Reinforcements

Keyword Granting Creatures

So when looking through creatures that grant keywords in typal abilities, I’ve noticed that most creatures have the keyword and grant it to other creatures, but some just grant it to all that have the type. For example, Drogskol Reinforcements, a Spirit, has “Melee” and “Other Spirits you control have melee.”On the other hand, Lancer Sliver just has “Sliver creatures you control have first strike.”Why is there a difference? Is there a specific formatting or rules reason that all typal keyword-granting abilities don’t just follow the Lancer Sliver version? The latter seems simpler.

For clarity, the template is the creature has the ability and then grants the ability to “all other creatures you control”. Slivers use the old template because when you have a bunch of them, it’s easier to add up all the effects.

Creatures Drogskol Reinforcements First Strike Keywords Kindred / Typal Lancer Sliver Melee Melee Reinforcements Rules Sliver Spirit Templating Your Hand

Color Tokens in Convoke

Hi Mark! Are out of colour tokens a problem in a set with convoke? I notice that Ral's reinforcements and Preening Champion in MOM make tokens that are red and blue, which means that either mono-colour deck can cast convoke spells of the other colour. That's obviously not the end of the world as far as the colour pie is concerned, but was it considered a bug or a feature for limited?

It was considered a feature.

Blue Champion Colors Convoke Limited Monocolor Preening Champion Ral's Reinforcements Red Spells Tokens

Querying a White Balance Mechanic

Happy π day MaRo! Would White be able to get a "falling behind" balance mechanic themed card? Sort of a reverse of Timely Reinforcements. Drawing cards if you have fewer cards in hand than an opponent, and tutoring a basic land if an opponent controls more lands than you?

White can’t draw more than one card per turn (technically, per opponent per turn cycle).

Card Draw Lands Mark Rosewater Mechanics Reinforcements Timely Reinforcements Tutoring White Your Hand

White's Card Draw Issue

For white card draw, you mentioned that drawing up to equal your opponents hand is likely out of the question, but would something like Timely Reinforcements for card draw work? Something that gave a set amount of card advantage, but only if you were behind.

No. White is bad at drawing cards. The solution to white is not making it better at drawing cards. It’s purposefully supposed to be bad at drawing cards. Look to enhancing strengths of white not trying to undo its weakness.

Card Draw Timely Reinforcements White Your Hand

Red vs Blue Power

How is this considered the best standard environment when my opponents consistently nut curve me every game with red spells. What is a blue mage to do? They're not even playing magic; they're counting to twenty. Personally, I think the pendulum needs to be pushed in the timely reinforcements direction.

Is red overpowered and blue underpowered or is blue overpowered and red underpowered? My mail seems a little schizophrenic. : )

Blue Power Level Red Spells Standard Timely Reinforcements

Blue and White Weaknesses

You have said that colors should have problem dealing with their enemies, but white always get things like Timely Reinforcements, and blue can counter or bounce almost anything red can do, what problems have blue and white dealing with red?

Red has “can’t be countered” spells and damage that cannot be prevented. It has speedy things against blue and board sweepers against white. Red does play into some of the weaknesses of blue and white.

Blue Colors Red Spells Timely Reinforcements White

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