Cycles

Artist Preference for Card Cycles

When making a cycle of cards, does Design prefer to be able to commission one singular artist for all of the cards?Examples being Rob Alexander doing art for all the shock lands, Wayne England doing the Command cycle, ect.

We like to have one artist do cycles when possible.

Art Cycles Lands

Dividing Set Themes in Drafts

When/if: a single set split into two draftable packs. There is some overlap (land cycles, equipment, colorless artifacts, etc) but one pack is Team X (Bolas let's say) which is 3 different archetypes in his colors and the other packs are Team Y (Ugin let's say) which are 3 archetypes in colorless, white, black. All the cards together make a single set, but you would draft Ugin packs with Ugin packs, and then only play against players who drafted Bolas packs.

We did this in Mirrodin Besieged. The set was split in Mirran and Phyrexian, and you chose which side to play when you played in the prerelease.

Artifacts Black Colorless Colors Cycles Draft Formats Equipment Lands Mirrodin Besieged Phyrexians Prerelease Sealed Format White

Influx of new players

Hey Mark! I’ve noticed a lot of content creators have mentioned getting into Magic around RTR and/or Innistrad. I also hopped in around that point, which is part of why hearing this a lot has stuck out. Was there something unique in that period that might have had that result? Is it just that we’re in a certain point in a cycle of players? Or is it maybe all just confirmation bias on my part?

There’s no correlative data showing that time period had any spikes beyond the normal slope at the time. Confirmation bias seems likely.

Beginners Competitive Play Cycles Innistrad Return to Ravnica Spikes

Offspring and Signposts Query

Was a cycle of signposts with Offspring ever in the conversation? That would have been rad to see.

The signposts have a lot of responsibility. Doing what it needs to do while also being on a creature that makes sense with offspring would be too big an ask.

Creatures Cycles

Bloomburrow Three-Color Cycle

Is there a cycle of legendaries with all 3 color combinations for bloomburrow?

I don’t believe there’s a three-color cycle.

Bloomburrow Colors Cycles Legendary Creatures Three Color

Future of Hybrid Commons

Hi Mark!
With Karlov Manor and Bloomburrow, we’ve now seen two cycles of common creature cards that can be played with Hybrid mana in sets that otherwise don’t have a major hybrid theme. Does this mean that we’re going to see an increase in the number of hybrid commons in the future?

Common hybrid cards have proven to be a valuable tool in helping to raise as-fan of certain themes for limited, so I do think we’ll see it used again.

As-fan Bloomburrow Commons Creatures Cycles Hybrid Limited Mana

Land Cycle Naming Strategy

Since Magic in general is so eternal-oriented nowadays, are you still trying to give generic names to new land cycles? After all, reprinting them is so much easier when you don't have to be bound to the specific planes currently in Standard.

It greatly depends on the land cycle.

Colorless Cycles Lands Planes Reprints Standard

Trivia for Grove of Burnwillows

Hello Mark! My birthday was on the 3rd, but it's been a busy few days so I'm just now cashing in my birthday trivia!Do you have any trivia on Grove of the Burnwillows? Or perhaps Future Sight as a whole?

Grove of the Burnwillows was part of my cycle of cycles dual land cycle, where each futureshifted dual land represented a whole cycle of dual lands. Grove of the Burnwillows was made as an anti-pain land (aka the Ice Age dual lands), where the cost was the opponent gaining a life instead of you losing one. Happy Belated Birthday!

Birthday Cycles Dual Lands Dual Lands Future Sight Futureshifted Futureshifted Grove of the Burnwillows Lands

Critique on Teaser Decisions

Hey mark, I wanted to say that I thought it was an odd decision to have your teaser include stuff that has already been spoiled (the cycle of uncommon lands that each reference four creature types)

There are a lot of moving parts to a preview season. I try my best to not hint at things already known, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Creatures Cycles Lands Spoilers Teasers Uncommons

Bloomburrow Card Cycles

Hi Mark! Is Bloomburrow chock-full of 10-card cycles?

No.

Bloomburrow Cycles

Two-Color Medallions Cycle

If you were two do a cycle similar to medallions, but for two colors, would you do "Green spells you cast cost (1) less, White spells you cast cost (1) less", or "Green and/or white spells you cast cost (1) less"? I'd like to see the former printed.

The former makes green and white multicolor cards cost 2 less which would probably have play design concerns.

Card Printing Colors Cycles Green Play Design Spells White

Future of Tango Lands

So far, some land cycles like the tango lands with Canopy Vista are only available for the allied colours. I would really like those cycles (above all the tango lands with the land types completed). Is this an if or a when?

A when.

Canopy Vista Colors Cycles Lands

Planeswalker, Modern Horizons 3 Query

Why was there no traditional planeswalker in modern horizons 3?

Because we used the slots for the DFC cycle that players have been asking for since Magic Origins. The set only got five planeswalkers, so if we wanted a cycle, we needed them all.

Cycles Dual Faced Cards Magic Origins Modern Horizons 3 Planeswalkers

Shifting Creature Types for Different Planes

If or when: a plane where the usual creature types are shuffled around a bit, but still fit their new colors? Ex. goblins on this plane are more civilized and selfless than average and are in White, merfolk swim in lava and live in volcanoes and are Red, undeath is seen as a natural part of the cycle of life thus zombies and animated skeletons are in Green, etc.

Designing for the eternal world, especially Commander, complicates this. Because we’re trying hard to connect with themes of the past, it becomes hard to add new cards to a theme, but specifically put them in a different color(s) than they originally appeared in. We do like to stretch creature types to new colors, but usually associated with a color that has some history to it.

Colors Commander Creatures Cycle of Life Cycles Eternal Goblin Green If/When Merfolk Planes Red Skeleton White Zombie

Skepticism about Characteristic Race Cycle

So we have Goblin Balloon Brigade and Manta Riders; when are we going to see the rest of the "1/1 that can fly for C" characteristic race mega cycle?

Two dots do not necessarily form a cycle. : )

Balloon Cycles Goblin Goblin Balloon Brigade Humor Manta Riders

Endless Sword Cycle Expansion

Why did you choose to expand the sword of this and that cycle after finally finished it? Does this mean it will have no end?

I think it’s the cycle that refuses to end. : )

Cycles Humor

Dragon Hybrids in MTG

If/When a cycle of Dragons that have a creature type with each color's Iconic race? ie Dragon Angel, Dragon Spynx. We already have Demon Dragons and a Dragon Hydra

If. I could see us hitting a lot of these over time, but all in one place is trickier.

Angel Creatures Cycles Demon Dragon Hydra If/When

Legendary Goboin Design

The common Legendary Goboin with Grandeur in MH3 seems like it should have been a cycle. Was it always a one-off or were there others that got cut?

We’ve talked about making common legendary creatures with grandeur for years. I have no idea if this was a one-of or there were plans for a whole cycle that got cut. My gut is the former, but that’s just a guess.

Creatures Cycles Grandeur Legendary Creatures Modern Horizons 3

Cycles in Set Design

Can we stop making everything into an unnecessary cycle, please.

I’m not sure what you classify as “unnecessary”.

Cycles Set Design

MDFC Lands Archetype Focus

I really like the cycle of 2 colour MDFC lands. It was a bit disappointing that the UR and UW ones only get maximally used in energy decks. Do you know why 2/10 of a cycle of generically useful type (dual colour land) were focused in on one very specific archetype?

I believe all the lands leaned towards their draft archetype.

Colors Cycles Draft Formats Izzet (U/R) Lands Modal Dual Faced Cards Two Color