Warping the Format...
...so, today Wizards announced a format change. Extended will now feature the last four blocks instead of the last seven. As of July 1, Mirrodin, Kamigawa, and Ravnica (as well as 9th Edition) will rotate out of Extended. When Scars of Mirrodin is released, Time Spiral and Tenth Edition will also rotate out. From then on, the new block means the oldest block is rotated out, along with its base set (if any). In addition, for the remaining 3 months they're in the format, Sword of the Meek and Hypergenesis are banned, meaning Thopter Combo and Hypergenesis get no traction.
Many players are, predictably, already howling at the news. My thought?
They're gearing up for a new format.
WARNING: EVERYTHING PAST THIS LINE IS SPECULATION. NOTHING I SAY COMES FROM ANY OFFICIAL SOURCE.
My first notion is that it will be called either Classic or Decade format. It will encompass the past 10 years' worth of blocks and their prior base sets (and miscellaneous other sets). Its first official play will start when Scars is released, meaning the blocks involved will stretch back to Odyssey block. The earliest legal set in the new format will be Seventh Edition. The initial Classic Banned list will be the pre-change Extended Banned list (Skullclamp, Sensei's Divining Top, AEther Vial, and Disciple of the Vault) plus Entomb.
I would also imagine that there are sweeping changes coming for Pro Tour Qualifiers...that, I hope, involves a disconnect from each of the Pro Tours themselves. Or, in other words, my hope is that PTQs become generic PTQs. Winning a Pro Tour Qualifier (or top 8-ing a Grand Prix) gains you one qualification to any Pro Tour within the next calendar year (minus the World Championship, of course). Win 3, and you're qualified for them all. With this change, the formats for these Pro Tours would also change. Instead of having a specific format for each PTQ, the organizers are free to use the formats in any order they want, with caveats: A city that holds four or more PTQs in a calendar year must hold at least one PTQ in Standard format, one PTQ in a Limited format, one PTQ in Extended format, and one PTQ in Classic format. A city that holds fewer than that must hold their PTQs in the above order; thus, a city with 2 PTQs in a year holds one Standard and one Limited PTQ. A city that holds five or more may hold their remaining PTQs in whatever format they wish; they can go back to Standard, back to new Extended...they could even hold a Block, Legacy, or Vintage PTQ if they so chose.
I think these changes would both give veterans a better out for their format love. Legacy remains unchanged, of course; Extended gives those tweener players a home; Classic keeps those who love Extended in the loop; and, of course, Standard brings the newbies in. And the new PTQ changes, I think, would also give newbies a better entry way into official Pro Play (though I think that SCG and TCGPlayer are making great strides into making non-WotC-backed Organized Play a common thing.)
Many players are, predictably, already howling at the news. My thought?
They're gearing up for a new format.
WARNING: EVERYTHING PAST THIS LINE IS SPECULATION. NOTHING I SAY COMES FROM ANY OFFICIAL SOURCE.
My first notion is that it will be called either Classic or Decade format. It will encompass the past 10 years' worth of blocks and their prior base sets (and miscellaneous other sets). Its first official play will start when Scars is released, meaning the blocks involved will stretch back to Odyssey block. The earliest legal set in the new format will be Seventh Edition. The initial Classic Banned list will be the pre-change Extended Banned list (Skullclamp, Sensei's Divining Top, AEther Vial, and Disciple of the Vault) plus Entomb.
I would also imagine that there are sweeping changes coming for Pro Tour Qualifiers...that, I hope, involves a disconnect from each of the Pro Tours themselves. Or, in other words, my hope is that PTQs become generic PTQs. Winning a Pro Tour Qualifier (or top 8-ing a Grand Prix) gains you one qualification to any Pro Tour within the next calendar year (minus the World Championship, of course). Win 3, and you're qualified for them all. With this change, the formats for these Pro Tours would also change. Instead of having a specific format for each PTQ, the organizers are free to use the formats in any order they want, with caveats: A city that holds four or more PTQs in a calendar year must hold at least one PTQ in Standard format, one PTQ in a Limited format, one PTQ in Extended format, and one PTQ in Classic format. A city that holds fewer than that must hold their PTQs in the above order; thus, a city with 2 PTQs in a year holds one Standard and one Limited PTQ. A city that holds five or more may hold their remaining PTQs in whatever format they wish; they can go back to Standard, back to new Extended...they could even hold a Block, Legacy, or Vintage PTQ if they so chose.
I think these changes would both give veterans a better out for their format love. Legacy remains unchanged, of course; Extended gives those tweener players a home; Classic keeps those who love Extended in the loop; and, of course, Standard brings the newbies in. And the new PTQ changes, I think, would also give newbies a better entry way into official Pro Play (though I think that SCG and TCGPlayer are making great strides into making non-WotC-backed Organized Play a common thing.)