Intimidate

Return of Fear Mechanic

Do you think we could see a one-of return of fear or intimidate if the flavor calls for it, or would you just use menace instead?

I’ll just say it’s a very high bar.

Fear Flavor Intimidate Mechanics Menace

Mechanic Evolution

Hi Mark! We've seen a lot of mechanics in the recent times sort of "replace" other older mechanics; Morph -> Disguise, Cascade -> Discover, even further back with Chroma -> Devotion or Fear -> Intimidate -> Menace.How often does R&D like/want to do this, and whenever one of these "replacement" mechanics is designed and confirmed, how does that impact the status of the older mechanic and its future in the game? Does the older mechanic just go away forever, like with Chroma and Fear/Intimidate, or are those exceptions and not the norm?

When we upgrade a mechanic, we seldom return to the original version.

Cascade Chroma Disguise Fear Game Design Intimidate Mechanics Menace Morph Morph

Intimidate Vs Menace

Why doesn't Nuka-Nuke Launcher just give menace, instead of the largely deprecated intimidate? Is there some Fallout reference I'm missing?

Can any Fallout fans answer this?

Intimidate Menace Nuka-Nuke Launcher

Sliver Mechanic Evolution

Fear was still being used when the Time Spiral sets were being printed, why wasn’t fear used in Slivers?! Intimidate was still in use in M15, why wasn’t there a intimidate Sliver?

Because we were souring on the mechanics.

Card Printing Fear Intimidate Magic 2015 Mechanics Sliver Time Spiral

Reprinting Updated Keywords

Just listened to DtW #1093, and I was wondering:If Wizards were to reprint a card that had a "update" to its keyword, do you think it would get the new wording? For example, would Arcbound Fiend have fear, or intimidate?

It has the original keyword.

Arcbound Fiend Card Printing Drive to Work Fear Intimidate Keywords Reprints

Retired Mechanics Afterlife

where do mechanics like Intimidate go (or what do they do with all their free time) when they retire?

A farm upstate.

Afterlife Intimidate Mechanics

Intimidate Mechanic Status

Where is Intimidate on the storm scale?

A 10. We’ve retired the mechanic.

Intimidate Mechanics Storm Scale

Evolution of Menace

Menace has gone from an unnamed once-in-a-while effect, to something that defines evasion for an entire color pairing. Is there a particular game change/shift which occurred which made this so effective where before it wasn't so?

Menace just took the place of intimidate.

Colors Evasion Intimidate Menace

Charm School Rules

Question about charm school. Can your opponent walk around the table and knock it off of your head, removing the protection?

No, that is unsporting conduct. If you have to balance something, your opponent is not allowed to knock it off or try to physically intimidate you to try and make it fall off.

Charm School Intimidate Protection Rules

Reprinting with Old Keywords

Would you reprint a card with Fear or Intimidate, or would you create an identical card with Menace?

We’ll reprint old cards with keywords we don’t use anymore, but we don’t do it much.

Fear Intimidate Keywords Menace Reprints

Challenges with Keywording Evergreen

"We can’t keyword “evergreen” as it’s not concrete enough of a definition." - That's the whole point of this discussion: create a batch name that includes whatever the current list of evergreen keywords is for new cards that are similar to Cairn Wanderer or Odric Lunarch Marshal. Then if a keyword is replaced (eg. Intimidate with Menace) or removed (eg. Prowess), you just update that batch's definition in the comp rules.

One of the things we avoid doing is create new components that that require constant monitoring. If “evergreen” was a live game term, it would require us to keep a complete list and then constantly update it, something we don’t currently do. For example, is protection evergreen or deciduous? I’m not sure. Things can flow in and out. Locking “evergreen” in as game terminology forces us to be precisely accurate on something that isn’t.

Batches Cairn Wanderer Deciduous Evergreen Intimidate Keywords Menace Protection Prowess Rules

Ward and Hexproof Comparison

Hi Mark! We have seen that in the last few sets ward prevalence over hexproof (and I feel really good about that). Do you think that ward will someday completely replace hexproof? Like hexproof replaced shroud, menace replaced intimidate etc?

There are a few places we prefer hexproof, so it seems to be sticking around for now.

Hexproof Intimidate Menace Shroud Ward

Potential for Colored Ward Costs

Returning to colored costs for Ward: could an X or Y condition (e.g Ward 2/B or something like " Ward B or pay 3 life") be an option?

Many things are possible. The question is will it lead to good gameplay? Hybrid ward costs, as an example, reward an opponent for playing a particular color. The reason we stopped intimidate and landwalk was because we didn’t like that gameplay.

Colors Game Play Hybrid Intimidate Landwalk Ward

Landwalking and Intimidate Replacement

In your last podcast on things you dont do anymore. You pointed out how you removed Landwalking and Intimidate bc they are uninteractive (funny enough these are kinnda complementary, Landwalking works against the same colours, Intimidate against other colours) and then you explain that you replaced Shroud with Hexproof which is a worse offender in that aspect as not only Shroud but also both aforementioned types of evasion.

Shroud isn’t any worse than Hexproof for the opponent. Neither let’s you target the creature.

Colors Creatures Drive to Work Evasion Hexproof Humor Intimidate Shroud

Obsolete Mechanic's Color Pie

Since fear and intimidate and landwalk are no longer supported, are they gone from the color pie entirely?

They’re where they’ve always been. If a Modern Horizons set decides to do a one-of callback, it would be in an appropriate color.

Color Pie Colors Fear Intimidate Landwalk Modern Horizons

Potential for Retired Abilities

Would there ever be a time a Standard set might have a one of of a retired ability a singke creature with Fear, or Landwalk, Provoke, Intimidate or Regeneration? Or would that create more expectations even if announced a single one time only event style thing ?

It’s unlikely, especially in a premier set.

Creatures Fear Intimidate Landwalk Premier Sets Premier Sets Provoke Provoke Regeneration Standard

Returning Landwalk Mechanic

What informed the decision to bring back landwalk? I thought it was retired for being too narrow and noninteractive. Does this mean fear/intimidate has the potential to come back as well?

Modern Horizons is allowed to use retired mechanics/card types (landwalk, tribal, etc.) as one-of’s for flavor. They’re not coming back.

Card Types Fear Flavor Intimidate Kindred / Typal Landwalk Mechanics Modern Horizons

Return of Fear and Intimidate

Hi Mark, will we ever see a return of fear or intimidate? On a similar line why was unblockable taken away as an ability and moved to "this creature cannot be blocked"? Thanks!

I could imagine fear or intimidate being written out on a single card, but I’m skeptical either keyword will return.Unblockable was never a keyword. We changed how we wrote it to lessen players thinking it was a keyword.

Creatures Fear Intimidate Keywords

Fear and Intimidate Errata

Your history of the removal of Manaburn got me thinking: Is there any chance that Fear and Intimidate will be errataed to Menace in the future? My EDH playgroup is trying this out at the moment and after a whole week we haven't had a single confusing moment with this.

That kind of functional errata is extra confusing because the cards don’t do what they say on them.

Commander Errata Fear Functional Errata Intimidate Menace

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