Is WotC Attempting to Eliminate the Upkeep Step?
General forum
Posted on Oct. 21, 2022, 9:35 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
The upkeep step has always been a part of the game, but I have noticed that WotC recently has been printing fewer effects that trigger during that step; for example, both Bitterblossom and Phyrexian Arena trigger during the upkeep step, but Black Market Connections triggers during the precombat main phase, despite there being no logical reason for it to do that. Furthermore, sagas trigger after a player's draw step and attractions trigger during a player's precombat main phase, as well, when, if they had been printed years ago, they would have triggered during a player's upkeep step.
What does everyone else say about this? Why is WotC printing cards with abilities that trigger during steps other than the upkeep step, and are they attempting to eliminate the upkeep step?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
TheOfficialCreator, if that is the case, then I would say that WotC is being cruel and sadistic by preventing perfectly legitimate combos.
October 21, 2022 10:02 a.m.
There are twenty-nine cards in the current standard environment with upkeep triggers. The evidence just does not support your speculation that upkeep triggers are going away.
October 21, 2022 10:18 a.m.
plakjekaas says... #5
In the very first set with Sagas (Dominaria), The First Eruption was printed. Forcing players to spend was not the way they wanted it to work, I suppose.
Also, the big difference between the upkeep and at the beginning of the precombat main phase, is that you'll have drawn your card for the turn. Black Market Connections gives you more information before you're choosing to pay more life for more cards. You can make more intelligent decisions that way, compared to Phyrexian Arena. You can be more careful in what you spend and acquire, like on the real Black Market, I'd imagine.
October 21, 2022 11:33 a.m.
Squee_Spirit_Guide says... #6
It doesn't seem like they're phasing it out, but part of me really wants to see Cumulative Upkeep errataed to Cumulative Precombat Main Phase :)
October 21, 2022 12:17 p.m.
wallisface says... #7
As Caerwyn has already illustrated, they’re still printing tons of cards that care about upkeep. It’s not going away.
Rosewater mentioned on his blog a while back, that these “first main-phase” triggers are for cards where they want the player to have a little more information (i.e after card-draw). This effect also lets you be able to use any mana the effect generates on sorcery-speed-stuff. Urza's Saga is a great example of why you’d want both of those things (and a good example of why sagas are templated like they are).
October 21, 2022 2:06 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #8
Caerwyn, I am very glad to know that, so my fears are relieved.
October 21, 2022 3:01 p.m.
FormOverFunction says... #9
I do love forcing the decision of “do I pay the upkeep, or save the mana for the thing I might draw?”
October 21, 2022 9:15 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #10
As for Sagas, the text
- "After your draw step"
Is significantly less words and letters than
- "At the beginning of your first main phase"
And when your Saga has limited room for text, that difference matters
TheOfficialCreator says... #2
I think it might be a way to shelter against a potential issue with the way that these effects work (namely, protecting against Paradox Haze's value growing uncontrollably). But I don't know, that feels like kind of a weak explanation, maybe someone else has more insight on the matter.
But that is an interesting observation.
October 21, 2022 9:38 a.m.