Retrospectives, part 9: Duel Deck series
July 17th 2011 02:54
With the recent re-confirmation of the release date for Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas, I thought it might be fun to pause for a moment and think about how the Duel Deck phenomenon has evolved. Each of them was designed and released in different times for Magic, and it shows in their contents.
Elves vs. Goblins, the first Duel Deck, was also the most “vanilla.” There’s not as much innovation in designing an elf deck or a goblin deck as there is in some other themes. Elves make mana and like having lots of creatures in play; goblins like to attack and cast spells that involve fire. It’s okay for some things to be a little more straightforward, and it’s often a good idea to not use all your possible ideas in the first version of a franchise; but it is worth noting that this is also the Duel Deck with the least contrast between the two opponents, as elves and goblins both favor aggressive strategies.
By contrast, Jace vs. Chandra showcased two very different characters from opposing colors, and was designed so that each deck should feel like its respective “owner.” This is more or less the model that’s been used for Duel Decks ever since. The re-issued cards with new art featuring either Jace or Chandra also foreshadowed the planeswalker “signature spells” in M11 and M12.
Starting with Divine vs. Demonic, the Duel Decks have taken on yet another role: previewing upcoming sets. The aforementioned deck hinted at the return of Duress in M10, followed by Phyrexia vs. the Coalition suggesting the resurgence of the Phyrexians in Scars of Mirrodin. Elspeth vs. Tezzeret went a step further and included two actual cards from Scars of Mirrodin, albeit with different expansion symbols.
Where can the Duel Decks go from here? Since the barrier to introducing new cards in the core set has already been removed, it’s hard to imagine them doing the same thing for Duel Decks. Still, Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas suggests some quieter innovations on the horizon. Bolas and Ajani Vengeant are the first multicolored planeswalkers to be featured in a Duel Deck, meaning that we're likely to see some interesting multicolored cards of years past.
Either way, the overall take-home message from the Duel Deck trope is the same: Magic is more fun in a smaller environment designed to be fair rather than powerful. It’s easy to throw our hands up when cards get banned and say that Research and Development isn’t capable of knowing every way that groups of cards are going to interact. But with the Duel Decks around, you're tempted to think maybe that's not quite as difficult as it's sometimes made out to be.
Elves vs. Goblins, the first Duel Deck, was also the most “vanilla.” There’s not as much innovation in designing an elf deck or a goblin deck as there is in some other themes. Elves make mana and like having lots of creatures in play; goblins like to attack and cast spells that involve fire. It’s okay for some things to be a little more straightforward, and it’s often a good idea to not use all your possible ideas in the first version of a franchise; but it is worth noting that this is also the Duel Deck with the least contrast between the two opponents, as elves and goblins both favor aggressive strategies.
By contrast, Jace vs. Chandra showcased two very different characters from opposing colors, and was designed so that each deck should feel like its respective “owner.” This is more or less the model that’s been used for Duel Decks ever since. The re-issued cards with new art featuring either Jace or Chandra also foreshadowed the planeswalker “signature spells” in M11 and M12.
Starting with Divine vs. Demonic, the Duel Decks have taken on yet another role: previewing upcoming sets. The aforementioned deck hinted at the return of Duress in M10, followed by Phyrexia vs. the Coalition suggesting the resurgence of the Phyrexians in Scars of Mirrodin. Elspeth vs. Tezzeret went a step further and included two actual cards from Scars of Mirrodin, albeit with different expansion symbols.
Where can the Duel Decks go from here? Since the barrier to introducing new cards in the core set has already been removed, it’s hard to imagine them doing the same thing for Duel Decks. Still, Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas suggests some quieter innovations on the horizon. Bolas and Ajani Vengeant are the first multicolored planeswalkers to be featured in a Duel Deck, meaning that we're likely to see some interesting multicolored cards of years past.
I'm calling this one now.
Either way, the overall take-home message from the Duel Deck trope is the same: Magic is more fun in a smaller environment designed to be fair rather than powerful. It’s easy to throw our hands up when cards get banned and say that Research and Development isn’t capable of knowing every way that groups of cards are going to interact. But with the Duel Decks around, you're tempted to think maybe that's not quite as difficult as it's sometimes made out to be.
| 17 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
