Could suitable un-cards get eternal "un-reprints"? That is, using a new name but identical abilities, like was the plan for Tammy, Power Gamer, and using a variant on Universes Within's "=SLD" label to mark that the cards are equivalent for casual games despite having different tournament legality. Would that be viable?

We clearly can make the same cards with a new name (if the card works within the rules). I’m more skeptical we’d use the Universe’s Within “same card” tech.

Concerning power creep, there may be a comparison and distinction to be made between distorting a format and adding relevant cards to a format. If a card is relevant, it shows up in decks, right? Maybe even a lot of decks. That's good for a format-relevant product. Otherwise, why even make the product?But then what is the delineating mark between format change (good) and format distortion (bad)?One could argue that Serra Angel is an example of format change. Arguably obsolete, nobody is really objecting to the card's irrelevance in eternal formats.So. What is that dividing line? Is formst chsnge just 'distortion over time'? I would argue that healthful change is oft misperceived as power creep, but it took a lot of cards in Commander before we figured out that '2 MV ramp and repeating value' were the prime culprits in accelerating the casual format beyond its 'battlecruiser Magic' roots.I'm not making a big argument one way or another, just trying to stimulate a brain or two..

For starters you’re not using “power creep” as I use it on this blog, but for the sake of saying the same thing for the tenth time, I understand you mean the increase of cards impacting older environments. You bring up the other thing we haven’t been talking about. Card influx talks in neutral terms. Add N relevant cards and impact the environment a particular amount. The faster you add N, the quicker it changes. The sets designed for older formats aren’t adding in cards neutrally though. They are adding in suites of cards built around particular mechanical themes. Adding in whole suites of cards changes environments more quickly as the threshold to make a deck theme relevant gets hit more quickly. That’s the other big impact of designing for a format. It causes you to impact it faster as you are designing whole swaths of mechanical pieces, not just cards. That’s very relevant to the topic at hand.

Maro, Bloomburrow looks amazing, but I have one problem. I am a kitchen table player and I love creature type decks. Some decks (like my knights) regularly get new cards, but others (like my kithkin) might see a new card once a decade. For Bloomburrow, I know that rats, squirrels, and birds are likely to show up I. The future and have a ton of past cards to use, but for the types like rabbits or raccoons, I imagine they will not be supported long term. Why should I make a deck for those types?

Bloomburrow existing will make us create them more than we would of had it not existed. If volume of creature types is a core issue to you (and I get why it would be), yeah, I’d stick to the creature types that have more history with the game. But there are a lot of players who will have a lot of fun using Rabbits or Raccoons even if they have to stretch a bit (and probably play changelings).

Could Magic incorporate more roleplaying aspects for casual play?

Sure. Make a format that incorporates more role playing aspects.

Hi Mark,from reading your blog I've gathered that most of tour time and focus is spent on making cohesive and engaging limited environments since those are essentially the main products being sold and also, that Magic's most popular way to play is an "eternal" format; kitchen table or commander.First, is this a correct assessment? Second, could you give me some insight on how one informs the other?Thank-you

I, and the other vision designers, set the vision for the set which involves creating a structure, choosing themes, and creating mechanics. We also design cards, some of which make it to print. That work applies to all formats. Limited is the biome which amplifies all of the above loudest.

I really think you guys don't give Commander as much favoritism as people assume. Modern players mostly only play the best cards, so a set dedicated to modern can only have so many cards for Modern without massive power creep. Commander players will play anything if it's cool enough, no matter how bad it is, so any set will necessarily have more cards for casual Commander than Modern. And honestly, mh3 has more cards good in Modern tournaments than in cEDH.

Modern Horizons III has as many cards aimed at Modern as we feel comfortable aiming at Modern. Remember the feedback from previous Modern Horizons was too many cards mattered in Modern.

"Also, Commander is the most popular played format in tabletop. I believe Standard is still the most popular format played on digital."

So, ignoring kitchen table, which would be the most played overall?

I’m not sure what “ignoring Kitchen table” means. Sanctioned events? Events played in stores? Commander is the most played format with people consciously playing a format in tabletop.

Are we likely to ever get more mono blue coin flip cards? Recently they've all been mono red or Izzet, which makes building a coin flip deck 90% red. Rolling dice is available to all colors, it seems odd to keep coins locked primarily in red anymore

The Un-sets are much more casual and thus are allowed access to randomness in a way most Magic sets aren’t. Even D&D sets which used the d20, had to be very careful how random the cards were. Mostly coin flips have been used to show randomness in red. Coin flips are a bit harder than die rolls to keep the variance low, so it’s not something we use too often. I’m not even sure die rolling exists outside of an Un or D&D set.

In respose to power creep. Power creep doesn't only exist at the top end of cards. Yes design hopefully will not print more powerful versions of the power 9 of Tinker, but power creep at common and uncommon cards is very real and has made a huge impact on limited and kitchen table magic games especially on creatures(there is no one who can say todays creatures do not outclass creatures from Alpa all the way through Odyssey). Now some of this power creep was needed and some pushed into dangerous areas but ultimately power creep is real.

Creatures have gotten better because creatures in the early days were very weak. So yes, the power curve for creatures has gone up over time.The thing you’re describing isn’t power creep. It’s the nature of how non-rotating formats work. In any group of cards, there’s a top tier. As you add more cards to the system, it becomes harder to make it into that top tier. Let’s say each set adds a few cards to it. With time those new cards will displace old cards.

Hi Mark. I feel like the recent discussion of eternal-legal cards in Unfinity has turned into another one of those "Commander vs everyone else" topics, but... why? Surely there were non-Commander players that also wanted a lot of un-cards legal, right? Or is that not so much the case?

There are a lot of casual players, and yes, we wanted them to also have access.