Mana Fixing

Keywording Impulse Potential

Has there been discussion of keywording Impulse? It's a lot of words to be able to shave, but also there are at least 4 fiddly bits that change on a card by card basis (your deck or opponents, cast of play, until end of turn or until the end of your next turn, do you get mana fixing)

It has been talked about many times.

Mana Fixing

Signpost Uncommons Praise

Apply hi-fives to whomever decided that a cycle of signpost uncommons should also be manafixing for limited (as MDFC lands).

Will do.

Cycles Lands Limited Mana Fixing Modal Dual Faced Cards Uncommons

Sealed Play Enjoyment

Hey Mark, just got back from a prerelease (my first prerelease since Dominaria!) and I had a great time. I really enjoyed the spree cards in sealed, I love the way the deserts that deal 1 to target opponent worked as mana fixing off of cards that searched for them (Spinewoods Armadillo especially, that card was super fin) and count for committing a crime, commit a crime itself made for some interesting deck building decisions, and mounts were a nice way to unstick boards full of creatures.I was even sceptical about all the extra cards filling slots (big score, special guests, and breaking news), but I found that it was exciting to see old cards that I think fondly of (I got to see murder, voidslime, etc. and I found that the designs look much better to me in person than it did as spoilers) as well as pull some fun new cards from the big score. Overall I think the set felt great to play with in sealed and I had an awesome time, high fives all around!

High fives shall be applied. I’m happy you had such a good time.

Armadillo Big Score Creatures Dominaria Guest High Fives Mana Fixing Mount Prerelease Sealed Format Spinewoods Armadillo Spoilers Spree The Big Score Voidslime

Mana Fixing Adjustments

You said you are cutting back on common mana fixing to avoid splashing multple play booster bombs. What does this mean for Treasure themes like in AFR? Will you experiment with Treasure that only makes mana of one color? Thanks for answering our questions sir.

There will still be Treasure. I think we’re being a bit more restrictive with it for play design reasons, not play booster reasons. I tried making one color Treasure in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and it wasn’t internally well received as it adds a lot of tracking issues.

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Boosters Colors Ixalan Mana Mana Fixing Play Boosters Play Design The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Treasure

Factions in Sets

Can planes or (premier) sets have ten 3-colored factions? Arcs and wedges mixed and distributed to multiple sets, like Ravnica?

Can we do it? Sure.Would we? A bit skeptical. Three-color arc/shard or wedge sets are already difficult to do. Mixing them together would cause numerous issues, mana fixing without making everything soup would be the hardest.

Factions Mana Fixing Planes Three Color

Three-Colour Set Challenges

You've talked in the past about the inherent difficulties of doing three-colour sets - how Alara ended up pushing people to play fewer than three colours, and Tarkir ended up pushing people to play more. Do you think you'll ever "crack" the right balance of mana fixing and other factors to get three colour sets perfect? Or, between Ikoria and New Capenna (and the upcoming return to Tarkir), do you feel you already have?

We’re getting better at it, but three-color themed sets are just hard to do.

Colors Mana Fixing Three Color

Complexity of 4c Factions

How likely are sets with 4c factions if each faction centers arround a color pair Spliting the set into 10 themes where each faction is in two themes?
Or is color balance and filling standard with too many mana fixing options and inssue?

I did a whole podcast on all the problems with making a four-color faction set:
https://href.li/?https://media.wizards.com/2020/podcasts/magic/drivetowork780_fourcolorfactions_28Ysh8Ds.mp3

Colors Drive to Work Factions Mana Fixing Standard

Mana Fixing in Limited

Hey Mark! As a frequent limited player, I think an awful lot about mana fixing in draft. I want to play 3 color or 2 color /w splash decks more often! Sometimes I'll even draft a deck with splashing in mind and then end up cutting the third color because I feel adding the mana fixing I have makes my deck worse with not enough potential upside. How do you feel about mana fixing in limited right now?

We want to be careful to allow you to draft enough colors to play the set’s themes without enabling extra colors with little consequence. I’m not the best judge of how well we’ve succeeded.

Colors Draft Formats Limited Mana Fixing Three Color Two Color

Nearby Planet Conundrum

What makes Nearby Planet acorn? Other than some funny phrasing in the reminder text, it's just changeling for lands.

It actually doesn’t work in the rules, but Jess (Dunks, the Rules Manager) admitted that he could probably fix it. The larger issue was twofold. There was concern that it might impact Legacy/Vintage and/or restrict what land subtypes we could make in the future. Our strategy with Legacy affecting cards was to be extra cautious.Also, it was our common mana fixing, so properly costing it would have resulted in major changes to the file that I’m not sure we could have accommodated. Remember the eternalizing of the set happened late in set design.

Changeling Humor Lands Legacy Mana Fixing Nearby Planet Rules Rules Manager Set Design Subtype Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Vintage

Art Request

I'd like to request reprints of Glacial Fortress, Hallowed Fountain, and Flooded Strand, all with Jace wandering around in the art please! (So I can have some decent mana fixing when I add the new Jace to my all-Jace deck, in which every card has Jace in the art)

I’ll pass the request along. : )

Art Card Printing Flooded Strand Glacial Fortress Hallowed Fountain Humor Mana Fixing Reprints

Cryptic Spires in Draft

You mentioned in an answer that there weren't really any roadblocks for getting Cryptic Spires printed. However, in another answer, you said the team that designed it intended for it to be used in most draft environments, but you all decided against that. If there weren't any roadblocks, what was the reasoning for not using Cryptic Spires more frequently?

It was decided to be the wrong thing to do as a general fix for drafts. When Double Masters 2022 was looking for a mana fix, they looked to that idea. There were no roadblocks to using it in Double Masters 2022.

Cryptic Spires Double Masters Draft Formats Mana Fixing

Enchantment Variant of Gold Possibility

Do you think an enchantment variant of gold is possible (sac for mana of any color NO TAP NECESSARY)
Because affinity and improvise for enchantments aren’t as problematic I’d reckon it’s design space that lets you keep mana fixing and generation while giving artifact treasures a break

I do think we’ll make an enchantment token one day similar to Treasure, Food, and Clue, but the flavor won’t be it’s a tangible thing.

Affinity Artifacts Bend / Break Colors Design Space Enchantments Flavor Food Improvise Mana Mana Fixing Tap / Untap Tokens Treasure

Appreciation for Creature Mana Fixing

Its probably already been said, but the creature mana fixing cycle (Spara's Adjudicators etc.) are absolutely genius and great. Whoever designed them deserves major kudos!!!

I’ll pass along the kind words.

Appreciation Appreciation Creatures Mana Fixing Spara's Adjudicators

Impact of Limited on Designs

To follow up further on the potential benefits of boosters without Limited in mind, are the following examples of things we don't get much of in large part because of limited? More mono colored cards with triple and quadruple mana symbols in their cost. Constructed viable dual lands at lower rarities. Higher toughness creatures are lower rarities. More multicolored designs without relying on high as-fan of mana fixing. More Overrun effects.

Even without limited, we have to be conscious of casual constructed. Normally, the two overlap enough that taking care of one takes care of the other. If we got of limited, we still have to take care of casual constructed, so most of what you list here still couldn’t happen.

As-fan Boosters Casual Play Constructed Creatures Dual Lands Lands Limited Mana Mana Fixing Overrun

Impact of Rare Dual Lands

Good dual lands are rare so that Mana fixing isn't great in draft, but they are still essential to all kinds of decks in constructed play. There is now a product built around bypassing draft balancing.
If/when: rare lands seeing a slot or at least a higher chance of being pulled in set boosters?

Dual lands, especially at high rarities, are way more unbalancing in constructed formats than limited formats.

Boosters Constructed Draft Formats Dual Lands If/When Lands Limited Mana Fixing Rares Set Boosters

Two-Colour Mana-Fixing

Is there such a thing as two colour mana-fixing being too good? I know the worry is generally that Standard will turn into five colour soup, but would there be a problem with printing a Volcanic Island with the restriction "You can only play this in a deck with no {W}, {B} or {G} symbols"?

For starters, we’d get so much complaint from Commander players. : )Yes, two color mana fixing can be too good. Color separation is a core component of the game, and we don’t want to make splashing too easy.

Colors Commander Humor Mana Fixing Standard Two Color Volcanic Island

Managing 5-Color Soup

Stopping 5-color soup seems pretty simple tbh. Just give a bunch of cards upsides that you only get if you control no (e.g.) green permanents or lands that produce G. And cost them so they're not worth playing without the upside. Is there some other mechanical issue?

That solution has numerous issues. First, it’s not as easy a thing to define as you think. Second, it would be wordy and doesn’t leave you a lot of room to do other things. Third, it cuts you off from using five-color mana fixing which a four-color set would probably need (you most likely don’t have space for a cycle of four-color mana fixers). Fourth, it’s mentally hard to process if you have multiple different ones mixed together. Fifth, it’s not even that hard to play around - use artifact mana fixing for your fifth color and only play spells with it. Sixth, there’s only so many cards you can use this restriction on, so what do you do with all the other cards? And seventh, from a game design standpoint, it’s a bit inelegant.

Artifacts Colors Cycles Game Design Green Lands Mana Mana Fixing Permanents Spells

Frequency of Rare Dual Lands

So, why can't every set have half a cycle of rare dual lands? They don't even have to be new every time; they could be reprints.

There is a limit of how much mana fixing we want in Standard.

Cycles Dual Lands Lands Mana Fixing Rares Reprints Standard

Modal Double-Faced Card Balance

I think most of the player base is having a lot of problems judging the power level of the MDFC. I think they are very well balanced and will see a LOT of play in various formats. How much discussion was there on how strong the spell sides should be versus how much power came from being able to mana fix with them?

A *lot* of time was spent on it.

Mana Fixing Modal Dual Faced Cards Power Level

Learning from Alara

Hey Mark, you've said in the past that Alara's limit experience was suboptimal due to too little manafixing. Please reassure us you've optimized this in Khans ....

We do learn from our mistakes. : )

Mana Fixing