Break Down

Theros Titans Cycle

You said that you had a cycle of Titans in Theros Beyond Death. Can you tell us what the colors for them were? Since the two we got were Simic and Rakdos would you have used the same break down as Ravnica Allegiance and had Azorius, Orzhov, and Gruul as the other 3?

They were monocolor when they were a cycle.

Azorius (W/U) Break Down Colors Cycles Gruul (R/G) Monocolor Orzhov (W/B) Rakdos (B/R) Ravnica Allegiance Simic (G/U) Theros

Instants and Sorceries Change

Can you break down the "adding instant/sorcery subtypes change" (e.g. lightning bolt would be an "instant - lightning") in the way you described on your "Changes" podcast? (full disclosure, I love the idea)

The idea is Instant stops being a card type and instead becomes a supertype which means the card can be cast at any time a current instant could be. Flash would go away as a keyword and be replaced by the Instant supertype. Former Instants would become Instant Sorcery. When you refer to Sorcery it would apply to both current Instants and Sorceries.Note this is a hypothetical and not something we’re actually doing.

Break Down Card Types Cast Drive to Work Flash Instants Keywords Lightning Bolt Sorceries Subtype Supertype

Non-Humanoid Planeswalkers

Not sure how non-humanoid people want Planeswalkers, but almost year has at least 1 non-human and most don't look human even if they are still humanoid. The fully break down for those curious. 2019 Oko and Wrenn. 2018 Windgrace. 2017 Angrath. 2016 Dovin (Arlinn hits the monster niche too imo). 2015 Ugin. 2014 Kiora, Daretti, and Nahiri (Nixilis was human on his first card). 2013 Xenagos and Ashiok. 2012 Tamiyo, Tibalt, Vraska. 2011 Karn. 2010 None. 2009 Bolas, Nissa, Sorin. 2008 Ajani.

FYI

Break Down Humans Planeswalkers

Skipping Questions

Can you break down why you may skip answering a question about specific mechanics?

On this blog? 1) I get more questions than I can answer, so I don’t answer every question.2) Even if I got less questions, I only answer questions I (usually) have the answer to and I’m allowed to talk about it. 3) Sometimes a topic gets covered enough that I stop answering questions about it for a while.

Blogatog / Tumblr Break Down Mechanics

M20 Legend Origins

Do you have a plane break down for the non-planeswalker legendaries in M20?

I do not.

Break Down Legendary Creatures Planeswalkers

Facing Player Feedback

When a set fails to hit good graces with players, do you feel personally responsible or guilty? Or, do you shake it off and try to break down what went wrong to get the next right

We try things and then monitor what the players think. I feel bad if the players dislike something, but I understand the importance of experimentation and pushing the game in new directions.

Break Down

Triple Mythic Possibility

From your list of how the sixteen cards in an Unstable booster break down, it sounds like we can get a rare/mythic non-Contraption AND a rare/mythic Contraption. Correct? Very much looking forward to the set; thanks for fighting for it!

There’s a possibility to get a mythic rare non-Contraption, a mythic rare Contraption and a foil mythic rare all in one booster.

Boosters Break Down Contraptions Foils Rares Unstable

AER Alphabetical Clumping

So I just wanted to comment on an anomaly. I sort common & uncommon cards and put them in binders, and I break down cards by color and alphabetically. Usually colors end up being pretty even in their alphabetical distribution. But AER's white cards have only 3 cards of 18 above the letter F. That means G-Z have 3 cards total! I thought this was kind of neat, and I can tell you there hasn't been a set in a very long time that has had such a high clumping alphabetically. A-F is PACKED!

That isn’t a vector we consciously monitor.

Break Down Colors Uncommons White

5-Color Control Query

has there ever been a time that you thought, "wouldn't it be nice to push 5 color control decks on the simpletons?" obviously this hasn't reached fruition, but have you thought about it?

There are so many fallacies in this question that I feel obliged to answer it. 1) There are no simpletons in Magic. It’s a complicated game and the people that play it tend to be of above average intelligence. What does exist are inexperienced players who know less because they have simply played less. 2) We don’t push any strategy. We make cards of different power levels and let the players do with them what they will. We do lower power level of cards that lead to degenerate or unfun strategies. 3) With rare exceptions we tend not to push 5-color strategies because when you break down the color pie you are messing with the very fabric of the game. 4) As a designer, I spend very little time thinking about the metagame. I’m a tool maker and I just keep trying to make different tools so that all of you can come up with interesting uses for them.

Break Down Color Pie Colors Fruition Power Level Rares

Adding Flash to Red

If we keep bugging you about putting Flash in red, will you eventually break down and do it?

In DC Comics, Flash is red. Is that good enough?

Break Down Flash Pop Culture Pop Culture Red

Random Mana Land Feasibility

So, most of the cards from Astral (from the Windows 95 game) are obviously a logistical nightmare and could never see print in paper Magic, but what about Gem Bazaar? Could the rules support a land that gives you a random color mana each time you tap it?

Truly random generation (especially something that doesn’t break down to an easy number for a random generator - a coin or a die as an example) can be problematic.

Break Down Card Printing Colors Gem Bazaar Keyword Actions Lands Mana Nightmare Rules Tap / Untap