on LRR's new episode of TTP Wheeler and Kathleen agree that "magic needs more pod racing", thoughts?

I get out my Birthing Pod, and you get out your Birthing Pod, and we see who can win first? : )

We’ve now gotten birthing pod variants in white and blue, in addition to the original in green. May I request, if ever a “red birthing pod” is made, it search for planeswalkers?

Searching for planeswalkers is white, not red.

I just wanted to say thank you to all responsible for printing Prime Speaker Vannifar, as I think it's a very elegant way to breath some life into the old Birthing Pod style lists without making the effect overly problematic. It's one of my favorite cards printed recently. Is it possible we could see a similar fix for Splinter Twin?

That’s a little trickier to replicate on a creature.

If the future of card design shouldn't be held hostage by the past can WotC unban Birthing Pod and Stoneforge Mystic then?

You do understand banning troublesome cards from the past is helping the future not be hostage to the past.

Birthday question time! Do you have any trivia about my favorite Magic card of all time, Birthing Pod? Or about my favorite creature, Kiki-Jiki? Thanks!!

I designed Kiki Jiki because I enamored with the idea of Red getting temporary cloning. Happy Birthday!

It's my birthday! yay! So my Trivia question is about the first magic card I ever saw Lowland Basilisk from Stronghold. I could not read at the time but the artwork and the description of "this kills everything it fights with" got me in to magic. If there is not much to talk about that card you could go with my favorite magic card Birthing Pod. :) Anyways thanks for so may cool magic cards!

One of my absolute favorite cards when I first started playing in Alpha was Thicket Basilisk. When I made Tempest, I made a slightly cheaper, slightly smaller Basilisk and put it in the set so others could have the same joy when they first opened it. Happy Birthday!

So your answer yesterday about free sac outlets makes me worry: What's more important; never making something that can be broken or making things that will be fun? I know I'm in the minority being someone who finds storming and watching storm fun but combos involving sac outlets are usually not very competitive because they require several other cards. The Melira combo was only good because of Birthing Pod and eventually the combo got removed entirely for just being a good midrange deck.

Having to make decisions is a key part of what makes a game fun. Game designers aren’t supposed to take it easy on the players. We’re supposed to challenge you. Having mana on sacrifice outlets makes for a more strategic and interesting game not less.

Hi Mark! Do you think it's possible that a card that alters a permanent's CMC ( e.g. like Trait Doctoring, so you could Birthing Pod said altered permanent for a higher costing dude ) could ever be printed? If so, what color would it be?

If it existed it would be blue, but it is both confusing and has potential power level issues if it can affect cards in the hand.

Do you have any trivia on Birthing Pod? If not I'll accept fake trivia in it's place.

Birthing Pod was created on a dare during a weekly R&D “Truth or Dare” game.

"As it’s blue’s iconic creature, that’s unlikely, but I never say never." I only ask because that's never stopped Dragons or even Angels from appearing in other colors. Also, on the note of the Green iconic. If there were some sort of poll I would vote for Dinosaurs so long as they have an identity separate from Dragons. I like Hydras as X-cost creatures but that comes with a lot of baggage. I'll never really be able to Birthing Pod into a Hydra as we know them. etc. etc. etc.

Dragons are the only iconic to have appeared in every other monocolor and we do that very infrequently.