What is the release schedule for upcoming mage wars expansions?

[Coshade]

Hey just wanted to say that if anyone wants to play on OCTGN without promos feel free to PM me! It's tough for me to play depending on timezone locations, but I'm always up for Mage Wars. Maybe we should start a thing in OCTGN where if you want to play a game without promos you type in the title something like --> Mage Wars No Promos or something. I really like the options for cards that Sike has put in and simple communication can help you hone those options available. You guys are all great and I really appreciate this community

[sIKE]

So, I understand your and the other players' reasons to play them on OCTGN, I just wish they were the exception rather than the rule.
To me it seems like you're playing another version of MW there, with your own (house)rules.
There are so many great players on OCTGN, and I love watching a good game unfold ... if only they would use eligible books

Borg, For what it's worth, promos are actually written into the Thunderdome rules as being allowed. You can always agree ahead of time with your opponent to use books that do not allow promos (I usually have 2-4 versions of the same book allowing for different card pool rule sets). Just an example I thought might help you enjoy some online play

This is what I do.

Chitin armor gets subbed out for Dragonscale Hauberk, which is in everyones book and I mean practically everyones book. So yeah I understand what you are getting at. Ask Schwenkgott (or any other of the players you are referring too)  to play against you with a tourney legal book and I am positive that they will be more than happy to oblige.

I started playing on OCTGN for the same reason, I couldn't get enough IRL play in to sastisify the hunger, so I understand where you are coming from. 

[jhaelen]

As far as I know none of the promo's are quote illegal unquote. They are not eligible to be included in sanctioned tournament spellbooks.

As far as I am converned, they might as well be. I refuse to play against anyone using promo cards in their spellbook. I'm just not interested in games that could never happen in a tournament environment; I consider it a waste of my precious time.

I _hate_ the very concept of promo cards (excepting tournament-legal cards with alternate artwork).

The only 'excuse' for their existence in Mage Wars, is imho, that they allow the game designers to gather better feedback and analyze the impact of more 'daring' designs in order to release a more balanced, official version of the card later or discard the idea.

Still, I'd astly prefer something like a public beta playtest program for anyone who's interested in this kind of thing.

[Wildhorn]

As far as I know none of the promo's are quote illegal unquote. They are not eligible to be included in sanctioned tournament spellbooks.

As far as I am converned, they might as well be. I refuse to play against anyone using promo cards in their spellbook. I'm just not interested in games that could never happen in a tournament environment; I consider it a waste of my precious time.

I _hate_ the very concept of promo cards (excepting tournament-legal cards with alternate artwork).

The only 'excuse' for their existence in Mage Wars, is imho, that they allow the game designers to gather better feedback and analyze the impact of more 'daring' designs in order to release a more balanced, official version of the card later or discard the idea.

Still, I'd astly prefer something like a public beta playtest program for anyone who's interested in this kind of thing.

^^^ This.

[sIKE]

 Man ya'll are way took sows.  It is a  game after all. But I do understand about how precious time is.

[ringkichard]

I used to be very opposed to promos, and can totally understand where people are coming from.

As I played more on OCTGN I found more and more people using them, either because they found the game first online, or they play mostly online. Promos are a distinction that matters most if you often play with cardboard, and you don't want to try to keep separate books and metagames in your head.

Ironically, this is one area where playtesters are at a significant disadvantage: we get used to having to consider lots of unreleased spells, having multiple spellbooks that can only played under specific circumstances with specific people, and confronting cards with incorrect balance.

Because we play with unprinted stuff all the time, we are the worst people to ask about how players feel about promos.

Thank you for reminding me of what I once knew well.

[exid]

youhouhou!
i will have promos!

[sIKE]

I used to be very opposed to promos, and can totally understand where people are coming from.

As I played more on OCTGN I found more and more people using them, either because they found the game first online, or they play mostly online. Promos are a distinction that matters most if you often play with cardboard, and you don't want to try to keep separate books and metagames in your head.

Ironically, this is one area where playtesters are at a significant disadvantage: we get used to having to consider lots of unreleased spells, having multiple spellbooks that can only played under specific circumstances with specific people, and confronting cards with incorrect balance.

Because we play with unprinted stuff all the time, we are the worst people to ask about how players feel about promos.

Thank you for reminding me of what I once knew well.

What I like to do, is take a tourney readyish book and add in a Promo like Chitin Armor to see how that changes play and if it would affect the out come in a particular matchup say like a Water Wizard or a Druid. Also the guys that only have legal cards and never play promos will be at a disadvantage (at least early on) when a promo goes legit, for example Gloves of Skill. We now know how awesome this card is for an Ranged Attack based mage. It is not game breaking but it does bend things a bit and a Flame throwing Warlock player knows very well how nice it works with his book.

[Drefan]

I've tried to stay away from promos when I play online and when I meet someone playing Ballistas or other promo cards  I just find it more rewarding if I beat them

The only mage I really use promos for is the Warlord. I've a deck that has been doing well and thats mainly thanks to the new soilder creatures and the enchantments I try to avoid ballista in all of my decks and when I saw what sIKE said about removing the card I felt nothing but joy, and so does my druid's vine tree!

[Borg]

Also the guys that only have legal cards and never play promos will be at a disadvantage (at least early on) when a promo goes legit, for example Gloves of Skill. We now know how awesome this card is for an Ranged Attack based mage. It is not game breaking but it does bend things a bit and a Flame throwing Warlock player knows very well how nice it works with his book.

I look forward to adding Gloves of Skill to my Adramelech Warlock book as well and as soon as it's released it will find a place in that book but as long as that card is not released I like to play and enjoy the current cardpool for as long as it lasts because the current cardpool is a temporary thing anyway that soon will be changed again with the release of Academy. I just like to savour each cardpool as long as possible without promo's "polluting" that environment.

If you like an analogy, to me Promo's are like jumping to the end of a novel to know the end without reading the story, whereas I like to read and enjoy the full story first, the end will come eventually and the experience will be all the better for it. At least imho that is. Each is entitled to his own

[sIKE]

If you like an analogy, to me Promo's are like jumping to the end of a novel to know the end without reading the story, whereas I like to read and enjoy the full story first, the end will come eventually and the experience will be all the better for it. At least imho that is. Each is entitled to his own

Not a bad analogy at all, mine would be to stay up late Thursday evening, to catch the midnight showing of the next Star Wars movie.

The sad thing is that many of the Promo's in question should of already been in a released set and be in a general availability state. Due to issues that hasn't happened but there is hope, there has been talk about a card only release of many of the promo's in a official release. Fingers crossed.

[jacksmack]

I think what I am going to do is remove Ballista from OCTGN, that way this issue goes away. Sorry guys your books will need to be updated, I will give you plenty of warning before it happens. Once it is released I will of course put it back in, in its released form.

While i think the card is stupid, i still think its the wrong approach to take.
Now that you have enabled/created/imported promos in the first place i think it should be up to the players if they want to 'ban' certain or all promos in the games they play in.

On another not very related note.
If a promo ever gets released in changed edition - AKA it was balanced! - then a new situation arises.
Are promos allowed? If Yes, if a promo has later on been released in a changed / nerfed edition is the promo then allowed?

The wall of Force is a good example of this.
Promo costs 1 less, has 1 less hp, and can only regen 1 during upkeep.

[Halewijn]

also, I noticed the acid blast was different in domination. Maybe you should remove the promo one.

[sIKE]

Any promo that is released, has the card stats of the released version, this is so players who have the promo in their OCTGN based spellbooks do not break. Sandstorm is an excellent example. The promo art has not been changed but the card text and stats have been changed to that (Full Attack) of the version. 

[Laddinfance]

The wall of Force is a good example of this.
Promo costs 1 less, has 1 less hp, and can only regen 1 during upkeep.

Wall of force gets to reconstruct as much as you spend. It's not a regen 1.

also, I noticed the acid blast was different in domination. Maybe you should remove the promo one.

Acid Blast is not in Domination. Perhaps you mean Sandstorm? That card was changed when it was released in Domination.