Dan Barrett Said It ...

[Thomas David Baker]

... flavor text is CRAP!

Seriously, it's just awful.  Someone write a Devil's Advocate defense for me?  I hate it!

[Thomas David Baker]

Well the new deal is flavor-you-already-know-driven rather than story or character driven I guess.  It's no good saying, "Well this card is an Urza" to a new player - they don't know anything about Urza.  It has to be "this card is a werewolf" or "this card is a Sphinx".  Great for new player playability and making the game complex without being hard to understand.  Not so good for great story/flavor text.  I guess the game is more important than the story.

Totally agree about planeswalkers though.  Planeswalker cards, Planeswalker storylines and Planeswalker marketing may be the three worst things in current Magic.

[Daniel Royde]

I'm a big fan of "the magic story". I wouldn't advise reading the books though- I read Rath and Storm. You want to find out what happens, but it's just so painfully written.

We don't like planeswalkers being the centre of it all, but is that one of the things driving magic's current success?

(aside: I often hear stuff about how magic's doing well or badly, but how do we players know?)

[Philip Dickinson]

interesting points re: planeswalkers being awful. i'd like to see the kind of research that has gone into the "planeswalker"-centric storylines and marketing the game is running with right now; i think that the planeswalker card type was the worst design decision in the history of the game so i would like to hope that it is somehow offset by being popular with the kids who spend money on product.

i've spent a huge amount of time and money playing magic the gathering so it really saddens me to see everything i liked about the game slowly disappear. there's reason why i never bother to read scg or cfb anymore but check dominionstrategy every morning...

[Gary Lynch]

Not any more. I have a G/W/r Wolf Run deck and a folder, with actual rares in. Pre ordered a box of the new set too.

Moving was the best thing I ever did, im like a real person now :)

James Mills said:

That's Gary

ross miles said:

imagine this the other way round - that's wierd

Thomas David Baker said:

has basically every Magic card ever but no DCI number.  Weird.

[Gary Lynch]

On the subject of flavour text. I have seen 1 or 2 cards I liked, but it was years ago.

My favourite was the card that lets you play with the top card revealed and you can cast it, cant remember what it was called.

Text was something about his life being misery and now he shapes his own. I probably have this completly wrong now.

[Tom Reeve]

[Thomas David Baker]

You have cards and moving was the best thing you have ever done?

Kind of like your past holds only pain and loss (and chicken) and you are conquering it by creating the perfect future?

Nice.

[Gary Lynch]

Thats the card.

My past wasnt all bad :)