I played Spiteful-Priest back then when these Decks where Meta. I reached Rank 5 for the 1st Time, but it felt so cheap and utterly dull. Play all the Neutrals Everyone else plays, go Face, and win because of a Highroll Spiteful Summoner on Curve.
I also played a fair bit of Standard Res Priest last Season just to rank up a bit and see for myself if it's as braindead as it's Wild Counterpart.
I'm reading up on how WotC handles Ownership and Copyright of these Commissions. And I got to say, man... I thought that they're just your usual corporate Criminals, but as it turns out they're way worse! Usually the Artist retains a large Part of the Ownership Rights, and in some Cases the Right to Sell their original Artwork on Merchandise. But apparently WotC got rid of that more than a Decade ago with non-negotiable Contracts.
And from what I've read, you don't even get Royalties from Character/Artwork that you literally created!
Here's a Blogpost I found by Peter Mohrbacher, an Artist who used to work for MtG:
(PS: Sorry if this is posted muliple Times. OoC keeps eating my Comment.)
Alright,
Nr.1: I'm using the fairly broad, run-of-the-Mill Definition of Censorship that one can find on the Internet: „The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security", with my Emphasis being on Prohibition, obscene and politically unacceptable.
In this Article, it is stated that WotC is going to ban these Cards from Tournament Play and that they removed/replaced the Images on their official Database. Banning and Removing are Forms of Prohibition. And wether or not these Cards are obscene/politically unacceptable is out of the Question: I find them insensitive, you find them insensitive, the great Majority of People here would find them insensitive.
Since necessary Requirements are fullfilled, WotC has, by Definition, censored their Art.
And about it being a Corporate Decision: WotC are responsible for their Product, you are right. When conceptualizing these Cards they should have put more Thought on how they might appear to the Public. BUT: The Censorship being a Business Decision does not change the Fact that it is just that. A Censorship. (ImO it would have probably been a better Idea to add a little Info-Text or some Kind of Marker in the Description.)
Nr.2: „They can also control what people do with their product."
First, let me point out that this Statement is contradicting with your Painting-Example at the End.
Second, you're right about Companies having the Right to create Forums and, within their Rules, move/remove Posts (Idk wether or not this could be Censorship). And yes, they also have a Right to Protect their IPs from Missuse. However, they're not allowed to go for Content that clearly falls under Fair Use, as far as I know. And they most certainly are not allowed to monitor independent Forums.
Nr.3: „Let's talk about the way Blizzard "censored"."
Why? We're talking about Magic and WotC. But if you want my Opinion on the whole China-Thing: It sucks.
Nr.4: „Sometimes these decisions are based on actual ethics, I know this is crazy."
Nowhere did I imply that WotC didn't have well minded Intentions. It is quite possible that they did. It's also quite possible that they did it to get some Good-Guy-Points. I guess only they truely know the Answer to this.
I'm not against them being more inclusive. If they can be it AND deliver Quality, then hey, Everybody wins. I'm against the Way they want to achieve it. Like I said in a previous Post, by censoring Art you're working on the same Principle as those who're burning Books: „It doesn't fit our Worldview, therefore it has to go".
Nr.5: „On your note that card art isn't just a product on the company.. it really is."
No. It isn't
I'm currently studying Graphic Desing. One of the first Things they tell you is, that the Works that you produce for Agencies/Companies/etc. are an extremely Important Part of your Portfolio. You need a Portfolio to be able to apply for a Job as Designer/Artist. Yes, you can't sell those Pieces (usually), but you are more than allowed to show these publically and promote yourself that Way. A great Example for this is ArtStation. There you can find a lot of Concept Art, 3D, etc. You can even find official Artwork on there, like from HS.
And also, if the Card Art does not belong to the Artist, then why do they get Credit for it on the Cards themselves?
--
But, yeah. To get back to the Point: I just don't like Censorship. It always feels like opening Pandora's Box to me. Like, rn these Picks seem pretty obvious, but,...what if they keep on expanding what's considered racist/offensive?
I just think that there a better Ways to approach these spicy Topics.
You don't think removing/banning Art is Censorship? It literally is by Definition.
It is uncomfortable to admit it, but it's working on the same Principle as burning Books. „It doesn't fit our Worldview, therefor it has to go". It's just such an ugly Mindset to have.
Also, these Cards are not just Products of the Company, they're also the Products of the Artists. By censoring the Art, you're also censoring a Piece of them, limit their Freedom of Self-Expression, and, in the worst Case, ruin their Career. (Sidenote: I'm not familiar with the MtG Community, but I remember hearing about People advocating for the Removal of certain Artists, like Terese Nielsen, because they don't have the „right" Politics.)
I just wish that Companies like WotC would approach Things like this in a more mature Way.
Honestly, I find it more offensive that WotC apparently thinks that their Players are made out of Paper and that their poor Minds can't handle these Themes.
Also, no Matter the Context, censoring Art is always wrong.
Hey, don't know if this fits here, but I added this guy Yesterday and today he got... weird? Angry? Idk
He told me to go f myself, said that the game is bad because of me, insulted my family... got disgustingly sexual about beheaded Women, called me Jaina and confessed his Love to me... and than asked what's a good Priest Deck against „Cybo-Lock" in Wild.
Got pretty wild. If I'd knew how to post Screenshots, I'd share some of the Stuff that the Guy hurled at me.
I started playing Razakus-Priest when they nerfed Raza the Chained. Back then I thought : „Hey, this Archetype is cool now! Let's see what I can do with it". While building the Deck, I had the Idea to make it more focused on Controling the Game and running your Opponent out of Resources, rather than machine-gunning them down. And since then, I've won more than 2000 Matches, and even made it to Legend during RoS.
I love this Deck because there's so much you can do with it!
You can make it a Thief-Priest, add some Dragons, have a Combo, etc. Rn, the Deck is more focused on being disruptive against Combo-Decks (with... varying Results).
Control-Razakus
A Highlander Priest Deck created by
Koetti. Last updated 4 years ago
Oh, Man, I'll never forget my first Friend Request: „l2p noob, go fuck yourself, stupid rng cancer".
I always accept Requests immediately. Could it be a friendly Person? Or some salty Whiner? Who knows! That's what makes it always so exciting.
It's also quite fun if the Rage Messages get creative, or if they're in a different Language so you have to use Translator to find out what they actually say.
I've been playing with Archivist Elysiana in my Gala-Priest for like 2 Weeks now. She's actually doing pretty well, since you can reduce her cost with Fate Weaver and make her playable alongside other Cards, like Shadow Word: Ruin. And usually Nobody expects her, especially Priests („Ha! I Shadow Madnessed your Reliquary of Souls! Now you're gonna lose in Fatigue!!").
I like the indirect Nerf to Battlefiend, Satyr Overseer and Glaivebound Adept.
I'm curious to see how it will affect Odd DH. Also, could DHs start running Cobalt Spellkin? Their 1 Mana Spells are pretty good.
I think DH could be perfect for Combos. Lots of Card draw and Removal. Their only Problem might be defensive Stuff.
I played Spiteful-Priest back then when these Decks where Meta. I reached Rank 5 for the 1st Time, but it felt so cheap and utterly dull. Play all the Neutrals Everyone else plays, go Face, and win because of a Highroll Spiteful Summoner on Curve.
I also played a fair bit of Standard Res Priest last Season just to rank up a bit and see for myself if it's as braindead as it's Wild Counterpart.
It is btw.
I'm reading up on how WotC handles Ownership and Copyright of these Commissions. And I got to say, man... I thought that they're just your usual corporate Criminals, but as it turns out they're way worse! Usually the Artist retains a large Part of the Ownership Rights, and in some Cases the Right to Sell their original Artwork on Merchandise. But apparently WotC got rid of that more than a Decade ago with non-negotiable Contracts.
And from what I've read, you don't even get Royalties from Character/Artwork that you literally created!
Here's a Blogpost I found by Peter Mohrbacher, an Artist who used to work for MtG:
https://www.vandalhigh.com/blog/2015/7/3/the-problems-with-artist-pay-on-magic
I thought I was gonna write something about Censorship here. Did not expect it to turn into something about Slavery.
(PS: Sorry if this is posted muliple Times. OoC keeps eating my Comment.)
Alright,
Nr.1: I'm using the fairly broad, run-of-the-Mill Definition of Censorship that one can find on the Internet: „The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security", with my Emphasis being on Prohibition, obscene and politically unacceptable.
In this Article, it is stated that WotC is going to ban these Cards from Tournament Play and that they removed/replaced the Images on their official Database. Banning and Removing are Forms of Prohibition. And wether or not these Cards are obscene/politically unacceptable is out of the Question: I find them insensitive, you find them insensitive, the great Majority of People here would find them insensitive.
Since necessary Requirements are fullfilled, WotC has, by Definition, censored their Art.
And about it being a Corporate Decision: WotC are responsible for their Product, you are right. When conceptualizing these Cards they should have put more Thought on how they might appear to the Public. BUT: The Censorship being a Business Decision does not change the Fact that it is just that. A Censorship. (ImO it would have probably been a better Idea to add a little Info-Text or some Kind of Marker in the Description.)
Nr.2: „They can also control what people do with their product."
First, let me point out that this Statement is contradicting with your Painting-Example at the End.
Second, you're right about Companies having the Right to create Forums and, within their Rules, move/remove Posts (Idk wether or not this could be Censorship). And yes, they also have a Right to Protect their IPs from Missuse. However, they're not allowed to go for Content that clearly falls under Fair Use, as far as I know. And they most certainly are not allowed to monitor independent Forums.
Nr.3: „Let's talk about the way Blizzard "censored"."
Why? We're talking about Magic and WotC. But if you want my Opinion on the whole China-Thing: It sucks.
Nr.4: „Sometimes these decisions are based on actual ethics, I know this is crazy."
Nowhere did I imply that WotC didn't have well minded Intentions. It is quite possible that they did. It's also quite possible that they did it to get some Good-Guy-Points. I guess only they truely know the Answer to this.
I'm not against them being more inclusive. If they can be it AND deliver Quality, then hey, Everybody wins. I'm against the Way they want to achieve it. Like I said in a previous Post, by censoring Art you're working on the same Principle as those who're burning Books: „It doesn't fit our Worldview, therefore it has to go".
Nr.5: „On your note that card art isn't just a product on the company.. it really is."
No. It isn't
I'm currently studying Graphic Desing. One of the first Things they tell you is, that the Works that you produce for Agencies/Companies/etc. are an extremely Important Part of your Portfolio. You need a Portfolio to be able to apply for a Job as Designer/Artist. Yes, you can't sell those Pieces (usually), but you are more than allowed to show these publically and promote yourself that Way. A great Example for this is ArtStation. There you can find a lot of Concept Art, 3D, etc. You can even find official Artwork on there, like from HS.
And also, if the Card Art does not belong to the Artist, then why do they get Credit for it on the Cards themselves?
--
But, yeah. To get back to the Point: I just don't like Censorship. It always feels like opening Pandora's Box to me. Like, rn these Picks seem pretty obvious, but,...what if they keep on expanding what's considered racist/offensive?
I just think that there a better Ways to approach these spicy Topics.
You don't think removing/banning Art is Censorship? It literally is by Definition.
It is uncomfortable to admit it, but it's working on the same Principle as burning Books. „It doesn't fit our Worldview, therefor it has to go". It's just such an ugly Mindset to have.
Also, these Cards are not just Products of the Company, they're also the Products of the Artists. By censoring the Art, you're also censoring a Piece of them, limit their Freedom of Self-Expression, and, in the worst Case, ruin their Career. (Sidenote: I'm not familiar with the MtG Community, but I remember hearing about People advocating for the Removal of certain Artists, like Terese Nielsen, because they don't have the „right" Politics.)
I just wish that Companies like WotC would approach Things like this in a more mature Way.
Honestly, I find it more offensive that WotC apparently thinks that their Players are made out of Paper and that their poor Minds can't handle these Themes.
Also, no Matter the Context, censoring Art is always wrong.
I wonder if People will get this Skin just to get a Break from Illidan's VENGEANCE!!
Grats!
I hope I have better Luck next Time!
I can only imagine how awkward their Thanksgiving has to be.
Goddamn, that Trailer was fucking awesome!
Hey, don't know if this fits here, but I added this guy Yesterday and today he got... weird? Angry? Idk
He told me to go f myself, said that the game is bad because of me, insulted my family... got disgustingly sexual about beheaded Women, called me Jaina and confessed his Love to me... and than asked what's a good Priest Deck against „Cybo-Lock" in Wild.
Got pretty wild. If I'd knew how to post Screenshots, I'd share some of the Stuff that the Guy hurled at me.
I started playing Razakus-Priest when they nerfed Raza the Chained. Back then I thought : „Hey, this Archetype is cool now! Let's see what I can do with it". While building the Deck, I had the Idea to make it more focused on Controling the Game and running your Opponent out of Resources, rather than machine-gunning them down. And since then, I've won more than 2000 Matches, and even made it to Legend during RoS.
I love this Deck because there's so much you can do with it!
You can make it a Thief-Priest, add some Dragons, have a Combo, etc. Rn, the Deck is more focused on being disruptive against Combo-Decks (with... varying Results).
Oh, Man, I'll never forget my first Friend Request: „l2p noob, go fuck yourself, stupid rng cancer".
I always accept Requests immediately. Could it be a friendly Person? Or some salty Whiner? Who knows! That's what makes it always so exciting.
It's also quite fun if the Rage Messages get creative, or if they're in a different Language so you have to use Translator to find out what they actually say.
This one is way harder than the last Hunt, I like it!
Some Clues are pretty obvious, but 14, 15 and especially 8 are pretty tough.
Fun little Game, thx!
Also, thank you for reminding me that Dame Hazelbark exists.
Congrats! 🎉🎂
I've been playing with Archivist Elysiana in my Gala-Priest for like 2 Weeks now. She's actually doing pretty well, since you can reduce her cost with Fate Weaver and make her playable alongside other Cards, like Shadow Word: Ruin. And usually Nobody expects her, especially Priests („Ha! I Shadow Madnessed your Reliquary of Souls! Now you're gonna lose in Fatigue!!").
I understand your Point of View.
I'm Part of the „Target Audience" they try to reach, and my first Thought when I saw this was: Hah... GAAAAAYYY!!!
Stuff like this is always funny to me. It's like SETI trying to communicate with Aliens using the most basic Symbols they can think of.
I can't count the Moments in that I've tried to get Hex and got Edwin VanCleef offered instead.
It would be really great if the Devs put something like „Deathrattles triggering is undesirable" into his Programming.