Hello Mark. I redeemed my coveted birthday rite several days ago, but it seems to have gotten caught up in the shuffle. I figured I wouldn't submit it on my birthday, which was the 6th, because a lot was going on then in Magic. My query was for any interesting tidbit about my favorite card in the game, Malefic Scythe from M21, and, provided you had nothing about it, instead the card that got me into the game, Errant Ephemeron from Time Spiral. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

When we first designed suspend creatures, we started with familiar vanilla and French vanilla ones. Errant Ephemeron was Air Elemental, and one of the first ones we designed. Happy Belated Birthday!

Hello MaRo, first off, I want to give a shout-out to the people who are writing the lore of MTG right now. I am a huge fan! MoM is hyping me up a lot, especially the bonus cards (I play Arena as well as Modern, so it's always cool to have extra cards haha). However, I've been wondering for a while if the rest of the MTG community feels the same way. I miss the core sets in Magic more and more, as I feel like they are part of the game's identity - at least that's my personal opinion. I wanted to ask you what led to their removal since Core Set 2021, and if I could make a wish for 2024 or 2025, it would be for Magic to have them again. Anyway, great job on the designs and thanks again for all the amazing new designs you give us!"

Not enough players were interested in buying it.

Has R&D soured on WW, UU, BB, RR, GG type mana costs? The last time a card with cost BB was in standard was M21, and the rest aren't much more common.

We use it at higher rarities for constructed, but have moved away from it at common for mana play issues in limited.

Can I ask for a Planeswalker who is just like, a cat or a dog? And not like a Leonin or something, like the kinds of cats and dogs we saw in M21. I just love the idea of a little fluffy dog or cat being a recurring character who travels the multiverse. Would probably be an instant favorite for many.

Anyone else want such a thing?

“which I think is Magic's only haiku flavor text”the shrines from m21 had haiku flavour text i believe

FYI

Re: a card from a Modern Horizons set being reprinted in Standard: Rain of Revelation from Modern Horizons was reprinted in Core Set 2021.

FYI

As of last update, the Dog creature type is an 8 on the beeble scale due to it being set there before M21. Where would you say Dogs are on the beeble scale today?

Dog is now a 3.

Hi Mark, I'm recently getting back into Magic after quitting around Khans of Tarkir. While it might be me just getting familiar again, the game has changed a lot and it's hard to keep up with all the products and how standard rotation is now. Any suggestion?

There are a bunch of new products. But you’re in luck when it comes to rotation. It works the same as it did back in Khans of Tarkir. Standard is every premier set (what we called “Standard-legal” back then) for a two-year span. As it did when you last played, the Magic “year” starts with the fall set, and that’s when the cards from the Magic “year” two years ago rotates out.For example, when Midnight Hunt comes out in September, the Magic “year” from two years ago (Throne of Eldraine, Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria & Core Set 2021) rotate out of Standard.

I know you're expecting a lot of Strixhaven questions, but I have one about Kamigawa. Are the Sanctums from M21 located on Kamigawa? If so, do they have their own Myojins linked to them?

I believe they are on Kamigawa, but I don’t know about the second question.

A previous asker seems not to have noticed that Prowess was just in M21

Good point.