Ever After

MDFC Cards in Graveyard

Rulings question: For the MDFC cards like Valki//Tibalt, how would they be counted in the graveyard for the purposes of cards like Happily Ever After? As just a creature card, or as both creature and Planeswalker?

In any zone other than the stack and the battlefield, an MDFC is considered to be the front side.

Creatures Ever After Happily Ever After Modal Dual Faced Cards Planeswalkers The Graveyard The Stack

Reason Behind Hybrid Cards

Were the Hybrid cards in Throne of Eldraine made so that Happily Ever After could be achieved in a Limited environment?

That was not the impetus for the hybrid cards.

Ever After Happily Ever After Hybrid Limited Throne of Eldraine Throne of Eldraine

White's Draw Mechanic

Does Happily Ever After mean group hug everyone draw effects are in white's realm now, rather then blue? Like a white color shifted Vision Skeins? Or a white Artifact version of Howling Mine? Properly mana costed, of course, those are definitely not card advantage, especially in multi-player.

We’re trying out group draw in white, currently just one-shot effects.

Artifacts Blue Colors Happily Ever After Howling Mine Mana Vision Skeins White

Tribal Card Type Query

Why is Tribal still a card type? It seems more suited as a super-type like Legendary or Snow, since it can't exist by itself. Unlike older mechanics like banding and phasing that have largely been relegated to the annals of Magic's history, this issue continues to come to mind when dealing with prominent cards like Tarmogoyf or even very recent ones like Happily Ever After.

Changing it from a card type to a supertype would require a lot of work, and as tribal is retired and only interacts with a handful of cards, it’s not worth the transition cost.

Banding Card Types Gates Happily Ever After Kindred / Typal Mechanics Phasing Supertype Tarmogoyf

Card Naming Concerns

There's a card from Shadows Over Innistrad named "Ever After", and Eldraine has a card named "Happily Ever After". I know names are difficult, especially with over 14,000 cards, but were there concerns of confusion of these card names?

No. They’re pretty different.

Card Names Ever After Shadows over Innistrad

Card Names Ownership

Can you own Once Upon a Time or Happily Ever After by the name alone? Wizards retroactively invented a Rabiah setting that isn't identical to the source material - a world of 1,0001 versions of the plane, complete with planeswalkers, and names like 'Juzam' and 'Ernham' are, as far as I know, original to Magic. Aside from one or two real character and place names, it seems as distinct as Eldraine (though as a world rather than a set of references I'd argue Eldraine lacks coherence).

Names of cards isn’t the issue. It’s name of characters and places (and to a lesser extent famous objects) that matter. Let’s say we wanted to visit Rabiah in some other media, we could only reference things uniquely ours like Juzam Djinn. Note that every character, anything that would have bern legendary if legendary existed in Arabian Nights uses the actual name of the characters straight from the source material.

Arabian Nights Card Names Djinns Happily Ever After Once Upon a Time Planeswalkers

White's Draw Capabilities

Does Happily Ever After even count as a new thing for white when it is strictly worse than a cantrip, and white regularly gets cantrips already?

When we try new things we often dip our toe in. It’s always easier to ramp up than ramp down. The issue is do you like the concept of “all players draw” in white?

Happily Ever After White

White's Philosophy

I thought all colors could already cantrip? How is happily ever after changing white’s color philosophy?

The draw can be greater than one card. We’re still haggling over what the upper limit is.

Colors Happily Ever After White

Card Draw Mechanisms

The reason Happily Ever After's new card draw isn't exciting me is that it's a cantrip with drawback, and cantrips aren't new to white. If this is opening the door two each player draws as an activated ability, or each player draws two or more, that is exciting though.

We’re looking at one shot effects right now, but exploring things like draws greater than one. When trying new things, we usually start conservatively.

Card Draw Happily Ever After White

Iconic Card Names

Hey Mark!!! Two months ago: “kerwinray asked: I do hope that there are cards named “Once Upon a Time” or “Happily Ever After” in ELD. Like not as playtest names, but actual card names. A maybe and a smiley for this? Maybe. : )” In hindsight, it was probably a given, given how iconic these phrases are, but just so damn pleased with these cards becoming a reality! Awesome!

Both cards went through a bunch of changes, but never left the file.

Card Names Happily Ever After Once Upon a Time Playtesting

Group Hug Wincon

I've been looking for a happy ending wincon for 5C group hug that doesn't involve hurting my opponents and Happily Ever After is just that. High fives to whoever to make it an alternate wincon.

High fives to be delivered.

Happily Ever After High Fives

Symmetrical Card Draw

So is white allowed card draw if it's symmetrical? Or was Happily Ever After just allowed because it was a cantrip that just happened to be for everyone?

That’s what we’re experimenting with,

Card Draw Happily Ever After White

White's Card Draw History

As a matter of trivia, symmetrical draw actually isn't 100% new for white. There are two very old "Truce" cards, one from Portal and one from Homelands, that cause each player to draw two cards or forego drawing to gain life. There's also a monowhite Parley card from Conspiracy which does, strictly speaking, cause each player to draw a card.

The two cards you’re taking about are pre-color pie monitoring. Parley is just an example of slight bends when we cycle mechanics through all five colors. Happily Ever After is the first time we’ve made a conscious decision to make this ability part of white.

Birthday Card Draw Color Pie Colors Conspiracy Happily Ever After Homelands Lifegain Mechanics Parley Portal White

Anticipated Feature Reveal

I'm sure you'll be very happy, ever after this minor new white function is previewed and you can stop answering questions about it.

Definitely.

Ever After White

White Color Revelation Timing

I think it might've been a good idea to spoil the "new white thing that is very minor and will REVOLUTIONIZE WHITE AS A COLOR FOREVER" earlier...

I didn’t expect it to gain the traction that it did as it isn’t a major thing. Hopefully once it’s revealed, you all can live happily ever after. : )

Colors Happily Ever After White

White's Minor Update

You've mentioned white doing some minor new thing in ELD. Have we seen it yet?

I’ll be happy ever after once it’s previewed, so people will stop asking. : )

Ever After White

Eldraine Card Names

I do hope that there are cards named “Once Upon a Time” or “Happily Ever After” in ELD. Like not as playtest names, but actual card names. A maybe and a smiley for this?

Maybe. : )

Card Names Happily Ever After Once Upon a Time Playtesting

Ever After Trivia

I just got married recently and my wife and I are huge fans of Magic. Do you have any trivia about Ever After from SOI?

Often when we want to take an uncommon effect and make it rare, we turn up the volume of the effect. “Reanimate one creature? How about reanimation two?!” Congratulations!

Appreciation Birthday Creatures Ever After Rares Reanimate Uncommons

More Cards Assurance

I realize it might be a tad to early to talk about this, but are there going to be more Magic cards ever after what we know about? I haven't really grasped object permanence yet.

Look over there. : )

Ever After

Show Ending Preference

How do you wish how I met your mother ended?

SPOILER: IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE LAST “HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER” AND CARE, STOP READING! I wanted Ted and the mom (Tracy, we now know) to live happily ever after. If you’re going to make me wait nine years to hear a story, make it a happy one please.

Happily Ever After Spoilers Story / Lore