KessWylie

President of http://Kess.co toys, host of TheMMcast podcast, Tiktok creator. http://linktr.ee/kesswylie @themmcast He/Him [email protected]

[thekesslerun]

Most read manga of the year

[thekesslerun]

This comic has lived in my head for 8 years. And now is magic 2 dropofied

[thekesslerun]

[thekesslerun]

I do think the fact that these are the only 6 available 4 color commander options outside of partner/friends. Is a net negative and is increasing the ubiquitous of partner commanders

Though I don’t love 4 color in general existing, the cat is out of the bag. Since they exist, and there isn’t a real world scenario where they wouldn’t have, diversity mitigates negatives over limiting options to partner combos.

I do know that there are limitations to design and flavor but I think you can creatively build those identities. Start with what what the creature isn’t.

Say white.

Opposite of white is Rakdos

So what if a rakdos character was smart and really liked plants

Or make them duos.

A bw character falls in love with a UR character. They get a singular card.

Ral and Tomik bwru.

Legendary creature-Wizard advisor human

Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery you may pay UR to copy it.

Whenever you copy a spell pay BW to drain 2.

4/4

[thekesslerun]

Part 2 of my MTG Arena tiktok video series on what the Phyrexians were up to at this point is live! If you want to go check it out and maybe share like comment

👉👈(Link is thread) 🧵https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR4WoXsf/

[thekesslerun]

[thekesslerun]

There is the newer phenomenon where wizards makes a sealed product that is both a brand But also a format(Jumpstart, Commander Legends, Battlebond)

And then when they print product using said format. But with a different purpose then the original brand it causes “unhappyness”

With commander legends Baldur’s gate it was “this is a commander legends draft experience. But it is not a Commander legends product in that it is not a reprint set focused on commander. “

W/ jumpstart it’s “format is great for new players here’s new player versions per set”

But the people are mad the “new player intro product” isn’t the “well liked experienced player original product”

And to make it more confusing with the later. They are now releasing the sequal to the original product and people don’t know there are 3 types of jumpstart on shelves

TL:DR I think wizards need to be better at differentiating these formats and the products. Like “commander Legends limited variants” need a name that doesn’t sound like modern masters/modern horizons for commander.

Jumpstart is harder I don’t have a clean answer

For the record I think jumpstart is an amazing product for new player to…jumpstart the learning process….

And people complaining about the set by set by set jumpstart product are missing the point

But I also think it’s confusing. Which is maybe why they are missing the point

Also the “this product isn’t for you” response being so over used, makes its absolutely correct use here seem cliche which is annoying.

[turn1proxy]

Saw @thekesslerun post some inverted color artifacts, and had to make the matching commander.

Gonna have to invest some time in setting up templates and such, because making alters without Card Conjurer is a lot harder.

[mikemaihack]

Happy Thanksgiving to all those hanging out with friends today (either irl or online). 🥧

[thekesslerun]

It’s an interesting that for the most part (outside of secret lair) we are not seeing much more in the realm of actual product releases. What we are seeing is wizards realizing that adding “new cards” to products that previously were reprints is a massive recipe for success.

By offering “new cards” they create a new value without having to worry about secondary market pricing any more then they already were with commander decks, alternative sets(conspiracy/battlebond), or standard sets.

But with each product now being filled with new cards. Players are now forced to not just pay attention to the commander deck release and the maybe 5 draft-able sets released each year. But every intro pack(now jumpstart), every intro deck(now commander*) Every draft format

A significant chunk of the Players that reveled in “Knowing every card printed” is now exhausted with every product release now being something needed to be on their radar.

And other players are just blindsided way more often in formats they thought they knew.

[thekesslerun]

Everyone wants to blame magic30 shaking buyer confidence in reserved list cards for their decline when it’s like pretty blatant the prices are going down cause their massive explosion was fueled by crypto and now that crypto is crashing secondary market collectibles are following

“Black Lotus this year has plunged 42%, to $26,500. Timetwister has fallen 26%, to $9,500. Mox Jet is down only 9%, to $7,770—must be a defensive holding.” This barons article

Hasbro Won Big With a Role-Playing Game. Is It Now Diluting the Magic?

The game “Magic: The Gathering” was low-profile for years but now brings in about a third of the game company’s profits. Has Hasbro crossed

Like. Walmart and target announce massive declines in sales this year quarter over quarter that is applicable to all retailers. And Magic had 2 massive releases delayed by quarters. “oh it’s probably the magic 30 packs that are hurting the wizards bottom line…….

You could argue that commander legends and Unfinity were both mediocre product launches leading to retailers being over indexed on product. And this fall, due to product delays, did have too many releases. But also. Inflation, gas prices, war, crashing economy, all super relevant

Like I could argue 80 different reasons for hasbro stock to go down but “printed mediocre proxy set with some reserve list cards ” is like really close to the 80th on the list.

Tbh(Tin foil hat on)this article and the Bofa one reek of mtg finance bros who have significant holdings in reserve list cards reaching out to their regular finance bros to shout about how printing these reserve list cards is this big mistake to scare WOTC from doing it again.

Knowing the product is already unpopular for the exact opposite reason. But if analysts asked around they’d get the “magic 30 packs are bad” story with 0 context

[thekesslerun]

First MTG Arena video please go favorite 👀 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRQQwnkG/

[thekesslerun]

Kess and her favorite win cons

[thekesslerun]

Hey new followers! Drop your Twitter screen name cause I don’t know who anyone is here 😅

[thekesslerun]

I need a tag that’s not magic the gathering to figure out who to follow on different platforms.

Will Follow anyone who posts with #ghostofmtgtwitter on any platform lol

[thekesslerun]

It’s wild to me that with all of the conversations around paper standard basically disappearing. It hasn’t been pointed out that one of the largest reasons is that standard has become almost entirely an Arena format.

Why play paper standard when arena is basically entirely built to have a player build a standard deck and often for free.

Not to mention. The path to being a standard player was deleted by covid.

You start buying a precon and maybe some packs.

You then start playing limited draft or sealed, building a collection.

You do that for a year till rotation and now your collection spans all of standard. Bam standard player.

Mosh havent hit that first full year since covid.

I also wonder how basically unless you are a pro incentivized by tournaments. Or streamer on arena. You have 0 motivation to make standard content.

[thekesslerun]

Mtg Summit:

Good:

-Best creator inclusion/support event of all time?

-Premium badge was just unlimited events (and creators also could do this)

-GP vibe is nice

Bad:

-No mask nor vaccine mandate.

-Event organization hiccups.

-Who and what you were suppose to do/talk to was confusing

The creator affiliate program was a good thing with hiccups:

There was a level of “free advertising for a thing you still have to pay to do” which is weird vibes? But the perks once there were 100% worth it? And it allowed a tier of creators to be included that wouldn’t be? Which is for sure one of the big successes of this event. The way this event felt like a real confirmation of “The Gathering” part of magic was both astounding and in stark contrast to Magic 30. And I have to imagine there is a combination of both that’s possible.

The Charity Playmatt with everyone’s face on it was a very very cool thing that gave players an almost scavenger hunt activity trying to collect every possible signature they could at the event.(the creators on the matt that had to cancel expect to be signing these in the future)

The vip buy in badge and the invited creator badge both getting “unlimited events” is one of the coolest perks I’ve seen. Someone mentioned that these events functioning like Disneyland (not charging for rides once you are in) is a possible future and It’s a phenomenal idea.

Finally this was in many ways “A return of Magic Fest” like events. Similar to CFBs “MagicTheGathering:Las Vegas” last year.

And I think players really want this type of event to exist.