Grandeur

Insights on Absorb Mechanic Designs

Hello, I heard something interesting about MH3 where you retried EVERY mechanic to see what would work with a new context or be interesting. You (WoTC) revisited many of my favorite mechanics like grandeur but didn't for probably my favorite. That mechanic is absorb, and while it has only been keyworded on one card "Lymph Sliver" it did see a continuation on my favorite card of all "Valkmira, Protector's Shield" alongside what would only a few sets later become ward. I wanted to know if you could share any insights on the designs taken with absorb or any other of your favorite mechanics? Thank you very much for your time.

I designed Lymph Sliver and absorb. If I remember correctly, I was riffing off of a shield mechanic from the Star Wars TCG. (It was a trading card game design lead by Richard Garfield that I was on the initial design team for.)

Absorb Absorb Appreciation Game Design Grandeur Lymph Sliver Mechanics Modern Horizons 3 Richard Garfield Sliver Ward Wizards of the Coast

Legendary Goboin Design

The common Legendary Goboin with Grandeur in MH3 seems like it should have been a cycle. Was it always a one-off or were there others that got cut?

We’ve talked about making common legendary creatures with grandeur for years. I have no idea if this was a one-of or there were plans for a whole cycle that got cut. My gut is the former, but that’s just a guess.

Creatures Cycles Grandeur Legendary Creatures Modern Horizons 3

Illusions of Grandeur Color

Would Illusions of Grandeur still be Blue? Or what color would its effect fall too?

It wasn’t blue (colorpiewise) when it was printed. It’s white or green.

Blue Card Printing Colors Grandeur Green Illusion Illusions of Grandeur White

Spy Kit Surprise

With Spy Kit in blackboarder and _____ in Unhinged is it a when or if until we see a card that can be used for Grandeur even though it isn't the same card?

The fact that Spy Kit was printed in black border surprises me to this day. When I first saw it, I literally said, why is this Un-card here?

_____ Black Border Card Printing Grandeur Spy Spy Kit

DFC Legend Complexity

Hey Mark, just saw an ask about legendary creatures and the possibility of a grandeur mechanic to make the legend drawback a bit less painful with multiple copies. I understand not wanting to make it more complex but what are your thoughts on making some legends doublefaced with a spell on the back that can only be cast if the front facing legend is on the battlefield?

I think it’s too much.

Creatures Dual Faced Cards Grandeur Legendary Creatures Mechanics

Legendary Drawback Solution

"[The Legendary rule is] a drawback that causes many design problems." Have you ever considered making all Legendary creatures/permanents inherently have some version of the Grandeur mechanic, or something similar in broad strokes? Something to make duplicate Legendary cards not be bad draws.

Adding more complication is not the direction we’re looking for.

Creatures Grandeur Legendary Creatures Mechanics Permanents Rules

Delusions Color Shift

What color(s) would Delusions of Grandeur be if you designed it today?

Probably white.

Colors Grandeur White

Commander Design Philosophy

If or When, a new legendary creature card(probably for an existing character) where one of the effects is such a slam dunk for it that it is printed as-is despite not working in commander without some serious tomfoolery or roundabouts(eg. grandeur,clarion ultimatum)

Not every legendary creature is designed for Commander.

Card Printing Clarion Ultimatum Commander Creatures Grandeur If/When

Reason for Mechanic Changes

Just to add my opinion to the card design articles, I would love to hear more “Why” these changes are happening. Like in the latest one, a few mechanics left the set so the card had to be changed. But Why did that mechanic leave the set? What exactly stopped Grandeur from being in DMU for instance?

The vast majority of the time the answer is “we playtested it and it didn’t play well”. Is that a compelling reason for why?

Dominaria United Grandeur Mechanics

Grandeur Storm Scale

With uncommon legends now appearing in the majority of new sets, would you say Grandeur has moved up or down on the Storm Scale.

More uncommon legendary creatures moves it down the Storm Scale, but the popularity of Commander moves it up.

Commander Creatures Grandeur Legendary Creatures Storm Scale Uncommons

Changing Color for Old Cards

About life gain, do the old cards like Illusions of Grandeur still considered in blue color pie? If not, what color it would be nowadays.

It wasn’t blue when it got made. I tried to keep it out of blue, but failed. EDIT: Oops, I tried to stop the throwback one. The original was Ice Age which predated me.

Blue Color Pie Colors Grandeur Illusion Illusions of Grandeur Lifegain

Upgrading Cycling and Grandeur

Why is upgrading cycling, channel or grandeur to case-specific deciduous not an option. Legendary lands seem so impacted so as to be worth it and while infrequently, each of those mechanics work fine in vacuums and small doses. Could you be specific?

Cycling is the best candidate of the mechanic you suggested for deciduous status. Our feeling is that we don’t need to use it enough to warrant it. It can be a mechanic that just gets reused often without needing to be available to every set. Also, legendary lands are not something that has to be. While a place is obviously a singular thing, the various mana veins from it is not, and that’s what lands actually represent, a connection to the ley lines of mana from that place.

Cycling Deciduous Grandeur Lands Mana Mechanics

Grandeur's Application Possibilities

Could you ever see grandeur on non-legendary creatures or is that just not as grand?

It mechanically can be done. It’s synergistic on legendary creatures because you can’t play the other copies.

Creatures Grandeur Legendary Creatures

Grandeur Cards in Commander

"And we’re not going to avoid doing cool flavorful things because it impacts deck building in one format." - Great! More grandeur cards please!

Not all cards need to be for Commander, but a mechanic that shows up just on legendary creatures that doesn’t work in Commander is a kind of cruel.

Commander Creatures Flavor Grandeur Legendary Creatures Mechanics

Grandeur Consideration for MH2

Was Grandeur considered for MH2? It seemed like the perfect opportinity: not (fully) focused on Commander, plenty of one-of mechanics and even a Dakkon theme (Korlash was probably the most well known Grandeur card).

I don’t believe it was.

Commander Grandeur Mechanics Modern Horizons 2

Legends and Commander Play

You said we're not likely to see more Grandeur because it doesn't work in Commander, the most popular format, but why is that a problem? Every year you print hundreds of cards aimed at Limited that aren't meant to see Constructed play, so why can't you print a few legends not meant to see Commander play?

We make plenty of cards that don’t work efficiently in Commander, even individual legendary creatures, but dedicating a whole mechanic that only works on legendary creatures (the subset the format cares the most about) with no Commander viability is just too much.

Card Printing Commander Constructed Creatures Grandeur Legendary Creatures Limited Mechanics

Grandeurs in Commander

I’d like to challenge the idea that Grandeur is meaningless in Commander. You just need to copy the Grandeur creature, sac the original to the legend rule, recur it to your hand once per turn, and discard it once per turn. With Oriss, it basically locks your opponent out of the game

Sorry almost meaningless. : )

Commander Creatures Discard Grandeur Humor Once Per Turn Rules Your Hand

Creating Grandeur and Commander

Perhaps you should tell your question marks that you guys did create Grandeur. You've tread this ground.

Ironically, the success of Commander makes Grandeur how to use on legendary creatures because it’s meaningless in Commander.

Commander Creatures Grandeur Legendary Creatures Question Marks

Kaldheim Gods and Grandeur Comparison

Would you say the Kaldheim gods are sort of a "fixed Grandeur" inasmuch as they help with the "drawing multiples" issue but don't make Commander players feel left out?

It’s a different way to address the issue Grandeur addresses (drawing a second copy of a legendary card), but that really is the extent of their similarity. MDFCs came about trying to expand the design space of DFCs.

Commander Design Space Dual Faced Cards God Grandeur Kaldheim Modal Dual Faced Cards

Eldraine Castles and Ley Lines

If non-legendary lands are the way to go, is it possible to have those be generic, non-named places? The eldraine castles feel like a very inelegant choice imho (much more than a hypothetical legendary land with grandeur), being very specific places that you can have several copies of

Here’s the in-flavor explanation. Lands represent ley lines to mana. Any one location can have many ley lines.

Colorless Grandeur Lands Mana