In your lessons learned episode for GRN and RNA you mentioned you had some new ideas for how to shake up a Ravnica set, but you kept things more familiar because War of the Spark was on the horizon. Were some of these ideas used in MKM? If/When we see these ideas on a future visit to Ravnica?

No, my ideas were for a guild Ravnica set with Murders at Karlov Manor wasn’t.

Hi Mark. One of the concerns I have had for future sets is that there aren't any sets that take place on the same plane i.e. a plane that takes place over multiple sets. This makes it feel like the planes don't get enough time to be fleshed out and that it feels too much like we're jumping back and forth between planes too quickly. Is this a common concern or do most people prefer the variety of moving between a lot of different settings?

The message that we got loud and clear during the block era was that players generally don’t like staying on the same plane. We do on occasion though stay on the same plane for two or more sets (Guilds of Ravnica/Ravnica Allegiance/War of the Spark, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt/Innistrad: Crimson Vow, Dominaria United/The Brother’s War).

With the type now being available, why was the new Judith made a Shaman and not a Warlock?

I assume it was done to match her creature type from her Ravnica Allegiance card. As a general rule of thumb, we try to keep legendary creature’s creature type the same if there isn’t a story reason for a change.

I’m really liking how MKM is being handled as a Ravnica backdrop set. I feel you guys did a great job of setting expectations this time around. If going into spoiler season I was expecting a true multicolor set, I’d be disappointed with the multicolor presence. Instead, I’m pleasantly surprised. This was a great way to return to Ravnica. It feels like Ravnica, but it feels fresh. I love Ravnica, but it was beginning to feel stale during GRN/RNA. This makes me look forward to future backdrop sets.

Happy to hear that.

Can you give another example besides LCI of a set vision design handed over that ended up radically different once set design was done?

Guilds of Ravnica and Ravnica Allegiance changed a lot from the mechanics handed off from vision design. Adventures in the Forgotten Realms also went through a lot of changes in set design.

So is there a way under the new set release a set with all 15 Theros gods or all 10 Ravnica guilds or does this now mean we will never get to have them all together again? Since sets are not drafted together even staying on the same plane still really breaks up these rather integral parts of these planes identities. And also does this mean we will never see any more sets with a full 5 mono and/or 10 dual color sets ever again?

Guilds of Ravnica and Ravnica Allegiance were part of the newest set model, so it is possible to do. We can have consecutive sets be on the same world if there is a reason to do so. That said, there are things we routinely did in blocks (mostly larger cycles) that are trickier to do under the current system.

Hey Mark,As a huge fan of original Kamigawa block, I have really mixed feelings about NEO. The story, aesthetic, and mechanics - all of the individual components, in a vacuum, are all really cool. But it doesn't feel like a Kamigawa set. It feels so focused on the tech vs tradition theme that a big part of what makes Kamigawa, the kami, got tossed to the side or just left to be references peppering the set. To me, this is like releasing just War of the Spark, without GRN and RNA before it, and calling that a return to Ravnica.

I get that people interpret what Kamigawa means to them differently, so if this feels less Kamigawa to you, I get it. The reason there’s less of a Kami feel is that the main storyline is different. The original trip was about a war between the humans and the spirits. As such, the Kami played a larger role. This time, the story isn’t focused on that, so the Kami exist at a lower level.

Hi Mark. Are you ever surprised when you see a Magic set in it's final form? Which set changed the most between your hand-off and print?

Sets can through all sorts of changes. Ravnica Allegiance, for example, had none of the mechanics handed off from vision design.

Which recent sets are top-down and which are bottom-up?

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt - top downDungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realm - top downStrixhaven - bottom upKaldheim - top downZendikar Rising - bottom up Ikoria - bottom upTheros Beyond Death - top downThrone of Eldraine - top downWar of the Spark - bottom upRavnica Allegiance - bottom upGuilds of Ravnica - bottom up

I know Tempest was your first set and it's one of my faves...
Which sets were you the main lead on?Another way of asking this is. Which sets have the most Maro in them?

Sets I was the lead designer or co-lead on for design/vision design:TempestUngluedOdysseyUrza’s DestinyMirrodin Fifth DawnUnhingedRavnicaFuture SightShadowmoorEventideZendikar Scars of MirrodinInnistrad Dark AscensionGatecrashTheros Khans of TarkirBattle for Zendikar KaladeshAmonkhetIxalanUnstableDominariaGuilds of Ravnica Ravnica Allegiance War of the Spark Throne of Eldraine Ikoria Zendikar RisingStrixhaven Innistrad: Vampires