Skeletons

Changing Set Design Skeletons

listening to one of the recent limited resources (hi marshall and lsv!) where they discuss the set skeleton. i agree with them that the skeleton has made a huge improvement on the baseline for sets but also that it sometimes feels a bit obvious. i'm curious if you think you will ever develop alternative skeletons that are also proven to work but lend a different feeling? i could see a world where you start a set and decide to use the "tricky skeleton" or the "stompy skeleton" over the basic one.

All skeletons shift as the set evolves, so there is difference set to set. Larger picture, the consistency is about having familiarity for both the audience, so it feels like a Magic set, and for us, as it allows us to better use experience to balance things. I’m not worried that the most hardcore enfranchised can see some of the structure.

Experienced / Enfranchised Players Limited Set Design Skeletons

Lack of Evasive Creatures

In the Fallen Empires DTW (which I loved by the way), you mention that Fallen Empires had almost no flying or other evasion. Do you think that might have been the result of building the set “too top down,” meaning they had great ideas about the factions and simply forgot to include evasive creatures because the factions they came up with were all land and sea armies? This feels like a good lesson that could be useful to anyone designing a set without a design skeleton.

The East Coast Playtesters just weren’t super fond of flying. Most their sets had a smaller percentage of fliers than average (at the time).

Army Creatures Drive to Work Evasion Factions Flying Lands Skeletons Top Down

Play Boosters Structure

Now that we're a few sets into Play Boosters, what are the chances of getting a new Design Skeleton article for the new rarity splits?

Here is my “Nuts & Bolts” column I wrote last month about Play Boosters: (it includes the new design skeleton)
Nuts & Bolts #16: Play Boosters

Boosters Play Boosters Rarity Skeletons

Counterspell Design Choices

The Nuts&Bolts article on the design skeleton has a unrestricted (hard) counter and a restricted (soft) counterspell at common, but DMU had two restricted counterspells in Negate and Essence Scatter. What informed the decision to not print a hard counterspell?

The design skeleton is a default to start design with. Individual sets can deviate from the default if the needs of the set call for it.

Card Printing Dominaria United Essence Scatter Skeletons

Authoring Favorite Flavor Texts

I was listening to your Mirage podcast for the first time, and just found out that you wrote the flavor text for Pacifism. That's my favorite flavor text in the whole game and it still makes me laugh. The other flavor text you refer to, about the utility of the undead - is that the flavor text for Drudge Skeletons? (That's my other favorite!)

Yes, that’s Drudge Skeletons. Glad you like my flavor text.

Drive to Work Drudge Skeletons Flavor Flavor Text Mirage Pacifism Skeleton

Skeletons vs. Regeneration

Will we ever got more drudge skeletons or many other skeletons

Yes, to more Skeletons. No, to more Drudge Skeletons (in Standard-legal sets) as we stopped doing regeneration.

Drudge Skeletons Skeleton Standard

Drudge Sentinel Mechanics

Is drudge sentinel an attempted fix of regeneration?

It’s a fix of Drudge Skeletons.

Drudge Sentinel Drudge Skeletons Skeleton

Flavor Text Design

Today I learned that you're credited with flavor text design for 5th edition alongside Pete Venters, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and Darla A. Willis.

That’s because I wrote a lot of it. Drudge Skeletons? That was me.

Drudge Skeletons Flavor Skeleton

Regeneration's Future

If regeneration is disappearing, then what will happen to drudge skeletons, my favorite black card.

All that’s changed is it’s chances of being reprinted in a Standard-legal set have gone away. It can still be reprinted in supplemental products.

Black Card Printing Drudge Skeletons Reprints Skeleton Standard

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