Sam Stoddard's preview article last week mentioned that part of why spectacle was moved out of Gruul is that green has a relatively small variety of effects it can have after combat that aren't just +1/+1 counters. Do you think that's an issue that needs to be fixed?

That’s not the kind of problem that’s easy to fix.

While I can understand why you wouldn't want to share your data, you must realize that the reason we want it is because there have been numerous examples of misusing data recently; the perception that Copy-Cat was going to be fine, Sam Stoddard's post where he stated that he received a positive response about how people felt about something (standard?) when the poll showed overwhelming negative opinion, etc. With that in mind, why would we NOT doubt the conclusions you've been reaching?

The Copy-Cat decision came from us being nervous about banning another card, not from us misrepresenting data. Sam’s column came about because Sam looked at the early responses and assumed later data would be similar when it, in fact, it got worse. Sam never intended to misrepresent data. Note that data was public so misrepresenting it on purpose would have just been foolish. Sam, by the way, apologized for that incident.We have been a transparent company since the earliest days. I talk to you all openly on a daily basis. There’s no great business reason here for us to lie to you on this current batch of data. If there was a correlation between promo cards and attendance, we’d be doing promo cards. There’s no business reason to not do things that work.The bigger issue is you can assume we’re lying all the time and never have an open communication with us, or you can assume that we’re actually telling the truth and talk with us about how you feel.You pressuring me to give you private business data, I can’t make public, doesn’t do anything but make things adversarial for no gain.You want to know why we’re doing something, ask me. I’ll talk as openly and honestly about it as I’m allowed. But please, have the courtesy to assume I’m not lying to you.

"I did a whole podcast on developement." Also, the developers Sam Stoddard and Ben Hayes have been appearing on the Commanderin' MTG Podcast. Just FYMarksI!

FYI

Regarding general corporate philosophy: How much distress do numbers like the response to Stoddard's "Quality of Standard" tweet cause around the company? Since it's not scientific are they brought in with many grains of salt? Since it's so hard to do anything about is it shrugged off with a, "let's learn"? Is there any element of denial? I saw Jake Stiles compile the responses and I would have been more anxious that the latest Latest Developments portrayed everyone there.

Social media functions differently from other market research in that people can see what others have said. This tends to skew results.This doesn’t mean that we don’t use it as a means of feedback, but we do have to take into account how the lack of blind info gathering can affect the data.

Wait. You didn't design Startled Awake? I vaguely recall several stories about how you tried and failed to design an Instant/Sorcery that you put onto the battlefield.

I did. In fact, Evoke started as a mechanic that let you turn instants and sorceries into creatures. But Startled Awake was designed by Sam Stoddard.

Who designed Startled Awake/Persistent Nightmare?? Could you give a hug to everyone involved (I don't think a high five would suffice)? I feel is a work of art. Is a wonderful piece of design. Congratulations to the design team.

Sam Stoddard designed that DFC. I believe it’s his favorite design he did in the set. I’m in San Francisco at GDC so no hugs or high five today.

Can you deliver a hi five to Chris Millar and Sam Stoddard? Blessed V Cursed is well-balanced and makes for some good games.

Sam I see every day. Chris will be a bit tougher as I never see him.

Both your and Sam Stoddard's articles end with "Join me next week when previews for Battle for Zendikar start". Is that a mistake, or do you think you're incorrect in your belief that preview week starts a week from Monday?

If I said that then odds are it starts on Monday. Maybe my Magic Origins card-by-card article runs after previews.

You've said that Khans block works better from a storytelling and marketing perspective if we go from "World without dragons" to "World with dragons." But in one of today's articles on the Magic website, Sam Stoddard said that it would have made for better gameplay in Standard to go the other way around. Thoughts?

I believe the fundamental problem was if we did our job making you love the fall set, you were going to be sad to see it change. I do believe though that wedge ending up being more exciting than dragons, so it might have been more popular the other way.

So now your columnist counterpart Sam Stoddard has written an Uncharted Realms. When are we going to see your Uncharted Realms?

One of these days I’ll write one.