Scry

Card with Unique Name

Has there been a card with the name "scry me a river" in a card file at any point in time?

There has been.

Scry

Interpretation of Skittish Seer Card

We got Helga, Skittish Seer previewed - but her card doesn't do any seeing? She doesn't scry or surveil or anything like that, she helps to cast big creatures. I was excited to see her card after reading the story and having this ADHD character featured, but now I feel kinda disappointed? Like, what the card does is cool, but it doesn't feel at all related to the character.

Drawing cards can also be flavored as seeing the future.

Card Draw Creatures Scry Story / Lore Surveil Helga, Skittish Seer

Scry and Surveil Together

How do you feel about having scry and surveil in the same set? I feel like I mix them up at least once per draft

I, and many other R&D members, prefer them not to be in the same set, but some set design leads disagree.

Draft Formats Scry Set Design Surveil

Keyword 'Draw' Consistency

Re: Keyword 'Draw': "We increase confusion for what?"We'd gain some consistency. As the previous person noted, it'd put drawing cards in line with things such as scry, survail, and mill. It also would be adjacent to the changes from "enters the battlefield" to "enters." In the same way that the battlefield is the only thing that can be entered, cards are the only thing you can draw.I personally don't feel either way is inherently better, I just see the merit the previous post was getting at.

But we simply don’t template everything that involves a number like that. We don’t say Lifegain 3 and Discard 2 and Tutor 1.

Card Draw Discard Enter The Battlefield Keywords Lifegain Mill Scry Templating Tutoring

Keywording Card Draws

You've said before that you think keywording draw (number) into draw n (draw 1, draw 4, etc.) doesn't save much space and would confuse people, but I disagree. Most other games keyword drawing cards and would make the transition from other games much easier. Additionally we already do that with scry, surveil, etc. drawing cards is one of the most intuitive things in card games, i don't think we need to spell it out like we do anymore

The biggest sticking point against it is we just don’t really gain anything. We increase confusion for what?

Card Draw Keywords Scry Surveil

Thoughts on Card Draw Formatting

Have you ever thought of formatting card draw as a keyword action like scary and surveil? ("Draw 1" as an analogy to "Scry 1?") Why or why not? Thanks for answering our questions sir.

It’s not necessary and would make it harder for new players to understand.

Beginners Card Draw Keyword Actions Scry Surveil

List of Green Cards

In case anyone was curious about how many Lay of the Land cards are in green:Mono-Green: 58
Analyze the Pollen
Attune with Aether
Borderland Ranger
Boseiju Reaching Skyward
Brave the Wilds
Bushwack
Caravan Vigil
Civic Wayfinder
Cultivate
District Guide
Druid of the Emerald Grove
Elfhame Sanctuary
Evolution Charm
Flare of Cultivation
Flourishing Bloom-Kin
Fork in the Road
Gaea's Bounty
Gatecreeper Vine
Greenseeker
Herd Migration
Horizon Seeker
hunting Cheetah
Journey for the Elixir
Journey of Discovery
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Kura, the Boundless Sky
Land Grant
Lay of the Land
Many Partings
Nervous Gardener
Nissa's Encouragement
Nissa's Pilgrimage
Nissa's Triumph
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nylea's Intervention
Open the Gates
Outcaster Greenblade
Peregrination
Realm Seekers
Realms Uncharted
Reclaim the Wastes
Rites of Spring
Seek the Horizon
Shard Convergence
Spinewoods Armadillo
Spirit of the Aldergard
Sprouting Vines
Sylvan Ranger
Sylvan Scrying
The Huntsman's Redemption
Thirsting Roots
Trail of Mystery
Traverse the Ulvenwald
Verdant Mastery
Vorinclex
Yavimaya Elder
You Happen On a GladeGreen featuring another colour: 7
Dig Up
Flower // Flourish
Huatli, Poet of Unity
Invasion of Ergamon (flipped to Truga Cliffcharger)
Path to the World Tree
Safewright Quest
Yasharn, Implacable EarthUn-cards: 3
Selfie Preservation (Un-card)
Spirit of the Season (Un-card)
Wild Crocodile (Un-card)(everyone feel free to add any that I've missed!)

FYI

Analyze the Pollen Armadillo Attune with Aether Borderland Ranger Brave the Wilds Caravan Vigil Civic Wayfinder Colors Crocodile Cultivate Dig Up District Guide Druid Druid of the Emerald Grove Elder Elfhame Sanctuary Evolution Charm Flare Flare of Cultivation Flourishing Bloom-Kin Flower // Flourish Fork in the Road Gaea's Bounty Gatecreeper Vine Gates Green Greenseeker Herd Migration Horizon Seeker Hunting Cheetah Invasion Journey for the Elixir Journey of Discovery Kodama's Reach Krosan Tusker Kura, the Boundless Sky Land Grant Lands Lay of the Land Many Partings Nervous Gardener Nissa's Encouragement Nissa's Pilgrimage Nissa's Triumph Nylea's Intervention Open the Gates Outcaster Greenblade Path to the World Tree Peregrination Ranger Realm Seekers Realms Uncharted Reclaim the Wastes Rites of Spring Safewright Quest Seek the Horizon Seeker Selfie Preservation Shard Convergence Spinewoods Armadillo Spirit Spirit of the Aldergard Spirit of the Season Sprouting Vines Sylvan Ranger Sylvan Scrying The Huntsman's Redemption The Wilds The World Tree Thirsting Roots Trail of Mystery Traverse the Ulvenwald Un-sets Verdant Mastery Wild Crocodile Yasharn, Implacable Earth Yavimaya Elder You Happen On a Glade

Enchantment Lands Concept

You have artifact lands. Have you ever thought of making enchantment lands? How about enchantment dual lands (equivalent to the bridges). If so, what ideas did you have for them as far as abilities for the dual lands? [like how the bridges have indestructible, temples scry on etb, etc]

There’s one:
I’m sure we’ll eventually make more.

Artifacts Blogatog / Tumblr Dual Lands Dual Lands Enchantments Enter The Battlefield Indestructible Lands Scry

Scry's Absence

There wasn't a single card with scry in MKM. Surveil was scry-esque, but didn't supplant scry to the extent that explore did in LCI. What goes into the decision to take a complete break on an evergreen mechanic?

Clue was doing the deck smoothing in Murders at Karlov Manor, so we didn’t need scry. Evergreen mechanics can be removed if something else in the set is doing what it normally does.

Evergreen Mechanics Murders at Karlov Manor Scry Surveil The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Toy Truck Rules

Acorn-rules question but a little outside the usual: if I put a toy truck onto the battlefield using the new Applejack card, do I scry 2 or make a food token?

If the car has an actual horn you can see or hear, yes, it has a horn. The horn can’t just be implied.

Applejack Food Rules Scry Tokens

Color Scry Abilities

Can any color get scry 2?

Yes, but certain colors (red, specifically) isn’t supposed to get too much of it.

Colors Red Scry

Scry X Limitations

You said not every colour can get scry 3, but what about scry X?

Most colors can’t have scry X.

Colors Scry

White's Scry Potential

Could white let you scry 1 before you draw a card?

I think so.

Card Draw Scry White

Scry 3 Limitation

Can every color get scry 3?

No.

Colors Scry

Large Scry Numbers

If/when: scry or surveil with very large numbers (such as "Scry 90" or "Surveil X, where X is the number of cards in your library")

If. Scry numbers much more than 3 are very unwieldy to process.

If/When Scry Surveil The Library

Fateseal Cards

Now that we have Scry and Surveil everywhere, can we get a few cards with Fateseal?

It’s just so mean.

Fateseal Scry Surveil

Scry vs Surveil Distribution

The new WU hybrid card that has surveil makes me wonder: do colors get the same access to scry and surveil, or does the graveyard interaction mean you distribute the two differently?

White isn’t supposed to get higher surveil numbers. This card had a lot of discussion.

Azorius (W/U) Colors Hybrid Scry Surveil The Graveyard White

Evergreen Keyword Criteria

In general, what are the criteria for an evergreen keyword? Can integer keywords like scry or activated keywords like equip make the cut for a color pair?

The need for the color pair focus a lot on what can go on creatures, as that’s the place we tend to use them.

Colors Creatures Equip Evergreen Keywords Scry

Mechanic Flavor Requirements

I don’t understand why some mechanics get the “has to connect to the flavor of the card” and others don’t. Sagas all have to represent some kind of story, but cards that scry don’t all have to flavorfully represent something that divines the future. The word “siege” might be the name of that particular battle subtype, but they don’t actually represent a “siege” based on what the word means. A “siege” is literally the absence of combat, it’s preventing a target from getting necessary resources in order to compel a surrender. It seems like you are drastically limiting your own design space by mandating that all cards with the subtype saga flavorfully represent a story, as opposed to just utilizing the mechanics of the card type.

Subtypes have a stronger creative restriction. Equipment and Vehicles, for example, also have a tighter creative rein. As for siege, you’re using the first definition. Sieges can also be applied to other types of conflicts, usually where one side has a more defensive position. Your opponent has the battle and you have to fight through their resources to get to it.

Battles Card Types Design Space Equipment Fight / Bite Flavor Mechanics Sagas Scry Sieges Story / Lore Subtype Vehicles

Color Pie Outputs

You’ve said how with white ramp & card draw, it’s essentially “the more white the input is, the less white the output has to be”. Taxing Noncreature spells is very white, so the payoff being card draw (like Esper sentinel) is a-okay. Is this the case with other effects too? As in, could a black card make treasures off of a zombie entering the field? Could a blue card gain life when you scry? Could a green card destroy creatures when it deals a bunch of combat damage? Stuff like that

The output still has to be something the color does. My point was that the closer to the core the input is, the less close to the core, the output can be. If you want an output that the color is tertiary in, the input should ideally be primary. The input being primary is not an excuse to be out of color.

Black Blue Card Draw Color Pie Colors Creatures Destroy Esper (W/U/B) Esper Sentinel Green Lifegain Non-creatures Primary Scry Sentinel Spells Tertiary Treasure White Zombie