Lately I’ve heard a lot of fuss over Torment; the set that has a morbid imbalance of black cards, which seems to have upset the T2 tourney scene. I find this hilarious considering the set isn’t official until March, but you know how those incredulous players like to dismiss Torment and think that T2 will move on without it.

Time to wake up and smell the cow shit guys, your going to have to cope sooner or later. The impact of hardcore splash-color decks is debilitating, and mono-color could soon see a rise. I doubt it will happen while Invasion is still here, but when the next expansion comes around, pfffft, kiss those admirable counters and uncounterable burn cards good-bye. For those of you who think this is unfair, WOTC deciding to make a single color strengthened, I pity you. Obviously you’ve enjoyed the last eight years of deck scenes revolving around control and lock down. I’m tired of it, and thank God there is a change or else I might take business elsewhere.

Some people might not have heard of a diversified environment. If diversified is not the word for you then your more than welcome to call it challenging. Just don’t call it pointless, idiotic, or mundane. I will use a metaphor for marketing strategies, one also cited in the article Wizards of the Coast published as a response to the questionable nature of the new set, Torment. This metaphor is based upon the infamous game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Why don’t you sit down every night and play Tic-Tac-Toe? I can answer that for you if just give me one chance. It’s no longer exciting; it’s dull, overplayed, and whomever goes first is almost guaranteed to win due to the strategy unlocked by your, hopefully well-functioning, brain. There is a strategy that let’s you win every time, and if you don’t win, it’s because your friend knows that strategy as well, and attempts to shut it down.

How does this pertain to Magic? You’re nothing short of a nincompoop if you have to ask yourself this question. Magic is a game, just like everything else, but why has it lasted eight years and running? It’s because the wonderful people over at Wizards know their marketing shit when it kicks them in the ass. They won’t let their CCG fall under because of lack of originality. They are saving us precious years of this hobby by adding a twist to the game. This twist makes us think; it makes us unravel the intuition contained in our body that we think of as a thought processor. These intuitions have been originally blinded by games ruled with the same strategies over and over. Then Magic: The Gathering came out, along with new expansions, new sets, and new mechanics demanding new tactics. You think it took a rocket scientist ten years to figure out what happens if you donate an Illusions of Grandeur to your opponent? Wizards of the Coast has made this card game the best in the world, simply because they know the ways to keep people in the game, without allowing others to abuse the game with simple win combos. That’s why we have restricted cards, banned cards, and tourney scenes for four major tourney types, along with constructed and limited play.

So when an ingenious team from Seattle finds a new way to make us think over our deck strategies, I find it better to praise them for not allowing an environment that inhibits change. Change allows the world to revolve, it allows progression, and best of all it attracts people. Do you think we got to computers by saying “I wonder what will happen if I leave this calculator here, I sure hope it will morph into some two thousand dollar thinking machine”? Magic is the same way, you can’t hope for someone to unlock some hidden win strategy over the same number of cards. People aren’t stupid; they’ll find it when it gets there.

The other big issue with Odyssey Block is the large casting cost of some cards. All I have to say is BIG DEAL! Those cards aren’t worth crap now, some are hype, and some are lost causes, but what if that’s what it comes down to when Invasion leaves? I’m referring to the fact that in order to win a game, we will need some of those cards to get a grip on a mono-color environment. Sure, Torment allows U/B Control and B/R decks to withhold their prowess in the T2 scene, but if that diminishes, what’s next? I am sure glad WOTC has their act together, and there isn’t a reason in the world why you should knock on the resignation door just because you don’t like the way things are running. Adaptation is a crucial part to survival, outside the realm of Magic, as well as in. If you’re hooked on W/U and R/G decks, time to move on. I have a good feeling they’ll die in T2 when Invasion leaves, so it’s better to move on and change. You’ll see the big picture eventually; I know I have.

-Chris Jenkins