Crystal Ball

Mechanic Naming Consistency

How come some mechanics are decoupled from the flavor of their name? In a recent answer you said adventures being called that locks them in to fit the flavor of the word “adventure”. But scry isn’t locked in to match the flavor of the word scry. Scry means to divine the future, usually via a crystal ball; but I don’t think the moose on inordinate rage or the traffic light on threefold signal are either doing much of that. So what’s the deal?

An evergreen keyword action of a vague concept (seeing the future) has a little more fluidity than a returning mechanic.

Crystal Ball Evergreen Flavor Inordinate Rage Keyword Actions Mechanics Scry Threefold Signal

Scry Definition Specifics

"Is "scry" a made up word/where does it come from?" It means specifically to attempt to discern the future using a reflective object, such as a crystal ball, as opposed to say, tea leaves or chicken bones.

FYI

Chicken Crystal Ball Scry

Scry Mechanic Debate

Is scry really a spell mechanic though? There are lots of permanents with scry, like Reaper of the Wilds, the Temples, Viscera Seer, Battlewise Hoplite, Crystal Ball. Is there another reason why it's not a good fit to be an evergreen mechanic?

Here’s another one. When mechanics show up every once in a while, we bend the color pie a little to give everyone access. All the colors getting a little bit of scry is okay when it happens once every once in a while. If it was evergreen it would fall to the colors that normally get it which is primary blue which doesn’t need it. Now if it were a combat mechanic…

Battlewise Hoplite Bend / Break Blue Color Pie Colors Crystal Ball Evergreen Mechanics Permanents Primary Reaper of the Wilds Scry Viscera Seer

Radiance and Boros

"Radiance did a poor job of being a Boros mechanic. Boros is the aggressive army color and Radiance did little to capture that flavor." It just struck me, a recent red and white mechanic that would have been simple and flavorful for Borors is Battle Cry. If only your crystal ball could have scryed a few more years into the future.

Battlecry would be an awesome Boros mechanic.

Army Battle Cry Battles Boros (R/W) Colors Crystal Ball Flavor Mechanics Radiance Red White

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