Exchange

Top 5 Musical Preferences

Mark, my birthday was the day after yours but I couldn’t come up with a trivia question. My wife and I are taking a 20th anniversary trip (delayed 3 years because of COVID first and then a desire to see our German exchange student’s graduation) to Europe. Today, I just had a Piece-a Pisa Pizza in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Knowing your love of pizza, puns and dad jokes, figured you’d get a kick out of this! If you’d indulge a belated birthday question (albeit not Magic trivia), could you please give me your Top 5 favorite musicals (yet another interest we share along with pizza)?

My #1 musical is Little Shop of Horrors. #2 through #5 is a bit harder to classify?Other musicals I’m fond of: Pippin, Beetlejuice, Something Rotten, Chicago, Chess, Book of Mormon, and A Chorus Line.Happy Belated Birthday!

Birthday Blogatog / Tumblr Europe Exchange Germany Horror Humor

Strixhaven and Tolarian Academies Connection

Hi Mark! Does Strixhaven and the Tolarian Academies have any exchange programs nowadays?

Maybe. : )

Exchange Humor

Surprising Black Border Mechanic

what was an acorn mechanic/aesthetic that you were surprised when it was ok'd for black border?

I was quite surprised Exchange of Words worked.

Black Border Exchange Exchange of Words Mechanics Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

LGS Challenges with Boosters

Mark, today, my LGS of 24 years announced that it is closing at the end of the month because it can no longer run a profit because of Play Boosters. Since Limited was its primary revenue driver, the increased cost of running a draft, combined with the USD/CAD exchange rate and a weak economy, running the LGS became financially untenable. Charging more for draft wasn't an option. There are many similar LGS outside the US facing the same problem. Regular draft boosters served an important role.

The market was driving away draft boosters. Not enough people were buying them to justify their existence. Play boosters was us doing something to keep limited play from going away.

Boosters Draft Boosters Draft Formats Exchange Game Stores Limited Play Boosters Primary

Normal Colorless Cards

When you make those normal colorless cards, are they likely going to take spots from colorless artifacts in a set skeleton?

Usually, but not always. You can always exchange a cycle of monocolored cards for five colorless cards if your set needs them.

Artifacts Colorless Cycles Exchange Skeleton

Control Effects Balance

Is there a reason most donate and exchange control effects, especially in recent years, only do creatures? Similarly, is there a reason that almost every exchange control effect requires that the permanents share a card type?

It’s a safety valve for play balance.

Card Types Creatures Donate Exchange Game Balance Permanents

Planeswalker Feedback

It's been (almost) one year since Mom. One year since the desparking and the omenpaths. And i have to say.... i'm just as unhappy about it as i was back then. Omenpaths so far have been used or for Kellan's travel (in which he dosen't act different from a planeswalker) and for the villian mash-up of thunder junction. Desparking meant throwing away the core cast of characters you built for the last 10+ years. What has come to replace them? Nothing. Kellan settling down after less than a year of introducing him removes any chances of him being the start of something new. All in all i feel like you broke something that was special about the IP (planeswalkers) and all the work you did in getting players attached to them. For slightly different planeswalkers and a set that feels like an online game battlepass.I'm not one for undoing the consequences of events, because they take away from the stakes of the future ones. But if this is what we get in exchange for the characters we spent time with for all these years.... i'd be happy to have an event set be a "second sundering" to MAT "spellplague".

How do others feel about this?

Exchange March of the Machine: The Aftermath Omenpaths Planeswalkers

Birds Trivia Exchange

Can I exchange my birthday trivia token for a trivium(?) about birds?

When the game started each different bird type was its own creature type, but we wanted to make cards that cared about birds, so we consolidated all the individual bird types into Bird. Trivia question: What is the only type of bird to get a card with a typal ability for it (as opposed to the general Bird)? I have faith someone will answer it correctly in the notes.Happy Birthday!

Bird Birthday Creatures Exchange Kindred / Typal Tokens

Unfinity Gameplay Mechanics

Suppose I'm playing Unfinity draft. I play Octo Opus, then use Exchange of Words to swap the token's text box with my opponent's Mind Goblin. I then cast Phone a Friend, and the friend chooses A, letting me take control of the Mind Goblin. On my next upkeep, can I fold Mind Goblin in half?

No. You can’t fold a card you do not own.

Draft Formats Exchange Exchange of Words Game Play Goblin Mechanics Octo Opus Phone a Friend

Gratitude to Creative Team

Law of Equivalent Exchange says that I owe Creative Team an arm and a leg, and several pints of blood for returning my favourite character, Melek back from the dead after 10 years without new art of flavortext. Can I request high fives and hysterical laughter to be handled out to the Creative Team as an acceptable substitute and token of my gratitude?

Can do.

Art Blood Exchange High Fives Tokens

Creature Type Consolidation

If I live to be a hundred, I will never understand the argument for consolidating creature types. The whole point of playing a typal deck is that it restricts your choices and reduces the power level you would have if you were free to pick any creature you wanted in exchange for something else, be that mechanical payoff or strong flavor. Picking a type that is small or weak or has no payoffs is a concession that something about that type appeals to you more than win percentage.Like, the logical endpoint of consolidation is that every two-armed two-legged creature is a Humanoid, or every non-sentient biological creature is an Animal, and you can play all the strongest cards in your deck, but the type has ceased to have any meaning.

I think most people who ask for consolidation want the creature types to feel flavorfully connected.

Creatures Exchange Flavor Kindred / Typal Power Level

GenCon Event Tale

Good evening, Mark. I would like to invoke the sacred rite of birthday trivia! I've heard of the pro-tour in which Unglued, the first un-set, was being played, and a player attacked with Hurloon Wrangler, which has denimwalk (This creature can’t be blocked as long as defending player is wearing denim.). In response, the opponent declared "I take off my pants." However, it's hard to find firsthand accounts of this. Can you tell us how it happened?

It wasn’t at a Pro Tour. It was at 1998’s GenCon. Unglued’s only prerelease events were held at GenCon. That was the event that I head judged dressed as a chicken. We had just started the first round of the first flight and I was walking through the playing area. I then hear the following exchange.“I attack with Hurloon Wrangler.” “In response to you choosing your attackers, I remove my pants.”I literally said, “What have I done?”Happy Birthday!

Birthday Blogatog / Tumblr Chicken Competitive Play Creatures Exchange Hurloon Wrangler Prerelease Sealed Format Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Strixhaven Sequel Hint

With us going to Arcavios, does that mean it is unlikely for us to ever see a Strixhaven 2 Set? Omen Paths really open up the exchange program and Rival School genres. I would hate for us to miss the chance before we lose Omen Paths eventually.

Yachting is a return to Strixhaven.

Exchange Omenpaths

Identity Poetic Exchange

I'm nobody. Who are you? Are you nobody too?

Then there’s a pair of us! Don’t tell! they’d advertise - you know!

Exchange

White Counterspell Limitations

Hi Mark! I love that white got Reprieve. Is it out of the question for a new white "counter target spell" if it gave the opponent a consolation prize like Arcane Denial?

We’re not planning to give white “counter target spell” outright. White can delay or tax, but not 100% counter in exchange for giving the opponent a consolation prize.

Arcane Denial Exchange Reprieve White

Flavoring Blood in Vow

In crimson vow did you ever try to flavoring blood as trading vials of blood, getting something but giving something up in exchange, which anyone can do? Then only vampires drink the blood for power.

That’s what rummaging is.

Blood Exchange Vampire

White Mana Trivia

Bonjour Mark :) It's a huge privilege from you giving us the possibility to exchange about this crazy game you're mostly in charge. I'm 46 today (truly, the 20-1) and I play since my 17 ! And ALL this time I (almost) play exclusively White, so now that I found you; if my very 1st msg would be (please) a HB trivia about White, be prepared for questions about White in the next days ! ;) And a great thankx above all for this and what you do.

White is the only mana symbol to have a major redo since Alpha. It was done just before Ice Age, so close that there is an Ice Age promo card with the old white mana symbol.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Exchange Humor Mana Promos White

Token Text Box Query

The text box of a token or vanilla creature is considered empty for purposes of Exchange of Words, correct?

It can have flavor text or a watermark which can matter in Un-games.

Creatures Exchange Exchange of Words Flavor Text Tokens Vanilla Watermarks

Exchange of Words Query

Hi Mark, Un-rules question. I have a Juggletron and another creature on the battlefield and cast Exchange of Words. Text boxes are swapped. Does the ability of Juggletron no longer function when the other creature attacks because it's name isn't Juggletron, or does it because Juggletron in the rules text functionally means "this card", as per the explanation of the rules for tokens in the release notes?

The name means “this card”.

Creatures Exchange Exchange of Words Juggletron Rules Tokens Un-sets

Exchange Policy Explanation

If I open a pack of Magic and get a Transformers card can I exchange it for a real Magic Card through customer service?

A note to everyone. Please don’t use “real” to differentiate between Magic cards that you play and Magic cards other people play. It’s gatekeeping and it’s exclusionary. Everyone can play the way they enjoy and it’s just as “real” a game of Magic as how you play.

Exchange