Is Modern Dead?
Modern forum
Posted on Dec. 19, 2014, 7:03 p.m. by CanadianShinobi
Hello all. I think the Modern community needs to have a heart to heart Today I came across this, an article which claims that Modern as a format is dead.Let it be known that I consider the linked article to be incorrect. I think Modern is in a great position right now, much better than when Jund was dominant. But, I'd like to see what the T/O Community thinks. Is Modern Dead? Or is the linked article crazy?
CanadianShinobi says... #2
The author of the article responded in the comment section, and mostly complained that no one really commented on his articles before. Also, this gem:
"But this was a rant. I think I'm less angry about the current state of Modern and just a lot sadder that a format that had so much potential to be the biggest eternal format (EDH players, quiet, this isn't about you). They invested GP's, PTQ's, and PT's on this format, and I just see it devolving from the format we wanted, to the format Wizards wants. We want a format where you can easily play Control, Aggro, Tempo, Durdle, etc., but I think they have made choices that have taken that away."
After that he says that JTMS is worse in modern than Elspeth, Knight-Errant. Because... reasons!
December 20, 2014 2:14 p.m.
jandrobard says... #3
@CanadianShinobi I said it was a garden full of weeds. Maybe I should have specified that the gardener was trying to grow them. But just at the right height. Shit. But the top(ish) tier decks are like weeds in that given a little free reign, they spread fast. Look at delver on MTGO.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why I don't use metaphors.
December 20, 2014 2:19 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #4
Ya know that comment about edh players actually angers me...make a claim then attempt to block anyone from debating your claim? Fuck that, dude
December 20, 2014 2:28 p.m.
PaladinRyan says... #5
Yeah no... this guy is an angry idiot. The format allows for decks of all the types he listed and more to flourish... as for the edh comment I assume he meant it to be funny but it comes across as both arrogant and ignorant.
December 20, 2014 3:43 p.m.
It might as well be the format has fallen very far over the past few months.
December 20, 2014 4:23 p.m.
@Ohthenoises: I'm not 100% sure that's why they're upset over Treasure Cruise. Commons in the past have hit ridiculous prices, especially when they warp formats or are played in a lot of decks. Ethereal Armor was $0.50 at one point. Tranquil Cove is $0.30 to $1.00 right now. That's a lot for commons from sets that are frequently drafted and are high priority picks.
Treasure Cruise is $0.40 right now. That doesn't seem like a lot until you consider how much product online retailers move everyday. If they're selling dozens of the things daily, that's much better for them than having an Ancestral Recall sit in their case. Sure, it may be worth more. But that's not what stores want. They want to be able to move as much product as possible.
If anything, they're probably ecstatic Treasure Cruise is at common because they can rip open packs at wholesale prices and resell the contents. Or they pick up a bunch and sell bulk.
To give you a better idea, one of my local shop's owners bought something like 300 copies of Akroan Crusader for $0.10 each and resold them for $0.20 each. He took 500 copies of Yoked Ox (purchased at $0.05 each) to a GP where Mono-Red Devotion was dominating and everyone needed them for sideboards (this was before Nyx-Fleece Ram). He sold them at $0.25 each. He does this all the time with bulk commons and uncommons.
That's just one shop owner who runs a small business, not SCG or Troll and Toad. If one guy can flip bulk commons over for $300 in profit for almost no work, imagine what large retailers are getting selling bulk copies of Treasure Cruise.
tl;dr--Major online retailers benefit more from bulk commons they can sell quickly than they do expensive, high-end staples that just sit in their cases collecting dust.
December 20, 2014 4:58 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #8
sylvannos All I mean is that the only people I see getting salty over TC are people who write articles on CFB, SCG, and TCG.
I was just speculating a reason, whether or not that reason is correct is irrelevant since I'm merely pointing out my observation that those angry about the Delver shakeup are the people who write for large chains.
My argument could be better worded in these terms: If U/R Delver (literally a pile of commons and uncommons) becomes the "best deck" in modern that means there is less demand for cards like Liliana of the Veil, Thoughtseize, and Tarmogoyf (it shouldn't harm the price of the card but you are definitely going to be selling less of them). That represents a loss on the seller's front because they are selling less copies of those high value cards.
(Again, all assumptions but the only point I'm trying to make is as I stated before.)
December 20, 2014 5:28 p.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #9
I don't think it's because they want our money. I think it's just because many writers feel that TC is too powerful for the format.
The Illuminati does not exist.
December 20, 2014 5:31 p.m.
@GlistenerAgent - "The Illuminati does not exist."
You can't say that on the internet...they will find you. Haha
December 20, 2014 5:38 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #11
GlistenerAgent again, only speculation.
You have to admit that 90% of the people that get salty over TC are those people who write for large chains. The people who play the game like you or I look at it more as "eh, it's somehing I have to deal with" and give it no more thought. The people at these large chains writing articles have been adding things like "...and Treasure Cruise (this should be banned)..." And it's gotten tiresome, seriously, meta around it and quit complaining...
December 20, 2014 5:39 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #12
It could be because those places don't have as good of a community, and people just get salty there because of it. I've noticed that magic players can get very irritable when it comes to magic, and a large portion of it deriving from everyone has their own views and experiences with cards. I know I get irritable here, such is the reason why I go on my hiatuses all the time. What makes the irritability worse is the environment they are in. Money also makes people irritable and if the community isn't that good, then their moods aren't going to be good either. As for me, I got irritable really quickly here because of the 30 day refresh issue with the card database. Thank fucking christ yeago fixed that.
December 20, 2014 5:39 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #15
Also, to extrapolate on that idea, the people Ohthenoises mentioned were doing articles, perhaps a paying job to do the articles as well. We all know jobs are irritable as well.
December 20, 2014 5:56 p.m.
I just wasted 2 mins of my life reading that garbage.
December 20, 2014 6:54 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #17
December 20, 2014 7:14 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #18
Just to clarify, the illuminati does exist. I was inducted a couple months ago, remember? I was drunk.
You guys and girls weren't.
And then the Illuminati inducted me.
True story.
December 20, 2014 7:42 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #19
Inducted in Just Chatting?
And it look like I'll never get into the Illuminati as I never get drunk. Which is fine, not like I wanted to get in in the first place.
... Unless you count my mind being muddled by extreme lust as something similar to being drunk. That certainly happens.
December 20, 2014 8:16 p.m.
jandrobard says... #21
It's funny the amount of people who have an opinion about modern. These threads fill up fast!
December 20, 2014 8:37 p.m.
PaladinRyan says... #22
Femme_Fatale please. Lol.
jandrobard I would guess it has a lot to do with the current popularity of the format. Beyond this I know many people, including myself, who have made it their primary format of play. Also the debate over the state of modern is a fairly easy topic to have an opinion in. Especially when one side of the debate consists of... what can only be described as a poorly researched, poorly written, and poorly edited article on the subject.
December 21, 2014 1:11 p.m.
jandrobard says... #23
PaladinRyan yeah. It's easy to get a grip on the modern metagame at any given point of time, and the popularity is cool. The best part is that you don't need to play much, just look at top8, tappedout, what the pros are posting, and tcgplayer and formulate an evidence-based opinion. Easy to misinterpret though (example: the article). Also the community is awesome.
December 21, 2014 11:30 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #24
Our community is always awesome.
Especially when the alcohol is aplenty and "warming" the soul........
By the way, Im drunk.
December 22, 2014 1:32 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #28
This thread may not be stupid, but the reasons why this thread is here are stupid.
December 23, 2014 1:06 p.m.
If it had more evidence and was properly discussed it wouldn't be, I agree. As it stands in this state, it's not.
December 23, 2014 1:10 p.m.
TrystonSpencer says... #30
The thing is modern is and can be cheaper than even standard even as a top tier deck or even an almost top tier deck list for instance really cheap decks to make that are top tier Bogle, Soul sisters, Reanimator (in certain cases), control(once again varies) and even again with UrzaTron yes the usual red/green typically goes for around 500 but the mono U version is only 220$ with a sideboard and most of that value falls on your Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. They also have modern fnm at my lgs and more people play modern than standard and I prefer to as well because of the diversity of decks your not seeing the same deck builds over and over. MODERN4LIFE I would say modern's more alive than legacy and legacy is obviously still breathing.
December 24, 2014 2:39 a.m.
Ohthenoises says... #31
Mono U Tron typically doesn't run Emrakul. Instead it's money sits in Wurmcoil Engine, Remand, and Oblivion Stone.
I built an extreme Budget U Tron a while ago and it sits at about 80$ and gives you the ability to replace the stand ins over time. I think I built that for 2austin5 at request.
Named_Tawyny says... #1
So, Modern is dead because the meta is limited to a few decks, and the meta shifts too frequently?
Brilliant analysis.
December 20, 2014 1:57 p.m.