If you want more people using the site, the only way to do that is to have more content. People do seem to still be checking in on the website, and occasionally responding to things. The problem is there is so little actual content on this website now to even respond to.
There's the guy that writes the weekly article on the metagame report, but that's about all I can think of in terms of fresh content that is actually produced on a consistent basis and its actually just a link to another website so you don't actually have to come to TheManaDrain at all to find the article.
The problem is that TheManaDrain has relied on essentially free content producers, but many of us that used to write articles got tired of the negative feedback for our hard work and/or found better things to do with our time than produce free content for a dead forum on a barely still breathing format.
So I'd say if you want more users, you'd have to start paying content providers or find a loyal group of writers that is willing to keep putting stuff out in more of Blog type format than a traditional Forum.
Agreed on this evaluation.
The 1 toughness is probably the biggest limiter. Goblin Pikers just aren't very good in the format due to all the highly efficient ping effects. Snapcaster gets around some of those effects due to its Flash effect, and seems more of an option that you are using to Rebuy 1 critical spell rather than double up on an effect.
I actually forgot about the days of Chandra and the worse Narset. Those were fun times when those less powerful Planeswalkers were more playable, but I haven't seen them in quite some time.
If someone wants to try and build around something like doubling Time Walks though, I think that could be a pretty cool deck. Not sure if its playable, but it would be cool nonetheless.
Good comparisons are fine, but people get caught too much on things like CMC and P/T.
@desolutionist
If Magic has a phone app, I’d play it about 1000 times more.
My computer still thinks MTGO is a virus.
That’s exactly what makes a Fork effect worse than a Regrowth effect. You are changing the best timing of your spells to accommodate playing it. That isn’t a deathnail for the effect or anything, but it’s something to keep in mind while playing it.
This is nothing at all like a tutor... why are we even making that comparison?
Merchant Scroll doesn’t require Ancestral in your hand already. It’s a 1UU draw 3 spell. It can also fetch Dig through Time, Force of Will, a bounce spell and so much else... DT obviously fetches way more than that.
I wouldn’t really compare it to Snapcaster. Snapcaster is an instant and comes down after the original copy. There are a lot more uses for a Snapcaster.
It’s a decent effect for sure, and the mana cost as well as giving you a 2/1 probably makes it the best in its class of Fork spells. This is a sorcery speed effect though so it has limitations there, and you can’t use it on your opponent’s spells. You generally want to be copying effects that are worth at least 2 mana or more with these types of cards. The problem with them being that they make the original spell less efficient. Instead of pay U, Draw 3 on your Ancestral, it now becomes 1UU, Draw 6 put a 2/1 into play. That would be a great effect in a vacuum, but you’ve sacrificed your normal ancestral to get it. Same with Tim Walk. Instead of 1U, Take a Turn. You get 2UU, Take Two Extra Turns. In mana flood situations the second option is clear, but in mana shortages the first option is. So it doesn’t always upgrade your best spells. There is also a grey area in between where it could cause you to make a bad value judgement by playing your Ancestral as a sorcery later than you typically would.
Its probably a good singleton with Life from the Loam, but it seems pretty slow.