Shatter

Appraisal of Gate to Phyrexia

Re: gate to phyrexia is a breakApparently the person I was having an argument with has a new claim. He says that even if you say that it’s break, the reason is because it’s too good of a card, and black is supposed to have bad artifact removal. I tried to explain that they are thinking of enchantments, I even pointed out cards like feed the swarm and shatter the oath, and that black isn’t supposed to remove artifacts at all. Can you please clarify this point, the argument has turned into a bet and I really want those 5 dollars

Black is not suppose to be able to destroy/exile artifacts. It’s a weakness of the color, so doing it is specifically a break.Gate to Phyrexia was made before we were monitoring the color pie. Early sets made a number of breaks because they weren’t caring about it.

Artifacts Bend / Break Black Color Pie Colors Destroy Enchantments Feed the Swarm Gate to Phyrexia Gates Shatter the Oath The Exile Zone

Wizard of Oz Connection

Maro I'm pretty late to the birthday game, but only by nine days! If you happen to see this, could I ask of any Wizard of Oz connections MTG might have? Or a maybe on something coming up that is Oz related? Thanks!

The Shatter in Ice Age was nicknamed “Death to the Tinsman”. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Blogatog / Tumblr Mark Rosewater Shatter

Shattered Pact Reference

Hi Mark. Case of the Shattered Pact recently got spoiled, and on Reddit, I'm hearing it's apparently alluding to a case from the original Ravnica block. Is it possible if you could elaborate on what that case was if you know, and if not, could you ask the other Vorthoses lurking on your blog?

Vorthoses?

Case of the Shattered Pact Vorthos

Black's Enchantment Removal

I've noticed that black has received three mono-black Enchantment Removals in recent years - Ghastly Death Tyrant, Feed the Swarm, and Shatter the Oath (and, noteworthy, had *never* done that in the history of magic.) They might not be the best spells, but hasn't black been powerful enough without encroaching on White/Green's territory?

We decided black should only be forbidden from destroying one card type, artifacts, and let three colors have enchantment removal, like artifact removal.

Artifacts Black Card Types Colors Death Tyrant Enchantments Feed the Swarm Ghastly Death Tyrant Shatter the Oath Spells White

Black's Removal Limits

Can black pay only mana to destroy enchantments? Could we see a Shatter in black but for enchantments and not artifacts?

We’re still fine-tuning how black can destroy enchantments. It’s important that it’s third in the ability behind white and green.

Artifacts Black Destroy Enchantments Green Mana Shatter White

Black Enchantment Removal

With Baragain and Shatter the Oath in mind, is getting rid of your own (potentially harmful) enchantments now within Black's slice of the color pie?

We are allowing black access to this. It turns out we just don’t make many “deal with the devil” enchantments these days, and sacrifice is a big theme for black, especially in limited formats.

Black Color Pie Devil Enchantments Limited Sacrifice Shatter the Oath

Creature Support Futures

You've printed recent support for going wide with enchanted creatures in RGW (Mazzy, Truesword Paladin) and with equipped creatures in RW (Jor Kadeen, First Goldwarden) or with modified creatures in RG (Chishiro, the Shattered Blade). Will we get a legendary creature in the near future that supports going wide with modified creatures in RGW so I can run Mazzy, Jor Kadeen, and Chishiro together in a single deck? Or is that too fringe of a deck for now?

If the right set comes along…

Boros (R/W) Card Printing Chishiro, the Shattered Blade Creatures Gruul (R/G) Jor Kadeen, First Goldwarden Mazzy, Truesword Paladin Naya (R/G/W)

Urza's Missing Hat

Why is Urza hatless in all his new cards? Did someone cast shatter in his mitre?

My (non-canon) theory. They dug it up and said, “Who wore this?” and someone said, “Maybe Urza.” So they called it Urza’s Miter.

Shatter Urza Urza's Miter

Dread Wight Group Membership

With Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Dread Wight joins a select group of cards including Glory Seeker, Restore Balance, Stasis Cocoon, Void Shatter, etc. What qualifies a card for membership in this group?

I assume card names where all the words in the name are themself card names.

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Card Names Cocoon Dread Dread Wight Glory Seeker Restore Balance Seeker Shatter Stasis Cocoon Void Shatter Wight

White's Potential for Doomskar

Doomskar is one of the strongest wrath effects we have ever seen. And is the best one seen in standard in a very very long time. Last year White got Shatter the Sky and that was a big deal. Doomskar is much much stronger. Can you tell us anything about the thought process in why now giving White this strong of a sweeper? People talk about white not getting good cards, and this is a massive deal for standard, and other formats too honestly. So why now?

“This white card is weak. Explain yourself.”“This white is strong. Explain yourself.” : )Mass creature removal is primary white and it was a cool foretell card both mechanically and flavorfully, so we were willing to make it one of the best white cards.

Creatures Doomskar Foretell Humor Primary Shatter the Sky Standard White

Artifact Removal in Red

The prevalence of cards like Lucky Clover and Embercleave in Standard had me thinking: where did red's shatter effects go? Between all the options we have right now, none of them can answer an Embercleave at instant speed when this is usually something red can do. Is this just a coincidence brought on from pushing general utility or are you guys re-evaluating how efficient red artifact removal can be?

It’s just coincidence.

Artifacts Embercleave Instants Lucky Clover Red Shatter Standard

Shatter Sky Design

Why does Shatter the Sky care about "big" creatures in a positive way? Shouldn't white care more about having small creatures?

Part of making white better is pushing the boundaries a little about what white can care about. EDIT: (shakes hand at sky) Typo!

Creatures Shatter the Sky White Your Hand

White Card Improvements

Mark, as someone who come here a lot to ask about White I must say that some things made me really happy in Theros Beyond Death. Elspeth Conquers Death was amazing (and I hope to see more of these effects in White cards :) ) and Taranika, Shatter the Sky, the pegasus archon and Heliod were pretty amazing cards. Congratulations to all the team!

We are working on white.

Appreciation Archon Elspeth Conquers Death Pegasus Shatter the Sky Theros White

Card Rarity Decisions

Hey mark, you stated earlier that destroying all enchantments is uncommon (back to nature comes to mind). And that made me wonder. How come that desteoying all enchantments or destroying all artifacts (shatterstorm) are possible at uncommon, but destroying all creatures (wrath of god) or destroying all lands (armageddon) are always rares?

Because they’re more impactful and we want them happening less in limited.

Artifacts Back to Nature Creatures Enchantments God Lands Limited Rares Shatterstorm Uncommons Wrath of God

Shatter Assumptions Explanation

Why does Shatter Assumptions specify "all colorless nonland cards"? The only colored land card as you know is Dryad Arbor, and it'd hardly be game breaking to allow Shatter Assumptions to "hit" that one card. Do you foresee more colored lands in the future?

It means all cards that are colorless that aren’t lands, so all artifacts and colorless spells (devoid,Eldrazi spells, etc.)

Artifacts Colorless Devoid Dryad Dryad Arbor Eldrazi Lands Shatter Assumptions Spells

Multicolor Card Mention

“The only multicolor nonguild cards were the Nephilim and they were four-color.” What about the Shattergang Brothers?

In a Ravnica set.

Colors Nephilim Shattergang Brothers

Mechanical Theme Balance

If a set/block is focused on artifacts, graveyard, whatever, shouldn't the hate cards for artifacts, graveyard, whatever, be increased? I understand that you want the new mechanics to shine, but I can't see how increasing the power and quantity of a specific type of card while nerfing the hate for that is a good idea.

An important part of pushing a mechanical theme is keeping its answers in check. We don’t reprint Shatterstorm in artifact blocks or Tormod’s Crypt in graveyard blocks.

Artifacts Card Printing Mechanics Reprints Shatterstorm The Graveyard

Artifact Destruction Debate

I thought red was supposed to be #1 at artifact destruction; it's just that Disenchant and later Naturalize are more flexible. But red gets Smelt, Smash, Shattering Spree, and Smash to Smithereens, and got Shatterstorm long before green got Creeping Corrosion.

It’s first in that it gets solo common artifact destruction but second in that Green (and formerly White) get a more efficient common that can deal with artifacts or enchantments.

Artifacts Creeping Corrosion Disenchant Enchantments Green Naturalize Red Shattering Spree Shatterstorm Smash to Smithereens Spree White

Mirrodin's Shatterstorm

This might be more of a development question, but: Would Mirrodin have been such a problem if Shatterstorm was printed in the block?

It probably wouldn’t solved all the issues but it would have helped. Development is much more likely these days to put answers to a block in the block rather than in the block that follows it.

Card Printing Mirrodin Shatterstorm Solved