Is this an "unclear" question?

Question

Full written card lists for sets MTG

I think this falls under unclear question. On the surface, it's perfectly clear what OP is asking for, but looking at the guide at

https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask

I believe that the question does not fulfill several of the requirements. It doesn't appear to have been researched, it is not specific in that there is no context what OP wants to do with that list, and it is unlikely to be relevant for future visitors because while an answerer could give a relevant google search term, a quick survey only seems to contain text lists with mana costs, card text, and everything else OP excluded.

Answer 1

You left this comment on the question:

You should describe your actual problem, not part of how you want to solve it. [...]

I would reword this slightly, because I appreciate seeing the author's attempted progress through a larger problem:

Describe your actual problem in addition to the current problem you are trying to solve. [...]

This type of problem is referred to as an XY Problem. Not all XY problems are bad. The primary frustration with them is that the solution the author asked for may not be the solution they really need. In my opinion, this question is clear and unambiguous, and I doubt the author could give anyone a hard time for answering it as currently stated.

You listed some specific concerns with the question that I think are legitimate but don't necessarily warrant a close vote:

• "The question does not appear to have been researched."
  • Lack of research effort, especially when the author could reasonably be expected to know what to look for, is a good reason to downvote a question. It is not a good reason to close a question. Two specific sites have "General Reference" as a close reason, but a) this is not a general reference question and b) we are not one of those sites.
• "The question is not specific in that there is no context what OP wants to do with that list."
  • The question itself is quite clear. The author's motivation for asking is unclear. Leave a comment encouraging the author to describe the broader problem (you already did this).
• "The question is unlikely to be relevant for future visitors because while an answerer could give a relevant google search term, a quick survey only seems to contain text lists with mana costs, card text, and everything else OP excluded."
  • It is the answerer's responsibility, as well as the editing community's responsibility, to future-proof an answer. When someone asks a question for which no answer could reasonably be expected to be future proof, then we can complain about the question.