Watermarks

Vanity rule for rose watermarks

Does the vanity rule allow cards to have rose watermark?

Only if the point of it wasn’t specifically to be a reference to me.

Rules Watermarks

Desparked Watermark

Will desparked characters continue to have the broken spark watermark every time they appear? Second question: Could we ever get a legendary creature with that watermark that we had never known as a Planeswalker?

Question 1: I believe the plan is the first time we see a desparked planeswalker it has that watermark. Question 2: I skeptical we’ll do that.

Creatures Planeswalkers Watermarks

Watermark Usage Plans

Hey Mark, one of my favorite flavor things a card can have is a watermark, and as such I was disappointed when ONE and MKM did not use them (though I understand MKM was less guild focused and therefore a bit less flavorful to use them). Do you think it is more of an if or a when that we will see them again?

It’s a when. They’re a tool we’ll use again.

Flavor Murders at Karlov Manor Two Color Watermarks

Omenpath Visitor Watermarks

Was there ever any consideration to put watermarks on Omenpath visitors in the same way that desparked walkers had watermarks?

Not that I know of.

Omenpaths Watermarks

Ravnica Guild Watermarks

My feedback on MKM on Ravnica: Please stop printing obvious guild-aligned cards without a guild watermark. We’re on Ravnica, the guilds exist even if they aren’t the main focus, so put the watermark on there. That will help make it feel like Ravnica.

We talked about having watermarks, but we were worried it would aggravate the feeling that this was Ravnica, but not a guild set.

Aggravate Card Printing Murders at Karlov Manor Two Color Watermarks

UB Cards Framing

Why UB cards have a slightly different card frame? For instance they have a triangle watermark at the bottom

The triangle is to designate that it is a Universes Beyond card.

Card Frames Universes Beyond Watermarks

Surveil Commander Design

As somebody who has wanted a dedicated surveil commander since guilds of ravnica, i just wanted to say that mirko, obsessive theorist is everything. Thank you.Were guild watermarks considered for this set? It still does feel quite faction based and I noticed the Ravnica: Clue cards have them.

We decided we didn’t want guilds to be the focus for Murders at Karlov Manor, so we chose not to use the watermarks.

Appreciation Commander Factions Guilds of Ravnica Mirko, Obsessive Theorist Murders at Karlov Manor Surveil Two Color Watermarks

Alara Block Watermarks

If Alara block was made today, would the different shards have watermarks?

Probably.

Three Color Watermarks

Tomik Watermark Error

Hey, I know this won’t matter to most, but it matters to me; why does Tomik, the acting Guildmaster of the Orzhov, have an Azorius watermark in Ravnica Remastered? Did something major happen?

It’s a mistake.

Azorius (W/U) Orzhov (W/B) Watermarks

Tomik Watermark Error

Hi Mark! This may have already passed on to you or someone else but I thought I'd mention it- the reprint of Tomik, Distinguished Advokist in Ravnica Remastered shows up in the card image gallery with an Azorius Watermark. In my admittedly hazy recollection he's a member of the Orzhov instead- is this a mistake or have I just got myself mixed up?

It’s a mistake.

Azorius (W/U) Card Printing Orzhov (W/B) Reprints Tomik, Distinguished Advokist Watermarks

Watermarks Significance

In terms of watermarks mattering... You'd have had to make that decision the very first time you did a watermark on a card, right? Like if you decided back then (was it original Ravnica, or were there some one-offs before?), you could have committed to watermarks being a thing-that-matters. But no longer.

No, we reprint cards too much to commit to a specific watermark for every printing, especially since watermarks are often setting dependent.

Card Printing Reprints Watermarks

Rose Watermark Possibility

Will we ever have a Rose watermark?

One day. : )

Humor Watermarks

Acorn Cards in Eternal

Do you think there's a chance an otherwise eternal set might include acorn cards specifically for limited? I think a return to Ravnica where draft had cards that cared about those faction watermarks would be fun and plays up the guilds.

We do many sanctioned limited tournaments, so my gut is we wouldn’t do that.

Draft Formats Eternal Factions Limited Return to Ravnica Two Color Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Watermarks

Guilds Batching Complexity

Based on the watermark discussion, a set that batches all characteristics of each guild?“All Golgari creatures get +1/+1 (Golgari creatures are Green and Black creatures, creatures with Dredge, Green creatures with a B in their rules text…”Ok, I realized that it’s a bit more complicated than I thought for Ravnica’s Guilds or New Capenna’s Families. But theoretically, you could create factions and use both technologies (batches and watermarks) to help determine when a card belongs to a batch, right? For example, putting a “Historic” watermark in all artifacts, legendary cards and Sagas in Dominaria.

We do use watermarks to help reinforce factions, but as we’ve been talking about today, it carries no mechanical weight (well outside Un-sets).

Artifacts Batches Black Creatures Dominaria Dredge Dredge Factions Golgari (B/G) Green Historic Reinforce Rules Sagas Two Color Un-sets Watermarks

Watermark Reprint Policy

RE: Watermarks, what if you didn't mess with reprinted cards? Caring about the legend crown or the word "landfall" wouldn't work, but nearly every card printed under the a faction in SNC has the watermark in every printing. (The triomes had extra frames.) Moving forward with new cards, you could conceivably trust that the watermark or some other symbol would exist on every printing of the card.

We reprint cards too much to lock in watermarks, and from a rules sense because watermarks are a thing that potentially can change, the rules can’t care about them, even if for certain cards we made sure it didn’t change (and again, we don’t want to commit to that).

Card Frames Card Printing Factions Landfall Reprints Rules Streets of New Capenna Watermarks

Mechanized Faction Possibilities

If/when inspired by the watermark discussion: mechanicalized factions, maybe via keywords or perhaps "each creature you control whose name contains the word "Golgari" gets +2/+2"?

Eternal legal rules also can’t care about a specific word showing up in card names because of translation. Black border can care about a whole name, just not having a certain word in it.

Black Border Card Names Creatures Eternal Factions Golgari (B/G) If/When Keywords Rules Watermarks

Limited Watermark Use

About watermark matter in black-border:What about a supplemental set with cards that care about watermarks, but only in limited games of that set?Kinda like Conspiracy, but it doesn't need to have cards that matter while drafting (not that it couldn't)

That’s basically silver borders/acorn which is what Conspiracies should have been.

Card Borders Conspiracies Limited Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Watermarks

Watermark Black Border Rules

I understand that watermark matters is an acorn mechanic because of historical consistency reasons, but if a future set wanted to use watermarks as a way to create a tag that other cards could use to refer to a faction (search for an X faction card) similar to how creature types can be used would that be allowed? Assuming of course that faction has no reprints of older cards.

Black border rules state that all cards that share an English title are mechanically identical. This means any item that does not show up on all printings of a card is not allowed to be mechanically relevant. Watermarks are such an item, so black border cards are not allowed to mechanically reference them. It doesn’t matter if no card ever gets printed without it, because potentially it could.

Black Border Card Printing Creatures English Factions Mechanics Reprints Rules Search Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Watermarks

Desparked Watermark Explanation

If we meet a character who was a planeswalker, but lost their spark in the great pruning, would they have the desparked watermark?

The first appearance of their legendary creature card will have the desparked watermark.

Creatures Planeswalkers Watermarks

Planar Watermarks

Was there ever a consideration for planar watermarks in March of the Machines? And if not, do you think that's something wotc might consider in future multi-planar sets like that?

They were considered. In vision design, we labeled what world each card was from.

March of the Machines Vision Design Watermarks Wizards of the Coast