Opt

Token Name Harmonization

Does R&D have any plans to harmonize the names and rules text of tokens, similar to what happened to creature types in Llorwyn? For instance, Thopter artifact creature tokens are usually 1/1 fliers, but Leonardo da Vinci makes 0/2 flying Thopters. So the name "thopter token" doesn't uniquely tell you what the rules text is. Likewise, there are 2/2 Knights with firs strike, 2/2 Knights with trample and haste, 1/1 colorless Spirits, 1/1 white Spirits, and many more examples.

We do within any one set, but we allow variance between sets.

Artifacts Colorless Creatures Flying Game Design Haste Knight Leonardo da Vinci Rules Spirit Thopter Tokens Trample White

Historic Criticism Parallels

Did people have the same flavour complaints about thopters and gnomes being historic during Dominaria, as people do about some stuff being or not being crimes?

Players always have complaints. : )

Dominaria Flavor Gnome Historic Humor Thopter

Thopter Confusion

Was there concern about putting both a 0/0 thopter and a 1/1 thopter in the same set? It feels like it could lead to some confusion

Usually when something like this happens, one is the commonly used one and one is the by-product of a small (often one) number of high rarity cards.

Rarity Thopters

Urza's Hot Tub Rules

I have an Urza themed deck with "Urza's Hot Tub" in it. Can I discard "Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter" to the hot tub to go get "Urza, Academy Headmaster"? does the "apostrophe s" in liberator make this a no go?

The word has to be exact (aka the “complete” word). I will point out that the Un-rules care about the specific card in question, and some cards that are Urza’s ________ in English might be ______ of Urza in other languages. For example, the Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese versions of Liberator Urza’s Battlethopter have “Urza” in their title.

_____ Discard English Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter Rules Un-sets Urza Urza, Academy Headmaster Urza's Hot Tub

Errata and Stun Counters

Re: Errata-ing stun counters. I think I didn't make myself clear enough. If you take the card Opt, it used to say "Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library." When scry became evergreen, it was changed to "Scry 1." which plays the same on its own but has a functional difference when combined with other cards (now it triggers "When you scry" abilities). Surely making a card use stun counters when it didn't before would cause a functional change with proliferate and other effects, but Wizards already accepts those edge cases when updating text to evergreen keywords like scry. So why are counters different? Are they seen as a bigger change (less of an edge case) or something?

It’s less of an edge case.

Errata Evergreen Keywords Opt Proliferate Scry Stun The Library Triggered Abilities

Errata for Keyword Mechanics

"It’s introducing errata, as those swaps aren’t exactly the same, so I don’t think the chances are high." To be fair, this already happens when you update certain abilities to keywords (for example, Opt now works with "When you scry"). Are counters a higher bar?

My point is the functionality has to remain the same. The mere existence of proliferate makes turning something into a counter different even if the text is identical, and in none of the provided cases it is.

Errata Keywords Mechanics Opt Proliferate Scry

Saheeli and Kaladesh

Hey Mark, first time asking for Birthday Trivia. Saheeli is my favorite walker so maybe something about her or Kaladesh, or Thopters, something Saheeli-adjacent is cool too. Thank you for being awesome and have a great day.

Originally, Chandra was going to be the face of Kaladesh, but we realized she made more sense for Aether Revolt, so we designed a new planeswalker. We wanted to play up the invention theme, so we made a character that was an amazing inventor, Saheeli.Happy Birthday!

Aether Revolt Aether Revolt Appreciation Birthday Kaladesh Planeswalkers Revolt Thopter

Pauper Card Design

coming back to ask again a question, you said that pauper gets the "once per turn" treatment on most of its cards, but we have some recent examples that contradict this like "Energy Refractor", so does your answer only refers to the fact that the cost is "1 of any color"? so would it be possible for we to se on the future maybe a better "Shire Scarecrow" that doesnt have the "OPT" but the cost to use it is maybe higher or needs color mana like "orochi the leaf-caller"

There is a huge difference between that ability at 1 and 2.

Colors Energy Refractor Mana Once Per Turn Opt Pauper Scarecrow Scarecrow Shire Scarecrow

Battles Card Potential

Mark, I love the execution of Battles. They are an elegant and compelling new card type, mechanically speaking. My only complaint is that you (R&D) played too cautiously with them. I appreciate the desire to avoid a new Smuggler's Copter event, but it's just sad that the first entirely new card type in what, a decade, seems to be mostly a Limited-only thing.

If people like them and we decide they can be higher in power level, we can do that.

Battles Card Types Game Design Power Level Smuggler's Copter

Edible Token Policy

I ran across an acorn stamp conundrum the other day, and was hoping you could help. I control Claire D’Loon, Thopter Pie Network, and one of the Network’s tokens, represented by my favorite candy. You have specifically stated that I cannot eat the delicious cards, so what happens when the token dies?

Candy tokens are not cards. You *can* eat delicious tokens when they are made of (edible) candy.

Thopter Thopter Pie Network Tokens Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Color Pie Discussion

Is Molten Influence (red punisher counterspell) a color pie break? If not, could we see more of this effect in the future?

No. Red can do punisher spells where one half is something outside its color pie because the opponent can opt for the damage instead. There are a number of caveats though.

Color Pie Molten Influence Opt Red Spells

IPs in Formats

I reallly don't like the hastening proliferation of non-magic IPs in eternal formats. Warhammer, D&D, and Walking Dead cards all now have non-trivial representation, and whenever I see one of these cards, I'm completely taken out of the universe. I know that, aside from Commander, these are more competitive formats and Wizards might not think that matters, but that kind of matters. Yeah, I'm choosing not to play with these cards. But my opponent is. I can't opt out!

I touch upon this issue in the following column (“The Big Picture”):
The Big Picture | MAGIC: THE GATHERING
In short, we have to prioritize the joy of people playing with something over the unhappiness of people playing against it. Yes, you have to occasionally play against something you might not like, but that’s just baked into a trading card game where you don’t control what your opponent plays. For you it’s other IPs. For someone else it’s counterspells or art they find disturbing. To use my buffet analogy, we can’t not serve fish for all the lovers of fish because there are diners who don’t like fish.

Art Commander Competitive Play Dungeons & Dragons Eternal Fish Opt Redirect Walking Dead

Blue Color Pie Debate

In the latest Odds and Ends, it mentions that artifact sacrificing isn't in blue, both in the color pie nor in the themes of the set. I definitely understand the set themes, as it wouldn't fit in any of the archetypes, but the color pie feels odd. Even in BRO, it got Splitting the Powerstone, and has gotten a lot of other effects like this, such as Clan Crafter, Anchor to Reality or Sai, Master Thopterist. Is this not in blue's pie anymore?

Nope.

Anchor to Reality Artifacts Blue Clan Crafter Color Pie Sai, Master Thopterist Splitting the Powerstone The Brothers' War

Token Representation Rules

un-rules question: If I control Claire D'Loon and someone tucks my Thopter Pie Network token, do I have to shuffle the piece of food that represents it into my library?

You can represent any token that’s going into your library with a Magic token card.

Food Rules Shuffle The Library Thopter Thopter Pie Network Tokens Un-sets

Universes Beyond Possible Reprints

Would you ever put a reprint of a regular Magic card in a Universes Beyond set? For example, Ornithopter would be a perfect fit for Dune.

If the name fits, it’s possible.

Card Printing Ornithopter Reprints Universes Beyond

Zero-drop Omnath Possibility

Zero-drop Omnath if/when?

If, but we can dream of Omnath Ornithopter.

If/When Ornithopter

Evergreen Status of Tokens

You said that treasures are deciduous, not evergreen. I believe the same applies for other standard tokens like food and thopters.Are there any standard tokens that are evergreen, not deciduous?

No.

Deciduous Evergreen Food Standard Thopter Tokens Treasure

Richard Garfield PhD Card's Limitations

Does Richard Garfield PhD respect the ban list of the played format? Can opt be ancestral recall in a commander game?

Richard Garfield PhD can only make cards into other cards legal in the format you are playing. So no, he can’t make cards into banned cards.

Ancestral Recall Bannings Commander Format Legality Format Legality Format Legality Opt Richard Garfield

About Various Creature Types

-Er creature types: Nightstalker, Sliver, Shapeshifter, Specter, Soldier, Assembly-Worker, Spider, Artificer, Archer, Rigger, Berserker, Spellshaper, Salamander, Volver, Elder, Beholder, Bringer, Ranger, Badger, Thopter, Flagbearer, Badger, Otter, Oyster, Carrier, and Monger. Silver Border: Gamer, Paratrooper, Waiter, Proper (from Miss Demeanor, whose current typeline is Creature — Lady of Proper Etiquette), Designer, Lobster, and Wrestler.

FYI : )

Archer Artificer Assembly-Worker Assembly-Worker Badger Beholder Berserker Bringer Carrier Creatures Elder Flagbearer Gamer Humor Miss Demeanor Monger Nightstalker Otter Oyster Ranger Rigger Salamander Shapeshifter Shapeshifter Sliver Soldier Specter Spellshaper Spider Thopter Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Volver

Scry Addition to Opt

I think wizards added scry to opt? Does it just depend on how many times surveil is on cards but spelled out?

There are a number of factors. It being exactly the ability is the biggest.

Opt Scry Surveil