Mutavault

Stickered Manlands

If I sticker a manland like Mutavault with a p/t sticker, does it become a 2/2 the next time I animate it or the stickered value? I would guess 2/2?

The stickered value as you’ve overwritten the power/toughness.

Mutavault Stickers

Changeling it on Non-creature Card

I know it’s already unlikely that changeling appears at all, but would it be possible to have changeling appear on a non-creature card without that card actually having tribal on the type line? (Excluding cards that animate like mutavault)

Changeling is a creature ability. Without Tribal it can’t appear on a non-creature.

Changeling Creatures Kindred / Typal Mutavault Non-creatures

Puzzle of Dryad Arbor's Rules

In this week's Making Magic article, you talked about Dryad Arbor causing rules problems and probably never coming to standard. I'm curious as to why. We get lands that can become creatures all the time (eg: Mutavault), and they don't seem to cause similar problems.

A land that becomes a creature on the battlefield is fine. A land that’s also a creature in other zones, especially the hand, is problematic.

Creatures Dryad Dryad Arbor Lands Making Magic Mutavault Rules Standard Your Hand

Mutavault Comparison

For people asking about Mutavault being a Food because Gingerbrute is a creature that's a Food: Dryad Arbor is a creature that's a Forest, but that doesn't mean Mutavault is a Forest.

Good comparison.

Creatures Dryad Dryad Arbor Food Gingerbrute Mutavault

Understanding Card Types

Re: Mutavault/Gingerbrute, how would we, as players, know by looking at Gingerbrute that Food is exclusively an Artifact type and Golem is exclusively a Creature type (if we hadn’t read your blog)? Not saying there isn’t an answer, just curious what it is since my knowledge is lacking.

You can’t tell just by looking at Gingerbrute, but you can figure it out by seeing all the Food cards/tokens and what they have in common.

Artifacts Card Types Card Types Creatures Food Gingerbrute Golem Mutavault Tokens

Mutavault and Food Type

Re: Mutavault being a Food creature, Gingerbrute has Food as a creature subtype. It is an Artifact Creature - Food Golem. As of Gingerbrute's being shown, Mutavault could be a Food creature I think!

No, it can’t. Gingerbrute can be Food because it’s an artifact and thus is allowed an artifact subtype. Mutavault only gets creature (sub)types.

Artifacts Creatures Food Gingerbrute Golem Mutavault Subtype

Mutavault Artifact Query

If I turn Mutavault into an artifact, will it have the Food subtype? Or is this going too far.

Myra Vault has all creature types. Food isn’t a creature type.

Artifacts Creatures Food Mutavault Subtype

Reprints in Standard

I understand that the combination of Mutavault and Thoughtseize proved problematic in the specific Standard they were reprinted in, but the very fact that they were reprinted at all meant a lot to many players of non-rotating formats. It showed that Wizards cared about us and our needs nearly as much as they cared about Standard and Draft players. Is there any chance at all that R&D might take risks like that again with *powerful* reprints in Standard?

If we can do so without badly warping Standard.

Card Printing Game Design Limited Mutavault Reprints Standard Thoughtseize

Core Sets Reprints

Are the reprints in the new Core Sets exclusively for external format use or will they be Standard playable? I assumed Wizards were done with reprints in Standard after the mixed reception to Thoughtseize and Mutavault.

The reprints in the core set will be Standard-legal, as will the new cards.

Card Printing Mutavault Reprints Standard Thoughtseize

Mythic Rare Misconception

Remember when Mythics weren't supposed to be staples?

No, no I don’t. I get misquoted a lot so perhaps you’re under the impression I said something other than what I actually said. Here’s the relevant quote from the article “The Year of Living Changerously” where I introduced Mythic Rares:“This now leads us to the next question: How are cards split between rare and mythic rare? Or more to the point, what kind of cards are going to become mythic rares? We want the flavor of mythic rare to be something that feels very special and unique. Generally speaking we expect that to mean cards like Planeswalkers, most legends, and epic-feeling creatures and spells. They will not just be a list of each set’s most powerful tournament-level cards.We’ve also decided that there are certain things we specifically do not want to be mythic rares. The largest category is utility cards, what I’ll define as cards that fill a universal function. Some examples of this category would be cycles of dual lands and cards like Mutavault or Char.”It’s possible that you’re confusing “utility cards” with “staple cards”, but utility talks about the simplicity of the effect and staple talks about usage in high level tournament play.That’s not to say that the role of Mythic Rares hasn’t changed over the years. The article was me talking about the philosophy we had going into introducing Mythic Rares eight years ago and as with any element of the game things evolve over time.But, and this is the important part to your question, I was very clear up front that Mythic Rare would have some tournament level cards. Note the “just” in the last line of the first paragraph. I wasn’t saying there would never be tournament staple Mythic Rares, I was saying that Mythic Rares wouldn’t be nothing but tournament staples, which they never have been. I do make mistakes and I will own up to them when they happen, but please try not to misquote me and say that I said things I didn’t say. There are so many legit things one can yell at me about. There’s no need to yell at me for stuff I didn’t do or say. : )

Creatures Cycles Dual Lands Dual Lands Epic Evolve Flavor Lands Legendary Creatures Mutavault Mythic Rares Planeswalkers Spells

Mutavault Reprint Effects

I'm really happy to hear you say the Thoughseize reprint went badly it actually put me off standard for quite a while. How do you feel about the Mutavault reprint that came just before?

Not much better.

Card Printing Mutavault Reprints Standard

Format Defining Cards Preference

Would you rather the format defining cards be more new stuff (Elspeth Sun's Champion, Courser of Kruphix, Sphinx's Revelation) or older powerful reprints (Thoughtseize, Mutavault, Lightning Bolt)?

A mix although leaning toward new stuff. Old stuff doesn’t allow for as much exploration.

Card Printing Champion Courser of Kruphix Lightning Bolt Mutavault Reprints Sphinx Sphinx's Revelation Thoughtseize

Card Play Expectations

Wizards doesn't parade cards around often, but Chandra, Pyromaster got an awful lot of "trust us guys, she'll be good" for the amount of play she's been getting. Was this a miscalculation on how good she would be, or just extra press for a set with mutavault?

She’s been played plenty. The only reason she’s not seeing a lot of play in Standard now is because red’s not seeing a lot of play.

Chandra, Pyromaster Miscalculation Mutavault Red Standard

Eye Gouge Cyclops Flavor

Eye gouge with only 2 cyclops on Theros and 2 cyclops in BNG (only 1 of the four competitive playable imo)... More cyclops coming on Journey Into Nyx? Or the card was purely designed for flavor?

The trinket text was more for flavor but we knew it would come up now and again. Also, remember that Mutavault is a cyclops.

Competitive Play Cyclops Eye Eye Gouge Flavor Journey into Nyx Mutavault Nyx Theros

Mutavault vs. Mishra's Factory

Mark, i know you're not a developer, but as a dude who has spent 18 years making magic cards, can you explain why Mutavault is ok to print where Mishra's Factory isn't?

Mutavault while powerful is nowhere near as powerful as Mishra’s Factory. (Normal “not a developer” comment.)

Card Printing Making Magic Mishra Mutavault Not a developer

Thoughtseize Speculation

How did you feel when people started predicting that thoughtseize was in M14.

I felt they were incorrect. : ) We obviously knew when we did Modern Masters that Mutavault and Thoughtseize would be missed but would be coming soon after.

Modern Modern Masters Mutavault Thoughtseize

Voice of Resurgence

Mark, there are a lot if people who are mad about Voice of Resurgence, complaining that such a powerful (and universal?) card should have never been printed as Mythic, pointing to some promise made by Wizards art he Alara Block. While I don't necessarily agree with them, I have the good fortune of owning four since before the explosive demand for the card, thus perhaps making my perspective irrelevant. How do you feel about the situation?

Here’s what I actually said: This now leads us to the next question: How are cards split between rare and mythic rare? Or more to the point, what kind of cards are going to become mythic rares? We want the flavor of mythic rare to be something that feels very special and unique. Generally speaking we expect that to mean cards like Planeswalkers, most legends, and epic-feeling creatures and spells. They will not just be a list of each set’s most powerful tournament-level cards. We’ve also decided that there are certain things we specifically do not want to be mythic rares. The largest category is utility cards, what I’ll define as cards that fill a universal function. Some examples of this category would be cycles of dual lands and cards like Mutavault or Char. That also addresses a long-standing issue that some players have had with certain rares like dual lands. Because we’re making fewer cards per set, in the new world individual rares will be easier to acquire because each rare in a large set now appears 25% more often. Voice of Resurgence does not do something I above said we wouldn’t do. It’s not a utility card and I didn’t say we wouldn’t make tournament cards at mythic rare. I said we wouldn’t make all the tournament cards at mythic rare. As the Delver of Secrets conversation of two days ago shows, we have format defining cards at common as well as at rare and mythic rare.

Art Card Printing Creatures Cycles Dual Lands Dual Lands Epic Flavor Lands Legendary Creatures Mutavault Planeswalkers Rares Spells Voice of Resurgence

Mutavault's Exclusion

Why wasn't Mutavault included in From the Vault: Realms?

I don’t know the specifics but there are all sorts of factors that go into choosing the cards for a From the Vault product.

Mutavault