MTG in 2023 - Year in Review | The Command Zone 581 | Magic: the Gathering Commander EDH Podcast

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Күн бұрын

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Show Notes:
2023 will forever be remembered as the year Wizards censored the Pinkertons. Or wait, did the Pinkertons take down the MTG Ambassador Program? There were so many controversies these past 365 days that it’s hard to keep them straight! Well don’t worry, we’re going to cover all of it!
This episode Jimmy, JLK and Rachel convene to break down the entire year of highlights, missteps, and controversies in the MTG community. With MagicCons, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, loads of Secret Lairs and more, there’s a ton to talk about. So strap in, everyone, because it’s time for the 2023 year in review!
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GAME KNIGHTS LIVE w/ The Professor:
The Professor is about to take Game Knights Live to school! Be there at MagicCon Chicago to watch the show and hang with us all weekend: mcchicago.mtgfestivals.com/en...
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STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND:
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WHATNOT:
Collectables, cards, community, and more. Sign up at www.whatnot.com/invite/command and get $15 dollars FREE to use anywhere on the site!
FACTOR:
Eat clean 24/7 with fresh prepared meals from Factor! Head to www.factormeals.com/command50 and use code command50 to get 50% off.
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CARD KINGDOM:
The Command Zone is sponsored by Card Kingdom! If you want to receive your cards in one safe package and experience the best customer service, make sure to order your Magic cards, sealed product, accessories, and more at Card Kingdom: www.cardkingdom.com/command
ARCHIDEKT:
Discover, build, catalog, and playtest on Archidekt, the deck-building website that makes it easy to brew new lists or manage your old favorites. Go to www.archidekt.com/commandzone to get started today!
ULTRAPRO:
Huge thanks to UltraPro for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to check out their PRO GLOSS eclipse sleeves and super classy MYTHIC COLLECTION deck boxes. If you want to keep your cards protected and support the show, visit: ultrapro.com/command
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Relevant Links:
The Pinkertons:
www.polygon.com/23695923/mtg-...
Secret Lair Censorship:
commandersherald.com/magic-re...
Troll & Toad Leaves Magic:
icv2.com/articles/news/view/5...
Ambassador Program:
magic.wizards.com/en/news/ann...
Hasbro Layoffs:
techcrunch.com/2023/12/11/has...
Play Boosters:
magic.wizards.com/en/news/mak...
The Financial Impact of Play Boosters:
infinite.tcgplayer.com/articl...
Jimmy’s Personal Commander Decks | The Command Zone 579:
• Jimmy’s Personal Comma...
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Email us:
commandzonecast@gmail.com
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Commander Rules and Ban List:
mtgcommander.net/
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:05 - 2023: Year in Review
00:04:50 - Dominaria Remastered
00:05:07 - Phyrexia: All Will Be One
00:06:13 - March of the Machine
00:08:17 - March of the Machine: The Aftermath
00:09:12 - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth
00:11:22 - Commander Masters
00:13:55 - Wilds of Eldraine
00:15:34 - Universes Beyond: Doctor Who
00:17:51 - Lord of the Rings: Holiday Release
00:21:24 - Lost Caverns of Ixalan
00:23:02 - Worst Set of the Year
00:31:23 - Best Set of the Year
00:40:55 - Game Knights Live @ MagicCon Chicago
00:43:07 - 2023 By the Numbers
00:50:25 - Best Cards of 2023
01:00:02 - Worst Cards of 2023
01:13:02 - Reprints
01:26:40 - Secret Lairs
01:32:58 - The Thing About Bling
01:41:56 - To Universes and Beyond
01:52:47 - Remembering Sheldon
01:53:22 - Commander Rules Committee
02:05:47 - Biggest Controversies
02:42:21 - Biggest Whiffs
02:50:53 - Biggest Successes
02:57:35 - Looking Forward to 2024
03:07:30 - To the Listeners
#magicthegathering #mtg #commander #mtgcommander #edh #podcast #commandzone

Пікірлер: 768

@jorgecrespoapastegui 6 ай бұрын

3 hours? are you insane? do you think i'm gonna spend 3h on a mtg video? cause you are correct.

@damenlenz 6 ай бұрын

🤣

@xpeterx 6 ай бұрын

had us in the first half..

@TheMadwomen 6 ай бұрын

We love how this makes it look like "are you insane" is an unrelated question.

@calvinbarboza 6 ай бұрын

Christmas came late this year.

@BillyTheFridge 6 ай бұрын

Not only am I going to spend 3 hours on a magic video, I'm going to watch it again in a month and then wake up to it auto playing mid way through time and again until the 2024 one is released

@gabepetersen6841 6 ай бұрын

If they released like 3-4 sets per year I’d go all in and buy each one, but there are just too many I have to skip a bunch

@B3NN3TT066 6 ай бұрын

Bro same. It's fucking insane

@Lazydino59 6 ай бұрын

Yup, I used to buy a box of almost every set when they released 3-4 a year, and the yearly commander decks. But with 11 sets this year and 30 edh decks I have neither the time nor attention to really care about what comes out anymore. Every season is now spoiler season and the hype train never ends, it’s exhausting and I just gave up

@ertai222 6 ай бұрын

Same. Now I just focus on HeroClix.

@Silas_MN 6 ай бұрын

just focusing on the stuff that's most appealing to you is totally fine! probably healthier that way!

@shinigami052 6 ай бұрын

@@Lazydino59same, when i first started playing I'd usually buy 2 boxes and also draft every friday at FNM, go to pre-release events and everything. I took a break, came back, and now it's just ridiculous how often they're dropping new sets.

@TeaGarrison 6 ай бұрын

I played Yugioh competitively for years but I got back into Magic for the LoTR cards and I haven’t looked back. Its been a breath of fresh air getting into commander and playing casually with my brother and friends. They would never want to learn Yugioh because it’s so complicated and full of feel-bad moments, but Magic has brought us all together and it’s all thanks to the Lord of the Rings cards.

@Gravy1255 6 ай бұрын

Me in a nutshell I love the concept of yugioh, but it's so complicated. Got into magic in the last year mainly commander. It's a huge breath of air. However like they talked about all these massive triggers do have me worried cause it's starting to get into that lots of math and complicated stuff of yugioh

@anona3504 6 ай бұрын

I'm in a similar situation and honestly coming from competitive modern yugioh it's not too complicated. However, the entire competitive scene being built around FTKs down to new sets intentionally being designed to enhance FTK play would turn alot of magic players away. Sure some times I want to be a degenerate and take a 4-10minite turn building a massive board but not every match. Back and forth play, negotiate and engaging your opponents in deals makes for a more enjoyable experience foe everyone.

@tsukikofudo3838 6 ай бұрын

As a long time YGO (2001) and MTG (2014) player. YGO is FTK & OTK centric. Either players turn one or turn two the game is just over. With MTG you get to have 3 turns or more and that is a breath of fresh air.

@TeaGarrison 6 ай бұрын

⁠⁠@@anona3504 The emphasis on turn 1 is why I got out. It was fun for a while, but when you’re doing the same combo (even in control decks like Lab) every game and then pivoting to one or two alternative lines when disrupted, it begins to wear thin. OG Tearlament shattered the glass for me, and by the time Kashtira came out, the game was feeling more like work than fun. And once Fenrir started to trickle into almost every deck at my locals (because it’s such a strong play in any deck that isn’t on Bystials) I was done.

@isidoreaerys8745 2 ай бұрын

I can play Yugioh I can understand the interactions. But hand traps like ash blossom max C and infinite Impermanence make the game an oppressive and miserable experience. Not to mention how Fucking slow the turns are

@DorkmasterFlek 6 ай бұрын

You're right that the layoff thing is a regular practice. That doesn't make it good. It's awful, and Chris Cocks should be ashamed. He is a failure of a CEO and should be fired as far as I'm concerned.

@danacoleman4007 6 ай бұрын

I agree 💯!!!

@ROMANTIKILLER2 6 ай бұрын

Instead, this being corporate America, he will likely get a fat bonus check for meeting his likely targets of reducing costs and streamline operations. 😒

@itsalmostunbearable2273 6 ай бұрын

Oddly enough, I think the doctor who commander decks were amazing at bringing people back to watch doctor who rather than bringing doctor who fans to magic. I ended up buying a subscription to hbo max just to rewatch and understand the references on the cards and had a blast doing so!

@ianoble 6 ай бұрын

Same!

@laneyarcade 6 ай бұрын

agreed

@dane1647 6 ай бұрын

I bought a Brit Box sub so I could watch the old Who shows for the first time.

@TheLordSorin 6 ай бұрын

Yep, and that's why wizards should be doing the opposite with their IP instead of being the Slut for every one else's. They should also look into making an anime. I'm saying not even as an anime fan. But I know that Cyberpunk Edge runners was a huge success across the board. Imagine if Right around brothers war, they released. An anime for brothers war.

@mangafan589 4 ай бұрын

Same

@chrisdixon7377 6 ай бұрын

And hasbro is a soulless corporation. Laying off employees of the only profitable arm of their company is literally them just shooting themselves in the foot and not only that, it removes the incentive to produce good products

@F3A5T 6 ай бұрын

100! The fact that they did this was the nail in the coffin for me to buying new product.

@danacoleman4007 6 ай бұрын

@@F3A5Tsame here 😔

@Phantomwaxx 6 ай бұрын

Scold, scold, scold! I’m sure you know better than a global corporation. Grow up.

@chrisdixon7377 6 ай бұрын

@@Phantomwaxx you're defending these actions?

@graysonchristian2668 6 ай бұрын

@@Phantomwaxxwtf? Are you just trolling or are you that deep on the capitalist boot?

@monkeyfish0837 6 ай бұрын

The analogy for the "you see one golf ball sized hail and freak out" and then theres tons of golf ball sized hail and saying its "normal" is ludicrous. A hailstorm isnt a GOOD thing. Its not something you just sit in the middle of thinking you should get used to it. A hailstorm is something to AVOID. this is why people DONT WANT BAD THINGS TO BE NORMALIZED.

@Lazydino59 6 ай бұрын

Yeah it’s like being in an abusive relationship where the awful parts are so normalized you don’t realize how much better your life could be if you were free from it

@timmyg316 6 ай бұрын

I really regret that LOTR was so good because wizards will see it as approval to do more. And they already showed they don't care who gets into Magic, especially when it's a Hasbro property like transformers or Clue. I mean, we're going to get to a point where a Magic game, in all seriousness sounds like this "I move to attacks, the Monopoly guy and JEFF Goldbloom are going at you Josh, and Jimmy I'm coming at you with Laura Croft" "in response, I'm going to cast 'Bohemian Rhapsody' targeting the Monopoly guy' In response, I'll attach the Mithril coat to the monopoly guy at instant speed using Jay-Z's ability'." "OK, I'll block Jeff Goldblum with Super Mario and Vampire Nighthawk and take 6" "Ok, that causes Duff-Man's ability to trigger and I make 2 Duff tokens. " Hey, what are you guys playing? " " Magic The Gathering"

@Greg501- 6 ай бұрын

@@timmyg316 That sound fun, but I don't think Jeff Goldblum wants vanity cards like Post Malone does. Everything else is balling tho.

@DynamicSheep 5 ай бұрын

The analogy is psychotic lmao "Everyone sees rain and goes 'oh no! my plans are ruined!' but then it keeps up and eventually it's a hurricane and everyone's like 'meh'" lolwut! No man, that's not a thing that's ever happened!

@guilerms 6 ай бұрын

yeah of course anyone would send armed mercenaries to a person's house to fix their own mistakes. completely reasonable.

@ThatBlondeKid95 6 ай бұрын

Right. Like nobody is arguing against recovering the product or investigating. They just should have known better with who they hired. The discussion here came across as dismissive.

@Thoughtmage100 6 ай бұрын

Also did the guy get compensated for the product they took? Because if they didn't pay him, and just browbeat him into surrendering the product that's theft.

@comvnche 6 ай бұрын

Seriously, I don't even feel like continuing the video at this point. Guys, why not honestly say: we are sponsored and therefor leave it to others channels to comment instead of this dismissive tone.

@drewmackay3977 6 ай бұрын

They just rolled over instead of standing up for anything besides the company.

@VexylObby 6 ай бұрын

Are they just this much of a contrarian? I bet Rachel doesn't completely agree too...@@drewmackay3977

@pedroaugustorodrigues8120 6 ай бұрын

I don't like the way Jimmy dilutes the controversies. "The thing is we see this all the time all around". It makes things seem like unavoidable or unquestionable and we should just accept it because it is the way things are. "Just endure".

@Knives4540 6 ай бұрын

"They were just trying to protect their IP, so it's justifiable that they sent the security agency with the worst possible reputation to scare and possibly traumatize someone over one of the most mediocre releases this year." Yes, the outcry wouldn't be as bad if they had sent any other agency, but you're telling me *no one* at Wizards expected it? If this was on accident, it's a lackluster job from their staff, and if it's on purpose, it's very much scare tactics. I get that the Command Zone is affiliated with WotC and probably shouldn't be extra hard on them, but if they hadn't accumulated such a huge ammount of good will from the LotR set, this year could very much have broken the company with such a terrible move.

@MASTACHIEFPWN 6 ай бұрын

A more reasonable company would have sent out a cease and desist and a request for the UPCs so they could investigate a distributor, not hire thugs to traumatize someone who did almost no damage to their IP in retrospect. Other hobby companies have leaks happen all the time and you never hear them resort to hiring fake cops to threaten leakers.

@monkeyfish0837 6 ай бұрын

They were genuinely missing the mark on a lot of the controversies. Like they're trying to do PR for wotc almost. I dont know if theyre just playing devils advocate or what, but man so many things they talked about in that section were just...so shilly to me. Yes people overreacted, but to then say "they were just trying to defend their ip" is ridiculous.

@justagoose7741 6 ай бұрын

@@monkeyfish0837They're sponsored by WOTC so of course they'll limit their criticisms. If you want actual full commentary about these things watch the Prof or smaller creators, they won't pull their punches.

@joser7011 6 ай бұрын

I also felt like they missed the mark on this. Was taken by surprise how they minimize how shitty Wotcs actions were.

@TiltedSquare 6 ай бұрын

I feel like watching content creators with such a strong affiliation with Wotc is that a lot of their takes will be centrist because they don't want to piss off either side too much. I think it's a bit cowardly in my opinion, but they need to do what they can to keep the lights on.

@noahsaari9094 6 ай бұрын

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to find the source of a leak and recover commercially unavailable product, but sending armed mercenaries with a history of strike-breaking, unethical intimidation tactics, and actual murder isn’t something to just be dismissed so casually. Longtime watcher of you guys and this was really disappointing to hear from you.

@drewmackay3977 6 ай бұрын

Agree they failed the mtg community hard on this one. Haven't got to it yet but I bet they are fine with the layoffs too.

@ZeRafut 6 ай бұрын

Who would you send in their stead? I'm 100% behind what the command zone said in the video, police won't do ish unless you file a complaint. Soy level rose above 9k about this whole ordeal, imagine what it would have been if they filed a complaint to the police. Especially considering the image the bad rep the police is having these days. I'm waiting for a decent alternative.

@awdsef1 6 ай бұрын

@@ZeRafutnormally? You send in lawyers. Wotc could also provide an interview for the channel giving them a chance to publicly explain why they needed the product back while giving the content creator another video to post or they could contract them to help investigate the supply chain giving the content creator monetary incentive to cooperate.

@noahsaari9094 6 ай бұрын

@@bassfunkprog6730 Everyone’s fully aware they’re sponsored by Wizards. The correct move was to just not say anything, instead they expressed callous indifference about the victims of the incident while attempting to convince people it was actually somehow the community’s fault for shedding light on something so disturbing.

@ZeRafut 6 ай бұрын

@@awdsef1 you live in fairytale Land I recon

@_guavo_ 6 ай бұрын

Jimmy: Trauma isn't real, no one got hurt, that is a SPICY TAKE!

@Arufonsa1 6 ай бұрын

Yea there were a lot of questionable takes here.

@DynamicSheep 5 ай бұрын

2:07:54

@Its-Lulu 6 ай бұрын

Congrats on the new studio!!!

@-RTC- 6 ай бұрын

Ive watched you guys for years, but have been burned out on mtg the last year to two years and haven’t bought much besides a few random packs and singles here and there. I didn’t realize how much STUFF is coming out these days. Love the episode, very informative, and I’ve always appreciated your guys’ opinions, cheers.

@CinoMTG 6 ай бұрын

I didn't realize that the video was 3 hours long until I seen the comments. I'm already 33 minutes in and it doesn't feel like its been that long already. You guys are awesome and congrats on the new studio!

@Silas_MN 6 ай бұрын

Doctor Who was my absolute highlight of the year. DW has been a huge thing for me, way longer than magic, and I love the decks! idk what everyone is on about, they play so well! Also, they got me watching your podcast again after dropping it a couple of years ago

@Thummpur26 6 ай бұрын

It’s kinda crazy, but I wasn’t even a Magic player. But the Lotr set got me started! I am a HUGE Lotr fan and have been for years. I collect just about any and all things Tolkien and middle earth. And that’s how I got into the game so I’m happy to see it was such a universally positive experience for everyone

@Logan_MZR 6 ай бұрын

That set got me back into playing after not playing since 2010. Eowyn Precon got morphed into an Aragorn Monarch deck that is so much fun and a very consistent 7. The art of that set is so cool.

@TeaGarrison 6 ай бұрын

My brother and whole group of friends has gotten into magic because the LoTR cards brought me back to Magic after a long hiatus and I made enough decks for everyone to try. Now everyone has their own decks and we play as often as we can get together.

@Thummpur26 6 ай бұрын

@@TeaGarrison as a new player I love hearing it bringing you back! My fiance and I play it regularly! I have an awesome red/white human themed deck! It’s very fun!

@Thummpur26 6 ай бұрын

@@Logan_MZR the art is so damn cool. My fiance and I have been having a blast! The red/white Gondor Rohan human deck gets insanely overpowering with the bonuses they give other human types. Very fun deck. Needed to deal with my finances pesky black green ent and death touch deck! Happy to hear it bringing you back!

@randysmith4318 6 ай бұрын

The Gathering. A Little known place where Nerds worship their heroes and for fucks sake let not forget how All the beautiful villains keep us dreaming of US BEING THE ONES Who after finishing up our Beers will be there to CARPE DIEM

@unseeliedream42 6 ай бұрын

"we unfortunately just endure" but also we can stop to do that and start to speak about how bad it is when people are laid off and a ceo is getting 8 milions bonus.

@quinnwaterman1535 6 ай бұрын

My sister is obsessed with Doctor Who and heavily got into magic in general because of the release. It was hilarious watching her get excited about the references

@camilovargas1722 6 ай бұрын

Same here! I used to play MTG back in the early 2000’s and now Doctor Who brought me back and now I am so excited about commander!

@EmTekTube 6 ай бұрын

2:12:07 what’s reasonable is Wizards sending a simple email to that oldschoolmtg guy instead of hitting the nuke button and sending any form of PI/security firm as a first point of contact with him

@KensanOni 6 ай бұрын

Bloomburrow is coming this year in Q2, and I refuse to die before I get a chance to get those cards. I can't wait.

@zbaschtian 6 ай бұрын

Note to self: do not manipulate secondhand Bloomburrow cards unless wearing two layers of latex gloves. No, it's not to preserve the card value.

@KensanOni 6 ай бұрын

In the words of Thumper's Mom : If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

@zbaschtian 6 ай бұрын

Please do not confuse basic hygiene for kink shaming. I'd rather not spread cardboard covid if I can avoid it.

@VincentWolfeye 6 ай бұрын

Love these long ones where all of you three get to have some input. It's nice to see different perspectives. The whole episode was awesome, great insight, and both giving cheers and keeping wizards acountable. I missed a run through of cards that were asked for to be reprinted and checked off and if some where left out which you wanted to see. But I also understand with the long runtime of the episode why that would be difficult. All in all. Thanks for all you guys do. Love you lots hand have a great 2024!🎉

@hubertcumberdale 6 ай бұрын

I really wish I could hear an unedited version of this where they aren't held back on what they can say by WOTC, that'd be super interesting

@thebuttercottage526 6 ай бұрын

I have been reviewing all my purchases from the year over the holiday break and it has made me in my feelings... I made a lot of purchases and ended up with a ton of commander decks and a lot of cards, but not a lot of go-to decks to show for it. I absolutely loved New Capenna but felt like I was chasing those cards because it came so close to the previous release. The timing of Lord of The Rings was so terrible financially that I was worn out from so much purchasing. As a huge Dr Who fan, I was expecting it to be as amazing as LOTR and pre-ordered all the commanders. Loved the individual cards but not the story they were telling together and it turned me off for a bit from playing and buying... What a year 😂😢😵

@chillnerd3143 6 ай бұрын

Honestly I love these long podcast! I put you guys on my TV while I'm decking building and testing and it's just relaxing and a great listen/watch! I love this year for mtg and excited for 2024

@AJANI97 6 ай бұрын

Exodia pieces as 1/1 would be pretty funny @Rachel!😂👍🏻 excellent overview to round up the year!

@12jacobmar 6 ай бұрын

Comment 4

@aquascenic5751 6 ай бұрын

I wish they kept the "Elspeth stabbing Elesh Norn" final battle scene for Aftermath. Not spoiling the story that has been built up over a multi year arc would have made for a better epilogue set.

@captainqwark4863 6 ай бұрын

I bought all 4 Dr Who decks. Mainly because of The Professors hype and have started to watch the series. Not disappointed! As a seasoned commander player I will say that the decks were not the easiest and felt that they were aimed at active MTG players. I really loved this but wouldn't recommend it for new players.

@andrueurbane7361 6 ай бұрын

Lorien Revealed's ability to get Mystic Sanctuary should not be underestimated as a significant component of its utility. Draw cards late, make a land drop early, fix your mana, plus can search for recursion. That's a lot of Do Stuff.

@SimWOT 6 ай бұрын

Seriously, what the f*** is that defense for sending mercenary to a guy house because someone made a mistake in your logistic. Unless They had proof the guy stole the product or he was under contract with wotc, no one, no company should be allowed to send people (armed people in this case) to intimidate someone. Saying that it wasn’t a big issue or that it’s standard procedure feel insane to me.

@josefinacabrera589 6 ай бұрын

It's surprising to me that Doctor Who gathered such low interest from the community, when for me, its the only crossover I've been hyped for

@AlexMTG_ 6 ай бұрын

100%

@glassface9953 6 ай бұрын

Came out near the end of the year after our wallets had been drained from all the releases. Set fatigue is real

@kelarax 6 ай бұрын

Six 1 of 1 Infinity Stones would be dope. One Soul, Space, Power, Reality, Time, Mind serialized stones.

@adamrobinson6951 6 ай бұрын

I think I'd prefer a 1 of 1 Infinity Gauntlet, but there's an argument either way. Realistically, it'll be the ultra-wealthy players that end up buying these anyway and I'm not sure what the impact would be if Post Malone got 3 of them and Cassius Marsh got 2, with the remaining 1 still for sale. Either the bidding war would get insane helping 6 players make a fortune or both would have limited interest if they can't own the whole set. Either way, I think 1 of 1 leads to more publicity for a single expensive card with more likelihood of breaking records - which is what Wizards are chasing with this concept.

@mublysnubly3407 6 ай бұрын

Imagine wotc or posty brings all six of the owners together literally like Willy Wonka. Could be huuge PR.

@Chaosdaniel 6 ай бұрын

You mean... UNfinity Moxes?

@Nipa96M 6 ай бұрын

Great point Jimmy with the different treatments and card styles. I don't have OCD, but I don't think I am too far from it either. I find that even small imperfections do have a strong effect on my mental state. For example, I am a calm guy and usually very friendly, but while at work if my surroundings get cluttered or disordered, I will not be talkative at all, I will start stress a lot and I start easily feel bitter towards others even if I don't voice it and as soon as I get my working space cleared, I continue as if it was the best day of my life. And the borders, sleeves, playmats, dice, all that do the same thing to me and I have expensive decks in old sleeves that I don't ply just because their sleeves are not up to my standards. Very much 1st world problems. From 2018 onwards when I first started to play Magic and commander, it has been a big thing for me to have my deck look like it belongs together. Call me heretic, but I hate the old card frame so much and dodging that and ocasional other borders in 2018 was a lot for me. I have a Vadrok deck that is my project to be as convoluted as possible and my brother bought me the I guess "anime" version of brain storm. It does fit the deck on the mechanical side and it is not ugly old border, but it is REALLY different and it kinda pains me. I try to focus on the border positive and to the fact that my brother gave it as a xmas present with the fact in mind that I don't like the old border. My biggest problem is that I love 40k so ofcourse I bought the precons, but I also view non full art lands as imperfect but there is no 40k full arts and other full arts don't look enough 40kish and have very different art style. Would be so much easier if I would be normal and wouldn't lose sleep over small things like these.

@thesamuraiman 6 ай бұрын

With Dr. Who and Lord of the Rings, of course there's a ton of new legendary creatures. (I find it weird to call every legend a commander though)

@repeataftermeme75 6 ай бұрын

In some cases yes I agree. Some non-legendary creatures I've felt need to be a legendary. Other commander creatures are to specific to being a commander only creature that they become almost useless.

@shatterst0rm380 6 ай бұрын

I agree, it's weird calling every legendary creature a commander. They don't say Commander on the card, they say Legendary Creature. We use Legendary Creatures as commanders.

@TheVladeha 6 ай бұрын

y'all forgot that some planeswalkers can be your commander too (like Guff this year)

@thesamuraiman 6 ай бұрын

@@TheVladeha I didn't forget, but it's irrelevant to my point. Every legendary creature isn't *made* for *Commander* Sometimes legends are just...legends. Just because they're weak in Commander as a commander doesn't mean that the legendary type doesn't serve a different purpose.

@TrevHolland 6 ай бұрын

When you are talking about the value of cards, how are you pricing them? Is that Card Kindom's sell price? Or is that a buy price? Because they all seem so high compared to what the average joe can actually get for those cards.

@Dunespire 6 ай бұрын

Great episode guys, much appreciated. And Rachel, congrats on your 1 year anniversary. You are a very welcome addition to the team.

@thebuttercottage526 6 ай бұрын

The amount of new sets/product this year has changed my purchasing strategy. I am moving from a deck every set to perhaps being a part of a draft or two, pick over the rest and LGS/Card Kingdom singles.😶

@TheUnmistakableMan 6 ай бұрын

There is sooo much that I agree on with you guys! The amount of new and convoluted cards and new products are just really tiring. I wish they'd crank it down a little and let the player base absorb the current sets a little more… Well, either way, thanks for the great discussion~

@minispiel19 6 ай бұрын

I totally understand why you made Doctor Who a whiff, but I personally thought it was a home run! It is the first Magic product I bought for myself in two years. I didn’t buy the decks. I bought some collector boosters and singles to make my first new deck in two years. I also thought Ixalan was great too especially the precon decks.

@jasonthaler7328 2 ай бұрын

Man, I love Rachel on the Team... You two are the OGs but she fits sooo well! Thanks for your great work.

@BAdCommander 6 ай бұрын

The only criticism is that in your timeline you missed dom remastered. Great show

@cyrus1380 6 ай бұрын

"If you don't like Universes Beyond then you are probably having a bad time" Thanks, I am, in fact, having a bad time lol Like I get it, but at the same time I want more MAGIC not some other stuff, ya know? I can't wait for Thunder Junction and Bloomburrow, I'm also a big Redwall fan lol

@BorealGames 6 ай бұрын

I'll forever remember the secret lair that had to be censored. I showed a friend who didn't even play magic and ever since then the part they censored has been his profile picture on discord lol

@timothyloomes5142 6 ай бұрын

Best thing to happen to Magic this year was Racheal joining the Command Zone for me, and the worst thing was losing Ladee Danger.

@bernardvezina-gagnon24 6 ай бұрын

I am suprised orcish bowmaster isnt mentionned on the best card of the year

@pcpanda2442 6 ай бұрын

I am looking forward to actual magic sets

@OGWNF 6 ай бұрын

I used to really like that I could easily recognise cards from across the table based on their art. Now with the millions of versions of every card its so much more difficult to near impossible. Promos used to feel special because they were less common so you noticed when one was used. I prefer the normal frame version of all cards.

@sawyerhudson843 6 ай бұрын

Reading a bunch of comments suggesting that Jimmy and Josh’s takes on the most upsetting things to happen to the game this year… I can’t sit through being frustrated for three hours. I like a lot of this channel’s content, but it ain’t worth being bummed out to watch your stuff. Glad they addressed the many mistakes the company has made this year, but I can’t just be bummed out for a whole podcast episode

@malachifreedman3975 6 ай бұрын

Really cool to catch it this early! Always a fun video, super excited!! ❤🎉

@mistmoorex 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for keeping me company while I sorted through all these cards we got in the last like month.

@FormosusII 6 ай бұрын

A bit late to the party, but I was shocked at the Marvel announcement because Disney usually keeps pretty strict control of their IPs. In addition, they have both Lorecana as a full-fledged TCG and Villainous as a card-based boardgame. Also Marvel Snap as a digital card game!

@VexylObby 6 ай бұрын

There are hundreds of board games developed by non-Disney people now. Disney loves profiting from the IP by themselves AND by letting others use it.

@TheLordSorin 6 ай бұрын

Yeah magic is a Prostitute for everyone else's IPs now.

@davidheizer9136 6 ай бұрын

I just started playing Bauldurs gate 3 and now I actually understand the D&D Bauldurs gate set. I kinda wonder if thier timing on that set was a miss

@Russian_engineer_bmstu 6 ай бұрын

Bg3 was a nieche rpg in beta up until it wasn't

@corporalkills 5 ай бұрын

Definitely. I was thinking that earlier that they put it out at the wrong time

@jdlazin 6 ай бұрын

Grats on the new set! Can't believe it's already been a year for Rachel; you bring a unique voice and help round out the team. I feel like UB had a huge impact on me and pushed me to get into new things. I got more into LoTR than I had previously, as well as watching all of the Dr Who reboot to get all the references. The decks are way complicated but the durdly do-something-but-not-move-towards-win speaks to me as a player :)

@Arufonsa1 6 ай бұрын

There are some takes here I’m having issue coming to terms with morally. There is 0 reason to send armed security forces to a person’s home and just because we didn’t have a worst case scenario is no reason to excuse. There is also no reason to excuse the mass layoffs or be dismissive of them. People lost their jobs before holiday bonuses could be given out and it is perfectly reasonable for employees to be dependent on that. ANY defense of that decision is both gross and cruel. If this is the stance of Game Knights going forward I think that many of us should question our continued support.

@digital_waffles 6 ай бұрын

They are literally shills...Why are you complaining?

@moviesnapper 6 ай бұрын

Have fallen in and out of MTG over the years. Came across you guys just recently, playing catch up, and now really want to get into Commander (something I've never done before). Now working on a few decks to play with my mate thats always been into it

@FSUMercerian 6 ай бұрын

Surprised there’s zero discussion of Wizards cutting ties with Judge Academy. Official judges are maybe less important for Commander being so casual focused and cEDH being a much smaller subset of the community, but feels like an important topic to have covered when we’re talking about the year and it having happened recently. My Magic journey was tied almost from the start with being a judge so absolutely biased here.

@callumreilly9107 6 ай бұрын

I feel the frustration regarding curled foils. I remember when I went to my first prerelease (strixhaven) and I was so hyped that my bonus card was Jadzi (I'd thought she looked so cool leading up to it so I was excited to try and get her). Cut to her being warped af, I can't even put her in a deck unless the sleeves are able to flatten her out

@DrOmnipotent 6 ай бұрын

Fun listen. Although I was shocked to not hear anything about Bowmasters. Love it or hate it, that card is absolute insanity.

@dadbod808 6 ай бұрын

That's it. I'm going to tryout for games knight's fan battle just to play saruman of many colors. This card is awesome and I'll prove it.

@AlexMTG_ 6 ай бұрын

Seems like Saruman or any Doctor Who character will be an instant rejection 😢

@ThorgisArcade 6 ай бұрын

This was the year I got back into Magic after being out of the game for fifteen years. And it was largely thanks to your channel. So thank you for that and hope you have a good 2024.

@paragon6794 6 ай бұрын

Its not next year but in 2025 I'm looking forward to the final fantasy stuff. I hope it is an amazing set and looks good.

@zacjacobson1751 6 ай бұрын

Agree with the idea that MTG is becoming a 'platform'. Can be overwhelming, but platforms providing avenues for different kinds of players, new players, artistis, etc...is super amazing

@Misquargo 6 ай бұрын

I feel like Rachel was able to put something that I've been feeling about the Universes Beyond stuff that I've been feeling for a while now @ 1:44:00, because I've been the guy who just... doesn't care about Warhammer 40k, or LotR, or Dr. Who and Magic has been just another thing to slap those IP's on. As a life long comic book fan though, I was so hyped to hear that Magic is finally going to cross over with an IP that I'm invested in and, now, I'm on the other side of the fence and can't understand why nobody else cares lol

@TubbyBubbleLove42 6 ай бұрын

I bought the Princess Bride cards. My fiancee and I plan on framing and hanging them on the wall. Still wish they never existed.

@protoman0027 6 ай бұрын

Favorite set: Could be recency bias, but Lost Caverns really hit the mark for what should be in a set booster. The special guest slot is something I look forward to in future sets as a better way to reprint cards. Favorite new Commander: Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher-It just does so many things well, and is a legendary sun titan in more than just white. Looking forward to in 2024: Hoping wizards learns how to effectively print and reprint cards. I know you mentioned you think they've got a good feel, but they should just keep variants out of play boosters entirely, stop reprinting things in mainsets, stop making cards with alternate names of old cards i.e. green dragon's inn, make box toppers relevant cards only (for the love of god why was coercive portal something you could get instead of chalice of the void), and keep listening to player feedback. I know they can't change their immediate plans because sets are planned ahead of time, but there needs to be more communication between set teams so we don't get these stupid back to back reprints. I like cards being affordable, but I don't like watching ten dollar cards become ten cents because of poor set design choices. If I could ask one thing, it would be a mandatory reprint stop window. If you reprint chalice of the void, minimum two or three years before it can be reprinted outside of a secret lair. I don't even know if that's a hot take.

@Strik3r1090 6 ай бұрын

I have to admit, with each universes beyond set, I get more jaded with MTG. If all of the unique cards were actually, meaningfully, reprinted in the MTG IP, then I think I'd be past it.

@laneyarcade 6 ай бұрын

Happy Commandiversary Rachel!!! Thanks to the whole crew for the regular flow of good information all year ❤❤❤

@laneyarcade 6 ай бұрын

this was a particularly enjoyable episode, much appreciated

@chadsamuels6512 6 ай бұрын

I am feeling nostalgic and remembering the lessons from the great war and the Art of War episodes from years ago. I know a lot of time is spent on set reviews because Wizards puts out a new set every ten seconds. If you can find the time to so another episode in that direction it would be greatly appreciated.

@louisoncolin6025 6 ай бұрын

1:01:26 i started zooming on skrelv art at the exact time Rachel said “look at its teeth” 😆

@leeblanchard949 2 ай бұрын

For someone just getting into magic Commander Masters has been my favorite set of packs to open. I used staple cards I've pulled from those packs to build decks around.

@jacobbrj 6 ай бұрын

The stasis coffin has the same protection text as the one ring, but sees no play. And you said in this episode that you undervalued the protection clause on the one ring, and the one ring proved it's worth. I know it doesn't draw cards and gets exiled in use (though can be cloned) and costs 5 to surprise anyone with the protection, but is it so much worse than the one ring to see no play?

@vladplasmius2854 6 ай бұрын

Yes.

@financecarter 6 ай бұрын

1:36:12 for the multiple treatment conversation I usually go by deck. A couple of my decks I max out the bling. A couple I use strictly retro and “normal” frame and art. Some I choose a couple to bling out to emphasize that card.

@financecarter 6 ай бұрын

Also to Josh’s point I have paid extra money for normal frame card than I would’ve for the art card.

@WarrickRanger 6 ай бұрын

I’m an old school player, the way I primarily consume sealed product is buying a booster box, opening packs is fun for me. With that in mind, the biggest success for me was Wilds of Eldraine. Getting a guaranteed Enchanting Tales reprint in every pack was huge. Even if they were commons and uncommons I already had, the had new unique art. Doctor Who also handled reprints very well as it had a lot of good cards all with new art, and I wish that had been a full booster set (which sounds like what the Beyond Boosters for Assassin’s Creed might be). The biggest miss of the year was Lost Caverns of Ixalan. All the good reprints were either in the precons or collector boosters only in order to artificially keep the secondary value of those cards higher, similar to Commander Masters. Opening a set booster box of Ixalan was disappointing and boring; I wanted to see a Special Guest card in every pack and I think I opened two in the whole box.

@kuruk_war 6 ай бұрын

I've been playing MTG for 2-3 years, and veriants/ different styles of cards are my favorite part of creating a deck. Finding new styles that can fit on exiting decks always makes me excited. (Btw, i exclusively play on Arena)

@stwill939 6 ай бұрын

Hey I didn't know where to put this but thought it might be a good idea going forward. Could you do a series of videos focusing on coming back to a precon from several years back and how you would upgrade the deck now (since many sets have come out since). Maybe just a short and sweet video. Perhaps people in the office are still using precon commanders from years back and they could talk about how the deck has developed over time and what hot, new includes have been added over that time. Just an idea. Have a fantastic 2024!!!!!!

@jordanmeyer2699 6 ай бұрын

Going to what Josh was saying about staying on top of the board state I am like that with my play group, my group does tend to get irritated with me because of that since I am constantly on top of all the cards on the table and how they interact, it’s just something that I absolutely love doing. It has gotten slight more difficult with the new variants of the cards but I am thrilled at the challenge

@BirdmanG07 6 ай бұрын

Regarding the “too much text” stuff, the most recent time I played I removed a card because there were too many words and it was confusing me. That was the only reason. They played it, they read it, I asked them to read it again, and I said I’m sorry this is too much and removed it.

@Adam3387 6 ай бұрын

I really wish for the command zone to do another behind the scenes because they’d changed a lot and I really enjoyed the last one. And cuz of the new studio

@rossjamestobitt 6 ай бұрын

Speaking about carving out your own formats, it was agreed upon that our playgroup of 12 people all wanted to not chase the Universes Beyond carrot for upgrading our EDH decks and we now only allow Universes Within cards for regular play and that is not to say we didn't get some of the UB decks because we did, we just keep them separate. So you could say we now play UWEDH. Will things like this become more commonplace as more and more UB cards get printed? I think definitely. Especially if IP licences run out.

@kstephenson5857 2 ай бұрын

For the question given at 1:37:00 - I don't think one card having 15 different treatments is a problem for new players. Speaking as a newer player, I'm not at the level where someone says the name of a non-famous card and I just automatically know about it. Therefore, when one card has multiple treatments, that's okay by me; I didn't know what the card did anyways.

@joshuasinger4649 6 ай бұрын

1:39:48 yeah. That is the retro frame. “Oh cool it looks like an old magic card!” Was the selling point.

@connorschneider6289 6 ай бұрын

Great episode. Rachel has been a wonderful addition to the command zone this year.

@Flyboy245 6 ай бұрын

So many things happened this year. Thanks for going through all of them

@zackbonno3675 6 ай бұрын

The One Ring is proof that more people need to be playing the few Skullcrack style effects in their decks instead of another synergy piece. Fun fact, also tells Teferi's protection to get bent which is already a card people hate that sees a bunch of play

@jayjayyumul 6 ай бұрын

didn't realize this was 3 hours long. this is the year that I finally get to play Commander at an LGS, all thanks to you guys, and everyone at the Command Zone. cheers, ya'll!

@wmhburgess 6 ай бұрын

So I also thought the thing about helping out LGS's by consolidating into a single booster type was a good idea. That's why I was so surprised when I talked to my LGS owner, and she was really disappointed in the change. She said that even though LotR was an excellent limited set, the turnout for prerelease was the lowest they'd had except for Commander Masters which they even had to cancel some of the events because there weren't enough players willing to pay the steep costs. She was worried that upping the costs of these events would really hurt those events and the Friday night drafts, which is when people buy the set boosters. If people aren't coming in to play, they're much more likely to just buy a box of play boosters online. All speculation at this point, but it does make sense to me that this will increase revenue for Wizards and large online retailers like Amazon but hurt LGS's.

@sifuculreif6448 6 ай бұрын

So this Layoff situation looks a Whole lot like Cris Cocks is trying to take the money and run. I'd also say he's trying to burn down WotC (and maybe Hasbro too) on his way out. He hasn't SAID he's gonna quit, but it looks like he's gonna quit and take everyone down with him, after giving himself all the money his former employees earned for him.

@zbaschtian 6 ай бұрын

Hasbro 2024: "We are thrilled to announce our new CEO: Bobby Kotick!"

@PatataMaxtex 6 ай бұрын

what I really love about Lotr is that the characters that were offered the Ring by Frodo in the movies have a card with a "when the Ring tempts you and you chose another creature as your Ring bearer" ability. I love it

@d3structor469 6 ай бұрын

Dang, I was kinda hoping for a Game Knights Christmas episode😢

@randysmith4318 6 ай бұрын

😢

@munsulight721 6 ай бұрын

Funnily enough. the Esper Saruman is most likely gonna be my Esper commander for the Chromatic Project. I playtested the deck on moxfield against real opponent on spelltable and it did put some work. Sure, it is a weird card, but it is so unique to me and you can also play it as a weird reanimator deck which I'm always a fan of Loved the episode btw

@Belena711 6 ай бұрын

Commander RC - A group of people who have proclaimed themselves as leaders of the format.

@7abian 6 ай бұрын

1:43:37 "Star Wars for sure coming" YES PLEASE !!!!

@hanschristopherson8056 6 ай бұрын

Having really early previews for lord of the rings on top of the controversy surrounding aftermath definitely meant that the cards in it were overshadowed even though there were some really good commander cards in it

@rainx381 6 ай бұрын

Wizards did say that Aftermath was a "mini" set. But they didn't say anything about doubling the price for Commander Masters.

@verzun8470 6 ай бұрын

The thing about universes beyond is it sort of fits within the MTG universe as is. "LOTR? oh its its own plane, but no planeswalkers." In that way, it's a little easier pill to swallow, but I'd also say the less attached you are to the lore of MTG, the easier it is to accept universes beyond having a place in MTG decks. WOTC's slow step away from lore emphasis might also explain the slow shift of the playerbases opinion on universes beyond.

@banaanuitdeboom4784 5 ай бұрын

I still think you guys are way too positive on Universe Beyond, but I realise I'm an old man yelling at a cloud now.

@ondrejprochazka8486 6 ай бұрын

Some of the points are great but I do wish you'd be more critical tbh

@charlessustek7228 6 ай бұрын

Totally agree on reprints. Anyone that cries about price drops can keep shedding tears - investments are all about risk. It's more important to recycle powerful cards back into new sets to allow new players to obtain them than it is to make sure that any particular card remains at X dollar value. No other investment option works that way - prices go up, prices go down, it's all about when you hold vs. when you sell.

@adoo765 6 ай бұрын

Not sure if it was on 2023 but im glad Rachel are working with you guys, she really brings a ton to the community and the channel and the videos with her are awesome to watch

@moipaz2290 6 ай бұрын

I gotta say, I really enjoyed March of the Machine and Aftermath. I felt the story rocked the whole set up of the Multiverse, removing a lot of really big characters, throwing big challenges at those that remained, and tying up some old threads (Phyrexians, Zalfir). Mechanically, I loved team-ups and battles. And I thought Aftermath was an important wrap-up to that story. The packs were small, but also a lot cheaper. The cards were really strong, so I don't mind having multiple, I'm going to put them in multiple decks. Plus, there was a much higher chance I could get a card I really wanted, like Training Grounds.

@chadsamuels6512 6 ай бұрын

About LOTR there are a lot of amazing characters that I want to make commander decks from almost too many but I do love that about the set. I don't think it was the best of the year and that is because of the mechanics of the set. The Ring tempts you, amass orcs are indeed flavorful but underwhelming as well as food tokens is capped in power as well. For someone who was excited to brew around the entire set for a LOTR themed deck these mechanics were neither powerful or synergistic to brew a deck I am excited to play. Instead that deck sits on the shelf and occasionally falls into my backpack as the low power option to pull out against newer players to have a fun game. Ironically My Dr Who precon sees more play than the LOTR themed deck.