Why Returning To Magic: The Gathering Planes Fails vs Succeeds?

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[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Thank you Helix Sleep for sponsoring! Click here helixsleep.com/tolarian to get 30% off an Elite or Luxe mattress (plus two FREE pillows!) - or take 25% off sitewide - during their Memorial Day Sale, which ends May 30th. If you miss this limited time offer, you can still get 20% off using my link! Offers subject to change. #helixsleep

[@ryanedwards7487]

One thing I like about the Gods on other planes is that they ALL work differently. On Theros, they are controlled and created by the people's faith in them. On Amonket, they just exist. They had always exist, and how they prefer to be revered is shown by their abilities. The Praetors of Phyrexia in many ways are analogous to gods, and their saga forms, in particular, show what they stand for (order, individuality, etc.) and how they embody their ideals. Ixalan, the idea that they are not indestructible, but that they can be returned via showing devotion (i.e., following the tenants of what their land requires). All show a level of godly devotion, and all work differently, and in keeping with the ideals of the planes.

[@TerryTags]

59:20 Took your advice, Prof. I just called my wife out of the blue, and told her I love her. We've been married for years and I've gotten out of the habit of doing that. It felt good, and it made her feel good. Thanks, Prof, you are GOOD PEOPLE, sir. She thanked me, but then of course she said, "Okay, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?" lmao

[@dragade101]

Have you had to work with #Helix 's customer service? They are awful lol. Wouldnt recommend them. And yes they actively try to lie to customers about the price of something (showing you a lower price but not giving you that price).

[@vileluca]

40:06 youre good, the commentary and seeing the real you without any performance was interesting.

[@biotracks8039]

@@ryanedwards7487Duffy is tfuuufuuuuuuffyfffufufdd 14:42 dhszzzZZa😅ydyyyydyydydye😮😮

[@chrishogan9143]

Prof, stop the self doubt. I think I speak for a lot of the College when I say that we'd sit and listen to a one-hour Prof Podcast weekly if you'd do it.

[@jvt3888]

Can confirm.

[@zosodude13]

Tolarian Office Hours

[@wedgearyxsaber]

It could be English or it could be magic I'd still listen... And that's coming from a STEM graduate

[@ninjaofslo]

I’d love this

[@BlazinTre]

​@@zosodude13 that'd be a great name!

[@yiangaruga4928]

According to my sources the less detective hats there are present in any given plane we return to the more likely it is to succeed

[@Crushanator1]

The Detectiva Scale

[@stroodlepup]

or cowboy hats

[@strhombus]

The less silly hats in general?

[@Thomas-vn6cr]

The less the infinite worlds with unlimited magic and possibility is forced into cliché surface level themes that only represents a narrow segment of human culture as opposed to original and unique thought, the better, I'd say.

[@unanon_user]

for the record? I absolutely hated the thinking cap. 🤬

[@theharshest8620]

57:01 Professor, how many times do we have to tell you? You could sit here and do nothing except shuffle your deck and talk for 3 hours and and we would eat it up with smiles on our faces. YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

[@definitelyafinnishgamer.264]

I HEAVILY AGREE

[@davidjohnson9186]

Haha that can be the next Yule Log, just Prof sitting in front of a fire shuffling a deck for an hour

[@lucarioknightb7685]

Man I would really like to just see a tolarian winds over test hands of a pauper deck. Just mulligan practice. :)

[@U.Inferno]

I know as the last good MTG book Children of the Nameless's name may be overworn, but it's entire narrative showing the aftermath of the Angel's corruption from the perspective of a random town on the outskirts of Innistrad, entirely detached from the Markovs and other influential characters was really cool.

[@ArixOdragc]

Magic's best stories are the smaller, self-contained ones that aren't focused on their marketable main faces sloppily thrown together by out of touch suits. I think the main reason is that they expect you to automatically care about the characters because you recognise them from the cards - if that pre-existing attachment isn't there, the story does nothing to build it. The more self-contained stories using unknown characters, though, realise that you're not going to be automatically invested just because you know the face, so they actually put the effort in to GET you to care.

[@stephenbradford8524]

Honestly, I don't love pack opening videos UNLESS there is some sort of running commentary. The free-form essay over top of pack opening is pretty nice.

[@mattmorales4320]

Same! I’m guilty of scrubbing through booster box game videos, but commentary like this keeps me watching all the way through.

[@FrozenPizza95]

Pack opening videos generally feel self-important to me, but Prof has a really good way of making it about a wider context and make them interesting. Even booster box game is fun because it's also somewhat commentating on the value in general and how things have changed.

[@jaxwarp8373]

Agreed! I love hearing Proff ramble about stuff, and this off the cuff style is exactly what I'm looking for

[@Boyzby]

I just started watching and going through videos of him opening these boxes and I thought these were the standard, so when I got to the videos where it just zooms through them, I just skipped to the parts where he's talking. Part of that could be because I've never played Magic but, despite that, I love listening to him talk about the game and how he feels about things.

[@JoelBurger]

It really boggles the mind that they managed to make a Ravnica set that almost nobody cared about or bought.

[@marc0s158]

tbh I didn't realize MKM was in Ravnika until later. Maybe they should have lead.with that

[@Nerd_Detective]

I just assumed it was a set on New Cappena or Innistrad. Thematically that feels like a place for a detective to have a murder mystery.

[@ryanedwards7487]

I think that it should have been on New Capenna...they could have killed off Ob Nixilis. Hahah.

[@Gobbledi_Gook]

I’ve been playing Magic since Return to Ravnica, it’s one of my favorite planes and like many Magic players it feels like home. When they did murders at Karlov manor I literally thought it was a third innistrad set because I was confusing Sorin Markov with Teysa Karlov. It had almost nothing Ravnican about its marketing. I feel sorry for the Magic players who experienced that as their first visit to Ravnica. I’d imagine you’d end up on the other side of the set thinking “That’s it?? THAT was the super cool Ravnica plane I’ve heard so much about??”

[@thischannelhasnocontent8629]

Do you have any evidence of this? It was the most crowded prerelease I've been to since NEO.

[@CarterCat60]

This was one of my favorite videos of yours, people may come for the magic, but we stay for the prof, truly a real one

[@benji-obi]

I've been *alive* for just 25 years, so I appreciate your perspective you shared about therapy/feelings and congratulate you on your marriage 🧡

[@benji-obi]

And for the record, I'm also grateful to lose the script just occasionally so we can gain personal gems and anecdotes like this :)

[@djkatsuo]

This video was therapy for me! You are the reason so many of us love Magic. Always speak from the heart, we will always support you!!❤

[@that1jamo]

Unscripted is the best kind of video Prof.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

cheers, friend

[@marcoottina654]

​@@TolarianCommunityCollegeyou CAN believe in yourself, kn what you are sharing and HOW you care about M:tG (lore, setting, environment, flavor, art, mechanics, etc). The rotting path WotC and Hasbro has taken does not taints you and your quality, despite i understand that both this and the product fatigur does erode the Inner Wellspring of Light and Joy. But youvare much better than this, your fantasy - related knowledge (and much more!) is TOTALLY a treasure you are nourishing and sharing with us, seeding us the inspiration, hopes and dreams about brighter futures and fantasy worlds. Thank, You. Also, love the background music !! ^_^

[@forsetimaster0689]

I only recently started playing Magic within the last year or so, and very quickly Lorwyn/Shadowmoor became my favorite plane. The idea of a welcoming, vibrant plane turning into a twisted version of itself is so cool and unique, and I hope it gets explored more in both story and card design.

[@otterfire4712]

From what I understand, it's still a few years out before we ever return to Lorwyn.

[@theinsaneshowman2045]

@@otterfire4712it’s next year, 2025

[@Zararthur]

This is my first time watching a video of yours like this, and today was a specially crappy day at my job. Decided to spend time in the storage working there and turn this video on for some noise. Loved it. There's a wide discussion around not only what we expect when coming back to a Plane and the overall formating of our stories/set, but I thank you the most for the bit at the end. Thank you so much.

[@ivanmaric2941]

The biggest problem is too many products

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I agree with that

[@TeaGarrison]

Which causes a lot of the other issues, like bland card design and stereotypical storylines. I totally agree. If there weren’t so many products, they’d have more time to bring quality back to the game on every level.

[@mgerdes0331]

Buyer exhaustion is really getting to a tipping point. I hope they have a couple failed sets/releases (including sealed products) to *hopefully* give them some pause and slow roll some stuff for a while.

[@RedNinjaV]

​@@mgerdes0331that's going to hurt the LGSs more than WOTC. We're the ones that wind up with boxes collecting dust. WOTCs already made their money by the time you see boxes on shelves.

[@mgerdes0331]

@@RedNinjaV I'm aware, but if there's no demand shops don't have to stock as much. Presales dropping is as much of a signal as pack sales dropping.

[@toamatau8785]

What a beautiful ending to this video, glad I watched all the way through. Thanks as ever for everything Prof.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@crossr1984]

I loved the ramble. I washed a lot of dishes and walked my dogs while listening. I enjoy listening to you talk. I LOVE listening to you and PleasantKenobi ramble. When you were talking about shirts , I thought of my DTR shirt, the first and only content creator Merch I ever bought. Congrats on getting close to a million subs. I hope we get to hear more DTR in the future.

[@WisemanxSmash]

0% of people hate this video.

[@majestyzx9081]

I'm not personally a fan of nearly every Big Bad in Magic's history being determined to just completely morph or change multiple planes to their liking. I feel like it takes away from truly unique threats like Phyrexia when a lot of "bad guys" in Magic also have the power to shape the multiverse to their whim. Usually with much less effort than Phyrexia has to. Comes off as Wizards either not being creative, or thinking that Phyrexia was already the "jump the shark" moment in Magic's history and there's no going to smaller story-beats. Which is just ridiculous to think.

[@unanon_user]

sometimes, just having a small little adventure and a set built around it can make that set really fun. I think that's what I really enjoyed about MKM a lot as a matter of fact. it was self-contained and nothing you really had to worry about. just goofy detective stuff, something I could live with.

[@IzidioAlex]

All events in Amankhet and Hour of Devastation have happened in a few days, we only saw a city of all over the plane, there is a lot of margin that could be used. But the problem is that if we come back now it will be as they did in The Lost Caves Ixalan: "Cool, let's explore this completely new environment on the plane and ... don't get too hard, you already have a universe beyond next month and this new set on another plan soon after". Sets nowadays look like originals Netflix: they are not made for you to remember, just to get excited at first glance and completely forget about it when the next one comes out.

[@williamdrum9899]

"Consoom product" intensifies

[@brennantmi5063]

I was so ready to hate Amonkhet, but over time it has become my favorite set. It is a "star trek planet", the entire story takes place in Naktamun but the story is aware of that and there is so much more to the plane hinted at. Stuff the characters would love to sink their teeth in but Bolas being the bad man he is messes it all up. Curse you Bolas, I want to learn about the Curse of Wandering, I want to learn about what happened to the Ramunap civilization, I want to learn about why the leylines are dying, I want to know about horse town. All stuff that has enough crumbs that one could imagine the plane would have been if not for Bolas ruining everything and I find that tantalizing. Everything being destroyed didn't even feel that bad as it was a tragedy. We where aware of the impending doom and the characters did not creating dramatic irony. You know, the foundation for a tragedy.

[@Nelsonfungus3]

The alpha investment videos where rudy just talks about the market and history of magic sets while cracking packs are some of my favorite magic related videos on youtube, so having the prof doing something like that is awesome and I could easily watch these videos all day

[@atingley0913]

I am grinning so wide that after saying a particular card he wanted at the beginning of the video, when he began talking about love at the end, that's when the card showed up. Beautiful. We love you Prof, we love you editors. 💜

[@leonandrews5746]

One of your best video's. Love your rambling thoughts. Agree so much with you. Keep up the great work.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Scweese]

I think it would have made sense to kill off a bunch of major characters in the phyrexian storyline. It certainly lessened the impact when they didn't kill the converted planeswalkers as part of the finale.

[@mymarshlands]

i love being converted into a bald, body horror mess of machine-and-oil-replacing-flesh, having my mind warped with preaching of the hivemind ideals, only to be reverted into my basically normal self a week after with no lasting impact or consequence 😊

[@bondeulv]

​@@mymarshlands what do you mean no lasting impact or consequence? Do you think they'll just easily forget the atrocities their bodies committed? Most of them also lost their ability to planeswalk, basically their whole essence and identity for a long time.

[@yurisei6732]

Yep. MTG needs a bit of a reboot. Omenpaths could have been that, but by keeping all the same characters around, it just feels like a continuation of the same watered down sludge that MTG has had for years. 75% of the recurring cast should have either died or been retired back to their home planes, and a new story should have been started with none of the remaining recurring characters as main characters. But no, instead it's just Jace. Again.

[@Scweese]

@yurisei6732 Jace, but this time he's a cowboy! So fresh! So innovative! 🤣

[@fartface8918]

@@bondeulv yeah thats the problem, people think that but stuff like jaces recovery being backround writeing off screen that people didnt know existed/still dont know about is a writeing failure. jace comeing back should have been another year or two after when we got it

[@trackchack9635]

After a hard day I look forward to one hour of one of my favorite KZbinrs. You're doing a fantastic job, Prof!

[@lilikoi4725]

This is a wonderful video, I love the running commentary just talking about what comes to your mind and would really like to see more content like this jumping from everything between commentary about the cards, greater themes regarding the storytelling and design to lessons you learned in couple's therapy and how you find ways to even relate that to hobbies in your life you love. It's incredibly relatable and just nice to listen to you talk

[@OODZUTSU]

Eldritch Moon was the coolest spoiler season I remember. Everyone was guessing about who the big bad was and what was happening. I still have no idea about the story of Murders.. Who died? Who killed them? Why? I have no idea...

[@yurisei6732]

I think part of the problem with Karlov Manor was that it was a murder investigation... on a plane that should be in the middle of rebuilding from suffering two very recent planar invasions. It's a chaotic plane in a state of even more chaos than usual, there should be loads of assassinations and political manoeuvring going on, why are we spending an entire set watching dozens of people investigate two murders? It's hard to believe the characters themselves consider this investigation interesting, so how am I as an audience member supposed to consider it interesting? It's a bizarre story to focus on, when the story of the knock-on effects of the same inciting event could have been great. Like, imagine if you were making the first movie about World War 1, and instead of looking at the four years of fascinating, complex and brutal warfare, you decide to spend two hours watching Serbian policemen fill out paperwork relating to the assassination that kicked the war off.

[@ThePlayer4our]

I do remember most people said Emrakul, but there was talk about Marit Lage and a few others. It at least was interesting and kept an actual mystery

[@darkpuppetlordful]

​​​@@yurisei6732 imagine if instead of murders we got a Ravnica set about the guilds trying to rebuild, some in an "honorable way" and some by stealing what the other dudes did, it could have even had some cool guild inventions (like redoing the Nuka-Cola machine as a Gruul themed one) based on the guilds and each one had a way to transmute tokens (like a Golgori one that turns X amount of zombie tokens into food tokens, with the implications The swarm has turned to cannibalism to fight off the famine created by the invasion)

[@D2RCR]

I want an actual decent set on Ulgrotha. Homelands may have sucked as a Magic set, but it has some of the best flavor in the game.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I mean, they made Kamigawa work, why not Ulgrotha?

[@cax1175]

As someone named Chandler, I want a retrain.

[@stephenbradford8524]

Honestly, I have more nostalgia for Homelands and Fallen Empires than I do for basically any other MTG setting and would love both sets to get the NEO treatment.

[@Vinegarhusband]

​@@stephenbradford8524 Same! I thought I was the only one.

[@illusioncity]

Same here! If Wizards is watching, please make this happen!

[@andrewbauman255]

Congratulations on the 25 years Prof and Mrs Prof! Thank you for the openness of your experiences and their lessons

[@LilithNoel]

I love you adding your own commentary for these videos. There's few people I enjoy listening to talk about things, but I love listening to the Professor talk about Magic stuff that I have no knowledge about.

[@tapedeccard]

Narrative is what makes a plane worth returning to and that’s the hard truth of it.

[@thomaspetrucka9173]

I think that's the crux of it, but there's definitely other factors. How long since the last visit, how many times we've been there, the strength of the thematic approach (Neon Dynasty vs. Karlov Manor), and the mechanical success of the set all absolutely make a difference. *edit: grammatical error

[@goldcreeper7376]

Couldn't disagree more. The characters and the world, those are the key elements that bring me back. The last time that I found MtG's narrative appealing (Jace stranded on Ixalan) I didn't even know that was a narrative element going into the set! What pulled me there were the fantastic vampire conquistadors and the various factions, not their temporary struggle for the golden city.

[@andrewkelly1337]

Alara barely had a narrative, all flavor and setting.

[@thegodroxas239]

​@goldcreeper7376 the reverse for me lol i couldnt care less about ixalan when jace wasnt present it felt like the writing was only good amd important with him on screen so to speak but i will say jace alone was written beautifully and is still my favorite chapter in terms of writing.

[@LordJaroh]

I honestly care very little about Magic's immediate narrative, and care much more about the lore of the planes and inhabitants and how that impacts the planes. The individual planeswalker stories are very boring to me because they are rarely impacted by the world they visit themselves, and they rarely impact the world in any meaningful way.

[@thomaspetrucka9173]

Having the plane be reduced to a single settlement is rather reductive, but it gives the story enough personalized scope to mean something, and it's certainly okay every now and then. I felt it was very appropriate for Amonkhet--because it helped tell the story. *Edit: Grammatical errors

[@Greg501-]

I want to see a set about these plantfolk in Thunder Junction. What do they do?

[@KynElwynn]

@@Greg501- apparently copy life they come in contact with

[@Loki-]

But maybe make next sets about different areas with their own culture in a similar vein

[@masterowl123]

I don't think it's reductive as it's not needed. what does it really add?

[@yurisei6732]

Agreed. If Eldritch Moon had been on a different continent, it wouldn't have been "Eldrazi in Innistrad", it would have just been "Eldrazi somewhere". Planes are not analogous to planets, the vast majority of them only feel about the size of a city, occasionally a country - even Ravnica never actually leaves the tenth precinct, an area charitably the size of London. "Innistrad" isn't an entire planet, it's the small set of feudal realms that actually feature in any of the stories told in Innistrad, so if you want to do something new in Innistrad, it has to be there too.

[@Dissideos]

I do love listening to you talk a lot about your views on the sets and other things. Aside from just immediate feelings and reactions, you have over a decade of experience regarding the products and community, and I feel like that kind of perspective is invaluable and unique to get a glimpse of.

[@user-ow3mk4ce2c]

Thank you so much for this video Prof, it was a blast to watch and listen to! I'm so glad I found my favourite MtG-related KZbin channel, YOUR channel, five-ish years ago. I'm very grateful for all the enjoyement you and your videos have brought me over the years, Prof. Keep up your great work!

[@user-ow3mk4ce2c]

I think the biggest problem with MKM was that we in fact did not go back to Ravnica. We went to Clue(do)-World with some Ravnica flavour thrust upon it. In general, a dud set makes it significantly less likely for me to get excited about returning to that set's world again, not because I don't think WotC can make the next set good, but because frequently they'd have to retcon the events of the previous set for me to really enjoy the world again. My biggest gripe aside from the lack of serious mention in the video is the need for an overarching story with the same old cast. For example, Amonkhet was a great plane, but would have been better without Bolas, Innistrad would have been better without the Eldrazi, etc. In my opinion, WotC needs to focus more on the planes themselves, and some of the planes with almost no recurring "cast" appearing have been my favourites in recent years, like Eldraine or Arcavios (Strixhaven).

[@HellecticMojo]

Innistrad Eldrazi I'm at least okay with because turning Gothic horror to Kronenberg or Lovecraftian horror is a sensible escalation and the conclusion of Emrakul defeating itself is a good mystery hook for the future. Not the best set, but certainly the best out of all that gatewatch nonsense

[@ender_lord1202]

Amonkhet would be so different without bolas. The entire city was made around bolas's image. I think putting egyptian mythology through the lens of bolas's big plan made for a very unique plane. Maybe the reason thunder junction's worldbulding sucked was because they were just adding things because they felt like they needed to to fill a "cowboyness quota".

[@LaBambaMan]

I 100% agree. I want the planes to be their own things with their own stories that we, as planeswalkers, get to experience. Having this cast of recurring characters that the entire multiverse revolves around makes the planes feel less unique.

[@RoseyPixels]

Your take about planes not feeling like worlds is something that I've been feeling ever since I started playing the game. With the recentish focus on one off sets, its an issue that will only continue to grow, and planes will start to become less like cities even and more like general landscapes (Thunder Junction).

[@Lionbug]

What a beautiful story about community, so sweet of Marshall too 🥺

[@timothycurrence8157]

Not boring at all! It's pretty soothing, especially with old sets

[@Crushanator1]

I've watched a bunch of Shuffle Up & Play and even though I like them, I think these unscripted episodes make me really appreciate and love the Professor as a person, rather than a character you play within a show. I'm like 40 and have played off and on and everything you're saying just oozes with care and love for the setting and the game.

[@SRH420Gaming-ql9vp]

I'm looking forward to returning to Tarkir.

[@epicsteven2000]

The emotions at the end. You're a treasure prof, I remember one time in my college HR class the professor played a professor video (one of your old ones about being a teacher) and the smile I had on my face to see how far you've come. Youre amazing, thank you for everything that you do.

[@neocalder1228]

Really like these long rambles prof. Even If these long videos don't get as much traction I still like them.

[@theshinxhunter]

For me, this is the most nostalgic box opening you’ve ever done. Miss this block and the ORI-WAR era of magic

[@williamdrum9899]

It's funny because back then so many people hated it

[@theshinxhunter]

@@williamdrum9899 Back then we didn’t hate WotC 🤷‍♀️

[@williamdrum9899]

@@theshinxhunter True

[@TheHalomanification2]

the actual full art of anguished unmaking not the promo shows jace and tamyio hiding under the arch next to sorin watching him kill avacyn

[@brandtthebrent7227]

I think this is one of my favorite TCC videos in a minute. Seeing prof just be so open about his memories and stories and how he feels about the game and his hopes was really endearing. There's something just nice about a stream of consciousness now and then. Would totes watch a video like this from you again.

[@nickhearts9763]

This video was long and rambly and an absolute joy to listen to, thanks Prof! Keep doing videos you love!

[@amunra792]

I really hope you know that there are many magic the gathering players who do really enjoy when you are so open and honest with your thoughts in these kinds of videos. I being one of them. I do also miss multiset blocks and hope we get more in the future even if it's in smaller more special moments. Much love Prof.

[@evanbruno9648]

I REALLY want to see a set taking place on Fiora. I want an Italian Renaissance-era theme (also more Marchesa of course!)!

[@RustedOrange]

PLEASE do this again, prof. I really enjoy these kinds of videos. I'm going to my first RCQ in a few days for pioneer, and im listening to this while getting prepared. This is great! Thank you!

[@theicecave837]

I would love to see more like this, hearing your life story really is inspiring and I appreciate how real you are!! Keep going Prof!! Hit 1 million!

[@k9commander]

What separates Theros gods from the others is Devotion. On Theros, devotion literally forms the gods. The people's beliefs create and form the gods. Xenagos was a mortal being. He got enough people to worship him and their beliefs turned him into a god. Their devotion to revelry turned an out of towner into a god of Theros. That doesn't happen on other planes. When the Phyrexians invaded, they converted the gods by converting the people. When enough Phyrexianized citizens of Theros believed that their gods were Phyrexians, it compleated the gods. As long as WotC doesn't give another realm gods with devotion, Theros will remain unique. They could potentially give the devotion keyword to another plane, but it can't be tied to gods. Not sure how to have devotion in a realm without gods though.

[@MorosSilverwing]

Glad to see someone else raising & stressing the functional & conceptual differences of the pantheons, ty.

[@williamdrum9899]

"Compleat the faith, compleat the god. Compleat the god, compleat the plane." -Ajani

[@strongaldweipemheiser]

I say with love, its so funny to me the Prof's uncanny knack for highballing every card except the ones that are actually worth something kdkskdjkd

[@evangrescol7772]

He pulled the Sigarda and was like, "She must be a $5 card!" And my first thought was,"Sadly no, because she came in a precon."

[@tylerkosmos3621]

“Tell someone you love them” got me tearing up. Thank you for your amazing videos and for being an amazing person.

[@kyuss89]

I'm still new to magic and your channel and have never met you in person but your honesty just shines through the videos. I would wager you are a genuine person and I appreciate it enjoy your work

[@QuietlyHere666]

I'd like to think if we went to another continent on innistrad, as we have very euro horror with vampires and werewolves we'd get more nativist horror mythology from different cultures. I think traveling to the innistrad version of the native Americas would be great and terrifying.

[@JMDSlayer]

Prof, I really enjoyed this video and your previous free form videos. It not being scripted creates a truly honest connection. Thank you for your honest opinions no matter how hard of a pill to swallow it can be for some individuals, it is always important to have constructive criticism for growth.

[@sola4314]

Prof, I watched this video the whole through and it felt like a warm cup of tea. Extremely cozy listening to you talk about something you are passionate about

[@rowano3774]

Hey Prof, once in a while when I have free time I put on a video into the background. I don't care how long the video is I just want to hear somebody near me and your videos do exactly that. Thanks for being around Prof.

[@loptr9581]

I think in regards to the humour aspect of magic, the issue comes from the difference of micro and macro. In a micro sense, the flying zebra is funny because it’s a stand alone thing in the set which helps it stand out. The biggest problem with MKM and other modern sets is that it took the humour to a macro perspective when the setting did not fit it. That’s why I feel like while you’re can do comedy in innistrad, at it’s core it’s inspired by gothic horror, and less so by the campy style like they went for in crimson vow. That being said, I think that planes like eldraine are perfect for that macro sense of humour, as fairy tales are already filled with outlandish characters and scenarios. I’d also argue that thunder junction works as a comedy set, as many Western film tropes have been satirized to a point where the humour makes sense in theme.

[@darkpuppetlordful]

My problem with the macro scale comedy being present in sets is it reduces the odds of a new UN set coming out. Like joke magic cards are fun, but spending too many spots in a real set on joke cards is the problem. It also doesn't help the cards always seem to be funny but useless or funny and OP

[@ich3730]

@@darkpuppetlordful Whats reducing the odds of a new un-set is that people dont buy them.

[@GARJAMS]

Prof, this was a gorgeous video and i absolutely adore hearing your thoughts about Magic. You have nothing to apologize for, and simply hearing how much love you have for the game and the community was excellent. Thank you so much for being such a genuine and loving member of the Magic community, and here's to 1 million!

[@theraccinblack6813]

Prof, you have no need to be nervous about this video. I thouroughly enjoyed it. It’s honestly really fun just watching you crack packs and ramble about Magic. Gives us a candid look into the wonderful mind of the Professor

[@KrisPSouls9258]

I am excited about Lorwyn. I loved that whole block.

[@landrynewport1451]

When was it announced we'll be going back??

[@CatTranslatorApp]

The Ashnod’s Altar joke in the sponsor caught me so off guard, I bursted out laughing in the middle of my work break

[@ColorfulHelices]

I can only pray one day tye voice of those that LOVE you and your content become resoundingly louder than the naysayer in the back of your mind. Ramble, rant, complain, criticize, praise, gush, exclaim, proclaim, and PROFESS! We're here for it all and love it. Bless up Professor, and I hope our care finds you well.

[@Sxixthsense]

Wow this really brought back memories. I remember watching your videos back when these sets came out. I was 16 during the time going through a lot in life. But one thing still remains. Magic.

[@Hunwyn]

1:01:14 It was long and rambley and exactly what I needed today :)

[@RedCometNurse]

Hopefully the new Tarkir set will be a three-color set, returning to its roots.

[@bladesofkhaos]

Hi Prof!! I got into Magic during these sets you opened here in this video. So it holds a special place in my heart seeing them opened and I was not bored at all during your so called rambling. I have enjoyed and watched all your MTG content over the years and have gone all the way back to your first few years of content to watch. Keep up the great work. You have a fan for life right here!

[@Ramperdos]

This was one of my favorite videos I've seen in a while. These more slower tempo discussions are a joy to listen to.

[@jeromefournier9667]

I think is a disciution on multiple sets, because one of the reason we know so much about Kamigawa and it feels large is the sets and the expanded story, I mean Dominaria has had massive breathing room and the original Ravnica got the full treatment. I just don't think that the way the story is treated now and the minimal time we spend on a plane can manage the depth we would want, I mean you would need a set AND 2 revisit to explore as much as the original formula and even then those will be 3 often divided stories that can have masive amounts of time in universe in between them.

[@ArninoStorm]

One day we will return to Mercadia

[@reaperfoursixfiveoh9329]

Hey Prof, not sure you'll see this with the video being 4 weeks old but this is the exact content I love. I listen to you while I work so it's great to have a casual style of video. Keep up the great work

[@juiceice1831]

ive been watching for only a few years but i think ive hit almost every video in your backlog. this one has to be my absolute favorite, you are a joy to listen to and i would love more content like this. semi-unscripted and from the heart/soul. thank you for the many many hours of content

[@tirexius]

These two sets got me really invested in Magic and I'm ever thankful for it

[@TCC180]

I think it's fine to have a lighthearted set every once in a while, but we had a bit of a stretch between karlov manor and thunder junction, so the fatigue makes sense imo. as for killing off characters, I feel like you only really want to kill off a character if their death creates more interesting story opportunities than their continued life. That said, there are plenty of ways for characters to be revived in a satisfying way, so even killing them off isn't necessarily the end of them. Just don't want it to be too comic book-y where no one stays dead for long.

[@dainesmith8884]

I actually really liked this type of video. Thanks for going down memory lane with us! Hope to see more of this in the future!

[@tyrelllowery2074]

This was my favorite video on this channel. I was cooking dinner and listened to the whole thing. I love you, this channel, and this community a lot.

[@martl8615]

Going back to a plane is a promise to capture what made that plane unique and do it again. Ravnica without guilds is horrible. Amonkhet without mummies would be awful. Lorwyn needs to go back to the happy tribe-filled place it was (so not Eventide) to be successful.

[@cringusmoss9937]

I'd love for a new plane to be GOOD and then turn out to be the post-mummies Amohnkhet.

[@QuietlyHere666]

And that last sentence is what makes returning to lorwyn such a daunting task, because I disagree, I loved shadowmoor and the creepy side in addition to the twee boggarts and goat shinnanigins

[@Crushanator1]

A set that changes from twee whimsy every dawn to grimdark spooky every sunset where people remember the change is interesting but omg I hope they figure out a way to do it without Day Night and like half the set being transform cards

[@TheHMinnow]

​@@QuietlyHere666 I agree, I think both are important to Lorwynn as a world. A return needs to touch both

[@curts7801]

Disagree, Eventide was amazing. I loved Lorwyn, but I loved Shadowmoore more.

[@cax1175]

6:50 Devastation? The Eldrazi only bring joy. Well, they at least bring me joy, I don't know about the rest of my playgroup.

[@amberhernandez]

They brought me joy as my janky Grixis BFZ brew won me my first ever store tournament, beating out some tryhard Dimir Modern control. All I need is Ghostfire Blade and a Benthic Infiltrator :)

[@declanmccarthy7809]

This was a really sweet video! Hearing you talk to earnestly about sets you loved, and the people you've met playing magic was really nice.

[@jamesgaston2745]

I often run your videos as a background while working on games or researching a paper and find these videos quite calming. Thanks for that.

[@andrewwaring3643]

I miss when magic was strong enough to profit off of its own IP. Now it’s just multiple IPs, cowboys, and detective hats with no continuity.

[@TheBasedDonHoly]

It truly has become the fortnite of the tcg world.

[@andrewwaring3643]

@@TheBasedDonHoly I can’t wait for the day I attack with Iron Man and kill my opponents Rick Grimes because Vaders Lightsaber let’s me deal X damage whet x is the number of stickers I have on planes walkers in the command zone…

[@ich3730]

@@andrewwaring3643 I mean, you could attack with ali baba and block with chinese book characters long before any of that. MTG had crossover sets for longer then many players have been alive.

[@TerryTags]

"Everyone's favorite middle-aged werewolf" killed me lol

[@aoife-estellepower]

This video helped me get through a miserable morning at work. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. Thank you for your ever present love and kindness prof ❤

[@mikemanard3847]

Prof, as I just finished your run-through of an old prerelease kit played with friends... Thank you so much for all you bring to this community.

[@Lionbug]

YEARS?!? Kamigawa was just..... last year? Please?

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Uhhh February 18, 2022 is when Kamigawa Neon DYnasty was released. That's two years ago.

[@91mattmac]

lol I wanna go back to Ixalan already

[@camoking3609]

Ixalan is great place

[@oinkleberry]

We need Ixalan set where we invade the vampire continent of Torezon. Give us HEAVY judeo-Christian inspired aesthetics in addition to European Spanish culture.

[@bangarangbobby215]

Here for the whole thing 🤩 enjoy hearing your candid thoughts on things!

[@RockyOwl]

Prof, hearing you ramble on and on about this great game is always soothing and fascinating to hear. It is so hard to believe that so much time has passed since the first SCGCon in Richmond when i got to meet you and Wedge and yet it feels like yesterday.

[@jrs3739]

I'd love to return to Kaladesh because I love the Aetherborn so so much. Such an awesome, tragic concept for a fantasy species. Would that alone carry a return? Nope. Would I be mad if they fudge up that aspect? Yup. Also, to add on to your point, oldsters may remember Dominaria, which was huge and more importantly felt huge - various different regions, cultures etc. Tbf, Dominaria was also subject to frequent apokalypses and home to at least some main character deaths...

[@stuartmiller4363]

I really want to go to the preshistoric plane of Murganda

[@JasonOshinko]

What would make it distinct from Ixalan?

[@douglascooksey9145]

LOL Love your spirit. As an "older" player I appreciate the wisdom. Also, watching you open a box of boosters I am reminded that I need to continue to buy singles.

[@koraydi8111]

Watched all the way to the end. Always love the ramble y videos Prof, its always fun to get your odd thoughts on various topics.

[@MulletPower75]

I just don't care about Innistrad anymore. It used to be this awesome dark setting. Now it's a deeply unserious joke of a plane. Why would i care anymore?

[@toamatau8785]

That's how I feel. I was looking through the cards for the original block yesterday and the blend of tropes and familiar concepts into something recognizable but still slightly unique and flavorful was masterful. It was perfectly dark. By Shadows it was already starting to fall apart.

[@Godzilla2000312]

The reason you have nightmares is because YOU EAT CARDBOARD IN YOUR SLEEP YOUR BODY IS SAYING HEEEEELP

[@flog353]

thank you for this video, seeing how much you care about the game and the people in your life really is uplifting! i think i needed that today, so just from the bottom of my heart, thanks for being who you are and doing what you do, you are truly inspirational

[@mrzog95]

I started watching you're videos a few weeks ago and you have inspired me. Last night I picked up my first commander deck after watching you go over a few. I then bought some Kamigawa Neon Dynasty packs and dragon Shield sleeves, all from my local card shop. I love you're content and energy you bring each video. Thanks Professor

[@frankieh]

Having 30 legendary characters all donning detective hats to solve a mystery no one cares about so much that I can't even tell you how it turned out. That coupled with the set mechanics being bad and not a lot of fun combined. Sitting through more of the video now, I totally agree with most of the points, but ESPECIALLY tokens. So many God damned tokens. And I once bought Canada's entire supply of Survivor tokens for a Commander deck like half a decade ago.

[@heliaxx]

The biggest problem: Terrible writing. And on top of that the self-reference is completely out of control.

[@iamapaleontologist4827]

Thank you so much for this video! I loved just listening to you talk. I barely even watched the card openings. The end was especially good. Gonna try to get to a local game store now.

[@synnwolfen7103]

You're one of the main people in hoping to see at Magicon Los Vegas 😭 so thankful for the years of content and great times sharing your opinions with us! Appreciate you Prof and the whole TCC team ❤️