Possible new non-rotating format on MTGA
MTGA is a wonderful electronic platform to play Magic the Gathering. Maybe the card base for new non-rotating format can take full advantage of its elctronic characteristic.
In paper magic, usually card sets posterior to some time are used as a whole to construct a card base for a particular format. The larger the card base, the stronger the deck strength is, which makes hundreds of thousands of cards unplayable for these formats. I know many MTG cards are designed for limited only. However, in standard format, some of them can still be used to create playable decks because the strength of standard is relatively low. It is quite a pity, that after rotation, for any existing non-rotating format, a very high percentage of card collection in MTGA is forced to lie there collecting dust for ever. Of course, you can still play them as you wish, but you're sure to be crushed by the few mainstream strong cards, which actually makes non-rotating an empty promise.
Since MTGA is an electronical platform, maybe the construction of card base can be very different from traditional paper magic. Let's take Ixalan as the start point, any cards after it can be used in this new non-rotating format. But the card base is not simply constructed as usual by the summation of all sets after it. Here, a concept of meta-set need to be introduced. A meta-set is basically a collection of four sets between any two rotations. For example, ELD, THB, IKO and M21 form a meta-set. From XLN to M19, we have meta-set 1. From GRN to M20, we have meta-set 2. Form ELD to M21, we have meta-set 3. From ZNR to AFR, we have meta-set 4. And from MID, we have an incomplete meta-set 5, which will be expanded as new sets release. In this new non-rotating format, when building your deck, you first have to choose 2 meta-sets from all existing meta-sets. Only cards from the chosen 2 meta-sets can be used to build your deck. However, different players have different choices. So your deck may compete against decks built from other different 2 meta-sets. As a result, the card base for this format is not simply a whole bunch of sets. Rather, it is constructed by 10 sub card bases, namely meta-set 1&2, 1&3, 1&4, 1&5, 2&3, 2&4, 2&5, 3&4, 3&5, and 4&5. With each rotation, a new meta-set is added, and the card base is not expanded by just a few cards. However, the sub card bases are expanded by the number of existing meta-sets, because the new meta-set can be chosen along side each of existing ones. The change and shake of the format with each rotation can be quite unpredictable. Sure, some of the decks may still be really strong. But since the total strength of this format is close to standard, which is relatively low , many more unplayable cards in nowadays non-rotating format may have some chances. Actually, decks built from any two adjacent meta-sets are those that shine in past standard forms. So we have non-rotating format with quite a shake up with each new ratation.
Since MTGA is an electronical platform, all the complicated built-up of the format card base can be solved automaticly. You choose between 8 sets (from two meta-sets), you build your deck, and you compete. The validation of each deck should be relatively easy to guarantee during deck building session, since the function to filter between sets is already successfully implemented on MTGA. It might not be that much difficult to be adapted to help build validate decks for this proposed new format.
Anyway, it's just a possible suggestion for new electronic non-rotating format.