Is Volatile Stormdrake a break/bend?

No. Let me explain. There are two different types of color pie restrictions. The first is mechanical. Printing the card with the ability is a bend or a break. The second is aesthetic. We like to make colors feel different, so there are some things we don’t do in a color to keep it from stepping on another color.We stopped doing Pongify in blue, not because it was a mechanical issue, but an aesthetic one. We want white removal with a consolation to feel different than blue transformation. Also, we didn’t like the word “destroy” in a blue text box as it confused people (as blue doesn’t destroy permanents). Bleeding into aesthetic territory isn’t a bend or break, so no Volatile Stormdrake isn’t a bend/break.

Do wizards employees have a special internal card library tool? Something like scryfall or gatherer to use when cross referencing existing cards when making new ones. Does it include cards currently in development or unreleased cards that have been decided to be printed? Bonus q: if no such tool exists, do you guys use gatherer, scryfall, or something else?

We have an internal card database we call Drake.

Hi Mark! I hope you are having a great weekend. I don't know if you can pass this message to the team that handles reprints to put in the to-reprint list the ten common cards that still had a old frame on the Pauper Cube: Deftblade Elite, Phantom Nomad, Capsize, Miscalculation, Ashes to Ashes, Pestilence, Tortured Existence, Silver Drake, Temporal Spring and Cavern Harpy. Thanks!

I’ll pass the list along.

Hello Mark! Today is my birthday! But I don't really have something related to duck to ask since last time you told us the story of the drake, and we since had two cards with ducks in the art (the neon frame March of Otherworldly Light and Rumor Gatherer). So instead may I ask for a bird card representing a duck?

You may.Happy Birthday!

How are the chances looking for a legendary Drake in one of the upcoming sets? Or any form of Drake lord instead?

I think we’ll probably do both one day (the former more likely sooner than the latter).

Happy Sunday Mr. Rosewater! I was thinking of MH2 today and it reminded me of a question I believe I forgot to ask. Murktide Regent is mono-blue and cares about instants and sorceries (especially in the graveyard) so it seems like a natural fit for our very first mythic rare drake. Do you know what was the deciding factor to make it a dragon instead? Drakes are my favorite creature type so I’m a little biased, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to me. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and have a nice day! :D

It’s mostly a size issue. Drakes tend to be a bit smaller and Murktide Regent can get pretty big.

I heard there was a misunderstanding in the past regarding a commission for a art. It was supposed to be a drake getting hit with a lightning bolt but the artist thought it meant a mallard. If this is true what happens with unused art like that. And I'm sure that'd be a great secret lair.

It’s true and it was caught and fixed at the sketch stage.

at what point did the database multiverse get renamed to drake?

The database didn’t get renamed. We got a new database which had its own name. This happened five or so years ago, I believe.

Do you guys have a different database for cards still in development or Drake cover it as well?

Drake is used primarily for making new product, but the old product is still in it.

Mark, do Wizards staff have access to an internal card database with more detail and categorisation of cards, or do y'all use gatherer?

We have our own database. It’s called Drake. I have no idea why. The last one was called Multiverse which was a much cleverer name.