Invisible Stalker

Goldilocks vs The Fly

RE: "How is riffing off of Goldilocks any different than riffing off of The Fly?" The ELD previews remind me more of cards like Shahrazad or Invisible Stalker where the combination of art and mechanics pull from a specific version of a character rather than Delver of Secrets or Kindly Stranger where the card doesn't immediately register as a specific pop culture reference, but MTG's take on the broader trope.

I forget, when exactly in the story does Goldilocks take out the bears? : )

Art Bear Invisible Stalker Mechanics Pop Culture Shahrazad Spoilers Story / Lore

Invisible Stalker Regrets

Hello Mark, in your dtw Retired Mechanics, you talked about Landwalk, and that today you want to have a way to interact with evasive creatures. If taken honest, would you say that invisible stalker (inistrade) was a mistake? Thank you

I’ve said numerous times it was a mistake. We try not to put evasion and hexproof on the same cards (with a few exceptions on bigger creatures). If I had the card to do again, I’d say it had hexproof as long as it wasn’t equipped or enchanted. The Invisible Stalker picks up a knife and you go “aim for that knife floating in mid-air”.

Appreciation Creatures Drive to Work Evasion Hexproof Invisible Stalker Landwalk Mechanics

Mary O'Kill Combo

Is Arcane Adaptation or Conspiracy naming Killbot really as busted with Mary O'Kill as I think it is? (i.e. could I reveal Mary from my hand to "Ninjutsu" an unblocked Invisible Stalker into Emrakul, The Eons Torn, because both are Killbots?)

Mary has to be on the battlefield to switch two things that aren’t her, but other than that, yes, Conspiracy + Mary O’ Kill works.

Arcane Adaptation Conspiracy Invisible Stalker Mary O'Kill Ninjutsu Your Hand

Player Feedback

Waaaaaitaminute! You mean to tell me players were more vocal about Invisible Stalker than they were Delver of Secrets? ô_ö

About limited play, yes.

Invisible Stalker Limited

Card Change Idea

So... I love Invisible Stalker. And I have recieved a LOT of hate from friends for using it. And I really think that all the complaints players have with it could be fixed with a minor alteration to aesthetic! Make the card... Invisible.

If I had to do it over, the card would have “Hexproof as long as it’s not equipped”. (“Hey, why’s that cleaver floating in mid-air?”)

Hexproof Invisible Stalker

Set Issue Perception

Was invisible stalker literally the only issue with Innistrad set?

No, but it was the one players were most vocal about.

Innistrad Invisible Stalker

Birthday Trivia

Hey Mark! It's my birthday and I've been so excited to ask for birthday trivia on either: Telepathy or Invisible Stalker. :)

Telepathy was me redoing the card Glasses of Urza from Alpha. The ability really made more sense in Blue and having to constantly tap it seemed unnecessary (and not something an enchantment would do anyway). I not only designed the card but also named it.Happy Birthday!

Alpha Birthday Blue Enchantments Glasses of Urza Invisible Stalker Tap / Untap

Unblockable Wording

On one card it says "invisible stalker is unblockable" and on the new card announced it's says "triton shorestalker can't be block". Why have a difference and couldn't unblockable be a key word like indestructible became a key word?

We looked into making unblockable a keyword but we have enough variance in how we use it that it wouldn’t work as a keyword, so we changed how we worded it to stop making people feel like it was a keyword.

Indestructible Invisible Stalker Keywords Triton Shorestalker

Hexproof vs. Shroud

I don't understand why we can't have both Shroud and Hexproof! You've said many times that people having to learn how something works won't stop you from doing something if it's the right decision. Why is this different? Cards like Invisible Stalker *should* have shroud. You don't have to keyword it, just write it out, stressing that the controller can't effect it either. There's nothing wrong with evasion and untargetability, so long as neither player can touch it. There's room for both.

We have a limited amount of keywords. Using two to do basically the same thing is wasteful. Also, we don’t like having an ability that works close but differently on different creatures in the same limited environment.

Creatures Evasion Hexproof Invisible Stalker Keywords Limited Shroud

Invisible Stalker Reception

How was Invisible stalker received?

It was a card players tended to love or hate. More hated than loved.

Invisible Stalker

Evasive Multiplayer Creatures

With regards to True Name Nemesis, I think people are making noise because it amounts to a better Invisible Stalker in [Eternal/Casual] duels. What are your thoughts on resilient, evasive creatures in multiplayer products?

In the format it was created for, there are answers to it - other players.

Casual Play Commander Creatures Eternal Invisible Stalker Nemesis

Indestructible and Hexproof

Did some of the negative reaction to indestructible go away over time? I hope that more people will come around to hexproof as they realize it doesn't lessen interaction as much as they think it does, Invisible Stalker notwithstanding.

The resistance to indestructible has gone down over time although it has not gone away. I do assume hexproof will follow a similar path, especially as R&D makes less creatures with hexproof and evasion.

Creatures Evasion Hexproof Indestructible Invisible Stalker

Gatecrash Design Concerns

I know I've been spoiled by invisible stalker, but Magic has a long history of 2cmc unblockable creatures. Did the existence of cipher cause development to intentionally avoid putting one in Gatecrash?

It meant we had to be careful.

Cipher Creatures Gatecrash Gates Invisible Stalker

Cipher Mechanic Evaluation

Cipher looks horrible in limited compared to the other 9 mechanics. It looks like it was underpowered on purpose because (in my opinion) Development was worried about a creature like Invisible Stalker would make it incredibly powerful, borderline broken. Am I underestimating Cipher in limited?

I would play with it before declaring it unplayable.

Cipher Creatures Invisible Stalker Limited Mechanics Power Level

Invisible Stalker Oversight

Do you think invisible stalker was a mistake?

If I had it to do over again, I would have made it “Invisible Stalker hexproof as long as it is not equipped”. You see, if it holds a weapon, now you know where it is to shoot your magic at it. Was it a mistake? I’d say a small one but not as big as I think many make it out to be.

Hexproof Invisible Stalker

Invisible Stalker Combo

Mark Rosewater, with the existence of Invisible Stalker, you have now essentially printed an all-upside Bitterblossom. Thoughts?

Two card combos do not a single broken card make.

Bitterblossom Card Printing Invisible Stalker Mark Rosewater

Shroud vs Hexproof

Are you guys systematically phasing out Shroud for Hexproof? I always figured that Shroud was very Blue (aside from Invisible Stalker, who is stalking me without me knowing it), while Hexproof was Green.

Shroud has been swapped with hexproof. That happen a few sets back.

Blue Green Hexproof Invisible Stalker Phasing Shroud

Cipher's Constructed Playability

Was the constructed playability of Cipher considered in R&D for extensive periods of time? I feel like the fact that Invisible Stalker still exists will break it, not to mention Tormented Soul, and other inevitable unblockables in Dimir.

Invisible Stalker caused much more problems in limited than constructed and it won’t exist in the Gatecrash limited environment.

Cipher Constructed Dimir (U/B) Game Design Gatecrash Gates Invisible Stalker Limited Tormented Soul

Hexproof Mechanic Query

Hello, I have a question about the Invisible Stalker creature, which I'm sure you get asked about often. I like hexproof, it is interesting as a mechanic interchangeable between Green and White/Green going back to enchantments like Privileged Position or the creature Silhana Ledgewalker. But why give it to a blue creature? Blue has the shroud mechanic and shroud on an unblockable 1/1 for 1U isn't unreasonable. Hexproof alone was a very undercost mechanic,, but that creature was crazy!

We’ve decided that shroud and hexproof can’t coexist actively in sets because we don’t want two different vocabulary words meaning basically the same thing. Blue originally had shroud and green had hexproof. When we condensed them both blue and green got what we condensed to. At first that meant green got shroud and then blue got hexproof. Blue is the one most in need of creature keywords so I’m not about to start taking ones away from it.

Blue Creatures Enchantments Green Hexproof Invisible Stalker Keywords Mechanics Privileged Position Shroud Silhana Ledgewalker White

Invisible Stalker Mechanics

You mentioned previously that you'd rather if Invisible Stalker lost hexproof when equipped. What about being blockable by wolves?

I like the idea that he loses hexproof when equipped because the planeswalkers go “Hey, shoot the spell at that knife floating in the air.”

Hexproof Invisible Stalker Planeswalkers Wolf