The Fallen

Fallen Empires Episode Interest

I just listened to the Fallen Empires episode of drive to work and it made me think; two Mtg veterans (Cedric Phillips and Patrick Sullivan) are currently doing a video series in which they revisit every set ever produced on their Resleevables YT channel. Their last Episode was Exodus. I think it would be great and very fitting if they could interview you at some time.

Always happy to talk about Magic’s past.

Drive to Work Exodus The Fallen

Color Pie Assessment

Do you consider Remember the Fallen a color pie break? As far as I can tell, it is the only White card that can unconditionally return any creature from the graveyard to the hand.

It’s more bend than break. White returns small creatures to the hand all the time.

Bend / Break Color Pie Creatures Remember the Fallen The Fallen The Graveyard White Your Hand

Dosan's Design Evolution

Mark it's my Birthday! May I please use the rite of Trivia to learn about Dosan the Fallen Leaf, my favorite legendary?

For a while, green had the ability to prevent spells being played on the opponent’s turn, but we’ve stopped doing it in green. It’s most likely today to appear on a white card. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Green Spells The Fallen White

Understanding Abilities Placement in Colors

Good morning MaRo!I recently read through the 2021 Mechanical Color Pie article and had a question.How did you go about placing abilities within Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary for each color?What basis did you use to decide placement? What takes precedent? For example, White gets Raise Dead at secondary, yet hasn't gotten a card with exactly that ability in Standard since Remember the Fallen in New Phyrexia.

A couple things: 1) Primary/Secondary/Tertiary can vary in meaning based on what mechanic/effect it is talking about. The terminology exists to show how good colors are at things in contrast, but the amount of that thing can be a wide range.2) Often, colors may have access to an effect, but not always the full effect. White gets Raise Dead effects, for instance, but mostly for cheap creatures.

Color Pie Colors Creatures Mark Rosewater Mechanics New Phyrexia Primary Raise Dead Remember the Fallen Secondary Standard Tertiary The Fallen White

Creating Volrath, Shapestealer

Hi Mark! Were you involved in the creating of "Volrath, the Shapestealer"? I absolutely love it! You once said you would love to give Volrath a proper Shapeshifter card that fits him better than "Volrath, the Fallen". How satisified are you with the Shapestealer?

I didn’t design it, but was consulted as Volrath’s co-creator. I like the design.

Shapeshifter Shapeshifter The Fallen Volrath Volrath, the Shapestealer

Rayami's Ability Range

Why does Rayami, First of the Fallen list double strike when there is not a single creature with double strike in all of Magic that can legally be run in a Rayami deck? Is it just in case you manage to exile an opponent's creature with double strike?

Legendary creatures can be played in decks outside Commander. : )EDIT: And as the comments point out, it can affect your opponent’s creatures.

Commander Creatures Double Strike Legendary Creatures Rayami, First of the Fallen The Exile Zone

Green Vampire Commendation

Mark! Please high five whoever made a GREEN VAMPIRE! This is wonderful! I'm buying the Sultai deck just to get Rayami, First of the Fallen!

A high five shall be executed.

Green High Fives Rayami, First of the Fallen Sultai (B/G/U) Vampire

Tribal Land Concept

Could a land ever have a creature subtype? I don't mean a land creature but just a "Tribal Land" that has a subtype designation while remaining just a land? Two ways to maybe do it. You could actually print a card: "Fields of the Fallen: Tribal Land -- Soldier Plains" Or put the ability text on a creature or enchantment: "Forests you control are Elves in addition to their other types." If not, how come?

Sub types can only appear on the card type they’re associated with. The one exception is for creature types when appearing on cards with the Tribal card type.

Card Printing Card Types Creatures Elf Enchantments Kindred / Typal Lands Soldier Subtype The Fallen

Future Volrath Legend

As a reprieve from all the tribal Commander questions, can I ask for a UB Volrath legend that is NOT Shapeshifter or clone tribal for any future Commander precons? I've always felt Volrath the Fallen doesn't quite capture who he is.

It’s already on the short list. The only reason Volrath wasn’t a blue/black card was we were super stingy about multicolored cards not in multicolored sets back in the day.

Black Blue Commander Dimir (U/B) Kindred / Typal Shapeshifter The Fallen The short list Volrath

Praise for Creative Team

Today's magic story today broke my heart. The writing staff you have is incredibly descriptive, and I was really able to envision the scenes and feel the pain of each of the fallen. Please high five the creative team.

Will do.

High Fives Story / Lore The Fallen

Alternate Art Confusion

I don't know if this has been explicitly stated, but was the difference between Brothers Yamazaki and the alternate arts from the early sets that each art was on the same sheet for the latter? or was wizards just more willing to spend money for almost no reason before the fallen empires crash?

The reason we stopped with the alternate art was it caused confusion in gameplay as the art is the primary means by how players identify cards.

Art Brothers Yamazaki Fallen Empires Game Play Primary The Fallen

BFM Discard Rule

One more un-rules question: if you discard both halves of BFM to volrath the fallen, does it count as discarding one card or two? For the sake of things like Megrim.

It is one creature but two cards.

Creatures Discard Megrim Rules The Fallen Un-sets Volrath

BFM Discard Value

Critical Un-Rules question: Can I discard EITHER half of BFM to Volrath the Fallen to give him +7.5/+7.5?

No.

Discard Rules The Fallen Un-sets Volrath

BFM Full Discard

Critical Un-Rules question: Can I discard BOTH halves of BFM to Volrath the Fallen to give him +15/+15?

Yes.

Discard Rules The Fallen Un-sets Volrath

BFM Half Discard

Unglued Rules Question: Can I discard the right half of BFM to Volrath the Fallen to give him +15/+15?

No.

Discard Rules The Fallen Unglued Volrath

Art Variants Impact

I feel like a bad lesson was learned from the Fallen Empires alternate art. Given how far advances magic design has come is anyone pushing for this again in Wotc?

It was a very good lesson about how important art is for gameplay. Have too many versions and it makes it more difficult to play, especially in limited.

Art Fallen Empires Game Play Limited The Fallen Wizards of the Coast

Satyr Gender Clarification

"Why are all Satyr males?" Check out the art of Voyaging Satyr and Revel of the Fallen God if you want to see female Satyr.

FYI

Art God Satyr The Fallen Voyaging Satyr

Playful Banter

"I guess I need The Fallen Apart more as a blocker," Tom said, offhandedly.

Un-humor. : )

Humor The Fallen

Slimes in Other Colors

Why don't we see slimes in colors other than green? It seems like it would be a natural fit for something like red, as it is very primal. You could have something like a slime that gets bigger every time it kills something, representing the slime absorbing the fallen foe. You could also have slimes destroy equipment attached to a creature it damages or something, representing their acidic nature. (Not to step on Acidic Slime's "toes")

Both black and red have also had oozes. (All the colors if you count changelings.)

Acidic Slime Black Colors Creatures Destroy Equipment Green Ooze Red The Fallen

Fallen Empires Feedback

How do you feel the Fallen Empires set did?

It was fair. The set had some good elements but it was a little too board intensive and kind of sloggy. Also, a lot of the rarities were wrong. Plus, the set needed more evasion especially flying.

Evasion Fallen Empires Flying The Fallen