Fabricate

Mana-Based Ward Shift

I may be misremembering, but I feel like you mentioned in the past that mana-based Ward costs would be for White, Blue, and Green, whereas life, discard, and sacrifice-based Ward costs would be for Black and Red. However, we've recently seen Gisa, the Hellraise as a mono-black card with a mana-based Ward cost. Did I completely fabricate this rule, or has design shifted?

That’s where we started. We found mana-based ward just plays better, so we now allow black and red access to it when necessary for play balance reasons.

Black Blue Discard Fabricate Fabricate Game Balance Green Red Rules Ward White

Expanded Design Space

Are there any mechanics you felt you used all design space In the past that now has more to use due to changes in color pie or design technology?

There are definitely mechanics that have a tight design space that there isn’t a lot of room to make more practical designs. Cipher and fabricate are two examples. (And yes, there is room to make cipher spells in the three colors we didn’t.)

Cipher Color Pie Colors Design Space Fabricate Mechanics Spells

Mechanic Design Space

Are there any particular mechanic(s) that would be unlikely to see in a premier set (though might see one-off cards in a precon or Horizons set) not because it plays poorly, but because the design space for it is limited? Like if you made another premier set with them you'd basically be making most of the same cards but with tweaked numbers maybe.

There are numerous mechanics that are pinched for design space. Cipher and fabricate are the two that come to mind.

Cipher Design Space Fabricate Limited Mechanics Premier Sets

Design Space Limitations

Have you ever found out a design space you previously mapped wasn't as big as you thought initially?

It happens all the time. Usually, it’s because the practical design space is small. Fabricate would be a good example. There just wasn’t a great number of power/toughness/fabricate numbers that worked well.

Design Space Fabricate

Mechanics Together Prediction

Do you think we will ever see fabricate, proliferate, and populate in the same set? I assume it would most likely have to be something like a horizons or masters set, but those three mechanics seem like they would be fun to see together in a limited environment.

Modern Horizons is the only place I expect to see them together.

Fabricate Fabricate Limited Mechanics Modern Horizons Populate Proliferate

White Fabricate Possibility

When/if: white Fabricate?

Probably when. Maybe not exactly the same.

Fabricate White

Trivia on Angels and Demons

Was wondering if I could get some birthday trivia on the angels and/or demons of Kaladesh. They’re my favorite creature types and Kaladesh had the most interesting ones, but not a lot of lore outside of “they’re made by people and they’re cool to look at.”

Angel of Invention started as a small white creature with Fabricate that granted +1/+1 to your team. That pushed towards you always getting the Servo creature tokens, so we added flying, vigilance, and lifelink to encourage you to sometimes get the +1/+1 counters. Then when we looked at the final package, we said, “We’ll, I guess this has to be an Angel.”Happy Birthday!

Angel Angel of Invention Birthday Creatures Demon Fabricate Fabricate Flying Kaladesh Lifelink Lifelink Servo Story / Lore Tokens Vigilance White

Favorite Named Mechanic

Hey Mark! It’s my birthday and would just like to ask which named mechanic that uses +1/+1 counters is your favorite?

Today, my answer is fabricate.

Birthday Fabricate Fabricate Mark's Favorites Mechanics

Favorite Mechanics or Cards

I feel like a lot of people who say you’ve only done bad for the game don’t realize you’re probably behind some of their favorite mechanics or cards too. For a change of pace, can you list some beloved mechanics or cards you’re responsible for?

Here are the Magic mechanics I’ve had a hand in creating: Absorb, Addendum, Affinity, Aftermath, Aura Swap, Battle Cry, Bolster, Champion, Changeling, Cipher, Companion, Contraptions, Crew (Vehicles), Dash, Deathtouch, Delve, Dredge, Embalm, Energy, Entwine, Evoke, Exert, Exploit, Fabricate, Fateful Hour, Fateseal, Ferocious, Flashback, Flip, Forecast, Fortify, Frenzy, Gotcha, Graft, Gravestorm, Heroic, Hexproof, Host/Augment, Hybrid Mana, Imprint, Infect, Intimidate, Kicker, Landfall, Lifelink, Living Weapon, Madness, Manifest, Mentor, Modular, Monstrosity, Morbid, Morph, Multikicker, Mutate, Ninjitsu, Phyrexian Mana, Poisonous, Populate, Proliferate, Prowl, Raid, Rally, Reach, Recover, Reinforce, Retrace, Ripple, Shroud, Soulbond, Splice, Split Cards, Split Second, Suspend, Transfigure, Transform, Typecycling, Undying, Unearth, Vanishing and Wither.

Absorb Absorb Addendum Affinity Aftermath Aura Swap Battle Cry Battle Cry Bolster Champion Changeling Cipher Companion Contraptions Crew Dash Deathtouch Delve Dredge Dredge Embalm Entwine Evoke Exert Exploit Fabricate Fabricate Fateful hour Fateseal Ferocious Flashback Forecast Fortify Fortify Frenzy Graft Gravestorm Gravestorm Heroic Hexproof Hybrid Imprint Infect Intimidate Kicker Landfall Lifelink Lifelink Living Weapon Madness Mana Manifest Mechanics Mentor Modular Monstrosity Morbid Morph Morph Mutate Ninjitsu Phyrexian Poisonous Populate Proliferate Prowl Raid Rally Rally Recover Reinforce Retrace Ripple Shroud Soulbond Splice Split Cards Split Second Suspend Suspend Transfigure Transform Undying Unearth Unearth Vanishing Vanishing Vehicles Wither Your Hand

Fabricate's Design Space

What are some mechanics that have high design space, but hard to balance due to play design reasons which means we won't see it?

Fabricate is a good example of a mechanic that hypothetically has a lot of design space, but really doesn’t as there aren’t a lot of balancesble designs where it’s an interesting choice.

Design Space Fabricate Mechanics Play Design

Modular in Kaladesh

Was Modular ever considered for Kaladesh? That mechanic makes me feel like an inventor.

Modular only works with artifact creatures and Kaladesh was on the low end of artifact creatures for an artifact set. Also, because of Fabricate, a lot of the artifact creatures were tokens and we try to avoid “pennies on nickels” (aka putting counters on tokens).

Artifacts Creatures Fabricate Kaladesh Mechanics Modular Tokens

Tri-Colored Legends in Play

"There are few sets that couldn’t justify a tri-colored card. It’s just something we’re judicious with." Going forward, if you have a set mechanic that appears in more than two colors, it might be a good idea to design a rare or mythic legend in those colors for that mechanic. Say, if SOI had a UBR Runo Stromkirk for Madness, or Kaladesh had a WBG legend for Fabricate.

I understand this is a common request from Commander players and we try to do things like this when we can. It’s important to understand that we have a lot of audiences we’re trying to serve. Let’s take the legendary creatures in War of the Spark as an example. We only have so many slots for legendary creatures (because if you don’t care about the flavor/Commander-ness of them, the ability is just a drawback), so we have to pick and choose them carefully. War of the Spark is an event set and also a non-guild Ravnica set. There are a lot of Ravnican characters that either players wanted to see fighting in the war or haven’t ever had the chance to have a card before. Making a three-color legendary creature meant not making a Fblthp or a Massacre Girl and we chose to side with the Vorthoses over the Commander players with our legendary slots in this set due to the nature of the set.

Abzan (W/B/G) Colors Commander Creatures Fabricate Flavor Grixis (U/B/R) Kaladesh Legendary Creatures Madness Massacre Girl Mechanics Rares Two Color Vorthos War of the Spark

Amass vs Skirmish

You've said (and we'll soon learn) Skirmish was Amass but going wide, not tall. Was there consideration to allowing a choice, like Fabricate? Either make a new 0/0 army with the spell, or increase the ranks of a current one with counters, presumably having to do it all on one with higher Amass numbers. Or do you think it'd play mostly like Skirmish too often and lead to the same issues that had?

Skirmish was a completely different mechanic. The precursor to Amass went wide, but had game play issue and synergy issues that Amass solved.

Amass Army Fabricate Game Play Mechanics Solved

Future Storm Scale Articles

On topic of all the Storm Scale discussion, it occurs to me that the only mechanics released after Eldritch Moon that received a rating on the scale have been Energy and Fabricate. Can we expect an article or something similar that will change that in the near future?

My next Storm Scale article (later this year) will probably cover Kaladesh and Amonkhet.

Amonkhet Eldritch Moon Fabricate Kaladesh Keyword Abilities Mechanics Storm Scale

Kaladesh Storm Scale

Will we ever get an article about Kaladesh's Storm Scale? I find them to be interesting insight and I'm curious about Energy and Fabricate.

Some day.

Fabricate Kaladesh Keyword Abilities Storm Scale

Fabricate's Storm Scale

Hey, Mark! Where is Fabricate in the storm scale? It's my favorite mechanic in Kaladesh

Fabricate is probably a 6. Interestingly, not because it wasn’t well liked, but because the design space for it is pretty narrow.

Design Space Fabricate Kaladesh Keyword Abilities Mechanics Storm Scale

Kaladesh Missed Opportunity

Why didn't you use Kaladesh to solve Contraptions? It seems like you were almost there with Fabricate and the flavor is appropriate (if you put goblins in Kaladesh, that is).

I couldn’t fit it in Energy and Contraptions and Energy fit the world and set better.

Contraptions Fabricate Flavor Goblin Kaladesh

Kaladesh's Fifth Mechanic

In your new article, Aether Way, you describe how there were 5 mechanics that were well-liked in early Kaladesh design, that including vehicles, energy, fabricate, and reverse engineer. I can't help but notice that's 4 mechanics -- what's up with the fifth one? Was it good enough that you guys are keeping it a secret for now for future sets, or what was it?

It was a cool mechanic that ended up adding too much complexity with Energy and Vehicles. It is something that has potential to be used again. You can call it Mechanic I.

Fabricate Kaladesh Mechanics Reverse Engineer Vehicles

Fabricate in Aether Revolt

Does fabricate make any appearances in Aether Revolt?

No.

Aether Revolt Fabricate Revolt

+1/+1 Counters Usage

Could we have a set where giving +1/+1 and/or -1/-1 counters isn't part of a mechanic (fabricate, outlast, renown, support, etc....)?

You mean like the set Shadows over Innistrad? : )

Fabricate Keyword Actions Mechanics Outlast Renown Shadows over Innistrad