A Look into the M14 Rules Changes
If you haven't heard the news yet, the latest buzz in the Magic Community is the upcoming rules changes with the release of the Magic 2014 Core Set. The new "Legend Rule" and the new "Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule" are the most significant. There are obviously a lot of discussion already being made about this. And while I personally believe they are an overall improvement to Magic, I'd rather let you decide on your own. Of course, the major changes are already looming in the horizon however you may end up feeling about it. It's best if we take the time to learn about 'em now before we end up with eggs in our faces during our next gaming sessions.
Before we discuss the rules changes and how it will generally affect our gaming experience, please read the rules manager review from Matt Tabak's article and also the R&D perspective from Sam Stoddard's article. They'll take you into all the "what" and the "why" of the changes.
These changes take effect on the day of the Magic 2014 Core Set Prerelease on July 13. The changes also will go live for Magic Online on or around the Magic 2014 Core Set build on July 29. So from now until then, we still get to play with the current rules before the changes are in effect.
The Changes in a Nutshell
Here is the breakdown of the rules changes coming to us with the Magic 2014 Core Set release:
The checking of having more than one legendary permanent of the same name is now restricted to each player. The same is true for Planeswalkers. The new rules doesn't look to see what is on another player's side of the table. If you control two or more of a legendary permanent with the same name or a Planeswalker with the same Planeswalker type, you choose which one stays and then puts the rest into their owner's graveyards.
"any time two or more legendary permanents with the same name are controlled by a player, that player chooses one of them and the rest are put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based action." - Matt Tabak on the new Legend Rule
"The new rule 704.5j will state that if a player controls two or more Planeswalkers that share a Planeswalker type, that player chooses one and the rest are put into their owner's graveyards as a state-based action." - Matt Tabak on the new Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule
Indestructible has been made into a keyword and "Unblockable demoted to definitely not a keyword."
Additional land plays are simply clarified. You count the number of land plays you have per turn which is one by default. Any spell or ability can add to this number. "So can permanents that allow you to play additional lands, but if these permanents leave the battlefield, those additional land plays disappear."
Sideboard composition in Constructed tournaments have also been revamped. Your sideboard can now be up to fifteen (15) cards unlike before where you either have fifteen or none at all. "Additionally, you are not required to swap cards between your main deck and sideboard on a one-for-one basis. For Games 2 and 3 (and so on), as long as your main deck is sixty or more cards and your sideboard is no more than fifteen cards, you're good."
What Does All These Mean for Us?
First of all, let me start by saying these changes will come no matter how we may feel about them. No amount of whining will have Wizard's suddenly changing their minds. The only constant is change and I actually like the changes they've made. Of course, we all have our two cents worth. I'd like to share mine.
Although each player employing the services of an exact copy of a certain legend or the same type of Planeswalker seems counterintuitive flavorwise, it's hard to complain against the advantages it can bring. I, myself, would usually exclude some legendary permanents from my Commander decks for the mere reason that it will show up in nearly everyone else's deck and in everywhere else I would go to play. Having them either in play first wherein it gets blown up with a copy or having them last sitting in your hand as a dead card is not a very fun play experience. Legendary lands are the worst especially messing with mana development. And while it is true that we still include them in our decks anyway, we won't have that nasty feeling of having them blown up by another player's copy ever again. We can now get to use our own legends and Planeswalkers without worrying whether the other players in the group uses the same copy or not.
Gameplay aside, the significant impact the new rules will have is more towards accessibility. Players and small play groups with limited card pools and even tighter budgets might see a problem moving forward. We all can play the legends and Planeswalkers we already have. How about the ones we were saving up for or the new ones that'll be coming in? The premium for Legendary permanents and Planeswalkers will definitely be higher. And so will their prices. Already, the prices for Gaea's Cradle and Mox Opal have gone up. Will the trend continue? Ok so maybe they are not the best example considering how they can be abused with the new rules. Hopefully, we won't see major price hikes on other cards.
The next cluster of cards that will feel the impact of the new rules are "Clones." Frankly, I'm sick and tired of seeing "clones" as killing machines. Aren't you? The copying of and the casting of the same legendary permanent can sometimes seem like a malicious act of jealousy. "Well, if I can't have one..." With the new rules, we all can get the satisfaction and benefit of having that same legendary permanent. I actually believe "clones" are way stronger than before. Yes, you won't be able to use them as kill cards anymore. However, you gain the ability to copy the most powerful creatures in the game and get to keep them. I wonder, though, how would we ever deal with troublesome Indestructible, Shrouded and/or Hexproofed legends like Avacyn, Angel of Hope; Geist of Saint Traft; Lazav, Dimir Mastermind; Multani, Maro-Sorcerer; Sigarda, Host of Herons; Uril, the Miststalker; Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre; and some others. It'll be interesting to see how this develops. Overall, copying stuff is even more powerful and interesting post M14 release.
I've always wondered why Indestructible was not made a keyword. And I've always thought on several ways on how they can make unblockable a keyword. If you've already read the rules changes explained by Matt Tabak, Indestructible as a keyword will only matter in two different cases which I'm sure most of us already knew. I find the reasoning for unblockable being demoted to "can't be blocked" somewhat understandable. It does have many variations. I can see them creating a new keyword in the future that functions like it, though, in the same way they created Intimidate from Fear.
The clarification on the land plays are fine especially for the hard-core rules monger. I do appreciate what and why it was made. It doesn't really change things a whole lot for the rest of us. Sure, we won't ever see another wacky land play combo scenario like of the infinite Azusa / bounce / Horn of Greed kind. Is it really that bad? It does, however, add another reason to the rumor that Landfall will be coming back to us sooner. What do you think?
The new sideboarding rules actually favor the casual gamer, newbie, and/or occasional tournament goer. Starting July 13, they don't have to suffer the humiliation of a "DQ" or game loss just because. Yeah, I agree we should be mindful of our games, the tournament floor rules, and whathaveyous. Let's face it. Some people go to their local FNM or some tournaments to check out the scene and to hang out with friends while they themselves play. Still, others go just to try out some funky deck they thought out of from their kitchen tables. In the thick of the action between playing the game, conversing with friends, and having fun, some cards in main decks and in sideboards will get shuffled together. And I know, as an example, some douche could take advantage of that by deciding to call a judge to do a deck check on these kind of players. This has not happened to me, mind you. But, I have seen this kind of douchery happen to a hapless noob and casual gamer before. Why should they be hindered to have a fun gaming experience by a silly tournament floor rule or by a ruthless competitive player out there, right?
As a whole, the new rules changes are good. It'll be interesting to see how all these will pan out. There will certainly be a significant impact on every format. Vintage, Legacy, Modern, and Standard players will soon abuse them. I already feel some bannings and restrictions coming soon. Commander players will rejoice knowing they can sit down at a table and play with the same Commander as their friends. With the new rules, we will definitely see a different, deeper, and more interesting game environment.
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