Is Volatile Stormdrake a break/bend?

No. Let me explain. There are two different types of color pie restrictions. The first is mechanical. Printing the card with the ability is a bend or a break. The second is aesthetic. We like to make colors feel different, so there are some things we don’t do in a color to keep it from stepping on another color.We stopped doing Pongify in blue, not because it was a mechanical issue, but an aesthetic one. We want white removal with a consolation to feel different than blue transformation. Also, we didn’t like the word “destroy” in a blue text box as it confused people (as blue doesn’t destroy permanents). Bleeding into aesthetic territory isn’t a bend or break, so no Volatile Stormdrake isn’t a bend/break.

My understanding was that blue could get “pongify” effects as long as they’re temporary or reversible. Is cyber conversion considered an exception to this?

There are effects, such as flicker, that can reverse Cyber Conversion.

Was Ravenform a break? Was the decision to stop making Pongify effects made after Kaldheim was released?

The existence of Ravenform led directly to the change.

You’ve said that blue isn’t supposed to get creature removal like Pongify anymore, the transformations should either be temporary or on auras. That being said, is phasing of zhalfir a bend or break? It’s basically just a mass Pongify, and since it’s it’s from DMR, half the time it’s just a sorcery that only says the third chapter

It’s a major bend on the third chapter of a Saga. Things can slip through as we’re phasing things out of colors (pun intended, of course).

I understand why you have some regrets for Planar Chaos, but it seems to me that sometimes you judge color pie breaks (PC and elsewhere) with a contemporary perspective. You're very regretful of Planar Chaos cards that are now color pie breaks, but they weren't always breaks then. The color pie has been an evolving thing for a long time. I think you should give more slack to old cards made with old definitions. Eg dark ritual is not a break, fast mana was black for years. Ditto pongify, etc

I’m way less harsh about cards that weren’t breaks when they were made, but have since become breaks. That’s not what happened with Planar Chaos though. We pushed things we shouldn’t at the time. And yes, I was part of that decision. I just believe with hindsight it was the wrong decision.

“Out of pie” just means it’s something that the color isn’t supposed to do anymore, so more effects like that probably won’t be made. But how much does this affect reprints? For example, Reality shift and Pongify are no longer in pie for blue, does this mean they are less likely to be reprinted? Or just less likely to be brought into formats that don’t already have them (I.e. standard)

Our policy is we don’t reprint breaks that introduce them to tabletop formats that don’t have them.

What's wrong with pongify?

We don’t want blue destroying creatures, even when under the flavor of transforming them.

"Glad to hear you like the change (and the article)." Is blue no longer allowed cards like Pongify?

Nope, at least not as an instant or sorcery. It can do it as an aura. It can also temporarily change a creature with a spell.

Hello, Maro -
I've been a Magic player for a long time (1998). I'm very excited for the return of snow! I'm a fan of yours broadly, more than in just the realm of Magic, so thank you for that! Overall, I'm just a competitively casual player (no tournaments, favoring fun over power; limited is actually my favorite way to play).
I have to ask about Ravenform... outside of limited, including casual constructed, this is a highly efficient creature removal spell that is as good as most of black's and most of white's answers, and it's ... blue. I know there have a been a few of these card "molds" before, but this is the boldest yet, as part of a growing trend to presumably give blue "transformation" removal ... but they are very potent, evade-the-graveyard, HARD CREATURE removal spells (sorcery speed notwithstanding in THIS case), and blanking any threat for a fixed 1/1 flyer. By comparison, at least Pongify or the like made a beefy 3/3, and the Khans/Dragons block spell had a chance of being less quality loss with manifest.
I hate to be another of a 10,000 nay-sayers on this blog, but I feel very strongly about this, and I really need to ask:
Can you help to assuage my anxiety regarding blue's increasingly potent wedge of the color pie, and hard blue removal cards specifically? My feeling is this is part of Commander/ Brawl increasingly pressing even standard sets for more and better answers (and I myself rather loathe commander, which just adds insult to injury).
Thank you for your time, Mark! I hope you and your family have a great weekend!
-Ed Greco

Ravenform is not meant to be a precedent.

Is pongify a bend, break or in line with the color pie?

In line. The flavor is it’s transforming the creature into an ape. It says “destroy target creature” as it’s by far the shortest template, but as it’s transforming rather than destroying flavorfully we’ve allowed the templating exception.