Search the City

Cultural Representation

Even in RTR, a clearly bottom-up block, you devoted some space for top-down designs based on city and urban tropes: Search the City, Five-Alarm Fire and the several land Auras to represent city infrastructure. And that didn't detract from the guilds at all. So you could certainly have devoted a bit of space for some Hindu mythology or Indian culture top-down designs. It would not have detracted from the inventor theme.

You’re comparing apples to oranges. The parallel in Ravnica was the Eastern European flavor of which we did zero top down designs.

Auras Bottom Up Europe Five-Alarm Fire Flavor Lands Search Search the City Top Down Two Color

Exile Mechanics Opinion

I know you don't like returning from Exile (hey, neither do I - it's meant to be hard to deal with, right?). But how do you feel about the various cards that use their own localised Exile zone and tend to bring cards back from there? Search the City being one of the most notable.

I’m fine with cards being back things from exile that they put there. Exile can be used as a holding zone.

Search Search the City The Exile Zone

Costing Search the City

Why does Search the City cost 5 as opposed to 3? Was it too broken in testing at 3 or 4?

The goal of development is not to cost ever card the cheapest it could possibly cost. They are trying to balance numerous formats and make cards that will be fun to play, not create power creep.

Power Creep Power Level Search Search the City

Slivers' Preferences Joke

So if there's a small sliver that enjoys Search the City, does that mean that ALL Slivers also enjoy Search the City?

: )

Search Search the City Sliver

Search the City Love

I love Search the City! Everyone I know hates it, but it's one of those cards that's so wacky I just have to make it work. Though I'm a big fan of Mirror of Fate, so I might not be in the majority.

EDIT: Tumblr’s having fun again. The question was about whether Gleemax reads Blogataog. He luckily feels blogs aren’t worthy of his attention.

Blogatog / Tumblr Gleemax Mirror of Fate Search Search the City

Card Reward Feedback

Re: Search the City. I think part of the reason that players don't like the card is because the card has you jump through a lot of hoops and not only does it JUST give you just an extra turn it doesn't even have the audacity to give you a mana discount on the effect either.If the reward was something that either outright won you the game OR like PW ultimates, nearly won you the game, I think people would be excited to build around the card and the "achievement unlocked" feeling it has.

A lot of people are missing that not only do you get an extra turn, you get five extra cards!

Mana Search Search the City

Card Appeal Views

"I’ve gotten plenty of mail from fans of Search the City plus our data on it says there is a small sliver that really enjoy it. So no, I do not consider it a failure." Regarding this, how narrow an appeal does a card have to have that, despite its fans, it's considered a failure?

Each card has an audience. As long as the audience for the card appreciates it, that’s all that we care about. The key to Magic design is to make sure everyone has some cards they love. As long as that is true, having cards they hate isn’t a problem.

Search Search the City Sliver

Card Quality Opinions

Sorry MARO, I tend to like some bad cards, but Search the City is right up there with Sorrow's path as being one of the worst cards ever printed IMO.

Okay, this seems to be a topic for the day. What do you all think of Search for the City? Thumbs up or down? Also, why?

Card Printing Mark Rosewater Search Search the City Sorrow's Path

Card Potential Defense

To the naysayers of Search the City, I would respond with this: A lot of the same rhetoric was said of Scapeshift, but the smart players weren't surprised to see it spawn a Pro Tour-worthy deck. Search the City has a lot of potential for interaction with future cards — I wouldn't write it off just yet.

Seconded.

Competitive Play Scapeshift Search Search the City Spawn

Search the City's Reception

Do you consider Search the City a failure? I don't even know any hardcore Johnnys who like it.

I’ve gotten plenty of mail from fans of Search the City plus our data on it says there is a small sliver that really enjoy it. So no, I do not consider it a failure.

Johnny / Jenny Search Search the City Sliver

Luck in Card Packs

With all the people who thank you for putting good cards in their packs, do I have you to, "thank", when I open a Search the City? :P

Apparently so. : )

Appreciation Search Search the City