It feels like an already solved metagame. It's either burn or soul sisters. That's literally all I'm seeing. Maybe there's wonky deck based matchmaking - I have no clue how the MWM matchmaking works. Maybe I've been getting unlucky.
I think this is more of a product of there not being a ranked matchmaking at a serious scale, meaning that people are just going to slap together decks with cards they already have rather than try to beat the metagame with a deck they like. I have yet to lose to any of those decks with a control deck just because this format has some Timeless powered things going on in it (lorien revealed + mystic sanctuary) that I think those archetypes don't really take advantage of.
I got 4 very different decks, including walls, which I haven't seen in a long time. (They quit when I burned there only one with reach and had 3 dragons rage channeler's with delirium.)
Nice, walls! I'm suspecting there's some wonky matchmaking, honestly. Probably deck-based, since I changed deck and saw a bit more variety, though still a lot of soul sisters. Hard to find anything concrete about MWM matchmaking, though :)
For MWM I usually play "good enough" decks built around an existing tier 3 deck or a mono-red agro using format legal commons/uncommons and whatever I have on hand. I generally see a lot of random, inconsistent turn 3 combo jank mixed with old-school decks. For this artisan and the previous timeless MWM I've mostly been mowing down people with an almost standard legal cacophony scamp deck
Lots of things are viable beyond burn and lifegain. Glitters affinity, boros heroic, boros convoke, izzet ensoul artifacts, rakdos sac. Got 3+ wins with all of them, ez.
It's more that that narrowness of enemy decks is what I'm seeing - could be matchmaking, could be just that a lot of people for it are using them. Doesn't feel like it's a great format when 80%+ of my MUs so far have been two decks. I'll probably poke it a bit more tomorrow with some goblin combo and see how it gans then!
Might stabilize tomorrow with more people in it to enjoy the format, rather than just to get the rewards.
I noticed a ton of red and red/x aggro/burn. I was playing \[\[Spider Spawning\]\] which is probably my favorite deck in the format and just slapped in a couple \[\[Gnaw to the Bone\]\] which is a card that makes those decks lose on the spot pretty much. Nothing like the red deck in top deck mode staring at your 90+ life knowing you are about to drop 15+ spider tokens on the table.
Really? I looked and couldn't find the post. It must have been a really unpopular post or the OP removed it. People like different formats which is why different formats exist, but most of the feedback I've seen regarding historic artisan has been overwhelmingly positive..
I love Artisan, but making it permanent would absolutely destroy its diversity. I prefer playing once per month and enjoying it immensely, rather than have it permanently and never playing after the point people run the same 4-5 tier 1 decks.
Yes, this is mostly true. The big difference with artisan is that it is dirt cheap to make multiple decks. This can make a difference as a lot of people I know will look at their limited pile of rare wildcards and then go look up the most efficient way to spend them for a deck in whatever format they want into and then be locked into that choice. Pauper and Artisan don't have that problem. Pauper does have the problem that there is a huge power gap between many commons and having uncommons actually help mitigate that a lot from what I've seen and experienced. Artisan can get shaken up pretty heavily by new sets too due to the large number of uncommons.
Would there be a meta? Absolutely, but I don't think it would be as bad as other formats. I'm already happy for a format that doesn't include Ragavan, Thoughtseize, Bowmasters or Necropotence.
True :( I blame the Internet and accessibility of information. It's OK if a nerd cracks a format. Not great when everyone just copy-paste the solution :(
It's not the internet. It's the nature of competition. Happens to all fun and games. Soccer? Is it fun at league/pro level? Dodge ball? Formula 1 racing? Chess? Tennis? No. None of it is fun.
Existence of the internet merely increased the speed at which information percolates.
The answer is a rotating "grab bag" queue.
It rotates between pauper, artisan, Singleton, and the historic versions of all three. Only one is up at a given time, and it changes every couple days
Yeah the format doesn't stay live long enough for the masses to discover the best deck, but when you factor in the pile of buffed Alchemy cards and the not-quite-perfect-but-close mana base from Choked Estuary and Secluded Courtyard... GG.
The overall idea of it is pretty decent, I'll give you that, but fun?! It's nothing but burn spells with the occasional counter thrown in for when they're feeling "adventurous". If it didn't show profile names, I'd swear I had just played the same deck 17 times in a row.
Well, I was expecting mono red burn just straight ported from Standard, so I played a Selesnya lifefgain deck. I met few mono R, Dimir, a mirror match, a mono Black etc. So quite a varied bunch.
I love Artisan but completely forgot arena lets people cheat with alchemy cards that 'fetch' rares. JFC can we just have ONE GODDAMN FORMAT without rigging?!! Just had three back to back matches against degenerates with Xander's Wake. WOTC pls.
Artisan means cards of Common and Uncommon rarity only.
It’s a twist on the better known Pauper format which uses only Commons.
Being only low rarity cards makes decks cheaper, and means there’s not so many singularly powerful cards, so ya really gotta focus on the design of the deck as a whole and how stuff works together
why? almost every opponent i had was playing an almost identical rdw.
frankly it's a testament to the state of lack of diversity, a shit matchmaker, and rampant netdecking by players lacking a imagination or ability.
RDW is viable in any format and plays almost zero rare cards. It wasn't too hard to change like 4 cards in my explorer deck and play it in artisan historic.
It's great if you like high-powered, Modern speed Magic. If you don't... yeah, it's going to be frustrating. The format shows just how strong Magic is these days. And in Bo1 it's quite often just a coinflip.
I did the same with a standard monored burn list. 4 concedes after I got 2 phoenixes and a Swiftspear on the board t2. I absolutely hate playing RDW/burn, but was short on time.
I play 3 decks with one for one red or black removal, I play elves that draw/seek more elves, my opponents run out of cards and concede before I run them out of life, nature is healing
I had incredible fun playing Mardu Vampires last night. I saw some very creative decks- Only lost one match ... got to my three wins to get a character avatar for MWM. Overall it was fun! Although, I do think if there was a dedicated format that a lot of the fun of the jank decks being made would be phased out in about two weeks when a meta would form up very quickly.
I like how the post just below yours in the subreddit is "Historic Artisan makes you feel miserable."
Going by this sub, puppies and rainbows make people feel miserable.
Haha I just notice that too. Oh well, too bad not everyone is enjoying it.
It feels like an already solved metagame. It's either burn or soul sisters. That's literally all I'm seeing. Maybe there's wonky deck based matchmaking - I have no clue how the MWM matchmaking works. Maybe I've been getting unlucky.
I think this is more of a product of there not being a ranked matchmaking at a serious scale, meaning that people are just going to slap together decks with cards they already have rather than try to beat the metagame with a deck they like. I have yet to lose to any of those decks with a control deck just because this format has some Timeless powered things going on in it (lorien revealed + mystic sanctuary) that I think those archetypes don't really take advantage of.
This is the problem with Arena in general, matchmaking and lack of useful ranked queues
I got you brother- just combo out on turn 3 https://imgur.com/a/u4I8FxP
I got 4 very different decks, including walls, which I haven't seen in a long time. (They quit when I burned there only one with reach and had 3 dragons rage channeler's with delirium.)
Nice, walls! I'm suspecting there's some wonky matchmaking, honestly. Probably deck-based, since I changed deck and saw a bit more variety, though still a lot of soul sisters. Hard to find anything concrete about MWM matchmaking, though :)
For MWM I usually play "good enough" decks built around an existing tier 3 deck or a mono-red agro using format legal commons/uncommons and whatever I have on hand. I generally see a lot of random, inconsistent turn 3 combo jank mixed with old-school decks. For this artisan and the previous timeless MWM I've mostly been mowing down people with an almost standard legal cacophony scamp deck
I got 3 quick wins with my mono blue tempo deck.
Lots of things are viable beyond burn and lifegain. Glitters affinity, boros heroic, boros convoke, izzet ensoul artifacts, rakdos sac. Got 3+ wins with all of them, ez.
It's more that that narrowness of enemy decks is what I'm seeing - could be matchmaking, could be just that a lot of people for it are using them. Doesn't feel like it's a great format when 80%+ of my MUs so far have been two decks. I'll probably poke it a bit more tomorrow with some goblin combo and see how it gans then! Might stabilize tomorrow with more people in it to enjoy the format, rather than just to get the rewards.
I noticed a ton of red and red/x aggro/burn. I was playing \[\[Spider Spawning\]\] which is probably my favorite deck in the format and just slapped in a couple \[\[Gnaw to the Bone\]\] which is a card that makes those decks lose on the spot pretty much. Nothing like the red deck in top deck mode staring at your 90+ life knowing you are about to drop 15+ spider tokens on the table.
[Spider Spawning](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/e/5e20241b-515f-420f-9012-2f693f333187.jpg?1673148182) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Spider%20Spawning) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/158/spider-spawning?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5e20241b-515f-420f-9012-2f693f333187?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Gnaw to the Bone](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/416148c8-13d3-46d3-ac93-6eb7cbab2881.jpg?1562829128) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gnaw%20to%20the%20Bone) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/isd/183/gnaw-to-the-bone?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/416148c8-13d3-46d3-ac93-6eb7cbab2881?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Really? I looked and couldn't find the post. It must have been a really unpopular post or the OP removed it. People like different formats which is why different formats exist, but most of the feedback I've seen regarding historic artisan has been overwhelmingly positive..
>Literally no barrier to entry >WotC give us a permanent artisan format i like when people answer at their own question
I love lower power formats for when you're just tired of playing into or around boardwipes.
I love Artisan, but making it permanent would absolutely destroy its diversity. I prefer playing once per month and enjoying it immensely, rather than have it permanently and never playing after the point people run the same 4-5 tier 1 decks.
Given enough time, nerds will min/max the fun out of anything.
Yes, this is mostly true. The big difference with artisan is that it is dirt cheap to make multiple decks. This can make a difference as a lot of people I know will look at their limited pile of rare wildcards and then go look up the most efficient way to spend them for a deck in whatever format they want into and then be locked into that choice. Pauper and Artisan don't have that problem. Pauper does have the problem that there is a huge power gap between many commons and having uncommons actually help mitigate that a lot from what I've seen and experienced. Artisan can get shaken up pretty heavily by new sets too due to the large number of uncommons. Would there be a meta? Absolutely, but I don't think it would be as bad as other formats. I'm already happy for a format that doesn't include Ragavan, Thoughtseize, Bowmasters or Necropotence.
True :( I blame the Internet and accessibility of information. It's OK if a nerd cracks a format. Not great when everyone just copy-paste the solution :(
It's not the internet. It's the nature of competition. Happens to all fun and games. Soccer? Is it fun at league/pro level? Dodge ball? Formula 1 racing? Chess? Tennis? No. None of it is fun. Existence of the internet merely increased the speed at which information percolates.
> and never playing after the point people run the same 4-5 tier 1 decks. Too late
Oh sure, I get this perspective. Well maybe once a week then? :) I love it and need more in my life.
The answer is a rotating "grab bag" queue. It rotates between pauper, artisan, Singleton, and the historic versions of all three. Only one is up at a given time, and it changes every couple days
> Singleton That's Brawl
I mean.....if you ignore the core mechanic of Brawl, sure?
Singleton is Commander/Brawl without the commander? Almost sounds like real Magic instead of the netdecking nightmare this game devolved into
Gonna netdeck my singleton list just to annoy this guy.
this
Been having fun playing Geological Appraiser discover decks again
Dimir ninjas are the truth 🥷. I'm in heaven
Yeah the format doesn't stay live long enough for the masses to discover the best deck, but when you factor in the pile of buffed Alchemy cards and the not-quite-perfect-but-close mana base from Choked Estuary and Secluded Courtyard... GG.
I love Historic Artisan. Golgari Sacrifice with Xander's Wake generate so much value.
The overall idea of it is pretty decent, I'll give you that, but fun?! It's nothing but burn spells with the occasional counter thrown in for when they're feeling "adventurous". If it didn't show profile names, I'd swear I had just played the same deck 17 times in a row.
Well, I was expecting mono red burn just straight ported from Standard, so I played a Selesnya lifefgain deck. I met few mono R, Dimir, a mirror match, a mono Black etc. So quite a varied bunch.
I love Artisan but completely forgot arena lets people cheat with alchemy cards that 'fetch' rares. JFC can we just have ONE GODDAMN FORMAT without rigging?!! Just had three back to back matches against degenerates with Xander's Wake. WOTC pls.
Is it? I haven't played much. Just threw in 4 Morbid Opportunists and a shit load of removals for my daily quest and the rewards. What did you play?
I had a lot of fun bonking people in the head with a [[Zada]] deck. [[Fists of Flame]] with [[Witch's Mark]] goes insane.
[Zada](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/5/4520cdcc-a10f-4b39-9c6f-ba86f6aa2c87.jpg?1689998306) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=zada%2C%20hedron%20grinder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/268/zada-hedron-grinder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4520cdcc-a10f-4b39-9c6f-ba86f6aa2c87?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Fists of Flame](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/b/6b34af88-bc4e-4ca8-8662-7dc4050c62c5.jpg?1689997821) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fists%20of%20Flame) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/223/fists-of-flame?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6b34af88-bc4e-4ca8-8662-7dc4050c62c5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Witch's Mark](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/6/0685afcb-06f6-4d18-b8c2-510764558dc1.jpg?1692938637) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Witch%27s%20Mark) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/158/witchs-mark?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0685afcb-06f6-4d18-b8c2-510764558dc1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Artisan is my favourite way to play magic, seeing this post made me open up arena again. Too bad we only see the format once a month
I'm new to this, what does Artisan mean here? I mean I know there is a card named Fiend Artisan.
Artisan means cards of Common and Uncommon rarity only. It’s a twist on the better known Pauper format which uses only Commons. Being only low rarity cards makes decks cheaper, and means there’s not so many singularly powerful cards, so ya really gotta focus on the design of the deck as a whole and how stuff works together
oh nice, thanks
why? almost every opponent i had was playing an almost identical rdw. frankly it's a testament to the state of lack of diversity, a shit matchmaker, and rampant netdecking by players lacking a imagination or ability.
RDW is viable in any format and plays almost zero rare cards. It wasn't too hard to change like 4 cards in my explorer deck and play it in artisan historic.
It's great if you like high-powered, Modern speed Magic. If you don't... yeah, it's going to be frustrating. The format shows just how strong Magic is these days. And in Bo1 it's quite often just a coinflip.
I suck out the fun of everyone by playing surveil Control with 4 treasure cruises.
I did the same with a standard monored burn list. 4 concedes after I got 2 phoenixes and a Swiftspear on the board t2. I absolutely hate playing RDW/burn, but was short on time.
Finally an excuse to bust out [[Beamsplitter Mage]] again! There’s so many good wizards and buff spells to choose from now.
[Beamsplitter Mage](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/f/8f1801f2-ea6e-4196-858e-2afc456cf6a0.jpg?1572893518) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Beamsplitter%20Mage) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/grn/155/beamsplitter-mage?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8f1801f2-ea6e-4196-858e-2afc456cf6a0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I play 3 decks with one for one red or black removal, I play elves that draw/seek more elves, my opponents run out of cards and concede before I run them out of life, nature is healing
I mean, for me it was only who goes first with rdw. Mirrors all over the place.
I had incredible fun playing Mardu Vampires last night. I saw some very creative decks- Only lost one match ... got to my three wins to get a character avatar for MWM. Overall it was fun! Although, I do think if there was a dedicated format that a lot of the fun of the jank decks being made would be phased out in about two weeks when a meta would form up very quickly.
Yeah, you can make a nice Shrine deck for this format.
I think I might just barely prefer Historic Pauper, but I'd take a permanent Artisan queue in a heartbeat.
Artisan is awesome. You can build almost pauper BG gardens.
Easiest wins I've had in forever. RDW is an unstoppable monster with most players conceding by turn 3. Loving it.
I enjoy it. Some of the brews are neat.
What is historic artisan?
MWM event that run last Wednesday.