Fractal

Preferred Batch Preferences

I know it's a big one, but my preferred batch would be Centaur, Ally, Fractal, Mystic, Yeti, Owl, Octopus, even though the sound of it is something quite precocious.

: )

Ally Batches Centaur Fractal Humor Mystic Octopus Yeti

Unique Creatures Production Frequency

"1) There are also a bunch lower down on the scale. We have a lot of unique things to Magic.2) A bunch you have listed aren’t unique to Magic (like noggle or ouphe)." Which unique creatures are lower on the scale besides Slivers? And even those are only in supplemental sets at this point. I didn't know those weren't unique to magic, but the point is still the same; you guys seem to produce the more interesting looking and less generic creatures less often.

The original Magic creature types: Aetherborn, Assembly-Worker, Atog, Azra, Beeble, Blinkmoth, Bringer, Brushwagg, Camarid, Cephalid, Eldrazi, Fractal, Graveborn, Homarid, Inkling, Kavu, Kithkin, Kor, Lhurgoyf, Licid, Masticore, Metathran, Myr, Nightstalker, Orgg, Pentavite, Pest, Phelddagrif, Phyrexian, Praetor, Rigger, Saproling, Slith, Sliver, Soltari, Spellshaper, Spike, Surrakar, Tetravite, Thalakos, Triskelavite, Vedalken, Viashino, Volver, and Zubera.A bunch of those have appeared on new cards in the last five years.

Aetherborn Assembly-Worker Assembly-Worker Atog Atog Azra Beeble Blinkmoth Bringer Brushwagg Brushwagg Camarid Cephalid Colorless Competitive Play Creatures Eldrazi Fractal Graveborn Homarids Inkling Kavu Kithkin Kor Lhurgoyf Lhurgoyf Licid Masticore Masticore Metathran Myr Nightstalker Noggle Orgg Orgg Ouphe Pentavite Pest Phelddagrif Phelddagrif Phyrexian Praetor Rigger Saprolings Slith Sliver Soltari Spellshaper Spike Surrakar Tetravite Thalakos Triskelavite Vedalken Viashino Volver Zubera

Quandrix's Identity Evolution

In your state of design you talk about creating a more different identity for Quandrix. Could you share some of the ideas you had in that regard?

Our original version was more of a “go wide” strategy similar to what Selesnya does. In our version Fractals we’re 1/1 creature tokens with variables determining how many you got rather than how big they were.

Creatures Fractal Selesnya (G/W) Simic (G/U) Tokens

Doubling Season Appreciation

Thanks Mark for all your efforts to make doubling a thing! I Created a super large Kalonian Hydra today because of Doubling Season and Fractal Harness.

Always happy to meet a fellow doubling fan.

Appreciation Doubling Season Fractal Fractal Harness Hydra Kalonian Hydra

Complexity of Witherbloom and Quandrix Cards

Something I noticed: The Pest token text takes up a lot of space on a card. Same with the Fractal token counter setting text. Did this limit the complexity of the Witherbloom and Quandrix cards at all?

It kept them off the mascot competition card.

Fractal Golgari (B/G) Pest Simic (G/U) Tokens

Quandrix Fractal Generation Cards

Can you give a high five to whoever decided to put so many Fractal generating cards in the Quandrix Commander deck? I was worried that I wouldn't have enough Fractal cards to really make a Fractals deck, but this helps out a lot!

Will do.

Commander Decks Fractal High Fives Simic (G/U)

Quandrix vs Simic Mechanics

Genuine question: How is Quandrix mechanically different than Simic? Ramping and putting +1/+1 counters on creatures seems like a traditional simic play style, at least without having played the set.

Simic is about putting +1/+1 counters and creatures and then granting abilities to creatures with a counter on them. Quandrix does none of that. It uses +1/+1 counters to make an adjustable token (Fractals), but it’s not central to the faction as a theme the way it is in Simic.

Creatures Factions Fractal Mechanics Simic (G/U) Tokens

Fractals and Inklings: Creature Types

Was there a lot of puahback against Fractals and Inklings? They are fairly strange creature types that don't seem very applicable outside of Strixhaven.

Sometimes you make creature types for the Vorthos (flavorful) and sometimes for the Mels (functional) and sometimes both when it works out.

Creatures Flavor Fractal Inkling Melvin / Mel Vorthos

Limitations of Mascot Exhibition

Why does Mascot Exhibition exclude Fractals and Pests? Couldn't it have made all 5 mascot tokens? Or maybe allow the player a choice in which mascots it made?

All five would be too powerful for 7 and there isn’t rules text space to list what Pests do and how many counters on the Fractal even if it wasn’t.

Fractal Mascot Exhibition Pest Rules Tokens

Fractals in Quandrix

As someone who is a fan of math, can we expect Fractals to appear elsewhere or are they a strictly Quandrix thing?

They are strictly a Quandrix thing (at least in Strixhaven).

Fractal Simic (G/U)

Flavor Perspective of Quandrix

From a flavor perspective, why is Quandrix u/g instead of something like w/u? Fractals and patterns are inherently orderly, and it seems that's more white than green. I'm probably blanking on the actual reason that green makes sense though...

One of the main conflicts in math is this: is math something humans created or something we discovered? Is it something humans came up with or an inherent natural part of the world? A classic blue/green conflict.

Azorius (W/U) Blue Flavor Fractal Green Human Simic (G/U) White

Art on Unreleased Cards

When working with unreleased cards, why don't you put some sort of art on the stickers, such as emoji or randomly generated fractals, to ease memory issues. This might help solve some memory problems (referencing drive to work #239 Starting in R&D).

We have a lot to do so time is a valuable resource. While the pictures might be fun, it’s probably not worth the time investment.

Art Drive to Work Fractal Game Design Stickers