Eyes

Storm Scale Zero Explanation

Re: zero isn’t a thing [on the storm scale]Can we say that “being a magic card” is a zero? A one means it’s something that every set has, so in my eyes, a zero must mean something that every card has. As far as I know, the only thing every magic card has in common is that they are magic cards.

The scene is 1-10. There is no 0.

Eyes Storm Scale

Dream About Designer's House

Hi Mark, sorry if weird but last night I dreamed I was a guest in your house. It was a little awkward but you were very nice. Outside your kitchen window there were some very aggro squirrels. Just thought you might like to know (or maybe not, but here we are).

I’m glad I was a good dream host. I’ll keep an eye out for dream squirrels.

Eyes Guests Squirrels

Batch Preview for New Type

Is it possible to use a batch to preview an upcoming card type, such as "[existing type], [existing type], and [new type] are blahs"? Or are Eye of Ugin style previews basically impossible without blocks?

It’s possible, but needs a compelling reason. It’s not dependent on blocks.

Batches Card Types Eyes Spoilers Eye of Ugin

Alter Creature Types

Can Blue alter creature types in permanents? For example, Blue changes Lovisa Coldeyes to "Each creature that’s a Barbarian, a Warrior, or a FISH gets +2/+2 and has haste."

It could hack creature types in rules text.

Barbarian Blue Creatures Fish Haste Lovisa Coldeyes Permanents Rules Warrior

Understanding Vertical Cycles

I've never heard of vertical cycles before. What would be an example so I can keep an eye out?

Urza and Mishra each have a vertical cycle in The Brothers’ War with three different versions each at its own rarity (uncommon, rare, mythic rare). Note most vertical cycles tend to be common/uncommon/rare or mythic rare.

Cycles Eyes Mishra Mythic Rares Rares Rarity Uncommons

Rules Text Query

Any idea why, on Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea, it's necessary to say "creature or creature card" instead of just "creature"??

It’s so you can activate abilities of creature cards in your graveyard.

Activate Creatures Eye Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea Rules The Graveyard

Planeswalker Tutoring

Re: Tutoring planeswalkers - White already has four planeswalker tutors in eternal formats - Djeru, With Eyes Open, Academy Rector, Call the Gatewatch, and Ignite the Beacon. Three of those are also legal in Modern and Pioneer

FYI

Academy Rector Call the Gatewatch Djeru, With Eyes Open Eternal Eye Format Legality Ignite the Beacon Modern Pioneer Planeswalkers Tutoring White

Urza Lore Query

Why does the new Urza card become a planeswalker by merging with the Mightstone and the Weakstone? I thought that in the story Urza's spark ignited due to him setting off the Sylex Blast (ie at the horror at what he had done). Wasn't it KARN who became a planeswalker using the Mightstone and Weakstone?

The mightstone and weakstone became his eyes when that change happened.

Eyes Horrors Mightstone Planeswalkers Story / Lore The Mightstone and Weakstone Weakstone

Green and Technology

This is my first time pitching a question so honestly I’m a bit nervous and I hope you see it. So lately I’ve been doing a lot of research about the colors both mechanically and philosophically, and a lot of that involves reading your articles and listening to your drive to works, and I have a question regarding Green. Does Green’s philosophy hate all technology. I’ve always kind of assumed that it ends up not liking a lot of technology because it prizes the natural order of the world/universe/plane/multiverse as the ideal state and in the eyes of some Green aligned characters a lot of technology would mess with everything’s natural purpose. That and we’ve seen Green characters use technology, such as on Kaladesh, and characters like Nissa don’t go around smashing every building they see. I’ve always assumed that while a Green aligned character can hate all technology such an idea isn’t a requirement to fall under Green philosophically speaking. I was just hoping for some clarification or an answer because I couldn't find, or don't remember, if this was explicitly stated to be the case or not anywhere.

Green, as a default, is distrustful of technology and generally is happy to destroy artifacts. This can vary world to world, and there are natural artifacts that green does like.

Artifacts Colors Destroy Eyes Green Kaladesh Making Magic Natural Order

Batching Tribals Opinion

Happy Friday, Mark! I was curious about your opinion on "batching" tribals, cards like Death Baron or Lovisa Coldeyes that effect more than one creature type at a time. Is there much design room there, or does it cross the dangerous "just because we can doesn't mean we should" line?

I think it’s interesting, and not particularly dangerous, design space.

Batches Creatures Death Baron Design Space Lovisa Coldeyes

Cross Tribe Support

Hello Mark,From what I understand, the issue about creating new creature types is to find a balance between flavor and tribal/mechanical support. What do you think about creating more cards with "cross tribe" support in mind? (Especially for niche creature types; I really liked lovisa coldeyes supporting barbarians and berserkers for example)

We do cross creature types where it flavorfully makes sense.

Barbarian Berserker Creatures Flavor Keyword Actions Kindred / Typal Lovisa Coldeyes

Keyword Volume Concerns

Looking back at some Lymph Sliver, I noticed that Shield of the Realm basically says: Equipped creature gets Absorb 2. Looking back, since the keyword was introduced, a few other cards could have made use of it including Shield of the Avatar, Hedron-Field Purists, and Djeru, With Eyes Open. I know you said previously its a hard ability to design around, yet the ability itself has shown up from time to time. So why not the keyword?

It’s not something we ever want to do in volume, so it doesn’t make sense to keyword.

Absorb Avatar Creatures Djeru, With Eyes Open Eye Hedron-Field Purists Keywords Lymph Sliver Shield of the Avatar Shield of the Realm Sliver

Pre-Revisionist Characters

To answer that one person's question, numerous pre-revisionist characters have already jumped into modern Magic. Nicol Bolas, Freyalise, Tevesh Szat, Leshrac, Kristina of the Woods, Taysir, Urza, Mishra, Yawgmoth, Lim-Dul, King Darien, Lovisa Coldeyes, Empress Galina, and more! The first Dominaria story even referenced Dakkon Blackblade!

FYI

Dakkon Blackblade Dominaria Empress Galina Lovisa Coldeyes Mishra Modern Nicol Bolas Story / Lore Urza

Urza's Ultimate Fate

Beheading didn't really stop Urza, though. When the gemstone eyes that carried his/Glacian's spark were torn out of his head and his head was vaporized, that definitely did him in. (The gem and was planted within Karn, who assimilated the spark and ascended during the same explosion.)

FYI

Eyes

Karn's Spark Origin

Karn's first spark was, if you go way back, Glacian's. Glacian was the Thran architect responsible for creating powerstones. When he died, his spark was trapped within the powerstone that Urza and Mishra shattered and split. When Urza should have died in the Sylex Blast, the powerstone became his eyes, and acted as his own spark. Gerrard tore Urza's eyes out at the climax of the Phyrexian Invasion, and Glacian's spark transferred to Karn. Xantcha was Phyrexian and had no spark.

FYI

Eyes Gerrard Invasion Mishra Phyrexians Xantcha

Colorless Commander Lands

Just an FYI, Barry's land would help colorless Commanders (Karn, Ulamog, Kozilek) as you can't use any colorproducing land when they are commanders. Barry's land would make the manabase cheaper and less vulnerable to effects which compensate by giving the player a basic land.

I understand the value of such a land. I’ve been trying to make it since long before the Commander format was a twinkle in anyone’s eyes. There are thorny rules issues.

Barry's Land Colorless Commander Eyes Lands Rules

Lovisa and Commander

Was Lovisa Coldeyes made with Commander in mind at all? She makes for a really fun deck. I probably have more fun with her than my nephilim deck despite that deck having 3 more colours and tonnes more expensive cards.

While Commander existed at the time it hadn’t yet gotten much of a spotlight on it, so no she was designed with the format in mind as I, her creator, didn’t know about the format yet.

Colors Commander Lovisa Coldeyes Nephilim

Lovisa Coldeyes Facts

Maro, it's my birthday today and it's -7 here in Minneapolis. Would you be able to tell me some interesting fact about Lovisa Coldeyes to warm me up?

When we were making Coldsnap, were trying to include things that we felt could have been in the Ice Age block but had not been. Lovisa had been referenced in flavor text so she seemed like a good fit. She was completely a top down design to match her flavor. Happy birthday and stay warm!

Birthday Coldsnap Flavor Ice Age Lovisa Coldeyes Mark Rosewater Top Down