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How four expensive cards imploded Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format

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How four expensive cards imploded Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format

Wizards of the Coast is fundamentally changing how Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format will operate. Earlier this week, the card game’s publisher announced that it will assume control of the Commander format after a week of controversial decisions punctuated by an outpouring of violent harassment. The decision ends the format’s 13-year run as a volunteer-led and community-driven entity wholly independent of Wizards of the Coast. 

Last week, the Commander Rules Committee, a volunteer panel of Magic: The Gathering experts, made the decision to ban four highly sought-after and powerful cards, prohibiting their inclusion in Commander decks. In response, some players began harassing committee members, which included sending death and rape threats. In addition to the rules committee, players also harassed members of the Commander advisory group, a subcommittee of Magic: The Gathering players and content creators who act as the bridge between the wider Commander community and the rules committee.

“It reminds me of the early days of Gamergate,” Shivam Bhatt, a member of the Commander advisory group, tells The Verge

Black Lotus is one of the rarest, most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards.
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After a week of harassment, on September 30th, Wizards of the Coast announced that the rules committee would no longer control the Commander format, writing, “The Rules Committee is giving management of the Commander format to the game design team of Wizards of the Coast.”

Commander started in the late ’90s as Elder Dragon Highlander, or EDH, a fan-made game mode focused on casual play with groups of friends versus the competitive, one-on-one playstyle of other Magic formats. In the years after its creation, EDH’s rules were further refined by a small but growing community of Magic players led by Adam Staley and Sheldon Menery. In 2005, Menery introduced the format to Magic: The Gathering’s professional tournament manager, Scott Larabee, who, in turn, introduced the format to Wizards of the Coast. 

In 2011, EDH, now known as Commander, was officially recognized by Wizards of the Coast, and the company began producing card sets designed specifically for the format. However, unlike other Magic formats where Wizards of the Coast has the power to create or change rules and issue card bans, decisions regarding Commander would remain in the hands of its creators. Menery, along with several others, created a rules committee, where control of the format has remained for almost 20 years, prior to the events of last week.

Wizards of the Coast is also the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Since its official recognition by Wizards in 2011, Commander has exploded in popularity. Wizards of the Coast, which also publishes Dungeons & Dragons, is a subsidiary of Hasbro. And while Magic and D&D remain popular, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have been struggling with both companies, beset by layoffs and a string of controversial missteps regarding their most popular products. Exploiting Commander’s popularity, then, represents a lucrative revenue stream for the company. 

“WotC started printing cards that were hyper efficient and more powerful than anything previous,” Bhatt said. “And this gave rise to a super competitive format of tournament focused Commander.”

At the heart of the issue is the tension between the spirit of Commander as a casual format and the commercial interests of both Wizards of the Coast and a subcommunity of players. As demand grows for these powerful cards, which are already pricier than regular cards since they come in more expensive booster sets, they become even more expensive on the secondary market. Players then shell out big bucks to either put them in their own decks or keep them in hopes of reselling them at even higher prices. To this subset of players, Magic cards aren’t so much a game to play with friends as they are an investment vehicle. It’s a smaller-scale version of when people were buying up boxes of Pokémon cards in bulk, hoping to score the prized Pikachu that could sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So while the demand for these powerful cards can help Wizards of the Coast increase its bottom line, according to Bhatt and the Commander rules committee, it’s also antithetical to the spirit of the format. “Commander is meant to be the opposite of tournament play,” Bhatt said.

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The rules committee agreed, banning the four cards that had come to dominate decks in the Commander format. “The philosophy of Commander prioritizes creativity, and one of the ways we have historically reflected that in the rules and banlist is to encourage a slower pace of game,” the committee wrote in a blog post.

Other Magic formats, especially tournament play, are governed by a fluctuating metagame determined by the most powerful eligible cards. A player’s success is heavily skewed toward their ability to afford those high-performing, expensive cards, rather than their skill. Tournament play is also typically lightning-fast, with matches ending within three to five turns. This creates an environment where matches are quick and heavily one-sided.

Imagine if the average baseball game ended in the third inning, 20–0, because one team could afford to pay for Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Now imagine that humanity has invented cloning technology and every rich baseball team has an Ohtani and a Judge on their roster. Every game would essentially be mirror matches of the same two players hitting dingers over the fence. This is what Standard play looks like — similar decks running the same handful of expensive cards — and what Commander as a format stood against. 

Bhatt said that the decision to ban these cards was not made lightly, with the committee recognizing that such a decision would have financial implications for some players. “But we have always held the idea that you cannot be handcuffed by finances,” Bhatt said. 

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Card bans are not new in Magic, nor even in Commander, though they happen less frequently. But because these cards were so expensive and so highly sought-after, their banning became a lightning rod for players aggrieved that their decks were no longer legal to play or their investments were now useless.

In 2023, Post Malone bought Magic’s “The One Ring card” — the only card of its kind ever printed — for $2.6 million.
Image: Brook Trafton / TikTok

“The community erupted,” Bhatt said. “First came the expected, ‘I hate bans’. But then content creators and finance guys and store owners started lighting more and more flames and the threats started to pour in.”

In the aftermath, the rules committee made the choice to cede its control of Commander to Wizards of the Coast. “These threats drove home that the [rules committee] cannot voluntarily run something as big as Commander any more,” Bhatt said, “at least without the protections of a corporation.”

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Wizards issued a statement commenting on the events, condemning the harassment and offering a brief explanation of the company’s plans for the future of the format. 

“While ownership of the format may be changing, members of the Rules Committee and others in the community will continue to be involved, and the vision for a social format will not change,” Wizards wrote.

However, Wizards of the Coast taking over Commander doesn’t guarantee that either side will get what they want. There has been no announcement on whether Wizards will unban the controversial cards. And now that Wizards controls what cards can be banned, there’s nothing preventing it from continuing to print powerful, format-degrading cards in service of increased sales.

Reactions on social media have been mixed. Many players recognize that while the situation was handled poorly by the rules committee, the harassment they received behind it was worse. “As for whether it’s good or not? I don’t know,” Bhatt said. “I just know that good or not, it was necessary.”

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Sid Meier’s Civilization 7: all the latest on the strategy epic from Firaxis Games

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Sid Meier’s Civilization 7: all the latest on the strategy epic from Firaxis Games

It’s been a long wait, but the next Civilization has finally been revealed. At the main Summer Game Fest keynote, publisher 2K officially announced Civilization 7, the first new entry in the strategy series since 2016. We didn’t get any real details or actual gameplay, but instead a very brief teaser trailer that looked a lot like, well, Civilization. But there’s one thing we do know: the game won’t be launching until 2025. And it’s coming to a number of platforms, with the launch planned for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.

More details will be coming in August, according to 2K, with a “full gameplay showcase.”

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42u server rack network cabinet factory supplier

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Picture this – Gemini streamlines image sharing to AI assistant

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Picture this – Gemini streamlines image sharing to AI assistant

Google has streamlined a key feature of its Gemini AI assistant on Android devices, speeding up image sharing and editing, as spotted by Android Authority. The latest Gemini update lets you send images directly from other apps to Gemini instead of the more cumbersome setup that was in place before. 

Now, if you have a picture in, for instance, Google Photos, that you want Gemini to look at in conjunction with a text prompt, you can submit it directly via Android’s built-in share sheet as you would to send a text with the image attached. That’s much easier than starting in the Gemini app, tapping on the upload image button, locating the image you want, and attaching it. And if your image is in the cloud, you would also need to download it to your device. It might not be more than a minute or even less, but if you want Gemini to explain a photo or use one to inform a new AI-generated image, that extra time and friction might put you off the idea. 

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Toolless-Mount Rack Shelves for 4-Post Racks and Enclosures

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Toolless-Mount Rack Shelves for 4-Post Racks and Enclosures



Tripp Lite’s toolless-mount rack shelves maximize the functionality of four-post racks and enclosures. Most rack shelves require additional hardware and tools for installation, but toolless-mount shelves snap into place in a matter of seconds.

Full specs and pricing: https://www.tripplite.com/products/rack-accessories~30?1965=Shelf .

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The best AMD processors for 2024

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The best AMD processors for 2024
amd ryzen 5000g apu gains over intel

AMD

Most of the best AMD processors also top our best processors list thanks to the incredible performance of the Ryzen 7000 generation. Our top pick for the best AMD CPU right now is the Ryzen 9 7950X because of its incredible 16 cores, impressive performance in gaming and productivity, and its relative efficiency compared to the Intel competition.

From the best Ryzen CPU for gaming to the best AMD processor on a budget, we have plenty of options for fans of Team Red. If you want to jump camps, make sure to check out our roundup of the best Intel CPUs, as well.

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amd ryzen 9 7950x review 6

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

The best, most powerful AMD Ryzen CPU

Pros

  • Off the charts CPU performance
  • Solid gaming improvements
  • Integrated graphics work for light games
  • Works with most AM4 coolers

Why should you buy this: It’s got the highest specs among AMD Ryzen desktop processors.

Who’s it for: Content creators and professionals looking for core CPU performance.

Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X:

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Sitting on top is the Ryzen 9 7950X, which is a powerhouse and an overpowered chip for most users. It comes with 16 cores and 32 threads that can boost up to 5.7GHz — a massive increase on its last-generation predecessor. It has a whopping 80MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which doesn’t quite compete with the X3D variants, but it’s a lot of cache either way, helping to accelerate this chip’s performance in gaming and productivity workloads.

As is the case with most high-end components, the 7950X’s power is clear from the specs, but it takes a little more digging to see its performance benefit in real-world use. Its additional four cores and eight threads doesn’t give it a giant leap in most applications compared to the 12-core 7900X, but the 7950X really shines when it comes to multithreaded performance. In tasks that require a lot of cores, such as hardware encryption and 3D rendering, the 7950X aces the charts and shoots far ahead of the 7900X.

As for gaming, while the 7950X can show slight improvements in certain titles, most games won’t be able to take advantage of the processor’s full horsepower. Even in CPU-intensive titles, the 7950X is overkill. It’s a highly capable gaming CPU, topping benchmarks alongside all of the Ryzen 7000 processors, but its strengths lie more in working and gaming, or just working, rather than pure gaming. For that, look to the X3D options.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

The best, most powerful AMD Ryzen CPU

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amd ryzen 7 7800x3d review 4

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The best AMD processor for gaming

Pros

  • Chart-topping gaming performance
  • Great value
  • Solid multi-core and productivity performance
  • AM5 is getting cheaper

Cons

  • Weak single-core performance

Why should you buy this: It’s the best CPU for gaming, no questions asked.

Who’s it for: Gamers who want flagship gaming performance at a fair price.

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Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D:

The Ryzen 7800X3D is an eight core, Zen 4 CPU with a 5GHz clock speed, making it, on paper at least, a little slower than its Ryzen 7000 counterparts. However, this is an X3D CPU, with an additional 64MB of L3 cache stacked on top of the processor, and that extra bit adds up to make it the best processor for gaming. It easily competes with the likes of the Intel 14900K, which has three times its cores, and an extra gigahertz of clock speed to work with.

The 7800X3D manages this not just with eight cores but a fraction of the power draw, too. It does have to sacrifice for that gaming power, though. The 7800X3D’s lower clock speed makes it weaker than its non-X3D counterparts in productivity, and eight cores sees it fall well behind higher-end options with more cores for heavily multithreaded workloads.

For a best of both worlds, you could opt for the 7950X3D, which gives you eight high-clocked Zen 4 cores alongside eight Zen 4 cores with 3D V-Cache, giving you a middle ground between the 7800X3D’s gaming performance and the 7950X’s improved productivity performance. But that chip can be hundreds of dollars more expensive for not much more gaming power.

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If you want pure gaming performance, the 7800X3D offers much better value for money. If you want something for work too, the 7950X3D may be worth paying for, but consider your budget accordingly.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The best AMD processor for gaming

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The Ryzen 5 7600X sitting among thermal paste and RAM.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD Ryzen 7600

The best midrange AMD processor

Pros

  • Great gaming performance
  • Easy to cool
  • Respectable single and multithreaded capabilities
  • Bundled cooler

Why should you buy this: It’s a great value-for-money processor for PC gaming.

Who’s it for: Gamers looking to build new or upgrade their PC.

Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 5 7600:

Priced at around $190, the Ryzen 5 7600 is a great alternative to the 7800X3D if you’re on a budget. While it’s one of the cheapest processors out of AMD’s current Ryzen 7000 lineup, the 7600 is squarely targeting the mainstream. For the money, you get six cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 4.7GHz, and a boost clock of 5.3GHz — a big uplift over the last generation. This processor doesn’t have the V-Cache of its X3D counterparts, but it still comes with 38MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which helps make this chip very competitive at this price.

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The CPU uses AMD’s Zen 4 architecture, improving instructions per clock (IPC) and memory management, and when paired with a powerful graphics card, it can work wonders for gaming. It’s also decent enough for productivity if you want to do some photo or video editing when you aren’t gaming. It’s a few dollars less than the Ryzen 5 7600X, too, and offers almost identical performance, while coming with a bundled cooler.

It’s the bang-for-buck king of its generation.

AMD Ryzen 5

AMD Ryzen 7600

The best midrange AMD processor

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Retail box of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G APU on a white background.

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AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

The best Ryzen CPU with integrated graphics

Pros

  • Powerful integrated graphics for 1080p gaming
  • Bundled Wraith Stealth air cooler
  • Respectable thermals and power consumption
  • Affordably priced

Cons

  • Weaker CPU performance than 7600
  • Less cost effective when paired with dedicated GPU

Why should you buy this: It has some of the best integrated graphics performance of any desktop CPU.

Who’s it for: Casual gamers who don’t wish to invest in a dedicated graphics card.

Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G:

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If you don’t have the budget for a graphics card, or want to build the most compact gaming system possible, a powerful accelerated processing unit (APU) like the Ryzen 5 8600G is a great pick. It has more onboard GPU cores than standard Ryzen 7000 CPUs whilst maintaining most of the CPU performance — it’s not as strong as a 7600, but it’s not far off — making it an all-in-one gaming system.

It’s priced very affordably at around $200, and it comes with a Wraith Stealth cooler, too, helping cut down on cost even further. You can always add a dedicated graphics card later for greater GPU performance, too, though note that this CPU isn’t as strong a value proposition when you aren’t using its onboard GPU.

If you want more graphical and processing power, the 8700G has more cores of both and performs better, but it’s 50% more expensive, making it harder to recommend. The 8500G is slightly weaker than this one, but its price is around the same as the 8600G at the time of writing.

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

The best Ryzen CPU with integrated graphics

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Ryzen 5700X3D

AMD

AMD Ryzen 5 5700X3D

The best last-gen CPU

Pros

  • Great value for money
  • Cheaper than 5800X3D with similar performance
  • Great thermals and power consumption

Cons

  • Misses on PCIe Gen 4 and DDR5

Why should you buy this: It’s the best bang-for-buck CPU of its generation.

Who’s it for: Gamers and anyone wanting strong general performance from an AM4 CPU.

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Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D:

The AMD Ryzen 5000 generation has a lot of great processors, from the high-end 16-core 5950X, to the ultra-affordable 5600, but it’s the 5700X3D that remains the enduring CPU of its generation. It offers comparable gaming performance to the 5800X3D — the previous king — at a much more affordable price.

It lacks the cores and higher clock speeds of the 5900X and 5950X, so grab one of those if you want the ultimate multithreading performance on socket AM4, but for gaming and general use, the 5700X3D is an absolute steal at under $200. Combined with cheaper motherboards and DDR4 memory, and this processor is a killer budget gaming chip that punches well above its weight. Pair it with a strong GPU, and you won’t notice a big difference between this and the latest CPUs at higher resolutions.

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 8-Core, 16-Thread Desktop Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 5700X3D

The best last-gen CPU

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are AMD processors better than Intel?

The AMD vs. Intel rivalry will probably never have a definitive winner.

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AMD processors can compete directly with Intel on almost everything. AMD offers the better gaming performance at lower power draws, especially with its X3D CPUs. However, Intel chips tend to have more cores, so are often better at productivity workloads.

Just budget for more cooling and more power on Intel, as its top chips pull over 250W all by themselves.

Do all AMD processors come with an integrated GPU?

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No. An important factor when buying an AMD CPU is that while the newest Ryzen 7000 CPUs do have onboard GPUs, and its older APUs have very strong onboard graphics, most other AMD chips do not. That’s almost all the Ryzen 5000 and earlier processors, so make sure you have a graphics card if you’re going to use one of those chips.

What motherboard do I need with my AMD processor?

For the latest generation of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors, you need a 600-series motherboard, as those are the only generation that support socket AM5 and DDR5 memory. For Ryzen 5000 CPUs and older, you can get away with 500 series or even 400 and 300 series motherboards with a BIOS update.

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How do I choose the right CPU?

Buying a new processor is not an easy task. Instead, it requires plenty of research, preferably by reading and watching reviews of the devices you have in mind. If you know what your budget is, you’re halfway there. Our CPU buying guide explains what you need to look for.

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Google reportedly working on AI model with human-level reasoning

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Google reportedly working on AI model with human-level reasoning

Competition in artificial intelligence development is getting fiercer. OpenAI and Google are two of the leading names in the AI segment. OpenAI got off to a head start, with Google trying to catch up with Gemini and other developments. In line with this, new reports claim that Google is working on boosting the reasoning capabilities of its AI model to match ChatGPT’s o1.

Google seeks human-level AI reasoning model to compete against ChatGPT’s o1

OpenAI announced o1 this month as a new model integrated into the ChatGPT service. The model is not a successor to previous models like GPT-4 or GPT-4o, but a different approach. The o1 model is designed to offer human-like levels of reasoning, taking more time to “think” in order to deliver a more detailed output. o1 seems especially useful for complex requirements or problems related to areas like math and coding. OpenAI was working on o1 under the code name “Strawberry.”

Currently, Google does not have anything that can compete against OpenAI’s o1 AI model. However, according to Bloomberg, the Mountain View giant is already working on an advanced reasoning AI model to integrate into its services. Like OpenAI, the new model would not be the company’s next big leap. It would be more like an improvement to its existing AI models. Google does not want its Gemini AI reasoning model to lag far behind the competition.

Details about the new model are still scarce

The report reveals that Google is using a technique called chain-of-thought prompting. The company pioneered this technique, which consists of AI taking into account not only the user’s main prompt but also a set of related prompts to offer a complex response in the form of a summary. At present, there is no info on the availability or even the name of Google’s new model. Hopefully more details will emerge in the coming weeks.

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