I am so frustrated with Magic the Gathering. My name is DrEvo on mtgo. I play a lot of commander and some modern. I've done my fair share and continue to play test color combinations on mtgo. I do not like the half-assed approach to the commander format. Also, I do not like the fact that there isn't a separate 1v1 commander format that isn't trash. I say this and immediately fear what used to be the edh 1v1 format wizards and mtgo came up with. The 1V1 format sucked. who came up with it? where are they now? what we need is a group of ppl who keep up with the trends and test Bannings. maybe ban something for a month and then unban it. Actually, figure out the format and where potential problems lay. whoever is in charge now just needs to go. I don't think they have enough experience to make those kinds of decisions. I'm the type of person who loves a challenge. I found that if someone played jeweled lotus, cast their commander with mana crypt in the same game, can usually be negated by say ...... swords to plowshares. why isn't there a tier list of 1v1 formats like they do in video games...... like madden for instance ...... pro, all pro, expert.? I have so many ideas that can make that format awesome! It needs to be more than just about the quick buck that wizards can make. I'm all for ppl making money. But there is a disconnect and the wrong person is in a job that shouldn't be there. when I see crypt or lotus being played by my opponent, I don't scoop. I respect it. That is the difference between a vet and a noob. an extreme edh format needs to exist for ppl who love a challenge and don't mind playing against the most powerful magic cards. I say this and fear the person who makes a format like this doesn't use common sense. of course, things like karakas and iona should stay banned, but ppl don't realize when ppl play land/tap land for sol rind tap that for arcane signet and have a mana crypt are gassed. I have won so many games because of this and I know when it's time to pack it in and I respect it. I say if whoever makes these decisions sticks to NEW players and makes a format that would also allow them to feel important like they are making impactful decisions for NEW players would be more profitable, because its pissing off the ppl who are loyal isn't a good idea in my opinion. Also let me say this ...... what would win 1v1 Minsc and boo vs GOLOS ? granted boo lost 2 good cards and golos has workshop plus strip or any other land depending on the circumstances. As that game would progress, artifact removal and hard green mana ramp would still out value golos half the time. Golos is banned. This right here shows that the person who banned it hasnt played a thousand games with it to know exactly what it can and cant do. now if a player is new... sure keep it banned. but in an extreme format golos is not a problem. take away rogra from tevesh...... problem solved. I have built just about every color combination for tevesh. if you take out minsc and boo, rograh, you could actually take out thassas oracle as well as there is no need for a fast combo to keep up. I can go on and on. Bottom line.... fix the format. or let someone who cares fix it and work on it every day. make a difference between multi and 1v1. with all the money you guys make you can hire someone to keep an eye on it. And quit with the "oh we did this becuase we know what was coming out next set......... NO actually give everything a chance and tinker with the banlist. HIRE someone who actually cares about that. heres a big one .....SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE! get rid of ppl who arent helping. HIRE ME! ill fix that format.
What in the HELL is going on ??????????
- Thread starter DrEvo
- Start date
I don't drink. I'm just someone who plays ALOT of mtgo. I buy a lot of cards also. I can't speak for you on the whole alcohol issue because I don't follow it anymore. I do happen to follow the MTGO commander format. That is what this issue is about. I will be honest. I'm not the biggest fan of the multi commander format whatsoever. it is extremely toxic. My arguments are in regard to the health of the 1v1 commander format. I just wish I knew the process in which decisions are made. As soon as I heard this stuff got banned, all I could think about is the fact that whoever had it banned thinks this is the problem. crypt and lotus are fine. I have so many recorded games where I have beaten both without so much as pulling a sol ring. I have also gotten my ass whipped by them. Either way, my argument is why can't we have someone in charge of the actual 1v1 format and make it a thing. 1v1 EDH is amazing. There are a lot of problems with the format, but those 2 aren't even a blip on someone's radar who has played 1000s of games. I'll say it again. We need 1v1 EDH formats for beginners, intermediates, and experts. Also, MTGO needs to incorporate time restrictions on ppl who cry when you counter their stuff and sit there and click to reset the 5-minute timer as a way of punishment for kicking their ass. MTGArena seems to solve this as I think to player has 3 chances before it's turned into a concession. The game has been around for a long-time now, and I feel like the company is well established. With that being said, why doesn't wizards invest in things about the topics for what I'm arguing about? The funny thing is, I think it would actually be easier and actually fun to solve the 1v1 EDH format problems. I have little faith though as I have already heard all the stories about how no one there even really messed with it. You can only hear that so many times, that when something gets banned, it's like "oh here we go." IF these 2 cards stay banned then why do we need to ban Golos? Why is Minsc and Boo a thing when its clearly unfair? Point is, this raises to many questions and leaves me to believe they don't have anyone or care to have anyone fix that format. Also, 1v1 and multi need to be separate ban lists, but whatever they had before was hot garbage for 1v1. I saw some spelling issues in my last body of writing so this one should be an easier read.
GwennieMacrae
MTGO Regular
TBH....I actually kinda agree with you on some of this.
I'm not really in support of banning MORE cards really. Like I personally think the format was fine up until the RC just randomly decided to light everything on fire last month. But that being said as someone who pretty much exclusively plays 1v1 commander I am 100000% in support of seeing 1v1 get more love and attention, even if all that means is we get more people playing it. And I also TOTALLY agree we need to do something about stalling. I have to report salty players for stalling all the gosh darn time. I dont really like Arena but agree the timer/fuse thing there is better than what we have on MTGO and would help solve the stalling problem.
Like I wouldn't be opposed to 1v1 being 30 life like it was when it was more of a supported format. As for a banlist, yeah tbh I just wanna go back to pre-sept 23rd. It wasn't perfect but it was better than what we have now. Minsc and Boo IS pretty nuts and can be hard to beat in 1v1 for sure but it doesn't feel COMPLETELY impossible.
I'm not really in support of banning MORE cards really. Like I personally think the format was fine up until the RC just randomly decided to light everything on fire last month. But that being said as someone who pretty much exclusively plays 1v1 commander I am 100000% in support of seeing 1v1 get more love and attention, even if all that means is we get more people playing it. And I also TOTALLY agree we need to do something about stalling. I have to report salty players for stalling all the gosh darn time. I dont really like Arena but agree the timer/fuse thing there is better than what we have on MTGO and would help solve the stalling problem.
Like I wouldn't be opposed to 1v1 being 30 life like it was when it was more of a supported format. As for a banlist, yeah tbh I just wanna go back to pre-sept 23rd. It wasn't perfect but it was better than what we have now. Minsc and Boo IS pretty nuts and can be hard to beat in 1v1 for sure but it doesn't feel COMPLETELY impossible.
thanks for your response, Gwennie. to kind of add to what you were saying about not supporting the banning of more cards, I feel like commander is a place to use your imagination and when things that are heavily used get banned it doesn't feel right. Some things are necessary, but I feel crypt and lotus being banned wasn't exactly thought through and more less feels like someone trying to start controversy. I just want to play good magic, and this isn't it for me.
I really hope they find someone to WORK on the format for the long-term. quick fixes aren't fun. There are really a lot of good players who love the 1v1 format and I think wizards is overlooking the potential of this format. They could absolutely break the bank with 1v1 edh in my opinion. I absolutely feel that 1v1 can be more popular than modern in some respects. a lot of the games that are played are pretty quick too. I don't know why but I feel 1v1 could be the World Series of magic. It might help to be broken down into tiers the way they do with standard, modern, and legacy.
With all the issues the workers on mtgo have, I don't know if they have the ability to fix the stalling problems. Players are repeatedly punished for smart moves. this is why we need at the very least 3 different 1v1 edh formats. The game has a learning curve. new players shouldn't have access to all the cards right away. Granted, older players could and would learn ways around what would be the ban list for say standard 1v1 edh, but at least the meta has the potential to be for new players. The modern version for intermediate players, where I feel a lotus and crypt banning would be fine, as long as they made a format that is like legacy or vintage. where all the best players in the world compete with their commander to see who the best is, and the best commander, as well as best cards. I feel as long as someone on the banning committee has common sense enough to realize the difference between karakas and jeweled lotus it would be a BLAST!
I feel this continues to be a big WHIFF from Wizards. It's an unrealized potential and they are missing out on a lot of money. IF I was them, I would bring in someone new, or a whole team just to figure out the format. They have the funds to do so. I would however not include current staff to allow them to keep their current commitments. Also, if 1v1 EDH was THEIR passion, you wouldn't see what we have now.... a broken format that is weird. Find someone who has ALOT of love for the 1v1 format. If you're Wizards, you WILL see a profit if the format becomes a priority.
In the past though, typically when a big banning happens, wizards will just print something new and be like "Suprise" ...... kind of lame if you ask me.
There is a guy on the internet named Brian Weissman. the dude is pretty smart and plays a crap ton of EDH, or at least used to. I feel like having his input on a subject like this would be helpful. Only problem is he tends to only play what he feels is the most powerful stuff you can put together. This is good and bad. If you play one thing that typically wins, it demonstrates problems that could be addressed with potential Bannings. At the end of the day, he really seems to only care about his win record, but the way he can map out his wins are extremely impressive. Also, he specifically plays 1v1. I would feel pretty upset if Wizards did decide to give the format a shot but hired multi players in EDH to test.
I really hope they find someone to WORK on the format for the long-term. quick fixes aren't fun. There are really a lot of good players who love the 1v1 format and I think wizards is overlooking the potential of this format. They could absolutely break the bank with 1v1 edh in my opinion. I absolutely feel that 1v1 can be more popular than modern in some respects. a lot of the games that are played are pretty quick too. I don't know why but I feel 1v1 could be the World Series of magic. It might help to be broken down into tiers the way they do with standard, modern, and legacy.
With all the issues the workers on mtgo have, I don't know if they have the ability to fix the stalling problems. Players are repeatedly punished for smart moves. this is why we need at the very least 3 different 1v1 edh formats. The game has a learning curve. new players shouldn't have access to all the cards right away. Granted, older players could and would learn ways around what would be the ban list for say standard 1v1 edh, but at least the meta has the potential to be for new players. The modern version for intermediate players, where I feel a lotus and crypt banning would be fine, as long as they made a format that is like legacy or vintage. where all the best players in the world compete with their commander to see who the best is, and the best commander, as well as best cards. I feel as long as someone on the banning committee has common sense enough to realize the difference between karakas and jeweled lotus it would be a BLAST!
I feel this continues to be a big WHIFF from Wizards. It's an unrealized potential and they are missing out on a lot of money. IF I was them, I would bring in someone new, or a whole team just to figure out the format. They have the funds to do so. I would however not include current staff to allow them to keep their current commitments. Also, if 1v1 EDH was THEIR passion, you wouldn't see what we have now.... a broken format that is weird. Find someone who has ALOT of love for the 1v1 format. If you're Wizards, you WILL see a profit if the format becomes a priority.
In the past though, typically when a big banning happens, wizards will just print something new and be like "Suprise" ...... kind of lame if you ask me.
There is a guy on the internet named Brian Weissman. the dude is pretty smart and plays a crap ton of EDH, or at least used to. I feel like having his input on a subject like this would be helpful. Only problem is he tends to only play what he feels is the most powerful stuff you can put together. This is good and bad. If you play one thing that typically wins, it demonstrates problems that could be addressed with potential Bannings. At the end of the day, he really seems to only care about his win record, but the way he can map out his wins are extremely impressive. Also, he specifically plays 1v1. I would feel pretty upset if Wizards did decide to give the format a shot but hired multi players in EDH to test.
I understand the frustration but I would like to point a few things out.
1. We are not WOTC Magic Online is run by Daybreak Games not wotc.
2. We do not control the commander format and or what is or isn't banned. That is a WotC decision we follow their bans.
3. If you are finding it so hard to play commander and think things need to be fixed please recommend fixes.
4. Please be civil and remember we are all people too. Bashing on companies or people is not allowed in this community.
GwennieMacrae
MTGO Regular
All in all I do TOTALLY support 1v1 getting more love and I completely agree that 1v1 is a lot more fun, interesting and viable than people seem to think it is.
For whatever reason, people who haven't played it seem almost confused and under the impression that commander HAS to be a multiplayer format when there's literally no reason for that to be the case. The only thing stopping 1v1 from being more viable is simply that more people haven't tried giving it a shot.
I actually think supporting it would be fairly easy. I myself don't even think we need to do that much with the banlist. My personal pref would just be seeing it go to 30 life and for them to undo the nonsense bans that the RC pulled last month. Lol, although I wouldn't complain if Serra Ascendant got banned in 1v1. I dont really think we need multiple tiers or subformats or anything myself.
Another thing about 1v1 is that both online and IRL it would making running more traditional tournaments way easier and faster. I see so many people say that multiplayer commander takes too long or that it would be too difficult to run a tournament with that set up. 1v1 solves all of that. Match two people, play a much quicker game and just follow the same set up you would with any other 2 player format.
I think really the first main big step would just be getting more players to realize that 1v1 IS a totally viable way to play commander.
For whatever reason, people who haven't played it seem almost confused and under the impression that commander HAS to be a multiplayer format when there's literally no reason for that to be the case. The only thing stopping 1v1 from being more viable is simply that more people haven't tried giving it a shot.
I actually think supporting it would be fairly easy. I myself don't even think we need to do that much with the banlist. My personal pref would just be seeing it go to 30 life and for them to undo the nonsense bans that the RC pulled last month. Lol, although I wouldn't complain if Serra Ascendant got banned in 1v1. I dont really think we need multiple tiers or subformats or anything myself.
Another thing about 1v1 is that both online and IRL it would making running more traditional tournaments way easier and faster. I see so many people say that multiplayer commander takes too long or that it would be too difficult to run a tournament with that set up. 1v1 solves all of that. Match two people, play a much quicker game and just follow the same set up you would with any other 2 player format.
I think really the first main big step would just be getting more players to realize that 1v1 IS a totally viable way to play commander.
in response to your answers
1. thank you for clearing up the wotc and daybreak games clarification. Are you daybreak games? If so I think there is a bug. when I play eligeth and try to make two jace's that scry, the game restarted. It was a while back and haven't tested it in a while, so it may be fixed. but every time I tried it, it crashed before.
2. I'm more frustrated about the banning's and the health of the format than I am with anything else. originally when the most recent update hit.... it took my cards and then gave them back with 3 copies of every deck. very confusing.
3. I feel like I'm a pretty good commander player. maybe one of the better players for 1v1. commander isn't hard to me. I purposefully rebuild all my decks pretty often just for the challenge. So, you may be mistaken with the whole "finding it hard to play commander." sorry for the confusion there.
4. I have absolutely taken full advantage in expressing my opinion in a public forum. I have a right to say how I feel and express the need for change. you may not like it, but this is how it is. I myself feel I have been not only totally respectful, but feel a little annoyed that you would even point that out, but its whatever. I say we just stick to the topics I expressed. I'm more interested in that anyway. your topics may be for another discussion that I would be glad to touch base on if interested.
All those are really good points and I absolutely agree with a few. I think 30 life and banning serra is a bit extreme. I have a pretty good strategy for dealing with and using the Serra. I just think of it as a clock so to speak, that has to be dealt with asap and should always be accounted for when playing against white.
Also, the things I said about the multiple formats were just sort of a pipe dream of mine lol. It would be entertaining as heck though. I hope wizards finds a way to make that format more respectable and just overall better. Its got serious potential.
MTGO_TonyM
Developer
A couple points I'd like to make here:
1) If you want to experiment with a different banlist or different cards eligible for the Command Zone, the Freeform Commander room is the ideal place to do that - https://www.mtgo.com/news/freeform-cmdr-7112023
2) Duel Commander (the competitive 1v1 variant recently added to MTGO) has been actively managed by a committee for over a decade. They are providing B&R updates every two months. You can read more about them at https://www.mtgdc.info/home
3) We are working closely with Wizards to determine how best to implement any changes they decide are best for managing base Commander in the future.
We are the digital home for Commander and we welcome all who want to join!
1) If you want to experiment with a different banlist or different cards eligible for the Command Zone, the Freeform Commander room is the ideal place to do that - https://www.mtgo.com/news/freeform-cmdr-7112023
2) Duel Commander (the competitive 1v1 variant recently added to MTGO) has been actively managed by a committee for over a decade. They are providing B&R updates every two months. You can read more about them at https://www.mtgdc.info/home
3) We are working closely with Wizards to determine how best to implement any changes they decide are best for managing base Commander in the future.
We are the digital home for Commander and we welcome all who want to join!
1 That is completely clunky and just insane due to the fact that everyone on mtgo has a different point of view on what a ban list should consist of as well as not a lot of ppl play the free form because it isn't any fun.
2 If it has been actively managed for over a decade than why is it so bad and unpopular?
3 seems like you guys aren't working at all (no offense)
4 Welcoming all that want to join doesn't really respond to anything I'm talking about. It seems that may be the issue also. why not actually work on things to make the game better and quit adding things to conversations that just seem out of left field. I feel if you guys could stay on topic you might just be able to figure things out. (once again, no offense) I'm just trying to help you guys out because there is an obvious disconnect with how you guys run things. You guys may be getting caught up on made up details instead of actually just keeping things running smoothly.
2 If it has been actively managed for over a decade than why is it so bad and unpopular?
3 seems like you guys aren't working at all (no offense)
4 Welcoming all that want to join doesn't really respond to anything I'm talking about. It seems that may be the issue also. why not actually work on things to make the game better and quit adding things to conversations that just seem out of left field. I feel if you guys could stay on topic you might just be able to figure things out. (once again, no offense) I'm just trying to help you guys out because there is an obvious disconnect with how you guys run things. You guys may be getting caught up on made up details instead of actually just keeping things running smoothly.
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