Why Has WotC Changed How "Lucky Charms" Function?
General forum
Posted on June 20, 2019, 7:25 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
The original “lucky charms” ( Ivory Cup , Iron Star , and so forth), as well as the Darksteel lucky charms ( Kraken's Eye , Wurm's Tooth , and so forth) triggered whenever any player cast a spell of the appropriate color, and both Paradise Plume and Golem's Heart followed that example, as well. However, the staves from Magic 2014 triggered only when their controller cast a spell of the appropriate color, and Diamond Mare from Magic 2019 followed that example, as well.
Now, with diamond knight from Magic 2020 following the later example, it is now clear to me that WotC does not wish for lucky charms to trigger when their controllers’ opponents cast spells, but I feel that that severely limits their power.
What does everyone else say about this? Why did WotC make this change, and does it annoy you?
My guess is "let new players have fun doing stuff." With Dragon's Claw , a new player might not immediately realize that the black spell they're casting is worth more than the 1 life their opponent gets. What they see is, "If I cast this Volcanic Hammer , my opponent will have more life and be harder to beat." So they don't cast the Volcanic Hammer , and get beaten down by that Ogre Taskmaster . Sooner or later, they'll notice that 1 life isn't a big deal at all, if they stay with the game. But who knows how many would-be players felt stuck, with a choice between helping their opponent and doing nothing, so they lost interest and never picked up another deck.
This logic seems obviously wrong to enfranchised players, but anybody who has a full understanding of tactical costs and benefits in this game the first time they shuffle and draw will probably hit the top of the world rankings within a month.
Staff of the Flame Magus is more obviously build-around: use Mountain s and red spells. It doesn't direct affect your opponent's ability or desire to act, at any level. The new player can Lightning Strike every Thundering Giant that looks their way and feel rewarded. And let's face it, these aren't really top 8 all-star cards. They're going to be used in Limited and by people without a lot of cards. Let the new players feel rewarded without jumping through hoops.
June 20, 2019 8:03 p.m.
First paragraph: "might not immediately realize that the red spell they're casting..."
June 20, 2019 8:04 p.m.
Sarkhan420X says... #5
its probably because Staff of the Flame Magus also triggers off of land drops, and Diamond Mare is a creature. so its probably just a balancing issue. if Diamond Mare gained life off both players, it would be strictly better than stuff like Dragon's Claw
June 20, 2019 8:47 p.m.
Izu_Korasu says... #6
aside from the theory above/new player focus, flavor wise "charms" (error charm = Emerald Charm , Grixis Charm etc) make more sense being triggered off of it's owners use rather then all spells cast on the plane it exists on. Prism Ring also shows that WOTC values the new mementos' as a less powerful effect, and turning into a 1/3 horse for +1 mana follows the r&D casting cost rules.
also ...
diamond knight isnt a charm/memento, its closer to Quirion Dryad (but trading an easier casting cost for less spell colors) or the Managorger Hydra style creature, nerfed to be 1 cmc less and a colorless artifact (all things have a "cost" when building a card)
June 20, 2019 9:33 p.m. Edited.
its the feeling of oppression, the feeling that even though your playing your cards, and your deck is working how its supposed to, your opponent is still getting the better of you. That feel big suck
June 21, 2019 2:25 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #9
5c0r910n, in my mind, that is simply a clever strategy by the opponent, and if the other player does not like that, they are whining and being overly sensitive.
June 22, 2019 1:03 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #10
Imo it's just a product of WotC straying away from symmetrical effects in general. Soul Warden vs Ajani's Welcome . Urza's Incubator vs Herald's Horn . Gemhide Sliver vs Manaweft Sliver . etc.
Personally I'm for this change. The cards you cast are for you, and care about you, and what you do. It helps keep your boardstate self-contained imo, except when cards are designed specifically to interact with your opponent and their boardstate. IE Authority of the Consuls , etc.
June 23, 2019 12:06 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #11
Tyrant-Thanatos, I myself dislike that change because I feel that it is an example of the game being "dumbed down;" having certain cards affect all players equally forces players to employ smarter or more challenging strategies, but cards that do not do that are too easy to use, in my mind.
June 23, 2019 12:09 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #12
DemonDragonJ I agree and disagree at the same time tbh. The game needs introductory points for new players. I get that it feels dumbed down, especially if this was a broad thing that affected everything WotC ever prints, but we do still get symmetrical effects on new cards. WotC just seems more open to using both options, which is a good thing imo. Slivers, for instance, always should have been "you control" imo, along with almost all Lord-type effects.
The design choice between affecting all boards, or just your own, can also play a part in power levels. Take the Soul Warden vs Ajani's Welcome comparison I made above. The Warden's effect is clearly more powerful because it takes your opponents creatures into account, but Ajani's Welcome is harder to remove, because it is an enchantment.
With cards like Dragon's Claw vs Staff of the Flame Magus , I don't feel like the power of these cards is enough to be concerned about it, but it's worth noting that the Staff affects land drops as well. And Prism Ring is of course lower casting cost, so it's on a similar level to something like Dragon's Claw imo.
June 23, 2019 12:42 a.m.
Izu_Korasu says... #13
.... why is this thread still going, legendofa seems to have answered it rather concisely.
It's not like they are doing away with symmetrical effects, we get both Managorger Hydra and Quirion Dryad style spells.
Things change:
-
unblockable is no longer a keyword
-
shroud was too symmetrical so hexproof was born
-
protection is used only when the flavor demands it
-
life gain and slivers both became more caster based
WOTC has been making steps toward making the game more accessible to new players to help compensate for the powercreep and added complexity of cards and strategies.
That being said, effect like Prism Ring arn't evidence of the game being "dumbed down". New cards often require a higher level of skill to use effectively you cant just slam Dragon's Claw against burn and say gg, you have to structure your deck and do work yourself to make the Prism Ring worth a slot in the 75, which promotes critical thinking and a wider range of playstyles/experience lvs.
and again cmc of the spell matters, prism ring on legs makes sense for 2cmc, but if youd rather have Iron Star on a stick .....
June 23, 2019 2:17 a.m. Edited.
This is something that was changed for balance. Dragon's Claw may very well just be Chalice of the Void , except it's for every spell with CMC or less, and it only applies to your opponent.
Having that cycle in Standard makes mono-color aggro decks unplayable, especially red variants that rely on burn spells. If RDW becomes too prevelant, then people just jam 4x Dragon's Claw into their sideboard. One on the battlefield makes the RDW player have to win solely through combat damage. Two on the battlefield means they're locked out of playing spells (what you gonna do, Shock my face? Nice! I take zero damage). A third is a scoop, if the RDW player hasn't done so already.
The cycle is just too format warping for Standard.
June 26, 2019 6:52 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #15
sylvannos, I always thought that the "lucky charms" were not particularly powerful, and intended to teach newer players that gaining life on its own is not particularly useful; unless a deck is specifically dedicated to and focused on gaining life, it is better to focus on drawing cards, making one's own creatures more powerful, or denying one's opponent resources.
ThoAlmighty says... #2
Nope, doesn’t annoy me
June 20, 2019 7:35 p.m.