Darksteel Mutation

Suggestions on Card Description

Have you ever considered replacing stuff like "base power and toughness 2/4" with a mini version of the P/T graphic? EX: Darksteel Mutation would be "Enchanted creature is a (0/1) Insect artifact creature and has indestructible, and it loses blah blah."

It’s an interesting idea. I don’t know the issues of doing it from a technical standpoint. Mixing text and symbols can cause complications.

Artifacts Creatures Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Indestructible Insect

Shift of Humility Effects

With Blue's transformation being planted firmly Auras and temporary effects overwriting creatures stats and abilities, are Humility effects no longer in White's slice of the color pie? Not that it was used with any great regularity, but I do have a fondness for the likes of Darksteel Mutation and Minimus Containment.

Humility is now mostly blue.

Auras Blue Color Pie Creatures Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Humility Minimus Containment

Darksteel Mutation Inquiry

Is Darksteel Mutation a color pie break?

No. White is secondary in changing a creature to a small version without abilities.

Color Pie Colors Creatures Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Secondary White

Blue Transformation Auras

Why don't you use Auras to represent Blue's transformations, like Darksteel Mutation? That would solve the "destroying" part of the problem and would allow people to "break the spell".

We do use it sometimes. The problem is it’s more complex and not something we’d do often at common.

Auras Blue Break the Spell Darksteel Darksteel Mutation

Blue Removal Critique

Why don't you like Imprisoned in the Moon? While it is a very powerful removal spell blue has tons of Aura based removal that remove a creature as a threat. Ice Cage, Claustrophobia, and are the weaker end Ice Over and Illusory Wrappings. It just seems strange that Blue, the color of transformation, can't get a Darksteel Mutation type effect.

If it just turned a creature into the moon, it wouldn’t even be a bend. It’s the other card types that push it into bend territory.

Auras Bend / Break Blue Card Types Card Types Claustrophobia Colors Creatures Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Ice Cage Ice Over Illusory Wrappings Imprisoned in the Moon

Chaos Warp Views

I know you disagree with Chaos Warp being printed, but do you see any redeeming qualities in a color having one card outside of their color pie to deal with threats that would completely incapacitate them? (Such as a mono-red commander being hit with Darksteel Mutation)

Colors are supposed to have weaknesses. It’s what makes you add other colors to a deck.

Card Printing Chaos Warp Color Pie Colors Commander Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Red

Creature Transformations

Would you say dealing with creatures by transforming it into something else is more of a White thing (Darksteel Mutation) or a Blue thing (Turn to Frog/Rapid Hybridization)?

Blue.

Blue Creatures Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Frog Rapid Hybridization Turn to Frog White

Transformation Enchantments

Could something similar to Curse of the Fire Penguin be done in black border? It seems very similar to other transformation enchantments, like Darksteel Mutation

That’s the kind of thing that makes Tabak’s eye twitch. : )

Black Black Border Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Enchantments Eye Matt Tabak

Reality Shift Concerns

I think what's upsetting people about Reality Shift is that exile with compensation has always been a white thing (Swords and Path come to mind), and that blue getting exile removal (despite the flavor), is a sign that blue is coming back to being "the best color". I myself am in the camp that polymorph would make more sense as an enchantment ala Darksteel Mutation, but that's just me. However, I won't pretend that I know the inner workings of R&D and will trust your judgement on the matter.

Here’s the real problem. The issue at hand isn’t a design one or a color pie one. Blue’s had this effect and done it continually since 1996. The issue at hand is the power level of the effect and that is a development issue. As Head Designer and Keeper of the Color Pie, I have a huge impact on the first two and very little impact on the latter. There’s not a lot of point arguing with me about a development issue so you argue in the areas I do have lots of control. The problem is in those areas, you don’t have winning argument. In the development argument, I feel you have a much stronger case, but arguing with me about it doesn’t do much. I agree with you that I wish development pushed less in this area. Note that the manifest card really isn’t a great example of this as the downside is potentially pretty big.

Blue Color Pie Colors Darksteel Darksteel Mutation Enchantments Flavor Game Design Head Designer Manifest Polymorph Power Level Reality Shift The Exile Zone White Your Hand

Color Pie Consideration

I'll try again, just in case you never saw it, but is Darksteel Mutation a color pie violation?

Think of it as a Pacfism variant.

Color Pie Colors Darksteel Darksteel Mutation