Tom LaPille

DFC Inspiration Source

Hi, Mark! Hope you're having a good day.MTG started to make double-faced cards in 2011, during Innistrad. Was there any mechanical inspiration for DFCs from Duel Masters or Yu-Gi-Oh?

Duel Masters was the direct inspiration. Tim LaPille, who suggested it, had just worked on a Duel Masters set, and literally said, “Here’s what Duel Masters is doing.”

Dual Faced Cards Innistrad Tom LaPille

R&D Team Photo Fun

Who are the people in the "Another Day of R&D Productivity Lost" photo? How do they feel about this recurring series?

R&D likes it. Tom LaPille asks the question. Then Mark Globus answers. Then Ken Troop answers. And finally Erik Lauer gives the final line. It’s a decently old picture. Only Ken and Erik are still at Wizards.

Erik Lauer Game Design Tom LaPille

Double-Faced Card Origins

Mark, for your successes, which were impressive,you didn’t mention double faced transforming cards. My understanding was you met a lot of resistance for the idea and had to push hard to make them a reality. Overall a pretty disruptive mechanic (that is a compliment). Surely this must also be one of your top successes?

I didn’t come up with double-faced cards (Duel Masters did) nor did I originally suggest them for Innistrad (Tom LaPille did). I did put them in the set and fight hard to keep them. So, I didn’t think of it as mine.

Fight / Bite Innistrad Mechanics Tom LaPille

Origins of Modern Format

Hi - loving your series 20 years, 20 lessons. But in Lesson 9 you say that Modern was created by Wizards. Didn't the players create it? I remember playing during the changes to the ill-fated Extended format, a format many quit to adopt instead what most called "overextended". There were variants but the most popular was basically Modern, and I remember playing it for well over a year before Modern was even announced, and reading about others playing it on the forums.

Overextended did pre-exist Modern but it was a little different. The format of Modern, as it’s now defined, was created at Wizards (by Tom LaPille) but I’m sure it was influenced by Overextended.

Modern Tom LaPille

Praise for Erik Lauer

Lapille called Eric Lauer the best tcg designer in the world today. His skill is pretty evident in KTK and Inn. What do you think about him? Any cool stories about his development style?

Erik is an amazing developer, the best I’ve ever worked with and I have worked with all of the greats. Erik is literally a genius and thinks unlike any other human I’ve ever met. Erik’s strength is he’s good at figuring out how to make a card set have a particular effect. I tell what I want to happen and he makes it happen.

Erik Lauer Human Tom LaPille

Farewell to Tom LaPille

Could you please highfive Tom LaPille for me on his last day at WotC? Please thank him for all the excellent ( development ) work he's done!

Will do.

Tom LaPille Wizards of the Coast

Unannounced Set Development

In samstod's article he mentions tom lapille developed an unannounced set in the block! Does that mean louie or something we havent heard about yet?

He means one of the sets later in the block.

Tom LaPille

Praising Uncharted Realms

Would you be so kind as to pass along my regard to Tom LaPille for his Uncharted Realms this week? I highly enjoyed it. Ajani is fast becoming one of my favorite characters, thanks in part to this story.

I will pass your kind words along.

Story / Lore Tom LaPille

Team Recognition

"I just looked through the file last week and Erik (Lauer - lead developer) did an awesome job with it." What about the other developers? Why does Erik get all the credit?

Erik is the lead developer. It ultimately is his responsibility. But yes, when I say Erik, I am actually saying Erik and his development team (Erik, Doug Beyer, Dave Humpherys, Tom Lapille and Shawm Main).

Dave Humpherys Doug Beyer Erik Lauer Tom LaPille

Pro Tour Valencia

Mark. Are you coming to Pro Tour Valencia?

I am not but Aaron Forsythe and Tom LaPille will be there representing R&D.

Aaron Forsythe Competitive Play Tom LaPille

Tom LaPille Favorite Card

What did Tom LaPille say his favorite card as a player was? It was hard to hear.

Divination, I believe. EDIT: Apparently it was Grim Lavanancer.

Divination Tom LaPille

R&D Comic Characters

Is Ethan Fleischer the guy who asks the initial questions in the "Another Day of R&D Productivity Lost" TftP? We know Globus is the one next to him. Who are the other three?

Tom LaPille asks the question. Then Mark Globus responds. Then Ken Troop responds. Finally, Erik Lauer has the last say.

Erik Lauer Ethan Fleischer Game Design Pop Culture Tales from the Pit Tom LaPille

Cross-Pollinating R&D

(Glyn) How often do you talk Game Design with the R&D for Dungeons and Dragons? Have you ever influenced their work, or have they ever influenced Magic?

We talk a little and there has been some cross-pollination (for example, Tom LaPille was on D&D for a while).

Dragon Dungeons Dungeons & Dragons Game Design Tom LaPille

Magic and D&D Synergy

You mentioned a while ago (August 12) that Magic R&D and D&D R&D work in the same space. Does the Magic team play D&D with the D&D folks or contribute to making D&D in any way?

Some do. Tom LaPille even joined D&D R&D for a while.

Dungeons & Dragons Game Design Tom LaPille

Garruk's Height

Tom LaPille posted a photo to twitter of a Japanese Garruk bio card that listed Garruk's height as about 5'11". The new DOTPW lists him as over 8 feet. Growth spurt?

He was always over eight feet.

Growth Spurt Japan Tom LaPille

Enchantment vs. Land Bias

Devoloper Tom LaPille has said over twiter "Speaking as a developer, I think you are more likely to be happy with the card you get if we go with enchantment. " So I suppose wizards is biased against lands?

One of the cool things about Wizards is that they let us speak freely and give our own opinion on things. Tom was merely stating that he thinks you will be happier with what you end up with if you choose an enchantment rather than a land. Lands are notoriously much harder to balance and Tom was stating that development will less be able to push the power of a land because a mistake there has much greater consequences. Note that this is not Wizards’ stance but Tom’s. Just as with the public, internal Wizards is also divided. Some want you guys to choose land and others want you to choose enchantment.

Enchantments Lands Tom LaPille

Tom LaPille's Return

Has Tom LaPille rejoined Magic?

Yes. Tom’s back.

Tom LaPille

Developers on Twitter

Are there any developers on Twitter?

Tom LaPille (@tomlapille), Erik Lauer (@ErikLauer), and Billy Moreno (@billy_moreno) are on Twitter.

Erik Lauer Tom LaPille

Developers on Twitter

With the departure of Zac Hill, are there any other active developers on Twitter?

Tom LaPille and Billy Moreno are on Twitter. Erik Lauer uses it a little bit.

Erik Lauer Tom LaPille

Card Draw Consensus

A few months ago in the point/counterpoint article it was stated R&D is split between targeted and non targeted card draw. With the departure of Zac Hill, return of Tom LaPille, and addition of Gavin Verhey (plus any other names we may not know of) has more of a consensus formed on one side of the argument or the other? I'm curious because every time I look at Sphinx's Revelation I get sad when I see what could have been such a versatile card reduced to only card draw.

The tide has not turned to my side. Card draw is still non-targetted as a default.

Card Draw Counterpoint Game Design Gavin Verhey Sphinx Sphinx's Revelation Tom LaPille