Dread

Appreciating Design of Colossal Dreadmask

Since we're listing high 5 candidates, please send to those involved in design and flavour text of Colossal Dreadmask. My favourite card in MH3

Will do.

Colossal Dreadmask Flavor High Fives Modern Horizons 3

Rise of Eldrazi Design

Maybe a bit of a silly question, but if Rise of the Eldrazi were made today would its six colored Eldrazi (Dread Drone, Rapacious One, Nest Invader, etc.):A) Stay the same (colored) B) Have DevoidC) Lose the colored pips and be fully colorless D) Not exist

We would most likely use b) and/or c).

Colorless Devoid Dread Dread Drone Drone Eldrazi Nest Invader Rapacious One Rise of the Eldrazi Rise of the Eldrazi

Addressing Power Creep

When do we admit there's a power creep issue in today's Magic? You're telling me with a straight face that we're getting Colossal Dreadmaw for 4 mana, and that's not a problem?

Power creep means that the overall power level of a set is, on average, more powerful than the sets leading up to it, and then continually trending upwards. That isn’t the case.Note that individual card effects will rise and lower in power level over time as the pendulum swings.

Colossal Dreadmaw Mana Power Level

Bloomburrow's Magical Nature

Hi Mark! When planeswalkers enter Bloomburrow, they turn into animals. Conversely, when animals from other planes enter Bloomburrow, do they become sentient and anthropomorphic (e.g. a Colossal Dreadmaw that wanders into Bloomburrow can act and talk like a Pirate)?

No, denizens of Bloomburrow remain animals when they travel to other planes.

Bloomburrow Colossal Dreadmaw Pirate Planes Planeswalkers

Creature Type Errata Rules

I thought the general rule was that if an old card had a new creature type in the name, it got that creature type added to the card. See: Dread Warlock, and the abundance of Ranger cards. It makes sense not to do functional errata on things like Jacob or Eloise but I guess I'm not seeing why Dogged Detective doesn't fit that rule

The rule is *if* we choose to errata a creature type, we usually do creatures with that creature type in its name.

Creatures Detective Dogged Detective Dread Dread Warlock Errata Functional Errata Ranger Rules Warlock

Monstrous Rage Color

Hello, Mark. Curious how Monstrous Rage made it through R&D as a Red card instead of Green? Seems particularly odd considering that RDW is already so powerful in standard and Mono-Green is... neglected. RDW already had cards like Dreadmaw's Ire and Mirran Banesplitter and Ancestral Anger and Lunar Frenzy and so forth. Green got Royal Treatment, which honestly feels more White. Green has Massive Might... maybe Staggering Size? Neither of which gets played compared to all the RDW spells.

+2/+0 is more red than green. Red is secondary in trample, so it creating an aura with trample isn’t odd. And while green creates more +1/+1 counters than red (I know this is a +1/+1 aura), red is allowed to do it.The larger issue is that the card was mostly like designed to fit the needs of limited. When designing cards at lower rarities, we’re more focused on making things that enable limited and casual constructed than high end tournament competitive play.

Ancestral Anger Auras Casual Play Colors Competitive Play Constructed Dreadmaw's Ire Frenzy Game Design Green Limited Lunar Frenzy Massive Might Mirran Banesplitter Monstrous Rage Red Royal Treatment Secondary Spells Staggering Size Standard Trample White

Colossal Dreadmaw Elusiveness

I can't find Colossal Dreadmaw in the The Lost Caverns of Ixalan spoilers yet. Is it hiding someplace? But how could something so colossal hide so well????

Colossal Dreadmaw is sneaky.

Colossal Dreadmaw Ixalan Spoilers The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Colossal Dreadmaw Reprint

Can I get a maybe on colossal dreadmaw reprint in Ixalan? Or is that kind of raw, format-warping power not appropriate for a premier set anymore?

I’m not sure we could stop Colossal Dreadmaw if it wants to be in the set.

Card Printing Colossal Dreadmaw Ixalan Premier Sets Reprints

Ability Design Preference

I really like abilities like on Shelob, Dread Weaver, that let you use them at any time, but the creature enters tapped. I like it a lot more than "activate only as a sorcery". I hope we'll see more of the "enters tapped" abilities going forward.

The “enters tapped” functionality is limited to a very narrow band of abilities, so while we can make use of it, it doesn’t replace much of the need of “play as a sorcery”.

Activate Creatures Dread Limited Shelob, Dread Weaver Sorceries

Unhinged Memories

When Unhinged came out near the end of 2004 (I'd have been 12), I would usually play Magic at one friend's house, or at my house, and... It was just normal to play silver-bordered cards in our regular decks. Bloodletter found an easy home in my black/blue control deck as a sort-of-Pyroclasm, and I named Kev Walker a LOT of times with Aesthetic Consultation. I might have had various Kev Walkers in my deck but DEFINITELY I recall Visara the Dreadful! Those were good times.

: )

Aesthetic Consultation Black Blood Bloodletter Blue Humor Visara the Dreadful

Colossal Dreadmaw Memes

Can you please give a high-five to whoever’s responsible for feeding the Colossal Dreadmaw memes?

Will do.

Colossal Dreadmaw

Construct vs Dreadnought

What is the difference between a construct and a dreadnought?

A Dreadnaught is a specific kind of Construct like a Bear is a specific type of Beast.

Bear Beast Construct Dreadnought

Colossal Dreadmaw Mechanics

Is Colossal Dreadmaw clearing the bar in Bar Entry intentional?

I don’t have a Bar Entry card at hand, but as long as his head, not his neck, clears it, you’re good.

Bar Entry Colossal Dreadmaw Mechanics Your Hand

Vehicles Lack Creature Types

Is there a mechanical reason for Vehicles not to have Creature Types, such as Consulate Dreadnought not being a Dreadnought?

You can’t write it on the card type line as Dreadnaught is a creature subtype and not an artifact subtype. You could say it becomes that creature type in rules text, but it takes up a bunch of space. Usually it’s not worth doing, but I could imagine exceptions.

Artifacts Card Types Consulate Dreadnought Creatures Dreadnought Rules Subtype Vehicles

Going Green: Card Breakdown

Is Citanul Woodreaders a break or a bend?

I’d call it a break. Green shouldn’t have ETB draw two cards.

Bend / Break Citanul Woodreaders Enter The Battlefield Green

Errata and Creature Types

When you errata creature types, you just add a new type. For example, "Dread Warlock" changed from "Human Wizard" to "Human Wizard Warlock". Does it follow that "Norin the Wary", if errated, would be "Human Warrior Coward"?

We try to be careful when we add words to cards that aren’t printed on them.

Coward Creatures Dread Dread Warlock Errata Human Norin the Wary Warlock Warrior

Phyrexian Dreadnought's Hypothetical Color

If you were making Phyrexian Dreadnought today as a colored artifact, what colors would it be?

Most likely black/red.

Artifacts Colors Dreadnought Phyrexian Phyrexian Dreadnought Rakdos (B/R) Red

Understanding Zombie Race-Class

"Zombie is sometimes a race, sometimes a class. It depends what other creature types are on the card."I am actually glad this was brought up, as it is my biggest pet peeve about creature-typing. Why are humans the only race that can't synergize with their undead counterparts? It doesn't mechanically or flavorfully make sense that Discordant Piper, Dread Wanderer, or Festering Goblin would owe any allegiance to their respective races; isn't the point of a zombie that it loses what it once was?And if mechanics are the sole reason, then again, why are Humans the only race omitted? Human tribal is really only a problem in Modern and Legacy, so bannings can easily be made if there would truly be an issue.Just not sure what the justification is for this dissonant articulation of Zombies.

Humans are already so over-represented, we thought it was a spot we could let other creature types shine.

Bannings Creatures Discordant Piper Dread Dread Wanderer Festering Goblin Format Legality Goblin Human Kindred / Typal Legacy Mechanics Modern Zombie

Retiring Wurm Creature Type

Not sure if someone has asked this, but does Dread Linnorm's typing ("Snake Dragon") imply the final retiring of the classic Wurm creature type? It seems creature is essentially the same thing on a physical level

No, it does not.

Creatures Dragon Dread Snake Wurm

Absence of Early Rarity Indicators

Mark, why didn’t early sets use rarity color indicators?For the longest time, I thought that Phyrexian Dreadnought was a common, and it made my brain hurt.

We didn’t think if it.

Colors Dreadnoughts Phyrexian Dreadnought Phyrexians Rarity