackluster cards. And now on to Strixhaven! Oh, cool, lessons seem neat, would like to see that expanded on... AND NOW ON TO FORGOTTEN REALMS! Well, Venturing is totally cool. I want to really make that a thing.... AND NOW ON TO.....

[@marcobiraghi]

Blocks were the good stuff

[@Ericnorify]

I am so desperately missing the 3 set block structure. I used to love the explorations of the worlds that could take place and it made the whole plane more memorable. Speaking of which... BRING BACK NEW PHYREXIA

[@VolvoxSocks]

I honestly think the two set block structure was ideal. The three set structure often -but not always- resulted in setting fatigue, or a set that just felt disconnected or lackluster (Fifth Dawn, Saviors of Kamigawa, Avacyn Restored). The one set structure however doesn't really allow for story telling as all the events of the story are just mixed together. The two set structure allowed for set up (Seeking Ortzava/What's Happening on Innistrad?/Amonkhet feels off) and then the second set allowed for resolution (Fight over Ortzava/It's Emrakul/Bolas and an Apocalypse).

[@blitzkriegdiscord3366]

Original Mirrodin block and original Ravnica block were a fucking dream, amazing time to play

[@marcoottina654]

@@blitzkriegdiscord3366 And Lorwin :D I loved the art, tribal, interactions between lots of cards simultaneously, memorable dynamics and mechanics, etc :D I remember almost nothing now, about 2021 and 2022

[@The_Golden_King]

I think the Professor does a wonderful job of expressing how a large majority of Magic players feel toward this recent overstimulation of products. As an older and passionate player of the game, I get less and less excited about each new set. The constant leaks and previews, the multitude of secret lairs, and the recent lack of quality has myself and my playgroup slightly exhausted. I think that amongst our entire playgroup only a handful of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms boosters were even purchased.

[@Goldenclap]

it's so much. The fact that by the time Forgotten Realms came out, everyone's already talking about Innistrad. That's not even mentioning Time Spiral Remastered or Kaldhiem, which i barely remembered.

[@Digirust]

I’m just a super casual player but I didn’t even know Time Spiral Remastered was a thing.

[@VladTepes44]

I have not had the chance to draft Time Spiral Remastered , and it seemed so sweet:( So many things coming out all the time.

[@starmanda88]

I didn’t know I needed the professor to call me sexy and a smoking hottie but as it turns out, I did. Thanks professor for making me smile even during an ad read!

[@blakec1924]

As much as I enjoy the hobby, I am well beyond product overload. AFR was the last big thing I was looking forward to and now unplugging from the hype machine for a while and just focusing on getting my butt handed to me by my friends.

[@mufasafalldown8401]

Same AFR and now I'm done. Have a couple draft boosters saved up and quite a few commander decks to tinker with. My opinion is 2-3 sets a year and one commander product would be perfect.

[@BloodiedShingle]

I skipped AFR, by and large, to preserve my sanity for Innistrad 3 parts 1 and 2. After that, I'll be doing much the same.

[@mountainghoti1671]

I'm out. AFR ends my sealed product collection. Singles are king!

[@TimStamper89]

Time spiral was mine but frankly I couldn't afford to get stuck into it and it was hard to find for me where I am

[@jeremytorres547]

If innastrad drops the ball on the wolves I'll be good for a while on the hype train

[@GoodRogue]

Hitting the nail on its head as always, Prof. It is just as if they were more interested in milking us than making an enjoyable game. Who knew!

[@bfeldz1023]

Companies wants payers not players unfortunately.

[@zztzgza]

This is what happens when marketing departments are in charge of making a product, they always have to sell something endlessly. You have a profitable product so marketing wants to exploit it to make money endlessly or until the product nosedives into the ground.

[@Smaul002]

I left the game for 15 years. When I came back, it was overwhelming to see what I had missed. Eventually I found it was manageable to understand the different formats and the new worlds I had missed in my time away. The last two years has been even more overwhelming as an active player vs being a player who was gone for more than a decade. I think that speaks volumes to the burnout I feel. I find myself skipping videos and posts about new cards/sets lately. It just doesn’t mean much now.

[@CB-ke7eq]

I'm getting back into the game after quiting around Shadowmoor. I have no desire to learn all the Cards that have come out since, I hate planeswalker cards and I hate the newer card frame so I'm playing Premodern and maybe Old School.

[@kasperkap]

I'm experiencing this now. Been gone since 2008. Coming back in, even with the Professor's help, it's overwhelming and makes me miss the magic of my childhood.

[@Smaul002]

@@kasperkap funny how this is how I felt a year ago. Honestly I’ve learned to manage the burnout a lot better. A few tips: - Don’t buy into the FOMO. Only buy the cards you really need for your decks. Buying into expensive cards to have them sit in a binder was one of my biggest mistakes. - Precons go down in price after a few months. Don’t pay $50 for a precon. Be patient and pay less (I’ve seen precons drop to $25). - Keep your collection small and be strict with yourself. I personally think the 32 deck challenge is a huge scam. Unless you’re playing 3+ hours multiple times a week, it’s not worth managing and maintaining so many decks. Keep a reasonable number (around 5-7, give or take) and stick to it.

[@charleshammel8541]

"Keeping up" with mtg is a daunting task at the best of times, and WOTC has no excuse for not knowing that. Never been a better time to build a cube...

[@NightOfCrystals]

Cube is the present and the future. Proxy expensive cards and build budget cubes!

[@robertlambert8142]

Yes, I personally feel overwhelmed. After a long hiatus I recently got back into magic during Kaldhiem. Watched all the previews for strixhaven was super excited for it. Before I realized it AFR was coming out and now we have another set coming out. Not to mention modern Horizons 2 that came out in-between AFR and Stixhaven. It's too much.

[@Fivehe]

Aren't you forgetting timespiral

[@raonair]

@@Fivehe exactly. There's so much product, that he forgot one of the products people got more hyped about in the entire year! That's how much stuff is being shoved down our throats, with no time to chew and enjoy the flavor

[@MrTouchstone86]

I'm with you. Back from college play 13 years ago at the end of Kaldheim. Grinded out Strixhaven and I'm enjoying AFR but geeeeez it never ends.

[@timothyhanneman1306]

Same here

[@MrZqkuro]

Same here

[@adamk2459]

I really, really miss multiple connected sets focusing on the development of a story. I remember the hype about the last set in the Scars of Mirrodin block, whether it would be Mirrodin Pure or New Phyrexia. Creating promo images for both possible sets, using the story developed over two previous sets to increase hype for the upcoming product, it was fun! It was effective! It made me excited to toss money into WotC's maw! We've lost that clear connection between cards and narrative, even with the story spotlight cards, and that's what personally makes me feel lost in the sea of product.

[@Danielsworlds]

The death of the set block structure means that mechanics also don't get very fleshed out. New keywords get a few dozen cards and are never heard from again. Makes building around those mechanics in any eternal format tough unless they have other evergreen utility.

[@JohnParks351]

I loved blocks. That's when I actually cared about the lore. War of the Spark was the last set I cared to learn about the characters and what they are doing. Sets since then have been just packs to crack. Kaldhiem was so hyped that I hope they will come back to it soon.

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

100% this, like look at OG Ravnica. We had the four guilds, but we knew the other six existed, speculating over how Izzet or Rakdos were gonna play was fun and exciting. Compared to Strixhaven, where we have five schools, who knows what Witherbloo- oh, we got all five colleges at once, okay, I guess they kinda had to with their whole "choose a college" thing. Plus, at least we can have fun dreaming about the founders of each oh wait they just ejaculated all the possible wonder and mystery onto the table in a single spurt, cool I guess, NEXT!

[@ByzanQueen]

@@dapperghastmeowregard Yeah I definitely think revealing all 5 Schools at once was a good idea, but a lot of the extra background lore of the plane like the founders and the snarls could have been better used in a subsequent set under the old block setting

[@KrepsyK]

"Hype season" used to be a big thing. It used to he a few weeks and we would get leaks and spoilers and promos. Now it's just spoilers, consume, rinse, repeat.

[@ty_sylicus]

Magic used to be such a wonderful part of my life but, now it just feels more like my landlord constantly asking for rent. *SIGH*

[@TriploF]

Just play with cards you have. New players want to buy and get involved. I play with my 20 year old cards, no problem.

[@snarferyasmr3739]

The set booklets really helped story and set knowledge. I knew what cards I might want, I was basically handed a catalogue.

[@TheSonicWafflez]

I loved the theme and flavor of Kaldheim, shame it felt like we were only there for 2 weeks before strixhaven started ramping up.

[@martinolsen7183]

Kaldheim was actually awesome. I totally agree with your point

[@christopherb501]

Beyond disappointing that they didn't think it was worth a second consecutive set.

[@Craithos]

Quite literally "Don't Ask Questions, Just Consume Product and Then Get Excited for Next Products ".

[@i3ighead96]

This "philosophy" actually gave me some kind of shock-therapy to a point where my fear of missing out has already turned into a feeling of "whatever I couldn't even keep track if I tried".. So it HAS it's upsides to me :'D

[@Aldrnari956]

You have to pace yourself, both in terms of spending and hype. I didn’t feel any hype for the D&D set. I dropped my hype for MH2 after finding out the price and instead picked up the singles I really wanted for my edh decks. I’m pretty hyped for the two upcoming Innistrad sets because it’s one of my favorite planes. If, for whatever reason, the set one what I hoped for, then I’ll allow myself to let off the hype. That doesn’t make me enjoy the game less or to be less excited about actually playing the game, upgrading my decks, or building new decks. Just stay calm, take a breath, and keep perspective on your relationship to the game. On a side note, I really appreciate your body-image positive messaging, Prof. You rock, man.

[@TeaIngyer]

The term is Franchise Fatigue if I remember correctly. It's the reason I roll my eyes when Marvel Studios announce a new movie/show, and I rolled my eyes when I saw a Pokemon MOBA game. I don't hate these properties, or the products. I've really enjoyed Marvel and Pokemon, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and it's made me exhausted trying to keep up. This is where Magic is headed if they keep this pace up. People who genuinely love the game will burn out from overstimulation.

[@malaellvanthyell1421]

Yep, and i don't think most of the brands are aware of this. They just want to squeeze every last drop of money you have bcs they have results obligations due to those fuckin investors.

[@BoToChris]

The Pokemon MOBA is really good! But I agree, sometimes enough is enough.

[@4lc4p0rn]

im already out of it. im an adult, in a rich country, working full time at a relatively well paid job... and im priced out of keeping up with magic. at this point, i just keep clicking on spoiler season related things out of habit. everytime is see something cool, my first reaction is "oh this could be cool to play with" and my next reaction is "but it will cost me x amount of $ to play with".

[@kristennorth3268]

That's a good point. If I wasn't already a Marvel comics reader, I can't imagine keeping up with all the movies, shows, characters, and backstories with real enthusiasm.

[@Cebuano_Edc]

First time i heard this term and i think this describes the saturation of Mtg products lately.

[@deanofcool]

“Professor, maybe this game isn’t for you” - some wotc executive probably.

[@AnonYmous-mc5zx]

@@ShinySprites for now

[@AnonYmous-mc5zx]

@@ShinySprites for now

[@electric_dream_machine]

@@AnonYmous-mc5zx "for now", they will always pay, some people will stop but the majority will always pay because this game is for Rich Kids™

[@aaronharvey7417]

When I first started getting into Magic, I paid attention to everything that released, whether I intended to buy it or not. I didn't, and still really don't, have a lot of money to spend on the game, but I made sure to buy at least a pack of every set. I would watch every single card get spoiled, and looked forward to every spoiler season. I hardly buy packs anymore, much less one of every set. I didn't buy any Theros, Kaldheim, M21, Zendikar, or AFR. I only pay attention to a small number of spoilers anymore. I feel disconnected from the game I love. I love the game, and I love the community, but it doesn't feel the same. I once was eager to teach people about the game, now I question if I should.

[@itsadreamfrodo6461]

I have played as a kid in 93 through today on and off. I can still name everything about shards of alara. Original ravnica and even the crappy theme decks of Nemesis. Yet I have 0 interest in investing anymore time than a couple LSV videos on drafting the new set to make it easy to win during my LGS’ casual drafts as none of them pay attention to anything anymore. I mean 1st place for 5 extra packs every Friday for $15 makes watching a little more worth it.

[@AndiRCR]

Now cascow Later poor dog Them disappear from table

[@Black7apex23]

The combination of mtg overload of new sets, with the artificially rising power level of cards that turned eternal formats into standard has finally broken me and i am taking a break from mtg after 10yrs of playing almost EVERY WEEK.

[@MTGUnpacked]

If content creators are struggling to keep up with this absolute torrent of products, how will your average player? At some point (if we're not there already!) the paradox of choice will make everyone tune everything out!

[@Bapper0]

I think there is a fatigue treadmill. They wheel away anyone with a weakened spirit or wallet so that another person who has been recuperating can takes their place. Thus the treadmill rotates people like standard cycles sets.

[@Fissilepossum]

@@Bapper0 WE MUST BREAK THE WHEEL BY FIRE AND BLOOD

[@ethanchapman3799]

Its already true for me at least

[@LAmanafull6246]

Beyond the fatigue, even for hardcore fan like me, the money is beginning to be a pb. I mean, i'm a manager, i have a pretty good paycheck, can't complain, but even with that, i have struggle to keep up (and also, maybe, i don't know, buying food or paying bills?), so i'm asking, how tf (sorry) a minimum wage dude, or a student, is supposed to enjoy the game?

[@jamesclare1858]

I'm pretty sure content producers would be the first to burn out. Out of everyone they have to be update on everything/most of it. They have to discuss various cards impact different formats. This requires they put a lot of behind the scenes work in to making their videos/content. For most I suspect, this is likely done while having another job. Us consumers just have to look at how cards fit into our personal worlds. I play commander with a few decks. As such only a handful of cards get any investment of my time. This differs for players depending on their level of engagement. It really is that philosophy of not everything was for you. Take what you want." When prof mentioned "who knew there were challenger decks in 2021?" I didn't but why would I care though. I suspect the more casual you are the less likely your would experience burnout. And as WOTC mentioned, that's their audience now.

[@Maizan24]

This game feels like a part time job. I've gone from playing arena for an hour or more to playing a small handful of games and logging off. I feel like as soon as I start learning and building around new mechanics and synergies a new set drops and I have to rethink everything.....again.

[@ThePlayplay64]

I'm seeing this in a lot of games now across a lot of types of games/ hobbies. It's like many big companies have adopted some business idea that revolves around soaking up your time as they hit you like a cash pinata. Rather than being a part of your life, it's like the goal is to be your life, ever-present always pulling you in for more. I think there is a point when it becomes too much and I'm not just talking about the final cost. It may be worth noting I stopped playing magic back in 2012. I keep my eye on it so there could be some things I'm missing but the past few years I look at magic and I cant see the game I used to play.

[@chrisiver8506]

Bring back blocks!

[@arenkai]

At this point I only brew decks with the cards I have and play against the Sparky AI just to test out my fun builds I play 4-5 games where I crush the AI, feel good just playing MTG with decks I love, and I log off

[@andylee9884]

@Ache of Rectum hard to play when Arena is your only option. Wish I lived near Mtg players.

[@np8067]

I've been thinking the same thing this summer. As a collector and standard player there's simply just too much to keep up with. It seemed like only a week after I attended the D&D prerelease the community was already discussing spoilers for the upcoming Innistrad sets.

[@minikibork]

Fact

[@ty_sylicus]

I used to engage for months with each set. I would learn the cards and follow the story. I would build new EDH decks and test new cards. Now I just buy a bunch of sealed product, dabble with the set for a few weeks, and then move on as something new is coming out. I HATE THIS. The very worst part of it all is that this product overload is running concurrent with a PANDEMIC which has made it where I haven't played a game of paper Magic on person for over 18 months! 😭 So instead I just have piles of unopened product piled in my closet. What a useless feeling hobby and, WotC is showing no signs of slowing down. *SIGH*

[@milotic19]

I miss Block Standard. 3 sets on a single plane really made you feel you were living on those planes for the time you were engulfed in the standard play. Core-sets were like a crossroads between planes making it more of an intuitive experience to move from one Block to another. The game felt more real and the story more fantasized when lore was raised to a higher standard. Back then I can think to myself how many more possibilities I’de want to discover and rediscover new planes! However now that we are being introduced to 1-set 1-plane at a time, it’s hard to become personalized into those worlds, and with lore being non-existent nowadays, the conflict within those worlds feels very contrived and mundane.

[@AsterDXZ]

I’m gonna be real with you chief. I didn’t even know Kaldheim had one realm, much less 10

[@The_Murder_Party]

I would have guessed like 9, but yeah, I’d chock that up to the pandemic a little more then to overload, but yeah.

[@dreadbeard1458]

And it didn't make kaldheim any less fun for me

[@Dethklokroady]

That graph showing the difference in amount of content being released really hit home for me. I picked up the game in high school and played through most of college before dropping it for about 7 years. I came back a few months before the pandemic hit and have just been dumbfounded by how much new stuff comes out and the constant stream of it. I remember seeing all the products listed for 2011 and playing with/against cards from them. Now, now there sooo much that even as someone with the time and desire to keep up I find myself opening the occasional pack and going what is this? I dont remember reading/seeing this during #perpetualhypeseason. Yeah its tiring.

[@damiantey4593]

It's so absolutely overwhelming that I don't know if I even want to keep playing magic and I'm a recent joiner to the fold. I came in with Zendikar rising and I always feel like my head is spinning.

[@kuragari1anonly]

I was just speaking into the wind (aka tweeting) about this not long ago, I miss when sets would be on a plane and we were there for a while. That gave you a lot more time to play with mechanics and enjoy the story of the plane. Now it's like somebody is rapidly changing the channel when you're trying to get into a new show.

[@MTGThrownDown]

I know the feeling.

[@sampaterson8508]

I remember when I started with eldritch moon how many story elements were in the set and how cool it was but I feel like after amonket it’s gone down hill.

[@xBeauGaming]

It's hard to play a game when there isn't a real place to play anymore. Ya, there are LGS's that are doing tournaments but it's just not the same. I think that too many people stopped playing to the point where it's not much of a habit to enjoy Friday Night Magic or tournaments. Hopefully magic fests will make that spark happen again but I'm worried that the love of the community in LGS's will be the real victim in this change of pace by wizards.

[@pvoss07]

I will say that for Commander players, Spelltable has really been a godsend.

[@mindustrial]

High tier MTG tournaments are gone bruh. They only care for the MPL and Magic Arena.

[@bijanae]

My local LGS is booming post covid, I think ppl were desperate to get back to fnm

[@CapsFan117]

My LGS has commander nights and FNMs with good turnout.

[@steveweiner7260]

I've met some cool people and started a playgroup playing edh. That's were the real casual and fun play is at imo.

[@valhallarchist9511]

As much as I enjoyed getting back into playing with my son a few years back, the massive number of products is starting to dissuade me from buying much of it. I'll go and buy what I need for Draft, or, occasionally, other sealed events, but I don't buy boxes or anything like that anymore. I buy, or trade for, the singles I need.

[@dragon__soup]

I'm fairly new to Magic and have really been enjoying AFR, especially limited... But I feel like it just came out and I could easily get another month of enjoyment from it. Didn't even get to draft it yet at my LGS! Only played with the paper cards in the pre-release and at my kitchen table...

[@ShaneOMac135]

I feel like this started when they stopped blocks. I miss seeing a story evolve through a couple sets.

[@nicholasyoung1000]

There is such an overload that if you need to take a break from Magic for even a few months…you come back feeling completely behind and lost in terms of sets and cards

[@Oriminin]

Modern Horizons 1 was my last big set before I got back in with AFR and wow I’m already overwhelmed lmao

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

LOL Even if you stay they bring so much product out anyways you'll still get lost :P

[@ThePestilentDefiler]

@The Mutt with no Butt that is true. Im thinking of buying into counterfeits instead of worrying about prices skyrocketing when i look away for a second.

[@Weaver_Games]

Which is how they lose players.

[@craigchilman3649]

I also feel completely overwhelmed I barely have any time to save up the money to buy some of a particular set with the next Big thing is coming out weeks later so a lot of the times I have to miss out because I cannot afford to keep paying for more and more expensive packs every other week

[@musashibriem1352]

It does feel like Magic: The Gathering is turning into Magic: The Purchasing. I’m not really a fan of that

[@TimothyCWood]

I think spending a year in a realm or theme, similar to how mmos update, would allow a more cohesive story to evolve.

[@grizzb6476]

I definitely have overload fatigue, as well as overpricing fatigue. Have scaled back purchases tremendously and now focus solely on one format, Commander, and buying the singles I want for my decks. Great work as always Prof!

[@benghis_kaan]

Same

[@deadrockmusic]

Great points, I have like less than zero clue about the “10 realms” of Kaldheim and even less clue about the houses of Strixhaven or whatever they were called, and I’ve logged hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours with both those sets on Arena

[@brendanpowers3516]

I've said it before and will say it again, Proff is doing the most important work in this community today. All of the points made in this video are things I've been thinking ever since I got back into the game in summer of 2020. It's all just...... so much.

[@michaelkrause2430]

I've been playing since Invasion and this is the most alien the game has felt since that guy was playing Morphling, Masticore, and Grim Monolith in my 1st FNM.

[@releasethedogs]

I've been playing since revised. It's hardly the same game anymore.

[@mars___sumner]

There’s an old saying in pro wrestling that WotC could learn from: less is more

[@UFTvsWWT]

"How can we miss you if you never go away." -Jim Cornette

[@matthewbenoit3098]

I wholeheartedly agree. I’m just getting back into MTG again for the 3rd or 4th time (I seem to do this every 4-5 years). I just started up this summer and am starting to get pretty overwhelmed. I bought some new commander decks, and was looking to get more, but there are just too many to choose from, with the many new sets coming out (not to mention the many earlier commander decks that can still be purchased). I believe this is the paradox of choice. There are too many choices, so I decide to go with none.

[@Tiz169]

I totally agree with your statement. Recently I started playing Magic again, now together with my son. I knew it would take some time to learn again what the current mechanics of the game are and of course recognize cards from the graphics alone. However, with the massive amount of new released cards, I have to try and understand some of the cards while playing my opponent on Friday Night Magic. Next to that, the cost that amongst others my son is confronted with at an age of 14 is disencouraging to start playing. Needless to say there weren't that many young players during FNM. It also means that more then ever, financial means of a player have a big impact on his/her chance of winning. For me it does take some of the "Magic" out of the game. Please Wizards of the coast, give us more quality and variety in e.g. play formats instead of this overload of series.

[@luufia]

Its crazy 3 years ago i was literally begging for a return to kamigawa and now thats its announced i couldnt care less , PS i wasnt playing in khans of tarkir times but still know more of it somehow by proxy than i know about the recent sets i actually played heavily on arena!

[@ChristianSantosXian]

There's a Return to Kamigawa? Guess I'm so out of the loop. This would have been huge news in my circle 2 years ago.

[@williamc9481]

@@ChristianSantosXian it got spoiled by MTG goldfish because wizards registered a domain called Kamigawa Neon Destiny (or something like that) so in the next few years it is very likely we see another Kamigawa set

[@releasethedogs]

It hasn't been announced. Its speculation.

[@releasethedogs]

@@williamc9481 That isn't an announcement. It's speculation. It makes it more likely but they have not announced shit and it is NOT a for sure thing like you think it is.

[@luufia]

@@releasethedogs see i care so little i havnt even checked out if its true xD

[@mufasafalldown8401]

Not to mention trying to keep up with Arena. Whenever I want to play Arena I log in, see that my deck is no longer standard legal, think about the grind necessary to create a standard legal deck, then log off.

[@AricHaldan0782]

boy, do i know that feeling lol

[@Knightguyver]

This is exactly correct. I play brawl only because I don’t have buy anything and casually play on arena. I’m recently starting to play legacy with some of my modern cards because it doesn’t change too much and I know what the cards do.

[@joeymadsen1737]

I want them to do 4 standard sets, 4-7 commander decks, and 1 or 2 non standard sets every year with any number of collector products as long as its just cosmetic and not exclusive mechanics

[@Weaver_Games]

Honest to God I'd love if they just had one big standard block released at the start of the year and half way through the year that was all the standard for the year. Then release collectors super expensive shit along the way and maybe a few spin off sets like the recent D&D thing. IMO the problem now is there is no time for a meta to evolve because it seems like everyone gets 2 weeks with a set then is supposed to just move on - it's insanity.

[@everettburdett1702]

I started playing around Rival of Ixalan, and I remember getting really invested in the pirates, merfolk, vampires and dinosaurs of the plane of Ixalan. Now I feel like I have to watch a bunch of youtube videos to get up on magic lore and, by the time I'm done, a new set has already released. This is really a problem.

[@64lundyco]

Just look at the command zone for example. When was the last podcast episode they released that wasn't a set/product review?

[@gypsieking3280]

Too true. A weekly podcast just can't keep up.

[@JamesSamson487]

I made a comment on Reddit about this yesterday!! I think I worked it out to be ~5 episodes per set and another ~5 per pre-cons release. When you do the math on that, that’s roughly 2 1/2 months of weekly podcasts, by which point the next set is either out or fully revealed.

[@vichuang1480]

Unsubbed from them when they became a WotC Ad channel.

[@SamuelKacerik]

@@vichuang1480 I stopped following them for the same reason. On the other hand it looks like they are making money and they are the most famous ones. Well whatever I guess.

[@wolfboy2423]

I felt this haha. Miss those episodes

[@ChristianYoon]

Man, I felt this subconsciously lately, finding it less exciting to check spoilers or product deck lists. You put those feelings perfectly into words.

[@dyingmanstudio]

Totally agree! As someone who has been playing both magic and dnd my entire life, learning about the crossover set was super exciting, but between the time of learning of the planned set and the sets actual release there were so many products that I found it hard to even been that invested in the set other than looking at a few preview cards and mechanics. And now there’s so much more coming out that I barely even had a chance to appreciate it

[@RobiousIllyrian]

I think personally for me the fact I’m not on top of every little thing coming out keeps me from feeling overloaded. What I do think would be cool is if we went back to a block kind of format, it let you have more time in a location/story and was more immersive.

[@THEalfalfa1]

Overwhelm, fatigue, exhaustion - all perfect words to describe how I feel both with digital and in-person magic

[@VivaLaReverend]

I knew this video was coming after your Kaldheim poll. I played MTG primarily for the lore and story, but nowadays no one talks about that because there's always a new preview.

[@ChemistGeometric]

I would also argue that theres just less story as well. Single set blocks (especially new worlds like Kaldheim) need to convey an entire world's worth of lore in a single block, along with rising and falling action. It's just untenable.

[@alvarosimoes1076]

Also, I kind of feel like the story has become separated from the cards. The card for the questing beast just hurts to look at, could have been a great creative moment, is just a big dumb monster.

[@TimmytheSorcerer]

This is one of the many reason that I enjoy OS. You have a limited card pool that’s so ridiculously awesome that I have and still am enjoying since 95 (year that I started playing). Keep up making great content 👍

[@MultiDAXDAX]

"The sales of today are tight greatly to the quality of yesterday, and that quality is sharply, noticebly diminished which have great implications for the sales of tomorrow" ~ Tolarian Community College's rector It couldn't been said more precisely. We keep up with the past inertia, but whem the friction of some much product stops the community, sales will collapse. It seems that WotC habe not think about this factor which gonna cost them the prestiege builted along 30 years of great lore and iconic sets.

[@BarCodeTatt]

As an enthusiast as well as an LGS employee, this magic overload has made each product less special. At least for me, the hype arround a set was driven by the idea that new cards were obtainable. With the change in how bundles are going to be constructed I worry that wizards is moving towards a model in which we pay more for less. And that for me taints any amount of novelty from a new set. Sure it's here, but how much is it going to cost to use, and how long is it relevant?

[@bosslca9630]

I appreciate you as an LGS, you are my source for MTG now. I don't go to the mothership anymore if I can help it and get all my news from ya'll.

[@registereduser]

I used to love (fat packs!) bundles, but the change to set boosters is the one that finally kills them to me. (Of all the other changes I miss the set card guides that were discontinued, per Rosewater on his tumblr, not a lot of players liked them. Sure, you can look up cards on gatherer, scryfall, so on, but I loved having something I could hold in my hands and look at wherever. Ah, well.)

[@gabefigueroa9648]

100% agree. I'm not excited for new cards and sets. Esp commander like I used to be. To many decks. Always looking to the next thing.

[@TheDragon9675]

Yeah, super disappointed to not have bundles contain draft boosters. I love to pick on up plus a few extra packs to do a sealed at home, but I have literally no interest in set boosters.

[@johnmraz4332]

Yeah I hardly pay attention to most spoilers anymore for that reason. Used to be all in and excited for spoiler season. I'd gear up listening to limited resources and prepare for the prerelease. But man, now I just don't care. I'm just getting stuff to create battle boxes at this point

[@M4TTM4TT]

When I got back into magic, I wanted to draft every new set coming out. Now, despite loving the game more than ever, I don’t care enough to draft any of them. Proxying everything until WOTC prints some cardboard worth collecting

[@austinbrandstatter4005]

This is my first year playing Magic and was introduced to the game by a friend. We have a pod that plays commander using an online resource almost every Saturday. It's been awesome learning the game and I was excited to learn about how we could play sealed as a format. So, we set up a night with 6 of us and cracked a Core 2021 box to play sealed together. It was a great time so we scheduled out a couple months in advance to do another private sealed event with AFR packs. That also was a great success but the product fatigue is already hitting because I don't feel like we have enough time to make new commander decks or add in to our existing decks with some of the new cards we just opened. It's almost time to start planning another get together for sealed. I can't imagine how some of the others feel having watched magic product explode in the recent years. Only time will tell I guess.

[@ixis009_3]

I miss knowing roughly what the schedule was. It feels like I'm going to inevitably miss out on more and more, which will slowly un-entrench me. I don't need to have a hand on every ball, but I want it to feel feasible.

[@titania7768]

Man I remember when I cared about the story of MTG. I really really enjoyed learning about kaldhiem. The flavor is cool, the mechanics awesome. I loved looking through the art of cards that would never see play but the week after another spoiler season started and i looked over there. Magic would really benefit from going to 2 worlds each year instead of 4 of 5.

[@JosipK93lk]

When the "other universes in Magic" stuff came out I wrote that MTG shouldn't be treated as a strategical gameplay framework for just any possible setting, characters and worlds. It used to have such great stories and important characters, arcs you could follow around on cards and play with them knowing that they are more than an ETB or some-such. It's just so bland today. I never want a card to look like me or my friend. I want it to be a total fantasy. Like Seton, Krosan Protector, like Volrath, like Mirri, like Tahngarth, Tsabo Tavoc. I used to play this game because it was something else, it was something "other" to me and this world. I liked it when it was strange, wonderous, a bit alien and magical. I'm overloaded and bored with - relatable. All this, from characters looking like music video protagonists or generic visages of modern people, to printing dozens of products....I just cannot bring myself to care about them. And so I was wrong. It was never a strategical gameplay framework for just any possible setting - from Walking Dead to Warhammer. It became a strategical framework for maniacal commodification. Make it sellable, make it so it sells. Don't make it good and hope it sells because it's good. Make it sell and if it's good...oh cool! My mtg journey ended a few years back. I still play and enjoy the game, but do it so with cards that could capture my imagination and that feel like they were designed to tell me a story. Not give me max card advantage and rob my wallet while looking like an edgy dude from my neighbourhood or Whitney houston....

[@cuteevilMv]

I totally agree with this! I fell in love with this game when I was young and Shards of Alara was coming out. Seeing all those mystical creatures and spells, the world they built... heck, even the basic lands enchanted me. I too feel like Magic has become so much more generic lately in terms of artwork. Some awesome artists have joined the game so not everything is bad, obviously. However I still feel pretty saddened by the lack of immersion I get when I see some cards which feel totally out of place. It's funny that you mention that you build decks using cards which "speak" to you and I do exactly the same. My decks are all filled with suboptimal cards or random jank that I just feel more connected to through the art

[@drunkenwhaler6890]

honestly I'm so overwhelmed with the amount of products that I've given up on playing most formats because everything changes almost monthly and i have no idea what set is coming in literal months when i used to be excited about every set announced.

[@Phobos1869]

I feel you nailed it right on the head Professor. It is tough to get excited about products especially spoiler season since there are too many things being released now.

[@mattmarshall8639]

Honestly after trying to get back in to magic since war of the spark it's very overwhelming

[@guitarandgames1386]

I feel ya brother. I quit during Oath of The Gathwatch because of a personal crisis. I returned during strixhaven and it's definitely a shit ton to take in. Personally I don't mind the excess of products and shit but I don't like how blocks are pretty much gone. Shit I absolutely loved the Theros and Tarkir blocks. Those memories were amazing

[@blakmajk3512]

Well said

[@upsidedownmtv]

i’m trying to get back in since khans of tarkir and hoooooooly fuck

[@gabefigueroa9648]

I just got back into magic this year since eldritch moon. It's been 6 months and I still can't catch up on the last few years sets.

[@RaphaelLamour]

Spending money was always a part of Magic, but nowadays the most the game is BUYING more and PLAYING less.

[@ashadeofnight]

yes like her been said they want buyers not players

[@heliobarbosa3525]

I stopped buying commander decks after realizing, during AFC spoilers, that my Strixhaven commander is untouched and I played twice with my Kaldheim commander.

[@lordofgarbageprogenitoroft4147]

I've had that issue too. I mean all the new commanders are cool, but can they really compete with Edgar Markov, Derevi, Yuriko, Golos, Atraxa etc? Even disregarding that, are they even interesting enough to bother spending 50-200+ dollars on a deck? I find I just buy 1 or 2 cards from my LGS from every new set since a lot of the new legendary creatures feel less like legendary creatures and more like wotc trying to print as many commanders as possible. Maybe I'm just too entrenched into the decks I already have but the last couple of sets have personally been kind of lame.

[@christopherreichle6670]

@@lordofgarbageprogenitoroft4147 I don't think you can blame yourself for having already invested decks. If a commander is interesting enough, people will play it and add to their arsenal - but they can't add 10 new ones that are all equally interesting so you end up just having to say "well, I already have much better ones I don't have to choose from."

[@prufrock1977]

I have to say, the variety does make gameplay interesting. While I am mostly on Arena, drafting, playing Brawl and both Standard and Standard 2022, I find myself becoming immersed thanks to KZbinrs that help me discover how decks are built and how different archetypes interact (or not). Sure--this doesn't take into account the Commander and Modern products as well as the Secret Lairs. After being burned out by teaching in the time of COVID, being burned out on gameplay is something I cannot imagine.

[@jamesjohnson1290]

Thanks prof for this. I 100% agree! I remember being so excited about Kaldheim and what a Norse inspired set would look like. I was excited to hear about Vorinclex and his similarities to Grendel. And then I remembered that story has been shot in the foot since the transition from 3 sets per block to two, and then from two sets per block to one. I would love to see a return to the two, or even three, set mindset as in feel like there is such a chance for more depth. Sure maybe it starts to feel a little tiresome near the end of the block, but your point about the staying power of blocks is true. I still call BRG decks or WUB decks Jund or Esper, as well as Naya and Bant. Now there's a block I'd love to see again (along with kamigawa) Keep up the content!

[@Argeaux2]

First I've heard of this year's Challenger Decks.

[@mikes7423]

I thought they stopped making Challenger Decks like back in 2014 or something. They're back?

[@snowflake3114]

My favorite tradition every year was to buy all the Commander decks that came out that year. As of now, with nearly every single set having Commander decks, it's pretty clear why I said "was".

[@bongatumtum]

I got into paper Magic last year after wanting to do so for a long time. My friend bought me a couple of the Secret Lairs so I used that as a jumping off point from Magic Arena to start a physical collection. One can rightfully question the sagacity of starting a physical collection in the midst of a pandemic where in-person games are impossible and collectibles are at their highest, but here we are. After picking up the 2021 Core Set Bundle and then a couple of the Challenger Decks later on, I also bought a Kaldheim Bundle (because I foolishly thought the included lands were Snow Lands) as well as a MH 2 Prerelease kits and a couple of Strixhaven Prerelease kits to play with a friend when we can. I've also bought some singles of cards I liked or to build towards decks. Since getting into it, I have seen several sets come and go numerous Secret Lairs and constant talk of the "new set" on the horizon. I try to keep myself apprized of the various offerings via your channel and others, but it's come to a point where I feels so inundated with product that I've basically stopped looking at what's on the horizon. A lot of this is my fault for jumping in head first and, to be sure, I have disposable income and don't regret it, but with so much coming out and only so many hours in the day, it's easy to lose interest. All of this and I still haven't sat down to play a single game of paper Magic yet.

[@susantc5288]

I am so on the same page as you prof. It wasn't that long ago that Friday night magic and a new set coming out was something to look forward to. Now, I am both overwhelmed and bored at the same time. Thanks for the content. You are my magic hero!

[@ThingsDontAlways]

so true on arena. I remember seeing a poll and it came out that like a seriously high number of people play magic through arena. How did they not manage multiplayer into it? it was a mechanic thats been in since Mtg DoTP and was in magic duels.

[@Digitourist]

The funny thing is MtG:Arena is built in the Unity gaming engine, which I’m pretty sure has built in scope for multiplayer. So all they’d need to do is write the code that handles the interactions between player, opponent and how priority works. Obviously one on one player games are far simpler for resolving interactions and priority. Thus they have less ways the game can break and let’s be honest for the amount of people that play MtG:Arena it’s a broken mess. Edit: I feel I need to point out that they waste a lot of processing resources on visual stuff, instead of being able to resolve combo decks and complex interactions that should be winning games.

[@okanut]

As much as I love new stuff, it kinda feels like a waiter takes your plate after eating one bite and replaces it with something else over and over. I would have loved to have stayed and explored more of Ikoria, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven (or more of Arcavios).

[@MagicPrepper]

This hit home hard. As someone who had followed this game for decades, I can say that I have been becoming increasingly less invested strictly due to overload and power creep. If every single set prints a "strictly better" version of a card from times past, you feel you have to optimize your decks. And then, in 10 - 20 more sets (a month from now) your deck is no longer what it was any longer. I literally can't keep up.

[@Syrenova]

Time distortion is clearly happening to my mind, but it feels like me the past couple months: Hey Kaldheim is cool, and it's out! Strixhaven? Oh that's out already? Wait Forgotten Realms finally dropped too -- Jeez did I miss Kaldheim? I swear it was here a week ago -- wait we're already moving on from Forgotten Realms???? I was at my LGS two weeks ago and they told me I just missed the release event... Wasn't Time Spiral going to happen at some point? Was that even a thing yet or only rumored about?

[@TheTrueFool]

It's so difficult to get excited about new products when there's literally new cards getting revealed every single week. I should be stoked about going back to Innistrad, but I just feel overwhelmed and burnt out.

[@Doom1461]

Same I don't even follow card reveals anymore there is just too many!

[@Silencio223]

With how quickly they're cycling through planes, we see so little of them. I remember nothing of Arcavios outside of Strixhaven (even the name of the plane took me a second), or Ikoria outside of the city of Drannith. I'm sure they were more fleshed out in supplemental media, but we touched down so briefly that we never got a real chance to get our bearings. I was hoping that the double-set of Innistrad would allow for a bit more exploration, but the fact that we're not spending any more time there makes it feel like a short story rather than a novel.

[@skymomuss5516]

Till i saw you comment.. I dont know the planes name and never thought about it. Strixhaven was like a blink of an eye.. A flash between two other set i dont remember complete

[@christopherb501]

In the case of Strixhaven, I'm good with it, as I've felt for a while now that focusing on the entire world from the outset engenders expectations of global upheaval, which tends to happen quite a bit, even on returns. Granted, aside from War of the Spark and maybe Kaldheim, there hasn't really been something of the sort for the singleton sets in a long while, but I still feel that focusing on a smaller slice of the plane from the outset provides less incentive to blow the whole thing up for big, obvious conflict. Of course, either way, a minimum of two sets for anywhere new should definitely be the standard, _especially_ for something as vast as Kaldheim.

[@Jesterhead971]

I totally agree with you, prof. When I introduce friends to Magic, they always feel a bit overwhelmed when it´s about how they should start. There are many different formats and for each format a whole lot of possible product to choose from. A friend of mine (quite new to MTG) said, that he would like to get into modern, just to play a few FNMs and get some tournament experience, but he would then have to learn about all the different meta decks and memorize those cards to at least enable some kind of fluent play - amd that´s an issue but one of the many wonderful things at the same time, depending on if you´re a new player or playing for many many years :D

[@jholls]

I am new to MTG. I was introduced in November 2020. I play commander with my wife and two cousins on mondays when we can. I completely agree with Prof. It is entirely overwhelming, and even the excitement of a new set coming out gets washed over with the next set. As well, now seeing / recognizing a few cards, the sets sometimes feel repetitive with very similar card abilities, with art and flavour pertaining to the current set. If there was a bit time in between sets, I feel it would give everyone an opportunity to simmer in it instead of looking for the next cool thing . Just my opinion and I’m completely new. Commander Legends was pretty great to be introduced to off the bat!

[@Sarrelandro]

As someone who, with two other friends (and maybe a third soon), began to play magic more or less a month ago, trying to understand what products to buy/avoid and what purpose each of them serve was a nightmare. Apart from very specific products like challenger/commander precons, trying to buy anything else required hours of research to see if it was worth the money. I live in a country that doesn't receive all of the products like secret lairs, for example. It helps to curate the list a bit but around 70-75% of the products are horribly expensive and not worth the investment so, long story short, even with less products to choose from it was still hard to buy a certain product with an educated knowledge around what you're going to get. Edit: the reason why i specifically talk about my playgroup was to say that they're not as invested as i am so they come to me to ask what to buy because they can't understand what is what and why it's worth it or not.

[@a.velderrain8849]

I had a new player looking to get into Magic ask me not too long ago what product to get to get started and I honestly couldn't give him a good answer because there's just too much going on.

[@Sarrelandro]

I think it's extremely unfortunate as well because I've seen a good amount of people (myself included) that i personally know avoid MTG in general because it seems to be too much of a hassle to get into. On another note, I'm glad i did get into it eventually, never had this much fun in years.

[@Kinglightsword]

@@Sarrelandro I started a year and a half ago, and since zendikar I have not been able to keep up. I do mostly play commander, buying singles instead of sealed products. This also has the benefit of not being dependant on new sets. I just build my own decks around cards I come across.

[@Sarrelandro]

@@Kinglightsword because me and my playgroup are so new to the game we don't really have a feel for what we really like yet, we have ideas sure but not enough to invest what would be around 10USD on some card or another. The prices were we live are astronomical for some stuff and that includes singles on the few LGS we have

[@Kinglightsword]

@@Sarrelandro high single prices suck, where I live, we luckily have cardmarket. The cheapest place to buy them probably

[@Klint_BeatsWood]

LMFAO I moused over the video and I didn't know about the advertisement and I was like man all these cards are making the Prof. lose his hair .

[@CWDevarian]

I agree. I joined MTG during the Nicol Bolas plot on Ravnica. Guilds and War was absolutely amazing, the story was such a fun thing to be a part of and then I took a long break for college. I joined for Strixhaven/Kaldheim because I loved the idea of Godly Realms, and of course magic college is always dumb fun! Then a month later MH2, then AFR, before Strix was Timespiral, before Kaldheim was even more product. It felt like they were sprinting out product in a time where people barely knew if they could leave their houses and I only remember anything about Strixhaven because I googled everything to find out the story, I skipped Kaldheim cause there was too much to learn since MH2 and AFR were coming out soon after. I'd have to retroactively learn everything before the next two Innistrad sets as well. I feel so overwhelmed by so many different locations, products, and ways to build, that I may start skipping packs I'm not enthusiastic about, and just swoop the good singles from them instead of buying packs.

[@GameSoup]

i play draft and a little edh. I used to enjoy having more time to explore each set's draft mechanics over the course of a yearly block. We don't get enough time to explore the nuances of each draft set any more. I enjoyed the few times I got to draft Modern Horizons 2, but it was quickly replaced by D and D, which will be quickly replaced by Innistrad before I can master any of the previous draft formats. I don't even bother buying any sealed product beyond what I open in drafts, it's too much to keep track of and sort through all of these cards and multiple versions of each card. -Joe

[@rahzark]

"This product is not for you" I'm not asking to have all the products be for me. At this point I'd be happy with one product that is!

[@blakec1924]

I just get angry when I am told there is 0% chance of a card being in a box you buy of draft. It doesn't have to be blinged out or foil, or even greater than 1% chance it could be there, but don't to my face tell me if you want a chance at x card, pay 3x the price. It does drive me to singles and disappointment with the fun of pack cracking.

[@mmadsen]

I really miss the world building. I used to read the novels that came out with the sets. The odyssey and onslaught lore was awesome! It added a lot to the game and made it more fun.

[@ksimon6485]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@Yhippa]

They were riddled with grammatical and spelling errors but damn if they weren't memorable.

[@NightOfCrystals]

I can’t remember the last time I bought sealed product. Maybe late 2019? At this point, I am strictly building nostalgia set and block cubes based around some of the most iconic sets ever: Urza block, Mirrodin/Darksteel, and Modern Horizons, among others.

[@milluvia005]

This really helps me acknowledge my apathy for the game that has been around for the last couple years. I got in when Dark Ascension was the newest set and remember the excitement over Avacyn Restored soon to be followed by RTR. After Ixalan is where I truly started fading out and as much as I wish I was happy to see Innistrad a third time on its way, I'm kinda done. Now I maintain a small handful of commander decks, watch Cedh online and play with a friend once a week. I'll still want to read the lore for Innistrad at the very least, but I fear it won't be hold up and only make me feel sour inside.

[@adrianunrau9391]

I was so excited for the flavor and potential of Kaldheim, before I could blink it was released and forgotten due to the spoilers for the next set and various other products. Such potential to truly fall in love with a set washed down the drain by the floods of capitalism. The soul of this game is diminishing, and many players, myself included, are already not purchasing any of these new products because the love for the game is also diminishing with it.

[@brokefun7545]

Remember the huge show they had to showcase the art , cards, etc? Yeah me neither it’s like it was a blink in time

[@Biospark88]

@@brokefun7545 the soul was lost over a decade ago with the player boom post-Zendikar. It hasn’t been the esoteric game for nerds it once was in ages.

[@patrickshaw630]

I’ve been playing mtg for 25 years and this huge push has froze me. I’ve stopped playing and collecting and buying mtg products. I can’t keep up, I don’t want to. It’s not fun right now I’m sitting out this year . Ive even started selling off some of my cards.

[@chudrustler]

Same- 25 years into the game. Left around kamigawa/mirrodin and came back around theros /return to ravnica. I’m done with this.

[@radip]

I sold almost all my decks and staples before pandemic hit and just kepy my rl cards plus one deck for each of the format(modern, pioneer, tiny leaders and pauper) plus my edh azami foil pet deck worth $19k got more than $5k which I reinvested into rl and old sealed products. This was one of the best decisions in my life. Wotc cannot screw it up with constant power creep where cards become obsolete after a year or two.

[@patrickshaw630]

@@radip I don’t have a crazy collectible collection but I have a significant chunk of playable cards just sitting around. I’ve turned those cards into Flesh and Blood product and I’m happy as a pig in slop playing that game and feeling a sense of satisfaction from playing that game that I haven’t had in a long while in mtg.

[@radip]

@@patrickshaw630 yeah, I hear you brother. Apart from edh in constructed almost every game is decided in turn 0 with just the knowledge of what deck you're playing and your starting hands. Now I don't even recognize the games I was playi g 20 years ago.I think mtg in on the slippery slope going all the way down...

[@LetoTheTyrant]

In short, I do agree. As someone who exclusively does pre-releases and plays commander it's been tiring keeping up with all the new sets that come out. To keep an eye out for what singles I should look to buy for my commander decks, to the point where AFR being lower powered and basically having no cards to add to my existing decks was a relief. I didn't have to go through the process of shortlisting all the potential new cards to use for each of my decks, working out if any were good enough and then working out what to take out to fit the new cards in. When I'm relieved that I don't have to engage with a whole set, that's a worrying sign.