Lotus Cobra

Possible Landfall Deciduous

If landfall were to be made deciduous, I would want it to become a keyword isnstad of an ability word to cut down on wordiness. So for example, Lotus Cobra would just say "Landfall - add 1 mana of any color." When it shows up frequently in sets, the current way seems like there's just a ton of words that don't matter.

The reason we’re willing to consider making things deciduous is because the reminder text is there telling players what it does. We’re not trying to increase the need for known vocabulary.

Ability Words Colors Deciduous Keywords Landfall Lotus Cobra Mana

Probability of Lotus Cobra

I'd argue Lotus Cobra is very close to working as a common if there are no shenanigans in the environment. At 1/1 in a set without fetch lands, I wouldn't bat an eye.

We wouldn’t do it at common. We have to be very careful with ramp in limited.

Bat Eye Lands Limited Lotus Cobra Shenanigans

Color Shifted Lotus Cobra

Would a color shifted lotus cobra that was triggered by enchantments be a color pie break in white?

Yes. White isn’t about mana production.

Color Pie Colors Enchantments Lotus Cobra Mana White

Color Perspective: Lotus Cobra

Color pie question: Would Lotus Cobra make sense in red given it's temporary mana that you must use that turn?

The card is more of a repeatable mana source than a one shot, even though each individual mana is a one-shot, so much more green than red.

Color Pie Colors Green Lotus Cobra Mana Red

Lotus Cobra Rarity

As you think about Mythic now, do you consider Lotus Cobra to be a mistake at that rarity? It's the first one that really seemed to be "utility," and so kind of set the tone for the criticism.

Lotus Cobra was a major point of discussion at the time. I was in the Rare camp, but didn’t end up winning. The explosiveness of the card was what tipped more people into accepting it was more than just a utility card.

Lotus Cobra Rares Rarity

Defining Utility Cards

How do you define an utility card?

It’s a card that serves a singular basic evergreen function. Lotus Cobra is neither singular nor basic nor evergreen.

Evergreen Lotus Cobra

Lotus Cobra Rarity

Why is Lotus Cobra is a mythic rare when it is a utility card? Shouldn't it at most be a rare?

It is *not* a utility card. Counterspell is a utility card. Murder is a utility card. Giant growth is a utility card. Lotus Cobra is a build-around card. EDIT: I don’t mind having a debate about the rarity of Lotus Cobra. I fought for it to be a rare. It’s in gray space for sure. My point above is that arguing it’s a utility card is just factually incorrect.

Counterspell Giant Giant Growth Lotus Cobra Mythic Rares Rarity

Utility Cards Defined

Re: Lotus Cobra: If it is not an "utility card", then what about Voice of Resurgence?

When a card has seven lines of rules text, it’s not a utility card. : )

Lotus Cobra Rules Voice of Resurgence

Lotus Cobra Misconception

Hey, Mark. I was reading the Gatherer comments for Lotus Cobra and it amazes me how people are STILL angry at it being a Mythic Rare because it's a "utility card". What's your official standing on this?

They misunderstand what a utility card is. A utility card is a card with a basic simple effect that we do every set such as Naturalize.

Lotus Cobra Mythic Rares Naturalize

Card Rarity Disparity

Do you think it's weird that Generator Servant and Lotus Cobra are so far apart in rarity?

No. One is a one-shot ability which requires a sacrifice and makes colorless mana while the other is a repeatable ability with no sacrifice and makes colored mana.

Colorless Generator Servant Lotus Cobra Mana Rarity Sacrifice

Lotus Cobra Mythic Status

What was the reasoning behind Lotus Cobra being mythic? It's not legendary, it's not big an splashy, it's not related to the story in any way that I know of. Would be interesting to know why that decision was made.

It was a big discussion in R&D. The mythic rare side felt strongly it was splashy.

Lotus Cobra Mythic Rares Story / Lore

Lotus Cobra Approval

So you did not like the name "Lotus Guardian", but what are your opinions about "Lotus Cobra"?

Lotus Cobra lived up to the word “lotus” for me. It kept the value of the word alive rather than lessen it like Lotus Guardian.

Lotus Cobra Lotus Guardian

Card Rarity Design

Are cards designed for a specific rarity from the get go? Or do you design a card and then look at where it should fit? I ask because of cards like Lotus Cobra and Baneslayer Angel. They are both mythic rares but the former could be a simple mana accelerating rare and the latter has a ton of abilities tacked on that if cut down would make it a solid rare.

Sometimes cards are just designed from whole cloth and sometimes cards are made to fit a need in the file.
The former become whatever rarity they need to be. The latter often are designed to the rarity.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Cut Down Lotus Cobra Mana Mythic Rares Rarity

Mythic Rarity Criteria

I realize there's a lot of justification for Mythics, but in the beginning we were told that they'd only be splashy effects, big creatures or similar things, so the fact that they were hard to get was offset by the fact that you wouldn't want four in your deck. In the beginning, that seemed to work out okay, but let's just say that Lotus Cobra made me pretty upset, because that is definitely a 4-of card, and the ability doesn't really strike me as anything more unique than any other ability. I

I never said you would never want four of a mythic rare in your deck. I said that we’re not going to put cards at mythic rare just because they’re good and for no other reason. (Mythic rare does get to have good cards just like any rarity.) I agree that Lotus Cobra was in the grey area. There were big fights in the Pit as to what rarity it was supposed to go. In the end, the argument that won the day was that it had “potential to be awesome”. There were dream scenarios where it could do cool crazy things. Mythic rares are tricky and it’s still something we’re trying to get the right feel for. It does help when we print mythic rares that you feel shouldn’t be mythic rares to let me know. Likewise, if we print a rare that feels like it should have been a mythic rares, I’d like to know that too.

Card Printing Creatures Lotus Cobra Mythic Rares Rarity The Pit

Webcomic Admiration

I don't care what everyone else who reads your tumblr thinks of me. I love this site, your comic, and your answers. Don't get the wrong idea, I just thought you might know why a hobby that I no longer partake in offers so much quantity to the world of webcomics while the hobby I do care about only recently got the first one that I am aware of.

I was just toying with you. No offense actually taken. Here is the real answer to your question provided by troacctid: For the person who asked about Magic webcomics, there are several that I know of (besides this one): 5 Color Control, Pro MTG Online, XMTG, Lotus Cobra Is Evil, T:apped, Durdling Around, Vorthosian Inquisition, Inkwell Looter (not technically a webcomic, but draws some comics anyway), and On The Draw. There used to be Manascrewed and UG Madness, but they’re now defunct (and I can’t find an archive of UG Madness anywhere–I hope it hasn’t disappeared completely).

Blogatog / Tumblr Colors Lotus Cobra Madness Pop Culture Pop Culture