Journey into Nyx

Trivia: Return to Ravnica

New • 07 Jun 2023 • Asked by ashioks-right-horn • 36 Comments

Mark, its my birthday today and I would like to invoke the ancient rite of trivia!Could I have some trivia about my very first set, Return to Ravnica?

Azorius’s initial mechanic in Return to Ravnica design was constellation. It didn’t fit in well with the other guilds, something important for a faction set, so it got replaced. We would later do it in Journey into Nyx.Happy Birthday!
Azorius (W/U) Birthday Constellation Factions Journey into Nyx Mechanics Return to Ravnica Two Color

Journey into Nyx Trivia

New • 18 Dec 2022 • Asked by tybonel13 • 65 Comments

Hey Mark!l, today I turned 21! Could I please get some birthday trivia on the Journey into Nyx "God Pack" (the 15 gods in one booster), or on the Theros Block's Hero's Path and Challenge Decks?

Booster packs are made by having different sheets drop into different slots in the booster pack. Every once in a rare while, a rare sheet accidentally gets dropped into a common or uncommon hopper. This can result in a set having a lot more rares than normal. This phenomenon was nicknamed “god boosters”, so when we were making Theros block, we realized that there were going to be fifteen gods. This meant we could literally make god boosters, so we set out to make it a reality (although a small percentage of the time. Happy Birthday!
Birthday Boosters God Journey into Nyx Rares Theros Uncommons

Lack of Constellation in Colors

New • 22 Sep 2021 • Asked by assistantmanagerman • 35 Comments

Hi Mark, why were there no black or red cards with Constellation in Theros Beyond Death? For reference, in Journey into Nyx black had the most cards with Constellation: six including Underworld Coinsmith. Green had five, blue had two, red had one, and white had three also including Underworld Coinsmith. Before Theros Beyond Death, both green and black got an additional Constellation card in supplemental sets.

In each set we focus different mechanics in different colors to differentiate the colors in the set. In Theros Beyond Death, we focused constellation in white, blue and green.
Black Blue Colors Constellation Green Journey into Nyx Mechanics Red Theros Beyond Death Underworld Coinsmith White

Feedback on Constellation

New • 12 Jan 2020 • Asked by ravablogs • 46 Comments

Super stoked for Theros! Can I cast one vote for missing constellations on enchantments, though? I loved being able to run a deck that was 100% land and enchantment and it working. I know it had to be opened up for design space, but I think we got no new constellation enchantments this time. Second q, if I may- was nykthos thought too strong for the return? Don't want to seem negative though, the set seems like a home run!

The change came about so play design could balance the cards. Every constellation being on enchantments caused a lot of problems for balance in Journey into Nyx. We talked about Nykthos, but decided it was a little too strong. We did make the lotus to fill that space.
Cast Constellation Design Space Enchantments Journey into Nyx Lands Nyx Play Design Power Level Theros

Constellation Card Logic

New • 05 Jan 2020 • Asked by jjustin1379 • 40 Comments

why are so many constellation cards on nonenchantments?

It’s a play design decision which lets us make stronger constellation cards. Them all being enchantments in Journey into Nyx made us have to nerf a lot of them.
Constellation Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Play Design

Theros Enchantment Focus

New • 10 Aug 2019 • Asked by deathtouchroadrunner • 48 Comments

How does return to Theros accomplish "Mirrodin for Enchantments?" Would it be very different than the first Theros visit? To me Theros is enchantment creatures + devotion more than enchantment matters. (Maybe lots of enchantment players dislike enchantments being creatures all the time? Witness how stuff like Ghostly Prison is played tons in all kinds of EDH decks and creatures like Archangel of Tithes or Blazing Archon are played much less.) Maybe Constellation being late in block is part why?

Theros block wasn’t “enchantment matters” until Journey into Nyx, but it existed on the block and could be focused on in a return.
Archangel of Tithes Archon Blazing Archon Commander Constellation Creatures Enchantments Ghostly Prison Journey into Nyx Mirrodin Nyx Theros

Enchantment Theme Clarification

New • 10 Aug 2019 • Asked by sylvhem • 37 Comments

"Both Urza’s Saga and Theros blocks had an enchantment theme." I loved Theros for its enchantment creatures and the unusually high quantity of enchantment related things. But it's not really close to a "Mirrodin for enchantment" in my opinion.

I didn’t say it was an “enchantment matters” block as that theme wasn’t played up until Journey into Nyx, but that wasn’t what was asked.
Creatures Enchantments Journey into Nyx Mirrodin Nyx Sagas Theros Urza

Enchantments Focused Sets

New • 18 May 2019 • Asked by azavelis • 38 Comments

Have there ever been a enchantments matter set?

Journey Into Nyx, and to a lesser extent, Urza’s Saga block.
Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Sagas Urza

Theros Popularity Insight

New • 21 Apr 2019 • Asked by arcanyss • 49 Comments

Hi, Mark. How popular was Theros?

Pretty popular. Theros did much better than Born of the Gods or Journey into Nyx though.
Born of the Gods God Journey into Nyx Nyx Theros

Enchantments Matter History

New • 28 Mar 2019 • Asked by ihaveaten • 40 Comments

Have we had an 'enchantments matter' set since Urzas (where the Artifact theme outshown it)? We had it as a sub theme in Ravnica, but it hasn't really shown up as a theme anywhere else to a big extent. Even Theros didn't have many cards that cared about enchantments, despite having enchantment creatures.

Journey into Nyx had an “enchantment matters” theme.
Artifacts Creatures Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Theros

Theros' Enchantment Theme

New • 11 Jan 2019 • Asked by arcanistlupus • 42 Comments

I'm looking at all the wonderful new enchantments in Allegiance, and I can't help but feel that this what Theros promised as an enchantment set, but failed to deliver.

Theros was specifically stated to *not* be an “Enchantment matters” set. By me. Many, many times. It wasn’t until Journey into Nyx that the “Enchantment matters” theme was introduced.
Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Theros

Theros Enchantment Focus

New • 30 Aug 2018 • Asked by lootthekey • 236 Comments

From a world theme perspective, is Theros to Enchantments what Mirrodin is to Artifacts?

It wasn’t for most of the block, but for Journey into Nyx it was. So, if we return to Theros, would you like for it to be “enchantment matters”?
Artifacts Enchantments Journey into Nyx Mirrodin Nyx Theros

Community Impact

New • 25 May 2018 • Asked by noble-bop • 23 Comments

I started playing Magic when Journey Into Nyx came out and I’m so glad that my friend forced me to play “just one game”. Magic has been a big part of my life ever since and has helped me through some really rough times! I’m glad to be a part of this wonderful community and I wish you nothing but the best on your birthday!

: )
Birthday Journey into Nyx Nyx

Azorius Mechanic Origins

New • 11 May 2018 • Asked by ryanmts • 63 Comments

In a 2012 Azorius RTR article, you mentioned your first idea for the Azorius mechanic was scraped to be used in a future set. Which set and mechanic was that? (Font: Designing for Azorius, October 29, 2012)

Constellation, later used in Journey into Nyx. It was hard to overlap mechanics with Constellation which a Ravnica set needs.
Azorius (W/U) Constellation Journey into Nyx Mechanics Nyx

Rabiah and Storm Changes

New • 06 Jan 2018 • Asked by ferret4ever • 33 Comments

On your Rabiah and Storm scales, do your opinions of them change over time? Are there things today that, let's say 5 years ago, have changed?

Things can change because of factors that might make things more or less likely. Buyback went up when we tried putting it in Journey into Nyx and discovered how hard it was to use in modern design.
Buyback Journey into Nyx Keyword Abilities Modern More or Less Nyx

Nyx-Fleece Ram Trivia

New • 09 Oct 2017 • Asked by beautifulboodle • 39 Comments

Hi Mark! It's my birthday, but I think my ask got buried by Planeswalker rule change discourse. May I please have some trivia on the card Nyx-Fleece Ram?

In Journey into Nyx, we tried to have more static enchantments in creature form. Nyx-Fleece Ram was one of the products of this goal. Happy Birthday!
Birthday Creatures Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Planeswalkers Rules

Ajani's Journey

New • 03 Jun 2017 • Asked by captainnv • 19 Comments

Wasn't Ajani visiting Theros during Journey Into Nyx?

He was. I didn’t include Gatewatch members even if they weren’t Gatewatch members at the time.
Gates Journey into Nyx Nyx Theros

Landfall Versus Enchantment Lands

New • 08 May 2017 • Asked by reality-glitch-rg • 52 Comments

You say that Artifact Lands and Affinity for artifacts in the same block was a mistake and that you didn't print Enchantment Lands in Journey into Nyx because of Constellation, but what then of Landfall? That seems like i'd be a similar issue.

Lands are restricted to playing one per turn and only on your own turn. That stops a lot of shenanigans.
Affinity Artifacts Card Printing Constellation Enchantments Journey into Nyx Landfall Lands Nyx Once Per Turn Shenanigans

Constellation Timing Impact

New • 06 May 2017 • Asked by mrtitanic • 19 Comments

I feel like Constellation appearing throughout all three sets of Theros would have made a major difference in bridging enchantment matters with Greek myth. The issue was that the potential for both was there but Constellation ended up only in JOU.

We keep enchantment matters isolated to Journey Into Nyx because we wanted to save something players wanted to make the third set exciting. For developmental reasons we were limited to how much I could have so we saved it up to be a focus for one set.
Constellation Enchantments Journey into Nyx Limited Nyx Theros

Buyback on Storm Scale

New • 23 Feb 2017 • Asked by deinokles-blog • 30 Comments

Where is Buyback on the storm scale?

An 8. We tried to bring it back once (in Journey into Nyx) and failed.
Buyback Journey into Nyx Keyword Abilities Nyx Storm Scale

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