Ally

Color Scheme in Storytelling

Would it be beneficial for Magic's Story having protagonists just in Ally colors and antagonists just in Enemy colors?

I don’t believe so.

Ally Colors Story / Lore

Possible Meld Cards and Allies

Hi Mark, can I have a maybe on more meld cards, which are not restrictive to two cards but one card can be melded with more than one to increase playability of the mechanic!?!?! And can I have a maybe on more allies even in a supplemental set?!?

Maybe. : )And, maybe. : )

Ally Humor Mechanics Meld

Color Imbalance in Faction Sets

following up on the question about color imbalanced faction sets, what about faction sets that mix ally and enemy color pairs? is that a ravnica only thing, or could we see it on other worlds? might we ever see a three-color set that uses this approach?

It could happen with the right world.

Ally Colors Factions

Planning for Ally Kindred

Any plans for the Ally Kindred?

Not a lot of plans for Kindred as a whole.

Ally Kindred / Typal

Mastering Color Conflicts and Alliances

When recalling which color are allies and enemies of which, do you instinctively know their relationships or do you mentally recreate the color pie?

I know all the conflicts and alliances by heart.

Ally Color Pie Colors

Tricolor Card Costing Pattern

If two-mana three-color cards became a regular occurrence, would they be more likely to cost both hybrids with their central color, or their central color plus either of their allies/enemies? E.g. for Bant: blue/white + green/white vs. white + green/blue

One locked color with a hybrid mana of two other colors is easier to design than two different hybrid cards with an overlapping color.

Ally Bant Bant (W/U/G) Blue Colors Hybrid Mana Selesnya (G/W) Simic (G/U) White

Allies Return Possibility

Hey Mark, I really like Allies, especially those from the first and second Zendikar blocks. Is there any possibility that we will see any more like these on Zendikar or other planes in the future?

I think Allies, as a typal component, will return one day.

Ally Kindred / Typal Planes Zendikar

Trivia: Fblthp Character Creation

May 1st will mark the beginning of my 42nd trip around the sun. Now that I am 41, I would like to invoke birthday trivia on the boy I call my son, Fblthp.

Fblthp was a happy accident. Here’s the art description for Totally Lost from Gatecrash:Color: Blue spell (unguilded) Location: Streets of Ravnica Action: A little Homonculus is lost amidst a sea of feet on a busy Ravnican street. Focus: The lost homunculus. Mood: Poor little guy. His flavor text would give him a name (Homunculus don’t have vowels in their name). The audience began memes with him almost immediately. Seeing his popularity, we’ve put him in other art, made cards for him, made plushies out of him, and just embraced the joy that is Fblthp.Happy Birthday!

Art Birthday Blue Flavor Text Gatecrash Homunculus Totally Lost

Color Pie Configuration

Could Magic have feasibly been designed from the start with a color pie of WGBUR instead of WUBRG?

Richard built in on core conflicts, so I think things like blue and red and white and red being allies rather than enemies would have issues.

Ally Blue Color Pie Red White

Five Color Faction Feasibility

Could it be possible to see a five color pair faction set with a mix of ally and enemy pairs, or do player expectations (or something else) force them to always be either all ally or all enemy? Ravnica sets don't count since they eventually cover all ten.

It is possible, but would have some issues to deal with.

Ally Colors Factions

Color Pair Listing

Hey Mark,I'm curious as to why, when listed out, the allied color pairs are "linked" as in they share a color with the previous color pair, but the enemy pairs are not. For example, the existing listing order is:WB/UR/BG/RW/GUBut it makes more sense (to me) to list them like:WB/BG/GU/UR/RWSince that mirrors how the allied pairs are listed.

Each is listed in WUBRG order followed by the color that comes after it as we list the color pairs. For ally, that’s consecutive, but for enemy it’s not. It is a consistent method, and it matches how we do collector number.

Ally Boros (R/W) Colors Golgari (B/G) Izzet (U/R) Orzhov (W/B) Simic (G/U)

Card Reprint Frequency

I just want to say that I don't mind the high amount of products released each year.My main gripe is the fact that cards don't get reprinted often. The evoke elementals from MH2 were released over 2 years ago and have yet to recieve any reprint.The ally fetchlands are in desperate need of a reprint.These cards see use in a similar degree as Sol Ring in Commander, but don't get the dame reprint treatment.

We work two years ahead, so it takes time for us to reprint recently printed things.

Ally Card Printing Commander Elemental Evoke Modern Horizons 2 Reprints Sol Ring

Grammar Correction

I'm about to be really pedantic, but in the fifth paragraph of your Lessons Learned under Crimson Vow, I think the word should be cachet and not cache: "While Spirits helped us fill out our ally creature type theme, they didn't have quite as much cache as the other three monster creature types, and Humans show up in most sets, so focusing on them didn't seem right."

You are correct.

Ally Creatures Human Spirit

Mixed Factions Challenge

Why is doing a mix of ally and enemy in one set an issue?

Three big reasons: (the first two are the bigger ones)1) Cycles would be very hard to complete. 2) The aesthetics would feel off.3) It’s harder to communicate.

Ally Cycles Factions Factions

Color Pairing Likelihood

Since I guess this is today's theme, here's a question. Without filling out the full cycles, what is more likely: a two color set that has a mix of ally and enemy color pairings, or a three color set that's a mix of wedges and arcs?

Neither is super likely, but two-color is more likely than three-color.

Ally Colors Cycles Three Color Two Color

Faction Color Pairs Set

If/when: a set with five factions of color pairs where they weren't all enemy or ally (e.g. WU, UR, RG, GB, BW)

If. It’s tough to do if we aren’t doing the remaining pairs.

Ally Azorius (W/U) Colors Factions Gruul (R/G) If/When Izzet (U/R)

Faction Color Distribution

How would design go about deciding color distribution in a two-color faction set that doesn't use the common groupings? For example, not doing all ally pairs or all enemy pairs.

The only place we’ve done it is Ravnica where we do all ten over multiple sets, and each set does its pairings.

Ally Colors Factions

Land Cycle Completion

Sorry if this has been asked, but are there plans to finish the MH1 horizon/canopy land cycle with the ally colors?

I think eventually.

Ally Colors Lands Modern Horizons

Allies Return Potential

Is there any chance that the typal theme ALLIES will be coming back in future sets?

There is a chance.

Ally Kindred / Typal

Faction Color Pairs

In a set with 5 two-color factions, is it usually better to do all enemy pairs, all allied pairs, or a mix?

Unless it’s paired with a second set doing the remaining five (a la Ravnica), we restrict ourselves to ally or enemy.

Ally Colors Factions