Rule of Law

Innistrad Werewolves Color Alignment

Hey Mark, I totally understand the reasoning behind Werewolves getting Black as a tertiary color but if it was White instead that would help the tribe a lot as it's the color of Rule of Law effects (that prevents casting more than one spell/turn). Was this ever considered during the design of the recent Innistrad sets?

Werewolves is a really hard fit for white thematically. Also, we wanted the vampires’ third color to be white in Crimson Vow.

Black Colors Innistrad Rule of Law Rules Tertiary Vampire White

Mine! Mine! Mine! Card's Color

Hi Mark. With werewolves and daybound fresh in everyone's mind and the understanding that silver-border sets are often a staging ground for fully-realized black border ideas, I have an if-or-when for you. If or when: Mine! Mine! Mine! in black border (ie: green Rule of Law).

That card in black border (if we did it) would be white/blue.

Azorius (W/U) Black Border Blue Colors Day/Night Green If/When Rule of Law Rules Un-sets

Card Drawing Restrictions

Shouldn't "each opponent can't draw more than one card a turn" type effects be white? It's the color that wants everyone to play fair after all. It's also the color that wants to set rules (Ethersworn Cannonist, Rule of Law, Deafening Silence). It even started in white with Spirit of the Labyrinth. What caused that ability to shift to blue (the color that already has the most ways to gain card advantage anyways)? It feels like Hullbreacher and Narset should be white cards and not blue.

The effect can be in white, but it’s also home in blue.

Blue Card Draw Colors Deafening Silence Hullbreacher Rule of Law Rules Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth White

White's Rules Setting Properties

Is white's rules setting supposed to be both about restrictions (Rule of Law, Aven Mindcensor) AND forcing players to play fairly (Containment Priest)? The latter seems like it would fit green or red better.

White does do both.

Aven Mindcensor Containment Priest Green Red Rule of Law Rules White

White's Stack Disruption

Why is White better at disrupting Blues normal stratagies then either Red or Green? Deafening Silence, Orims Chant, Silence, Spirit of the Labyrinth, Aven Mindcencor, Rule of Law to name a few. White has many other cards that limit or restrict playing the game on the stack, drawing cards etc.

Instants and sorceries aren’t inherently a blue thing. All the colors have access to them.

Blue Card Draw Colors Deafening Silence Green Instants Red Rule of Law Rules Sorceries Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth The Stack White

Lizardfolk's Freedom Cry

Lizards Accept no rule of law! Lizardfolk out! Hissssss!

Respect!

Lizard Lizard Rule of Law Rules

Rule of Law Origin

Hi Mark, a few of us are taking the BAR exam this week and I was wondering if you have any trivia on Rule of Law or the azorius guild?

Rule of Law started as a blue card as blue, at the time, was the color most conscious of the game and this felt like it was impacting how you played. I later realized I made a mistake and put it into the right color, white.

Azorius (W/U) Birthday Blue Colors Rule of Law Rules Two Color White

White Color Mechanics

For the White Color Pie H2H, will you provide some iconic examples? I don't think I know the difference between Taxing and Rules Setting.

I will give examples when posting the Head-to-Head. Taxing, specifically, means that things are halted unless you pay a cost, usually mana. Rules setting are enchantments that create new rules that simply happen, there’s no buy out clause. Taxing can be a one-shot or enchantment where rules setting tends to mostly be enchantments.Ghostly Prison is taxing. Rule of Law is rules setting.

Color Pie Colors Enchantments Ghostly Prison Mana Rule of Law Rules White

Colorless Rule of Law

How likely are we to see the Rule of Law effect on a colorless card, like an artifact?

Not super likely, but it’s possible.

Artifacts Colorless Rule of Law Rules

Dwarves in White

I feel like you may have addressed this before but: What about Dwarves as a small iconic race for white? Obviously there is the "They live in mountains!" issue to move past, but that feels like a relatively minor component of the deeply hierarchical, clan based society that is very invested culturally in the rule of law. There's some untapped potential there.

Dwarves in white’s come up but the creative team has never really warmed up to the idea.

Dwarf Rule of Law Rules White

Card Impressions Game

Let's play a game: I name a card you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. 1. Dark ritual 2. Mudhole 3. Intruder alarm 4. Rule of law 5. Grizzly bears

1. Alpha boons 2. Hosing flashback 3. Gerrard in the Stronghold 4. Shifting blue to white 5. 1G 2/2

Alpha Bear Blue Dark Ritual Flashback Gerrard Grizzly Bears Intruder Alarm Mudhole Rule of Law Rules Stronghold White