Pattern Recognition #126 -Standard Formats

Features Opinion Pattern Recognition

berryjon

10 October 2019

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Hello everyone! Welcome back to Pattern Recognition! This is TappedOut.net's longest running article series. In it, I aim to bring to you each week a new article about some piece of Magic, be it a card, a mechanic, a deck, or something more fundamental or abstract. I am something of an Old Fogey and part-time Smart Ass, so I sometimes talk out my ass. Feel free to dissent or just plain old correct me! I also have a Patreon if you feel like helping out.

Long ago, I talked about the Extended Format, and in the into to that, I introduced Standard as a format. Well, I kinda glossed over it then in favour of getting to my intended subject matter, but now I think I should take some time to actually look at that format, how it's changed and not changed over the years, and then explain how I think it could fit into the different formats and how to present it as such.

Formalized on Januaury 10th, 1995, Standard is a format that I still refer to as Type 2 when I want to express my age. You see, back in the start of the game, when the formats were being developed, they weren't actually names, but rather they were given numbers. Vintage and Legacy became Type 1 and Type 1.5, while the format that would be known as Standard was the second official format, hence the Type 2 name.

In definition, Standard is a Rotating Format, where once a year, all sets that are over a year old are removed from the format, rotating out to make room for the sets that will be released over the next year.

Now, this was not always the case, as over the past few Years, Wizards has been working with the setup of Standard in order to try and alleviate some of the well-justified concerns over it. So, let me start at the beginning.

Way back when, in the original days of Magic, Standard was tied to the Core Set concept. That is, Standard was always anchored to a Core Set in terms of when and how it rotated. Let me give an example because I'm sure I'm confusing even myself.

Actually, before I can explain this, I need to step back even further and explain how Blocks were constructed back in the day. You see, every year, Wizards would put out a Core Set - or "Edition" as they were called before they wised up and realized that they shouldn't be implying Rules changes with each new one - and three sets in a "Block", three sets with a common theme and mechanics to help tie the whole thing together. The Core Set was released in the summer, and the three blocks over the course of a year until the next Core Set was released.

No. No. Stop. That wasn't how it went. That was when the Core Sets started being named that. Back when they were still Editions, from 5th to 10th, every alternate summer, a special set was released. For example, Unhinged was released in 2004 to fill in the gap between 8th and 9th Editions and Coldsnap filled in between 9th and 10th, then Lorwyn/Shadowmoor had four sets in the block before Wizards went from M10 to Magic 2010 and the yearly Core Sets.

So, here's how it went. You had Core Set 1 / (Block A) / (Block B) / Core Set 2 / (Block C) / (Block D) / Core Set 3. From there, Standard would be Core Set 1 , A , B, then it would rotate from Core Set to Core Set, going to B, Core Set2 , adding in Block C as it was released. Once Block C was fully released, then it would knock out Block B, and add Block D until finally Core Set 3 replaced Core Set 2. There was always a Core Set, and Standard was considered 'rotated' once the axle that was the Core Set was changed.

Then Wizards moved to a yearly Core set from M10 to Origins, and for six years the Core Set would rotate out with the Block that it ended off. Then Wizards dropped the Core Sets and things got ... well, let's be honest here, kinda ugly.

You see, even now, after the fact, I couldn't tell you what was in Standard and when in the space between Magic Origins and Magic 2019. You see, it was in this time frame that the inevitable occurred, and the constant problems that hounded Standard came to a head and Wizards forced themselves to change it, and how it was presented.

You see, Standard is not Wizards favourite format. Nor is it the player bases' in the general. Yes, some people do, including myself. It's even listed as my favourite format in my profile here on TappedOut for a reason! But here, we have to face the historical issues with Standard, and hoo-boy are they doozies.

Let's start with the one that is the single more common and accurate complaint that people have with the format. The one that killed Extended and made Modern so popular. Because Standard is a rotating format, old cards are removed from the format as time goes on with new cards added in. Not so bad, right?

Well, how much money are you planning on spending on Magic cards? For a box, or just the singles? How much time and effort are you willing to invest in designing a deck that has a shelf life of, at best 12 months, assuming that it even survives three?

Standard's biggest issue that that its constant weaving of new sets into the fabric of the game while taking old ones out is a drain on the player who makes the effort to take it seriously. It's this that causes players to burn out of the format and move into non-rotating formats. Like Modern or Commander, or just embrace the ever-changing deck building and invest in draft formats like Conspiracy or just plain old Draft and Sealed.

Another issue for Standard is that it is the most, or rather least balanced of the Formats. The constant shifting of cards, in addition to the long lead time on making new ones means that Standard is the one most playtested in house for Wizards. You may have heard of the Future Future League, Wizards own internal league where they playtest decks with prototype versions of cards from sets up to a year in advance in order to better understand just how the cards play outside of design, and to predict any problem interactions that might arise.

Now, this isn't to say that they catch everything. The combination of Felidar Guardian and Saheeli Rai as a game-breaking combo was apparently the result of the FFL seeing something coming, and changing the former to affect any permanent instead of affecting any creature you control at the last minute. This created an arbitrarily limited loop (which is not, by dint of technicality, an Infinite Loop) where you would play Saheeli Rai on Turn 3, then play the Felidar Guardian on Turn 4. The Guardian would Flicker the Planeswalker, and she would come back into play with 3. She would then pay the -2 to create a token copy of the Guardian with Haste. This token would enter the battlefield and then flicker the Planeswalker again, resetting her loyalty and allowing her to create another token which would flicker the 'walker and....

You get the idea, right? Two card totally-not-infinite-I-swear Combos are bad news, enough that Wizards banned the Guardian for the duration of the set's existence in Standard because of it.

Now, to be fair, this is an extreme example, but I think it does get the point across. Standard is a fast moving format, enough so that there is no real time to create solutions to problem cards inside the format. Unlike other formats, where there are plenty of solutions to problems already baked in, and it takes serious effort to get a card onto the ban list of Modern or Commander, the banlist for Standard has been a constant fact of life since 1995. So much effort, and mistakes still happen.

Standard's balance is an unstable top, and while I should write an article about Bans in the future, I can summarize my conclusion to that right now - it's a hammer when sometimes you don't need one, but the rotating format allows Wizards to either ignore problem cards if they're not too bad, knowing they'll be gone sooner, rather than later, or to hit a vital card out just long enough for the metagame to settle down.

Now, if someone can explain to me why Ramunap Ruins got banned, and not the more powerful Hazoret the Fervent, I would very much appreciate it. Because I can only conclude that Wizards, when given the choice, will ban the card with a lower rarity.

So, why does Standard still exist? Wizards has killed formats before, and I should know as I wrote all about Extended. Well, the simplest answer is money. Standard sells packs for Wizards, and that's where they get the income to keep making new sets. But this leads tight into the first major problem with the format that I already talked about. Money and resources.

Wizards knows this, and part of the reason for the confusing and constant shifting of Standard over the past few years has been the result of them trying to find a way to fix the issues while keeping the format intact and recognizable. Except, and here's where I asked you to keep a point in mind for later...

We're back where we started. Standard is right back where we were five years ago in terms of how the format rotates, except the focal point has moved to the Fall instead of the Summer. That's it. That's the difference. The format isn't broken, so don't try to fix it!

But it is broken, and not in the fun, two card combo kind of way. It's not an interesting format, and that's killing it. Brawl, a format developed in house by Wizards was, and I maintain still is, an effort to inject more life into Standard by tying it to the ever-more-popular Commander format. Hell, my voice was one of the ones that predicted over a year ago that Wizards would keep pushing Brawl to the point of making dedicated decks for it, a la Commander.

And you know what, I won't touch the issues of Arcane Signet, but I will say that me and the Spike that's helping me in the Slow Grow League both see potential in the Brawl Commanders. Of course, we differ on how we view how to build a Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale deck. More Equipment or more Knights? Of course, we both agree that Excalibur - sorry - Embercleave is a must-include.

Anyway, Wizards isn't wrong, but I don't think they're right either. I think that Brawl is a step in the right direction, but not for the reasons they are putting into the public.

Standard is a perfectly viable, tournament driving format. But how it is presented I think needs to change. I think that perhaps we can better frame Standard through the use of the old Starter/Advanced/Expert relationships. Allow me to present, in all it's MSPaint Glory, how to do this!

Here's how I see it. Use Standard and Sealed as your entry-level products and formats. These are the ones designed for new players. Sealed is six packs and some lands you can build a new deck out of, while Standard is a step up from there. Bigger decks and more options to do things with as you expand out to take in more sets. Or just buy a preconstructed deck out of the box to play with! Make it your own with the cards you buy and earn!

From there, Draft is the evolution of Sealed formats, even further limiting your card pool, but allowing you to test your ad hoc deckbuilding skills to the limit. Two Headed Giant or Battlebond as I think the format should be renamed, is the team format, where you can build your deck up from a Limited or Constructed pool of cards.

And if you've played Standard for a while, why not step up your game? Extended is a format that includes the past seven years of cards, not just the past one or two. Modern goes back even further into Magic's history, while Legacy and Vintage go all the way back to the beginning, and are the most high-powered formats only for the best of players.

Or why not step up from Standard and into Brawl? This format takes the same cards you can put into your deck and adds an additional restriction. You're only allowed one of any given non-basic land card in your deck, but your forces are championed by a Legendary Creature that dictates what colours you can use. And if you think that's not challenging enough? Move on to Commander. More cards than Legacy and Vintage, but with the same restrictions. The ultimate deckbuilding challenge!

You see, Standard isn't an end. It's a means! It's a way to introduce new players to the game, to introduce them to the deck concepts that will take them through the rest of their player lives. And it's alright if people never leave Standard! It's equally fine if players move on as well. Standard should be a Gateway format for new players to enter into the game. Something they can dip their toes into, where the rotation actually serves a purpose to encourage player growth, and to keep the format from becoming stale.

It's all a matter of perception, and this is why Standard is still my favourite format. It's flawed, but it's brilliant in the design and execution. It's one of the hidden underpinnings to Magic's continued success, a solid foundation that keeps the balance of the game in check by forcing the vast majority of cards through a format where internal balance matters.

It also is a viable means to keep utility cards in the game. Standard allows for reprints of cards without distorting their value or utility. By creating and enforcing a format where everyone will have access to certain basic cards at all times. Opt for example, or Return to Nature.

I swear to god, if I ever see the phrase "Immune to Kevin Uxbridge" one more time, I would probably take some time out of my full writing schedule to demonstrate why this is so important for the life of the game.

So please, support Standard. I'm not asking you to embrace it. But please, remember what it was like when you first started out and you didn't have all the cards in the world to play with. Every set is someone's first set as Mark Rosewater is rightfully proud of pointing out. And by extension, everyone has a first format. A first way to build a deck. Something that shapes how they view the game and introduces them to the basic concepts upon which everything else is built.

Standard should be that format. It should be the first format. Not the last.

Thanks, and join me next week when I go over the last two weeks of my Slow Grow League. Things aren't looking up, but hey, tomorrow could be the break point, right?

Until then, please consider donating to my Pattern Recognition Patreon. Yeah, I have a job, but more income is always better. I still have plans to do a audio Pattern Recognition at some point, or perhaps a Twitch stream. And you can bribe your way to the front of the line to have your questions, comments and observations answered!