Behind the curtain
June 11th 2011 07:49
What does Kaalia’s tattoo signify?
How did Riku get his second reflection?
What tribe is Karador the chieftain of?
These are just some of the questions that the upcoming Commander release will most likely not attempt to answer. Legendary creatures are intended to be interesting characters who add flavor to a setting, and grant insight into what the world they come from is like. This was originally the reason why the Commander format was invented: you were supposed to imagine the character as the commander or general of your deck.
Unfortunately, the format has changed a lot in the last decade. It now sees almost as much min-maxing as sanctioned forms of play, and even has netdecks. As such, the only thing some people care about in a legend is what colors it is, and thus what types of decks it enables. Wizards of the Coast clearly went to a lot of trouble to design the Commander decks’ legendary characters and make them appealing. But they could have done more to encourage and enable the format’s flavor-based roots. If these characters don’t deserve more backstory, then nobody does.
How did Riku get his second reflection?
What tribe is Karador the chieftain of?
These are just some of the questions that the upcoming Commander release will most likely not attempt to answer. Legendary creatures are intended to be interesting characters who add flavor to a setting, and grant insight into what the world they come from is like. This was originally the reason why the Commander format was invented: you were supposed to imagine the character as the commander or general of your deck.
Unfortunately, the format has changed a lot in the last decade. It now sees almost as much min-maxing as sanctioned forms of play, and even has netdecks. As such, the only thing some people care about in a legend is what colors it is, and thus what types of decks it enables. Wizards of the Coast clearly went to a lot of trouble to design the Commander decks’ legendary characters and make them appealing. But they could have done more to encourage and enable the format’s flavor-based roots. If these characters don’t deserve more backstory, then nobody does.
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