Affinity

Eldrazi Card and Colourless Devotion

Could an eldrazi card care about devotion to colourless?

We don’t tend to print many cards with colorless costs, and when we do we use less colorless mana symbols, so affinity for colorless isn’t set up well.

Affinity Card Printing Colorless Eldrazis Mana

On Kamigawa Block's Poor Rating

I've always heard you say that Kamigawa block rated poorly in market research. I don't doubt that the numbers were down, but I wonder if that's really a statement on the block itself or if it was just Kamigawa paying for the sins of Affinity. First, Standard with Affinity was miserable and drove people away from the game. Second, those who didn't quit the game still had lower confidence in WotC due to so many overpowered Mirrodin cards needing bans. Finally, Kamigawa itself had lots of niche or just underpowered cards that couldn't hang in Standard with the rest of the Mirrodin. Any of these would have made a huge impact on the success of Kamigawa block, let alone all three. Did market research at the time account for these external factors?

Yes.

Affinity Mirrodin Power Level Standard Wizards of the Coast

Animal Colors Representation

On the topic of animal colors, why do we keep getting creatures of the night in Gruul colors? Most recently we had werewolves and raccoons show up in RG. Which one of these colors is supposed to be resonating with their affinity amongst the darkness? Red? Because it's closest to black? I feel like it's having a plant show up in Blue/White

Nocturnal animals don’t have to show up in black. Raccoons got red for their trickster nature.

Affinity Black Blue Colors Creatures Gruul (R/G) Plants Raccoons Red Werewolves White

Affinity and Creature Scaling

Re: Scales of ShaleYou mentioned creature type scaling is an issue. I was trying to say it already has Affinity, but it’s not called Affinity, and I enjoy seeing the actual keyword when it cares about non-artifacts.

We don’t always use keywords. As others have mentioned on this blog, the large number of mechanics already referenced by name makes the set feel more complex to some.

Affinity Blogatog / Tumblr Creatures Keywords Mechanics Scales of Shale

Scales to Shale's Affinity

Scales to ShaleIt would have been cool to read “Affinity for Lizards”. I enjoy seeing Affinity care about non-artifact things.

We were careful about how much typal scaling we did.

Affinity Kindred / Typal Lizards

Devotion for Artifacts

Now that we have affinity for enchantments, well auras, when can we see devotion for artifacts

Devotion specifically cares about mana symbols (in mana costs), so it’s an odd fit.

Affinity Artifacts Auras Enchantments Mana

Affinity for Devotion Concept

Is affinity for devotion something we could see one day?

Maybe as a one-of in a Modern Horizons set. Permanents with the same color devotion already want to be in the same deck, so adding affinity doesn’t add much.

Affinity Colors Modern Horizons Permanents

Color Imbalance Podcast Mention

In your podcast on Color Imbalance, you said "I have affinity for all colors". How much generic mana could you possibly cost in order to balance that? You must cost like 15 generic mana to cost 1 less for each permanent you control D:

I’m not cheap. : )

Affinity Colorless Colors Drive to Work Humor Mana

Magic and Late Father

I just wanted to share how Magic has helped me maintain a kind of connection with my late father. When I introduced him to the game, I got him the Affinity preconstructed deck from Mirrodin. I still have the deck exactly as he left it. When playing with/against that deck, it almost feels like I’m playing with him again.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Affinity Mirrodin Story / Lore

Monocolor Deck Rewards

Why do we see so few cards that reward playing specific basic land types in Standard, such as Blanchwood Armor, Armored Ascension or Flow of Ideas? These seem like a slam dunk for encouraging monocolored decks in Constructed, something that we see less and less of as dual lands are released. Take the Darksteel Affinity for Land Type golems for instance: they solve the high mana value playability issue very well while asking for a meaningful commitment.

Those effects work best in uncommon, especially if that’s all they’re focused on. At uncommon, those cards are draft traps though if the set doesn’t support monocolor play. So, they’re not something we can just drop in most sets.

Affinity Armored Ascension Blanchwood Armor Constructed Darksteel Draft Formats Dual Lands Dual Lands Flow of Ideas Golem Lands Mana Value Monocolor Standard Uncommons

Birthday Trivia Request

Hey Mark, I asked a couple times now about birthday trivia, now it's been a few days since my birthday. I'm asking to try to invoke birthday trivia again. Do you have any fun facts about Chiss-Goira, Forge Tyrant or Greasefang, Okiba Boss?

Original Mirrodin had two artifacts that referenced Chiss-Goria (Scale of Chiss-Goria and Tooth of Chiss-Goria). It wasn’t until Phyrexia: All Will Be One, twenty years later, that we finally decided to show Chiss-Goira as a creature card. We gave it affinity for artifacts and an artifact-related ability to tie it thematically to those early references.Happy Belated Birthday!

Affinity Artifacts Birthday Creatures Greasefang, Okiba Boss Mirrodin Phyrexia: All Will Be One Scale of Chiss-Goria Tooth of Chiss-Goria

Ranger vs Scout

Hey Mark. What's the difference between Ranger and Scout creature types?

Scouts are more about going ahead and getting intel on what’s upcoming. Rangers have an affinity with nature and are skilled craftspeople.

Affinity Creatures Ranger Scout

Affinity Mechanic Frequency

Affinity was one three different cards in ONE, not just one.

Maybe affinity is deciduous. It’s not as we have an official list (my article on it is probably the most definitive thing we have). It really boils down to how often we want to use it.

Affinity Deciduous Mechanics

Affinity Edibility

You said that affinity is no longer deciduous. But is it delicious?

Don’t eat the cards!

Affinity Deciduous

Affinity Category Change

You earlier said affinity was deciduous https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/707260642788327424 What led to the change to make it no longer deciduous?

Before, a one of-card had to be evergreen or deciduous. We made a one-of card, so I called it deciduous, as it wasn’t evergreen. The creation of the cameo category added a new option which is a better description of affinity.EDIT: I think we’re still trying to figure out how often we want to use affinity. Maybe it’s deciduous, maybe it’s a cameo. I’m not actually sure.

Affinity Blogatog / Tumblr Deciduous Evergreen

Affinity Status Update

Last year you said Affinity was deciduous, in ONE? Has that been retracted?

We have since created the concept of cameos, and affinity is a cameo not deciduous.

Affinity Deciduous

Deciduous or Cameo

Affinity is now deciduous? or will appear as just a cameo?

It’s not deciduous, just a cameo.EDIT: Maybe it’s deciduous. Still figuring it out.

Affinity Deciduous

Tomik's Affinity Mechanic

RE Tomik having Affinity for Planeswalkers, it also has mechanical relevance in Commander

Good point.

Affinity Commander Mechanics Planeswalkers

Tomik's Affinity Flavor

Why does the new Tomik have affinity for planeswalkers when it can only have the cost reduced by 1 at most? It seems strange to use affinity in this way instead of just saying "Tomik cost 1 less to cast if you control a Planeswalker".

It’s done for flavor.

Affinity Flavor Planeswalkers

Affinity for Counters

If or When: "Affinity for +1/+1 counters on permanents you control"

If. I’m not sure affinity can care about non-card attributes. It can care if a card has one or more counters on it, but I don’t think it can care about how many counters. Note: I’m not the Rules Manager, so take this with a grain of salt.

Affinity If/When Permanents Rules Manager