I know, you have enough Magic cards to fill a closet and there couldn’t possibly be a card in 6th Edition (or as Wizards likes to call it, Classic) that you would ever need. But the fact is, the decisions on what’s in and what’s out could help or hurt your favorite Type II decks. Don’t forget that Classic Edition will become the official base set for Type II most likely on May 1, so if it was in 5th and doesn’t make 6th, start looking for cards to fill that slot in your deck.
So what is everyone saying about the new release. Some of what you are about to read is strongly rumoured, other parts have been stated in an on-line chat with members of the Wizards of the Coast design team. A few things may change between now and April, but the following is the best that we know now.
Let’s start with what appears to be out.
Poison - For most, not a big deal.
Banding - Goodbye to Benalish Hero, Mesa Pegasus and Pikemen.
Trample - So long Ball Lightning, Colossus of Sardia, Force of Nature, Leviathin, Lord of the Pit, Orgg and War Mamoth.
Flanking - No, Jolrael’s Centaur isn’t making the cut. Phasing is not expected either.
Dark Ritual - Although it may become a staple in the expansions.
Necropotence - This one phases in and out of Type II faster than a Sandbar Chrocodile.
Sylvan Library - They say it is too complex to play.
Gemstone Mine - Why? Beats me.
Birds of Paradise - Oh, now I see. Time to kill the multi-color cards.
Wrath of God - This is not confirmed, but it is strongly rumoured.
Much more will most likely be leaving as this edition will only be 330 cards, down from Fifth Editions 434, so not only will there have to be a cut of over 100 cards to get to fighting weight, but probably 50 to 100 more to make room for cards from Alliances, Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight and Tempest (yes, Tempest...see below).
Now, what’s in:
Armegeddon - The first time it has not had it’s partner (Wrath).
Uktabi Oragutan - Artifacts? We don’t need no stinkin’ artifacts.
Browse - This means that the rumoured removal of “remove from game” effects is not occurring.
Pacifism - Guess they didn’t think Swords was Classic enough to make it.
Storm Cauldron - Make that Sleigh deck work under the Orb.
Shock - Yes, you read that right. It was stated that Shock from Tempest would be in, even though the cards rotating in are from Alliances, Mirage, Visions and Weatherlight. Per Mark Rosewater, only Tempest commons will come in now, so don’t be looking for any Cursed Scroll until the next edition.
The other aspect of Classic Edition that should concern everyone, no matter what format you play, is the major rules changes.
No more Interupts - All interupts will now be considered instants and be included in a single event
stack.
Triggered abilities are “more intuitive”. For example, “comes into play” creatures now will be
considered a creature and sorcery at the same time.
You will now lose as soon as your life hits zero, not at the end of the current phase.
Artifacts no longer turn-off when they are tapped. For those that the designers still want to be able to
have turned off, text will be added to the card. Yes, you will need to know quite a bit of eratta if you
are using older cards.
Tapped blockers will now deal combat damage, so you will be able to block, deal damage, and tap the
creature for an effect.
The first use of these rules will be in the Duelist Invitational in early-February. It will be interesting to see how they work.
Stay tuned for more news as the release date for Classic Edition nears.
