[edfletcher_t137]

"This wasn't just nostalgia talking. There seems to be something objectively more magical, more infinite-seeming and treasurable about this smaller, more limited version of Magic."

Not that I ever had the chance to play the pre-release version of the game, but the explosion of complexity has made me yearn for exactly this, a "smaller, more limited version"... so much so that I wrote https://twmtg.computerpho.be/ to try and capture it (and also, admittedly, as a bit of a joke/dig)

[jdknezek]

You might look into Mindbug[1]. It uses a few, very streamlined mechanics. It plays quickly - 3 life, 10 cards. But there is a ton of card variety, and wildly powerful cards, because the mindbug mechanic makes each game self-balancing to a degree.

I believe Garfield also gave creative input during development.

[1]: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345584/mindbug-first-con...