Do you ever encounter issues where a mechanic that you want to be core to a set is too niche in its slice of the color pie? Like, food was a big theme in both Eldraine sets, but it is a mechanic that can only appear WGB, so you were limited somewhat in just how much you could use it compared to something disguise, which is a completely color-pie agnostic mechanic. When designing full custom sets I often have ideas for mechanics that seem to be total slam dunks, but are actually kind of limited in how much I can use them.

It happens from time to time. It’s why vision design checks in with the Council of Colors.

Since Ali from Cairo is on the Reserved List, and looks like a clear color pie break, and references a real-world city, I'm guessing that its odds of being reprinted in "Cairo" are slim, to say the least. But has anyone joked about putting it in the file?

Not yet, but I didn’t think of it. : )

Are there any changes or shifts to the color pie that you want to see but haven't been able to make yet?

Some subtle ones.

Hey Mark! I'm wondering, why do you allow yourself to reprint color-breaking cards? It gives players, especially newer players, the wrong idea about the color pie. Instead of reprinting Chaos Warp, why not either (A) print a different, non-breaking card that achieves whatever it is Chaos Warp achieves for red, or (B) change the color pie so Chaos Warp isn't a break?

The problem is players want access to the cards. The compromise was to not add them to formats that they aren’t legal in. That’s why color pie breaks won’t get reprinted in premier sets (not counting bonus sheets that don’t change card legality).

Can we have a podcast about the differences and analogies in Ethos between Magic and D&D(Color pie vs. alignments)?

I am not nearly as well versed in D&D’s alignments as I am Magic’s color pie.

is concordant crossroads a bend break or neither?

Green is secondary in haste. Usually granting the ability is more for the primary color than the secondary, but we do allow the secondary color to do it a little. The rate is probably too good, but that’s not a color pie issue.

Was there any color pie break printed after the creation of the Council of Colors?

There have been, but they occur much less. Things can still slip through the cracks.

Why do we get cards reprinted in Commander products, like Chaos Warp, that are breaks but get reprinted, while cards like Cabal Ritual don't get reprints in these types of products even though they're less of a break?

Reprint products are allowed to reprint color pie breaks as long as they don’t add them to a new format. I assume they reprint Chaos Warp more than Cabal Ritual because it’s more in demand.

Have y'all done testing with non Magic players looking at UB characters with iconic existing color schemes in colors that clash with that scheme - Spiderman in black green to use a dramatic and probably out of pie example - and see if the frames confuse them? Do people pick up on it easily?

A character having a costume/outfit that are Magic colors doesn’t make them those colors within the game, so it doesn’t matter if some non-Magic players take time to understand it. Players grasping the color pie is an important early step in the game.

Color Pie Question. Can a card’s base rate (mana value, power, toughness, etc.) cause color Pie bends or breaks? I say yes, but others have said no since card balance and the color pie are different topics according to them. For instance, targeted creature removal is generally more restrictive/less efficient in White compared to Black. If you take the card Quicksand Whirlpool and reduce the Mana cost from 5W to 1W, would this be 1. only a card balance issue, 2. a bend, or 3. a break?

There are places where rate matters in the color pie, but usually it’s does this color do this effect or not?