How do you vote for these 8th ed. cards?

[Spiderman]

I'm just curious... how do you guys vote for these cards? Is it by whether the candidates are "suitable" or in flavor for a basic set? Whether you like the cards in YOUR deck? Whether you hate seeing them on the opposite side of the table? Other?

I tend to go with if I'll find the card useful to me or if it'll fit in my future scheme of ideas for decks...

 

[rkoelsch]

I try to go with what is in flavor for the color unless it is white then I make a judgement on which is the better card for my decks.

 

[Istanbul]

Well, I'll go over them one by one.

Crimson Hellkite vs. Two-Headed Dragon - This one is easy. Crimson Hellkite falls squarely into the Pretty Much Uncastable category; it'd lose to almost anything.

Nekrataal vs. Dark Hatchling - I always love Nekrataal. It's cheaper, and the 2/1 first striking body means it's not nearly as hard to deal with as the 2/2 flyer. In it goes.

Noble Purpose vs. Orim's Prayer - I don't see either of them going into a Constructed deck, so I looked at Limited. Orim's Prayer provides a small, but decent effect for an affordable price...but Noble Purpose is an I Win card. I play Noble Purpose, take a few swings with my army, and any chance you had of winning is gone. I voted Prayer.

Let's see, what else...the stupid Wizards' site just puked, so let's see what I can remember.

Worship vs. Pariah vs. Kismet - Kismet was only ever played in Stasis decks, and it's *boring* in draft/sealed. Pariah is neat, but I'd MUCH rather open Worship in a pack...it also makes for more interesting interaction, as the Worship player has to protect his army.

Birds & Wall vs. Tree & Elves - Birds are out of flavor for green. They fly, and green doesn't. Birds should have been white. Vine Trellis is good. Very good. Possibly too good. Whereas Tree is readily available to anyone who's in Standard now, and Elves...I mean, they're ELVES. Without the Lawnmowers, playing Elvish Champion just feels empty somehow. I voted Tree & Elves.

I'll look at the rest later.

 

[Spiderman]

I'm not sure if you're answering the question, Isty... it looks like a combination of whether the cards are in flavor, whether they'll be good for decks in general, whether yo'd like to play it... is that so? There isn't a consistent way in how you're voting for these cards?

 

[Istanbul]

Oh. I see what you mean.

I look at several factors...which card would be better in Constructed, which card would be better in Draft, balance...f'rex, I doubt we'd see Crimson Hellkite or Two-Headed Dragon in too many Constructed decks, so I looked at Draft. Crimson Hellkite is pretty much uncastable even in draft, so I went with Two-Headed Dragon. Noble Purpose and Orim's Prayer might find a place in White Weenie decks, so I looked at which would be the more abusive...and while Noble Purpose is more costly, its effect is MASSIVE and unbalancing to the game...add to that the fact that it's an I Win card in draft, and I thought Orim's Prayer would be better for the game.

 

[Notepad]

I vote mainly what I would like to get in packs (limited included in this figuring, but not main bulk). Then if the color of the card doesn't apply to me, I sabotage vote.

For artwork, I always vote what is the best looking, even if the card is something I hate or in a color I hate (such as Telepathy--voted the better Urza art on that one).

 

[Purple_jester]

I usually vote for what I enjoy playing more, regardless of what the environment is or what the pros are saying.

I loved Nekrataal since the day it was printed. In it goes.

I opened a Hellkite once. Stuck it in a deck and NEVER got to cast it. I'll try the 2-headed version.

Prayer and Purpose? Never used them. Didn't bother voting.

Elves and Birds? Elves are more fun for me, even though I own Birds. In go the elves. Besides, the Llanowars are the first green creature I ever cast.

It's all about what I want to play. The rest of the Magic world be damned. Of course, it's much better if people agree with me, and for the most part, I end up on the winning side of the vote.

 

[Thallid Ice Cream Man]

Art: I vote non-7th. In all but one case this has perfectly coincided with the art choice I thought was better when not factoring in the set of each; the only card where I didn't completely prefer the non-7th was Goblin Chariot, which I don't ever intend to cast.

Cards: I usually pick the card I find more interesting.