Thoughts on “Frontier”
KTK Standard was one of the most expensive Standard formats in history just with the KTK Fetchlands, flip Jace, Gideon, etc alone. With that in mind, people don't seem to discuss the fact that good or powerful cards in Standard will likely effect Frontier and thus become in demand in two formats instead of one. The format will grow stale and formulaic quickly as every deck is the 4-5 color goodstuff.dec that The Prof. mentions in his video, but another problematic thing about Frontier is it will inflate the cost of Standard.
Many cards are good in Standard go for $15-20+ that don't see play in any other format until they rotate out of Standard. Many don't make it into Legacy or Modern decks because their power level isn't high enough to compete, but Frontier is a weaker format and will be more likely to demand new Standard cards at the same time as Standard itself. During the time these cards are in Standard, there is a high chance that they will also become in demand in Frontier, doubling the demand for those cards and further increasing the cost of playing Standard. This isn't even considering that we will likely see a reprint of things like the Zendikar Fetchlands eventually. Upon Frontier being granted access to these, they will be sought after for use in every format, and Frontier serves as a further barrier and burden to the market's ability to absorb and lower the cost of obtaining these because of the demand. Frontier is not good for Magic, and I disagree with The Professor's statement of encouragement that anyone should play this format just because it's good to play Magic. This format is and will be parasitic and unhealthy for the game in the end.
For all intents and purposes, this is why I see Frontier is an unimaginative format that only serve to leech off of Standard, create another expensive format, and - as many have suggested - serve to give investors and speculators a way to buy out and inflate the prices of Standard and post-Standard staples as they rotate out for their personal gains. It is because of this that I feel it is wholly irresponsible to promote this format when taking consideration the health of Magic as a whole.