Re:Jaya/Lightning strike: isn't the joke that she's using lightning not fire?

Probably.

Mark, As a red white player and a commander player I loved the lightning strike in the archive, the archive in general is just super pretty. Please congratulate the artist on their great work.

Will do!

Hi Mark, When designing a new set with common utility staple effects like Naturalise or lightning strike, do you "redesign them" each time or start with a base line of staple effects and see if the set needs them to move in new directions? Or do you always start with new versions and see if they conform to existing cards once the knobs stop turning?

We usually tend to start doing the staple mechanics mixed with the set’s mechanics and themes.

"Effects ebb and flow. 3 damage costing 2R today doesn’t mean it costs that next year." This is a pretty poor excuse when Lightning Strike might have kept at least 2 cards from getting banned in standard...

There are cheap removal cards in the format, so I believe your statement isn’t true. Not a developer, yada, yada, yada.

I'm sure the window has passed now given all the "name a card" cards, but was it ever talked about to have names not be markers of unique cards? So you could do things like reprint Inquisition of Kozilek under a name that fits the plane it's being reprinted on, but have it count as the same card for deckbuilding, etc, or not have issues with stuff like searing spear/lightning strike because they'd be the same card?

There’s no easy way to make the names not the markers. I don’t expect it to change anytime soon.

While we're on the topic of re-templating mana costs, can the cost be retemplated to put colorless after colored? e.g.: Lightning strike would have a cost of R1, instead of 1R.

If we started over, we’d probably do that. I’ve tried to get the public to say the mana cost as it’s written with little success.

D&D spells have descriptors like "fire" or "death" or "evil" or whatever to categorize them and distinguish them. If the Magic card face had enough space, would you use descriptors on Instants and Sorceries the way permanents have subtypes, so they could be easily grouped? (Searing Spear and Lightning Strike would be slightly functionally different then; maybe young pyromancer cares more about the spear.) Or do you think it would add too much complexity?

If we started over, I’d be tempted to make more flavorful supertypes.

In regards to names for cards, you said "It’s one of our most limited resources. Note we are careful about when we use a simple name." Then why do you keep wasting names on functional reprints? Why not reprint Searing Spear instead of wasting the name Lightning Strike? Why not reprint Inspiration instead of making Weave Fate? I can understand for something like Counsel of the Soratami becoming Divination due to it being plane-specific, but why do these re-names if names are so valuable?

Usually when we use a good name on a card that’s similar, one of two this is going on. One, we slightly changed the card mechanically and that’s what we want to be reprinting in the future (example: Weave Fate) or two, it’s a general enough effect that we know we’ll use often, so we make a slightly different creative take to allow us some choice to adapt to the world it in future reprints (example: Lightning Strike).

There is good removal at common, though, like Lightning Strike. Only the cheap and unconditional ones have shifted rarity.

Correct.

The more we see of Theros worldbuilding and learn about Keranos in particular, the happier I am that Lightning Strike exists as it is, instead of being Searing Spear, as many fans (including me) wished it had been when Theros was first spoiled and came out. Lightning Strike keeps getting cooler the deeper we get into Theros!

I’m glad some of you are coming around. : )