Divine Intervention

Winning Game Card

If/when: a "Each player wins the game" card in black border

If. The most similar card to it, Divine Intervention, was banned in tournaments.

Bannings Black Border Divine Intervention Format Legality Format Legality If/When

Draw Effect Possibility

will we ever see a new divine intervention effect, where the game just ends in a draw?

Unlikely.

Divine Intervention

Does Divine Intervention breaks the color pie? Was it a mistake? Should it have been in an un-set?

It’s more an organized play issue than a color pie one.

Color Pie Divine Intervention Organized Play Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Role of Divine Intervention

What was the original purpose of Divine Intervention?

Drawing the game. It’s an example, of a design to do something that hadn’t been done rather than something players might want to do that would be enjoyable.

Divine Intervention

Divine Intervention and Tournament Issues

Divine Intervention was only banned from August 1994 till October 1999. Same time frame as Mirror Universe and Underworld Dreams, one of which was recently reprinted in Standard the other that while not able to be reprinted has had similar effects printed. There were some real special cards on that list like Ali from Cairo, Sword of the Ages and Dingus Egg. So saying a card was banned as one point in time is really not a relevant argument for it being unfun.

I didn’t say it was unfun. I said it caused problems in tournaments. That said, I do believe drawing games is not particularly fun. That just wasn’t what I argued.

Ali from Cairo Bannings Card Frames Dingus Egg Divine Intervention Egg Format Legality Mirror Universe Reprints Standard Sword of the Ages Underworld Dreams

Regarding Alternate Wincons

Hey Mark, we keep seeing alternate wincons like thassas oracle made, but what about alternate drawcons like divine intervention? I think cards like that are really fun for edh. And I wish there were better versions.

The card got banned for causing issues in tournament play. No current plans for draw the game effects.

Bannings Commander Divine Intervention Format Legality

Podcast Topic Ideas

Would you do a podcast on "we don't do that any more"? With things like Ante and Divine Intervention?

I’ll put it on the short list.

Divine Intervention Drive to Work The short list

End Game Restrictions

Can white draw with effects like divine intervention or is that outside of the color pie now? :P

We no longer do “everyone draws the game” as an effect on cards.

Color Pie Colors Divine Intervention White

Simultaneous Game Wins

Twilight Sparkle raises an interesting question for me... can you think of an example of a scenario where two or more players win the game simultaneously? And if so, if it occurred in a tournament setting, how would the winner be determined?

Legends had a card called Divine Intervention that made the fans end in a draw. It’s since been banned, but it just ended the game in a tie making everyone play another game. I think technically, if you won a game and got two draws, I think you won the match as a draw counts as a ½.

Bannings Divine Intervention Format Legality Legendary Creatures

Cards Drawing Games

Have we seen the last of cards that unambiguously draw the game, like Divine Intervention?

Those cards cause tournament issues so we shy away from them.

Divine Intervention

Alternate Draw Conditions

Any chance we might see more alternate draw conditions a la Divine Intervention?

Unlikely as it causes all sorts of headaches in tournament play and leads to unsatisfying games.

Divine Intervention

Draw-Ending Card Issues

What are the chances of seeing cards that "end the game in a draw" like Divine Intervention and to a lesser extent Celestial Convergence?

Very little as they cause all sorts of problems in tournaments.

Celestial Convergence Divine Intervention

Game Draw Mechanisms

Why haven't there been any effects that make the game a draw since Divine Intervention? I understand it's not as exciting as winning or losing, but it seems like interesting design space.

Magic has too big of an organized play system to make cards that just don’t work in fifty minute rounds. (Yes, we do occasionally make some but seldom on purpose.)

Design Space Divine Intervention Organized Play