Welcome to the dead zone.  It sounds much worse than it is, being the fairly news-lite period directly between two major Magic: the Gathering sets.  Still, there is not enough going on right now to focus, laser-like on one topic.  So, for that reason, and because it's summer, the perfect time to be lazy, let's try something with a bit less structure.  Here are a collection of my thoughts while pondering the multiverse.

"Magic 2011 contains only three truly unplayable cards (this includes Limited formats): Dryads Favor, Incite, and Primal Cocoon.  That is down from Magic 2010's number of four unplayable cards, including hits like Soul Bleed.  And without doing any real leg-work, I can tell you that is way down from the atrocities 10th Edition had in store for us.  This is major improvement, and a sign the development team at WotC knew what they were doing limiting set sizes to 250 cards, and letting fewer cards fall through the cracks."

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"What are they going to pack into Duel Decks: Elspeth vs Tezzeret?  After all, this is the most highly anticipated DD of all time, so expectations are above and beyond the Garruk vs Liliana level.  For Tezzeret's part, let's hope to see a few FtV: Relics included, for example Aether Vial and Isochron Scepter.  Of course these cards have been banned in the past, but Jace's Duel Deck had Fact or Fiction, Ancestral Vision and Daze, so there is a precedent for this kind of power level.  As far as Elspeth is concerned, a Soldier theme would be obvious, but a Knight theme would be awesome!  Kinsbaile Cavalier, and a fantastic group of mono-white knights could make this deck quality, and unique.  Let's hope WotC doesn't take the easy way out."

"Nobody, around the internet or otherwise, has been less supportive of that Standard boogey-man named Jund these past two years.  However, is anyone else cringing about the prospects of absolutely crushing control decks dominating every FNM and MTGO event?  Sure, the baddest Alara shard isn't much fun to play against, but it beats zero fun, or even (if you consider games will routinely last 45+ minutes) negative fun.  Economically speaking, we hope our fun stays out of the red."

"A while back, when Gathering Magic was still finding its way, we posted a well received article titled: The Five Most Annoying Multi-players.  It was easy to write, and even easier to relate to, especially for those duelists of a more casual nature.  One comment asked for the opposite, the Five Most Fun Multi-players.  It sounded like a cool idea, especially to counter-balance all the negativity from the original column.  One problem, it was impossible to write.  Probably because nobody really knows what makes a good opponent, other than being competitive and friendly.  Or is our play group simply full of jerks?"

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"Why does WotC continue to push the Magic as competitive sport angle on all of us.  Was there a giant, cruise liner-sized boat that we missed, where every Magic fan suddenly decided 'Oh yeah, I someday hope to compete at a professional level, that's why I play MTG'?  Unlikely, so why the constant front page coverage on dailymtg.com?  Don't take this the wrong way, we have nothing against pro-players (talk about a lifestyle!), but the marketing geniuses over at WotC seem to rely a little too heavily on the big-money tournaments to draw in new players.  Almost offering Magic as a way to make money, or find a career instead of something to simply enjoy with your friends.  Poker may be to blame for this, but it's no excuse.  Just don't forget us middle children WotC, we have no designs on the Pro Tour, but we love MTG too."

"We've reached the point with Magic set design, that fans judge an expansion based almost solely on the Mythic rares.  Does this narrow view hurt the game, or does it help fans get even more excited for each release?  Does Wizards take more chances with other rarities knowing they may slide under our notice, and thus make the game more dynamic?  Or conversely are they getting lazier regarding the remaining cards knowing full well we don't care as much?"

"If the apocalypse came, and no new cards were printed, there are still enough cards to basically last players indefinitely. How long could a person play with only existing cards before the game's charm began to dull?  The formats would need a drastic overhaul, something like block constructed, but with multiple blocks.  Perhaps you and a friend could play 2005 Standard, in which only Kamigawa, Ravnica and 9th Edition are legal.  Or, without the constant influx of new tournament decks, would players all settle towards the most casual formats?  Meaning, in 2035 the most popular Magic format might be EDH!  Take that into account when packing your bomb shelter, and hide away 100 of your favorite cards."

"When designing new Planeswalkers, what comes first - the character, or the abilities that develop the character?  Most cards have a simple genesis, some mechanism R&D wants to see within a set, polished down for our sake, with some flavor added at the end.  It's highly unlikely that is the same route taken when designing PWs, meaning not only are they an entirely separate card type, but also designed separately as well.  Also, when designing these chase cards, does WotC have certain limits?  Will we ever see a walker with five abilities, or three + abilities?  How far out is the boundary of the nebulous 'design space' we hear so much about?"

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