Swamp

Identical Names Issue

Can the rule handle cards with same name and different oracle text? (e.g. a new artifact card named "Lightning Bolt", or a new sorcery card named "Swamp")

No. It’s why we did it in an Un-set.

Artifacts Lightning Bolt Rules Sorceries Swamp Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Snow-Covered Plains Confusion

"Basic" is only a marker for lands and has nothing to do with how many copies you're allowed in a deck. So why does Wizards let it be a problem that players are allowed unlimited snow basics? Can't you just say, "You can't have more than four copies of cards other than lands named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest in your deck unless the card says otherwise"?

Getting players to understand that Plains and Snow-Covered Plains are not the same got a lot harder with almost thirty years of saying they’re the same.

Basics Lands Snow-Covered Plains Swamp

Basics of Basic Lands

"Basic" (for lands) means both that you can have any number in your deck and that you can add them from outside your limited pool. Those abilities should be separated for other card types, and they don't need to be a supertype.

That isn’t what the supertype basic means. It’s just a marker. The tournament rules dictate that specifically Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest have those qualities.

Basics Card Types Card Types Lands Limited Rules Supertype Swamp

Land Tokens Possibility

If/when on getting "Land Tokens" in a set? I know there were Forest Dryad tokens at one point, but I mean just, say, a "Swamp land token." Are there any particular issues that'd make you avoid doing it entirely, or is it on the table if it makes sense for the set?

We’ve experimented with it. It has numerous logistical hurdles.

Dryad If/When Lands Swamp Tokens

Storm Scale for Types

Can card types and subtypes be rated in Storm scale? (such as "Lesson", "Treasure", "Role", "Siege", "Swamp", "Planeswalker", or "Creature")

Sure.

Card Types Creatures Planeswalkers Storm Scale Subtype Swamp Treasure

Creature as Swamp

Could a creature be a swamp?

A land creature could. If there was a nonbasic land with subtype swamp that could activate to animate itself, it would be both a creature and a swamp.

Activate Creatures Lands Subtype Swamp

Swapping Land Types

Assuming mana cost would be different, and the word "Forest" was replaced with "Swamp", could "Glimpse the Core" be printed as a monoblack sorcery?

I’m skeptical. We’ve only ever specifically returned a land to your hand with a monoblack card on one card (that I’m aware of). It’s not a core part of black’s part of the color pie.

Black Card Printing Color Pie Glimpse the Core Lands Mana Sorceries Swamp Your Hand

Black Rampant Growth

Since black is allowed to fetch swamps, if or when, black rampant growth for swamp only?

It won’t get it that efficiently. We don’t even do Rampant Growth in green anymore in premier sets.

Black Green If/When Premier Sets Premier Sets Rampant Growth Swamp

Exciting Game Moment

Hey Mark, my birthday was on Saturday, but I guess my trivia requests have been too niche!Do you have a story of a game you played where it was so exciting that it made you jump out of your seat?

I was playtesting Time Spiral. At the time we had a mechanic that let you tap a card twice (called double tapping). I was playing a black creature, where you tap it and name a card. The opponent shows you their hand and discards the name card if it’s there. Being a doubletapper, the first tap would show you their hand, so the second tap can get whatever card you want. This meant my first tap didn’t really matter. What I named was irrelevant. The set had a bonus sheet of old cards in it, but Aaron, who was in charge of it, was constantly changing, so no one, other than Aaron knew what was on it at any point in time.I tap it. Devin(Low, who I was playing) says, “What card do you name.”It didn’t matter, so I was being funny, “Sol’kanar, the Swamp King.”“You got me.” I had randomly named a card from throughout Magic and it was in Devin’s hand!I jumped up and did a celebratory lap around the Pit. Happy Belated Birthday!

Birthday Black Bonus Sheets Creatures Humor Mechanics Playtesting Story / Lore Swamp Tap / Untap Time Spiral Your Hand

Black Fetches Swamp

Could black tutor a basic Swamp to the battlefield if it had to pay life?

Black does have the ability to fetch swamps.

Black Swamp Tutoring

Phyrexian Language Cards

About my Phyrexian basic ask the other day, what i meant was Phyrexian Language basics like the Phyrexian swamp from Jumpstart.

Now that I understand, what you’re asking.Maybe. : )

Basics Humor Phyrexian Swamp

Phyrexian Font Lands

Re: Phyrexian BasicsBasic lands with the phyrexian font, maybe? Like the jumpstart swamp, but for all five lands.

Oh, written in Phyrexian.

Basics Lands Phyrexian Swamp

Issue with Dryad Arbor

Hi Mark! If/when a "color" shifted Dryad Arbor, just saying... Swamp thing it's a thing ;)

If. Dryad Arbor is considered a mistake in R&D. It has both rules issues and logical play issues.

Colors Dryad Dryad Arbor Humor If/When Rules Swamp

Question About Basic Snow-Covered Lands

In a world where Snow-Covered Plains etc weren't basic, do you think a Snow-Covered Wastes (or equivalent) that is badic would be fair? That way you'd be able to play as many snow lands as you wanted, but at a point there would be the cost of them not providing coloured mana.

I think there should be only six basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest, and Wastes).

Lands Mana Snow-Covered Plains Snow-Covered Wastes Swamp

New Capenna Demon Lands

Will New Capenna finally bring us demon mountain and demon swamp? Rakdos the Defiler has been waiting

There’s a whole cycle of Demon lands. Be careful using them though. They come at a high cost.

Demon Lands Rakdos (B/R) Rakdos the Defiler Swamp

Identity of Wastes Subtype

Why don’t Wastes have the subtype “Waste”?

Because we don’t want players thinking of Wastes as being in the same category as Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest.

Subtype Swamp

Skipping Basic Lands in Sets

In every set, the 5 basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Forest, Mountain) are reprinted. But... is it possible not to? I'm thinking about Wastes, how they are basic lands, but not like standard legal because they don't get reprinted every set like the rest of the basic lands. Going off of that, could *another* basic land not be printed in a set? Like in a desert world, could you not have any basic Islands printed? Or would that just... not make sense?

We want the five main basic lands always available.

Lands Reprints Standard Swamp

Confusion Over Islandfish Jasconius

“R&D Secret Lair only lets the card play as written. It doesn’t change the rules of the game. That means it allows Islandfish Jasconius to be an Island (and again it not being a land keeps it from tapping for blue)” what? How is IFJ an island, even with R&D secret lair? It has island in its name. But it’s a creature. Swamp Mosquito isn’t a swamp. Soldier of Fortune isn’t a soldier. That seems a little out there, even for acorn.

All versions of the card have Island Fish as the printed creature type (it’s just Fish in Oracle). 🐿 - Ah, Alpha.

Blue Creatures Fish Game Design Lands Rules Secret Lairs Soldier Soldier of Fortune Swamp Swamp Mosquito Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Analyzing Shrek's Color Alignment

Would Shrek be monogreen if he lived somewhere that wasn't a swamp?

He’s get a pretty selfish streak.

Colors Swamp

Potential Nezumi Swampwalk Card

Might we see a creature a Nezumi with creature can't be blocked if defending player controls a Swamp writen out? Since its technically not Swamp walk it could be used correct?

If we don’t think landwalk is good gameplay, we also think landwalk written out isn’t good gameplay.

Creatures Game Play Landwalk Swamp