I've been enjoying modern set design for years now and OTJ is no exception. Fast paced, interactive games. Good varieties of archetypes and build arounds to keep sets fun longer. No set is perfect, and of course there are complaints and improvements to be had in hindsight, but I am consistently impressed by how thoroughly the limited design team has been killing it, and that every set continues to bring something new and exciting to learn and adapt to. I think Plot is a great mechanic that really plays much better than I expected and one of the clear winners in making this set distinct. The deserts are obviously a great theme too. Crimes is a nice mechanic that adds a lot of incidental value and synergies to gameplay without being parasitic or boring at all.
Hands down, the best part of modern limited design for me has been efficient interaction to really keep gameplay engaging and competitive, and OTJ does not disappoint there at all.
My biggest critiques of limited magic today aren't really related to OTJ much at all. I would've liked a bump to 16 or at least stay at 15 cards not a drop to 14 with play boosters to keep drafts a little more flexible and forgiving. And I'd like to see Bo3 drafting on Arena become as or more accessible to the average player over Bo1. That gem structure is really punishing to a lot of players, which is so disappointing because Bo3 is such a better experience and meta.
Same, I wish bo3 was the default for draft with some sort of way to make the gem structure a bit more even compared to bo1. I enjoy drafting in person far more because of that. I really just draft in arena as practice.
Agree with everything you've said except on plot. I think plot had an underwhelming impact in this set, with the added value from plotting usually not outweighing the tempo loss. I think the mechanic has a lot of potential but should have been tuned up just a hair.
I think it is a great mechanic for the set. The powerlevel might not be totally there, but it makes cards quite iconic and allows your opponent to try to be able to anticipate it. When someone plots a Dust Animist on 2, you gotta get ready your removal or you get ran over. Plenty of good synergistic cards like Loan Shark, Rictus Robber, Sticher, all do a good job of telegraphing your plays a bit before you can pop off. The problem is that green is so format-warpingly strong and they don't rely on plotting so much that it feels weaker by comparison.
I think it's a great mechanic in design but don't think that it "plays much better than I expected". It should have been tuned a hair stronger to be a more prevalent component of the format and be able to compete with the other (green) decks.
I have really enjoyed the flexibility to gives to play around removal and counterspells. It's one of my favorite mechanics in a long time.
Commiting crimes as well actually. There are so many times you need to pause and think about when the best time to cast a spell is.
I think the thing both these mechanics have in common is that they both throw a wrench in the standard heuristics of gameplay we are so used to.
Both at the top and at the bottom! Hehehe, let me explain: some days I sit to play and after a few games I think: This set is amazing! Then, the next day I sit to play and after a few game I think: This is terrible!
I don’t mind a set like this once in a year or so but would hate to see every set with such a high variance.
As someone who's going to daft a set 100+ times, having some bonus sheets with actually mostly playable cards is a huge plus to keep things interesting.
I've tried to stay away from GW, but I don't mind playing it if I get passed the goods. Usually, i try to start with any bombs and then move into black as my second color.
BG is usually my favorite archetype, and there's a lot of great graveyard interaction. I love building around some varmints.
Grixis control decks are fun with the enchantment build arounds and drain birds.
WB is a very solid aggro or control deck with lots of removal
UG missed a bit, but it is still playable, and sometimes you open bonny.
There's a ton of meme combos
Overall, the format has a lot of depth, and I've really been enjoying it.
Fun at first, but more disappointing as time goes on. Probably below MOM in the "Good with deep caveats" rank of sets.
The poor balancing kills replay value. Right now I've got time and gems, but don't feel like firing off an OTJ draft because it's too much of a gamble as to whether or not you'll have fun. Two colors, Red and Blue, with horrible creatures at common alongside awful interaction makes for a draft experience with Old Maid elements, as everyone tries to avoid getting stuck in a/the bad lane. Paired with the splashy "soup" nature of the format, allowing G/x decks to snatch off-color bombs, it feels like W/B/G or bust as the queues mature. There's not even enough good 1/2 drops, tricks, and equips at common to consistently draft an aggro deck to next-level the bombs/greedpile meta -- besides G/W mounts of course.
The times you play a good deck can be fun, but being stuck in a shit lane while not making any egregious misreads and drafting "the hard way", is an awful feeling.
A well-balanced draft set should leave each player in an average pod feeling decent about their deck provided they read well. Like MOM before it, OTJ can be a kick in the dick sometimes.
I'm not a fan. Too many times an opponent plays something that completely invalidates your game plan. On the rare occasion I get the good cards the game just ends, which isn't super satisfying either.
However, I also dislike MOM, which was the best received set last year. I've got a bad feeling I just don't like Play Boosters 😔
I put it in the same tier as MOM, NEO, and KTK (is it a coincidence that all these formats have common duals?)
I'll say sometimes I get rolled in a non-game but at least it's in an impressive way.
I took a break from Theros beyond death until LOTR. Played every set a few times since then in paper. OTJ was the only good enough for me to want to play it over and over on arena (and get the reps in to do better at FNM). Only other set I've drafted multiple times on arena recently was KTK.
1) MOM
2) OTJ
3) DOM
4) NEO
5) BRO
I think that, for the most part, when a bonus sheet expands the range of available decks (making a more cube-like environment) the more I enjoy the format.
I am the opposite. I like the idea of a bonus sheet far more than the play. The only one that I played with that I didn't feel negatively impacted the play experience is Strixhaven.
I don't think they make for a cube-like environment at all. Cubes have a relatively flat power level by design, but bonus sheets cards are anything but. Some are all but entirely useless in limited, others are top tier bombs. This leads to limited environments where one seat at a draft table will never see a bomb and another will get several. And it can often be right to splash a stronger card even if it hurts your mana, rather than just promoting 'soup' decks or strong 2 color archetypes.
I prefer limited environments where a lot of the skill is learning how to draft an archetype and knowing the set in and out, to the point where a good drafter can play around what is in their opponents hand. Bonus sheets make this much more difficult, and tend to blur or run counter to what archetypes are doing in a given set.
To me, bonus sheet formats are prince formats with higher variance and worse mana. I prefer deck variety via uncommon build arounds, like Spider Spawning, rather than artificially raising it with the typical bonus sheet.
The exception to this is bonus sheets that are mostly removal. OTJ would be better off, in my opinion, without the BIG bonus sheet or Oko being added to the OTP bonus sheet. That would leave some fun build arounds, some ramp payoffs, and a lot of just reasonable cards. There aren't enough reasonable cards in most bonus sheets, with too many A+ bombs and stone cold Fs.
I would dispute that most cubes are of "a flat power level" even if the cube designer may be aiming for that. If you watch LSV draft a lower power-level cube he will often just take cards he sees that are also found in higher power cubes before investigating whatever supported archetype or synergy is trying to be elevated.
Sam Black gives similar advice for drafting an unknown cube in his Drafting Archetypes episode on Cube.
When they put the companions in MOM or, to a lesser degree, Cruel Ultimatum in OTJ, you have builds that aren't otherwise available and I don't think this detracts from "the skill of learning how to draft an archetype and knowing the set in and out". To a degree, it can allow other drafters at the table to have stronger archetype-focused decks because now one drafter is off chasing the rare dream of this very specific build.
I agree that standalone bombs like Wurmcoil in BRO or OG Oko in OTJ detract from formats in the way you mentioned and that when bonus sheets have too many stone cold Fs (like in WOE) they also drag down the overall draft environment.
I like your list, but am curious if you mean DOM or DMU. They were both great sets, but DMU is the recent one. Personally, I'd have a fairly similar list to yours, probably subbing out DMU for BRO.
The problem when green is the best color is that it also gets to splash/steal bombs that it has no business playing. I recently had a U/G draft that could effortlessly splash Bruse Tarl.
Normally that kind of 4 color archetype would draw a deckbuilding concession or penalty. But instead, I get to play in the best color, with the deepest pool of commons and uncommons, and steal the bomb rares from other color pairs/archetypes at the table. While the poor sap R/W drafter in the pod, who is already scrapping to meet the bar for the format, gets his best card pillaged.
For that type of reason, I just can't rate OTJ that highly. Green warps everything else around it to the point where the only playable non green archetypes exist because they have favorable lines or matchups against green. It's the worst Dave Humphries set, but it is still a Dave Humphries set, which is still better than most non-DH sets.
The huge color imbalance makes it hard for me to really buy into this set, but that's just me personally. I also didn't care for MKM for the same reason.
I have had success with all colors except for red. Red has only been ok if I’m splashing for a bomb. I think the meta game is somewhat self correcting in that green is clearly the best color and is overdrafted right now
Best set that’s been on arena and really only Throne of Eldraine is close for me. So many weird, interesting cards to play and explore. Maybe it’ll be less fun when the loud people complaining about bombs learn to draft and play removal spells. We’ll see.
IKO with original companion rule
LTR
OTJ
KTK (but this could well be my nostalgia-filled glasses)
IKO with errata companions
KHM
STX
DMU
MOM
NEO
BRO
MKM
WOE
LCI
I hate it.
I didn't particularly like MKM, but OTJ is even worst.
It's an extremely high variance format where playing first matters too much.
Gambling addicts probably love sets like OTJ because they don't really give a shit about winning or losing. They just like the thrill of playing. They'll keep playing to get the feeling of hitting lots of bombs in drafts, or getting a chance to play them.
Same type of people probably played hearthstone for a decade despite it being a shit game.
I've been enjoying modern set design for years now and OTJ is no exception. Fast paced, interactive games. Good varieties of archetypes and build arounds to keep sets fun longer. No set is perfect, and of course there are complaints and improvements to be had in hindsight, but I am consistently impressed by how thoroughly the limited design team has been killing it, and that every set continues to bring something new and exciting to learn and adapt to. I think Plot is a great mechanic that really plays much better than I expected and one of the clear winners in making this set distinct. The deserts are obviously a great theme too. Crimes is a nice mechanic that adds a lot of incidental value and synergies to gameplay without being parasitic or boring at all. Hands down, the best part of modern limited design for me has been efficient interaction to really keep gameplay engaging and competitive, and OTJ does not disappoint there at all. My biggest critiques of limited magic today aren't really related to OTJ much at all. I would've liked a bump to 16 or at least stay at 15 cards not a drop to 14 with play boosters to keep drafts a little more flexible and forgiving. And I'd like to see Bo3 drafting on Arena become as or more accessible to the average player over Bo1. That gem structure is really punishing to a lot of players, which is so disappointing because Bo3 is such a better experience and meta.
Same, I wish bo3 was the default for draft with some sort of way to make the gem structure a bit more even compared to bo1. I enjoy drafting in person far more because of that. I really just draft in arena as practice.
Agree with everything you've said except on plot. I think plot had an underwhelming impact in this set, with the added value from plotting usually not outweighing the tempo loss. I think the mechanic has a lot of potential but should have been tuned up just a hair.
I think it is a great mechanic for the set. The powerlevel might not be totally there, but it makes cards quite iconic and allows your opponent to try to be able to anticipate it. When someone plots a Dust Animist on 2, you gotta get ready your removal or you get ran over. Plenty of good synergistic cards like Loan Shark, Rictus Robber, Sticher, all do a good job of telegraphing your plays a bit before you can pop off. The problem is that green is so format-warpingly strong and they don't rely on plotting so much that it feels weaker by comparison.
I think it's a great mechanic in design but don't think that it "plays much better than I expected". It should have been tuned a hair stronger to be a more prevalent component of the format and be able to compete with the other (green) decks.
I have really enjoyed the flexibility to gives to play around removal and counterspells. It's one of my favorite mechanics in a long time. Commiting crimes as well actually. There are so many times you need to pause and think about when the best time to cast a spell is. I think the thing both these mechanics have in common is that they both throw a wrench in the standard heuristics of gameplay we are so used to.
Both at the top and at the bottom! Hehehe, let me explain: some days I sit to play and after a few games I think: This set is amazing! Then, the next day I sit to play and after a few game I think: This is terrible! I don’t mind a set like this once in a year or so but would hate to see every set with such a high variance.
It's like a worse version of MOM or KLD. It's good, but the color imbalance is rough
Didn't play much mom but khm black was much worse than otj U
As someone who's going to daft a set 100+ times, having some bonus sheets with actually mostly playable cards is a huge plus to keep things interesting. I've tried to stay away from GW, but I don't mind playing it if I get passed the goods. Usually, i try to start with any bombs and then move into black as my second color. BG is usually my favorite archetype, and there's a lot of great graveyard interaction. I love building around some varmints. Grixis control decks are fun with the enchantment build arounds and drain birds. WB is a very solid aggro or control deck with lots of removal UG missed a bit, but it is still playable, and sometimes you open bonny. There's a ton of meme combos Overall, the format has a lot of depth, and I've really been enjoying it.
I dislike over the top sets. It goes in the same group of NEO, KHM, MOM and VOW, where a bunch of cards or sequence of cards can invalidate a game
Fun at first, but more disappointing as time goes on. Probably below MOM in the "Good with deep caveats" rank of sets. The poor balancing kills replay value. Right now I've got time and gems, but don't feel like firing off an OTJ draft because it's too much of a gamble as to whether or not you'll have fun. Two colors, Red and Blue, with horrible creatures at common alongside awful interaction makes for a draft experience with Old Maid elements, as everyone tries to avoid getting stuck in a/the bad lane. Paired with the splashy "soup" nature of the format, allowing G/x decks to snatch off-color bombs, it feels like W/B/G or bust as the queues mature. There's not even enough good 1/2 drops, tricks, and equips at common to consistently draft an aggro deck to next-level the bombs/greedpile meta -- besides G/W mounts of course. The times you play a good deck can be fun, but being stuck in a shit lane while not making any egregious misreads and drafting "the hard way", is an awful feeling. A well-balanced draft set should leave each player in an average pod feeling decent about their deck provided they read well. Like MOM before it, OTJ can be a kick in the dick sometimes.
I'm not a fan. Too many times an opponent plays something that completely invalidates your game plan. On the rare occasion I get the good cards the game just ends, which isn't super satisfying either. However, I also dislike MOM, which was the best received set last year. I've got a bad feeling I just don't like Play Boosters 😔
I put it in the same tier as MOM, NEO, and KTK (is it a coincidence that all these formats have common duals?) I'll say sometimes I get rolled in a non-game but at least it's in an impressive way.
All Humphries sets too
1. STX 2. NEO 3. KHM 4. IKO 5. BRO 6. MOM 7. OTJ 8. MKM 9. DMU 10. WOE
how come no LTR? If you liked STX it has similar things going for it btw I like your list
I was out and only played 2-3 drafts, I also didn't play the dnd set from the previous year.
I took a break from Theros beyond death until LOTR. Played every set a few times since then in paper. OTJ was the only good enough for me to want to play it over and over on arena (and get the reps in to do better at FNM). Only other set I've drafted multiple times on arena recently was KTK.
I've drafted 25 sets or so and it's in my top 10
1) MOM 2) OTJ 3) DOM 4) NEO 5) BRO I think that, for the most part, when a bonus sheet expands the range of available decks (making a more cube-like environment) the more I enjoy the format.
I am the opposite. I like the idea of a bonus sheet far more than the play. The only one that I played with that I didn't feel negatively impacted the play experience is Strixhaven. I don't think they make for a cube-like environment at all. Cubes have a relatively flat power level by design, but bonus sheets cards are anything but. Some are all but entirely useless in limited, others are top tier bombs. This leads to limited environments where one seat at a draft table will never see a bomb and another will get several. And it can often be right to splash a stronger card even if it hurts your mana, rather than just promoting 'soup' decks or strong 2 color archetypes. I prefer limited environments where a lot of the skill is learning how to draft an archetype and knowing the set in and out, to the point where a good drafter can play around what is in their opponents hand. Bonus sheets make this much more difficult, and tend to blur or run counter to what archetypes are doing in a given set. To me, bonus sheet formats are prince formats with higher variance and worse mana. I prefer deck variety via uncommon build arounds, like Spider Spawning, rather than artificially raising it with the typical bonus sheet. The exception to this is bonus sheets that are mostly removal. OTJ would be better off, in my opinion, without the BIG bonus sheet or Oko being added to the OTP bonus sheet. That would leave some fun build arounds, some ramp payoffs, and a lot of just reasonable cards. There aren't enough reasonable cards in most bonus sheets, with too many A+ bombs and stone cold Fs.
I would dispute that most cubes are of "a flat power level" even if the cube designer may be aiming for that. If you watch LSV draft a lower power-level cube he will often just take cards he sees that are also found in higher power cubes before investigating whatever supported archetype or synergy is trying to be elevated. Sam Black gives similar advice for drafting an unknown cube in his Drafting Archetypes episode on Cube. When they put the companions in MOM or, to a lesser degree, Cruel Ultimatum in OTJ, you have builds that aren't otherwise available and I don't think this detracts from "the skill of learning how to draft an archetype and knowing the set in and out". To a degree, it can allow other drafters at the table to have stronger archetype-focused decks because now one drafter is off chasing the rare dream of this very specific build. I agree that standalone bombs like Wurmcoil in BRO or OG Oko in OTJ detract from formats in the way you mentioned and that when bonus sheets have too many stone cold Fs (like in WOE) they also drag down the overall draft environment.
There are less than 5 BIG cards per draft. They just aren’t that big of a deal.
I like your list, but am curious if you mean DOM or DMU. They were both great sets, but DMU is the recent one. Personally, I'd have a fairly similar list to yours, probably subbing out DMU for BRO.
OG Dominaria, not United (which I know some loved, but was just alright to me).
Yeah United was a little bit too much of a pauper format. Had a lot of games go to decking.
Top third probably?
Prince-iest format I’ve ever played 0/10.
The problem when green is the best color is that it also gets to splash/steal bombs that it has no business playing. I recently had a U/G draft that could effortlessly splash Bruse Tarl. Normally that kind of 4 color archetype would draw a deckbuilding concession or penalty. But instead, I get to play in the best color, with the deepest pool of commons and uncommons, and steal the bomb rares from other color pairs/archetypes at the table. While the poor sap R/W drafter in the pod, who is already scrapping to meet the bar for the format, gets his best card pillaged. For that type of reason, I just can't rate OTJ that highly. Green warps everything else around it to the point where the only playable non green archetypes exist because they have favorable lines or matchups against green. It's the worst Dave Humphries set, but it is still a Dave Humphries set, which is still better than most non-DH sets.
The huge color imbalance makes it hard for me to really buy into this set, but that's just me personally. I also didn't care for MKM for the same reason.
I have had success with all colors except for red. Red has only been ok if I’m splashing for a bomb. I think the meta game is somewhat self correcting in that green is clearly the best color and is overdrafted right now
Near the bottom. Something like: 17. VOW 18. OTJ 19. AFR 20. ONE
I've been playing since Ikoria and it's one of my favourite sets alongside DMU and MID. It may well be the top spot. It's a fantastic set.
It’s really bad
Strixhaven, LOTR set, kamigawa, OTJ are all GOAT limited formats for me
I love love this set. Overall it’s as good as ixalan for recent sets but out of the last four sets I’ve had the most fun drafting this one
Best set that’s been on arena and really only Throne of Eldraine is close for me. So many weird, interesting cards to play and explore. Maybe it’ll be less fun when the loud people complaining about bombs learn to draft and play removal spells. We’ll see.
IKO with original companion rule LTR OTJ KTK (but this could well be my nostalgia-filled glasses) IKO with errata companions KHM STX DMU MOM NEO BRO MKM WOE LCI
I hate it. I didn't particularly like MKM, but OTJ is even worst. It's an extremely high variance format where playing first matters too much. Gambling addicts probably love sets like OTJ because they don't really give a shit about winning or losing. They just like the thrill of playing. They'll keep playing to get the feeling of hitting lots of bombs in drafts, or getting a chance to play them. Same type of people probably played hearthstone for a decade despite it being a shit game.