Green cares about evolution but so does Blue. Green takes a survival of the fittest approach to evolution, while Blue takes the adaptation processes and ultimate mutation benefits into account. Is there more to the Green Blue overlap?

There is a love of observation and a joy of interconnected systems that green and blue both enjoy.

I’m a little confused by some of green’s philosophy in the color pie and how it’s represented mechanically. Death is still very much a part of the life cycle, and it can be sapiogenic and massive and random as science has told us. While I think mechanics like fight are great at represented death in green as “survival of the fittest”, do you think cards like Extinction would be (should have been) printed in green to better represent this flavor?

No, because green’s mechanical identity requires using its creatures to deal with other creatures.

Could you please clarify an issue regarding the Green vs. Black conflict? Green is a believer in the natural order, which includes prey and predator. I understand why Green wouldn't want prey going out of its way to become predator (part of Black), but shouldn't it be okay with the notion of true predators taking advantage of the weak (another part of Black, i.e., Vampires, some Demons...)? Thanks!

People confuse “survival of the fittest” between Black and Green. Black’ Survival of the Fittest is the idea that the stronger person will get what they want. Might makes right. If you can take something away from someone else, it belongs to you.Green’s Survival of the Fittest is the Darwinian meaning. Things that can survive to mate pass along their genetic traits. Over time the traits that better allow survival will grow while those that don’t will die out - through natural selection.

Has green gone away from having powerful, interesting enchantments? Like Sylvan Library (out of colour pie, I know), Survival of the Fittest, Aluren, Pattern of Rebirth, etc? Seems like a space green used to play in that it doesn't any more...

Green is still allowed access to powerful, in color pie, enchantments.

My birthday was a few days ago. Sadly, I think my request for trivia was buried, but here goes another try! Do you have any trivia on Survival of the Fittest?

I made the card because I love utility belt style decks (lots of one of’s that you go get when you need them).

So, in the movie, Ultron has a very clear and obvious blue element to his personality. He talks a lot about evolution, regrowth, and survival of the fittest, and claims he's doing what he does for the benefit of humanity, but personally I don't really see any green or white in him (except maybe his obsession with wrath of god effects). What color(s) do you peg him as?

In the movie, he’s probably Blue/Black, maybe Blue/Black/Red.

To further clarify, the term "187" started being used around the era of the Survival of the Fittest/Recurring Nightmare standard deck, when many of the creatures with ETB abilities used were those that killed something upon entering play, like Nekrataal and Ukatabi Orangatang.

That is correct. I should stress that while I am trying to help explain Magic slang, I want to point out that this particularly slang is upsetting to some people and something like ETB (for “enter the battlefield”) is probably a better choice.

If, say gun to your head, you were forced to permanently swap two colors' position on the color pie, then philosophically justify the change; what two colors would you swap and why?

Why is my life constantly threatened or worse I’m forced to eat bananas so often hypothetically in questions on Blogatog?  The color pie is a thing of beauty so the real answer is that this couldn’t be done with any real effectiveness. That said, if I have to, I guess I swap black and red making black/green allies and black/blue enemies. Black/green bonds around a shared Survival of the Fittest mentality and black/blue argue over perfection versus pollution - blue is trying to make it self better while black keeps giving up things, and thus downgrading itself, to gain power.

Wich cards that you have designed had been banned?

Banned & restricted cards that I had a hand in designing: Ancient Den
Arcbound Ravager
Bitterblossom
Chrome Mox
Cloudpost
Darksteel Citadel
Dread Return
Earthcraft
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Golgari Grave-Troll
Great Furnace
Gush
Lion’s Eye Diamond
Lotus Petal
Memory Jar
Rishadan Port
Seat of the Synod
Skullclamp
Survival of the Fittest
Thirst for Knowledge
Time Spiral
Tinker
Tree of Tales
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Vault of Whispers
Voltaic Key
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Yawgmoth’s Will

"I currently hold the record for the designer who has the most banned/restricted cards" Got a quick list of what those cards are?

The following are banned or restricted cards that I had a hand in the design: (note in numerous cases multiple people designed the cards in question; also I may have missed one or two) Ancestral Vision Ancient Den Arcbound Ravager Bitterblossom Chrome Mox Cloudpost Darksteel Citadel Dread Return Earthcraft Frantic Search Gifts Ungiven Golgari Grave-Troll Great Furnace Gush Hypergenesis Lion’s Eye Diamond Lotus Petal Memory jar Seat of the Synod Skullclamp Squandered Resources Survival of the Fittest Thirst for Knowledge Time Spiral Tinker Tree of Tales Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle Vault of Whispers Voltaic Key Windfall Yawgmoth’s Bargain Yawgmoth’s Will