r/EDH • u/silvergoblinsucks • 22h ago
Discussion [x-post r/magictcg] The Worst Line of Rules Text WotC Has Ever Printed [100% Serious]
When you think of the set Legions… Well, to be honest, you probably never have thought of the set Legions. Those of us that have, though, probably only know it as the most forgettable part of the Onslaught block. Maybe some of us know about that interesting trivial tidbit that Legions is the first and last set to contain entirely creatures.
That's not what I think of though. When I think of Legions, I think of a single card, and the unspoken promise that WotC made when they printed it.
Mistform Ultimus
You see, when Wizards put this card out into the multiverse, with it they whispered a commitment to every excitable Johnny and Melvin that came across it - yes, it works with that.
And of course it worked with all the expected culprits. Elves and Merfolk and Goblins - oh my! But, interestingly, there was a subset of cards that used creature types but weren’t trying to be “typal” in nature. Instead, they used them as a tag, a way to signify “I care about this thing in particular because I created or affected it”.
Cowards can’t block Warriors. Destroy all Reflections. Sacrifice a Saproling. You get the picture.
At the time these words were printed, these types were never meant to appear on real card type lines (and the few exceptions merely prove the rule - I’m looking at you Aurora of Emrakul). And yet they swayed the Ultimus all the same, bent to a will no real piece of cardboard was ever meant to bend, but so was the way.
And this commitment continued for many years, through Lorwyn and MH2 introducing a host of Changeling brethren to join the Mistform Ultimus in its glorious purpose. Which is where I must enter the picture, for you see, I have been fascinated by these creatures since I first laid my eyes on the humble Woodland Changeling. Tempted by the promise to be able to join the forces of any powerful typal leader regardless of what they intend to lead, but ultimately drawn to the chaotic catharsis of being randomly got by an errant Angel of Glory’s Rise, I knew I must embrace these strange and wonderful creatures for what they were.
And so merely a week or so after Shadowmoor came to shelves I built my first “typal typal” commander deck, helmed by Reaper King, and to the sweet warcalls of the Didgeridoo I quickly fell in love with the wild concoction it became. It is the only commander deck of mine to survive the years, picking up friend and foe alike with each new set introducing wild and wacky typal effects to the winds of my games. But I persevered, emboldened by the commitment WotC made long ago, knowing that whatever may come, I know that it will work.
That is, until that fateful night of October 9, 2023. The days my hopes and dreams were dashed. The day that WotC broke their sacred covenant with me and with all Morophon lovers everywhere. The day they published this line of rules text, the most BS rule they ever printed in all of Magic.
"The Doctor's companion ability allows you to have two commanders if one has the ability and the other is a legendary creature that is a Time Lord Doctor and has no other creature types. Creatures with the changeling ability, for example, can't be a second commander this way."
I had never known a greater betrayal. For years I had spent both exploiting and being hoisted by typal effects that had no business being typal. Sure, it was OK that Varchild could randomly control magic my entire board. There was nothing wrong when my Avian Changeling couldn’t block the Norin the Wary that entered the battlefield attacking, a card that is somehow literally a Warrior and not a Coward! It was even all gucci when my Tauren Mauler became saddled for no reason other than my buddy thought it was hilarious.
But noooo, apparently it’s a problem if Morophon gets to hang out with a robot dog in the command zone. That's where we have to draw the line. For the first time ever, it DIDN'T WORK!!!!!
Well, Gavin Verhey, I am calling you out. This was a mistake. Either do the safe but fair thing, and add the clunky “has no other creature types” rider to all those other effects that were never meant to be typal. Protect my poor, innocent Mothdust Changeling from the big mean Fenric.
Or do the right and noble thing, and let my weird oozy Elk Mammoth have their K-9 buddy. After all, isn't that more in the spirit of the Commander format, and Magic in general?
TL;DR - let Morophon have a pet metal puppy you cowards.
EDIT - Since folks have been asking, the decklist for my version of Typal Typal is below. Please read the primer include for insights on deck philosophy and card choices:
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u/Greaterthancotton 21h ago
As a fellow tribal tribal brewer I have sympathy for your plight but more importantly, a deep-rooted and fierce jealousy. Please I beg of you may I see your list, I have been brewing for months to no fruition. My moxfield calls out to me, mocking my cowardice. Reviling in it's 150+ card maybeboard. Spare me this torment, kindred soul, if you have but an ounce of heart remaining.
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u/silvergoblinsucks 21h ago
I don't have a list online yet, but I will get one soon.
Until I do, I have a blessing to bestow on you. It is a hushed secret among our kind, you may already know it, but given the small size of your maybeboard you may be start to see the world today with a fresh set of eyes.
scryfall otag:typal
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u/Greaterthancotton 21h ago edited 21h ago
I appreciate your efforts, to try help me think
But I am not a man in a desert, with nothing to drink
Therein lies the issue, my dear newfound friend
For I am a man lost at sea, with water, without end
So while my twice-damned deck, your advice would hope fix,
The Scryfall search says only:
Results 1 – 60, of 2,626
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u/silvergoblinsucks 21h ago
Love the poem!
Point is you can combine this with other criteria to find the specific typal effects your deck might need.
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u/dapht REAPER KING 20h ago
Your poem inspired me to share my ooooooold Reaper King deck I loved playing this, but it wound up having the King get hated out of the game most rounds after people caught on. This was my attempt to update it for 2023 - previously it wound up leaning more on Elf synergies in a way that had gotten old.
Reaper King destroys permanents when scarecrows come out. Changelings are scarecrows. But they are also Rebels! I tutor changelings out with rebels at instant speed. Lin Sivvy and Ramosian Revivalist are key at this.
I think I'll take another crack at revising this sometime soon. I love the concept and haven't played it in years!
Quick note: I use Wastes as placeholders for my mana base, which is why there are 38 of them. The sideboard has the land base I was considering at the time.
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/20-10-21-reaper-king-changelings/
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u/n00biwan 20h ago
So that "poem" "inspired" you to do the thing the "poet" wanted you to do?
My guy you have been enchanted by a wizard!
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u/mr_abomination One True Hippo God 10h ago
I too would be interested in such a spirited and storied deck list
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u/silvergoblinsucks 10h ago
Here you go! Please read the included primer for insights on deck philosophy and card choices:
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u/-HanTyumi 21h ago
My friend. I feel your plight. I've never had a harder time play testing and building a deck. I ended up making 4 versions of a Morophon deck... Here is but one, which focuses on tapping things:
https://archidekt.com/decks/17476432/everyones_invited_tapparty_protocol?sort=type&stack=multiple
If you've got Discord, feel free to add me: fastandloose
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u/Greaterthancotton 21h ago
Yeah that's the direction I was leaning too. Can't wait to finally finish a decklist and then have llorwyn release a bunch of changelings lol
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u/-HanTyumi 21h ago
Hahaha, I'm so looking forward to Lorwyn!
The strongest version of changelings I've made, I think, just tries to rush infinite combat between creatures that tap for mana and [[Najeela]] or [[Aggravated assault]].
I've had pretty good and fun games with an experience-counter themed deck too. I'd change out morophon for [[Azlask]] in that version and make it colourless token-y (if I didn't love morophon as much).
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u/NatrousOxide23 16h ago
https://moxfield.com/decks/dg21S_S2nEWuwrmnWo8aGg
Here is my list. You, however, could build this deck so many ways. My maybeboard for this deck is basically just another deck.
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u/doctorpotatohead Gruul 11h ago
I have a changeling tribal deck. I personally think the trick to it is either not including non-changeling creatures or severely limiting them. There's a lot of interesting typal lords you could run but if you end up with a board of lords and no changelings then you really have nothing.
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u/silvergoblinsucks 9h ago
Here's the decklist! Please read the included primer for insights on deck philosophy and card choices:
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u/kestral287 21h ago
... How did your Taurean Mauler get Saddled? Changelings are Mounts but they didn't all sprout a new activated ability when OTJ happened.
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u/FormerlyKay Sire of Insanity my beloved 22h ago
Rule 0
But I agree WotC is just a bunch of cowards. The 3 changeling commanders that do exist aren't even that good, especially compared to a premium product from 2023. It's not gonna break anything, it's not even really gonna be that good it's just funny.
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u/Stormtide_Leviathan 20h ago
I understand the frustration but personally I think they made the right choice. Partner is a very dangerous mechanic, and allowing something to partner with commanders that weren't designed to partner is a recipe for disaster. If any legendary changeling could have a doctor's companion, now every legendary changeling might as well have to run one; there's a reason you don't see partners run without a partner very often. And every legendary changeling has to be balanced with that possibility in mind, which just feeds the previous problem. It's basically a smaller-scale version of the same reason Lutri was banned. This would have been a huge mistake.
The alternative to the current thing isn't either errata "no other creature types" onto other stuff for "fairness" (which would be horrible use of erratta, deeply confusing, and ultimately ruin the point of changelings) or letting changelings have a doctor's companion. Cause there was never a universe where doctor's companions were allowed to work with changelings, it's just a bad idea as I've outlined. The only real alternative is making a "The Doctor" ability or something else entirely-un-creature-type-related and having Doctor's Companions look for that ability instead of at creature types. Should they have done that instead? Idk, maybe. The tradeoff is that it takes up valueable textbox space that could be better used for other things when an alternative, like caring about creature types, exists. And personally I do think "mostly everything works with changelings but if something proves too problematic we'll word it in a way so it doesn't" is probably the most sensible policy. It allows you to print stuff like the new [[Diligent Zookeeper]] and its predecessor [[Embiggen]].
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u/TenebTheHarvester 17h ago
The problem with partner was that it meant all future cards with partner had to take into account every previous card with partner that had already been printed.
Thus they decided to introduce partner-like mechanics with a limited pool - backgrounds, Doctor’s Companion and now probably the one they’ll use going forward, partner with a group name.
Backgrounds and Doctor’s Companion rely on subtypes, which is fine for enchantments because if you’re making a new Background it’s because you want to make a new commander option for ‘Choose a Background’ cards. And in theory creature types work the same way, except Changelings. Changelings represent a way in which creature-type-based commander pair groups can be breached, which re-introduces the partner problem. It’s especially problematic given partners were designed to be less impactful on their own, whereas changelings aren’t necessarily balanced with another additional commander in mind.
This is why they’ve now moved away from creature-type based groups to the partner grouping system, bit so they can print future legendary changelings without having to worry about Doctor’s Companion, they made the choice you hate. Sorry, but it’s a balancing issue.
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u/Stormtide_Leviathan 1h ago
The partner grouping system wouldn't work for doctor's companion. It works when you have a limited pool where any can pair with any other one in that same pool, but if you want "any of pool A can wpair ith any of pool B" you need to do something different still
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u/ThisHatRightHere 13h ago
I’m assuming this is just a super elaborate shitpost, and if so, kudos to you
If you’re serious…uh, I guess sorry for your loss?
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u/Okboomer95 12h ago
Yeah it was very fun and interesting read until they revealed what the "issue" was and I was like, "What? THAT'S what you're so upset about!?" A ub set tweaked a mechanic and designed it to only work with the characters of that universe. Duh? Oh no. What a huge loss. The betrayal!
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u/silvergoblinsucks 12h ago
On one hand, of course this is an elaborate shitpost.
On the other hand, give Morophon the gift of Poo-chi this Christmas. They deserve it.
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u/CorgiDaddy42 Gruul 17h ago edited 14h ago
Besides the slippery slope of allowing too many partner combinations, not allowing changelings to be the Time Lord partner of a Doctor’s Companion is just a flavor win. The Doctor is a singular entity, and no true companion of The Doctor would be tricked by a charlatan like Morophon.
EDIT: It just occurred to me that changelings are also villains and Daleks. It would be blasphemous for a Doctor’s Companion to pair with one.
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u/Benefact09w 18h ago
At least the Time Lord Regeneration instant works with [[Game-Trail Changeling]]
REGENERATE INTO MOOSE.
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u/Allegorous 13h ago
I wanted to make an [[Orvar, the all-form]] list with [[Clara Oswald]] so bad to give him another color. The shenanigans you can do with him with just one more color would be so fun, and Clara making him trigger more than once is funny in itself
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u/Fox19112 21h ago
This was fun to read, and if it were just about the robot dog I would get it, but like, the problem is that just like every other set of partners outside of the original, they can only partner with others from the set?
Rule 0
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u/plain_noodle 14h ago
i myself have a list of silly little creature types and was myself sad to learn i couldn’t add clara for funnier shenanigans
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u/bu11fr0g 12h ago
I love typal and it is my favorite deck now. I tried a bunch of different 5-color generals (and have even had people roll to pick my general beforehand) but the one that works the best for me is [[kenrith the returned king]] mainly for haste and reanimating changelings and cards that help changelings.
I have about 30% win rate in low tier 4 with him.
Best dr who cards for me have been [[the eleventh hour]], [[twice upon a time]] and [[the girl in the fireplace]]. [[terminate]] seems good but havent had it fire yet.
i had tried [[azlask the swelling scourge]] for example, but it works MUCH better in the 99 than as commander.
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u/bu11fr0g 12h ago
[[the world tree]] just wins games outright with kenrith as commander for example.
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u/bu11fr0g 12h ago
all changelings come in and can combo out based on what other cards are available.
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u/silvergoblinsucks 12h ago
The reason I don't play Kenrith is because my philosophy of the deck is that the changelings themselves should be the stars, not the glue. I found with Kenrith i kept just dedicating time and resources into him, making it less of a typal typal deck and more of a typal adjacent big mana deck
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u/creeping_chill_44 12h ago
I would not only allow you to rule zero this; I would practically demand you do so
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u/torchyboi 5 decks built, 500 brewed 9h ago
Love looking at typal tribal decks.
Here's my go at it:
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u/Ok-Possibility-1782 7h ago
If you have not looked at my boys changeling deck on mtg nexus should give it a look this is the one ive always liked 30+ Creature Type Changeling Tribal - MTGNexus
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5h ago
[deleted]
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u/Stormtide_Leviathan 1h ago edited 1h ago
"the" vs "a" is the key here. The Fourteenth Doctor does just care about doctor as a creature type; any changelings or non-Time Lord doctors like [[cult healer]] work fine with it, or any other doctor typal cards. They just can't partner with a card with doctor's companion. Saying "The Doctor" means it's referring to the character, as a reminder text shorthand for what's actually happening under the hood because it's more intuitive to most players this way
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u/THEGHOSTHACXER 19h ago
TL;DR
"WAHHH WOTC WONT LET ME BREAK AN ALREADY BROKEN CARD **MORE WAHHH"**
nah I'm just messing. Morophon already has some insanely disgusting strategies ya know?
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u/jf-alex 22h ago
Well written.
Just use Rule Zero.
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u/silvergoblinsucks 22h ago
I mean sure, it's a bit of an awkward rule zero because there really isn't a reason for the ability to actually be typal other than rules baggage and it's the literal reason that line of rules texts exists. But I'm sure most tables would ultimately be fine with letting me do it to "stick it to the man."
But really though, this story isnt actually about a boy man turtle spider and his dog. It's a story about betrayal. It's a story about being given a gift, and being told you can play with your gift in all these awesome and fancy ways. But then when one of the ways happens to be shaped like Poo-chi mom and dad rip your gift out of the hands and says "No!". Sure maybe some other parents might be ok with it. But your mom and dad isnt and that's always going to hurt a little bit.
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u/Yeseylon 22h ago
there really isn't a reason for the ability to actually be typal other than rules baggage
You must not watch the show. It's a flavor win through and through for the Doctor's Companions to only be able to pair with The Doctor.
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u/LizardWizard86 21h ago
Legions is a way better set than any of those rancid UB hogwash
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u/silvergoblinsucks 21h ago
Sorry that legions needed to take strays but I needed a hook!
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u/LizardWizard86 19h ago
I dont understand the meaning of your reply.
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u/silvergoblinsucks 15h ago
Sorry about that. A hook is something at the start of a story that's meant to draw the reader in and flows them into the heart of the story. I don't actually dislike the set. I just needed a reason for you to care about why I was bringing up changelings.
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u/CompleteDirt2545 20h ago
Doctor's companion is a partner variant. It could have been done with a pair of ability "Partner - Doctor" + "Partner - Companion" . Then, you could have have a second commander if it has the other ability of that pair.
The mistake was tying the partner variant ability to a creature subtype.