I'm excited for Unstable. You've given me the impression it's been done for a while. Is there any design technology that's been discovered since it's completion that you would have liked to use? As you say you can use it to fuel Un4.
Yes, there are things we’ve done since the design was finished (many years ago) that I would do in a fourth Un-set in a heartbeat.
He’s probably been working on un 4 for 2 Year’s already!
"I can’t speak specifically to Dominaria but we are trying to do less of those overall." That's good. Does this also mean that the relatively lighthearted planes (Kaladesh, Ravnica, Lorwyn when it's not Shadowmoor) will remain that way rather than being taken over by unspeakable evil?
There will usually be conflict of some kind but not necessarily the kind that fundamentally changes the nature of the world.
Bring on the "speakable evils"
it's world x, where the main problem is jaywalking.
Will you ever do another white card with haste?
I would say it’s possible but I wouldn’t wait for it.
Not very hasty then is it?
The podcast still has me confused. Alison Luhrs' exact words (that can be read in the transcript) were "Ixalan is one continent on a larger world. This story focuses on the actual continent itself of Ixalan." She later mentions the continent Torrezon where the Vampires originate from. So the plane is called Ixalan, but the continent where the set's story takes place is also called Ixalan?
Both the continent *and* the plane are named Ixalan.
I double-checked with Allison.
Is Jace in charge of naming things?
"Jace where have you been?"
"Ixalan"
"This that a plane or the name of a region"
"I don't remember?"
Could you reprint alpha with a different back?
In theory. I’m not sure we would in practice.
Don't do it for practice... do it for real!
I have a thousand followers now…
In the LOTR *films* there are only about a thousand (at the most) Rohan warriors and Lothlorien elves holding off the uruk-hai at Helm’s deep
So theoretically
ya’ll are great
Now I have 2000 followers!!!!!
In the Lotr *films* Aragorn tells King Theoden that Eomer has “2000 good men riding North as we speak.” When all seems lost at the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Gandalf will arrive with these 2000 men to beat the Uruk-Hai back.
So theoretically
ya’ll are great
To battle!!!
I have over 11,000 followers, most of which are huge fantasy nerds with dreams of fighting in a battle like Helm’s Deep.
So theoretically
I have enough followers to not only survive the army of Uruk-Hai, but drive them back long before Gandalf were to arrive with reinforcements.
Dude you have enough followers to TAKE helms deep
I feel like 60/40 New/Old would be fine.
If we used sales data as the determiner of popularity, it might be 60/40 Old/New.
That makes sense though. Just because 60% players want the new thing, not 100% of those will like it (and buy it) While only 40% may want a return, the odds are that more who didn't want it will still like it just because it's familar... this is way sequels are always a safe bet.
Is there a conscious effort in R&D to make green the best tutor color? Every competitive tutor printed recently is in green Traverse the Ulvenwald, Birthing Pod, Collected Company, Green Suns Zenith, Chord of Calling just curious as an old timey magic player I think of black as the tutor color.
Green is the best creature tutoring color.
Creatures are 80% of the game, ipsa facto green is one of the best colours for tutoring!
he’s not ugly he’s handsome
distinguished
rugged
This motherfucker survives a lightning strike and you have the gull to call them ugly?? If mother nature cant kill them what chance do you have when this mofo comes after you?!
Reblog Lightning Bison for protection from lightning.
Dies to doom blade?
Hey Maro! I trust you and the watsy devs implicitly, and while I'm sure that the Vanilla Mythic will undoubtedly be interesting as-is, I am concerned that you guys might be developing cards in the set that specifically bolster the Vanilla Mythic by name. I really don't want this to be the case (nor do I think it is)! Please assuage my fears and tell me that the Vanilla Mythic stands out on its own merit alone and not only in the context of other cards in the set!
It stands out on its own merits.
That’s not to say it can’t also combo with other cards. : )
I think he means fling
Why are there so few Sphinxes in Amonkhet? Seems like a flavor miss.
Actual Egypt only has one Sphinx. : )
There might be more Sphinx in Hour of Devastation.
Which set sphinx more?
Confirmed here Hour of Devestation is the sphinxest set ever!
On the topic of the reversion to once per year/24 months rotation, does it concern you that the spring block (SOI/AKH) will feel significantly less important? Spending a whole six months less than BFZ/KLD in Standard, as well as not being without its forebearing block in Standard, makes it feel like they are less relevant. Not sure if this is just me, but going back to twice a year/18 month rotation makes things far more even.
That is how Magic has worked for all but one year of its twenty-four year life. (Okay, rotations didn’t technically start until two years in - so twenty-two years.)
But wait. Was that when the sets for the year where 1 core set, and a block with a big set and 2 small sets where there was a real problem with the 3rd set not being as well received?
You haven't solved the problem just shifted it around
Not that this would ever happen, but if the Tribal card type was still supported, would the rules support Arlinn Kord being a "Tribal Planeswalker - Werewolf Arlinn"?
We’ve chosen to have planeswalkers transcend their type (Karn isn’t an artifact) and subtype (Ajani isn’t a Cat).
This isn't even technically correct, so far all PW that act as a creature care about there class and race I.e. Gideon is a Human Solider and Sarkhan is a big ass red dragon.
I think Viking should not be a type. Vikings are a specific real-world people/culture and would feel very odd being thrown directly into Magic. Theros didn't have the typeline 'Greek Warrior', Kaladesh didn't have 'Indian Artificer'. If the card is a berserker, just say 'Human Berserker' and make them a part of the in-game equivalent of Vikings via the card name or art or watermark or whatever.
How is that any different than Samurai or Ninja?
But aren't Samurai and Ninja mistakes in hindsight?
There are 15 Gods in Magic, with at least 5 more on the horizon (presumably). Yet, there is only ONE (1) mole! Does this mean that Gods are canonically more common creatures in the multiverse than moles?
Magic cards are not trying to be representative of the inhabitants of a world but rather focus on its highlights.
So, is Magic hinting that Gods are more important to most worlds than Moles? Yes, yes it is. : )
Let's not make a mountain out of this...
Does skin count as clothing?
No, because it isn’t.
Say it with me no clothing is not clothing ;)
Have you thought about colorless functionally being an evergreen "sixth color" and taking a space on the color pie?
Ooh I haven’t got to say this for a while.
Colorless is not a color.
Barefoot is not a kind of shoe.
Naked is not a style of clothing.
Homeless is not a type of house.
Fasting is not a form of dinner.
Unemployed is not a category of job.
The lack of something is different than another kind of something.
I'm sorry but I disagree, barefoot is the only form of footwear allowed in a Japanese house, naked is the only dress code allowed at a nude beach. Colourless is the only type of mana allowed to cost kozilik.
If you define "none" as an acceptable value of a thing, and then care about it the. It is a type of that thing for relevant decision making situations.
Is not playing a land, not attacking and not casting spells a turn? Yes
Thank you so much for satisfying the desires of some to make 4 color EDH deck while simultaneously satisfying people who like 2-3 color decks with the Partner mechanic. You've talked for year bout how difficult 4 color design space is and I think you knocked it out of the park!
Let me say thank you on behalf of the design and development teams. As I stressed in my preview column, I thought Partner was a brilliant solution to the design problem.
Does partner have a lot of design space and could it become a regular part of commander? Could we see DFCs with partner and meld?
Maro! Please make the bear lord legendary. Also, more bears. We need more Bear Force One fuel in edh!
We tend to make lords non-legendary so players can have multiple on the battlefield at once.
I believe the answer then is please make a bear legend that summons bear lords which you also make. Please also make more utility bears, scaling bears and powerful bears. Please also make arms for bears so we can equip our bears that are being powered up by our bear lords.
Thank you
Does Kaladesh having Indian flavor prevent us from getting an Indian culture themed set?
The existence of Kaladesh isn’t the important factor.
Top down designs use flavor as the glue that holds the structure of the design together. If you peel back the theme of a top down design, the mechanics don’t seem connected (whereas with a bottom up design they do).
What that means is a source can only work well top down if a majority of the audience is familiar with it. It has to have enough resonance that it serves as a means to help players understand how and why things are connected.
Is enough of our audience well versed in Indian culture that it can be the glue that makes all the mechanical pieces make sense? Right now, with our current audience mix, I believe the answer is no.
That doesn’t mean other worlds can have Indian influences, but I am skeptical a top down design would work.
I thought that we’d moved to a more integrated model, which found a way to bring top down elements into a bottom up framework. There are a number of places in the set that come oh so close to being able to integrate and introduce indian concepts that its a shame the two hooks never joined together. The 0/4 dromedary, which for once could have legitimately been an ox. Gremlins as destructive monkeys. Gadas and Talwars instead of hammers and swords. Vultures and Crows instead of Rocs. Nagas instead of hydras. Rename the demons Asuras or Rakshasas.
None of these are religious or divine suggestions, but they’re all small touches that could have helped act as a trojan (or is it akroan) horse to help bring the culture to the masses.
I agree, I think Maros description of top down design is a flawed one. A good top down design should be able to a link a culture and flavour that is not a immediately familiar to an audience by connecting it mechanically to concept they are familiar with resonance can be created with the mechanics and the history of magic as well as with the culture trappings the audience is familiar with.
Let's look at theros your level of familiarity with Greek mythology may improve your appreciation of the flavour, but it is the linking of gods to devotion that makes devotion far superior to chroma as a mechanic.
Devotion does require you to know Greek mythology just the broader concept of religion.
There is no culture on earth that is alien to the human condition that commonalities can't be emphasized.
It bothers my that wotc think "eldritch otherworldly horror" is somehow easier to translate then "south Asian"
