Stunting Standard
Standard forum
Posted on May 9, 2023, 10:11 p.m. by Idoneity
Recently, Wizards of the Coast announced a reiteration of Standard; rotation has changed from two years to three years, upon the release of The Wilds of Eldraine.
This is a problem for many reasons, many belabored even in such a short span to the initial announcement. The metagame freezes, the broken cards remain broken, etcetera...
The primary consensus is immense enmity towards rotation changing with the new Eldraine set. Thoughts? Despairs? Hopes?
FormOverFunction says... #3
As someone who’s generally outside of that sort of organized play, I’m wondering how close Standard should get to Modern. It’s likely that this is a good fit between what Standard used to be (specifically when accounting for the inflation of how many sets come out) and what Modern is, and was supposed to be. I look at these formats in relation to each other, and it seems like Standard is supposed to be something of a sweet spot between Modern and the sealed-deck-building of a pre-release (very limited cards to choose from, but with a little more autonomy)... does that sound right? I feel like using that way of mapping out formats makes it easier to wrap my head around all of this.
May 10, 2023 11 a.m.
Daveslab2022 says... #4
I love how the majority of dissenters always say “I never play standard because it rotates too often!” And now the complaint is that it’s not often enough, and it hasn’t even happened yet!
Me thinks some people just complain to complain.
May 10, 2023 11:40 a.m.
I am so happy Standard is getting extended. I say extended to half of Modern. 5 years!
Caerwyn says... #2
No idea where you’re getting “the primary consensus is immense enmity” - the majority of the articles I’ve read and the player feedback I have seen has been positive. I expect there is not enough data right now to really know what the primary consensus might be, and one should be rather careful to avoid passing off their anecdotal experiences as the primary perspective.
Personally, I think this is a great change. Standard, both as a format and as a method for distributing cards, has been struggling for some time. Because of the small card pool, a single bomb can warp the entire format, leading to unpredictability and the need for liberal use of banning cards. A longer Standard rotation period lessens this impact some - if you have more cards in the pool, there’s a much higher chance of having effective answers or similarly strong cards to keep the new card in check.
Additionally, Standard is dying in paper - rapid rotations mean decks become obsolete faster, which pushes folks away from buying into the format. A longer rotation increases the likelihood that cards you purchase will stick around for a while, lessening one disincentive to play the format.
Longer time periods also mean Wizards needs to ensure greater long-term cohesion among sets. That has positive effects for non-Standard sets. Right now, the faster pace of Standard exacerbates Wizards’ longstanding problem of releasing mechanics of themes which seem to be forgotten and never receive significant support. By increasing the time those are in Standard (Wizards’ primary vehicle for adding new cards), those themes will have more time for Wizards to expand upon those concepts.
Now, are there problems? Sure. But it also is worth noting that Wizards said that this change is the first of several in their plans to revitalise Standard. With more information forthcoming, it seems a bit early to pass any real judgement. Especially when a longer Rotation period can bring about a number of benefits for the game.
May 10, 2023 9:39 a.m.