Baron Sengir

Insights on Baron Sengir

I am evoking the rite of birthday trivia and asking about Baron Sengir, the head vampire in charge

A lot of Homelands design was based on creative components that were popular in Alpha. The whole Sengir clan owes its existence to how popular Senior Vampire was in the early days of the game. Happy Birthday!

Baron Sengir Birthday Vampire

Character Storylines

Does the opening of Omenpaths mean that popular characters from unpopular planes, like Baron Sengir, could make more storyline appearances?

It does open that possibility.

Baron Sengir Omenpaths Planes

Returning Baron Sengir

When's Baron Sengir coming back?

He just came back in Commander Legends.

Baron Sengir Blogatog / Tumblr Commander Legends Legendary Creatures

Partnering Up of Villains

I think that Baron Sengir having partner is a big flavor fail and it's disappointing for everyone who wanted to play an iconic villain. I hope we won't get other villains with partner, especially the old phyrexians.

Villains do partner up, you know.

Baron Sengir Flavor Partner Phyrexian

Urza's Saga vs Homelands

"Hands down Urza’s Saga. Fixing power level is way easy then fixing something being boring." But power level kind of was Homelands' problem. People liked the setting, even card concepts (weird sea-dwarves, and blue minotaurs with didgeridoos and all), but the power of almost every specific card was underwhelming.

The setting was not particularly liked, it lacks creative cohesion (other than “things popular in Alpha”) and mechanically was the worst designed set in the history of Magic. It doesn’t have much going for it other than a cool-looking Baron Sengir.

Baron Sengir Blue Minotaur Power Level Sagas Urza's Saga Urza's Saga

Baron Sengir's Colors

Can You tell us Baron Sengir colours? Will he be mono black? Rakdos? Mardu? ❣️

I honestly don’t know. I didn’t work on that set. I’m pretty sure at least black.

Baron Sengir Black Colors Mardu (R/W/B) Rakdos (B/R)

Dracula Vampires Trope

I thought our Dracula was Baron Sengir, not Olvia Voldaren? Or are they both?

Olivia’s playtest name was Count Dracula. That card was us doing the leader of the Vampires trope.

Baron Sengir Playtesting Vampire

Baron Sengir Return

New Baron Sengir creature, if or when?

If.

Baron Sengir Creatures If/When

Marit Lage or Baron Sengir

Marit Lage or Baron Sengir?

Marit Lage.

Baron Sengir

Classic Cards Relevance

What's the reason to keep printing cards like Serra Angel or Sengir Vampire when they don't have very much to do with current storylines?

Serra Angels and Sengir Vampires still exist in the multiverse even if their creators (Serra and Baron Sengir, respectively) aren’t actively part of the story.

Angel Baron Sengir Card Printing Sengir Vampire Serra Angel Story / Lore Vampire

Legend Selection Process

What where the other choices (characters) for the various new legend spots? If you don't mind answering...was a new version of certain Ulgrothian residents considered for a spot in the monoblack deck? Such as a new version of Baron Sengir, and Ravi as her planeswalker self (but still insane post-Apocalypse Charm black-magic using cackling witch.)

Once again, the planeswalkers were created bottoms up. The team made cool planeswalker commanders mechanically and then after thy were done they looked for characters that matched the design. In contrast, the legendary cycle was designed top down with the design team starting with the characters they wanted.

Apocalypse Baron Sengir Black Bottom Up Cackling Witch Planeswalkers Top Down

Jaya's Flavor Text

I think it would be nice if Jaya Ballard could get another witty flavor text one day like Baron Sengir has on Elixir of Immortality. Her quotes are some of the best.

From a flavor text standpoint, we write Chandra much in the same vein that we wrote Jaya back in the day.

Baron Sengir Elixir of Immortality Flavor Jaya Ballard

Counters Interactions

How do you rectify the fact that two +½/+½ counters nullify a -1/-1 counter, but a +2/+2 counter (a la Baron Sengir) doesn't nullify two -1/-1 counters?

I’ll make it so it does in silver-bordered world. It’s good to be king. : )

Baron Sengir Nullify

Returning to Ulgrotha

Mark, I hope you're not tired of answering these questions yet. Would returning to Ulgrotha be all that bad? It's been over 15 years since Homelands, and given Magic's recent growth, most players don't remember it. And on the positive side, Innistrad showed how popular gothic horror can be. Ulgrotha hits those same notes while adding its own flair with popular but underrepresented tribes like dwarves and minotaurs. Plus you got Baron Sengir, werewolves, paladins, and seamonsters. Seems ideal!

If we’re going to do gothic horror again, I’m pretty sure we’re revisiting Innistrad rather than Ulgothra.

Baron Sengir Dwarf Homelands Horror Innistrad Minotaur

Ageless Characters

Regarding characters that are thousands of years old, does the fact that Baron Sengir was quoted on a not-so-long-ago core set card mean that he has survived for thousands of years, perhaps even escaped to another Plane?

Vampires live to be a thousand + years old. That is not true of most other types of characters.

Baron Sengir Vampire

Counter Variety

What is your opinion on P/T altering counters other than +1/+1 and -1/-1? In other words, even if the reserved list was done with today, what were the odds of Baron Sengir actually getting reprinted?

Maro Magic 8-Ball says: “Very low.”

Baron Sengir Card Printing Mark Rosewater Reprints The Reserved List

Return To Homelands

When is Return to Homelands coming, you know you want it. Baron Sengir would make a far better planeswalker than that prissy Sorin Markov. We need some REAL heat back on the fied! Yeah!

I think we’re more likely to return to sets that players liked.

Baron Sengir Homelands Planeswalkers Sorin Markov