Fan Favorite

Character Popularity Impact

Who would you say is more of a fan favorite, Nissa or Garruk? And does fan-favoritism have an impact on where the story goes?

Garruk is more popular, although that is comparing data taken at different times. Popularity can impact story.

Fan Favorite Story / Lore

New Players Enjoy Unstable

Got the opportunity to teach Magic to two new people over the weekend and they fell in LOVE! My friends girlfriend immediately grabbed my Unstable boosters and asked if we could do that next and fell in love even more! Squirrel Dealer was a fan favorite and this weekend I'm going through my collection to give them some cards. Thanks for making our weekend so much fun.

You’re welcome. Thanks for teaching new people.

Boosters Fan Favorite Squirrel Squirrel Dealer Unstable

Snow Mana Debate

Okay, I am a fan, and this set has been amazing so far, but WHY activated ability costs using snow mana? You cited unpopular mechanics as the reason not to bring back things like Kamigawa, and now this? As far as I know, Cold Snap was not a fan favorite. With love, from hater of snow mana

Snow cards are a very frequent request. While you might not be a fan, Snow has plenty.

Cold Snap Fan Favorite Kamigawa Mana Mechanics

Dack's Fate

I'm sorry if this was asked before. Why did creative feel the need to kill off Dack so unceremoniously? I thought he was a fan favorite and killing him off without even giving him a send off card just feels bad.

The short answer: His death wasn’t part of the story yet when we made the card set. Please read the “War of the Spark” novel.

Fan Favorite Story / Lore War of the Spark

Commander Set Planes

Was it ever discussed for Commander products to be "set" on a specific plane?

It’s proven better to allow it to be set on many planes to allow us to make more fan favorite characters.

Commander Fan Favorite Planes

Future of Slivers

Hi! I know you said that slivers take up to much design space to have been on dominaria, but is there any hope of seeing them in the future? Is their return an if or when situation? Love the creature type, and would love to see where they are taken next creatively.

Their return is a definite when. Slivers are a fan favorite.

Creatures Design Space Dominaria Fan Favorite If/When Sliver

Set Power Levels

What was the set with the highest overall powerlevel and which set was the most fun set?

Urza’s Saga probably had the highest power level of any one set. Original Innistrad is probably the fan favorite individual set, so I’ll call it the most fun.

Fan Favorite Innistrad Power Level Sagas Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Urza

Homelands Fan Perception

The negative association with Homelands is with the card power level, not the lore or the characters. After all this time people still remember the story fondly. Avoiding callbacks to a fan favorite plane because you once printed underpowered cards is a mistake.

By no metric is Homelands a “fan favorite”. It is high on the “Maro says players don’t like it so we’ll adamantly defend it” scale, but that’s about it. And even then it’s far below Kamigawa and Lorwyn. I think it even falls below Odyssey.

Card Printing Fan Favorite Homelands Kamigawa Lorwyn Mark Rosewater Odyssey Power Level Story / Lore

Domri Rade Return

Since domni rade got reprinted, what's the chance we will see him again with new story? He's a fan favorite in my group

We try to bring back as many planeswalkers as we can. I think there’s a good chance we’ll see him again.

Card Printing Fan Favorite Planeswalkers Reprints Story / Lore

Dragon Treatment Fairness

I've noted it before, but isn't it a bit unfair that Dragons seem to get a special treatment? They got their own set, they're in (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) every block, and they're the only 'iconic' card Wizards seems to let out of it's color. I understand you say 'Dragons are popular', and I won't argue that, but don't you think we need a break? I've not seen a Hydra or Sphinx-based set yet, for example. (Liking something becomes easier if we don't see it all the time, ask siblings.)

What’s unfair about being the most popular? It’s not like we threw a dart at a dartboard. Dragon earned its status by delivering as a fan favorite for almost twenty-five years. It gets treated differently from other creature types because players treat it differently. That is the opposite of being unfair.

Bend / Break Colors Creatures Dragon Fan Favorite Hydra Sphinx

Devotion's Future

Where is Devotion on the storm scale? It was my favorite mechanic in Theros, and one of my favorite of all time. Is it guaranteed if there is a Return to Theros?

Devotion was a fan favorite so I’m sure it will return somewhere.

Fan Favorite Keyword Abilities Mechanics Storm Scale Theros

Memorable Characters

Has any particular instance of a minor detail / character becoming a fan favorite stuck with you through the years? How about a major character / event / card that got blown over by players?

Fblthp was a throwaway character on a limited-only card.

Fan Favorite Limited

Prowess Mechanic Limitation

Why is Prowess not variable though? Fan favorite Bushido is :) Even if you only plan on doing +1/+1, isn't it just limiting creative possibilities? Theros had mostly Scry 1 and that didn't seem to be an issue.

We don’t anticipate needing Prowess 2 very often and thus is not worth always having the number.

Bushido Fan Favorite Prowess Scry Theros

Treefolk Appeal

I bet if you made a Treefolk as good as Polukranos in standard, it would be a "fan favorite". Treefolk just tend to get the short end of the stump when it comes to being pushed by development. I LOVE Treefolk.

We made Doran which people loved but it didn’t seem to translate to other treefolk.

Fan Favorite Standard Treefolk

Treefolk Popularity

Please bring back treefolk as the green iconic. They have so much to offer. And since they tall they can always have reach which at least can block the other iconics. Hydras are dumb, tree folk might not be the most intellagent but they sentient. Please pretty please. Starting a website to bring them back.

Unfortunately, treefolk have never been a fan favorite for the majority of the players.

Fan Favorite Green Hydra Reach Treefolk

Movie Setting Preferences

You've mentioned in your podcast a few times that you would love to see a Magic: the Gathering movie. If you were asked to write a script, on which plane would you have it take place? Would the fan favorite be Ravnica? Or would you stick to Dominaria?

I would make the main plane Ravnica although you can’t do a good Magic story without visiting some other planes. They are planeswalkers after all.

Dominaria Drive to Work Fan Favorite Planes Pop Culture Story / Lore

Block Design Challenge

You recently said that the first set in a block is usually the fan favorite. Could you speculate on what you might do to improve the second and third sets in the eyes of fans? Or is this something that's just intrinsic to the way block design is currently done?

The issue is that the first set is always going to have a newness that the second and third set will never have.

Eye Fan Favorite

Planeswalker Popularity

I was watching "Inside R&D: The Rest of Ravnica", and in it, you mention that Jace is the fan favorite Planeswalker. Does your market research really support this claim? Myself and nearly everybody I know loathe the fact that Jace is becoming the face of Magic, and see it as Blue continuing to get preferential treatment.

The market research really does support it. Note that we keep using different planeswalkers as the face of different sets. Yes, Jace was the face for Return to Ravnica but Gideon was for Gatecrash and Ral was for Dragon’s Maze and Chandra is for Magic 2014. We do mix it up.

Blue Dragon Fan Favorite Game Design Gatecrash Gates Keyword Actions Planeswalkers Return to Ravnica

Non-Gameplay Features Decisions

How do you decide when a set needs a non-gameplay feature? For example, alternate frames, a different border color, full-art lands . . .

You’re clumping a lot of different things together. The guiding key I guess is asking what the set needs to do the things it’s supposed to do. Alternate frames come out of us wanting some element of the set which is supposed to have focus to get it. Border color has to do with tournament playability. Full-art lands are a fan favorite that we try to use from time to time in a place where it highlights some aspect of the set.

Art Card Frames Colors Fan Favorite Game Play Lands

Blue/Green Love

I always feel that the color combination of blue and green doesn't get a lot of love in comparison to other enemy colors. The exception obviously is the Simic Guild, and I am really looking forward to it. But what's your opinion on blue/green representation outside of Ravnica?

I believe the Simic guild is going to be the fan favorite when the dust settles. Good stuff coming in Gatecrash and “Sinker”.

Blue Colors Fan Favorite Gatecrash Gates Green Simic (G/U) Two Color