Best MTG Block/Set in the past 5 years.
General forum
Posted on May 15, 2018, 1:30 p.m. by Icbrgr
Whether its for mechanics, specific cards or general Lore what has your Vote for your favorite Magic Set/Block over the last 5 years?
@Argy I was unsure about which to use passed/past so i used This as my source..... I guess i should have read it more closely/all the way to the end lol.
I can totally dig your choice of Dragons of Tarkir for the favorite set. I really liked it lorewise. The Ascension of the dragonlords was just straight up cool.
As far as Theros was concerned I really enjoyed that whole block too! I loved the Greek Mythology theme as well as the introduction of the constellation mechanic.... although constellation never really became a competitive thing i still really liked it.
May 15, 2018 5:37 p.m.
Seeing how its my first set (plus flavor and big timmy stuff), I second Dragons of Tarkir
May 15, 2018 6:22 p.m.
I really enjoyed and respect Dragons of Tarkir all around. But for me, if have to pick Battle for Zendikar.
As the first set to introduce to us not only the two-block format, but also the continuous storyline which, love it or hate it, has created a new paradigm of magic storytelling and set design.
Also I really really like Eldrazi.
May 15, 2018 6:52 p.m.
kanokarob I made it a point of honour to play Allies during Battle for Zendikar, and was never beaten by an Eldrazi build.
Triple A was my deck.
May 15, 2018 7:45 p.m.
I don't see how that's relevant, Argy.
You also both should probably quit being so passive aggressive, particularly when it's off-topic. Say what you mean or let it be.
May 15, 2018 7:51 p.m.
I was agreeing with your point that BFZ was flavorful from a lore perspective.
May 15, 2018 7:53 p.m. Edited.
@kanokarob great point about the overall grand MTG story arc. Eldrazi is such an awesome villian tribe. I personally enjoy the landfall mechanics that come with zendikar.
May 15, 2018 9:06 p.m.
Hardhitta7 says... #14
Kaladesh and Aether Revolt for me. I quit for a while and came back when it released. I love all the Gearhulks. I also really like artifact stuff and thought the vehicles were dope.
Im also a huge nerd when it comes to Lore and enjoyed the story a lot. Tezzeret is my second favorite MtG character, behind only Urza and I always enjoy stories with him, he is one of the most interesting characters imo.
May 15, 2018 11:14 p.m.
Loreshadow says... #15
DTK for Living Lore and Mirror Mockery.
But overall Block would have to go to BFZ for Awaken, Surge, and Landfall all in one. Those three keywords combo well with cards like Skyline Cascade turning Lands into free reuseable spells when you have Slab Hammer in the mix. Locking down a Red Aggro deck with Skyline Cascade and Rush of Ice is pretty hilarious. But, so is 0 mana artifacts and Surge. Overwhelming Denial was a huge help in facing off against Esper decks, of which there were many. Good time for Esper.
The Eldrazi were done very well and had some nice counter spells. Using counterspells to add mana was pretty awesome. So was using countered cards in exile as fuel to return those same counterspells for reuse. It wasn't too bad a time for mono-blue, a lot of interesting interactions.
Using several of them to build in Modern now. Seems like BFZ makes up half of all my Modern deck ideas. Counter spells didn't make the cut though.
Some of the new sets are really pushing things though with cards like Spell Swindle further turning counters into rewarding ramps. Though I wish Surge and Rebound were in a single Block instead of seperated between DTK and BFZ. Both keywords are a little limited but would work so well together. Preferably without having to use 2-3 colours just to access enough cards or favouring Blue/White and Blue/Red respecticely. Would like to see all colours be able to use Rebound to power their Surge spells, particularly in Mono decks.
That would become my favourite Block.
May 15, 2018 11:18 p.m.
@hardhitta71194 Kaledesh was pretty neat and VERY colorful artwise... That was my biggest takeaway from it... Other than the vehicles. I really hope to see more of that in the future.
@Loreshadow... You just blew my mind! I never thought of using rebound with surge. That sounds awesome. Blue is my favorite color in MTG so I am all about strong blue spells/will never be satisfied... I personally find building in mono blue Theros and forward can be a little underwhelming... Even our beloved merfolk tribe is becoming simic!!!
May 16, 2018 12:45 a.m.
landofMordor says... #17
Lorewise, Ixalan/RIX was so sweet because Jace turned out to not be as huge a jerk as we thought. His character development with Vraska was so awesome to read.
Mechanically, I've really enjoyed the balanced gameplay of DOM. As a recent Hipsters of the Coast article put it, blocking matters again, which makes me happy as a control player. It's also got a lot of depth to it and callbacks to older cards, which is fun to see.
Best art probably comes from AMK for me. They just nailed the unique aesthetic for me.
Overall, though...it's gotta be Amonkhet for me. The unique Egyptian world, the way that WotC totally nailed -1/-1 counters after the misery that was New Phyrexia, the lore of the Gatewatch encountering their first defeat, sick build-arounds like New Perspectives, and the potential to revisit Amonkhet and see Djeru and Samut rebuilding their lives out in the desert makes the whole set stand out for me.
May 16, 2018 9:22 a.m.
Favorite block for me was also BFZ. I love big dumb Drazis as theyre everything I want to build toward when ramping. Landfall is also probably one of my favorite Mechanics.
Favorite set might be Dominaria though. This set has just made the game so much more fun in the last month. Its made Standard feel exciting again, is aiding my commander decks immensely, and has me wanting to play the new Brawl format. WotC really delivered with this set.
May 16, 2018 10:23 a.m.
@MWorl91 Truthfully I am not very knowledgeable about the recent Dominaria cards/havent bought any packs in awhile but have seen a few cards on this sight in brews here and there... but you sir have sparked my interest in looking at it a bit closer!
@landofMordor The unique Egyptian world that Amonkhet brought really was neat! I thought the -1/-1 counters was kinda reminiscent of the days of wither and persist.... as far as Ixalan/RIX lorewise.... more specifically jace.... I just hate the guy... Im a Blue mage... but i just hate jace as a character and despise that he is the poster child for control players... SAD!
May 16, 2018 12:51 p.m.
landofMordor says... #20
@Icbrgr, I used to feel the same way, but after watching his story unfold in RIX, and watching Jace discover how his history of abuse actually led to his callousness, and choose a path of open-minded curiosity and empathy instead, was in my opinion the most dignified and human of retcons, and I thoroughly approved. Maybe Jace will grow on you, my friend (:
I didn't play back in the Persist days, but I see what you mean! I just love the flavor of "poisoning" your own creatures and watching them get stronger (Channeler Initiate) in Bolas's toxic plane. It is just way cooler and more fun than wannabe-BDSM-New-Phyrexian-Infect. (Where you have a grudge against Jace, mine will always be against the mechanical treatment of New Phyrexia.)
May 16, 2018 6:35 p.m.
lol TuckerMTG the UN sets are definitely interesting fun.... Extremely Slow Zombie hahaha
Argy says... #2
(pssst in this case it's past, not passed)
For me, and I suspect I'm the only one, it was Dragons of Tarkir for set.
I loved the delineation of the five Dragon lords lining up with their respective five mechanics.
Dragons are one of my favourite Tribes, so that drew me to the set as well.
The first Cube I ever made is based on that set and is really well-balanced.
I was able to build a really fierce Rakdos Dragons deck, which was the first deck I had built that did well at Tournament level.
Favourite block would have to be Theros.
I loved Devotion, the Gods, and Enchantment Creatures.
I built the fastest deck I ever have, to date.
Boros, this time.
Stormbreath Dragon is the first single MtG card I ever bought.
My first Chandra was also bought during that block. She helped me win my first game of Magic at Tournament level.
A lot of firsts. It was a fun time for me, learning how to build and play Magic decks.
All my first decks were Mono , to the point where everyone at my LGS would say, "Are you playing for a change this week?" lol
May 15, 2018 5:23 p.m.