Mindslaver

Exploring 'Bonkers' Design Space

I follow a subreddit called BadMtgCombos and I see a lot of cards that are quite frankly bonkers. Mindslaver is probably a good example.A lot of those bonkers cards are older and I was wondering if bonkers design space has become tapped out?Is R&D deliberately avoiding making bonkers cards?

There are definitely cards we make nowadays that many players think are stronger than they should be. I don;t know if they’d consider them “bonkers”.

Design Space Game Design Mindslaver

Irony in Player Agency

“Player agency is important” says the guy who designed Mindslaver lol
(I know, I know, ite just funny)

: )

Humor Mindslaver

Mindslaver Mechanic Revision

If you'd made Mindslaver today would you make it that it exiles itself when activated?

I would. I consider us not doing that a mistake in hindsight.

Mechanics Mindslaver

Delayed Card Releases

Can you tell us any examples of cards you’ve designed, that the rules manager has signed off on, but it took a long time to find the right set to finally be put in?

Mindslaver is the one that jumps to mind. I designed it for Tempest, but it didn’t see print until Mirrodin.

Card Printing Mindslaver Mirrodin Rules Manager Tempest

Design Process Evolution

Hi Mark! How often do you or other designers make cards that don't work in the rules these days vs earlier eras of the game? What with clones, mindslaver etc. working now.

There is a process now to minimize that happening.

Mindslaver Rules

Un-Rules Query

Un-Rules question! If I cast Form of Approach of the Second Son and reveal myself with Yet Another Aether Vortex while Oath of Gideon is on the field, the copy myself with a Clone... is the Clone a player? Does it get a turn? Can you mindslaver the Clone? For that matter, if instead of cloning myself I were to cause myself to phase out, would I ever phase in again?

You can’t clone playerness.

Clone Mindslaver Oath of Gideon Un-sets Yet Another Aether Vortex

Eating Opponent's Cards

We've got Mindslaver, letting us take our opponents' turns, but when will we get Mindsavor, letting us eat our opponents' cards?

Once we switch over to edible cards, we can start designing for it. I already have Swords to Chow-shares designed.

Mindslaver

Digital Mechanics Adaptation

Are there effects that Magic used to do that it avoids doing because of digital? One example I was thinking of was something like Mindslaver effects, which seem like a monumental task for digital clients.

First off, read this:
Why I Decided Not to Do Emrakul, and How We Shipped It AnywayDigital more influences how we make cards, doing things like “target opponent” rather than “target player”, but we do have to think through what we’re asking of the digital team for each card we make. Sometimes we will change a card if it’s going to cause major aggravation in digital and there’s another way we can do the effect. Sometimes (see the article above) we do things we know digital will have issues with because we think it would be good for tabletop play.

Emrakul, the Promised End Magic Arena Mechanics Mindslaver Nightmare

Eternal World Design

Listening to Designing for an Eternal World and you missed one really interesting point in effect volume. Adding a extra turn or mindslaver effect every couple years was fine in a rotating format but enough of them come together and a monster can be made. To make matters worst, and each effect has a different threshold to become degenerate. Create enough low cost cantrip creatures in White and it never runs out of cards, print too many 1 mv counterspells and now there are enough for the much reviled draw-go stratagy, to many transformation/transmutation effects in Red and now you have a reverse reanimator.

That’s a good point, although we just let banning deal with that issue. We’re not going to stop making a certain effect because some formats don’t want more.

Bannings Card Printing Creatures Eternal Format Legality Mana Value Mindslaver Red Threshold Transmutation White

Sorin Markov Trivia

It's my birthday! If you have anything, I'd really like to request a bit of trivia about that first Sorin Markov card, it was the focus of the first deck I ever built by myself, back when it was new. :)

The first Sorin’s ultimate (the Mindslaver effect) was originally designed, interestingly by me, for Nicol Bolas, but they ended up going with one that referenced his original card from Legends. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Legendary Creatures Mindslaver Nicol Bolas Sorin Markov

New Mindslaver Effect

Hi Mark! Do you think Magic could have a new card with a mindslaver effect?

I think it could.

Mindslaver

Design Challenges

“I try to make all effects non-acorn if I can” can you give some examples of a card in non-Un sets that you thought would have to be acorn but you ended up making it non-acorn?

Pick any card playing in new space. For example, when I made Mindslaver, I didn’t know if you could control another player’s turn. Many Un-cards started as cards made for premier sets. They ended up acorn/silver-bordered because they just didn’t work.

Mindslaver Premier Sets Premier Sets Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Sticker Use Case

I got into an internet argument last night about stickers. I understand that you can only put stickers on cards you own, but what if you control another player(Via Emrakul or mindslaver). can you make them put a sticker on a card they own. I said no because that is still you making the decision, but the other person said that it was the other player putting the sticker on the card. I'm super excited for stickers and eternal Unfinity! Good work!

If you Mindslaver someone, you can force them to sticker a card they own, but they could choose to use paper and pencil rather than actually sticker the card if they choose.

Eternal Mindslaver Stickers

Sticker Mechanics Rules

Ok, so hear me out:

1) My opponent controls a Wicker Picker.

2) I use Mindslaver to control their next turn.

3) In this turn, I play a creature from their hand, and I use Wicker Picker’s sticker kicker.

Since I am in control of my opponent’s turn, can I put a sticker on the Sticker-kicked creature?

Does the answer change if I used “Donate” to give them my Wicker Picker in the first place?

(Also, one thing I’ve realized from past answers is that if my opponent doesn’t want a sticker glued on their card, we can use a counter. I can’t force them to use stickers with real glue).

You cannot. Same with Donate. There are no cards currently in the game of Magic that change ownership of cards (well, except ante cards, but those haven’t been a thing in a long, long time and they are banned in every format).EDIT: Some further clarification. Built into the sticker rules is you have to voluntarily choose to put a sticker on a card. Nothing in the game can force you to sticker something if you don’t want to sticker it.EDIT #2: Checking into this, I gave a slightly incorrect answer. If you Mindslaver your opponent, you can force them to sticker cards they own, but you can’t literally force them to put a sticker on it. The player may choose instead to represent it with paper and pencil.

Bannings Creatures Donate Format Legality Format Legality Kicker Mechanics Mindslaver Rules Stickers Wicker Picker Your Hand

Stickers and Mindslaver

How do stickers work with mindslaver like effects? Are you allowed to sticker a card owned by the player you are controlling?

No, you can only sticker cards you own. Mindslavering someone doesn’t change who owns the card.

Mindslaver Stickers

Mindslaver Mechanic Scenario

Rules question (since you're the only silver bordered judge that I know of): if you generate infinite mana for your opponent while mindslavering them, and they have a knight of the hokey pokey on the battlefield, can you force them to do the hokey pokey (as it is part of the cost)?

No. Mindslaver doesn’t have the ability to make them perform bodily actions.

Knight Knight of the Hokey Pokey Mana Mechanics Mindslaver Rules

Considerations for Legendary Cards

Hi Mark! How often is legendary used only to limit a card's power, without prior consideration of it being legendary for flavor or commander? Any good examples?

It happens, but infrequently. Krark’s Thumb and Mindslaver are examples of cards legendary for play design reasons.

Commander Flavor Krark's Thumb Mindslaver Play Design

Mindslaver and Hokey Pokey Query

When using Mindslaver, the costs are paid using your opponents resources (hand, graveyard, mana, etc). If you activate Knight of the Hokey Pokey under your opponents control will that force your opponent to do the Hokey Pokey? Or would the cost be considered unpayable if your opponent refuses to perform the dance?

You can make game decisions for them, but can’t force how they act, so it basically doesn’t work.

Activate Knight Knight of the Hokey Pokey Mana Mindslaver The Graveyard Your Hand

Mindslaver Gameplay Query

So in horrendous hypothetical, if I have mindslavered an opponent and have Frankie peanuts with assault suit o n the battlefield, am I able to ask that opponent a question and answer as themselves, essentially locking them out?

Mindslaver let’s you make decisions about how the cards are played; it doesn’t let you you talk as if you are that player. And even if it did, you don’t have to abide to answers you didn’t give.

Assault Suit Frankie Peanuts Game Play Mindslaver

Staying Power and Mindslaver

Silver-border rules question. If Staying Power is in play, and someone uses Mindslaver, do they just get to control the other player for the rest of the game?

No. Mindslaver uses neither “until end of turn” or “this turn”.

Mindslaver Rules Staying Power Un-sets