Yeah that was a long time ago. Obvs stuff like the power nine has always been OP but there wasn't really a power creep until Urza block which just raped constructed play. That was def after Tempest/Stronghold.
They make cards with only Standard (newest 2 blocks and core set format) in mind. Other formats are sanctioned but Standard is the money maker. It doesn't matter that a playset of Underground Seas will run you at least $800 (for cheap ones) because WotC doesn't see any of that money. To that effect they've done a pretty good job keeping standard balanced. The only time I quit playing because Standard was a bad environment was the original Mirrodin block (you had to play affinity or lose, mirror is a race, generally decided by draw and who goes first). I quit playing for financial reasons before the Caw-blade shit with Jace, Stone-forge Mystic etc...which has been the 2nd time something like that has happened (play caw-blade or lose, mirror is super retarded). And both of these were addressed by proper bannings. 2 horrible experiences in like...15 years of Type 2 (dating myself here)/Standard isn't that bad.
My teacher bought me it as a present when I passed the N2.If you have the level of Japanese to read and understand the explanations given, it's a really, really useful book. It has something like 500 different grammar patterns with all of their major uses, and it contrasts each one with patterns with similar meanings, discussing the nuances that separate them, and when to use one or the other. Really neat.
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