Vapor Snag

Blue Damage Mechanics

Hi Mark, in the color pie can blue still cause damage to players at instant speed like in Vapor Snag?

It’s not. It’s a bend.

Bend / Break Blue Color Pie Instants Mechanics Snag Vapor Snag

Effects of Dismember and Vapor Snag

Do cards like Dismember and Vapor Snag damage the color pie since any color can play them as long as the player is willing to pay life?

Yes.

Color Pie Colors Dismember Snag Vapor Snag

Phyrexians Color Pie

Do you think it's fine if Phyrexians have a tiny amount of color pie breaking like vapor snag and the Praetors?

Color bending? Yes. Color breaking? No.

Color Pie Colors Phyrexian Praetor Vapor Snag

Thragtusk's Target

What was thragtusk an answer to?

To blue tempo decks with Delver of Secrets, Snapcaster Mage and Vapor Snag.

Blue Snapcaster Mage Thragtusk Vapor Snag

Life Tax Cycle

Can I get some facts on the life tax cycle from New Phyrexia (Vapor Snag & friends)? Is that sort of thing available in every color like cantrips are?

It was a color bend we did to create the feel of New Phyrexia.

Bend / Break Colors New Phyrexia Vapor Snag

Color Pie Exception

Can you explain why blue got life loss in New Phyrexia? Vapor Snag and Psychic Barrier confuse me from a color pie standpoint.

All the colors got life loss. It was one of the ways we were trying to show Phyrexian influence through all of the colors.

Blue Color Pie Colors New Phyrexia Phyrexian Psychic Barrier Vapor Snag

Blue's Conditional Damage

Do you think we'll ever see cards like Vapor Snag or Psychic Barrier where blue does a thing AND makes the opponent lose a small bit of life?

Only in environments where all five colors do it. It’s not inherently a blue thing.

Blue Colors Psychic Barrier Vapor Snag

On Vapor Snag

Vapor Snag is very popular right now. Thoughts on it, and the NPH life taxing in general?

I thought it was a simple elegant way to have a Phyrexian feel.

Phyrexian Vapor Snag

Delver & Snapcaster Power

I think that the "drawback" with Delver & Snapcaster in which you are required to run a lot of Instants/Sorceries isn't necessarily a drawback, given their color. If you look at the decks that rely on Delver(RUG in Legacy & UW in Standard), their game plan is Resolve, Flip, & Protect to victory. Due to Delver being in Blue, it's easy to run Ponder and Brainstorm to find and flip Delver, and then run Vapor Snag and Counters like Leak or Daze/FoW to protect. I think that's the problem people have.

My point isn’t that Snapcaster or Delver of Secrets are the right power level (that’s development’s call to make). I’m saying they do a good job of being blue creatures because their power doesn’t come from brute strength but rather from creating synergy with spells - blue’s thing.

Blue Brainstorm Brute Strength Colors Creatures Game Plan Instants Legacy Power Level Sorceries Spells Standard Temur RUG Vapor Snag

Strictly Better Cards

what is your policy on making strictly better cards? It feels like there have been a lot of them these past few blocks--vapor snag vs unsummon, for instance, or the 2/2 zombie that isn't a scathe.

Our policy on strictly betters is pretty simple - we make them. Everything fluctuates in Magic meaning it’s okay for cards to exist that are just better than other cards.

Power Level Unsummon Vapor Snag Zombie

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