In the early days of the game, spells that could be cast for no mana were supposed to be a desperate last resort by incurring a cost other than mana, but, in recent years, free spells have become very powerful, such as the free spells from Ikoria Commander (most notably Deflecting Swat and Fierce Guardianship) and the flare cycle from the upcoming Modern Horizons 3, so I wonder if free spells are becoming too powerful.

What does everyone else say about this? Are free spells becoming too powerful?

As a side note, I severely dislike that the flare cycle requires sacrifice of a non-token creature, as not all colors excel at creature recursion.

shadow63, I am very sorry to hear that, but I understand that not every movie appeals to everyone (for example, I cannot understand why some people are so fond of The Big Lebowski).

This year is the 25th anniversary of The Iron Giant, one of my favorite movies, an anniversary that I definitely feel is worth commemorating.

The Iron Giant is a homage to the science fiction movies of the 1950's, with the titular character being a giant robot, and is even set in the year 1953, but also to movies in which a young child befriends an extraordinary creature, and has various adventures with that creature. The movie is set during a time period when American life was supposedly perfect and ideal, yet the specter of the Soviet Union and potential nuclear war loomed over everything, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion, which is what drives the main conflict of the movie, in which the government distrusts anything that it cannot control or that is otherwise mysterious and different from the perceived societal norms of that time.

The Iron Giant was one several attempts by Warner Bros. to produce animated feature films to directly compete with the Walt Disney Company, but, unfortunately, all of their attempts fell short of those released by their competitor, although I personally believe that The Iron Giant was, by far, their best feature film, with its well-developed characters and heartfelt story, and I am very sad that Warner Bros. closed down their feature film division after releasing this film, as it could have ushered in a great era of animated films, if the studio had given it a chance.

The Iron Giant has been released on blu-ray, a format in which it looks excellent, but I definitely think that it deserves to be upgraded to 4K/UHD, as I am certain that it would be spectacular in that format (with a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtrack to accompany it, of course), and the fact that Warner Bros. has released the original Space Jam in 4K makes it even more unusual and frustrating that they have not yet given the same treatment to The Iron Giant, as well. Hopefully, Warner Bros. shall do something to commemorate this momentous anniversary, as I feel that this film deserves to be honored, in such a way.

What does everyone else say about this? How does everyone else here feel about this year being the 25th anniversary of The Iron Giant?

I have replaced The Immortal Sun with Smothering Tithe, which reduced the average converted mana cost of this deck from 4.45 to 4.42, which is very good, as that card provides me with a way to either accelerate my own mana or slow down my opponents, both of which are a good thing, in a deck that has such a high mana curve.

I have replaced The Immortal Sun with Myrel, Shield of Argive, which reduced the average converted mana cost of this deck from 3.89 to 3.85, because she is a more powerful version of Grand Abolisher, so she clearly works with the theme of this deck.

I have replaced Crystal Ball and Pain Magnification with Black Market Connections and Mayael's Aria, since I feel that those cards are better suited to this deck.

I have replaced The Immortal Sun with Grave Titan, since the titan provides two very useful effects for this deck: it destroys my opponents' creatures, so that I can then reanimate them, and also produces tokens, which I can sacrifice for a variety of benefits.

shadow63, in that case, I shall make an effort to keep an open mind when I watch the sequels.

I have replaced Render Silent with Mutational Advantage, since the latter card better suits this deck, which also helped with the balance of colors in the deck, as well.

MollyMab, it is interesting that you should mention that, because, in this comic, here, Neo crushes the pills and snorts them, but the artist of that comic clearly forgot that the pills are gel-filled capsules, not hard tablets.

Last_Laugh, I prefer Fathom Mage over Danny Pink, since her ability has no limit to the number of times that it can trigger, and I actually would very much like to put Magistrate's Scepter in place of Otherworld Atlas, but the first ability simply costs too much mana to activate.

Last_Laugh, I appreciate your suggestions, but most of those cards do not suit my playing style, although perhaps Mutational Advantage would be a good replacement for Fuel for the Cause or possibly Render Silent, since that card does not directly contribute to the theme of this deck.

This year is the 25th anniversary of The Matrix, a science fiction film that has been very influential in the history of cinema for both its special effects and its storytelling.

The Matrix stars Keanu Reeves, who previously was best-known for his role as Theodore "Ted" Logan in the Bill and Ted films; Reeves had previously appeared in a cyberpunk film, Johnny Mnemonic, but that movie was a commercial failure, so The Matrix was Reeve's major breakout as an action movie star.

The film stars Reeves as Thomas Anderson, also known as Neo, an ordinary man who works in an office but feels an intense sense of dissatisfaction with his life, moonlighting as a hacker to seek further information and find a sense of purpose in life. Neo eventually learns a most horrifying truth: that reality is not what he believed it to be, and is, in fact, a grand illusion designed by machines to enslave humanity, and a group of freedom fighters recruit him to help in their fight to free humanity from the machines.

The Matrix was groundbreaking for its innovative special effects, which had rarely, if ever, been seen, in cinema, at that time (and, naturally, have been either referenced or parodied numerous times, since then), but also for the philosophical nature of its storytelling; at a surface level, the movie is a modern adaption of Plato’s allegory of the cave, but a deeper analysis could allow the viewer to interpret in a variety of ways, including as a commentary on the state of society at that time, a metaphor for fears of advancing technology, or an inspiration for people who felt disaffected with the world or were disguising their true natures and then felt the courage to reveal themselves to society. Even more innovative for the time was the idea that some people may actually wish to be enslaved within the Matrix, as suggested with the character of Cypher, who was severely disillusioned with Morpheus's crusade against the machines and wished to be re-integrated into the Matrix, although he was ultimately shown to be wrong with that belief.

Some viewers criticized the idea of machines using humans as a source of power, but that was because the Wachowskis had originally written the story as having the machines use humans for the computational power of their brains, but the studio executives believed that viewers would better understand the idea of the machines using humans as a power source, instead.

Given the massive success of the film, it was only natural that the studio would wish for it to have sequels, but most fans severely dislike the sequels, believing that those films ruined the original, although I have not yet seen those films, so I cannot say anything about them, but I do still regard the original film as a landmark of cinematic storytelling, so I shall be glad to rewatch it, and I fully expect that there shall be special events to commemorate its 25th anniversary.

What does everyone else say about this? How do you feel about this year being the 25th anniversary of The Matrix?

I have also considered putting Tivit, Seller of Secrets into my Sen Triplets deck, but I feel that I should save him for a deck that is dedicating to voting, if I should ever build such a deck.

FormOverFunction, I am very fond of Juniper Order Ranger, for the exact reason that you gave.

RiotRunner789, in that case, I may simply keep the hydra, as I agree that it is very powerful, but, perhaps I should wait for several more responses, before I make my final decision.

I have a copy of Kalonian Hydra in my Atraxa, Praetors' Voice EDH deck, but I am considering replacing it with Bristly Bill, Spine Sower, so I would like to ask for everyone's advice on this issue.

The hydra requires only a single payment of mana, but it must attack in order for its ability to trigger, which could leave it vulnerable, while bristly Bill, in contrast, requires mana for his ability, but his ability can be used multiple times, and also does not require him to attack in order for it to be used, so each creature seems to have its own advantages.

What does everyone else here say abut this? Should I keep Kalnoian hydra in my Atraxa deck, or replace it with Bristly Bill?

MollyMab, yes, that does seem to be the case, and I assure you that I most certainly have been posting about these various anniversaries elsewhere, although I am rather displeased that you are referring to Aerosmith as a "mid band;" everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but most people regard Aerosmith as one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever, and for good reason.

Mortlocke, those are both excellent cards, but Telepathy does not have quite a sufficient impact upon the game for me to consider it, and Unburial Rites is a sorcery, while I was looking to replace The Immortal Sun with another permanent card.

Would you consider either Rhystic Study or Smothering Tithe? Would you be willing to spend 2 more mana to replace Grand Abolisher with Myrel, Shield of Argive or 1 more mana to replace Despark with Anguished Unmaking, or is keeping a low mana curve a high priority for this deck?

This year is the 50th anniversary of Get Your Wings, the second album by Aerosmith, an album that contains many of their best-known songs, each of which is a classic in its own right, in my mind.

Aerosmith's eponymous debut album was certainly an amazing album, on its own, but their sophomore record demonstrated a significant step forward in terms of both songwriting skills and energy when performing, with every song on the album showcasing the skills of the musicians who were performing; from start to finish, there is not a wasted second on the album.

The bookends of the album, opening track Same Old Song and Dance and closer Pandora's Box are unquestionably two of Aerosmith's finest compositions, displaying the blues-based swagger for which they were well-known, but every track between them is just as excellent, including Lord of the Thighs, Women of the World, SOS (Too Bad), Seasons of Wither, and, of course the absolutely epic cover of the old blues standard, Train Kept a-Rollin'. Numerous artists had already covered that song, before Aerosmith, most notably the Yardbirds, but Aerosmith's version is likely the best-known version of the song, as it is grand and magnificent, with a rousing atmosphere that is certain to inspire people to jump and dance. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Aerosmith's cover of that song is one of my favorite rock and roll songs of all time, which certainly is a high bar to clear.

Aerosmith was the first band I saw in concert, back in 2012, and that was a spectacular concert, so I do hope that I can see them, one more time, before they retire, and I certainly expect that they shall do something to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their second album.

What does everyone else say about this? How do you feel about this year being the 50th anniversary of Get Your Wings?