Demigod

Shrines Design Request

Re: Shrines. Some elves count all elves. However not all elves have to count all elves. May I request Shrines that don’t count all Shrines. One related to the Gods, Demigods, clerics, or devotion feels flavorful.

When 100% (or very near) of cards do something, there’s a lot of expectation for future cards to do it as well. We don’t always do what’s expected, but it has to be factored in, and usually involves other factors.

Cleric Demigod Elf Flavor God

Set Diversity Possibility

With Omenpaths existing, is it possible to have a set with Satyrs, Aetherborn, Myr, Inkling, Demigod, Moonfolk, etc?

It makes such a thing possible.

Aetherborn Demigod Inkling Moonfolk Myr Omenpaths Satyr

Multiverse Slots Feedback

I try to, as a rule, be super enthusiastic about Magic because it brings me a ton of joy. So when I lodge a small complaint, please know it is tiny in the scope of that: I'm super bummed that Multiverse Legends spots were used on Daxos, Renata, and Tymaret. I am sure they have some that love them, but the demigods already received a nearly identical treatment in Beyond Death, it feels super underwhelming to see it again with a tiny variation.

There were a bunch of restrictions on what could be on the Multiverse Legends sheet. They had to be desired cards that were still alive and could be actively fighting in the war. We didn’t have the luxury of removing cards because they’d used the frame before. We gave them all new art to make them look distinct.

Art Card Frames Demigod Legendary Creatures Rules

Creature Type Updates

Any thoughts on giving creatures with types in their name the actual creature type? Such as Shadowmoor's Demigod of Revenge getting Demigod, in addition to its Spirit Avatar types it already has? Or Elite Inquisitor getting Inquisitor? Or the Aether Revolt Rebels getting that?

When we errata creature types, we often do that, but not always. The word being in the name doesn’t always line up. A Giant Spider is not a Giant as an example.

Aether Revolt Aether Revolt Avatar Creatures Demigod Demigod of Revenge Elite Inquisitor Errata Giant Giant Spider Inquisitor Rebel Revolt Spider Spirit

Monocolor Creature Types

"There are not a lot of non-class creature types that have appeared on monocolor cards of every color." Just of the top some that have appeared as monocolor cards in every color (in cycles) are Spirit, Avatar, Incarnation, Bringer, God, Demigod, Shapeshifter, and Kirin. Also Human of course.

FYI

Avatar Bringer Colors Creatures Cycles Demigod God Human Incarnation Kirin Monocolor Shapeshifter Shapeshifter Spirit

Rebirth of Fallen Characters

Hey MaRo; seeing that guy's trivia about Balthor got me interested so I went an looked it up. Not counting alternate timelines (sorry Planar Chaos and Tarkir) there have been 10 creatures in MtGs history where we got their first card, they died in story, then we got a new card post-death! Balthor, Bontu, Daxos, Kefnet, Mikaeus, Neheb, Niv-Mizzet, Oketra, Polukranos and Rhonas! 4 zombie gods, a zombie hydra, zombie dwarf, zombie cleric, zombie minotaur, the reborn guildpact, and a risen demigod.

FYI

Birthday Cleric Creatures Demigod Dwarf God Guildpact Hydra Mark Rosewater Minotaur Planar Chaos Story / Lore Zombie

MTG Olympians and Mortals

Mythology tell a lot that the olympians had affairs with mortals and got children with them. Which is more likely seeing that? In the return to Theros, or seeing it in a roman world?(whether on the first visit or in a return)

Theros Beyond Desth had demigods.

Demigod Theros

Appeal to every demographic

I showed my mother who knows nothing about Magic the contents of a Theros collector booster. Her response was "I love how the legendary enchantment creature demigod is a woman". Thank you for designing cards that appeal to every demographic.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Appreciation Boosters Collector Boosters Creatures Demigod Enchantments Story / Lore Theros

Hercules Character in Theros

Mark, was a Hercules-type character ever depicted in theros? Is it Daxos?

Not Hercules specifically (although we designed a card for him in both Theroses), but we did make demigods in Theros Beyond Death.

Demigod Theros Theros Beyond Death

Demigod Mechanics Flexibility

If you made demigods in the future, would you feel mechanically tied to the existing five, or would you feel comfortable using the creature type on anything that felt like it was a demigod?

I think other demigods, especially on other worlds, could work differently.

Creatures Demigod

Hercules in Design

Hercules - was he ever in the set?

I think there was one in early vision design, but the demigods ended up taking that space.

Demigod

Red Devotion Cycle

Other than the Demigods, there's an Uncommon that relies on Devotion for an ability in each color except Red. Did the Red card get cut, or was this an unintentional cycle?

It was not intended as a cycle.

Colors Cycles Demigod Red Uncommons

Frames and Foil Options

Dear Mark, I absolutely love the new constellation frames of the demigods and gods of theros and I was wondering if they are guaranteed to be premium foil or if there is an option for regular treatment of the cards while retaining the unique border. Thanks for all hard work!

The showcase frames exist in both foil and nonfoil.

Card Frames Constellation Demigod Foils Theros

Perception of White's Strength

maro so why do you hate white, because it comes to life that was white, it's more to black, the black demigod comes to life than white, green makes a "White Human Soldier token"

One of the side effects of social media, is the proliferation of narrative reinforcement. Yes, white has been a little weak recently. Magic ebbs and flows. Colors go up and down in power level. White isn’t fundamentally flawed, nor does R&D hate white. Yes, there are some specific issues connected to Commander as some of white’s strengths don’t translate well to the format, and R&D is working on that issue, but that’s irrelevant to tournament formats. As a rule of thumb, if you can change numbers and make a color playable, it’s not a color pie issue, but a power level one.Why does the black demigod gain life? Because black can sacrifice resources to gain life. Most often it’s sacrificing creatures on the battlefield, but in a graveyard set where the graveyard has equity, it’s a proper resource to care about it.Why is a green card making a white creature token? Because we only get so many creature tokens, and that existing token was already in white.There’s no great conspiracy. : )

Black Color Pie Colors Commander Conspiracy Creatures Demigod Green Human Lifegain Mark Rosewater Power Level Rules Sacrifice Soldier The Graveyard Tokens White

Demigod Attribute Choice

Why does the black demigod gain toughness and the blue one gain power? Those colors are historically the other way around.

The choice was made to match the design of that card. Blue and black can both have variable power and toughness. We don’t always make the default choice.

Black Blue Colors Demigod

Cycle Distribution Challenge

Hi Mark! Belated seasonal greetings to you. You say that it's difficult to fit large cycles, e.g. 10 multicoloured Demigods, into a single set. What reasons necessitate an entire cycle being in the same set - that is, what are the obstacles to putting a fraction of a cycle in a set with the intention of finishing it at a later date?

We do that ar times, but that wasn’t the ask. World specific cycles take a long time because unless we’re staying on the world for multiple sets, it can take a while to complete a cycle.

Cycles Demigod

Dual-Color Demigods

mark as we know there are 5 demigods one for each color, in future there is a possibility of having dual color demigods in a return to theros?

The problem with having fifteen, or even ten, of something is it’s too much to fit into a single set much of the time.

Colors Demigod Theros

Squirrel Token Dreams

Please tell me the green demigod makes squirrel tokens equal to your devotion to green

It does in my world. : )

Demigod Green Squirrel Tokens

Demigod Mechanic Significance

Does the demigod creature type have mechanical significance? (For example, is it connected to devotion within this set?)

There is a cycle of demigods and they are mechanically similar.

Creatures Cycles Demigod

Demigod Subtype Retroactivity

Is there any intent to retroactively add the demigod subtype to older creatures? Like how it was done with the Noble type? Because there are some cards with Demigod in their name, so it would feel really weird to have them not have the demigod subtype...

Usually we errata older creatures that have a new creature type in their game to that creature type.

Creatures Demigod Errata Noble Subtype