Why were hydras (a historically red creature type) chosen as green's iconic and not Wurms who have had a history of being beefy green creatures?

Wurms are wingless dragons and are just too close to dragons, red’s iconic. We explored all of the creatures in green and couldn’t find anything that worked, so we had to branch out (pun as always intended). I believe hydras were in red because of Alpha’s Rock Hydra which tied to elements of red. We like it as green’s iconic because it plays nicely into both green’s ferocity and its connection to growth.

It's kind of annoying you guys gave Triumph of Ferocity an alternate art. There is nothing wrong with the original art; it portrays the struggle equally, in which Liliana wins with Triumph of Cruelty. I think doing so admits that WOTC thinks the first portrayal is indecent, when it is not.

You have to remember that intent is not enough. Yes, our motives behind the illustration were pure, but the way it was perceived upset a portion of our audience. We have to be sensitive to the fact that, out of context, the art portrayed some things that we work very hard to avoid in our game. The portrayal of women in Magic is something that we strive to be a leader on in our industry. Part of living up to that goal is being aware not just of what we mean when we make our cards but what the audience perceives when they look at them. We changed the art because it was creating messages, intended or not, that we did not mean to send. I realize that some people, such as yourself, did not perceive the art that way, but you need to understand that others did and we have to be respectful of that.

Maro, a few years back on the way home from the pub, I was attacked by a badger. This actually happened. I emerged victorious in the brief altercation that followed, but I certainly gained a new respect for the ferocity and courage of the humble badger. I'd like the Question Marks who have disrespected the badger to know - NEVER underestimate a badger. They're worthy adversaries. I'm actually not kidding, I genuinely get charged by a badger. I can't wait to re-enact our scrap in card form!

I also get people sending me articles about people being attacked by squirrels. Do not disrespect the badger (or squirrel).

Attributes of Green that don't involve nature and preservation? In short, please.

Patience, acceptance, instinct, ferocity, wisdom.

Just to make a counterpoint here on Blogatog, I think you finally got the point of Green's iconic creature with hydras. I really think they embody Green's "ethos" with perfection. They're huge, mighty, and epic-feeling, they have strong fantasy background as rare, savage monsters, and are a pure manifestation of "savagery", "ferocity", and "growth". Yeah, Hydras (Hydrae?). You got it. Congratz.

Both hydras and sphinxes are our latest attempts and green and blue iconics respectively, but I’m happy that both are showing potential.