Bee Sting

Signing Specific Cards

are you still willing to sign copies of Unyaro Bee Sting and Leeches?

Yes. I’ll sign any Magic card.

Bee Sting Leeches Unyaro Bee Sting

Bee Sting's Shift

So does this mean that you'd like to color-shift Bee Sting to mono-white?

It would probably target an attacking or blocking creature.

Attacking Bee Sting Blocking Colors Creatures White

Against Bee Sting

I voted against Bee Sting in the Magic Bracket today. just for your sake. Even though I love both Portal and the art on the card!

Thank you.

Appreciation Art Bee Sting Portal

Opinion on Bee Stings

OK, so we know you're against Hornet Sting and Bee Sting. But what about Unyaro Bee Sting from Mirage?

I do not like Green damaging creatures without involving its own creatures in the process.

Bee Sting Creatures Green Hornet Hornet Sting Mirage Unyaro

Artifact vs Color Powers

"Hornet Sting was played in sideboards in high level tournaments so no, not weak enough." The question was why *Bee* Sting is not acceptable when it appears to be strictly worse than Moonglove Extract (3G Sorcery for 2 damage versus {3} colourless permanent that sacs for 2 damage). You implied that Bee Sting is indeed worse (and so doesn't subvert Green's weaknesses), but is still a flavor fail. *Hornet* Sting is G for 1 damage and is an Instant, which I would agree is stronger than Bee Sting.

Oh, Bee Sting. Ah, Portal. My issue is that there is a difference between an artifact doing something and a color doing it. I don’t want to see Bee Sting in Green because I don’t want to see the effect in Green. The effect can exist in artifacts at a low enough power level. And yes a Green deck can play the artifact but that’s not contradicting the color pie because it’s an artifact doing it and not Green. Just because an artifact can do it doesn’t mean a color gets to do something it’s not supposed to do. White, for instance, is bad at card drawing. Artifacts still get to draw cards. That’s the issue.

Artifacts Bee Sting Card Draw Color Pie Colorless Colors Flavor Green Hornet Hornet Sting Instants Moonglove Extract Portal Power Level Sorceries White

Weakness Undercut Discussion

"Artifacts/Colorless cards do not break the flavor of Green. We do have to be careful not to price them too aggressively to undercut mechanical weaknesses." So does that mean that Bee Sting, although being a flavor break, is weak enough to not "undercut mechanical weaknesses?"

Horner Sting was played in sideboards in high level tournaments so no, not weak enough.

Artifacts Bee Sting Colorless Flavor Green

Colorless Card Pricing

You wrote: "Just as with artifacts we let colorless do things at a high enough cost." I thought the color pie was supposed to push you into a second color. If Moonglove Extract cost (2)(G), it would be harder to cast than it is now at (3). So why is Moonglove Extract not a problem, when Bee Sting is and it costs (3)(G)? It seems like either both are color pie breaks, or neither are.

There is a difference between a Green deck can play this and the card is Green. Artifacts/Colorless cards do not break the flavor of Green. We do have to be careful not to price them too aggressively to undercut mechanical weaknesses.

Artifacts Bee Sting Cast Color Pie Colorless Colors Flavor Green Moonglove Extract

Color Pie Philosophy

It seems that there are two ways to do the color pie: Either colors can't have certain things, or they can only have those things if they are really bad. You seem to favor the former, but is there room for the latter at all? I miss cards like Unyaro Bee Sting, Psionic Blast, and Gate to Phyerexia, where the color's weakness is shown by how inefficient the card is, compared to the same card in the "proper" color or by extra hoops or drawbacks. Is there room for that kind of card nowadays?

Most players are very bad at recognizing card power so it does a poor job of communicating weakness. Also, even weak versions see play keeping the color from having to look to other colors to fill in its weakness (which is a big part of why colors have weaknesses in the first place). Hornet Sting, as an example, saw tournament play.

Bee Sting Color Pie Colors Gates Hornet Hornet Sting Power Level Psionic Blast Unyaro

Powerful Bees in Play

So I don't know if you're aware, but mono green devotion is a pretty decent deck in modern. I can't tell you how many times my friend has beaten me because he made his Unyaro bees a 20-something/20-something+1. Does it bother you that Unyaro bees could become a tournament worth card (since I'm pretty sure you said you didn't like bees or bee sting in magic)

I’m not anti-bee. I just believe some color pie breaking things has been falsely justified with bee flavor.

Bee Sting Color Pie Colors Flavor Green Modern Unyaro

Color Pie and Bees

In regards to the Maro's Wrath not exiling bees question, how are bees used to falsely break the color pie?

Unyaro Bee Sting, Bee Sting, Hornet Sting, Unyaro Bees, and to a lessee extent, Killer Bees.

Bee Sting Color Pie Colors Hornet Hornet Sting Killer Bees Mark Rosewater Unyaro

Hornet Sting Logic

Ok, something that annoys me: the flavor for Hornet Sting DOSEN'T make sense. What that card is saying is that a 1/1 soldier, armored and trained for war, can be killed by a bee sting. Are all tokens allergic to hornets? Also, said bee sting is equivalent to A. getting stabbed through the stomach (Gut Shot) or hit with a fireball (Geistflame). This would make sense if it were a GIANT hornet, but the art makes it quite clear it's normal size, and it looks pretty much like a normal hornet.

I think the flavor is not one but many hornet stings.

Art Bee Sting Flavor Geistflame Giant Gut Shot Hornet Hornet Sting Soldier Tokens

Early Color Pie Mistakes

Are Bee Sting/Unyaro Bee Sting as fault like Hornet Sting, or do you go a little easier on them because they're older and from a less-defined color pie? Also: Unyaro Bees can be included. Basically, what's the deal with bees?

It’s kind of like how you go easier on kids because they don’t know better. I’ll forgive early Magic for making mistakes with the color pie, but it’s nineteen now so it’s an adult and has to be held accountable for its actions.

Bee Sting Color Pie Colors Hornet Hornet Sting Unyaro