Mind Bend

Text Change Card Issue

Is it because of the digital concern that the cards with the "Text Change" effect (Like Glamerdye and Mind Bend) haven't been released recently?

It’s not a digital issue. It’s a memory one. We like permanent effects to have a way to track the change, usually with a card or counter.

Bend / Break Glamerdye Mind Bend

Altering CMC Complexity

Hello Mark, will we have cards one day that alter CMC on permanents, like the way we have Mind Bend alter colors on cards? I think it makes cards like Enchanters Bane, Kaya, Orzhov Usurper and Vraska, Golgari Queen more versatile. Just exploring new waters but thought about, thanks! :)

Altering CMC is pretty complicated and not relevant so much of the time. I’m skeptical, but I never say never.

Bend / Break Colors Golgari (B/G) Kaya, Orzhov Usurper Mana Value Mind Bend Orzhov (W/B) Permanents Vraska, Golgari Queen

Trait Doctoring Effects

I love Trait Doctoring / Mind Bend change the text of color/land type to another, but with protection and landwalk going aside I feel we won't see this effect much?

We’ve been moving away from these style of effects for years.

Bend / Break Colors Lands Landwalk Mind Bend Protection Trait Doctoring

Staying Power's Complexity

Wouldn't a black-border Staying Power just use Mind Bend/Overload templating? (i.e. "As Starying power enters the battlefield, until Staying power leaves the battlefield, alter the text for permanents, spell, and cards not on the battlefield by removing all instances of "until end of turn".")

When the Rules Manager says it can’t be done, I believe them.

Bend / Break Black Enter The Battlefield Mind Bend Overload Permanents Rules Staying Power Templating

Plainswalker Trivia

The day has come bday trivia. Trivia on 5 color plainswalker or my commander child of alara.

Here’s some five color plainswalking trivia. There are actually cards in every color (and artifact and multicolor) that can have or grant plainswalk:White Aysen Highway (Homelands)Concerted Effort (Ravnica) - must have other plainswalkerGraceful Antelope (Odyssey)Great Wall (Legends)Righteous Avengers (Legends)Blue (okay, other than Greater Morphing, Illusionary Presence or Traveler’s Cloak, you have to already have a land walker to pull this off)Crystal Spray (Invasion)Greater Morphling (Unhinged)Illusionary Presence (Ice Age)Magical Hack (Alpha)Mind Bend (Mirage)Spectral Shift (Fifth Dawn)Trait Doctoring (Dragon’s Maze)Traveler’s Cloak (Invasion)While of Vorrath (Tempest)BlackCairn Wanderer (Lorwyn) - ,must have plainswalker in graveGiant Slug (Legends)RedBarbarian Guides (Ice Age) - can grant snow-covered plainswalkBeggars Arsonists (Shadowmoor)GreenMagnigoth Treefolk (Planeshift) - must have PlainsOld Fogey (Unhinged)Zodiac Rooster (Portal: Three Kingdoms)ArtifactDeath-Mask Duplicate (Darksteel) - must exile plainswalkerExcavator (Tempest) - must sacrifice PlainsMulticolorLord Magnus (Legends) - Green/WhiteThis is the most I’ve ever written about plainswalk on Blogatog. : )Happy Birthday!

Alpha Antelope Artifacts Aysen Highway Barbarian Barbarian Guides Bend / Break Birthday Black Blue Cairn Wanderer Child of Alara Cloak Colors Commander Concerted Effort Crystal Spray Darksteel Dragon Excavator Fifth Dawn Giant Giant Slug Graceful Antelope Great Wall Greater Morphling Green Homelands Ice Age Illusionary Presence Lands Legendary Creatures Lord Magnus Lorwyn Magical Hack Magnigoth Treefolk Mind Bend Mirage Odyssey Old Fogey Planeshift Portal Red Righteous Avengers Sacrifice Selesnya (G/W) Shadowmoor Slug Spectral Shift Tempest The Exile Zone Trait Doctoring Treefolk Unhinged Wall White Zodiac Rooster

Color Hacking Today

I've asked a couple times and I'm beginning to lose hope! Is color hacking (such as Mind Bend and Glamerye) still a part of modern Magic? The last printed color hack card (Trait Doctoring) was much better as a heroic enabler than it was as a color hack card, and protection (the best hack target) is no longer evergreen

We do less color hacking because the game in general has been caring less about color overall. The kinds of cards you would hack are just being done less. The ability is still in Blue’s color pie though.

Bend / Break Blue Card Printing Color Pie Colors Evergreen Heroic Lose Hope Mind Bend Modern Protection Trait Doctoring

Silver-bordered Rules

In Unset land, can I use Magical Hack or Mind Bend type effects to turn Black Cat into Green Cat, or Black Lotus into White Lotus? How about Murderous Redcap into Murderous Bluecap?

Magical Hack only affects rules text. Being in silver-bordered land doesn’t change that.

Bend / Break Black Black Cat Black Lotus Cat Green Lands Magical Hack Mind Bend Murderous Redcap Rules Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets White