My understanding is people's reaction to all the modern day stuff ranged from indifference to annoyance, and that the story was often treated as window-dressing
For example, if a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into its owner's hand from the battlefield, it does so normally
Five overperformers in the Amber-Amethyst Starter Deck Maximus, Relentless Pursuer Friends on the Other Side The Wardrobe, Belles Confidant Rafiki, Mysterious Sage Hades, Lord of the Underworld Five overperformers in the Emerald-Ruby Starter Deck Pongo, Ol Rascal Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Pilot Dragon Fire Mad Hatter, Gracious Host Stitch, Abomination Five overperformers in the Steel-Sapphire Starter Deck Grab Your Sword Maleficent, Uninvited Mickey Mouse, Detective One Jump Ahead Hercules, True Hero The reason why I liked evasion and bodyguard so much is that these abilities deny the opponent the opportunity to make favorable challenges
(This matters for combat and is explained in the next section.) A battles protector isnt (normally) the same as its controller
Noise Marine One of the earliest cards previewed from these decks, Noise Marine was the first sign that I was going to have to pay attention to this release
