Brainstorm

Game Tracking Revealed Cards

Can the game keep track of what cards have been revealed in paper? Example: “as an additional cost to cast this spell, reveal 2 cards from your hand you have not already revealed”The issue comes with stuff like brainstorm, etc. and tracking which cards have been revealed among other things

I don’t believe the game can track stuff that’s not observable by the opponent.

Brainstorm Your Hand

Ponder Design

Was Ponder designed as a "fixed" Brainstorm?

I think so.

Brainstorm Ponder

Mercadian Masques Evaluation

You have said that R&D made Mercadian Masque a "weak" block,but its a block with free spells, rebel, Brainstorm, spell shapers, if it was printed into Standard today it would probably be the most dominant set being played. How in R&D's eyes was the block made "weaker"?

It was significantly weaker than Urza’s Saga Block. : )

Brainstorm Card Printing Eye Free Spells Game Design Humor Mercadian Masques Rebel Sagas Spells Standard Urza

Fixed Card Designs Idea

DTW Idea: Fixed card designs. Someone had asked about Brainstorm vs Ancestral Recall. Another about Sol Ring to Sisay’s Ring. It might be an interesting topic! As always, love the podcast!

I’ll add it to the “short” list.

Ancestral Recall Brainstorm Drive to Work Sisay's Ring Sol Ring

Brainstorm vs Recall

Is brainstorm fixed recall

I think it started out as a “fixed” Ancestral Recall, but it has also proven to be a little too strong and is banned/restricted in certain formats.

Ancestral Recall Bannings Brainstorm Format Legality Format Legality Power Level

Segovian Bees Blame

Hi Mark, is the Segovian's Bees fault if there is a white brainstorm in MoM?

Color pie issues? It’s the Segovian bees.

Brainstorm Color Pie White

Tempest Brainstorm List Inquiry

Anyone who has followed your work for long enough probably knows the story of the Tempest brainstorm list (I think I still have that issue of the Duelist), but I haven't followed consistently enough over the years to know: Have you ever put the whole list in one place? If not, then maybe as a column someday, talking about where each one has ended up over the years (are there any left that we've still never heard of?).

I have to track down the list.

Brainstorm Story / Lore Tempest

White Brainstorm Request

Can we get brainstorm in white?

No.

Brainstorm White

Power of Blue Cantrips

These days, we are seeing a lot less blue cantrips with a strength level like brainstorm, preordain serum visions, sleight of hand, and so forth printed into standard. Has design determined that these effects are too powerful for limited, or is there a chance we could see cards like these in standard again

I believe play design is wary about them.

Blue Brainstorm Card Printing Limited Play Design Preordain Serum Visions Sleight of Hand Standard Visions Your Hand

Reprint Art Selection

"Hi Mark. Love WotCs work, but would like to express my dissatisfaction at the lack of foil Lorwyn art Ponder reprints. The core set ponder has seen reprints, and brainstorm has been reprinted several times, but no ponder. Thank you for listening. That’s a very specific request. : ) It’s possible if the stars align." Are you saying that whether or not a piece of artwork has been reprinted more or less often is not a consideration in choosing the art for a reprint that doesn't feature new art?

When choosing art for a reprint that isn’t getting new art, we tend to pick the piece that we feel best serves the card as a whole. That increases the chance that the same piece gets picked again.

Appreciation Art Brainstorm Card Printing Factions Foils Lorwyn More or Less Reprints

Foil Ponder Requests

Hi Mark. Love WotCs work, but would like to express my dissatisfaction at the lack of foil Lorwyn art Ponder reprints. The core set ponder has seen reprints, and brainstorm has been reprinted several times, but no ponder. Thank you for listening.

That’s a very specific request. : )It’s possible if the stars align.

Appreciation Art Brainstorm Card Printing Factions Foils Lorwyn Reprints

Aftermath Cards Explanation

You said you created Aftermath cards to help Delirium, but why then are the two cards in the two colors more focused on Delirum, Mouth to Feed and Never to Return, sorceries on both sides?

I said the jumping off point was a brainstorming about helping delirium. The mechanic shifted my ch since the initial brainstorm.

Aftermath Brainstorm Colors Delirium Mechanics Sorceries

Silver Border Specifics

"Silver border cares specifically about the exact card you’re playing: language, artist, rarity, all of it." - does this mean that cards like Smart Ass and Mise work differently from black border in terms of the game action of naming a card? Or does Mise still work if I name "Brainstorm" and reveal "Gedankenwirbel"?

When naming a card, any name from any language of it works. When affected by a card based on its name (say with Unhinged’s Double Header) it looks specifically at the name of the card being affected.

Art Black Black Border Brainstorm Double Header Mise Rarity Smart Ass Unhinged Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Board Game Win Conditions

I am currently working on designing a board game. I have flavor and alot of the mechanics of the game but I can't figure out an end point that makes sense. Do you have any suggestions on how to brainstorm a way to win the game?

Figuring out the win conditions is something I figure out very early.If you’re farther along, my tip is this. Have nondesigners play the game with a stopwatch going. Have the players tell you when they’re starting to get bored. You want your game to stop well before (like ten minutes plus, even more if a longer game) the first person reported they were bored. Figure out what conditions can get the game to stop at that point.

Brainstorm Flavor Mechanics

Nostalgia or Design Space

Do you see cards like Magus of the Moon or abilities that 'replicate' cards (such as Brainstorm on JMS) more like design space limitations, design space waste or just as nods to beloved cards?

It is both design space and nostalgia.

Brainstorm Design Space Magus of the Moon Replicate

Color Pie Consistency

What about supplemental color-pie bleeds that help diversify really important effects in Eternal Formats? White could certainly use a strong conditional Counterspells in Legacy, as Green could use some form or stronger Consistency without splashing for Brainstorm. Supplemental products seem like a great way to allow that bleed so the Eternal formats can divvy up some of that "Blue" space, while keeping those effects more strictly blue in the formats where those effects aren't as ... required.

The color pie should be a constant and not change from format to format.

Blue Brainstorm Color Pie Colors Eternal Green Legacy White

Blue Cantrip Trivia

Finally I can ask for birthday trivia! Any trivia on any blue cantrip? I think Brainstorm is one of the best designed cards in Magic.

When I first got to R&D, we would fight about which was better Brainstorm or Ponder and I took the Ponder side. I think I was just subconsciously trying to convince people I was a designer and not a developer. : ) Happy Birthday!

Birthday Blue Brainstorm Fight / Bite Not a developer

YAAV's Non-Triggering Effect

Un-rules question. I control YAAV and no other permanents; an Island sits on top of my library. If I cast Brainstorm, and the next four cards are Bogardan Hellkites, and I put two of them back, how much damage do I deal my opponent?

None. Yet Another Aether Vortex does not trigger “enter the battlefield” effects.

Brainstorm Cast Enter The Battlefield Permanents Rules The Library Un-sets Yet Another Aether Vortex

White Cycle Completion

When are you printing the white part of the 3 for 1 cycle? (no white, brainstorm, dark ritual, lighting bolt, giant growth)

White was Healing Salve and Blue was Ancestral Recall. All five of the cycle appeared in Alpha.

Alpha Ancestral Recall Blue Brainstorm Card Printing Cycles Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve White

From-Hand Manipulation Future

Do you think we'll ever see a from-hand-to-library manipulation again or has the power of Brainstorm shut that door?

It won’t be as powerful but I wouldn’t write the ability off just yet.

Brainstorm The Library Your Hand