@@dontstealmydiamondsv3156 "We didnt ban the problem card again because you fools are still buying product to get it" just doesnt have a nice ring to it
Clear and detailed communication like this is what every community wants. Thank you for this style of video you're a such a great bridge between us the players and wizards
Please convince someone at WotC to give us this level of depth and transparency for all formats. I don't even play pauper, but I watch these to see what we're missing from all other formats.
I don't always agree with the pfp, but I really like and respect how hands on and upfront you guys are about how the decisions come along, what you expect for the future and how's your perception on the format. Thanks a lot, pfp peeps!
@neros_soren ooo Grixis Affinity? Do tell. I've only ever built Azorius Affinity. I'd like to know as much as possible about it? What Lands do you run for support (artifact lands mostly I assume)? What do you run for interaction? What are like your midrange plays?
A human being walking through the logic of what led to a card's ban is what I believe is desperately needed. Like on camera, talking to us. This is fantastic, please, more of this.
I really liked the older, more heavily edited type of videos but honestly getting any sort of communication in video form such as this really great. Always enjoy getting insight into why cards are/aren't going in and out of the list and what the future holds
Is still there in the article. For me is nice because if you read the article then you already know the video but I can assure you that all the info you need are here.
@@dariocampanella7992 sorry I misread lol, yes the article is still great and I enjoyed reading it as always I just liked the other style of video more. Regardless I like getting any in depth communication about the direction of the game so as long as there's videos and articles I'm happy
This is the most in sync I've ever been with a format update. Great execution and future planning through and through. Grats Gavin and the team for their amazing work.
this kind of communication with the playerbase is so needed. Especially talking ahead of time about what the committee is thinking in regards to MH3 which helps set some expectations. thanks!
Hey Gavin, taking a long shot here. I had a idea for a card, commander or effect. Bare with me cause its just a rough idea but it sounded super fun and interesting. This would only work in commander games 4-8 people i think anyway, maybe once you hear it with your skills youll find ways to apply it to other formats. The idea is this, whoever makes a kill at the commander table gets a 5/5 zombie token with hexproof/indestructable and wither named after the person slain, or you get to take 5 cards from their deck and play them free or at a reduced rate. The thought of making corpse puppets of our slain oponenets and playing a form of their deck, or getting a beefed up creature is very aprealing. Its such a shame that the person who makes a kill doesnt have a chance to get something out of it aside from one less enemy. Thank you for everything you do for the Magic Gavin, you are a inspiration, we are lucky your there leaving your mark on the game.
Really liking this format of video. Good to hear your thinking process behind the bans. I like that you are thinking about the fun level of cards a lot as well as their power level
Hi Gavin! Thank you for the video and transparency. I personally would prefer a middle ground between you talking to the camera and animations with cards moving around. :) I really hope in that Modern will have a panel and video updates like this in the future.
Really like this level of transparency, it’s good seeing what you guys are thinking and what cards you think may be problems or what may just be strong or need to take action on. I’d really like this for other formats as well.
Thank you Gavin for the transparent and direct communication with us. It is very appealing to know what you guys think and we feel closer to the game thanks to this kind of videos. Of course editing is an upgrade but not a need. It would be great tho. Thanks you again!
Great analysis Gavin. Personally, I liked the splintertwin tension all that glitters with a hasted unblockable cookie created, but I see this may not be preferable MTG playstyles to others. You explained people contacted you that glitters created an unfun play experience. Did the MTGO data also show people were walking away from the format? In other words is it just a few vocal players or did the current state of the format make people quit playing? Love the ‘banning’ of stickers. I hated the card for its randomness and the discrepancy between MTGO and IRL MTG. Again thanks for the elaborate discussion and all the time and effort spend to cultivate the best MTG format.
I prefer this format for banlist explanations rather than the previous one. Thank you Gavin for taking the time to flesh out the reasoning for actions taken.
Listening to your reasons, giving it inflections and tone that are not made in our heads, makes it so much more personable and relatable to accept; instead of just reading the stoic version and trying to make up reasons of thought that explains the chocies. Continue with these infomercials, please.
I like the direct communication. I was doing some work in my kitchen while you were talking, and I was catching everything you said. I like to perform some functions while a "podcast" like video is going and the more structured videos kind of demand my full attention, because they also include a lot of visual information worth knowing (very worth watching al of your videos, the editor do a great job). For explanation videos like this, I think this was a very good format. It allows you to free script a little and pound out a lot of information in a faster turn around than a heavily scripted and edited video would allow. It definitely has a place in your GMM video line up of options.
I love this style of video! I hope that more people at Wizard’s see this as an effective way for communicating with the player base for all formats, changes, etc.
On the topic of artifact lands: I do love them. Pauper is the only format were I* can really play them affinity style. They make the deck so unique and I loved how it powered up other strategies. They are like the flicker cards - a pillar of the format. Something you can show a new player and say: "This is what you can do in the format". If they ever get banned, I hope it's one cycle at a time. Or maybe something like the OGs get hit, but Darksteel Citadel is still there. Like it was in modern. Thank you Gavin for your openness and insight.
As someone who enjoys understanding the game designer space magic works in, I like this more in depth approach. If i might suggest if you could provide some snapshots of the data points you utilize? My anecdotal experience does bias my understanding of the meta game space as a whole. It would be neat to get a peek under the hood of the otherside.
Acknowledging that its more work, having cards on screen for reference is helpful but I love this more intimate style for matters where people will be taking your words and talking about them across the socials
Really love to hear that y’all are taking the fun aspect into account when deciding what to hit. Win rates are important but the cards that just don’t create a fun environment make for good targets when picking. Great work!
Y'all are making the right call getting rid of stickers. Now just retroactively make the whole of unfinity silver border like it should have been from the jump. That set was a mistake to print the way it was.
I absolutely love the companion videos to the bans and unbans. I'm good with either format, but the amount of detail you give into the board's thought process builds so much trust from a player's perspective
Thank you for the open and onest talk. Overall, i love the direction of this format, and i hope that the other teams can learn from you guys. I personally would love this for every format: for example, i'd love to see kuldotha rebirth out of the format, and even if that doesn't happen, at least i have a WHY. Other formats are so alienating. I feel like every ban list is too many words for "we have no direction for this format, please do not notice this, here, be hyped for the next set!" . You guys are the only ones that seem to put the work and heart on these banlist, and you reach your community at every one of them. Keep up the good work
I have mostly moved from Yugioh to Pauper MTG, and I loved how open you are about the banning process, and love even more chill openness like this. Please do more of this!
I love this level of transparency. I read the article and I also saw that cards that brought stickers and attractions into the game were banned from Modern, Legacy and Vintage. The article was clear about why sticker-bringing cards were banned, but it wasn't clear why attraction-bringing cards were banned. Could you give some insight as to why attraction-bringing cards were banned as well?
I read the announcement and didn't really appreciate the separate page for the pauper explanation. However, I love this video and that you have your finger on the pulse of the upcoming horizons set. Good to know that you're proactive and I hope legacy has a similar handling.
I really liked those band announcement format. I pretty much just listen to this on my way home from work. You explain all the information as clear as can be, and I did not need to look at my screen to see what was happening.
1) I really like the talk to the camera vibes. It makes it feel more like a personal talk and that someone who actually cares is talking to you about why things have to change. 2) Absolutely excited to hear that you know to be on alert after mh3. Looking at a lot of the recent bans it feels like a lot of them were either a new card in a masters style set like modern horizons or a card that got downshifted in an masters set like commander masters. Especially with Modern Horizons I know I have felt like anyone is super slow to pull the trigger on banning those new cards (looking at Hogak and Fury). And while I understand that people want to do the broken busted things that's only fun for so long.
Props for the transparency, but also props for the logic / approach to the ban. In both the vid and the article you hit all the right notes that shouldn't leave anyone sensible having to wonder. It's not that the PFP hasn't made sensible bans before, it's that even sensible bans have received backlash due to the discourse and a perceived lack of transparency. I could go in detail on everything you did right in terms of both communication and approach this time. I'm also fairly confident that if what you did right here and communicated properly was done before, there would've been 95% less negativity towards either the PFP as a body or individual people on it. What you did this time inspires confidence, and deserves respect. I'll highlight some good things: - You banned a card that is inappropriate for the format, due to the play patterns. This means the world to anyone looking to play Pauper for what it is supposed to be, rather than play it instead of a more higher powered format that they can't afford. - You made it clear that Mono Red is exerting a similar influence, and then mentioned notable cards that any Pauper player, including their users, have had to wonder if they should really be legal, such as Galvanic Blast or Goblin Bushwhacker. My own advice regarding Mono Red is that if you're looking to go bold and proper, get rid of Kuldotha Rebirth itself. - This time it felt like you really discussed banning the Artifact Lands. This is very important to anyone who's been around a while and understands that "the storm scale" could've easily been called "the artifact lands scale", and that those things probably should have all been banned out at the formats inception. Keep in mind that not banning them at this point gets a pass because Glitters and Kuldotha have constricted the format to the point that somewhat obscures how hard they break other things - Krark Clan Shaman, Kenku Artificer, anything with Affinity, Makeshift Munitions, black "Plunder" card draw, and so on and so forth. As long as those lands are there, everything ever printed that has been priced and had it's rarity assigned as if it said "artifact" in its textbox will also be saying "or land", and potentially be a messed up card. And any multiplayer or downshift-heavy set is likely to stink up the format. So keep in mind that this time it was easier to get a pass while still not banning those things out, but it might be a hard sell in the future. - You, as in you personally, made it clear that there's a card you know is coming that might get booted immediately, and also that it's similar to what's been banned before. This is very, very good cred and inspires confidence. This, for many people, is the whole point of having curation, catching these things before they melt the format down and chase people away. I could go on, but follow up on this and be like this consistently, and you'll find praise and respect from people who you might expect to be the biggest critics of how the format has been handled so far (before the PFP was formed and after).
I like this format. You are engaging, earnest, and honest, discussing the decision(s) just made and some of the ideas about future bans. Keep up the great work!
I prefer the more heavily edited video style personally, but since this way is clearly much easier and faster for you to make and put out, this format definitely works for delivering time-sensitive information
The video was Engaging and very informative! As a new pauper/pEDH player, it makes me feel like the people who play high tier magic games really care for and maintain the formats and "balance" the meta. Thanks and Keep these types of videos going!!
As a paper magic player that only recently came back to competitive play, the two things that bother me the most are weather the storm (basically no way to interact with it beyond mirrorshell Crab) and the initiative mechanic (super frustrating). They don't appear to be popular online, but I see them all the time in paper in decks like altar Tron and various gardens decks. Weather the storm acts like a time walk for altar Tron most of the time.
I like this style of video and the other. I think you're right this is a companion piece, and whether it's a companion for the article or a different video, it continues the pauper panel s great transparency and communication.
I think this kinda thing could be done again (a side deck) but make it like learn. "Either open an attraction, or draw a card and discard a card" (or some alternate effect). Or just adding in the word "may"
Thank you, was needed since last Geddon, many "non games" were played. The deck had an "oops I win" button when opponent was lacking removal, and that's definitely busted.
I love the mirrodin artifact lands, but some of them are getting kinda expensive. Imo, it's really important to try to keep the vast majority of relevant pauper decks under $50
Mirrodin Lands are your concern?!?! *looks over to Relic of Progenitus, Prismatic Strands, SNUFF OUT* Those are more generally played than the Mirrodin Lands, BUT I agree...we seriously need some reprints if they stay in the format. Either in MH3 or extra sheet, like they did with Journey.
I thought the format of this video was great, Gavin. Thank you for the insight and the thought behind this. Would love to see more of this in the future. Thanks.
I have a crucial question. Only One week After the official release of MH3 there Will be a paupergeddon in Pisa, a tournament with i believe 600+ players. You've said that because of THAT broken card that probably needs a ban you Guys Will take actions fast. Ok. How much fast we are talking about, here? I don't want to waste Money and time on a deck that Will get his core cards banned maybe two or three days becore an huge tournament like that One.
This is not related to pauper, but did you ever consider a Secret Lair: Triomes edition following on from the Pathways? Would be really cool to get Capenna Triomes in Ikoria art and vice versa so we can have matching art styles.
I like both kinds of videos, so I dont think Ill be disappointed either way. But personally this is nice because it feels more like a podcast I can listen to while commuting and not feel like Im missing anything.
The overall B&R announcement does not state the banning to stickers and attraction bans are also being implemented in pauper, but does say it in your article. Was that missed?
The announcement does state it. I don't know if they updated it or if it was always there, but it definitely is now, right at the top of the announcement.
Gavin, do you think with the banning of cards from all formats except Commander we'll see cards released to only Commander in the future? As to avoid needing to design cards for that format without needing to worry about warping Vintage/Legacy (and potentially pauper)?
Really feels like, if there is a major tournament, you could move the ban Announcement forward or backwards considering the announcements are much easier to move around a little than the tournaments. Seems like a lot of people are going to be massively screwed by this change with no heads up.
Original artifact lands are certainly beloved and iconic, but I think they are a big issue for the format. It's basically ancient tomb for some affinity spells on top of giving a boost, with no downside of entering tapped. I think, by only leaving the bridges as the only artifact lands, will slow a lot of decks (affinity, mono red, synthetiser to name a few) and maybe allow some unbans
I really wish there was a way to have limited the effectiveness of glitters in artifact decks while not killing bogles. (there was, its called banning the artifact lands)
Hi Gavin! When the spooky MH3 common is officially spoiled, are you going to tell us that it's the one you're planning to ban? Or are you going to wait until the official B&R announcement?
I've noticed recently that there have been a lot of cards that have effects that trigger at the beginning of the precombat mainphase (sagas, party thrasher, there was another from MH3), whats up with this in the design space? What happened to upkeep triggering? It seems more powerful as you can float mana like with Urza's sage or just have more info for Party Thrasher but why the gradual change away or just adding of pre combat mainphase triggering?
I’m more for this style if this is easier on you lol I will also say what I enjoy most of the other style is the breaking into “chapters.” Maybe a text pop up when we move to the next question/ point? Thanks again!
I don't play Pauper, but next to Legacy and Modern (and Commander, but I play that) it's one of the formats I pay attention to the most. I really like this format in conjunction with the article instead of just a copy of the article.
It's fascinating to hear that there's a common in MH3 you already expect to ban. Was this an oversight in the design process Pauper-wise, or an intentional pushing of the common power level?
Pauper having this level of transparency from you (and by extension the PFP) is amazing! We all really appreciate it. I totally agree with the ban of All That Glitters. It's the type of card that forces games into a binary state ("do you have removal or do I win?") which is always going to be an issue. I'm glad we got to have some fun with the card before it got banned! :) I look forward to more rarity downshifts in the future as always.
Does this philosophy change the fundamental design philosophy for future cards? Like, for instance, seeing problem cards during design and playtesting and not printing them.
If you haven’t before could you do a video on the panels for each format. I’m curious how someone gets onto the panel and if the panels are managed by wotc or not? Also are they enforced by wotc or just accepted that the panels rules are correct.
I love how open the communication about pauper is, I also love this style of companion video.
Agreed. Why can't they do this for other formats?
@@mattm7798I imagine it wouldnt be a good look for Wotc if we got to see the full balancing process behind their actually monetized formats
@@dontstealmydiamondsv3156 "We didnt ban the problem card again because you fools are still buying product to get it" just doesnt have a nice ring to it
Gavin does this because he’s on the Pauper council and also has this GMM channel. Would like to see the same idea on another channel for sure
@@andrewp6738 Nah, they'll just say Modern and Standard are fine...oh BTW please buy our new play boosters.
Clear and detailed communication like this is what every community wants. Thank you for this style of video you're a such a great bridge between us the players and wizards
Please convince someone at WotC to give us this level of depth and transparency for all formats.
I don't even play pauper, but I watch these to see what we're missing from all other formats.
I thought the B&R announcement was pretty good overall this time, but this is really going above & beyond and I love it.
@@51gunner
The modern summary claimed that the best leyline/scion deck was murktide and completely ignored zoo.
No gold stars there from me.
Direct communication is good
We need to see the cards in question, but yeah don't need too much flash when it's got solid content.
This level of transparency is really appreciated
I don't always agree with the pfp, but I really like and respect how hands on and upfront you guys are about how the decisions come along, what you expect for the future and how's your perception on the format. Thanks a lot, pfp peeps!
Andrea Mengucci is in shambles right now.
He predicted the ban like a couple weeks ago
He plays Ephemerate rakdos madness & cawgates this doesn’t affect him.
Wait… is there a madness deck in pauper? Can you link a list? Love madness since forever
Tbh, he is not a good advice about bannings, he complained about inverter of truths ban in pioneer and the fury ban in modern
Luckily, pauper decks are very cheap, and the affinity archetype will still be good.
I've never watched official Magic content, but I feel like this new idea is a great first impression.
I saw you on Prof's channel, and got curious.
Thanks for coming over and watching! :)
I was just looking at building an All
That Glitters deck! Thank goodness I saved that $20
Pauper supremacy
I already had an all that glitters deck, now i have to figure out what to replace it with :/
I just ordered mine before I looked at the new list lol
@@7fatrats You can just go back to UW affinity. Was already quite strong pre glitters. Or you switch over to Grixis Affinity.
@neros_soren ooo Grixis Affinity? Do tell. I've only ever built Azorius Affinity. I'd like to know as much as possible about it? What Lands do you run for support (artifact lands mostly I assume)? What do you run for interaction? What are like your midrange plays?
A human being walking through the logic of what led to a card's ban is what I believe is desperately needed. Like on camera, talking to us.
This is fantastic, please, more of this.
LOVE this style. Thanks for the open communication
Damn I was planning on sleeving up Bogles this weekend. Gonna miss having 8 ethereal armors. Maybe one day we can get "some that glitters"
I really liked the older, more heavily edited type of videos but honestly getting any sort of communication in video form such as this really great. Always enjoy getting insight into why cards are/aren't going in and out of the list and what the future holds
Is still there in the article. For me is nice because if you read the article then you already know the video but I can assure you that all the info you need are here.
@@dariocampanella7992 Gavin still wrote an article for this one at least. It's on the magic site as always
@@dariocampanella7992 sorry I misread lol, yes the article is still great and I enjoyed reading it as always I just liked the other style of video more. Regardless I like getting any in depth communication about the direction of the game so as long as there's videos and articles I'm happy
Happy to see the sticker ban! As for Glitters, it’s understandable.
It is so understandable that, despite Cranial Plating being a known and banned problem before AtG's reprint at common, it was indeed downshifted.
Cheers Gavin! Best version of a ban discussion video from the PFP by far. Thank you for giving as much background and detail as you can.
This is the most in sync I've ever been with a format update. Great execution and future planning through and through. Grats Gavin and the team for their amazing work.
this kind of communication with the playerbase is so needed. Especially talking ahead of time about what the committee is thinking in regards to MH3 which helps set some expectations. thanks!
*unsleeving my glitters deck while this video plays*
RIP
Hey Gavin, taking a long shot here. I had a idea for a card, commander or effect. Bare with me cause its just a rough idea but it sounded super fun and interesting. This would only work in commander games 4-8 people i think anyway, maybe once you hear it with your skills youll find ways to apply it to other formats. The idea is this, whoever makes a kill at the commander table gets a 5/5 zombie token with hexproof/indestructable and wither named after the person slain, or you get to take 5 cards from their deck and play them free or at a reduced rate. The thought of making corpse puppets of our slain oponenets and playing a form of their deck, or getting a beefed up creature is very aprealing. Its such a shame that the person who makes a kill doesnt have a chance to get something out of it aside from one less enemy. Thank you for everything you do for the Magic Gavin, you are a inspiration, we are lucky your there leaving your mark on the game.
Really liking this format of video. Good to hear your thinking process behind the bans. I like that you are thinking about the fun level of cards a lot as well as their power level
Hi Gavin, just an idea - maybe it's worth it to link the B&R article in the description 😊
Added! Thanks for the note 😄
Hi Gavin! Thank you for the video and transparency. I personally would prefer a middle ground between you talking to the camera and animations with cards moving around. :) I really hope in that Modern will have a panel and video updates like this in the future.
Really like this level of transparency, it’s good seeing what you guys are thinking and what cards you think may be problems or what may just be strong or need to take action on. I’d really like this for other formats as well.
I liked seeing the cards on screen and your thoughts about them and the format as a whole. This was a good video in my opinion. Good job
Thank you Gavin for the transparent and direct communication with us. It is very appealing to know what you guys think and we feel closer to the game thanks to this kind of videos. Of course editing is an upgrade but not a need. It would be great tho. Thanks you again!
Great analysis Gavin. Personally, I liked the splintertwin tension all that glitters with a hasted unblockable cookie created, but I see this may not be preferable MTG playstyles to others. You explained people contacted you that glitters created an unfun play experience. Did the MTGO data also show people were walking away from the format? In other words is it just a few vocal players or did the current state of the format make people quit playing?
Love the ‘banning’ of stickers. I hated the card for its randomness and the discrepancy between MTGO and IRL MTG.
Again thanks for the elaborate discussion and all the time and effort spend to cultivate the best MTG format.
Definitely like this style of down to earth explanation of B&R update, would like this to see more in the future.
I prefer this format for banlist explanations rather than the previous one. Thank you Gavin for taking the time to flesh out the reasoning for actions taken.
Listening to your reasons, giving it inflections and tone that are not made in our heads, makes it so much more personable and relatable to accept; instead of just reading the stoic version and trying to make up reasons of thought that explains the chocies. Continue with these infomercials, please.
I like the direct communication. I was doing some work in my kitchen while you were talking, and I was catching everything you said. I like to perform some functions while a "podcast" like video is going and the more structured videos kind of demand my full attention, because they also include a lot of visual information worth knowing (very worth watching al of your videos, the editor do a great job). For explanation videos like this, I think this was a very good format. It allows you to free script a little and pound out a lot of information in a faster turn around than a heavily scripted and edited video would allow. It definitely has a place in your GMM video line up of options.
I love this style of video! I hope that more people at Wizard’s see this as an effective way for communicating with the player base for all formats, changes, etc.
On the topic of artifact lands:
I do love them. Pauper is the only format were I* can really play them affinity style.
They make the deck so unique and I loved how it powered up other strategies.
They are like the flicker cards - a pillar of the format. Something you can show a new player and say: "This is what you can do in the format".
If they ever get banned, I hope it's one cycle at a time. Or maybe something like the OGs get hit, but Darksteel Citadel is still there. Like it was in modern.
Thank you Gavin for your openness and insight.
What a surprise, artifact lands are possibly problematic...
Please create the coconut commander for Ayrton "If Plants is a creature type, so should be Coconuts, #CoconutCommander"
As someone who enjoys understanding the game designer space magic works in, I like this more in depth approach. If i might suggest if you could provide some snapshots of the data points you utilize? My anecdotal experience does bias my understanding of the meta game space as a whole. It would be neat to get a peek under the hood of the otherside.
Really love just hearing your thoughts talking to the camera like this. Would love to see it again.
Acknowledging that its more work, having cards on screen for reference is helpful but I love this more intimate style for matters where people will be taking your words and talking about them across the socials
I dont even play pauper, but this video format was engaging enough for me to listen to while vacuuming my house ❤
I like these videos because they're informal in a way that's efficient and simple. Fits the vibe of talking about bans.
Really love to hear that y’all are taking the fun aspect into account when deciding what to hit. Win rates are important but the cards that just don’t create a fun environment make for good targets when picking. Great work!
Y'all are making the right call getting rid of stickers. Now just retroactively make the whole of unfinity silver border like it should have been from the jump. That set was a mistake to print the way it was.
I absolutely love the companion videos to the bans and unbans. I'm good with either format, but the amount of detail you give into the board's thought process builds so much trust from a player's perspective
I liked the video! I would still like the original article linked in the description though.
Thank you for the open and onest talk. Overall, i love the direction of this format, and i hope that the other teams can learn from you guys. I personally would love this for every format: for example, i'd love to see kuldotha rebirth out of the format, and even if that doesn't happen, at least i have a WHY.
Other formats are so alienating. I feel like every ban list is too many words for "we have no direction for this format, please do not notice this, here, be hyped for the next set!" .
You guys are the only ones that seem to put the work and heart on these banlist, and you reach your community at every one of them.
Keep up the good work
I have mostly moved from Yugioh to Pauper MTG, and I loved how open you are about the banning process, and love even more chill openness like this. Please do more of this!
I love this level of transparency. I read the article and I also saw that cards that brought stickers and attractions into the game were banned from Modern, Legacy and Vintage. The article was clear about why sticker-bringing cards were banned, but it wasn't clear why attraction-bringing cards were banned. Could you give some insight as to why attraction-bringing cards were banned as well?
Your communication with all these announcements is A++++. Couldn’t ask for more.
I read the announcement and didn't really appreciate the separate page for the pauper explanation. However, I love this video and that you have your finger on the pulse of the upcoming horizons set. Good to know that you're proactive and I hope legacy has a similar handling.
I really liked those band announcement format. I pretty much just listen to this on my way home from work. You explain all the information as clear as can be, and I did not need to look at my screen to see what was happening.
1) I really like the talk to the camera vibes. It makes it feel more like a personal talk and that someone who actually cares is talking to you about why things have to change.
2) Absolutely excited to hear that you know to be on alert after mh3. Looking at a lot of the recent bans it feels like a lot of them were either a new card in a masters style set like modern horizons or a card that got downshifted in an masters set like commander masters. Especially with Modern Horizons I know I have felt like anyone is super slow to pull the trigger on banning those new cards (looking at Hogak and Fury). And while I understand that people want to do the broken busted things that's only fun for so long.
The candid nature of this video is wonderful. Much appreciated, Gavin!
Honestly I wish you would do something like this for the other formats.
I like having the card showcase in the video, just the right size ,and although I don't play this format. Still a great communicative video.
Props for the transparency, but also props for the logic / approach to the ban. In both the vid and the article you hit all the right notes that shouldn't leave anyone sensible having to wonder. It's not that the PFP hasn't made sensible bans before, it's that even sensible bans have received backlash due to the discourse and a perceived lack of transparency.
I could go in detail on everything you did right in terms of both communication and approach this time. I'm also fairly confident that if what you did right here and communicated properly was done before, there would've been 95% less negativity towards either the PFP as a body or individual people on it. What you did this time inspires confidence, and deserves respect.
I'll highlight some good things:
- You banned a card that is inappropriate for the format, due to the play patterns. This means the world to anyone looking to play Pauper for what it is supposed to be, rather than play it instead of a more higher powered format that they can't afford.
- You made it clear that Mono Red is exerting a similar influence, and then mentioned notable cards that any Pauper player, including their users, have had to wonder if they should really be legal, such as Galvanic Blast or Goblin Bushwhacker. My own advice regarding Mono Red is that if you're looking to go bold and proper, get rid of Kuldotha Rebirth itself.
- This time it felt like you really discussed banning the Artifact Lands. This is very important to anyone who's been around a while and understands that "the storm scale" could've easily been called "the artifact lands scale", and that those things probably should have all been banned out at the formats inception. Keep in mind that not banning them at this point gets a pass because Glitters and Kuldotha have constricted the format to the point that somewhat obscures how hard they break other things - Krark Clan Shaman, Kenku Artificer, anything with Affinity, Makeshift Munitions, black "Plunder" card draw, and so on and so forth. As long as those lands are there, everything ever printed that has been priced and had it's rarity assigned as if it said "artifact" in its textbox will also be saying "or land", and potentially be a messed up card. And any multiplayer or downshift-heavy set is likely to stink up the format. So keep in mind that this time it was easier to get a pass while still not banning those things out, but it might be a hard sell in the future.
- You, as in you personally, made it clear that there's a card you know is coming that might get booted immediately, and also that it's similar to what's been banned before. This is very, very good cred and inspires confidence. This, for many people, is the whole point of having curation, catching these things before they melt the format down and chase people away.
I could go on, but follow up on this and be like this consistently, and you'll find praise and respect from people who you might expect to be the biggest critics of how the format has been handled so far (before the PFP was formed and after).
I like this format. You are engaging, earnest, and honest, discussing the decision(s) just made and some of the ideas about future bans. Keep up the great work!
I prefer the more heavily edited video style personally, but since this way is clearly much easier and faster for you to make and put out, this format definitely works for delivering time-sensitive information
Awesome format appreciate the transparency on thought process and the look ahead very easy to trust the format with this type of info being shared
The video was Engaging and very informative! As a new pauper/pEDH player, it makes me feel like the people who play high tier magic games really care for and maintain the formats and "balance" the meta. Thanks and Keep these types of videos going!!
is a one-on-one indeed Gavin, and I'm looking intro your eyes and saying, THANK YOU!!
As a paper magic player that only recently came back to competitive play, the two things that bother me the most are weather the storm (basically no way to interact with it beyond mirrorshell Crab) and the initiative mechanic (super frustrating). They don't appear to be popular online, but I see them all the time in paper in decks like altar Tron and various gardens decks. Weather the storm acts like a time walk for altar Tron most of the time.
I like this style of video and the other. I think you're right this is a companion piece, and whether it's a companion for the article or a different video, it continues the pauper panel s great transparency and communication.
I think this kinda thing could be done again (a side deck) but make it like learn. "Either open an attraction, or draw a card and discard a card" (or some alternate effect). Or just adding in the word "may"
Thanks for the talk - good method for rolling out the news. 📰
Thank you, was needed since last Geddon, many "non games" were played. The deck had an "oops I win" button when opponent was lacking removal, and that's definitely busted.
I enjoyed this conversational explanation of the thought process behind this ban.
I love the mirrodin artifact lands, but some of them are getting kinda expensive. Imo, it's really important to try to keep the vast majority of relevant pauper decks under $50
Mirrodin Lands are your concern?!?!
*looks over to Relic of Progenitus, Prismatic Strands, SNUFF OUT*
Those are more generally played than the Mirrodin Lands, BUT I agree...we seriously need some reprints if they stay in the format. Either in MH3 or extra sheet, like they did with Journey.
@neros_soren mostly just bringing them up since they were talked about in the video lol, I agree there are waaaay more egregious examples
I thought the format of this video was great, Gavin. Thank you for the insight and the thought behind this. Would love to see more of this in the future. Thanks.
Ban the bridges and downshift Vandalblast. In the current state Affinity will always be on the edge of being a problem
Talking directly feels really good since it gives more context then just talking into the aether
Thank you for the video, the transparency is truly appreciate. Comparing the video formats however, I prefer your previous more formal variant
I have a crucial question. Only One week After the official release of MH3 there Will be a paupergeddon in Pisa, a tournament with i believe 600+ players. You've said that because of THAT broken card that probably needs a ban you Guys Will take actions fast. Ok. How much fast we are talking about, here? I don't want to waste Money and time on a deck that Will get his core cards banned maybe two or three days becore an huge tournament like that One.
This is not related to pauper, but did you ever consider a Secret Lair: Triomes edition following on from the Pathways? Would be really cool to get Capenna Triomes in Ikoria art and vice versa so we can have matching art styles.
This is great Gavin. Please continue to make these B&R explanation videos.
I like both kinds of videos, so I dont think Ill be disappointed either way. But personally this is nice because it feels more like a podcast I can listen to while commuting and not feel like Im missing anything.
This is way better than you simply rereading the mothership article with visuals, and very appreciated.
The overall B&R announcement does not state the banning to stickers and attraction bans are also being implemented in pauper, but does say it in your article. Was that missed?
The announcement does state it. I don't know if they updated it or if it was always there, but it definitely is now, right at the top of the announcement.
I don’t even play Pauper, but watching this rundown was really nice. We love transparency!
Gavin, do you think with the banning of cards from all formats except Commander we'll see cards released to only Commander in the future? As to avoid needing to design cards for that format without needing to worry about warping Vintage/Legacy (and potentially pauper)?
Thanks for checking in, liked it just fine.
Really feels like, if there is a major tournament, you could move the ban Announcement forward or backwards considering the announcements are much easier to move around a little than the tournaments. Seems like a lot of people are going to be massively screwed by this change with no heads up.
I would like this style of video for all formats explaining B&R decisions.
Original artifact lands are certainly beloved and iconic, but I think they are a big issue for the format. It's basically ancient tomb for some affinity spells on top of giving a boost, with no downside of entering tapped.
I think, by only leaving the bridges as the only artifact lands, will slow a lot of decks (affinity, mono red, synthetiser to name a few) and maybe allow some unbans
I really wish there was a way to have limited the effectiveness of glitters in artifact decks while not killing bogles. (there was, its called banning the artifact lands)
Hi Gavin! When the spooky MH3 common is officially spoiled, are you going to tell us that it's the one you're planning to ban? Or are you going to wait until the official B&R announcement?
Recent sets have added a lot of cards that mess around with Food, Clue, and Treasure tokens. How do these impact artifacts matter-cards?
Banning every busted pay-off for affinity is cool and stuff but when are we adressing the real issue and ban the MH2 artifact dual lands for good?
They don’t think about the future, just like to have something to ban every couple sets just to say they are doing something
I've noticed recently that there have been a lot of cards that have effects that trigger at the beginning of the precombat mainphase (sagas, party thrasher, there was another from MH3), whats up with this in the design space? What happened to upkeep triggering? It seems more powerful as you can float mana like with Urza's sage or just have more info for Party Thrasher but why the gradual change away or just adding of pre combat mainphase triggering?
Hmmm.... Sounds like a good video idea. On my list now, look for it in the future! :)
I’m more for this style if this is easier on you lol
I will also say what I enjoy most of the other style is the breaking into “chapters.” Maybe a text pop up when we move to the next question/ point?
Thanks again!
Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t sign up for that tourney this weekend…
I don't play Pauper, but next to Legacy and Modern (and Commander, but I play that) it's one of the formats I pay attention to the most. I really like this format in conjunction with the article instead of just a copy of the article.
It's fascinating to hear that there's a common in MH3 you already expect to ban. Was this an oversight in the design process Pauper-wise, or an intentional pushing of the common power level?
More checkins would be great for the format
Would love more content like this for more formtats
Pauper having this level of transparency from you (and by extension the PFP) is amazing! We all really appreciate it. I totally agree with the ban of All That Glitters. It's the type of card that forces games into a binary state ("do you have removal or do I win?") which is always going to be an issue. I'm glad we got to have some fun with the card before it got banned! :) I look forward to more rarity downshifts in the future as always.
Love these videos and i trully wish every format had a Gavin. You are such an incredible asset to the game
Thank you for the insight, Gavin! Are there any plans on making Pauper the RC format in the future?
Does this philosophy change the fundamental design philosophy for future cards? Like, for instance, seeing problem cards during design and playtesting and not printing them.
If you haven’t before could you do a video on the panels for each format. I’m curious how someone gets onto the panel and if the panels are managed by wotc or not? Also are they enforced by wotc or just accepted that the panels rules are correct.
If only we had videos like this for modern
This is a great way to do these types of videos imo. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the thoughtful discussion, really enjoyed the new format!