Mana Drain

Mana Burn Mechanics

So, historically, one of the things making Mana Drain not *always* overpowered was that you could end up getting mana burn from it (I think I won one game of Legacy because my opponent had the counter but couldn't spend the mana and died. :) ). Has any consideration been given to making cards like that that bring back mana burn as specifically a downside to the card (e.g. mana drain's text + "if you do not spend this mana, lose 1 life for each unspent mana")?

We don’t think it’s worth the bother.

Legacy Mana Mana Drain Mechanics

Odds of Old Cards

First time ever using my birthday question. What are the odds of getting some of the oldest cards printed on the List? For example, the winter Mishra's Factory, original art Mana Crypt, original art Force of Will and Mana Drain? Or basically any card from the first 4 expansions?

I’ll say the odds aren’t high. Happy Birthday.

Art Birthday Card Printing Force of Will Mana Mana Crypt Mana Drain Mishra's Factory

Purple Mana Discussion

The sixth color in Planar Chaos was Purple, between black and blue. Purple-shifted version of Mana Drain and Hymn to Tourach was looked at. It was "time" and had countering and discard. According to Bill Rose. Standard would have been brutal so I'm kinda glad that didn't happen.The idea of putting it in the middle of all five, instead of between black and blue, came later. You talked about that idea in a 2019 interview.

We had talked about various different ideas during Planar Chaos, including it being in the center. None of them came to pass (we killed the idea pretty early in design), so I was remembering a different one than the one I wrote about in my article. Apologies.

6th Color Bill Rose Black Blue Colors Discard Hymn to Tourach Mana Mana Drain Planar Chaos Standard

Reason for Twice Reprinting

Why reprint certain cards twice within the same year? I know the demand is very high for cards like concordant crossroads and mana drain but arent there even more desired cards that never get a reprint?

There are just a lot of moving pieces.

Concordant Crossroads Mana Mana Drain Reprints

Understanding Mana Drain Reference

For the people that haven't been around the blog for over a decade (seriously, the 2500 TFTP was the 10 year mark give or take, insane to think you've been doing this that long) that don't understand the bus reference it is about how LONG ago you said that Mana Drain would be reprinted if all of R&D was hit by a bus. Is a fun "how things have changed" moment since reprinting everything and anything that is reprintable is just the norm for the game now.

The quote is from 1995.

Blogatog / Tumblr Game Design Mana Mana Drain Reprints Tales from the Pit

Designing the Purple Color

How far did the Purple color get in design/philosophy concept? Did it have any playstyles or removal? If it were hypothetically possible to have made Purple at the very beginning, would the team do it? And are there any mechanics we have now that would've been more proper to put into a Purple pile? (We could even say the Z color or Orange or whatever)

Purple got maybe two months in the six month design of Plansr Chaos. Planar Chaos redistributed the effects, so we just divided them into six. I remember purple had counterspells and we were taking about giving it a Mana Drain. I would not change Magic from five colors if I could go back in time. The color pie is amazing. Also, you want an odd number, so that the ally and enemy relationships overlap.

Ally Color Pie Colors Mana Mana Drain Mechanics Planar Chaos

Mana Drain in Standard?

How many members of R&D would need to be hit by a bus for Mana Drain to appear in a Standard legal set?

I’m not comfortable with all this bus talk. : )

Game Design Mana Mana Drain Standard

Mana Drain Logic

Why does mana drain between phases?

To make it clear when it’s being used. If mana never cleared, players would tap all their lands at the beginning of their turn and it would be significantly harder to track the opponent’s mana usage.

Lands Mana Mana Drain Tap / Untap

Counterspell Reprint Caution

on the subject about "if mana drain was reprinted R&D would be hit by a bus" ask, could we ever see a counterspell reprint?

I’ve learned to be careful about bus promises.

Card Printing Counterspell Game Design Mana Mana Drain Reprints

Counterspell Confusion

The Professor did a video about the five most powerful cards in Dominaria and number 5 was Wizard's Retort. He said it's basically Counterspell in any Modern control deck, which in his opinion is broken, and then claimed that you said that if R&D ever prints Counterspell, the current team has been hit by a bus. A subscriber said that quote was about Mana Drain. Clarification, please?

The bus quote is about Mana Drain. I was asked many years ago if we would ever reprint Mana Drain. At the time, the only way to reprint something was to put it into a Standard-legal set, so I said R&D would be hit by a bus before that happens.

Card Printing Counterspell Dominaria Game Design Mana Mana Drain Modern Reprints Standard Tolarian Community College Wizard's Retort

Mana Drain Reprint

Since you reprinted mana drain in iconic masters was all of RnD hit by a bus?

The implied intent was in a Standard-legal set. At the time, everything we printed was Standard-legal.

Card Printing Iconic Masters Mana Mana Drain Reprints Standard

Mana Drain Clarification

Question 38 (the "mana drain" question) specified "competitive Standard card", but that was not used in your explanation on which one was the most reasonable reprint, may I ask why it was included in the question?

I didn’t write that question. My belief is they wanted you to pick an effect that Play Design would be willing to push for constructed.

Card Printing Competitive Play Constructed Mana Mana Drain Play Design Reprints Standard

Mana Drain Reprint

Don't get me wrong, I am super excited about Mana Drain's reprint, I am always happy that it and Force of Will escaped the Reserved List. But what changed your mind? I seem to recall you saying that it shouldn't be reprinted.

Let me start this answer by giving some historical context. Back in 1995, I was asked if we would ever reprint Mana Drain. I replied, “All of R&D would have to be hit by a bus first.” This recent announcement of Mana Drain’s reprint in Iconic Masters has obviously resulted in numerous jokes about the health of R&D. So what gives? What changed since 1995? Many things but the most important is the existence of supplemental sets. Back in 1995, there was only two ways to reprint a card - in a core set or an expansion, both of which added the card to Standard. The quote came from me knowing we’d never put Mana Drain (one of, if not the most, powerful counterspells ever printed) back into Standard. I didn’t specify that because, at the time, there was no need to. The reprinting of Mana Drain in Iconic Masters doesn’t add it to any format that doesn’t already have it, so it doesn’t hit any of the issues 1995 me cared about. So let me produce the answer I should have given: “All of R&D would have to be hit by a bus first, except, that is, if one day we choose to expand the very concept of how we think about reprints and reexamined our product line-up. In that future world, it probably would be okay.”

Card Printing Force of Will Humor Iconic Masters Mana Mana Drain Reprints Standard The Reserved List

R&D Mana Drain Joke

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of all in R&D with the recent Mana Drain announcement. How bad are the injuries?

The original quote was misunderstood. All of R&D would have to be hit by Gus. And he did. It stung a little. The original quote meant in a Standard-legal set because back then that’s all we ever made.

Game Design Mana Mana Drain Standard

Standard Power Cards

In standard: Force of Will or Mana Drain?

Force of Will.

Force of Will Mana Mana Drain Standard

Purple Possibilities

Wait, so a color-shifted Mana Drain is acceptable without anyone needing to get hit by a bus?

It is in Purple.

Colors Mana Mana Drain

Purple Mechanics Memory

"We never got to the point where Purple had unique mechanics. We basically worked on a rejiggered color wheel with Purple." The Color Purple article begs to differ. "You'll have to believe me when I say that the new mechanics were quite strong."

It was a long time ago and I’ve made many sets in between. I don’t remember making new mechanics for purple. It did have a color shifted Mana Drain though.

Colors Mana Mana Drain Mechanics

Mana Drain Joke Query

On a scale of 1 to "I'd rather get hit by that bus at this point," how many times has the bus joke been brought up since the mana drain judge promo was revealed?

You’re the first to bring it up.

Humor Mana Mana Drain Promos

Corrected Win Percentages

Not that it's a big deal, but you left off the win percentages for a few of the first round matches (Cryptic Command, Mana Drain, Remand).

Fixed it on my chart. Thanks. Cryptic Command beat Spell Pierce with 82%. Mana Drain beat Spellsputter Sprite with 75%. Remand beat Mana Leak with 54%.

Cryptic Command Mana Mana Drain Mana Leak Spell Pierce

Mana Drain Scenario

Hypothetically, if all of Wizards R&D did get hit by a bus, would you then try to put Mana Drain into the next available set, or would you still not want to warp the Standard environment for 18 months?

The bus was a requirement not something the guarantees it. : )

Game Design Mana Mana Drain Standard