Instants

WBRG Instant Pie Inquiries

If a WBRG instant read "counter target spell" would that be a bend, a break, or in pie?

A break.

Bend / Break Instants

Blue's Permanent Effect on Creatures

would it be in pie for blue to permanently remove a creatures abilities with an instant/sorcery? or is that too close to removing and replacing it?

Unlikely. If an instant or sorcery, it would be temporary. For a permanent effect, we’d use an aura.

Auras Blue Creatures Instants Sorceries

Rules and Subtypes for Land Creatures

Is there a rules reason Omo cannot give all creature types to land creatures? Was that too confusing? Did it break something on arena? I’ve been pondering this and can’t figure it out.

You can’t give a subtype of a specific card type to a different type (with the exception that instants and sorceries share subtypes).

Card Types Creatures Instants Lands Magic Arena Rules Sorceries Subtypes

Balancing Player Desires

Huge thanks for reading the selection from Cunningham I agree that player desire needs to be part of design The 3 psychographics might be the most important design factor since the golden trifecta But it seems recently that Mtg has veered too much towards "give the players what they want" and the question 'how does this make the game better?' doesn't get asked enough I saw an ask for UB play doh, your response was 'do people want it?' not 'how does this improve MtG?' I know that's subjective

I, as well as all of R&D, are constantly asking “is this good for the game”. There are plenty of things the players want that aren’t necessarily good for the game. If we listened to the players every card would cost 1 less and could be cast whenever you could cast an instant. : )A great example of this is “once per turn” restrictions. Players generally dislike them (at least when it’s written out), but they make the game play better. Knowing what players want is a useful tool, but we’re but no means beholden to it when it gets in the way of good game design.

Game Design Game Play Humor Instants Once Per Turn Psychographics

Rules Distinction in Gift

First of all, LOVE Bloomburrow! Especially the otters, frogs, and rabbits. Re: Gift a tapped fishGift is like Haunt in that the instant/sorcery version and permanent version do different things. The spell gifts the fish before other effects. The permanent gifts when it enters. I see this having similar challenges with Haunt. Also the rules text doesn’t specify a 1/1 blue fish. Reminder text isn’t technically part of the rules. Can I gift my opponent other kinds of fish? I see the “gift a tapped fish” as being potentially “rules-challenging”.

Rules text has meaning beyond what’s on the card. Reminder text is telling you relevant information. That is real information that has rules weight. Reminder text just isn’t written in technical Magic templating.

Bloomburrow Blue Fish Frogs Gift Mechanic Haunt Instants Otters Rabbits Rules Sorceries Templating

Mechanics of Gifting Explained

With regards to "Gift a tapped fish" being a single 'keyword', are the rules being written in such a way that Gifting in general can be referred to by other cards?

I.e. Something like "If a player gives another player a gift [do this thing]."Or will they have to refer to SPECIFIC gifting effects?Like, will "Gift a tapped fish" "Gift a Card" "Gift a Food" all technically be a different as First Strike, Trample, and Flying from a rules point of view?

They’re connected like protection connects protection from red and protection from instants.

First Strike Fish Flying Food Gift Mechanic Gift Mechanic Instants Mechanics Protection Red Rules Trample

Supertype Instant Special Frame

If magic started from the begining again, do you think the supertype instant would have a special frame? Or would it be an issue with a supertype like Legendary having a special frame too?

If we started over, I think each card type would probably have its own unique frame.

Card Frames Card Types Instants Supertype

Possibility of New Frames

Hi Mark,If or when: Instants/Sorceries getting their own frame like Artifacts and (nyx-bordered) enchantments do, possibly in a limited capacity to start with, as a trial run perhaps?

If, but it’s been discussed.

Artifacts Card Frames Enchantments If/When Instants Limited Sorceries

Boldness in Spell Restrictions

I just listened to your restrictions podcast. But restricted spell casting and even abilities were baked into the game in Alpha, Sirens Call, Camouflage, False Orders could only be played at specific times, Neteling Imp could only be activated at a specific time and Veteran Body Guard only dud his Kevin Cosner impression if untapped. Not to mention the interupt, instant and sorcery timing rules.

There have always been restrictions. We’ve just been more bold in where and how often we can use them.

Camouflage Drive to Work False Orders Imp Instants Rules Siren Sorceries

Understanding Instant and Sorcery

Someone asked for "instant that becomes stronger or gains an additional effect when cast at a time you could cast a sorcery" and you've made those already in Born of the Gods with the Fated cycle.

Yes.

Born of the Gods God Instants Sorceries

Speculating on Future Game Mechanics

If/when: An instant that becomes stronger or gains an additional effect when cast at a time you could cast a sorcery - similar to Addendum, but requiring an empty stack as well?

If. I’m skeptical we’ll ever require an empty stack.

Addendum If/When Instants Mechanics Sorceries

Freerunning versus Prowl

Do you have any insight as to why the team for ACR went with "freerunning" as the mechanic vs using "prowl" and making the spells "kindred instant/sorcery - Assassin"? Obviously with the commander clause its different, but they've talked about how that was added later on.

We use kindred very infrequently.

Assassin Assassin's Creed Commander Freerunning Instants Kindred / Typal Mechanics Prowl Sorceries Spells

Unique Frame Treatments

With enchantments getting Nyx frames, any chance creatures or instants and sorceries will get unique frame treatments so every card type has its own?

No current plans, but I would have said the same thing about enchantments if you asked in the past.

Card Frames Card Types Creatures Enchantments Instants Sorceries

Steps to Magic for Beginners

Following up on my "magic for beginners" question. I think jumpstart is great, but I'm envisioning a set that exists in a way that can add complexity for each level. Like you break out the set and it starts ok here are two 30 card decks with just creatures (and those creatures just have say, haste and flying), once you're good with that, you add in 10 sorcery cards that are easy to understand, then 10 enchantments, then 10 instants. I just feel like magic throws people in the deep end.

The interesting thing we’ve learned having explored this topic for over thirty years is players are more likely to continue playing if it’s a little above them, if they feel like there’s more things to learn. When we strip a lot of things out to simplify it, many players go, “That’s it?” and leave never to explore any deeper.

Beginners Creatures Enchantments Flying Haste Instants Sorceries

Balance and Color Distribution

I was reading your trivia article and I was displeased at the color distribution for sorcery and instant cards. Blue should have more sorceries as it is the number 1 color in spells not just instants. I would still like red to have the most sorceries. Also give white some more instants and give black less instants. Is this distribution concerning to you and are you trying to balance this better?

The balance is what it is because the game plays best that way. I’m not big on changing numbers for the sake of changing numbers.

Birthday Black Blue Colors Instants Red Sorceries Spells White

Changing Instants to Supertypes

One point I never saw mentioned against instants becoming supertypes - it would substantially nerf delirium, goyf, etc.

Any change has ramifications. I’m less worried about that particular one. We do create new card types on occasion.

Card Types Delirium Delirium Instants Supertype

Two Typelines in Magic

Do you think if magic started again, it would have 2 typelines instead of one, to acomodate for more types, supertypes and subtypes in a single card (specially if instant turned into a supertype)?

I don’t. Instant being a supertype doesn’t make lengthy lines as it would mostly just be Instant Sorcery.

Instants Sorceries Subtype Supertype

Historic's Impact on Legendary Cards

Does the success of historic help the Legendary Instants/Sorceries?

Not really.

Historic Instants Sorceries

Casting Instants Pre-Draw

Upkeep costs aside, do you think it's a net positive to have a window to cast Instants before a player draws a card?"

Of course.

Instants

Power of Blue in Design

Suppose you have to design Power Lunch. In such an environment, blue is extraordinarily powerful because it can interact with spells on the stack, a privelige other colors can only approximate (red could copy an instant/sorcery spell and resolve it first, white can tax/bounce the spell). This (at least gives me the impression that it) means no decks would lack these colors, which goes against the purpose of the color pie. How would you solve this problem?

There are many formats where blue is the only one with counterspells and other colors function just fine. I don’t believe it is as mandatory a thing to play with as you think.

Blue Color Pie Colors Instants Red Sorceries Spells The Stack White