Not All That Glitters Is Gold

Well, that didn't last long. Where's that archivist I was clamouring for years back?

Sour: The Grapesening

What's the deal with all of the flavor texts involving people rationalizing their situations recently?

Is this some sort of weird subliminal effort on Wizards's part in making the players accept a slow decline in product quality? Or just a general decline in quality of life overall? "Well, at least these booster packs aren't filled with bedbugs and anthrax samples."

Didn't You Already Say That?

Just wondering: how many times are they going to use this flavour text, exactly?

So sometimes Wizards re-uses flavour text with minor rewordings. We've got Krosan Avenger and Flame Javelin, or Foriysian Brigade and Tenth Edition's Manabarbs, or Daring Leap and Zephyr Sprite, or Hammer Mage and Goblin Gaveleer, or Saprazzan Outrigger and Goblin Raider, or Guided Strike and Fencer's Magemark (with Gilded Light as a sort of devil's advocate?) There's even the oddballs like Goblin Snowman and Winnow, who have nearly the same flavour texts yet somehow the opposite meanings. Okay, I get that they have a lot of different flavour texts to write and it can be hard to keep them all interesting. But did we really need this same bad joke four times? I'm seeing the imitation, all right, but nothing about it is sincere.

A Bitter Flavour

Flavour text. That short blurb of text at the bottom of any underfilled textbox that is meant to explain, or amuse, or awe. Some cards are extremely effective at this. Some are remarkably less so. When a new set comes out, naturally everyone is going to be looking at its playability first - what new cards combo with old ones, what are the powercards, overall how does it compare? But after we've done the preliminary perusal of powerful pieces, there's still the scraps to pick over, so to speak. Since a new set is coming out so soon, and Battle for Zendikar already got a more thorough review, why not give a quick look to the flavour text of Oath of the Gatewatch?

It turns out we have surprisingly few categories to pick from.