Wall

Request for More Mouse Cards

please mark please i beg of you please give me a "maybe" on the idea that mice will show up again in larger quantities in a future set, bloomburrow has not slaked my thirst but only redoubled it, i need enough mice to cover my walls in magic the gathering mice, mr. mark

Maybe. : )

Bloomburrow Humor Mice Walls Thirst

Walls and Game Fun

Do you know why magic was so afraid of walls? It seems it printed more wall hosers than walls…

The game is more fun if creatures can attack.

Creatures Walls

Simpler Card Designs

Just want to say, I'm loving that the cards we've seen so far in Bloomburrow are simpler and not all walls of text. Please continue using less wordy designs in the future!

We use less wordy designs where we can.

Bloomburrow Walls

Ward Costs Overview

Regarding the hypothetical Ward costs that give opponents an upside instead of directly costing you anything, there's at least one card which does that repeatedly: Wall of Shards has an opponent of your choice gain life as a cumulative upkeep cost. This demonstrates that the game already treats benefiting your opponents as a cost.

Just because a card was printed once that does something doesn’t mean all problems with that thing were solved. Wards have to be costs and another player doing something isn’t a cost.

Cumulative Upkeep Lifegain Solved Three Color Wall of Shards Walls Ward

Considering 'Can't Block' Keyword

"It's so short that I don't know if it needs the keywording."

It's not that shorter than "can't attack" (1 letter less"), and that's Defender. I'm pondering over keywording "can't block" mostly because of it's new frequency of use and it's possible synergies in a similar vein as defender.

Defender got a name because we were moving the ability off the Wall subtype. Also, we like making designs that lose defender, so it’s self referential some of the time. Can’t attack has neither of those two issues.

Defender Keywords Subtype Wall

Defender Versus Can't Block

Can’t block is barely shorter than can’t attack.

Defender was created as a way to disconnect the ability from the Wall creature type. In other words, it was due to other factors.

Creatures Defender Wall

Artist Commissions for Older Sets

Hey Mark, is possible that one of the artist ( from older sets) would do any commissions of any sorts like posters and stuff? I like to have crimson muckwader poster on my wall Thank you for taking the time to read this

The artist are independent contractors. You can contact them directly if you’re interested in hiring them.

Appreciation Art Crimson Muckwader Wall

Inconsistencies in Sea Monster Typing

On the topic of Sea Monsters, there are some 'sea-monster-like' cards that doesnt have the related types, and some cards with the related types, but have art that maybe doesn't fit the types. Example: Stormtide Leviathan is, as far as I can observe the art, a giant fish, but it has the name and type of Leviathan. Conversely, Fleet Swallower, is also a giant fish, big enough to rival Leviathans, but still just a Fish. Why is this the case?

Because we make a lot of cards and there are only so many constraints we can pay attention to.

Art Fish Fleet Swallower Giant Leviathan Leviathan Stormtide Leviathan

Type-Specific Abilities Viability

Hi Mark, since you aren't doing abilities linked to types (the old "Walls can't attack" rule), what do you think about types linked to abilities? (things like Embalm & Eternalize granting the Zombie type or a rule saying "Mutated creatures are Mutants")

I’m not against the concept, but it has a pretty high bar to clear.

Creatures Embalm Eternalize Mutant Rules Wall Zombie

Creature Type Mechanics

Okay how about this, the creature type “mutant” exists, so how about updating the rules to make mutants able to mutate even if they are also human science a mutant not being able to mutate (see cytoplast manipulator) sound dumb.

We don’t like creature types having mechanical meaning. It’s why we made the defender keyword, so becoming a Wall didn’t inherently keep you from attacking.

Attacking Creatures Cytoplast Manipulator Defender Human Keywords Mechanics Mutant Mutate Rules Wall

Story of Trapped Estate

Can you tell us the story of how you got trapped inside Fred Astaire's estate?

At the time, I was what’s called a “runner” (technically a production assistant). Part of my job is delivering things. I was working on a show called “45 Years of Television” (it’s the show where I met Jim Henson), a clip show showcasing TV over the years. One of the clips had Fred Astaire in it, so I had to deliver some materials to Fred Astaire’s wife (as Fred Astaire was dead). It turns out I had a long day of delivering things and this was my final delivery. The sun had already set. When I drive up the house is dark. His estate had a gate on it. I buzz to get in. It’s his wife, and it’s clear I woke her up. The gate closed behind me as I drove in. I drop of the envelope and apologize for waking her up.Then, when I’m leaving, I drive up to the gate, expecting it to open. It doesn’t. There was a button I had to hit to open it. I look back to the house and see it’s dark again. His wife has gone back to sleep.I figure, I can find the button. I had a flashlight in my car. I know if I wake the wife up a second time she might complain to my boss and I’ll get in trouble. The estate is old and vines have grown over all the walls, so it’s clear the button is here, but behind vines. I don’t remember exactly how long it took me to find the button, but it was at least an hour, and most likely longer than that. Eventually, I did find it and got out.That is how I got trapped inside Fred Astaire’s estate.

Gates Pop Culture Story / Lore Wall

Anticipation of Fourth Wall

If/when: A silver bordered card based around the fourth wall

The card Fourth Wall has been in the design file of multiple Un-sets.

If/When Un-sets Wall

Joke Card Dynamics

Some thoughts on "Holy Cow":I don't think it's specifically an issue with Holy Cow in a vacuum.Instead, it's more about the massive increase in proliferation of "meme cards" and "joke cards", cards that make references to real life idioms, seek to break the 4th wall in some way, make puns or jokes that pander to everyone, naming cards after a ubiquitous a turn of phrase in pop culture, etc.Sometimes it's cute and whimsical but when it misses, it can feel pretty cringe. I don't want my favorite game to have a bunch of cringe references which becomes a possibility when Magic makes dozens of "joke cards". It also makes the Magic world and universe feel less bespoke and more like a series of existing references.

For what it's worth, I think the Holy Cow reference would have been funnier if it weren't so obvious (i.e. design the card as is with the same art but name it something different).

Years ago, I made this card:
I love puns, so much so that I wove this one into the story (this was the Weatherlight Saga that Michael and I created). Very, very few players got it. (The pun is “squeeze toy”, the squeezable rubber toy that makes noise when you squeeze it, like you would give a dog.) Every time I explain this, I get more people say, “I never got that.”I have nothing against the subtle joke now and then (and there are some pretty subtle jokes in the Un-sets), but I would rather do jokes that the majority of players get. If the trade of is some people roll their eyes and say “that’s not my style of humor”, but many others laugh and enjoy it, I’ll gladly take that. A joke more people get is “funnier” in the aggregate.

Art Blogatog / Tumblr Card Names Dog Eye Holy Cow Humor Into the Story Pop Culture Sagas Squeeze Story / Lore Un-sets Wall Weatherlight Weatherlight

Commit a Crime Mechanic

Watching these spoilers, I think the commit a crime mechanic is not going to meet its potential, nor come close, because of the overuse of "triggers only once each turn". I get it. I really do, but I think you all should explore other tools to put speed bumps on triggered abilities, because that one feels more like a wall that just drains the fun out of an otherwise exciting card. There's gotta be another way to balance triggers...

There are too mana manaless ways to repeatably target.

Mana Mechanics Once Per Turn Spoilers Triggered Abilities Wall

Repetitive Questions

Hi Mark, I'm a huge fan of yours and I've been following this blog for a long time. I have to ask; will there ever be a point when you stop answering questions from the same 3 or 4 people that are always about the same things? I don't get why you keep trying to explain UB or the role commander plays in design to people who proved they aren't going to listen by not listening the first ten times. I know you want to let people know they're being heard, but at a certain point as a reader it's like watching you talk to a brick wall.Feel free to just ignore me, I know this is your personal blog that you can do with what you like, I just don't understand why you bother to respond to these people at this point.

I respond to those questions less to convince those particular askers and more to allow all the readers a chance to understand this issues at hand. Plus, I’m an optimist. Maybe one day I’ll get through. : )

Blogatog / Tumblr Commander Humor Wall Your Hand

Play Boosters Explanation

Hi Mark, big fan here. Just wanted to say I do not enjoy the framing of Play boosters as "to save limited" I understand the context but the reality is that without limited ,magic as a whole would suffer probably catastrophically, hence the implication that limited was the weakest link is not fair.As a limited fan, I do not like reading those words and would like the framing to be less derogatory to my favorite format. Words matter; something like "We created them for the health of the entire game" would be easier to parse, and more accurate to be honest. If I come off combative, I apologize, I love the game, and I understand why the change was made; I just don't like reading the word limited in a precarious situation.

The writing was on the wall. The market wasn’t supporting draft boosters. We had, at best, a couple years before market forces drove them away. How was this possible? Well, the vast majority of Magic players don’t play limited.Play boosters’ whole existence came from a profound understanding by R&D of the importance of limited play. If anything, play boosters are a testament to how fundamental limited is to the game, not a knock of it.

Boosters Draft Boosters Limited Play Boosters Wall

Walls vs Creatures

Re walls, again: Whats do you consider to be the pros of using that instead of creatures? It definitely interacts with stuff differently, like trample. Also death touch and those walls make quite a pair!

I personally think walls creatively just don’t feel like creatures, but I’ve accepted that we’ve chosen to take this path with them.

Creatures Trample Wall

Artifact Walls

Ooo elaborate more on artifact walls please!

Here’s an example:Stone Wall 4Artifact T: Prevent all the damage of target attacking creature without flying.

Artifacts Attacking Creatures Flying Wall

Reimagining Walls

If you were making Magic again from the ground up, what would you do to design Walls?

I would be tempted to make walls artifacts and not creatures.

Artifacts Creatures Making Magic Wall

Classic Set Possibility

If or When: A "classic" set that revisits some of the mechanics that were emphasized in Alpha but mostly ignored since (intense color matters, walls/defender, etc.)

I think we’ll do another “color matters” set one day, and defenders as a theme pops up now and then. I don’t think an Alpha theme would be resonant, nor necessarily lead to a compelling design, so I’m skeptical.

Colors Defender If/When Mechanics Wall