Planeswalkers

Request for Specific Planeswalkers

Hi Mark! May I please request Worzel and Thomil: Magic's first planeswalkers from all the way back in Magic's first story in the Magic: The Gathering Pocket Player's Guide in Modern Horizons 4 (if there is one)?

We’ve talked about them getting cards.

Modern Horizons Planeswalkers Story / Lore

Trivia on 'Love Song of Night and Day'

Before my birthday is over, I would love to invoke my right of trivia!Anything about my favorite part of Magic's world, the Love Song of Night and Day? Or if not, Mirage in general? (I fell in love with Magic when I found my parents' old collection of Mirage and 4th Edition, making me probably the youngest grumpy old magic player to ever shake their fist at these new confangled planeswalker cards)

The Love Song of Night and Day was a poem written by Jenny Scott when she was an editor on Magic. Pieces of it were used on flavor text in Mirage block. I would later read the poem at a wedding at a Magic Grand Prix. We would also eventually making a Saga that referenced it.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Conventions Flavor Text Johnny / Jenny Mirage Planeswalkers Pop Culture Sagas Fell Love Song of Night and Day

Release of Sultai Planeswalker

If or when, A sultai planeswalker? (and the other missing groupings of colors, I'm a bit surprised we haven't seen one for each of the three color groupings yet)

I assume when, but at the slow rate we make them currently, it might be a while.

Colors If/When Planeswalkers Sultai (B/G/U) Three Color

Question on Reprinting Sets

Re: “we’ve promised to not straight reprint old sets.”When you say this, do you mean that you won’t print a set with the exact same set list as an existing set? Or do you just mean that you won’t print cards that are indistinguishable from existing versions? That is to say, if you made a hypothetical “return to ravnica redux” where everything was the exact same with no changes, except all the cards had a little planeswalker stamp in the corner like the list or mystery booster, would that be fair game?

It means we won’t reprint a set with the exact same cards, frame/text upgraded or not.

Boosters Card Frames Card Printing Planeswalkers Reprints Return to Ravnica

Appreciation for Bloomburrow

Can I just saw I LOVE the planeswalkers guides for bloomburrow, I grew up on Redwall and it’s been super fun to see ,, I especially love how there’s no clear villain type, and each group is shown to have positive and negative attributes. High fives to all involved!

High fives to be applied.

Appreciation Bloomburrow High Fives Planeswalkers

Appreciation for Planeswalkers Guides to Bloomburrow

I can't give enough high fives to everyone at wizards that made sure there would be THREE Planeswalkers Guides to Bloomburrow. It makes me unbelievably happy to see it not just live up to the worldbuilding and depth I'm used to in a Magic setting, but exceed it. A plane doesn't feel like a plane without it!

We have heard that message loud and clear.

Appreciation Bloomburrow High Fives Planeswalkers

Game-End Effects and Emblems

Why do "until the end of the game" effects are not reworded as emblems? The only card that got the treatment is Elspeth, Knight-Errant

We mostly use emblems for planeswalkers.

Emblems Planeswalkers Elspeth, Knight-Errant

On Potential Planeswalker Commanders

Would WOTC ever want to print a Planeswalker into Standard that had "this planeswalker can be your Commander"? Or is that strictly off the table?

Unlikely.

Card Printing Commander Planeswalkers Standard Wizards of the Coast

Using Nicol Bolas In-Game

If you were to hire Nicol Bolas (not just somone named “Nicol Bolas”, but rather the actual planeswalker) does that prevent him from showing up on new cards?

No, he’s grandfathered in.

Nicol Bolas Planeswalkers

Urza Planeswalker Land Possibility

If or when: "Planeswalker Land—Urza's Urza"?

We’ll call that an if.

If/When Lands Planeswalkers

Universes Beyond-free Format Possibility

Is there any possibility that wotc could make universes beyond-free format variants to formats that currently allow them, such as commander and such? My friends and I do not wish to take part in games that ruin our immersion in such a way, when it was the mild role play and "you are a planeswalker" theming that got us into the game, and it's becoming increasingly harder to avoid universes beyond cards. As it stands there isn't a way we can really avoid them at our local gaming stores, and we're getting frustrated only being able to play amongst ourselves in a game that we used to be able to play with others. Can you please give us some hope?

We did some market research to see if there was an audience for Universe Beyond-less formats. Only 7% of respondents were interested. That’s too small a group for a format we’d officially create, but many formats (Commander being the most famous) have begun as things created by the players. Something having a groundswell of support will eventually get noticed.

Commander Planeswalkers Universes Beyond Wizards of the Coast

Bloomburrow Changings Visitors Query

Re: "Bloomburrow is a bigger sweeping change than most worlds, but each world has its own look and feel."

The original question was asking about Bloomburrow LITERALLY changing visitors, e.g. Ral turning into an Otter. The idea of a plane imposing rules to its visitors like that is new, afaik.

I do not know of any other world that does that. For example, I don’t think planeswalkers shrink when traveling to Segovia.

Bloomburrow Otter Planeswalkers Rules

Bloomburrow Guide Timing Critique

I am a skeptic of modern stuff in MTG and not a fan of horror. I LOVED the intro to Duskmourn and I’m thrilled for it to arrive. I do have a critique: I wish Wizards process the Planeswalkers guide to Bloomburrow before the story started as I found it hard to dive into it

I’ll pass that note along.

Bloomburrow Horror Modern Planeswalkers Story / Lore

'What If' and 'Dream' Sets

Re: “it was all a dream” setWhile not literally a “dream”, “what if (thing that didn’t happen)” has been a theme we’ve seen before. We got a secret lair with planeswalkers stylized around themes magic hasn’t had (or at least, hadn’t yet had at the time), we got several “what if they were compleated” alternate art cards in All will be One, and in Bloomburrow we’re getting a bonus sheet of “what if they were on Bloomburrow”. I understand these aren’t literal in universe dreams, but they are cards that take place in a vague “other” make believe land

“What if” is also on the short list, but is different than a “in a dream” set.

Art Bloomburrow Bonus Sheets Compleated Lands Planeswalkers Secret Lairs The short list

Modern Horror and Magic

For what it’s worth, I actually think the biggest issue with Duskmourn isn’t the “modern” stuff, so much as Magic’s trend towards so many cards representing a genre trope, often literally by name. That said, it’s really exacerbated by the modern setting, which is unusual territory and thus feels like it’s there only to really ensure those tropes and references are as blunt as possible, rather than being a part of a cohesive world.A third factor that really makes this not gel for me is that modern horror relies on a threat that is anomalous and unique to be scary. Innistrad made a world full of Frankensteins and Draculas into a believable ecosystem, and I just don’t know that I can get there with a world full of Jasons, Freddys, Samaras, etc.All of this is to say, I would be a bit disappointed if this setting does poorly and the takeaway is just “no more tennis shoes.” I know there’s an audience for the tropey cards, but it feels like they’ve become so numerous and so blunt that it’s overshadowed the world building and left me far less curious and excited about new planes than I used to be. Generally, a magic plane with more modern technology and culture intrigues me, but when it’s just a vehicle for references I lose interest.

Please read the Planeswalkers Guide to Duskmorn:
Planeswalker’s Guide to DuskmournIt is very much a carefully thought out and crafted world.

Horror Innistrad Modern Planes Planeswalkers Survivor Vehicles

Evergreen Status of Battles

Re: “battles aren’t evergreen”Will this always be the case? Like, once we get to fall of 2025 and we potentially start seeing battles again, will they not be evergreen? It seems incredibly strange to me that an entire card type would not be evergreen. Kindred at least has the fact that its existence was a mistake, but battles not being evergreen feels like saying that planeswalkers or artifacts won’t be in every set.

Evergreen means every set wants access to it, and battles simply don’t fit that requirement. Just because things have been a certain way doesn’t mean it always will be. I don’t expect us to design new card types very often, but there’s no obligation that they have to be evergreen if we do. Odds are, by the nature of how card types work, they won’t be.

Artifacts Battles Card Types Evergreen Kindred / Typal Planeswalkers

Lore Impact on Duskmourn Hype

Hi Mark, I wanna add my piece to Duskmourn:I wasn't super interested in the set at first when it was announced. However, after reading the lore and the Planeswalker guide that was released, I'm much more hyped for the set. All to say, plan worked. Thank you

Happy to hear that.

Appreciation Planeswalkers Story / Lore

Eternal Planeswalkers Variations

Are the eternal planeswalkers all just reprints? Or can we expect new cards, maybe ones that might appeal better to new players that we introduce to the game with the set?

In the panel, they said it was a mix of new and returning.

Beginners Card Printing Eternal Planeswalkers Reprints

Purpose of Eternal Planeswalkers

What is the point of eternal planeswalkers? Is there an effect you need on five planeswalkers for Foundations? Should foundations have planeswalkers at all?

Planeswalkers are core to Magic, so yes, the introductory product should have them.

Eternal Foundations Planeswalkers

R&D Members Voice Acting

Is there anything to keep you or other R&D members from doing voice acting for Arena? Don't think anything could top a Vehicle themed Planeswalker entering play with a cry of "I'm pulling out of the driveway, aaand you know what that means!"

No one has ever asked. : )

Game Design Humor Magic Arena Planeswalkers Vehicles