CPA Voting Issues: Block Mechanics

TomB

Administrator
Staff member
I'll be posting this as a Voting topic in a couple weeks, so I thought I should post a thread here for us to discuss it beforehand. The subject is Block mechanics, and what we're interested in hearing here is what your favorites are, and why.

Let's talk about it! :D
 
S

Seeker of Truth

Guest
Well, although both of these mechanics were prevalent during periods when I was not active in Magic, I have to say that the Slivers from Tempest Block and the Charms from Mirage Block were my favorite mechanics. The sliver idea was an interesting way to build your own creatures, adding in whatever ability you needed, and the charms were so versatile, giving you a choice of three different effects. If any mechanic deserves to be resurrected, it's this one.
 
A

arhar

Guest
Glyphs from Legends!!! :)
Winds, Avatars, Spellshapers and just about everything else from Prophecy.
3 for 1 from Alpha (Bolt, Ritual, Anc. Recall, Growth and Salve)
 
M

Multani

Guest
Tag Guard

Echo from Urza's Saga
Untap lands spells from Urza's Block
Man-Lands from Urza's Legacy
Charms from Mirage Block.
Sac land for 2 colored-Mana lands from Homelands.
:)
 
S

Seeker of Truth

Guest
Multani:

I think the sac lands were from Fallen Empires. Homelands had those three-colored lands that everyone loves so much. ;)
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
The very next topic...

I guess my favorite mechanics are CIP, flanking, and phasing.

Although you should probably define "mechanics", since some are actually cycles or types of cards. For instance, I wouldn't consider Glyphs, Man-Lands, Charms, or Sac-lands as mechanics.

And don't forget first-strike, flying, banding, and protection! They're the original "mechanics" (Although probably no one thinks of them that way).
 
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galtwish

Guest
Cycling is my favorite mecahnic. Nothing like drawing a card for 2 colorless mana. Buyback is a close second, but it is too broken. Forbid? Capsize? Whispers of the Muse? C'mon, even Fanning the Flames, Shattering Pulse and Elvish Fury were too strong.

Erik
 
A

Apollo

Guest
Do the Spikes count? If so, they get my vote.

If not, I'd have to go with buyback.

Apollo
 
J

Jaws10387

Guest
Mine would have to be buyback. I also like flanking, Phasing, and the return to hand thing from Urza's block.
 
F

Fire Slinger

Guest
My favorite block mechanics would be Echo and the Untap spells in Urza's Block.
 
S

SwingMage

Guest
Shadow
Flanking
And fading

I also think wizards should break the rule that keeps them from reprinting mechanics. Fading got jipped because it only appeared in one set. There was so much more to be done with it.
 
D

Dune Echo

Guest
Fading had a lot of potential. If you think Fading totally sucks, go to eBay really quickly. Look up Parallax Wave and Tangle Wire. Then tell me Fading sucks and I'll be happy to laugh at you in your foolishness.

Fading had so much possibility. Look at what it did. You get a permanent for X turns, maybe less depending on what abilities it has. Yeah, there isn't much to extend X (the number of fade counters), Parallax Inhibitor seems to be the only thing, but the sheer number of player made cards I have seen on places like here, MTG News, and Brain Burst (I ONLY GO FOR THE CUSTOM CARD FORUM!).

I would like to see a set where they mixed abilities a lot, kind of like what you see in the Pro Tour Duplicate Limited tournaments.
 
P

Phyrexian Pie-Eater

Guest
Lets think about why buyback was so damn good. I get a spell. I like the spell. I use the spell, pay a little more, and keep my shiney plaything. Where is the bad side? The only people who didn't like buyback are those same people who hate blue, cuz blue got the 2 best buybacks; Forbid and Capsize. I loved buyback. Then tempest went out. thats why my sig. is what it is. WoTC, bring back buyback!
 
S

SwingMage

Guest
I like fading, though i think it was jipped becasue there wasn't alot done with it. Wizards could've made a lot more cards with fading, and some more interesting ones too if fading was in prophecy.
 
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Gizmo

Guest
Buyback is the greatest thing ever to happen to Magic.
Without Buyback the game has been a shadow of it`s former self, and I blame the loss of Buyback for the poor state of tourney Magic at the moment. Buyback succesfully rewrote the fundamental of Magic strategy - card advantage - and transformed the game for two years. I`m not certain that it was properly exploited however - I would like to see it come back in another set with some new effects.
Erik, I do hope you aren`t serious about Buyback being broken. There were only ever 3 good Buyback spells (Whispers, Forbid, Capsize) and one funky one (Corpse Dance). The best Buyback spell wasn`t even a Buyback spell (Recurring Nightmare). Good? yes. Broken? no.

Slivers were interesting, but only because of Crystalline were they playable. ACC nice, but like Buyback the ability was so good they couldn`t afford to make too many good ones (FoWill, Contagion, Misdirection, Unmask).

Spiderman is the only person to get the right one.
By far the best mechanic, and the only one that has perservered beyond the set in which it debuted, is 'Coming Into Play Abilities'. Nekrataal, ManOWar, Uktabi Perverts, Ravenous Rats, Avalanche Riders, Ghitu Slingers, Wall Of Blossoms, Yavimaya Granger...

I vote for 187!
 
N

nodnarb24

Guest
My favorite is shadow and buyback. Buyback is cool because you can get back a fairly decent spell and by that making it an even better. Also shadow is also one of my favorites because it's like getting an unblockable creature that can't block but what are you going to do with it, attack so the down side doesn't matter. The one bad thing about shadow is if you use an all shadow deck in a group game prepare to get a beat down by the non-shadow players.
 
K

krichaiushii

Guest
For sheer usefulness in multiplayer games, I must say the 187 (or CIP) creatures and buyback are the best -- though the specific cards are debatable.

For dueling, I would have to say shadow... or maybe horsemanship from the Three Empires expansion? (Very cool cards, actually...)
 
G

Gizmo

Guest
You mean you don`t just treat Horsemanship cards as having Flying?

Nasty.
 
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