Rihanna's Wiccan Dance When it comes to music and fashion, Rihanna is no stranger to breaking boundaries and pushing the envelope. In recent years, she has also been open about her spiritual beliefs and practices, including her interest in Wicca - a contemporary pagan religious movement. Rihanna's fascination with Wicca has led to her incorporating elements of this nature-based spirituality into her performances and personal style. Wicca is a spiritual practice that honors nature and the cycles of life. It emphasizes the worship of a goddess and a god, and practitioners often celebrate the changing seasons and phases of the moon. Rihanna has expressed her admiration for Wiccan principles, such as the worship of a divine feminine power and the importance of personal empowerment and self-expression.
"We've spoken with several players, collectors, distributors and local games stores and have become aware of growing frustration. The primary concern is that Hasbro has been overproducing Magic cards which has propped up Hasbro's recent [earnings] results but is destroying the long-term value of the brand," Bank of America analyst Jason Haas wrote in November.
The oversupply of Magic cards means card prices are falling, game stores are losing money, collectors are liquidating, and large retailers are cutting orders, Bank of America explained. Wizards of the Coast actually had the highest operating profit of all of the Hasbro brands, and obviously, because of the continued growth, the stock was flying high.
Rihanna has expressed her admiration for Wiccan principles, such as the worship of a divine feminine power and the importance of personal empowerment and self-expression. One of the ways in which Rihanna has incorporated her interest in Wicca into her music and performances is through her dance routines. She often includes symbolic movements and gestures that are inspired by Wiccan rituals and traditions.
Bank of America report on Hasbro sparks fears about Magic: The Gathering’s long-term future
Player concerns become the center of widespread conversation.
Image via Christopher Rush/Wizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast’s parent company Hasbro came under the microscope this week when a Bank of America analysis report dropped on CNBC outlining concerns with the company’s stock in the future with a particular focus on how several issues within Magic: The Gathering could lead to the degradation of the brand.
Analyst Jason Haas went into how Hasbro is “killing its golden goose.”
This is being done by the rapidly increased production of Magic products hurting the long-term value of the brand as a whole.
While Hasbro has touted its astronomical successes, spearheaded by Wizards of the Coast, its stock was downgraded by Haas to “underperform” for the future. Haas adds in the report that other decisions that contribute to the larger problem are the Magic 30th Anniversary Edition proxy cards unnerving collectors and product fatigue.
This is creating an environment where it could be players will be pushed hard enough that the brand will be damaged as a result, weakening the viability of investing.
The report sparked a conversation that rippled throughout the Magic community and renewed discussion on longstanding concerns about the current product output by Wizards of the Coast. While the report isn’t necessarily from the point of view of players but financial analysts with an eye on Hasbro as an investment vehicle, many of the topics outlined are typical issues cited in online discussions surrounding Magic.
Compared to other trading card games on the market, Magic has a busy release schedule filled with somewhat essential products that are relevant to various products. This is often cited as fans being tired of perpetual preview season. With the rapid-fire release schedule, there’s generally always another preview around the corner.
This year Magic has released 11 standalone tabletop products with only three not being full draftable booster sets.
Those are the Commnader Collection: Black, Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40K Commander decks, and Jumpstart 2022, a sealed product meant to be a self-contained play experience.
The full booster sets released this year are:
- Innistrad: Double Feature
- Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
- Streets of New Capenna
- Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate
- Double Masters 2022
- Dominaria United
- Unfinity
- The Brothers’ War
This list does not include the Secret Lair drops and Arena releases that consistently happen throughout the year. It’s been a steady hike since the current Magic boom that could be marked with the release of Dominaria in 2018. Since then, the Wizards of the Coast has been at the forefront of Hasbro’s financial calls, bringing in over a billion dollars of revenue between both Magic and Dungeons and Dragons.
The report also comes off the back of a conversation started by game designer Aaron Forsythe asking why Standard has basically died at the local game store level. Since the release of Magic Arena, Standard has been on a steady decline as a tabletop format and largely exists through digital play on Arena and to a lesser extent Magic Online.
Many fans blamed a variety of reasons why Standard is on the downswing on the tabletop. Some players credit the exorbitant price of Standard decks, which regularly sit around $300 to $400.
According to the Standard metagame page on MTGGoldfish, of the top five lists in the most recent Standard Magic Online league, only two decks are under $300, if they were purchased in paper. Standard decks being expensive is an issue because set rotation renders the deck inevitably obsolete and Magic Arena has made it easy to play for free or with little cost.
The expense of buying into other eternal formats is a notable concern with a focus on Modern, where decks regularly blow past the $1000 mark powered by infrequently reprinted cards and the newer powerhouses printed in Modern Horizons 2. However, eternal formats like Pioneer, Modern, and Legacy will never rotate and the metagames shift significantly slower compared to Standard.
Players that buy into these MTG formats are much more likely to have a deck that’s viable for years with only a few upgrades being necessary every few months.
While this has been an issue for the entire lifetime of Standard, the cost of Magic, in general, has gone up as Daniel Crabtree points out when replying to Forsythe. That cost increase combined with the pandemic hurting local game stores were common replies to why Standard has fallen out of favor.
With the report, many of the issues surrounding Magic have entered the conversation again and brought the community together to talk about what could be fixed.
Wizards of the Coast will likely not change anything in 2023 with its release calendar already established with more Universes Beyond, Secret Lair, and Standard Expansions coming down the pipeline.
About the author Xavier JohnsonMy name is Xavier Johnson and I'm a freelance writer who covers Magic: The Gathering. I love control decks and my favorite card is Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.
Magic the Gathering has done a lot of crossover sets this year, and even one with Warhammer 40k. However, it should come as no surprise that it would be beneficial for those people actually to stick around for more than just that one release.
This can be seen in her music videos like "Umbrella" and "Where Have You Been," where she incorporates fluid and hypnotic dance moves that echo the spiritual symbolism found in Wiccan practices. Rihanna's personal style also reflects her fascination with Wicca. She has been known to wear jewelry and accessories that feature symbols commonly associated with Wiccan beliefs, such as pentagrams and moon phases. Additionally, she has often been seen embracing earthy and natural aesthetics in her fashion choices, incorporating elements like feathers, crystals, and nature-inspired patterns. It is important to note that Rihanna's interest in Wicca does not necessarily mean she is a practicing Wiccan or adheres strictly to its rituals and beliefs. Rather, she is drawn to the spirituality and symbolism it offers, incorporating these aspects into her artistry and personal expression. In conclusion, Rihanna's interest in Wicca adds another layer to her multifaceted career and persona. Through her dance routines and fashion choices, she seamlessly merges elements of Wiccan symbolism and spirituality into her artistic expression. This openness to exploring various spiritual practices further showcases her creative and boundary-pushing nature..
Reviews for "The Magick of Movement: Rihanna's Wiccan Dancer's Guide to Self-Expression"
1. Emily - 2 stars
I was really excited to see "Rihanns wiccan dansr" because I had heard so many great things about it. However, I was quite disappointed with the performance. The choreography was messy and lacked coherence. The dancers seemed unprepared and their movements were sloppy. The overall production value was also quite low, with minimal set design and lackluster costumes. I expected so much more from Rihanna, but unfortunately, this performance fell short of my expectations.
2. John - 1 star
"Rihanns wiccan dansr" was a complete waste of time and money. The entire show lacked any artistic depth or creativity. The choreography was repetitive and uninspiring. It felt like I was watching a high school dance recital rather than a professional production. The costumes were tacky and didn't enhance the dancers' performances at all. I left the show feeling completely underwhelmed and frustrated that I had wasted my evening on such a subpar performance.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "Rihanns wiccan dansr" as I am a fan of both Rihanna and contemporary dance. However, this show failed to captivate me. The choreography lacked innovation and failed to elicit any emotional response from the audience. The dancers lacked synchronicity, which was quite distracting. Additionally, the music choices didn't enhance the performance and felt disconnected from the theme. Overall, "Rihanns wiccan dansr" was a mediocre and forgettable experience for me.