Welcome to part 3 of my 2-year celebration, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!
We started off this month with a second look at my top 5 most viewed posts, and after that we took a look at one of my favorite Magic the Gathering sets. Today’s post takes my typical top 10 list format, and gives it a little facelift. So today, we’ll be looking at not 5, not 10, but 15 of my favorite video game weapons of all time! I’ve also made things a bit more organized for this list, splitting it into 3 different sections. Without further delay, here are my top 15 video game weapons of all time. Lock & load!
Mildly Like
15) PM9 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Video)
I downright dropped my jaw when I saw this included in Modern Warfare 3. Up until this point, the only time you saw Japanese firearms in a CoD game was in World at War. Japan isn’t necessarily known for modern firearms, but every once in a while you heard about something, and the PM9 is one of those few exceptions. A modified Mini-Uzi, the PM9 was a bullet-hose a few years back. Mowing down rooms of enemies, this Japanese take on the classic SMG might not have been the most practical of MW3's submachine guns, but it was fun from time to time.
14) Lava Nails & Multi Grenades/Rockets - Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (Video)
These technically aren’t weapons. They’re really alternative ammo types, but they’re fun enough that I want to talk about them. In the case of the Lava Nails, that’s basically what they are: nails composed of superheated metal that sting so hard, they feel like lava getting poured onto your skin. Fiends cower when they hear the telltale sign of a Lava Nail hitting a wall, and hissing like a snake. With multi grenades, you shoot one out, and it explodes into a swarm of smaller explosives that’ll clear out a room. Multi Rockets are kinda the same thing, as you shoot out 1 for others to follow. A target is as good of dead, as the rockets will seek their target, and make him wish he wasn’t born.
13) Shuriken - Shadow Warrior 1997 (Video)
Dual uzis. A 4-barrel shotgun. A rocket launcher that can heat-seek or fire nuclear warheads. Yet.....shurikens are the first weapon you find? I can’t complain, as Lo Wang is a master ninja. Truth be told, the shurikens aren’t the most practical of Lo Wang’s arsenal, but they make an entertaining backup. Also, if you get any of them stuck in a wall, you can just walk over & pick them out of said wall. A impractical but fun weapon.
Speaking of impractical.....
12) Freezethrower - Duke Nukem 3d (Video)
I could have gone for the Shrink Ray, but at least it doesn’t bounce off the wall & hurt me! The Freezethrower is like a rabid weasel: hold it in front of the enemy, and you’ll freeze them solid & shatter them with a kick. If you miss with the rabid weasel, you’ll hurt yourself. Aiming the rabid weasel away for too long, and you might freeze yourself by accident. If you know the rabid weasel’s ways, then you’ll be fine.
11) Meteor w Thunder Crash Rune - Diablo 3
Technically a spell isn’t a weapon, but I’ll be cheating a little bit throughout this list. I’ll start off with this little number: normally when you cast the basic form of Meteor, it takes a second or two for it to touchdown. Not so with the Thunder Crash rune. Once it’s equipped, you no longer have to wait for it to come down & smack a couple monsters in the face. Plus, the damage is converted to electricity, and it’ll satisfy your inner Thor in a heartbeat!
And speaking of Meteor.....
Moderately Like
10) Meteor w Comet Rune - Diablo 3 (Video)
That brings us to my other favorite Meteor upgrade. Way back in Diablo 3's early days, this was the rune that convinced me to got into an ice direction for my wizard. You always see fire & lightning mages, but ice mages are rare creatures indeed. I control the battlefield with the power of frost, freezing enemies solid. The piece-de-resistance is when I drag a group in with my Black Hole ability (Upgraded with the Absolute Zero rune....should have put it on here in hindsight), and bring the comet down. Those few who survive the freezing assault won’t be around for much longer.
9) Mace of Molag Bal - Skyrim (Video)
Molag Bal. Few names conjure more fear in Skyrim than the Daedric Prince of domination & enslavement, and it is only fitting that he has a weapon that’s fitting to his personality. You find this weapon in it’s weakened state in an abandoned shrine, but you’re sent on a journey to restore glory to his name. After helping the prince get revenge against a rival priest of Boethiah, you’re given his mace, and charged with spreading his power & influence all across Skyrim. Given the power that the mace holds, you’ll definitely oblige.
8) Stakegun - Painkiller (Video)
Of all the FPS games to come out last decade, none (At least in my opinion) had a funkier weapon selection than Painkiller. From the titular weapon that was basically a sawblade on a stick, to a gun that shot shurikens & electricity, not many games could get close. The second weapon you came across after the shotgun was the stakegun, and it didn’t shoot t-bones if that what you thought. Instead, this gun shoots wooden stakes the size of a wrestler’s arm, or if you go for the alternate fire, launch grenades. The grenades blow up demons, and that’s all well & good, but nailing a target up to the wall is far more satisfying. If you get more creative, you can nail a demon into another enemy, or shoot off a limb if your aim is good. So, go out there, and stake your claim....with the stakegun.
7) Gauntlets of the Necromancer - Heretic (Video)(Zoom to the 2 minute 41 second mark)
Usually one doesn’t talk about starter weapons in their favorites. Starter weapons usually are weak, and they’re only to be used as a last result. When it comes to the Gauntlets of the Necromancer, it’s a slightly different case. Your starter weapon before the gauntlets was a staff, but it’s a joke when compared to these metallic beauties. They’ve got an emperor vibe coming off of then, as they both unleash a short-ranged torrent of arcane energy that shred monsters. When you use a tome of power, the gauntlets become stronger, as they now drain enemies of their health, and transfer it to you. Again, starter weapons aren’t the cream of the crop, but the Gauntlets of the Necromancer are a rare exception.
6) Stone Curse - Diablo (Video)
This weapon is the only one on here that doesn’t deal damage. Right away, some of you might have a problem with this, but here me out. If you managed to learn this spell, you’ve secured a powerful defensive option. If a strong monster is coming towards you, you can call upon Stone Curse to turn the enemy into a statue. This spell can also be used offensively as well, as it practically paralyzes a target, leaving him vulnerable for all kinds of attacks. Stone Curse is best used by a sorcerer, but a rogue or warrior can get a little bit of use out of it if they so choose.
Highly Like
5) Ameli/Whale Horn Variant - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Video)
Advanced Warfare was a unique entry in the Call of Duty series. Not only were there base weapons in the multiplayer, but there were also variant models to be gained through drops. Some were useful, while others were useless, but all have a place in the game. Perhaps the weirdest among the variants was the Whale Horn variant for the Ameli. This is a variant that can’t work, shouldn’t work, yet somehow does. It has slightly more recoil than the base model, it’s long-range damage has been reduced, and it’s 3-shot range has been reduced by 65%, but it’s got a tighter hipfire than the base Ameli, and it’s magazine capacity has been increased. Again, the Whale Horn is a misfit gun that really is such a weirdo, but I like misfit weapons, and this one is right up there in my book.
4) Arcane Orb w Frozen Orb Rune - Diablo 3 (Video)
Alright, this is the last Diablo 3 spell I’ll talk about!
This rune variant, if I’m remembering correctly, wasn’t around in D3's original incarnation. This one came out around the time that the pre Reaper of Souls updates were coming out, changing the skills & items. Chief among the wizard skill rune changes was the inclusion of the Frozen Orb rune, and if any of you remember the Sorcerer from Diablo 2, you’ll know this was the cream of the crop of the cold skill tree. You launched 1 frozen orb into a room, and things would die. Things haven’t changed much in Diablo 3: frozen orb goes into a room of monsters, no monsters come out of the room. Instant love!
3) Chaingun w Turret Mod - Doom 2016 (Video)
From here on in the list, the weapons are going to become incredibly dumb, but in a fun way. Starting off this list of stupid is the chaingun from the new Doom. More specifically, the Turret Mod for the chaingun. The base weapon is tough enough, but with this modification, you’re basically giving the gun two extra barrels. When deployed, the chaingun splits into 3 barrels, and unleashes a wall of bullets. Nothing standing in front of this behemoth will live, as they’ll turn into chunky kibble & bits, or a nice bloody slushy. Even if something manages to get out of the way, they’ll just get killed a second later.
2) Infinity Pistol - Borderlands 2 (Video)
True story: I searched for this fabled gun for ages. Even from the start of the game’s release, the Infinity was considered the cream of the crop. It never needed to be reloaded, never took ammunition, and it’s shot pattern was effective. However, finding it was exceedingly difficult, as it almost never dropped from Doc Mercy or from some other source. Finally, I managed to snag one from my Dad, who was playing with his friends, and one of them got a shock variant. He wasn’t interested in it, so he passed it to my Dad, who passed it to me. I still have that pistol somewhere among my characters. I’m not sure who it is though.
1) BFG - Original Doom (Video)
This is it. My number 1 favorite video game weapon, and quite possibly the dumbest gun in all of virtual reality. Even back in the early 90s, the BFG was the king of overpowered stupidity. One shot, and everything dies......except for the strongest demons, who are probably shaking in their boots after seeing their infernal comrades turning into crimson waste. Even hearing the gun fire causes any demon to have chills go up their spins, as they wish they would be dead so they wouldn’t have to be hit by the giant green ball of annihilating energy. I cannot describe thing further, as the BFG speaks for itself.
So this was my top 15 favorite video game weapons list, not to mention the conclusion of September content. October is coming, and that means Halloween anime & heavy metal reviews are coming. So see you on the first of October, when we’ll look at a series......that was a tough one to sit through. See you then!
Monday, September 12, 2016
Monday, September 5, 2016
MTG Birthday & Retrospective: Time Spiral
Hey fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and welcome back to my 2nd-year anniversary celebration!
Every once in a while, it’s nice to get away from the anime & metal music, and talk about other things in my sphere of geeky influence. Perhaps one of the longest-standing nerdy hobbies I’m into, is Magic the Gathering! I’ve been playing this iconic card game since the late spring of 2004, and while I’m not the greatest player there is, I’m none the less a big fan. Around the time that my uncle passed away in 2006, I had been playing for a little over 2 years at that point. Even then I was still taking it all in, but it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.
You’re probably wondering what this has to do with my grieving process, and that’s a fair question. I had gone through 3 sets at that point: the infamous Kamigawa (Might talk about that one day next year), the original incarnation of Ravnica, and the momentary but frosty Coldsnap. The set I’ll talk about today was an interesting one to be sure, and definitely changed the landscape of Magic for quite some time. So sit back, strap yourself in, and enjoy my take on the dimension-warping Time Spiral. Enjoy!
Time Spiral (2006)
Okay, let me paint a picture: it’s 2006, and Magic has gone through a whirlwind. 2004 & 2005 saw the reign of Kamigawa, and while that set was loved by some, many others hated it. The set introduced some powerful cards to the game, but many of them almost broke the game, while others practically dominated over so many decks. 2005 & 2006 saw the arrival of Ravnica, and that was loved by many players, despite the powershifts with each set. 4 guilds in the beginning, 3 others in the middle, and the 3 remaining guilds at the end. In the summer of 2006, we saw the return of the ice age with Coldsnap. It was fine, but it really didn’t mesh well with either set.
Then, rumbles in the space time continuum were being felt. MTG players were seeing flashes of the past. The rumbling continued, until September of 2006, when we finally saw what was going on, as Wizards of the Coast revealed the source of this distortion....Time Spiral! Released on October 6, 2006, Time Spiral was a return to the MTG blocks of old, bringing back the past to empower the present, and inspire for the future. It was truly an interesting time!
Best Aspect? For starters, the throwback to the past was awesome! Like I said above, I had only been playing a little over two years, and didn’t know about many sets prior. With the look back into the past, it was almost like a history lesson for me. It was this set that got me interested in collecting older cards, and in Christmas of 2006 I managed to get 3 older pre-built decks (1 Onslaught, 2 Apocalypse) because of this!
Secondly, Time Spiral reintroduced old mechanics, & introduced new ones. Classic mechanics like buyback & morph returned to strut their stuff once more, and new mechanics like suspend, flash & split second adding to the time flavor of the set. Suspend let you play a card cheaper, but you had to exile it, and over the course of a few turns remove time counters to get it onto the battlefield. Flash was simply an official word for cards that could be played like instants, but it’s great to see more time flavoring. Split Second allowed you play a card & it can’t be countered, which represented the warping of time that couldn’t be altered.
Third, creature types that haven’t been seen for years have returned. The classic & terrifying Slivers, the wild Spellshapers, and the anarchistic Rebels all come back to show the young-ins some stuff, but there were new creatures that were representatives of classic cards. Chief among them was the Magus cycle of wizards, with Time Spiral’s set of magus cards taking on the powers of old artifacts. My personal favorite being Magus of the Disk, a wizard wielding the power of one of the strongest artifacts ever seen in the history of MTG.
Lastly, Time Spiral had a subsection of cards known as Timeshifted. Essentially a subset within a set (More on this in a bit), these cards were older cards brought back, but with modern wording & border changes. A new color variant was used as well, in the form of a purple hourglass (The hourglass was the symbol of Time Spiral). Some timeshifted cards were good (Akroma), others were bad (Giant Oyster), but for older players they were all fond memories. As for newer players, it showed them why the older fans loved the game so much. Also, these timeshifted cards changed the amount of card rarities within a Time Spiral booster: originally it was 11 common, 3 uncommon, and 1 rare. With a Time Spiral booster, it was 10 common, 3 uncommon, 1 rare, and 1 timeshifted. Foils were also changed in Time Spiral (As well as future sets), with them now replacing a common.
Worst Aspect? Two things that really gave me issues. The first is just how big this set is! Excluding the timeshifted cards, there were 301 cards, which isn’t bad (It was normal at the time for beginning sets to be this big). With the inclusion of the timeshifted cards, and additional 121 cards were added onto, making the total a whopping 422! The amount makes this beginning set rather overwhelming, as collecting 1 of every card is a monumental task.
The second issue is more on my end. I was up in Watertown for my Uncle’s funeral, and the first week of previews for Time Spiral was during that. Yeah, I was up there for the whole week! In the ensuing process, these previews kinda left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it took a month or two before I was warmed up to the opening of this strange block. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have connected this time to the preview of Time Spiral, as it has become one of my favorite MTG sets ever.
And while it’s not necessarily a “worst” aspect, I should state that Time Spiral wasn’t well received by newer MTG fans. They felt that the nostalgia throwback to older sets were rather alienating, and while it brought back some older gamers, the set wasn’t as successful as Mark Rosewater had hoped. In fact, in his State of Design 2007, Mr. Rosewater said that the throwbacks left the newer players out of the loop.
Time Spiral. A blast from the past, and a glimpse of what was to come. Old & new magic fans will find something to enjoy. Next set!
Planar Chaos (2007)
Time Spiral, while a fun beginning set, left a tiny bit of a bad taste in newer player’s mouths. Like I said above, the usage of nostalgia alienated some people, and it seemed like it may have done more harm than good. Their, the present of these players was shifting ever so slightly. Suddenly, it seemed as if things they once knew were changed in some way. Nope, it was just Planar Chaos. Released on February 2, 2007, Planar Chaos was another trip through Magic’s history. Whereas Time Spiral was all about the past, Planar Chaos was more about the present. Actually, it was more about alternate timelines. Iconic characters from magic’s past have returned, but due to the changing of the past, they’re different somehow.
Best Aspect? A fun aspect of Planar Chaos is it’s theme of alternate timelines. It’s interesting to see cards from one time like, only to see them in another. A red Akroma, a blue redeemed version of Braids, and a dark revision of the iconic character Mirri are just a couple of the alternate cards in the set. There was also a group of cards within the set (No timeshifted cards for this set & no alternate color symbol) that were classic cards from older set, but given a facelift. What if Serra Angel was a sphinx? What if Ball lightning was green? What if Wrath of God was evil? It’s fun see the old become new & different in this set.
Magus cards came back in Planar Chaos, only this time they weren’t wielding artifacts from a bygone age. This time around, these incredible wizards harnessed the power of ancient lands. Magus of the Coffers is an example: manipulating the energy once used by Cabal Coffers, it was another way for the past to return to the present, and another piece of nostalgia to be remembered.
Secondly, card distribution is different as well. In this set, 3 of the 10 commons are timeshifted, and one of the 3 uncommon would be timeshifted. Foils replace a common card, instead of replacing it’s respective rarity. Because of this change, it was entirely possible for someone to open 3 rares in a boosters. I never had this happen to me, but I know of people that had this experience happen to them. This comes across as more ridiculous than Time Spiral boosters if you ask me!
Finally, you’ve got 2 new mechanics introduced in Planar Chaos: dual cards & vanishing. Dual Cards technically aren’t from this set, as they were originally introduced in the 3rd part of the Invasion block & the original Ravnica block (Dissension), but PC marked the first time that they were used outside of their introduction. They were basically two cards printed on one side, and you could only play 1 of them. They each had a theme & 2 different methods of harming your opponent, so there was plenty of variety to be has. Vanishing was a fun way of representing the erosion of time upon someone. Like suspend, a permanent with vanishing had time counters , but instead of coming into play when all the counters are gone, the permanent is destroyed unless you somehow have a means of rescuing it, or at the very least prolong the card’s existence.
Worst Aspect? If anything, I always though that Planar Chaos was a rather lazy middle set. I definitely like the idea of alternate presents, as there’s certainly plenty of story idea. On cards, however, it’s really just rehashing old cards in different colors. Like I said above, there was some fun rule changes & alternate cards, so I truly can’t complain.
Planar Chaos. Maybe not the strongest or my favorite part of the Time Spiral block, but one that has some interesting cards, and has some fun if you like alternate timeline stories. Next set!
Future Sight (2007)
Finally, now we’re getting to my favorite part!
Considering that this set dealt with the past & present, it seemed only natural that the future would be dealt with at the end......and that’s exactly what we got! Released on May 4, 2007, Future Sight was the culmination of everything that was happening in Time Spiral & Planar Chaos. In the book, it was the climax of all the time distortion, old characters have returned, and a ancient evil returns to start machinations that would affect the entire multiverse. Card wise, Future Sight offered the most unique, varied, and downright out-there cards that the Time Spiral block has to offer.
Best Aspect? For starters, worlds collide in this set. All of the mechanics from Time Spiral & Planar Chaos return, but the then current mechanics from newer sets of the time are here as well. Hellbent & Forecast from Dissension make appearances, sometimes interacting with other mechanics, sometimes on their own. The comedy set Unhinged provides inspiration for a number of cards in this set as well, only these inspired cards are actually usable & practical. Case in point: Barren Glory is a direct copy of The Cheese Stands Alone.
Secondly, the idea of vision of the future is really used to surprisingly good effect. Like Time Spiral with it’s vision of the past, and Planar Chaos’s take on alternate timelines, Future Sight gives predictions of, what else, the future! Over the top mechanics, creatures & spells no-one has ever seen before, and glimpses into possible worlds! Even the long rumored Planeswalker card type was to make it’s appearance in this set, but the design wasn’t done in time, and was instead placed in the Lorwyn block a few months later. Lastly, there were 5 legendary creatures that came from the future, and they were all the offspring of famous iconic figures from the past. Baru, Fist of Krosa comes to mind: the son of Kamahl, the barbarian turned druid, Baru wields the power of his father to tame the wild around him, and if you have multiple copies of him, you can take advantage of his Grandeur mechanic, and discard those copies to create wurms for your army.
These futuristic timeshifted cards also had a new design for them. As you see above, the mana was shifted to the left side, color in the background was altered, and there were symbols used to represent what the card was (Claw marks for creatures, etc). It’s a shame that this new design wasn’t implemented, as it would make for a refreshing change to the faces of the cards.
Finally, the Magus cycle returns for one final hurrah. Instead of manipulating artifacts or harnessing lands, these wizards handle the power of iconic enchantments, giving them a mystic aura stronger than their artifact & land counterparts.. It wouldn’t be right to talking about enchantment-manipulating wizards in a set about the future, without talking about Magus of the Future: cool artwork, relatively low mana cost, and an ability that any blue player would love!
Worst Aspect? About the only bad thing I can say about Future Sight is that it was the most gimmicky out of the parts of the Time Spiral block. While many of the new mechanics were implemented in future blocks & sets, far more were really just created to be one-off gimmicks to attract people to the set. The grandeur mechanic that was used on the 5 legendary creatures immediately comes to mind for me, but there were others as well that were just designed to stay in tone with the “future” theme. Like I said above, it actually works well, and as I said in the Planar Chaos portion, I really can’t complain.
Future Sight. The oddest & weirdest part of a equally odd & weird set. If there was any part of Time Spiral that you should collect & get into, it would be this one.
So this was a look at something else that helped my grieving process. Time Spiral was an odd, funky, strange set, but one that appealed to the nostalgia of the old players, while enticing new players with a glimpse into the past. See you all next week, when you’ll see a “top 10” list that’s larger than normal. Until then, I hope this trip to the past brought some fond memories back for all of you.
***
If you’d like a history lesson about the history & impact of Time Spiral, check out the link below:
The Mana Source (Time Spiral)
Every once in a while, it’s nice to get away from the anime & metal music, and talk about other things in my sphere of geeky influence. Perhaps one of the longest-standing nerdy hobbies I’m into, is Magic the Gathering! I’ve been playing this iconic card game since the late spring of 2004, and while I’m not the greatest player there is, I’m none the less a big fan. Around the time that my uncle passed away in 2006, I had been playing for a little over 2 years at that point. Even then I was still taking it all in, but it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.
You’re probably wondering what this has to do with my grieving process, and that’s a fair question. I had gone through 3 sets at that point: the infamous Kamigawa (Might talk about that one day next year), the original incarnation of Ravnica, and the momentary but frosty Coldsnap. The set I’ll talk about today was an interesting one to be sure, and definitely changed the landscape of Magic for quite some time. So sit back, strap yourself in, and enjoy my take on the dimension-warping Time Spiral. Enjoy!
Time Spiral (2006)
Then, rumbles in the space time continuum were being felt. MTG players were seeing flashes of the past. The rumbling continued, until September of 2006, when we finally saw what was going on, as Wizards of the Coast revealed the source of this distortion....Time Spiral! Released on October 6, 2006, Time Spiral was a return to the MTG blocks of old, bringing back the past to empower the present, and inspire for the future. It was truly an interesting time!
Best Aspect? For starters, the throwback to the past was awesome! Like I said above, I had only been playing a little over two years, and didn’t know about many sets prior. With the look back into the past, it was almost like a history lesson for me. It was this set that got me interested in collecting older cards, and in Christmas of 2006 I managed to get 3 older pre-built decks (1 Onslaught, 2 Apocalypse) because of this!
Secondly, Time Spiral reintroduced old mechanics, & introduced new ones. Classic mechanics like buyback & morph returned to strut their stuff once more, and new mechanics like suspend, flash & split second adding to the time flavor of the set. Suspend let you play a card cheaper, but you had to exile it, and over the course of a few turns remove time counters to get it onto the battlefield. Flash was simply an official word for cards that could be played like instants, but it’s great to see more time flavoring. Split Second allowed you play a card & it can’t be countered, which represented the warping of time that couldn’t be altered.
Third, creature types that haven’t been seen for years have returned. The classic & terrifying Slivers, the wild Spellshapers, and the anarchistic Rebels all come back to show the young-ins some stuff, but there were new creatures that were representatives of classic cards. Chief among them was the Magus cycle of wizards, with Time Spiral’s set of magus cards taking on the powers of old artifacts. My personal favorite being Magus of the Disk, a wizard wielding the power of one of the strongest artifacts ever seen in the history of MTG.
Worst Aspect? Two things that really gave me issues. The first is just how big this set is! Excluding the timeshifted cards, there were 301 cards, which isn’t bad (It was normal at the time for beginning sets to be this big). With the inclusion of the timeshifted cards, and additional 121 cards were added onto, making the total a whopping 422! The amount makes this beginning set rather overwhelming, as collecting 1 of every card is a monumental task.
The second issue is more on my end. I was up in Watertown for my Uncle’s funeral, and the first week of previews for Time Spiral was during that. Yeah, I was up there for the whole week! In the ensuing process, these previews kinda left a bitter taste in my mouth, and it took a month or two before I was warmed up to the opening of this strange block. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have connected this time to the preview of Time Spiral, as it has become one of my favorite MTG sets ever.
And while it’s not necessarily a “worst” aspect, I should state that Time Spiral wasn’t well received by newer MTG fans. They felt that the nostalgia throwback to older sets were rather alienating, and while it brought back some older gamers, the set wasn’t as successful as Mark Rosewater had hoped. In fact, in his State of Design 2007, Mr. Rosewater said that the throwbacks left the newer players out of the loop.
Time Spiral. A blast from the past, and a glimpse of what was to come. Old & new magic fans will find something to enjoy. Next set!
Planar Chaos (2007)
Best Aspect? A fun aspect of Planar Chaos is it’s theme of alternate timelines. It’s interesting to see cards from one time like, only to see them in another. A red Akroma, a blue redeemed version of Braids, and a dark revision of the iconic character Mirri are just a couple of the alternate cards in the set. There was also a group of cards within the set (No timeshifted cards for this set & no alternate color symbol) that were classic cards from older set, but given a facelift. What if Serra Angel was a sphinx? What if Ball lightning was green? What if Wrath of God was evil? It’s fun see the old become new & different in this set.
Magus cards came back in Planar Chaos, only this time they weren’t wielding artifacts from a bygone age. This time around, these incredible wizards harnessed the power of ancient lands. Magus of the Coffers is an example: manipulating the energy once used by Cabal Coffers, it was another way for the past to return to the present, and another piece of nostalgia to be remembered.
Finally, you’ve got 2 new mechanics introduced in Planar Chaos: dual cards & vanishing. Dual Cards technically aren’t from this set, as they were originally introduced in the 3rd part of the Invasion block & the original Ravnica block (Dissension), but PC marked the first time that they were used outside of their introduction. They were basically two cards printed on one side, and you could only play 1 of them. They each had a theme & 2 different methods of harming your opponent, so there was plenty of variety to be has. Vanishing was a fun way of representing the erosion of time upon someone. Like suspend, a permanent with vanishing had time counters , but instead of coming into play when all the counters are gone, the permanent is destroyed unless you somehow have a means of rescuing it, or at the very least prolong the card’s existence.
Worst Aspect? If anything, I always though that Planar Chaos was a rather lazy middle set. I definitely like the idea of alternate presents, as there’s certainly plenty of story idea. On cards, however, it’s really just rehashing old cards in different colors. Like I said above, there was some fun rule changes & alternate cards, so I truly can’t complain.
Planar Chaos. Maybe not the strongest or my favorite part of the Time Spiral block, but one that has some interesting cards, and has some fun if you like alternate timeline stories. Next set!
Future Sight (2007)
Considering that this set dealt with the past & present, it seemed only natural that the future would be dealt with at the end......and that’s exactly what we got! Released on May 4, 2007, Future Sight was the culmination of everything that was happening in Time Spiral & Planar Chaos. In the book, it was the climax of all the time distortion, old characters have returned, and a ancient evil returns to start machinations that would affect the entire multiverse. Card wise, Future Sight offered the most unique, varied, and downright out-there cards that the Time Spiral block has to offer.
Best Aspect? For starters, worlds collide in this set. All of the mechanics from Time Spiral & Planar Chaos return, but the then current mechanics from newer sets of the time are here as well. Hellbent & Forecast from Dissension make appearances, sometimes interacting with other mechanics, sometimes on their own. The comedy set Unhinged provides inspiration for a number of cards in this set as well, only these inspired cards are actually usable & practical. Case in point: Barren Glory is a direct copy of The Cheese Stands Alone.
Finally, the Magus cycle returns for one final hurrah. Instead of manipulating artifacts or harnessing lands, these wizards handle the power of iconic enchantments, giving them a mystic aura stronger than their artifact & land counterparts.. It wouldn’t be right to talking about enchantment-manipulating wizards in a set about the future, without talking about Magus of the Future: cool artwork, relatively low mana cost, and an ability that any blue player would love!
Future Sight. The oddest & weirdest part of a equally odd & weird set. If there was any part of Time Spiral that you should collect & get into, it would be this one.
So this was a look at something else that helped my grieving process. Time Spiral was an odd, funky, strange set, but one that appealed to the nostalgia of the old players, while enticing new players with a glimpse into the past. See you all next week, when you’ll see a “top 10” list that’s larger than normal. Until then, I hope this trip to the past brought some fond memories back for all of you.
***
If you’d like a history lesson about the history & impact of Time Spiral, check out the link below:
The Mana Source (Time Spiral)
Thursday, September 1, 2016
My Top 5 Highest Viewed Posts (At This Time) No. 2
Welcome, fellow Otaku & Metalheads, to the 2nd anniversary of the Heavy Metal Otaku blog!
I’m still riding off of the emotions of my Metal Overview on Ministry from a few days ago, but September is a new month, and I’m gonna put up a bright face! To show off this face, I’ve got some celebration posts to get up here, starting off with another edition of my top 5 highest viewed posts. This is definitely a weirder collection of reviews & lists, and you might do a double-take in the process of looking at this. Anyways, let’s dive in, and see what this year’s top 5 highest viewed posts are. Enjoy!
5) Convention Review: Connecticon 2015 (Currently at 38 views)
As with my original list last year, I searched through my entire collections of reviews, lists, and other random posts to see what you guys were looking at the most, and we start off this list with a look at Connecticon from last year. The way I wrote it, to what I liked about it, almost seems like night & day. Even my temper in both reviews was different, but I don’t think I need to explain why. Getting that out of the way, I liked Connecticon 2015, and that’s all I got to say.
4) Anime (Episode) Review - Monster Musume Ep. 1 (Currently at 40 views)
Now this one has me baffled. I reviewed the full show in October of last year, but took a look at the first episode in August around the time that the series began airing. You would have thought that my review for the full series would have had the higher amount of views, but this is probably the Twilight Zone, so we got the reverse. I will gush about Monster Musume forever, and in the review of this episode I definitely did that!
3) Convention Review: Genericon 2016 (Currently at 42 views)
I kinda admit I hit a small nerve with this one. When I wrote this, I said in the “bad” section that it was a shame that Robert Alexrod was asking for money for his autographs. When I put the link for the review on Genericon’s Facebook page, I got into a small tit-for-tat with someone who went to the convention, but truth be told I’ve basically forgotten how things ended. As far as Genericon this year, I liked it a lot. Way more so than Connecticon this year, that’s for sure. The changes to the Dealers Room & Registration were huge, and made the con this year feel far more larger than it was in prior years. A great con to start 2016.
2) My Top 10 Books (Currently at 74 Views)
I said this when I put this out way back in January, and I’ll say it here: this one was a challenge. It’s not that I didn’t know what was going to be on there, but more as to how I would present them. It’s amazing that this top 10 list got so many views as it did, since I didn’t expect some of you to like it. Regardless, I thought that this was one of my more intriguing top 10 lists, and was a lot of fun to get up. I’ve got a companion list for this a few months down the line, but I can’t spoil things yet. Despite not spoiling things, my top 10 books probably gave you guys some new reading material, so there’s that.
1) Metal Overview - Turmion Kätilöt (Currently at 84 views)
Really? This is the currently highest viewed post on this blog? Okay then, I guess.
Truth be told, I’m more surprised than anything. The bands I covered before were very popular, so covering a group that not many people here in the states would have heard of was a big risk. Judging by how many views there are, I may have been wrong. The second challenge of this Overview was finding information: Turmion Kätilöt come from Finland, and info about bands from foreign countries can be tricky to locate. Even Wikipedia had a hard time, but despite the difficulty I managed to do it. The more views this overview gets, the happier I’ll be.
So these were my tip 5 highest viewed posts no. 2. Certainly a stranger bunch than last year, but the stranger the better. Anyways, I’ll see you next week for part 2 of this 2nd celebration of the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, where we’ll look at something else that helped me out a decade ago. Don’t worry: it won’t be anywhere as depressing as a few days ago. See you then!
***
If you’d like to see what my highest viewed posts from last year were, check out the link below.
Top 5 Highest Viewed Posts (At This Time)
I’m still riding off of the emotions of my Metal Overview on Ministry from a few days ago, but September is a new month, and I’m gonna put up a bright face! To show off this face, I’ve got some celebration posts to get up here, starting off with another edition of my top 5 highest viewed posts. This is definitely a weirder collection of reviews & lists, and you might do a double-take in the process of looking at this. Anyways, let’s dive in, and see what this year’s top 5 highest viewed posts are. Enjoy!
5) Convention Review: Connecticon 2015 (Currently at 38 views)
As with my original list last year, I searched through my entire collections of reviews, lists, and other random posts to see what you guys were looking at the most, and we start off this list with a look at Connecticon from last year. The way I wrote it, to what I liked about it, almost seems like night & day. Even my temper in both reviews was different, but I don’t think I need to explain why. Getting that out of the way, I liked Connecticon 2015, and that’s all I got to say.
4) Anime (Episode) Review - Monster Musume Ep. 1 (Currently at 40 views)
Now this one has me baffled. I reviewed the full show in October of last year, but took a look at the first episode in August around the time that the series began airing. You would have thought that my review for the full series would have had the higher amount of views, but this is probably the Twilight Zone, so we got the reverse. I will gush about Monster Musume forever, and in the review of this episode I definitely did that!
3) Convention Review: Genericon 2016 (Currently at 42 views)
I kinda admit I hit a small nerve with this one. When I wrote this, I said in the “bad” section that it was a shame that Robert Alexrod was asking for money for his autographs. When I put the link for the review on Genericon’s Facebook page, I got into a small tit-for-tat with someone who went to the convention, but truth be told I’ve basically forgotten how things ended. As far as Genericon this year, I liked it a lot. Way more so than Connecticon this year, that’s for sure. The changes to the Dealers Room & Registration were huge, and made the con this year feel far more larger than it was in prior years. A great con to start 2016.
2) My Top 10 Books (Currently at 74 Views)
I said this when I put this out way back in January, and I’ll say it here: this one was a challenge. It’s not that I didn’t know what was going to be on there, but more as to how I would present them. It’s amazing that this top 10 list got so many views as it did, since I didn’t expect some of you to like it. Regardless, I thought that this was one of my more intriguing top 10 lists, and was a lot of fun to get up. I’ve got a companion list for this a few months down the line, but I can’t spoil things yet. Despite not spoiling things, my top 10 books probably gave you guys some new reading material, so there’s that.
1) Metal Overview - Turmion Kätilöt (Currently at 84 views)
Really? This is the currently highest viewed post on this blog? Okay then, I guess.
Truth be told, I’m more surprised than anything. The bands I covered before were very popular, so covering a group that not many people here in the states would have heard of was a big risk. Judging by how many views there are, I may have been wrong. The second challenge of this Overview was finding information: Turmion Kätilöt come from Finland, and info about bands from foreign countries can be tricky to locate. Even Wikipedia had a hard time, but despite the difficulty I managed to do it. The more views this overview gets, the happier I’ll be.
So these were my tip 5 highest viewed posts no. 2. Certainly a stranger bunch than last year, but the stranger the better. Anyways, I’ll see you next week for part 2 of this 2nd celebration of the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, where we’ll look at something else that helped me out a decade ago. Don’t worry: it won’t be anywhere as depressing as a few days ago. See you then!
***
If you’d like to see what my highest viewed posts from last year were, check out the link below.
Top 5 Highest Viewed Posts (At This Time)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)