Johnny / Jenny

Trivia on 'Love Song of Night and Day'

Before my birthday is over, I would love to invoke my right of trivia!Anything about my favorite part of Magic's world, the Love Song of Night and Day? Or if not, Mirage in general? (I fell in love with Magic when I found my parents' old collection of Mirage and 4th Edition, making me probably the youngest grumpy old magic player to ever shake their fist at these new confangled planeswalker cards)

The Love Song of Night and Day was a poem written by Jenny Scott when she was an editor on Magic. Pieces of it were used on flavor text in Mirage block. I would later read the poem at a wedding at a Magic Grand Prix. We would also eventually making a Saga that referenced it.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Conventions Flavor Text Johnny / Jenny Mirage Planeswalkers Pop Culture Sagas Fell Love Song of Night and Day

Advice On Deck Building

To the Johnny who says best-in-slot commanders make deck building too easy: If you still want that challenge, try building your deck in the wrong colors. Mono-white landfall, boros graveyard, gruul artifacts, and such are all very fun and challenging to build, and they have more potential than one would expect in the hands of an experienced player.

A fine piece of advice.

Artifacts Boros (R/W) Colors Experienced / Enfranchised Players Gruul (R/G) Johnny / Jenny Landfall The Graveyard

Player Types Explanation

I was listening to some of the podcasts you put out leading up to Thunder Junction release and you mention types of players as "johnny" or "jenny" or "spike" and I was curious what you meant by that. I thought I understood from context when you were talking about "spikey" decks but then I heard the others and didn't feel sure. Are these players in the design team or pros that players are meant to be familiar with or something?

Here’s my article from the topic in 2006. Note I hadn’t yet added the female names for Timmy (Tammy) and Johnny (Jenny). (Spike is unisex.):
Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Redirect Spike Timmy / Tammy

Fun vs Optimal Deck Design

Hey Mark, I started off as a modern player and later converted to commander. I REALLY like building decks. I find myself starting to build MANY decks but never finishing them. I used to try and optimize every deck until I realized that doing it that way was actually less fun. I have now discovered that it is MORE DIFFICULT to design a deck to be fun that it is to simply optimize it. Based on your podcasts, I know fun has a lot to do with variance, epic comebacks, and other stuff as well. I would like to learn more on how to design a deck that is more fun!

It might be best to get a guest to do this topic in a podcast. My heavy Johnny deck building days are a bit behind me.

Commander Drive to Work Epic Guest Johnny / Jenny Modern

Trivia on Magic's Psychology

Hey Mark, I’d love some birthday Trivia on psychology or philosophy in magic!

The Timmy/Tammy, Johnny/Jenny, and Spike psychographics are based upon a tool used in advertising to understand the psychology of a brand’s users. I created the psychographics as a way for the designers to think about why players played certain cards. Part of my fascination with psychology comes from my mom who’s a psychologist.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

New Obeka Ideas

I know you mainly play limited these days, but it's always fun to think about decks even if you don't build them. With that in mind, and knowing that you're a Johnny at heart, have you spent much time thinking about the new Obeka?

I have a few ideas of cool things to do. : )

Humor Johnny / Jenny Limited

Player Psychographics

Is figuring out whether I’m a Tammy/Jenny/Spike useful for me as a player or is it more of a game design concept?

The psychographics are more used as a design tool, but many people enjoy self-discovery.

Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Psychographics Analysis

I hope you’re doing well, Mark. I study the Enneagram of personality and I thought you’d find this interesting. I believe your psychographics are analogous with what we call the instinctual drives: Tammy the “self-preservation” drive; Jenny the “one-to-one” drive; and Spike the “social” drive. (The names of the drives might be slightly counterintuitive to how they manifest in behavior, e.g., social types are often concerned about status.)

Interesting.

Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Manifest Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Psychographics in Games

I'm trying to understand the psychographs better by thinking of them in terms of other games. My thought is, in the context of scrabble: Tammies are trying to do something cool, have a big play that gets them lots of points, and even if they don't win they'll be content with that. Jennies are likely to be more interested in the words themselves, and show off with creative words. Spikes are the most focused on using their tiles shrewdly, getting the maximum points they can. This seem accurate?

That is correct. Timmy/Tammy wants to experience something.Jenny/Johnny wants to express something. Spike wants to prove something.

Big Play Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Playerbase Psychographics

Do you think the Tammy, Jenny, Spike psychographic triangle is complete or do you think it can be added onto with greater understanding of the playerbase? Thank you for all your writing on game design.

Twenty-eight years in, I haven’t found a new psychographic.

Appreciation Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Legendary Commander Concern

First, I want to say that "Throne of the Grim Captain" is a cool card that tickles both the Johnny and Timmy parts of my brain in just the right ways. Kudos to whoever designed it.However, I think it was a mistake to tease the type line "Legendary Creature - Skeleton Spirit Pirate" when the card in question can't actually be used as a Commander.There's always going to be some risk of disappointment involved when teasing cards, but I think "don't tease Legendary type lines that can't be used as a commander" is a low bar to clear.I mainly say this because it is a bit sad to see so many people down on such a cool card.

Let me ask everyone here. I have a cool creature type line that’s legendary, but can’t be played as a commander. Should I not include it in my teaser?

Appreciation Commander Creatures Johnny / Jenny Pirate Skeleton Spirit Teasers Timmy / Tammy

Doctor Who Excitement

I wanted to say the announcement of the dr who deck was what gotten me to rewatching the show (only saw dispersed episodes on tv decades ago) and I've been enjoying it and it made me even more excited for the decks, especially seeing the things I enjoyed get a card (like Jenny!!!), anyway I'm picking up my decks next week at my game store and I'm very hyped

Happy to hear that. The fun of Universes Beyond goes both directions.

Doctor Game Stores Johnny / Jenny Pop Culture Universes Beyond

Planeswalker Set Frequency

Just a bit of feedback, but this "one Planeswalker per set" thing is making me real sad. It drastically reduces how weird they can get and makes Johnny sad.

How are others feeling about one planeswalker per set?

Johnny / Jenny Planeswalkers

Player Types Explained

Since there's three out of Spike/Timmy/Johnny, why are there only two for Vorthos/Melvin? Or are there supposed to be 5 for all the magic colors?

The first are psychographics. The second are aesthetic profiles. They are different things, so they exist in different number. Why are there three basic silverware, but just two types of spices (salt and pepper) in shakers on the table? : )

Colors Competitive Play Humor Johnny / Jenny Melvin / Mel Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy Vorthos

AMA and Game Design

Not magic related, but you related. I am Following an AMA of an upcoming real time strategy game called stormgate and the devs mentioned the need of making maps for both Johnny and spike and linked to an article of yours :)

Which article?

Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Spike

Gamer Archetype Names

So we have Timmy, the green gamer who loves putting big stuff on the battlefield, Johnny, the blue gamer who lives for cool and interesting combos, Spike, the black gamer who wants to win as fast as possible, and Vorthos, the red gamer who cares about the theming and lore of a character/place/etc. What will the white gamer be called, and what will they care about, if we even get a final gamer in the cycle?

Timmy/Tammy, Johnny/Jenny, and Spike are the three psychographics. The two aesthetic profiles are Vorthos and Mel. Mel does like things orderly. : )

Black Blue Competitive Play Cycles Gamer Green Humor Johnny / Jenny Melvin / Mel Psychographic Red Spike Story / Lore Timmy / Tammy Vorthos White

Podcast Misinterpretation

I've been binging your podcast, and literally every time you say the phrase, "I'm a Johnny," I hear "I'm Ajani." and now I can't shake the image of you with a luxurious mane during every recording.

: )

Drive to Work Humor Johnny / Jenny

Griefers in Psychographics

Hi Mark. You mentioned that griefers were a subset of Timmy/Tammy. Griefers aren't mentioned in your article "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited", so I was curious if there were any other subsets of the psychographic profiles that R&D has names for.

Griefers can show up in all three psychographics. They show up most often in Timmy/Tammy.

Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Making Magic Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Griefer Player Types

Just out of curiosity, why are griefers considered a subset of Timmy/Tammy? Because one could argue that something like “I’m gonna build a deck specially designed to create the worst playing experience I can possibly imagine” ala copying Sharazhad a ton of times or stealing every lands better reflects the self expression of Johnny/Jenny

There are Johnny/Jenny Griefers and Spike Griefers. The vast majority tend to be Tammy/Timmy though as the enjoy the experience of griefing.

Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Lands Spike Timmy / Tammy

Nick Archetype Discussion

I think WOTC needs to acknowledge another Player Archtype, other than Johnny, Timmy, and Spike.
This player's name is Nick.
Nick is a contrarian. Who only likes things other players dislike.
Classic Nick cards:ShahrazadHumilityArmageddon Stasis
Nick loves banding, and flanking, and regenerates.
I think R&D needs to make more Nick cards

Nick is just a subset of Timmy and Tammy. R&D refers to that subtype as a Griefer.

Armageddon Banding Competitive Play Flanking Game Design Humility Johnny / Jenny Shahrazad Spike Stasis Subtype Timmy / Tammy Wizards of the Coast