Why isn't there a one set only play mode?

[Θωμάς76]

All the problems would be solved. Wipes, counters, removal, planeswalkers, discard, poison, lifegain, aggro, useless decks, meta in the unranked play mode. I don't know how is this called, limited? Why don't they do it to make every set playable?

[Nec]

Limit the card pool to the extreme as a way to combat a meta? This would just make the meta picks even more defined and less flexible for each set, and they'd probably perform even better against brewed decks.

[Θωμάς76]

I don't agree with you, there would be no meta. Why do you think people care about meta decks everywhere? There are so many things now that are unplayable. When this game was launched the biggest problem was Settle the wreckage. But you could play normal things. Now nothing makes you want to collect a set. Because every deck that once you could have fun is unplayable.

[BEEN]

This mode exists. It’s called Limited.

[Θωμάς76]

This is the mode people say is the most asked for then.

[Andrei]

Something called block constructed used to exist, but they abandoned it. It would be a step in the right direction, though you would need even more wildcards to be competitive in each set.

[Θωμάς76]

I guess I mean block constructed, not a 40 cards deck. With any block included, either historic or standard. Where did this exist, in MTGO?

[Andrei]

Paper and MTGO. It was before Arena I think. A cool thing would be to allow decks made from just one set's cards to go against other decks from different sets. I'd play that over standard if available.

[Nec]

Publicado originalmente por Θωμάς76:

I don't agree with you, there would be no meta. Why do you think people care about meta decks everywhere? There are so many things now that are unplayable. When this game was launched the biggest problem was Settle the wreckage. But you could play normal things. Now nothing makes you want to collect a set. Because every deck that once you could have fun is unplayable.

I'm not sure you know what meta actually means but okay. In a competitive setting there is always a meta, if there are a million choices or just two, there is and always will be a better choice if you intend to win the game.

[Namdoolb]

Used to be an format that was supported back in the day: Block constructed.

It only ever got occasional support though; wasn't hugely popular & there were only a handful of events that were run in that format.

Of course, this was back when a block was comprised of 3 sets. The release schedule for a year was 1 block (3 sets) plus a Core Set. So, in actuality a "block" was really just 1 years worth of mtg releases.

If you were to implement this kind of format in the current climate, it would be more like:
2024 block - Wilds of Eldraine + Lost Caverns + Murders + Thunder Junction
2023 block - Dominaria united + brothers war + phyrexia + march of the machines
2022 block - Midnight Hunt + Crimson Vow + Kamigawa + Capenna
and so on.....

I have a little experience playing block constructed back in the day. (not a huge amount because, to be honest there was very little chance or incentive to play the format)
Sad to say that if anything, the meta & the popular decks are more dominant in the block constructed format: With a smaller pool of cards the dominant strategies are more easily found, & the options for counterplay are much less effective. At least that's been my experience of the format (what little I played of it back in the day).

[Θωμάς76]

Seeing what a block is https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Block I was thinking about shared mechanics, story, but not rotation. Like Midnight Hunt + Crimson Vow would be a block, Wilds of Eldraine + Throne of Eldraine and Ixalan + Rivals of Ixalan + Lost Caverns. With the matchmaking algorithm trying to balance matches if someone picked a set that doesn't have expansions.