I seem to always find lots and lots of discourse about block sets. Two sides of the same argument every time.
Side 1 says something like:"I hate all these random sets, I miss block sets."
To which, Side 2 says; "Well block sets never sold as well at the end, players attention span's are better suited for one and done blocks."
My problem with this response is that it essentially ignores the initial statement. Rather than clarifying what they mean, they assume and answer.
Personally, I miss block sets, but ONLY from a story perspective.
Basically, do sets exactly the same as you're doing now. Draft is better now than blocks were, standard with Foundations sounds fantastic. The only thing I'd like to see is a set of setup, and a set of payoff.
MKM was a set based on a murder mystery with the big twist ending basically included in the release, as an example. It could've benefitted from a real, but delayed, payoff. Set up the consequences for each suspect, then reveal and give different consequences that were hinted at in other ways. Bam. Improved.
The last time we visited New Phyrexia, it was a block, I remember ubiquitous speculation over how the story would wrap up. There were factions events at local game stores, branded posters and packs for the factions at play, etc. I had a friend get the New Phyrexian emblem tattooed on themselves. The story felt *Important* and so much less divorced from magic than it does today.
Usually, in my experience, when someone asks for blocks, they're asking for the story to matter. There are lots of mechanically interesting card games out there, and mechanics are only part of what makes magic, magic!
All I would ask is that writers get the opportunity to do setups and payoffs with magic's evolving story with multiple sers, and that story related sets have *some* play synergies. They don't need to share mechanical themes just to share story themes, but it would be a nice little florish if they had mechanical synchronisets,
Hell, a REALLY good idea (in my opinion) would be to do these sets in a different order than the old method. Modern fantasy novels swap POV characters and follow different stories. Why not set up multiple stories in a row, then start to alternate resolving an older, established plot line, and then starting a new one or swapping to another established one. This really gives players time to get interested and speculate (and making the story FEEL present will likely also boost novels and comics numbers, etc., if you need a monetary reasoning.)
What do you think Mark?

We already do a lot of what you’re asking. Each Magic “year” does have a larger connected story, often with different POV characters.

The fact that Xerex is beyond comprehension could be an asset for storytelling. That’s the kind of place that’s ideal for an escape story or a story about finding an important objective that’s hidden there. As far as mechanics go, that’s a bit tougher. I could see it overlapping with the flavor of the Eldrazi.

It could work in print where the player can imagine the setting. It has a lot more problems when we have to draw art showing what it looks like.

the Magic Story Podcast mentioned that in early concepting, Bloomburrow had fifteen focus creature types, with one for each monocolor in addition to one for each color pair. do you know what the layout of creature types was in that fifteen-type framework? (they mentioned Otters were originally mono-Blue, so I'm especially curious what the UR creature type was in that model.)

That model didn’t last very long. We talked about Raccoons being blue/red for a hot second.

The highest of fives to the card designer, illustrator, flavor text author and everyone responsible for Flubs, the Fool. Probably my all time favorite magic card, Vorthos and Melvin had a child! Please, if there is no lore written on Flubs, keep it that way. He is perfect this way.

High fives to be applied.

Is the flavor text "No two see the same Maro" lore about the Magic creature, or a subtle hint towards the fact that you have hundreds of clones that allow you to do all the things you do?

No comment.

what color/colors would robin hood be from his story

Robin Hood is pretty red/white.

Is Dragonstorm too strong for standard? I think I'll be a little disappointed if we get to the end of the Dragonstorm story arc and the card isn't printed into any of the sets within it. Is this something you (WotC, not you personally) took into consideration when naming the arc? I realize it's probably too early for you to answer this now, so I'll ask again after we return to Tarkir.

We’ve learned not to let old card names keep us from using words we need to use.

I have some Lord of the Rings feedback: I mostly stopped playing Magic in recent years when the official story let me down one too many times (a "lapsed" player I think you call them?), but I was really excited by the LotR set. Great execution! And the reason I thought I'd share my opinion is because I really dislike the Universes Beyond concept. I felt like Wizards was moving in a direction that I couldn't follow. But when I saw the LotR set it finally clicked for me why Wizards is doing it.

It’s not until you see a property that you really love done as Magic cards do you truly get the draw of Universes Beyond.

"New Capenna was missing several qualities we needed for the setting and story." Such as?

It didn’t have enough characters that the audience had shown appeal before and a structured sense of law.

I just want to congratulate the team on the bats from Bloomburrow. They were the archetype I was most excited for, and I absolutely love the lore we've got for them - and the way the idea of them seeking balance is represented through both losing AND gaining life is a fantastic synergy of mechanics and flavour. High fives all round, please!

High fives to be applied.