Spike

Influx of new players

Hey Mark! I’ve noticed a lot of content creators have mentioned getting into Magic around RTR and/or Innistrad. I also hopped in around that point, which is part of why hearing this a lot has stuck out. Was there something unique in that period that might have had that result? Is it just that we’re in a certain point in a cycle of players? Or is it maybe all just confirmation bias on my part?

There’s no correlative data showing that time period had any spikes beyond the normal slope at the time. Confirmation bias seems likely.

Beginners Competitive Play Cycles Innistrad Return to Ravnica Spikes

Handling Modern Horizon Card Influx

If we can acknowledge that a number of players have complaints with the "card influx" from Modern Horizons sets causing the power level of formats to spike drastically, do you have any insights on how this issue is going to be tackled, or if it's even something that needs to be fixed at all?

It’s an issue being examined. The issue is many players enjoy the higher powered designs of the straight to modern sets.

Modern Modern Horizons Power Level Spikes

Player Types Explanation

I was listening to some of the podcasts you put out leading up to Thunder Junction release and you mention types of players as "johnny" or "jenny" or "spike" and I was curious what you meant by that. I thought I understood from context when you were talking about "spikey" decks but then I heard the others and didn't feel sure. Are these players in the design team or pros that players are meant to be familiar with or something?

Here’s my article from the topic in 2006. Note I hadn’t yet added the female names for Timmy (Tammy) and Johnny (Jenny). (Spike is unisex.):
Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Redirect Spike Timmy / Tammy

Spikes vs Modular

Are Spikes the "fixed" version of Modular?

Fixed modular just lets you put the counters on any creature, not just an artifact creature. Spikes have similarities, but work differently in that it’s more about using mana as the resource to move the counters.

Artifacts Creatures Mana Modular Spike

Trivia on Magic's Psychology

Hey Mark, I’d love some birthday Trivia on psychology or philosophy in magic!

The Timmy/Tammy, Johnny/Jenny, and Spike psychographics are based upon a tool used in advertising to understand the psychology of a brand’s users. I created the psychographics as a way for the designers to think about why players played certain cards. Part of my fascination with psychology comes from my mom who’s a psychologist.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Unique Creature Types

I would just like to express my lifelong love for some of the unique Magic-ese creatures and creature types we've had through the years. Slivers, Atogs, Llhurgoyfs, Spikes, Beebles, Kavu and so on bring a real charm to Magic that sets it apart from other fantasy settings and can be pointed to as uniquely "ours". I'm sad that many of them don't get printed any more and I hope we don't see a total loss of things like this in favour of more broad/generic terms. Long live the Atogs!

We’re still making unique creatures. It’s not something we’ve stopped.

Atog Beeble Card Printing Colorless Creatures Kavu Sliver Spike

Complexity Creep Concerns

Hi Mark,I remember many years ago, you and others made statements regarding how complexity creep was a bad thing, and increased the difficulty in getting new players into the game.The last several years of Magic has seen a drastic spike in complexity to the point where even experienced, deeply-invested folks are having trouble keeping up. (And i’m not talking card quantity, i’m talking overall complexity)What has changed internally where complexity creep is no longer a concern?

Magic’s focus (at least in tabletop) changed from being Standard-centric to being Commander-centric. The latter is significantly more complex.

Beginners Competitive Play Spike

Player Psychographics

Is figuring out whether I’m a Tammy/Jenny/Spike useful for me as a player or is it more of a game design concept?

The psychographics are more used as a design tool, but many people enjoy self-discovery.

Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Psychographics Analysis

I hope you’re doing well, Mark. I study the Enneagram of personality and I thought you’d find this interesting. I believe your psychographics are analogous with what we call the instinctual drives: Tammy the “self-preservation” drive; Jenny the “one-to-one” drive; and Spike the “social” drive. (The names of the drives might be slightly counterintuitive to how they manifest in behavior, e.g., social types are often concerned about status.)

Interesting.

Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Manifest Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Psychographics in Games

I'm trying to understand the psychographs better by thinking of them in terms of other games. My thought is, in the context of scrabble: Tammies are trying to do something cool, have a big play that gets them lots of points, and even if they don't win they'll be content with that. Jennies are likely to be more interested in the words themselves, and show off with creative words. Spikes are the most focused on using their tiles shrewdly, getting the maximum points they can. This seem accurate?

That is correct. Timmy/Tammy wants to experience something.Jenny/Johnny wants to express something. Spike wants to prove something.

Big Play Competitive Play Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Playerbase Psychographics

Do you think the Tammy, Jenny, Spike psychographic triangle is complete or do you think it can be added onto with greater understanding of the playerbase? Thank you for all your writing on game design.

Twenty-eight years in, I haven’t found a new psychographic.

Appreciation Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy

Potential Spikes Return

While Odyssey may be the Spike-iest set, Exodus has the most Spikes. What are the chances of more Spikes being printed in the future?

Spikes add a lot of board complexity. I think they’re most likely to return in something like a Modern Horizons set that has a higher complexity level.

Card Printing Exodus Modern Horizons Odyssey Spike

Spike-Focused Sets

What sets/blocks do you think were made with the most focus towards Spikes?

Odyssey was the spike-iest block we ever made.

Odyssey Spike

Sarkhan Design Influence

Did Sarkhan's appearance (with the back spikes) influence the overall look of the Mardu Horde? Or was he designed knowing that he was going to be from Tarkir?

We didn’t know specifically what plane Sarkhan was from when we designed him.

Mardu (R/W/B) Spike

Praise for Eldraine

You know you made a good set when as a Spike I went 0-4 in my first prerelease and still enjoyed the games and felt like decisions mattered. I can’t wait to figure out the correct way to draft this set and will continue going to my local game store events. And thank you for bringing Faeries back. Good job on Wilds of Eldraine!

Happy you’re enjoying it.

Appreciation Competitive Play Draft Formats Faerie Game Stores Prerelease Sealed Format Spike Wilds of Eldraine

Clown Trait Integration

If Clowns do make the jump to a non-un- set would older cards like Spike Jester get erratad into them, like what happened with Noble, or is the MtG idea of a 'Clown' the distinct aesthetic of the red nose and make-up kind of idea we see on Pietra that would differentiate them from Rakdos' whole deal?

Clowns would probably have to typally matter in a premier set to have us do errata.

Clown Competitive Play Errata Noble Premier Sets Red Spike Spike Jester

Player Types Explained

Since there's three out of Spike/Timmy/Johnny, why are there only two for Vorthos/Melvin? Or are there supposed to be 5 for all the magic colors?

The first are psychographics. The second are aesthetic profiles. They are different things, so they exist in different number. Why are there three basic silverware, but just two types of spices (salt and pepper) in shakers on the table? : )

Colors Competitive Play Humor Johnny / Jenny Melvin / Mel Psychographic Spike Timmy / Tammy Vorthos

AMA and Game Design

Not magic related, but you related. I am Following an AMA of an upcoming real time strategy game called stormgate and the devs mentioned the need of making maps for both Johnny and spike and linked to an article of yours :)

Which article?

Competitive Play Game Design Johnny / Jenny Spike

Commander Cards for Spikes

do you ever intentionally create cards for the spikes in commander?

It’s our job to provide cards for all the different types of players, so yes.

Commander Spike

Gamer Archetype Names

So we have Timmy, the green gamer who loves putting big stuff on the battlefield, Johnny, the blue gamer who lives for cool and interesting combos, Spike, the black gamer who wants to win as fast as possible, and Vorthos, the red gamer who cares about the theming and lore of a character/place/etc. What will the white gamer be called, and what will they care about, if we even get a final gamer in the cycle?

Timmy/Tammy, Johnny/Jenny, and Spike are the three psychographics. The two aesthetic profiles are Vorthos and Mel. Mel does like things orderly. : )

Black Blue Competitive Play Cycles Gamer Green Humor Johnny / Jenny Melvin / Mel Psychographic Red Spike Story / Lore Timmy / Tammy Vorthos White