Still learning: What's the difference between?
General forum
Posted on June 23, 2015, 7:56 p.m. by michaelmattel
So, what's the difference between Modern. Standard, limited, commander etc? Why do people say Modern is more cheaper than standard? Also what does ramp mean?
Ramp is referring to cards like Map the Wastes and Harrow, which make one able to play more than one land per turn in order to play larger creatures before the opponent does.
June 23, 2015 8:04 p.m.
Ramp just means cards that accelerate your mana generation, so you can play bigger and better things faster.
June 23, 2015 8:04 p.m.
In order from easiest to answer to more complex:
Ramp is a short hand for cards that give you more mana available than what your one land per turn would give you normally. It's named after Rampant Growth, I think, which is probably the most basic a ramp spell can get.
Format explanation: Limited is a type of play where you're given, well, a limited amount of cards to work with (usually some number of booster packs). Standard is a format where you're allowed to only use cards from the most recently printed sets. Modern is a format where you're allowed to use cards as old as... Eighth Edition I wanna say. Older still is Legacy, which allows basically every Magic card ever printed (as well as Vintage). Commander is a variant format which allows all the old cards Vintage does, with some extra deckbuilding rules.
Since Standard is based on whatever the most recent sets are, a deck that was legal in Standard a year ago might not be legal now. So, if you want to keep playing in Standard events, you have to spend more money on newer cards in order to make a new deck. Modern, on the other hand, doesn't rotate - entire sets don't suddenly become illegal. The good cards might be more expensive initially, but barring a ban or a serious upset in a new set, you'll only ever need to buy new cards once.
June 23, 2015 8:04 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #7
Limited is kinda what it sounds like. You get a specific set of cards and you make a deck on the spot With them and play. Usually you do this through drafts.
Commander is a little harder to explain. It's not exactly a normal format in that there are extra rules and such.
Legacy is one of the most expensive ways to play this game and is possibly one of the most complicated in some ways. It's comprised of some of the oldest cards in the game and every set is allowed to be played with the exception of banned cards
June 23, 2015 8:04 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
Read this page at Wizards of the Coast's website. That'll give you an idea of the requirements and scope of each format.
As for the price differences, remember that Magic's secondary market (the system of buying and selling that occurs between players and stores and between players and players) is a perfect example of supply and demand economics.
Standard cards tend to be cheaper (if they aren't viable in other formats) because they're viable only for a short time until Standard rotates. For the most part, only Standard players are looking for these cards, and the cards will lose value quickly when they're no longer legal or viable.
Modern and Legacy tend to share many of the same staple cards, and those cards hold value often indefinitely. They're therefore in demand for much longer and for multiple formats (meaning multiple player demographics are increasing demand for the card over prolonged periods).
Same for Commander, although Commander is much different from the other formats. In fact, it isn't even managed by WOTC (the company that makes the game). Read about it here.
June 23, 2015 8:09 p.m.
michaelmattel says... #9
Thank you everyone for responding! you all really did help me understand every question I asked. A lot of friendly people on this site.
VampireArmy says... #2
Standard "rotates" that means that cards legal to play at events change every so often. So right now cards from theros to origins will be allowed in events but once battle for zendikar is released, theros won't be allowed anymore and therefore you'll have to spend more money to keep playing
In modern, there is no rotation. Once you have a deck made, that's it. The only thing left to do after that is make improvements as new cards come out as you see fit.
That means standard is cheaper in the short run but modern is cheaper in the long run
June 23, 2015 8 p.m.