Magic Data Science

Thanks to everyone who participated! If you haven't already, now would be a great time to get your submissions in for the Avatar: The Last Airbender #P0P1 Challenge:

bsky.app/profile/mtgd...

I *just barely* missed the top 29; finishing 30th. But against such stiff competition, I won't hang my head.

This was an interesting experiment. The dominance of RW made GIHWR a less-useful guide indicator of card strength, but predicting archetypes is part of the game, too.

In a respectable second place, with 464.2 points, was rocketmanmtg, followed by
@rrrn22 at 463.1 -- and then several others close behind!

Here is how the rest of the competitors finished out:

dipples, with 465.6 points, can now display this trophy text:

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐞 #𝐏𝟎𝐏𝟏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞🏆

No matter what happens, you will always be the winner of the EOE P0P1 Challenge, and no one can take that away from you

📯I am pleased to announce the winner of the first-ever Arena Powered Cube #P0P1 Challenge:

🎇dipples! 🎆

Going deep on RW (Gut, Bolt, Helix, Oust) and leaning on Black Lotus were keys to a sizeable victory!

Art imitates life imitates art

What mechanics or concepts from other games most inspired your Magic designs?

What traits/skills did you see in early-career designers that most predicted future success?

I'm sensing a lot of enthusiasm for this set... Throw your hat into the ring!

Not yet, but 🔜

"Official" "rules" in are in this post👇
mtgds.wordpress.com/2023/11/08/p...

Past winners of the #P0P1 Challenge have gone on to do amazing things -- here's your chance to join their ranks!

...there is a convenient form you can fill out to enter!
forms.gle/bFhCH4u5hj2Z...

Take a couple days to think about your picks, and submit them before the format goes live on Arena.

Feel free to post your picks publicly if you want, and tell all your friends to enter!

Think you know Limited?

It's time for the Avatar: The Last Airbender #𝐏𝟎𝐏𝟏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞!

Pick 8 cards (1 common of each color, 2 of any other common, and 1 #2CUDS), with the goal of maximizing their collective GIH Win Rate on @17lands.bsky.social.

details👇, and again...

...most to least important in shaping the evolution of the various formats, as well as how cards are designed for them.

But it's possible I got the order slightly wrong, or forgot something entirely!

...can replay multiple times
2. Color identity restrictions
3. The norm of non-competitiveness
4. 4 players versus 2
5. Singleton restriction
6. 40 starting life versus 20
7. 100 cards exactly, versus 60+
8. "Commander damage"
9. No sideboard

I think those are in order of...

Listening to @maro254.bsky.social's latest DtW got me thinking about my
𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬
between Commander and "normal" 60-card constructed:

1. Guaranteed access in your "opening hand" to one specific card, which you...

Phyrexian! 🤬

...and that you can pay for the Unearth with this Swamp, which appears to depict a Physician Negator?

Have you ever noticed that this illustration for Unearth depicts a Physician Negator (which just happens to cost 3)?

Classic problem dealing with multiverses: with a sufficiently large number of parallel universes, hash collisions will occur even for IDs based on random 6-digit numbers.

6. Yuyan Archers -- another clean card, but this is a long shot (pun intended?)

3. Iguana Parrot -- another clean card; 3 keywords. 2U flyer is a very competitive "slot" though
4. Callous Inspector -- just hits a lot of archetypes (aggro, sacrifice, artifacts) for cheap
5. Rumble Arena -- I love these lands with combat keywords; I can't help it!
...

Cards I'm testing in the Pauper portion of my "Parliamentary Cube", from TLA/TLE, in approximate order of my guess at the likelihood of their sticking around:

1. Wolf Cove Villager -- should have been printed years ago
2. Warship Scout -- clean card; does what Red wants to do...

Y'all, these two cards desperately need to be reprinted.

$3+? In this economy?

Kitchen tables everywhere demand relief.

Finally, a reason to run Islands

I haven't seen this one yet -- this should be a *very* good Limited card.

Another one! Wish there were more, but I'll take the ones we get 😍