Batterskull

Equipment Strength

Hi Mark, Wondering why equipment and Auras(but mostly equipment) has been so powered down since New Phyrexia. I understand Caw Blade and such but it seems there is a level between the sword cycle/batterskull and the level equipment is currently at. Thanks and WAR looks like it will totally shake up standard. High Fives all around!

It’s hard to push non-niche cards with generic mana costs. Our willingness to make colored artifacts will allow us to make stronger equipment.

Artifacts Auras Batterskull Colorless Equipment High Fives Mana New Phyrexia Standard

Artifact vs Three-Color Sets

There are way more artifact sets (even a silver-bordered one!) than three-color-themed sets. It also seems like artifact sets have a tendency to break Standard (original Mirrodin, Swords and Batterskull in Scars block, the Kaladesh bannings). Can three-color sets get more chances in the future?

Three-color sets have a lot of constraints on them (design space, mana requirements, environmental impact, etc.) and thus can only be done so often.

Artifacts Bannings Batterskull Colors Design Space Format Legality Kaladesh Mana Mirrodin Standard

Stoneforge Mystic in Modern

Will we ever see stoneforge mystic in modern? The oft quoted reason is because it suppresses aggro, but aggro doesn't seem to be having too much of a problem and swords/batterskull seem tame compared to turn two thought-knot seer, turn 3 reality smasher.

As a general rule of thumb, if a card is powerful enough to be banned in Modern, it’s probably too powerful to be reprinted in Standard.

Bannings Batterskull Card Printing Format Legality Format Legality Modern Mystic Reality Smasher Reprints Rules Standard Stoneforge Mystic Thought-Knot Seer

Squadron Hawk Retrospective

Aaron Forsythe recently counted Squadron Hawk as a mistake along with other stuff like Urza Block free cards, Batterskull, JTMS, etc. Was Squadron Hawk really that bad or was it its interactions with other broken cards that did it? Would another card (creature or otherwise) ever get printed with Squawk's ability in the future?

Usually when Aaron talks about things being a mistake what he means is with hindsight we wouldn’t have made the card. I believe that had we known what we know now about Squadron Hawks we wouldn’t have printed them as we did. This doesn’t mean the mechanic is inherently broken. It just means it costs a little more than we realized. So yes, you could see another card like it more appropriately costed.

Aaron Forsythe Batterskull Card Printing Creatures Mechanics Squadron Hawk Urza

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