armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Pretty sure my Library cast breakdown is like 50% eventually is removal 25% dies to their removal 15% just hangs out and the game ends 10% feeds the Puppetbeast 050
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Living Library appreciation post. Is it a good two drop? No. Is it good removal? Also no. Do 70% of green decks really need another 2 drop and another removal spell? Yes, welcome to the shitty book club. 190
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Not really bashing 15 Eeeveelutions bc thats a standalone piece of art, but it really isnt a game piece the way 14 random rares from a set is. 020
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 05/10/2026God packs kinda rock, for the same reason opening a page in some random LGS players binder and seeing 18 random rares rocked. Compared to a lot of games learning into these packs, the game pieces are just fun to look at in text and art. 1100
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Lots of good thoughts from FRA draft so far, going to try to get a blog post up about each of these semi-soon: -Design and draft impact of multiple copies of commons -Avoiding board stall with play style -Three drop disease 080
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Biggest tip for early FRA draft: The big stuff in this format is so upsized, menaced, trampled etc that chump attacks with a 2/2 alongside your 6 drop are often great extra value. Either eating the blanked 2/2 costs them 4-6 life, or they make the obligated big trade and you get free chip. 051
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 25/09/2026While everyone is sitting in the Jace waiting room, I wrote a bit of defense and criticism of the prior draftable sets from 2026. If the concept of a good bad year for Limited exists, this is it. armlx.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026...armlx.blogspot.com2026 Limited: A Way Too Early ReviewI'm slipping this right under the wire of Reality Fracture which likely changes the mood, but if you listen to the Limited enthusiasts abou... 1101
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 23/09/2026DMU is super fun to think about and draft, but the format would be better if you just nuked 2-3 of the 5 pushed Raise Deads. That or make players work harder to stabilize and recast their rare, but that goes against the format vibes. 061
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Realizing the actual good part of flashback drafts is getting to reexamine a format after outsourcing card eval sweats to a well defined 17Lands chart OTJ sucks bc if both players are crime-ing, all their crime payoffs die and no one does shit, and that's half the format of mirrors that dont work. 290
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Wrote something new for the first time in forever about the best thing that 2026 design has done for Limited. Will have more about what lessons can be learned about the first sets of the year soon, but the highlight deserves a chance to shine first. armlx.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026...armlx.blogspot.com2026: The Decarcinization of LimitedI fucking love Wishcoin Crab. It is always the exact right size to stop everything. The second power means it brick walls multiple 2/2s, a... 091
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Ah. Became a planeswalker, not necessarily the planeswalker, and saved by Karn. Mightstone/Weakstone and the Thran War are independent of Yawgmoth establishing Phyrexia, Karn likely still has Urzas spark just via Mishra killing him and gifting it. 000
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 16/09/2026How does the Weatherlight from alt Jhoria work, did alt Urza just consume Serra's Realm for it anyways? Did the time fracture still happen to alt Jhoria leading to the whole time water immortality nonsense? 110
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Lots of lore questions about the alternate Weatherlight saga timeline. What is Tolarian Traxos based off since dragon engines came from Phyrexian designs? What led Urza to make Karn, and did Jace unravel the Mirari existing too? 130
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Im in the camp of this being an absurdly powerful card people are just going to miss on. Just build the rest of your deck so casting a 4 drop isnt conceding and you get 75-80% to untap with the perfect card. 070
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 14/09/2026I think a lot of old sets got away with brute forcing through, or just punting a bad set happening, and there's just a lot to pull about what went right or wrong in a 5 set run of this, 7 if you count Avatar and SPM. 070
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Might write a longer piece, but the design story of 2026 draft has really been about navigating externalities. Really the first stress test where multiple of UB IP, set size, guild/kindred set constraints have required each set to handle multiple issues outside its card file control. 190
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 11/09/2026"No no this is nothing like Gideon, its a noble sacrifice to escape err atone for the fact my prior brash behavior caused others harm. Definitely nothing like that other guy" 040
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Big fan of how the Reality Fracture story gives you a bunch of subtle reminders that every version of Jace is a giant moron who doesn't actually get it (and loves to drink PBR apparently) 141
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 09/09/2026If I say Rishadan Port am I burned at the stake or merely exiled to a small island with crabs. 120
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Didn't realize this cost 2 on first read, this is probably the best mana rock printed in decades. 2 cost, untapped, with value buyout 080
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/09/2026At least if you want to politic about your state being bad, have real complaints lined up 000
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Yea but 1. Have they considered learning how to zipper merge and build on ramps 2. Safeway is lying to everyone about their shared 7-11 branding and theres no real Slurpees in the state 200
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Might be a Limited first: the Hobbit games are all pretty good, but I have zero desire to get through the draft and deck build loading screens to play them. Really an indictment on the premise of small sets. 0120
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Wiki: "leases start and end on Sept 1st, definitely not half the city being lease-less vagrants the night of August 31st" 000
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Imagining the story of that meat slicer. Are they moving on up in the world and can afford to pay someone to slice the meat for them? Moving in with a friend and bruh, we both haver slicers? A very drunk night of meat slicing different sport balls? 060
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026It is a cascade failure risk in a 5 archetype set to have a non-viable one, but the line between worst (Goblins in ECL) and non-viable (Rakdos in SPM) is thin. Worth working on honing in on that from a design process standpoint, but its a lot of guesswork. 120
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Unviable archetypes in a 10 archetype set by Arena draft metrics is near inevitable. Even pre-Arena era of mostly 10 archetype pod drafted sets there were always color pairs that were clear 10th place contenders you wanted to avoid. 130
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Just thinking historically bc most other games I can think if have well built combo within the first 2-3 sets. 130
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Kinda weird thinking about other games, wonder if the more indirect victory mechanic is obscuring the mechanics? Or is the player base just fresher to the other base systems? 140
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Imagining the same in history, you probably have a 20 person HoF bc no one knows how to rank Jelger vs Antoine Ruel vs Ben Rubin and they each get 13 votes every year 030
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Maybe this issue also self solves due to Brad rolling off eligibility next time or whatever, but theres going to be enough Yuukis with a result from 2014 and 2026 that it just adds up. 140
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Basically the optimal HoF result. Doesnt really matter if you think the 3rd inductee should have been Sam or Brad, just matters that anyone from that 2nd tier gets inducted to lower future vote splitting and avoid the Hall self-smalling. 170
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 18/08/2026The balance decision Im most interested in from Hobbit is Plate Mail. I get pushing a value edict (Bent Blade) in a set with 2 token mechanics and it coming in hot, I dont get hybrid 2 drop 2/1 menace with multiple upsides 060
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Uncommon Putrid Leech demolishing a format really puts Alara Reborn in context. Yea, totally normal for the optimal draft strat to be spend 2 packs taking fixing and play 12-15 cards from Pack 3. 0141
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 08/08/2026Definitely stuff like landcycling to help ensure Wolverine isnt stuck in a sideboard, but the experience of landing Thor being basically a minimum of time in play + intrigue of game play after and maximum of misery on the other side kinda stinks. TLDR: War of the Spark did it right. 050
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 08/08/2026That last bit is important, and one of the oddities of choosing this set to highlight with a Draft PT Top 8. Between rarity distributions and time in play, odds are most of the air time was random no-name cards and off brand legends winning games and 0 Iron Man. 140
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 08/08/2026One subtle issue with MSH for Limited: the big name characters are involved in the least interesting games. In fixing the VS System "Superman is unplayable" issue, when you play The Hulk the game unilaterally ends or they kill your creature. Binary, non-dynamic, short lived. 170
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/08/2026At least for Turtles, they were pretty good with making the mundane low rarity legends in design space that feels like they can only stretch to it bc of the legendary type. 020
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Design-wise, could also see this starting off lower on the curve where multiples draining at once would be dicey game play, then moving up the curve for various reasons without a revision. 111
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Interesting revealed voter prefs from this sample set. Clear splits between players and coverage in bias towards Worlds, Arena events effectively null to everyone. Issue of this year is there are 3-4 contenders for 3rd and 4th votes, and odds are none of them get in. TBD if that just repeats in 28 110
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Sliding doors draft moment of this and Rhox War Monk in the same pack 020
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 28/07/2026No real money spend required, different category 120
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Eh its an equipment granting the abilities of a well appreciated rare from MH2 (Harmonic Prodigy). I think Equip Wizard 1 is tacky but the rest is going to hit harder than you think 100
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Was thinking this about nice golf clubs, bowling balls, etc. 130
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 27/07/2026It counts. The 1/2 stat line has 3 prints between that, the LCI cat, and KLD Seedsculptor... And all 3 are merely decent curve filler. 010
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Is Ironshell Beetle one of the biggest design traps ever? Probably a dozen equivalent printings, and the only time it was remotely good was SNC where any White 2 drop with half a pulse would play. Inspired by the Judgment Resleevables and the Lords of Limited Green-Black draft macros 180
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 20/07/20264. I think we could also relitigate ejecting more people from the hall given the last take, but since its not 2017 and I dont have a real vote thats a good stopping point. 0100
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 20/07/20263. If we were voting pre-2023, Marcio would have been on my short list. In 2026 after seeing persistent repeat cheaters getting DQed and returning, I can't. Marcio has a clean-only HoF resume, but its not the time to be papering over those first couple events. 180
armlx.bsky.social @armlx.bsky.social · 20/07/20262. When categorizing which events are "real finishes" vs "16 player bonus round BS", I originally was dubious of the recent 100ish player Worlds. Then I remembered half of 2005 worlds was the Croatian team alternate or whatever, recent Worlds is top tier too. 160
