So, it's no secret that ETB effects are stiflingly prevalent in the current standard

So, it's no secret that ETB effects are stiflingly prevalent in the current standard

What would have to change for the meta to become more combo focused? Has the meta ever been like this? Are there any formats where it still is?

>formats that are combo focused
EDH

>What would have to change for the meta to become more combo focused?

Serious answer: good counters and disruption as answers

magic for betas. too bad you never have magic in your pants like me when i edh your gf

Combo focused is just as bad if not worse than ETB value spam. Do you not remember Cat Combo from last year? Where you were forced to have answers to Felidar Guardian or you lost T4?

Playable counterspells or playable "choose and discard" spells. Kill spells, bounce spells, direct damage and bigger creatures do nothing against ETB effects. The only thing that can interact with an ETB effect is countering the spell so it can't enter, or discarding it before it can be played. Any time part of the game becomes uninteractable Magic goes to shit.

>What would have to change for the meta to become more combo focused?
From context in your post, I feel like you mean something different by "combo focused" than what "combo" actually implies in a Magic context. I think what you mean is synergy focused. Standard has a combo deck, it's Approach

>synergy
Shit, you're right
Too bad I couldn't think of that word before

I guess just replace 'combo' with 'synergy'

That makes no sense, we have tons of good removal as disruption and that's exactly why etb creatures dominate. If you mean discard spells and better counterspells that makes more sense

Honestly what is stifling about the current format? We have a good mix of combo-control, aggro, and grindy midrange

Chupacabra is very good but it's shit against the approach decks, checks and balances

>synergy
We just had a tribal block

Negate and Spell Pierce (and Duress to a lesser extent) hated out Control. Countspells arent always the answer.

Two things must happen. ETB creatures have to become much less numerable and way worse than they are now, and the same has to happen to the answers to creatures that aren't cheap aggro beaters, provide immediate value or have inherent protection from removal.

Fuck sully and every retarded motherfucker who listens to him honestly senpai. Of course a creature has to have an immediate effect or a very good payoff down the line to be worth playing. It has always been like that. What Sully meant was that he wished dinos could be good, not that ETB effective creatures are an exception. Somehow people understood his statement to be OMG Chupa is op, nerf ETB pls.

Yes, but you don't notice in Standard because it isn't worth it to run the synergistic but ultimately vulnerable creatures that care about creature types.

Isn't the current Standard actually pretty healthy without any single deck having clear ruling power? Since Felidar Guardian got banned at least.

You're misunderstanding both what he and everyone else is saying. Sully wasn't saying either of those things. He said that the design was boring and indicative of poor design decisions made by WotC the past few years. He specifically mentioned Banesalyer Angel as a card that didn't provide immediate advantage but was still heavily played at the time because it was worth it the times that you opponent couldn't answer it but that wouldn't be played today because of how the environment has shaped up. He was also mighty pissed that Chupa doesn't even have a relevant creature type or cares about any relevant creature types while being printed in a tribal block.

That was his complaint. That the card discourages exactly the type of strategies that a block like this ought to promote while not even providing anything in its own design.

I can most surely remember that he said sometihng about chupa being a coutner to dinos who already are shit on top of what you are saying. Again the fact that instant value creatures are good is not a new thing and most definitely not a symptom of this standard only as OP and many other people are saying. It really feels to me like people are being influenced by sully's rant more then they should be and in ways the rant wasn't aimed for.

...

I was so close to considering my RW taxes playable and they banned ferocidon.

Not really worth playing, but imagine if it had flash...