Druid

Xerex on the Rabiah Scale

Mark, it's my birthday this week, and I'd like to thank y'all for timing Bloomburrow prerelease to nearly occur on my personal day of celebration, a set I have been very jazzed about since it was announced. I really love the possum druid in particular.

For my question though, where is Xerex on the Rabiah scale? I really enjoyed the glimpses of surreal Escher geometries and the alien beings that live there.

Xerex is a 9. “World that’s hard to comprehend” is not an ideal premier setting.

Aliens Birthday Bloomburrow Celebration Druids Possums Prerelease Rabiah Scale Sealed Format

List of Green Cards

In case anyone was curious about how many Lay of the Land cards are in green:Mono-Green: 58
Analyze the Pollen
Attune with Aether
Borderland Ranger
Boseiju Reaching Skyward
Brave the Wilds
Bushwack
Caravan Vigil
Civic Wayfinder
Cultivate
District Guide
Druid of the Emerald Grove
Elfhame Sanctuary
Evolution Charm
Flare of Cultivation
Flourishing Bloom-Kin
Fork in the Road
Gaea's Bounty
Gatecreeper Vine
Greenseeker
Herd Migration
Horizon Seeker
hunting Cheetah
Journey for the Elixir
Journey of Discovery
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Kura, the Boundless Sky
Land Grant
Lay of the Land
Many Partings
Nervous Gardener
Nissa's Encouragement
Nissa's Pilgrimage
Nissa's Triumph
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nylea's Intervention
Open the Gates
Outcaster Greenblade
Peregrination
Realm Seekers
Realms Uncharted
Reclaim the Wastes
Rites of Spring
Seek the Horizon
Shard Convergence
Spinewoods Armadillo
Spirit of the Aldergard
Sprouting Vines
Sylvan Ranger
Sylvan Scrying
The Huntsman's Redemption
Thirsting Roots
Trail of Mystery
Traverse the Ulvenwald
Verdant Mastery
Vorinclex
Yavimaya Elder
You Happen On a GladeGreen featuring another colour: 7
Dig Up
Flower // Flourish
Huatli, Poet of Unity
Invasion of Ergamon (flipped to Truga Cliffcharger)
Path to the World Tree
Safewright Quest
Yasharn, Implacable EarthUn-cards: 3
Selfie Preservation (Un-card)
Spirit of the Season (Un-card)
Wild Crocodile (Un-card)(everyone feel free to add any that I've missed!)

FYI

Analyze the Pollen Armadillo Attune with Aether Borderland Ranger Brave the Wilds Caravan Vigil Civic Wayfinder Colors Crocodile Cultivate Dig Up District Guide Druid Druid of the Emerald Grove Elder Elfhame Sanctuary Evolution Charm Flare Flare of Cultivation Flourishing Bloom-Kin Flower // Flourish Fork in the Road Gaea's Bounty Gatecreeper Vine Gates Green Greenseeker Herd Migration Horizon Seeker Hunting Cheetah Invasion Journey for the Elixir Journey of Discovery Kodama's Reach Krosan Tusker Kura, the Boundless Sky Land Grant Lands Lay of the Land Many Partings Nervous Gardener Nissa's Encouragement Nissa's Pilgrimage Nissa's Triumph Nylea's Intervention Open the Gates Outcaster Greenblade Path to the World Tree Peregrination Ranger Realm Seekers Realms Uncharted Reclaim the Wastes Rites of Spring Safewright Quest Seek the Horizon Seeker Selfie Preservation Shard Convergence Spinewoods Armadillo Spirit Spirit of the Aldergard Spirit of the Season Sprouting Vines Sylvan Ranger Sylvan Scrying The Huntsman's Redemption The Wilds The World Tree Thirsting Roots Trail of Mystery Traverse the Ulvenwald Un-sets Verdant Mastery Wild Crocodile Yasharn, Implacable Earth Yavimaya Elder You Happen On a Glade

Instants vs Interrupts

The instants as a subtype reminds me a hit of the removal id interrupt drom 6th edition. When 6th edition rules removed interrupt, there were no cards that actually called out interrupts individually. So there was very little fallout, in addition most players played interrupts like instants so it really didn't change play funcionality, of course a card like Ichneumon Druid now punished counter spells, but that was few snd far between. But there are hundreds if not thousands of cards that interact with instants or sorcerys only or differently and such a change would really alter the functionality of these cards or requires retemplating of so many cards that would no longer function as they are printed.While the removal of interupt simplified the game into a more intuitive play pattern while changing very little in both card text and interaction. There is a great deal more inertia now with so many card interaction built on the instant type. If Interrupt has surrived to modern design it would also be extremely difficult to remove for the same reason.

Yes.

Card Printing Druid Ichneumon Druid Instants Modern Rules Sorceries Spells Subtype

Double Faced Card Rules

Hi Mark, can the rules currently support multiple Double Faced cards with the same front but different backs, OR multiple Double Faced cards with different fronts and the same backs (not like a meld, but identical back faces)?

As an example, say 4 cards that were the same card on the front, but 4 different alternate versions on the back, like a D&D druid with 4 different wild shape variations, OR 4 cards that were different creatures on the front, but the back were all the same legendary shapeshifter (Ovar, Lazav, etc), and the backs were identical.

The rules can’t support same front differential back, but can, hypothetically, support different fronts, same back.

Creatures Druid Dungeons & Dragons Meld Rules Shapeshifter Shapeshifter Wild Shape

Creature Type Overlap

Can a creature type exist in multiple batches? Could you guys do a spellcaster batch of Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, Shaman, and Druid even though Warlock is already part of the outlaw batch?

A creature is allowed to appear in multiple batches.

Batches Cleric Creatures Druid Shaman Warlock

Modal Choice Policy

"Our current philosophy is not to do modes within modal choices" - Archdruid's Charm has two modes that have multiple choices within them. The first mode can put a land into play tapped or a creature into hand, and the last mode can exile an artifact or an enchantment.

That is the default. We occasionally break defaults.

Archdruid's Charm Artifacts Creatures Enchantments Lands The Exile Zone Your Hand

Druid Tribal Confusion

Why is Archdruid OK but Druid is somehow offensive? As somebody who was hoping for more druid tribal, that decision was disappointing.
And as someone who sees Druids a lot in D&D... the decision is perplexing.

There isn’t a problem with Druids.

Druid Dungeons & Dragons Kindred / Typal

Arch Charms Speculation

So we have Archmage’s Charm in U and Archdruid’s Charm in G just got previewed for MKM, sooooo… if/when, Archpriest’s Charm in W?

: 0

Archdruid's Charm Archmage's Charm If/When Murders at Karlov Manor

Creature Type Poll

Mark,

I wanted to double back with the results of the ask you put out regarding which creature types are in need of some love for our decks. Just like in previous years, I only counted the first 3 creature types if people put multiple types in (I don't have ALL day to do this...) and I only counted creature types that have cards for them in Magic - requesting new creature types is for another ask. With all that in mind...

Dwarves came in first this year with 6 votes!There was then a 5-way tie for second at 4 between Aetherborn, Druids, Myr, Skeleton, and Treefolk. Werewolves and Constructs each got 3 votes.

The people have spoken!

Thanks for doing this.

Aetherborn Construct Creatures Druid Dwarf Myr Skeleton Treefolk

Typal Support Cards

How do you decide when to give typal support cards to creature types that don't usually do typal things? I'm thinking particularly about class/job-based types like Archer (with Greatbow Doyen and more recently Ohabi Caleria) or Druid (Gilt-Leaf Archdruid, Seton, and the new Deeproot Historian), but also species-based types that don't get as much love.

We look for opportunities that fit the set, with an eye out for things we haven’t done before (or in a while).

Archer Creatures Deeproot Historian Druid Eye Gilt-Leaf Archdruid Greatbow Doyen Kindred / Typal Ohabi Caleria

Typal Support Praise

I just want to say I really appreciate how many cards in the the commander precons offer double typal support, even for types not in the precon. Skeleton Crew working with pirates and skeletons, Deeproot Historian working with Merfolk and and druids; that sort of thing. High fives to the design team responsible.

High fives to be passed along.

Commander Crew Deeproot Historian Druid High Fives Kindred / Typal Merfolk Pirate Skeleton Skeleton Crew

Creature Type Choices

The recently previewed Intrepid Paleontologist has Druid as its creature type. How does this fit in with the discussion about using the Scientist type on appropriate worlds? Was the decision that while "Paleontologist" is Ixalan-appropriate, "Scientist" is not? Or was the Druid type locked in before Scientist was available (and if so, how did the contemporaneous Jurassic Park cards have access to the type)?

It can take a while for the use of a creature type to get wider use because we work on a lot of products simultaneously.

Creatures Druid Intrepid Paleontologist Scientist

Witches in Game

I want to say, as a witch, that I am hurt by the consideration to remove such things from the game. "Witch" is not a dirty word. However, I suppose the issue is that all the witches in mtg are generally portrayed as evil. That perpetuates the dangerous Christian narrative towards us. I would love to still have witches, druids, and such still in the game as it does represent such beautiful religions. I would like, however, to see more positive portrayals of witches without a doubt. It is okay if you have good and bad, it just shouldn't be all bad. If "priests" can exist in this game, then so can witches, druids, and shamans. Will you take this into serious consideration?

Fear not. We’re not removing Witches from the game. That was a false rumor you heard. And your note about more positive representations is a good one that I’ll pass along.

Druid Fear Shaman

Preserving Druids

Please don't phase out druids, I've always enjoyed seeing local Celtic culture/history represented and unlike witches they're not a sinister depiction. If Magic can handle exaggerated fantasy clerics, angels and demons I think we deserve druids alongside them, Christian symbols have already crowded out pagan alternatives in too many places.

Druid is far less of an issue than Shaman.

Angel Cleric Demon Druid Shaman

Druid and Shaman Review

"We are currently examining that exact topic."Are you considering retiring Druid and Shaman or bringing Witch to the table?

The former.

Druid Shaman

Art for Adventures

One thing I think would be really cool on Arena is if there was a separate art for Adventures, so when the Adventure is on the stack, we can see questing druid seeking the beast. Similarly, there could be a dragon art for Goddric when he is in celebration mode. Surely this would be within the rules since non-un-cards can't care about the art?

The larger issue is art resources.

Art Beast Celebration Dragon Druid Magic Arena Rules The Stack

Warlock Versus Wizard

What makes a Warlock different from a Wizard, a Druid or a Cleric of malicious beings?

It’s just different approaches to using magic. Warlocks tend to have more selfish ends and are willing to tap into forces others won’t.

Cleric Druid Tap / Untap Warlock

Enchantment Theme Depth

"I wouldn’t say the [enchantment] theme 'grew substantially.'" The handoff doc literally labels it a 'minor theme.' Even if the pieces were all there, the Vision Design team clearly hadn't realized that, which means they weren't designing with that knowledge. "Adventures aren’t necessarily anti-synergistic with the enchantment theme." Of the 51 Adventures in WOE, 4 make Roles and 5 are on enchantments — and the latter are mythics. That's the entirety of the interaction between the two, AFAICT.

I was on the vision design team. We were well aware it was the core mechanical theme of the set, and we were 100% designing with that knowledge. Chris using passive language in the handoff document doesn’t change any of those facts.Adventure cards that can interact with/create/are enchantments besides the nine you named: Bramble Familiar, Devouring Sugarmaw, Elusive Otter, Frolicking Familiar, Heartflame Duelist, and Kellan, the Fae-Blooded. In addition, Beluna Grandsquall, Galvanic Giant, Questing Druid, Scalding Viper, Tempest Hart, and Woodland Acolyte all can technically interact with an enchantment although it’s not called out by name. And that’s not even getting into the fact that all the Adventures with creatures can be targets for the Role tokens. So, no that’s not “the entirety of the interaction between the two”. Sets normally have multiple themes, not all of which have high synergy. That’s the normal way we design sets. The enchantment theme and Adventures do have a decent amount of synergy though, more than I think you realize.

Blood Creatures Druid Enchantments Giant Mythic Rares Otter Tempest Tokens Vision Design Wilds of Eldraine

-1/-1 Counter Design

I don’t understand why much of the rest of WOTC is against new -1/-1 counter cards. Toxrill, The Corrosive, Devoted Druid, and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician have proven to be extremely popular cards. Seems like a missed opportunity to make more fun cards

The issue is two-fold:1) R&D doesn’t like how heavy -1/-1 environments play. They tend to be sloggy and prone to too much atrophy.2) Unless we have punch-out counters, we tend to shy away from mixing +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters at lower rarities.We can still use them in higher rarities and supplemental sets.

Devoted Druid Druid Toxrill, the Corrosive Wizards of the Coast Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

Tribal Support Future

What are the odds that we'll see more tribal support for creature types like Druid and Ranger in the future?

Magic’s a hungry monster and players like “creature type matters” as a theme.

Creatures Druid Kindred / Typal Ranger