You Make the Masters Set

[Thomas David Baker]

I loved Innistrad.  I believed Maro when he said New World Order made things better for experienced players too and used Innistrad as an example.

Then Modern Masters came out and despite having to include a bunch of rares and only being allowed cards from Mirrodin to Shards it was way better than anything we've seen since Innistrad, and most of what came before, too.

It will be minimum one year until the next Modern Masters.

So, my idea is, let's make our own Modern Masters.

Random ideas that are very much half formed:

* 6 of each of 60 commons, 3 of each of 60 uncommons, 2 of each of 50 rares, 1 of each of 10 mythics is 650 cards.

* Use old cards, pre-Mirrodin, for spell-based funtimes and novelty even for players that have been playing for a while.

* Invent cards where necessary to fill holes.

* Some possible seeded archetypes: free spell necro, ug madness, gro, draw-go, astral slide, reanimator, artifact control, mill, auras, tokens, birthing pod, pox, sacrifice, prison, wizard tribal.

* Possibly include a lot of Legacy playables and call it "Legacy Masters".  What wizards would print if they said fuck it to the secondary market and the reserve list and tried to support legacy via a "Masters" release.

What do you think?  Interested in being on the development team?  Could make for some cheap Tuesday nights during the long reign of M14* ...

* = Bit of a cheap shot.  I've actually really enjoyed 3 of the last 4 core set drafts.

[Thomas David Baker]

Ah yes I forgot about Enchantments - that is another non-tribal theme.  Hurray!

Trying to narrow down U commons is hard but look at this splendid set of cards I am currently working with:

Aven Fogbringer (birds, wizards)
Cloud of Faeries (cycling, storm)
Keeneye Aven (birds, cycling)
Aven Windreader (birds, wizards)
Shoreline Ranger (birds, cycing)
Hapless Researcher (wizards, madness)
Information Dealer (wizards)
Merfolk Looter (madness)

Brainstorm (storm)
Careful Study (madness)
Obsessive Search U (madness)
Miscalculation 1U (cycling)
Rescind (cycling)
Ixidor's Will (wizards)
Temporal Fissure (storm)
Accumulated Knowledge
Exclude
Repulse
Quicksilver Dagger
Peek (storm)
Opt (storm)
Airborne Aid (birds)

Awesome!

[Thomas David Baker]

This is what I came up with.  Absolutely not written in stone even a tiny bit but it's a start.  Possibly too dense with synergy (hello Towerfall!) but lots of fun cards:

CU01 - Hapless Researcher U - creature, small (wizards, madness)
CU02 - Cloud of Faeries 1U - creature, small, flying (storm, cycling)
CU03 - Merfolk Looter 1U - creature, small (madness)
CU04 - Spire Owl 1U - creature, small, flying (birds)
CU05 - Aven Fogbringer 2U - creature, small, flying (birds, wizards)
CU06 - Mistform Wall 2U - creature, medium (birds, wizards)
CU07 - Aven Windreader 3UU - creature, medium, flying (birds, wizards)
CU08 - Shoreline Ranger 5U - creature, medium, flying, islandcycling (birds)
CU09 - Brainstorm U - draw (storm)
CU10 - Careful Study U - sorcery, card selection (storm, madness)
CU11 - Obsessive Search U - instant, cantrip (storm, madness)
CU12 - Opt U - instant, cantrip (storm)
CU12 - Miscalculation 1U - instant, counterspell (cycling)
CU13 - Accumulated Knowledge - instant, draw
CU14 - Ixidor's Will 2U - instant, counterspell (wizards)
CU15 - Repulse 2U - instant, bounce, cantrip
CU16 - Airborne Aid 3U - sorcery, draw (birds)
CU17 - Sift 3U - sorcery, draw (storm)
CU18 - Temporal Fissure - sorcery, bounce (storm)

Not sure about Temporal Fissure at common although I guess it doesn't do much at 5 mana without rituals.  Airborne Aid will look better when we have Battle Screech in.  Ixidor's Will is perhaps just bad and should be removed. 

Narrowly missed the cut: Keeneye Aven (birds, cycling), Cephalid Looter (madness), Rishadan Footpad, Rishadan Cutpurse, Information Dealer (wizards), Mistform Dreamer (birds, wizards).  In particular not sure if Cephalid Looter is better than Merfolk Looter or if Misform Dreamer would be better than Mistform Wall.

[Thomas David Baker]

Damn, missed Choking Tethers, Time Ebb, Rishadan Airship, Aether Burst, Aquamoeba and Dragon Wings from the Likes pile.  Of those Aquamoeba feels like the biggest miss.  Could slot it in for Ixidor's Will or one of the cantrips.  I think I can live without the others although Choking Tethers is pretty sweet.

[Simon O'Keeffe]

I think there is probably way too much draw/library manipulation at common there. 7 cards that do it is a lot! Could put Tethers in one of those slots.

I've only really trawled through W and U commons with Likes so far.

[James Mills]

Will you be including wild mongrel? Oh and Withered Wretch! They are awesome two drops!

[Thomas David Baker]

Agreed Simon - I am horribly in love with cantrips and can't stop myself.  Let's drop Opt for Tethers at the least.

Wild Mongrel seems certain to go in and Withered Wretch if the graveyward ends up being at all relevant.  Testing will tell us if Wild Mongrel is horribly OP.

Here's my stab at W commons despite not having a theme for WR (unless that's the cycling pair):

CW01 - Benevolent Bodyguard W - creature, small, combat trick (clerics)
CW02 - Battlefield Medic 1W - creature, small, combat trick (clerics)
CW03 - Expendable Troops 1W - creature, small, removal
CW04 - Disciple of Grace 1W - creature, small, protection (clerics, cycling)
CW05 - Disciple of Law 1W - creature, small, protection (clerics, cycling)
CW06 - Master Decoy 1W - creature, small, tapper
CW07 - Welkin Hawk 1W - creature, small, flying (birds)
CW08 - Auramancer 2W - creature, small (enchantments)
CW09 - Gustcloak Harrier 1WW - creature, small, flying (birds)
CW10 - Aven Redeemer 3W - creature, small, flying (birds, clerics)
CW11 - Daunting Defender 4W - creature, medium (clerics)
CW12 - Noble Templar 5W - creature, medium, vigilance (clerics)
CW13 - Kirtar's Desire W - aura, removal (enchantments)
CW14 - Seal of Cleansing 1W - enchantment, artifact/enchantment destruction (enchantments)
CW15 - Opal Gargoyle 1W - enchantment (enchantments)
CW16 - Pacifism 1W - aura, removal (enchantments)
CW17 - Opal Champion 2W - enchantment (enchantments)
CW18 - Radiant's Judgment 3W - removal (cycling)

*Really* not sure about the non-creatures there.  And all of it is just a vague stab not intended to be anything like final.

[Thomas David Baker]

Totally irrelevant data point.  Here are the blocks/sets of the cards we picked for U and W commons so far:

Tempest Block 5
Tempest 2
Stronghold 1
Exodus 2

Urza Block 9
Urza's Saga 4
Urza's Legacy 5
Urza's Destiny 0

Masques Block 3
Mercadian Masques 1
Nemesis 2
Prophecy 0

Invasion Block 1
Invasion 1
Planeshift 0
Apocalypse 0

Odyssey Block 9
Odyssey 4
Torment 2
Judgment 3

Onslaught Block 11
Onslaught 7
Legions 1
Scourge 3

[Thomas David Baker]

Receding yet further from relevance here are the same stats for MMA UW Commons:

Mirrodin Block 3
Mirrodin 1
Darksteel 2
Fifth Dawn 0

Kamigawa Block 5
Champions of Kamigawa 5
Saviors of Kamigawa 0
Betrayers of Kamigawa 0

Ravnica Block 1
Ravnica: City of Guilds 1
Dissension 0
Guildpact 0

Time Spiral Block 9
Time Spiral 4
Planar Chaos 3
Future Sight 2

Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Block 9
Lorwyn 6
Morningtide 2
Shadowmoor 0
Eventide 1

Shards of Alara Block 7
Shards of Alara 3
Conflux 4
Alara Reborn 0

Coldsnap 1

[Thomas David Baker]

Assuming BG theme is something to do with graveyard/threshold here are some possible B commons:

CB01 - Putrid Imp B - creature, small (threshold)
CB02 - Festering Goblin B - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CB03 - Carrion Feeder B - creature, small (sacrifice)
CB04 - Goblin Turncoat 1B - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CB05 - Disciple of Malice 1B - creature, small, protection (cycling, clerics)
CB06 - Death's-Head Buzzard 1BB - creature, small, flying (sacrifice, birds)
CB07 - Disease Carriers 2BB - creature, small (sacrifice)
CB08 - Screching Buzzard 3B - creature, small, flying (birds, sacrifice)
CB09 - Vile Deacon 2BB - creature, small (clerics)
CB10 - Skittering Horror 2B - creature, medium
CB11 - Innocent Blood B - removal (sacrifice)
CB12 - Unearth B - reanimation (cycling)
CB13 - Ghastly Demise B - removal (graveyard/threshold)
CB13 - Culling the Weak B - mana acceleration (sacrifice, storm)
CB14 - Cabal Ritual 1B - mana acceleration (threshold, storm)
CB15 - Swat 1BB - removal (cycling)
CB16 - Death Bomb 3B - removal (sacrifice)
CB17 - Patriarch's Desire 3B - removal (threshold)

The spells section here was SO hard because B has an insane selection of spells in this pool.  Dark Ritual, Snuff Out, Diabolic Edict, Exhume, Vendetta and more.  Five removal spells is probably too many.  MMA has three (Drag Down, Peppersmoke, Warren Weirding).

Dark Ritual seems OP for the format but it *might* be worth testing to make sure.  

For the sacrifice theme we are somewhat lacking in commons that want to die but hopefully uncommons and rares can push that theme.

[Glenn Goldsworthy]

SPORE FROG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thomas David Baker said:

Assuming BG theme is something to do with graveyard/threshold here are some possible B commons:

CB01 - Putrid Imp B - creature, small (threshold)
CB02 - Festering Goblin B - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CB03 - Carrion Feeder B - creature, small (sacrifice)
CB04 - Goblin Turncoat 1B - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CB05 - Disciple of Malice 1B - creature, small, protection (cycling, clerics)
CB06 - Death's-Head Buzzard 1BB - creature, small, flying (sacrifice, birds)
CB07 - Disease Carriers 2BB - creature, small (sacrifice)
CB08 - Screching Buzzard 3B - creature, small, flying (birds, sacrifice)
CB09 - Vile Deacon 2BB - creature, small (clerics)
CB10 - Skittering Horror 2B - creature, medium
CB11 - Innocent Blood B - removal (sacrifice)
CB12 - Unearth B - reanimation (cycling)
CB13 - Ghastly Demise B - removal (graveyard/threshold)
CB13 - Culling the Weak B - mana acceleration (sacrifice, storm)
CB14 - Cabal Ritual 1B - mana acceleration (threshold, storm)
CB15 - Swat 1BB - removal (cycling)
CB16 - Death Bomb 3B - removal (sacrifice)
CB17 - Patriarch's Desire 3B - removal (threshold)

The spells section here was SO hard because B has an insane selection of spells in this pool.  Dark Ritual, Snuff Out, Diabolic Edict, Exhume, Vendetta and more.  Five removal spells is probably too many.  MMA has three (Drag Down, Peppersmoke, Warren Weirding).

Dark Ritual seems OP for the format but it *might* be worth testing to make sure.  

For the sacrifice theme we are somewhat lacking in commons that want to die but hopefully uncommons and rares can push that theme.

[Thomas David Baker]

Spore Frog will obviously need to be bumped to Mythic.

Here are some red cards, with at least two too many pingers, if not three ...

CR01 - Goblin Sledder R - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CR02 - Skirk Prospector R - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CR03 - Goblin Lookout 1R - creature, small (goblins, sacrifice)
CR04 - Sparksmith 1R - creature, small, direct damage (goblins)
CR05 - Fireslinger 1R - creature, small, direct damage (wizards)
CR06 - Shock Troops 2R - creature, small (sacrifice)
CR07 - Mogg Flunkies 1R - creature, medium (goblins)
CR08 - Rock Jockey 2R - creature, medium (goblins)
CR09 - Chartooth Cougar 5R - creature, medium, landcyler
CR10 - Firebolt R - instant, direct damage
CR11 - Lavamancer's Skill 1R - direct damage (wizards)
CR12 - Kindle 1R - direct damage
CR13 - Blood Frenzy 1R - power boosting (sacrifice)
CR14 - Falter 1R - can't block
CR15 - Scattershot 2R - creature damage (storm)
CR16 - Thunderclap 2R - creature damage
CR17 - Scrap 2R - artifact destruction (cycling)
CR18 - Solar Blast 3R - direct damage (cycling)

[Philip Dickinson]

some great work going on with this tom! i unfortunately can't really do a lot during the day but this evening I'll be sure to have a look through ~the bakerverse~