Black Lotus

Modern Power Creep

Re:Re:Powercreep - outside of vintage cube, most players will never play with cards like tinker, black lotus and the moxen. If you look at e.g. the modern card pool, I don't see how you argue powercreep isn't happening - virtually all of the most played non-land cards were printed in the last 3-4 years.

Because all the most powerful early cards are banned?

Bannings Black Black Lotus Card Printing Draft Formats Format Legality Modern Power Level Tinker Vintage

Powercreep Perspective

RE: powercreep. i find it odd that people think cards are getting too strong when many of the best cards are still those from the original set. not even just the moxen and black lotus, cards like lightning bolt have simply never been outclassed and still see play in the most powerful formats.

I asked R&D what was the most powerful card I ever designed. As a group, they agreed Tinker. That came out in Urza’s Saga back in 1998, which means I designed it in 1996 or 1997. I’ve been designing Magic cards for twenty-nine years, and my most powerful one was designed just under thirty years ago. : )

Black Black Lotus Humor Lightning Bolt Power Level Sagas Tinker Urza

Remembrance and Podcast

I actually listened to the podcast with your dad right before hearing the news. It was a good one and I thought it was funny when he brought up the black lotus you got from him. Hope you and your family are doing well ✌️

We’re doing okay. My dad loved to tease me about the Black Lotus, but he was actually very happy for me to have it. (Listen to the podcast for the full story.)

Black Black Lotus Drive to Work Humor Story / Lore

Lotus Symbolism Origin

Why were lotuses picked up to be a significant and powerful part of Mtg lore?

Black Lotus happened, and that spawned it.

Black Black Lotus Story / Lore

Color Names in Cards

On the subject of Black Lotus: last night I decided to count up how many cards had the name of a colour in their name without being either that colour or colourless. White has 9, Blue has 4, Black has 7 (not counting cards with "blacksmith" in the name), Red has 10, and Green has 4. The only ones for Blue and Green are part of White protection cycles (the Scarabs, the Wards, the Circles of Protection, and the Runes of Protection). What I'm asking is when can we expect to see more cards with "Blue" and "Green" in the name that aren't those colours?

That’s not something we’re trying to do. Thanks for doing the research.

Black Black Lotus Blue Colorless Colors Cycles Green Protection Red White

Black Lotus Name Issue

Do you think “black lotus” was a bad choice of card name since it doesn’t actually have anything to do with the color black in magic? If so, what would you have named it instead?

We wouldn’t have named it that now. Mystical Lotus?

Black Black Lotus Card Names Colors

One With Nothing Joke

I thought One With Nothing was a fixed Black Lotus. Lion's Eye Diamond was too strong, even with discarding your hand, so you removed the "generates 3 mana" part and made it cost 1 mana. One With Nothing is much fairer! : )

I hadn’t thought of it like that. : )

Black Black Lotus Eye Humor Lion's Eye Diamond Mana One with Nothing Power Level Your Hand

Fair Black Lotus

Hello Mark, if/when another attempt at making a “fair” Black Lotus (Lion’s Eye Diamond being a failed attempt)?

It’s hard to do when “discard your hand” as an additional cost is still broken.

Black Black Lotus Discard Eye If/When Lion's Eye Diamond Your Hand

Token Lotus Petal Idea

If or when a world where treasure gets replaced with token Lotus Petal?

If. I made Lotus Petal as a fixed Black Lotus. One of my many “fixed” cards to also be broken.

Black Black Lotus If/When Lotus Petal Tokens Treasure

Power Creep Concerns

History has shown players like powerful things and lower powered sets or sets that appear lower powered have weaker player appeal responses and purchase patterns. Does this mean that powercreep is inevitable and at some future date Moxes will be made obsolete? Especially in an eternal world can player expectations be met without bringing the game full circle with everyone having Black Lotus Channel Fireball as their deck?

We’ve been making Magic for almost thirty years, and power creep has not overtaken the game, so I think we have a handle on it.

Black Black Lotus Channel Fireball Eternal Fireball Making Magic Power Level

R&D Playtest Sleeves

Does R&D use sleeves in playtests? What color / style are your favorite, or do you use sleeves at all?

We use sleeves when sleeves are needed, like when we gave DFCs. R&D will make sleeves just for the department (the two most recent - Black Lotus and F.I.R.E.) and I usually use those.

Black Black Lotus Colors Dual Faced Cards Game Design Playtesting

About Lotus Petal's Design

*Is a MV1 mana rock that enters tapped still too powerful?" "Yes." How did Lotus Petal happen then?

We were trying to make a “fixed Black Lotus” and missed. Also, that was twenty-four years ago.

Black Black Lotus Lotus Petal Mana

Reserved List and Duel Masters

Hi Mark. Honest question: why doesn’t the Reserved List block Duel Masters from printing Black Lotus? And if it’s not tournament legal, why can’t non-tournament legal MTG reprints exist?

The Reserved List only covers printing Magic cards and not cards in other games making references to Magic cards.

Black Black Lotus Reprints The Reserved List

Trivia on Thopeters

Hi Mark, It's my birthday today and I wanted to ask some trivia on thopeters, if you have some. Also, these 6 next premier sets got me soooooo hyped, wizards did a really good job !

I’ll share one of R&D’s favorite stories. Richard Garfield is meeting with the head of a company that we were considering licensing from to make a trading card game. The person asks who would be working on it? Richard answers the same R&D team that works on the rest of our products including Magic. The person then wants assurances that we don’t make any broken cards like the one Magic made. Richard is curious what card he considers the “broken card”. Black Lotus? No. Another of the Power Nine? No. Library of Alexandria? No. Mishra’s Workshop? No. What card was he referring to? Ornithopter!The danger of Ornithopter became a running joke in R&D for years. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Black Black Lotus Humor Library of Alexandria Mishra's Workshop Ornithopter Power 9 Premier Sets Premier Sets Richard Garfield The Library

Presence of Wee Lotus

Is there a tiny Black Lotus in Segovia?

Many have sought the Wee Lotus.

Black Black Lotus

Potential for Mini Lotus

So.... Can we get a tiny black lotus?

The Reserved List doesn’t prevent it.

Black Black Lotus The Reserved List

Garth and Tibalt Game Victory

Follow up as the person who cast Black Lotus, I did in fact win that game, and three of four matches on the night. Please give a big virtual high five to whoever came up with Garth (and his predecessor, Tibalt the Chaotic).

Will do. Congrats!

Appreciation Black Black Lotus High Fives Rat Tibalt the Chaotic

Bucket List Achievement with Black Lotus

Mark! Mark! I checked an item off my bucket list and got to cast a Black Lotus in my prerelease! Thank you!

You’re welcome. Did you win?

Appreciation Black Black Lotus Bucket List Prerelease Sealed Format

Public Demand for Tokens

You and others have said what the rules for what tokens get made are but this seems like a situation where the public demand should make you reconsider those rules. Everybody who's seen Garth's card wants those tokens. You could have scored a perfect 10 but settled for a safe 6 instead. I know it seems petty on our part, but that's the nature of customers.

I don’t believe making it a token gets around the Reserved List for card printing purposes. If Garth had to have printed tokens, he couldn’t have Black Lotus as an option.

Black Black Lotus Card Printing Rules The Reserved List Tokens

Possibility of Black Lotus Token

Is there going to be a black lotus or shivin dragon token in modern horizons 2?

#mtg

No. We don’t make tokens of castable cards.

Black Black Lotus Blogatog / Tumblr Dragon Modern Horizons 2 Tokens