Tuesday Hype

 So, the big announcements for 2021's sets are out! 

Short hot takes by me (We'll talk about Zendikar Rising when there's more to talk about):

VIKING WORLD! (I feel like it has to be in all caps due to vikings).

People have been asking for this for years so I'm not terribly surprised. As a result, I'm not excited for Kaldheim; we all knew it was coming eventually. Am I unhappy about it? Heck no! But with nothing more to go on than a name, a vague notion of setting and a set symbol, how pumped up can I get about something that I knew was going to happen?

(Also, UGH, the 'I'm not racist but no Black people in my fantasy viking set' comments are already out there. 

Fuck those people. Fuck them into the sun.)

Strixhaven: or Harry Potter made a ton of money and we'd like in on that, please.

Again, nothing wrong with this and frankly, the setting of this set suggests a more lighthearted direction for art, names, etc. A bit like Battlebond was-perhaps not quite a playful but still stepping out of the typical Magic themes. I can dig it, but unfortunately it seems like these sets are always a bit underrated. 

D&D??

Wow, alright. I suppose I should have known this was going to be a thing, but I'm genuinely surprised they pulled the trigger on this crossover. I think I'm happier for the people who wanted this and all the cool Easter Eggs they're going to get than I am that this is a thing. 

Not that I think Forgotten Realms is going to be bad; this is a very cool chance for Magic to offer some genuinely different takes on properties that a community knows. A little like changing a book into a movie means that some interpretation must be done. Lots of opportunities for lore here, which makes this a fantastic on-ramp for new players, many of whom get into Magic because of that. 

Innistrad The Innistradening II: we mean it. 

Pass. Boring. Don't care. The last take on Innistrad delved into cosmic horror, a unique and interesting turn after the fantastic gothic style of the original. 

This sounds like Underworld.

Look, it's a hot take, ok? 

Modern Horizons 2: The Gloves Are Off.

They're reprinting fetchlands. It practically doesn't matter what else is going on, we're getting a legit fetchland reprint. That's a huge deal for the community. I just hope they don't price the boosters out of the range of a kid who wants to play. 

I personally liked Modern Horizons-yes there were some obvious problems but overall I thought it was super cool. Two bad cards do not ruin a set. So I have high hopes for this one; we always get interesting cards when WotC decides to amp things up. 

Time Spiral...Remastered? 

I got nothin' here. This seems weird and confusing and I don't know why they're doing it.

It doesn't seem bad. It seems unnecessary. However, they are printing it as a paper set so that is maybe good? At least it seems like an way for new players to get older cards.

Maybe. The original Time Spiral was a bit messy; one can hope that the remaster cleans things up a bit. 

But again: hot take.

And that's what I've got for ya! Spicy, right?

OK, really just mild but it's only Tuesday.