Discard

Concerns Over Mill Decks

I don't know how you can talk about not making discard a viable deck option when you've created a monster with mill decks. Can we please chill out with mill please?

I can pass that note along.

Discard Mill Mechanic

Richard Garfield's Intent on Design

Just listened to your Blue Sky Design episode, & you touch on the concept of not considering all early game design decisions as "precedents" (e.g. Black's inability to deal with Black creatures, ala Terror).You mention that this was "not what Richard Garfield intended"; my question is, was that something Richard himself said? Or was it simply the decision you guys made (to discard it as precedent)?

I spent a lot of time asking Richard about intent (back in the day when Richard worked at Wizards), and the vast majority of the time the answer was “that was meant for the flavor of that specific card and not intended for all cards of that color”.

Black Blue Colors Creatures Discard Flavor Game Design Richard Garfield

Keyword 'Draw' Consistency

Re: Keyword 'Draw': "We increase confusion for what?"We'd gain some consistency. As the previous person noted, it'd put drawing cards in line with things such as scry, survail, and mill. It also would be adjacent to the changes from "enters the battlefield" to "enters." In the same way that the battlefield is the only thing that can be entered, cards are the only thing you can draw.I personally don't feel either way is inherently better, I just see the merit the previous post was getting at.

But we simply don’t template everything that involves a number like that. We don’t say Lifegain 3 and Discard 2 and Tutor 1.

Card Draw Discard Enter The Battlefield Keywords Lifegain Mill Scry Templating Tutoring

Minimum Hand Size Card

Can I ask for your best guess on the hypothetical minimum hand size card: if I'm at the minimum hand size it sets and an effect would have me discard cards (like Abyssal Horror), can I? What if instead I want to discard to pay a cost?

My gut is it wouldn’t stop you from mandatory discards, but might stop you from optional ones. Again, this is undefined, and I’m just making an educated guess on how it might work.

Abyssal Horror Discard Horror Your Hand

Handling Discard and Counterspell Mechanics

from what you said to a previous asker, if I recall, you and the team try to be cautious about discard, and also counterspell to some extent because of how both mecanic are "feel bad" overall.Why not making more card that, don't per say straight up negate, but at least react to those type of effect, like that one baloth that, if I'm not mistaken, come into the board if an enemy effect would make you discard it ? Are those considered too polarizing or difficult to balance or make interesting ?

The problem solving it with a response is that you then only solve the problem for a) the people that own the card (even at common, the majority of players will never own it), and b) the more advanced players who understand that this is an answer to a problem and use it accordingly.

Discard Mechanics Negate Question Marks

White Control Maximum Hand Size

Can white control maximum hand size?

White does rules setting, so possibly, if done carefully. It shouldn’t cause players to discard.

Discard Rules White Your Hand

Random Nonland Discard Logic

Whats the logic behind not doing random discard of nonlands? As in, "target opponent discards a nonland card at random".

It’s confusing. It’s unclear what happens when you randomly discard a land. You keep the land and nothing gets discarded or you discard a second time?

Discard Lands

Discard Versus Counterspells Balance

Mark, I've heard discard is not going to be used as much because it creates unfun games for opponent. But to that I say blue as an entire colour splits the community n the basis of that is counter magic. Counter magic is NEVER fun to play against but it pops up here, there n everywhere. So why favour it and dislike discard?

We still make discard like we still make counterspells. Were just careful not to enable a whole deck of either.

Blue Colors Discard

Hymn to Tourach Trivia

Hello fellow May birthday haver! For my birthday trivia I'd like something about Hymn to Tourach or random discard in general, since it's my favorite effect in Magic. On a related note, I'm super excited to play with Crabomination!

The effect of Hymn to Tourach on the game soured us on random discard as it too often led to game losses to mana screw. It led to us making a rule that we only use random discard at a high enough mana value, that it most likely isn’t hitting land.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Crabomination Discard Hymn to Tourach Lands Mana Mana Screw Mana Value Rules

Self-Discard Mechanic Query

Hi, Mark. Is there any problem with self-discard mechanic? I mean power level, design, etc. It used to be a prevalent mechanic during the old days… but nowadays is really rare to find good support for this strategy.

We have mechanics which require you to discard cards as part of the cost. I’m not quite sure what you’re asking about.

Discard Mechanics Power Level Rares

Mana-Based Ward Shift

I may be misremembering, but I feel like you mentioned in the past that mana-based Ward costs would be for White, Blue, and Green, whereas life, discard, and sacrifice-based Ward costs would be for Black and Red. However, we've recently seen Gisa, the Hellraise as a mono-black card with a mana-based Ward cost. Did I completely fabricate this rule, or has design shifted?

That’s where we started. We found mana-based ward just plays better, so we now allow black and red access to it when necessary for play balance reasons.

Black Blue Discard Fabricate Fabricate Game Balance Green Red Rules Ward White

Faithless Looting Discussion

To me, faithless looting never felt wrong in red. It is looting, but unlike a lot of blue looting on creatures, it is net card disadvantage when not flashbacked. I think with a blue flashback cost, it would be perfect.

We decided that we prefer red not have the foresight of knowledge on making the decision of what to discard. It helps give red a more short-sighted feel.

Blue Creatures Discard Faithless Looting Flashback Red

Clarification in Card Instructions

Since people seem to be complaining about extra words in cards ("cycle or discard", etc.), I've always wondered about my favourite redundant words: "if able". (For instance, "CARDNAME attacks each combat if able.") The effect would be exactly the same (rules-wise) if it merely said "CARDNAME attacks each combat". But I do wonder how many players would misplay it as if it granted haste if it was written that way!

It helps clarify there are times it doesn’t attack, so it prevents some of that mistake.

Discard Haste

Cycling Clarification

Is there a reason its worded "Whenever you cycle or discard a card" when cycling IS discarding?

Yes. We were concerned not enough players would realize “when you discard a card” applied to cycling, so we chose a template to make it clearer.

Cycling Discard Templating

Discarding Mechanic Hierarchy

Hi, Is Blue still secondary on forcing opponent discarding cards from hand?

A very distant second. We do allow white to force discard that can be played from exile with a tax (usually of two).

Blue Discard Mechanics Secondary The Exile Zone White Your Hand

Quirky Rules Interaction

There are some effects that require a target, even though they often do nothing with that target. (For instance, there are many effects written like "At the beginning of your end step, you may pay {5}. If you do, target creature picks its nose." The "if you do" wording means you pick a target even if you have no way to pay the {5}.)These effects create a way to commit a crime at no cost, but I fear that many (if not most) players won't even recognize that a target is being selected for this kind of effect, thus not acknowledging that a crime has been committed for abilities that care about this.Was any thought given to this problem when the mechanic was designed? If so, is there any solution to this problem for newer players?

There are lots of things less enfranchised players are unaware of. The question is can the game progress if they’re unaware? If kitchen table players play with commit crime cards and have fun and are unaware of this particular thing happening, it doesn’t keep them from enjoying the cards.Magic has a complex rules system, and quirky interactions are going to happen. I will note that “if” triggers will happen, but “when” triggers" will not. For example, take the card Hypothesizzle.
This card only commits a crime if you discard a nonland card.

Blogatog / Tumblr Casual Play Creatures Discard Experienced / Enfranchised Players Fear Hypothesizzle Mechanics Rules Triggered Abilities

Loot Mechanic Mix-up

Was the homonym of loot (draw, then discard) and Loot (the new character) discussed at all? Did anyone want to give Loot the loot mechanic?

The issue actually comes up a bit in Universes Beyond where someone has a Magic mechanic in their name. Our rule is that it has to make flavorful sense. If it doesn’t they shouldn’t have the mechanic.

Discard Flavor Mechanics Rules Universes Beyond

Land Destruction Philosophy

I know land destruction is disliked, but it's tremendously important to the long-term health and balance of the game, and there are ways to play around it. It's the same as discard and counterspells, and pretending it isn't a vital axis on which there needs to be decent interaction leads to unhealthy metagames and hurts the game's ability to balance itself. Players can and will find a way to complain about anything regardless of what it is, so I'd rather be able to interact with lands than not.

We do make land destruction cards. We just don’t make them cheap.

Discard Lands

Die vs Destroyed

When cards say die vs destroyed does it mean something different

“Die” means a creature card goes from the battlefield to the discard. This can happen from the creature being destroyed, but there are many others ways, such as sacrifice. “Destroy” is a keyword action that puts a permanent from the battlefield into the graveyard. Any permanent type can be destroyed, not just creatures. If a permanent is indestructible, destroy won’t work on it, and it won’t go to the graveyard.

Creatures Destroy Discard Indestructible Keyword Actions Sacrifice The Graveyard

Withering Boon Reprint

May I request a withering boon reprint into standard/pioneer?

No, black countering a spell is a color pie break. Black gets rid of troublesome creature cards in the opponent’s hand by forcing them to discard them.

Black Card Printing Color Pie Creatures Discard Pioneer Reprints Standard Withering Boon Your Hand