Detain

'Stunning' a Permanent's Ability

Are there ways to "stun" a permanent (such as a planeswalker or a land), so that its ability can't be activated until end of turn?

The detain mechanic from Return to Ravnica.

Detain Lands Mechanics Planeswalkers Return to Ravnica Stun

Detain Mechanic Future

Hi and Happy Friday Mark!

Where would you say is Detain (keyword action from Return to Ravnica) on the Storm scale currently?

In a 2016 article, you ranked it as a 3 on the Storm Scale so I'm surprised it hasn't been revisited yet in a premiere set even after 12 years.

It's one of my favorite mechanics so I'm rooting for its return!

It’s a clean mechanic with plenty of design space. We still need to find the right set for it.

Design Space Detain Keyword Actions Mechanics Return to Ravnica Storm Scale

Favorite Guild Mechanics

What are your favourite guild mechanics for each guild of Ravnica? Do you think they're also the ones most likely to be brought back?

Azorius - DetainDimir - SurveilRakdos - SpectacleGruul - BloodthirstSelesnya - ConvokeOrzhov - ExtortIzzet - ReplicateGolgari - ScavengeBoros - BattalionSimic - Evolve

Azorius (W/U) Battalion Blood Bloodthirst Boros (R/W) Convoke Detain Dimir (U/B) Evolve Extort Golgari (B/G) Gruul (R/G) Izzet (U/R) Mechanics Orzhov (W/B) Rakdos (B/R) Replicate Scavenge Selesnya (G/W) Simic (G/U) Spectacle Surveil Two Color

Detain Mechanic Consideration

detain’s a 3 on the storm scale but hasn’t reappeared, has it ever been considered for any sets?

It has.

Detain Mechanics Storm Scale

Creature Abilities Limitations

Hey Mark, what colour/s is “target creature’s abilities can’t be activated” (either until next turn, or until the creature/aura causing it is removed)? I can’t find it in your latest colour pie article.

We did detain in white and blue.

Auras Blue Colors Creatures Detain White

Detain and Stun Counters

Do Stun Counters make Detain less likely to return?

No, they are different enough.

Detain Stun

Deciduous Mechanic Suggestions

I think affinity makes for a good candidate for a deciduous mechanic. Y'all use an unkeyworded form of it somewhat commonly, whether it's "for artifacts" or "for Spirits" or whatever. Other potential good options: changeling, cycling, exert, monstrosity, totem armor, detain, flashback, proliferate, kicker, surveil

Thoughts on this list?

Affinity Artifacts Changeling Cycling Deciduous Detain Exert Flashback Kicker Mechanics Monstrosity Proliferate Spirit Surveil Totem Armor

White's 'Detain' Ability Explanation

"White would just do an Oblivion style ring card and blue would overwrite the creature (for example, it’s now a vanilla 0/1), so I’m not sure who gets this card." Detain was a keyword that stopped attacking, blocking, and activated abilities temporarily and it was in White/Blue. I'd imagine permanently detaining creatures would be in either.

White has Arrest effects, but it doesn’t stop triggered abilities.

Attacking Azorius (W/U) Blocking Blue Creatures Detain Keywords Triggered Abilities Vanilla White

Regretful Card Designs

Hi Mark, thanks a lot for being so close to our community. Some posts ago you said that you detain the record of designed cards that got banned. I'm curious to know who is second and which card in retrospective you regret the most?

I think Richard is still second. It’s who I passed to get the top slot.

Bannings Detain Format Legality

White's Falter Effects

Can white get falter effects ("creatures can't block this turn")? It can already get that per creature as half of pacifism effects. If it can't get a mass version, can it get Stun? What about Blow Your House Down?

That is not specifically a white effect. Yes, white can pacify/detain and individual creature thus making it not able to block.

Blow Your House Down Creatures Detain Pacifism White

Arachnus Web Question

Could Arachnus Web be an effect green could have on a creature? Either temporary (like detain) or lasting as long as the creature remains on the battlefield?

Green doesn’t permanently prevent creature activations.

Arachnus Web Creatures Detain Green

Ravnica Mechanics Approach

We've now seen all 5 mechanics and none of them are entirely new. A Bloodthirst, Monstrous, and Unleash variant. Keywording the text on cards like doomed traveller and careful consideration (and many other cards for each of them). Ravnica had always been the plane where crazy mechanics were tried out: Cipher, Extort, Detain, Haunt, and Transmute just to name a few. What caused such a safe and familiar approach this time? It makes the set feel more like a core set than a new and exciting one.

Ravnica is more about the innovations of the guilds than of the guild mechanics. A set with five mechanics forces us to keep the mechanics simple.

Blood Bloodthirst Cipher Detain Extort Haunt Mechanics Transmute Two Color Unleash

Creature Disabling Spells

Mark, as Swords to Plowshares is flavored as removing a creature's violence, and as modern color pie avoids White removing creatures so efficiently from the game, could White get Instant or Sorcery spells that makes a creature become unable from attacking, blocking or using it's activated abilities permanently?

If until end of turn, that’s detain. Longer than a turn, we use an enchantment to track it.

Attacking Blocking Color Pie Colors Creatures Detain Enchantments Instants Modern Sorceries Spells Swords to Plowshares White

Preferred Mechanics

Hi Mark, what mechanic do you think is better, Forecast or Detain?

Detain. It’s simpler, has a larger vein of design and generally better gameplay.

Detain Forecast Game Play Mechanics

Modular Monstrosity Keywords

How much sense do the keywords for Modular Monstrosity have to make? For example, can we name proliferate or detain?

They will allow you to not lose the keywords you currently have.

Detain Keywords Modular Modular Monstrosity Monstrosity Proliferate

Detain in Kaladesh

Was detain ever in the file for Kaladesh as a mechanic for the consuls?

Nope.

Detain Kaladesh Mechanics

Detain in Aether Revolt

Was Detain ever considered for Aether Revolt?

No, we made the conscious decision to focus on the inventors with our mechanics and not the Consulate.

Aether Revolt Detain Mechanics Revolt

Detain in Aether Revolt

I'm not sure if this has been asked already but was Detain a mechanic R&D was playing around with for Aether Revolt? From the mtg stories, seems like a fitting mechanic for the Consulate with them stealing inventions and arresting citizens and what not.

We weren’t trying to mechanically define the Consulate with a named mechanic. The goal of the design was “feel like an inventor”, constructively for Kaladesh and destructively for Aether Revolt.

Aether Revolt Citizen Detain Game Design Kaladesh Mechanics Revolt

Detain in Kaladesh

Was detain ever considered as a mechanic for Kaladesh block? It seems like it would be a good flavour fit with the consulate's crackdown.

It was never our goal to capture the Consulate with a mechanic. The design was about making the player feel like an inventor not capturing the feel of factions.

Crackdown Detain Factions Factions Flavor Kaladesh Mechanics

Jeskai Commander Deck Fun

RE: the whole "adapting your expectations to have fun with whacky decks" — I made a Jeskai commander deck with Azorius detain cards and SoI investigate cards and called it my "police deck". I just ran around playing weak cards but yelling "you're under arrest" and doing Columbo impressions. All I cared about was being silly. Had the deck actually been powerful, I would've had far less fun.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Azorius (W/U) Commander Detain Gates Investigate Jeskai (U/R/W) Story / Lore