Fateful hour

Split Second's Storm Scale

Split second has an EIGHT on the storm scale! WHY IS IT AN EIGHT?!? Is it a power level issue? Surely not! Things that high on the scale for power concerns are mechanics like DELVE AND AFFINITY!! Does it lead to unfun gameplay? Maybe for the blue player, but either way, it’s not close to as bad as fateseal or buyback, which are ALSO both eights! Is it too convoluted? Opalescence effects are famously confusing even for entrenched players, AND ANIMATING ENCHANTMENTS IS ONLY AT SEVEN!!!! Is it too bland or niche? Maybe it’s rather unassuming, but is it really as boring as ABSORB? Is it really as useless as FATEFUL HOUR?!? Honestly there’s a lot of storm scale ratings that seem strange to me, but split second holds a special place in my heart, which is why I’m asking about this mechanic specifically.

The mechanic has baggage that might not be apparent to you. For example, it confused a lot of players and had some play design issues. I do think we’ll see split second again, but more likely in a supplemental set than a premier set (and that’s what the Storm Scale measures).

Absorb Absorb Affinity Blue Buyback Delve Enchantments Fateful hour Fateseal Game Play Mechanics Opalescence Play Design Power Level Premier Sets Split Second Storm Scale

Favorite Mechanics or Cards

I feel like a lot of people who say you’ve only done bad for the game don’t realize you’re probably behind some of their favorite mechanics or cards too. For a change of pace, can you list some beloved mechanics or cards you’re responsible for?

Here are the Magic mechanics I’ve had a hand in creating: Absorb, Addendum, Affinity, Aftermath, Aura Swap, Battle Cry, Bolster, Champion, Changeling, Cipher, Companion, Contraptions, Crew (Vehicles), Dash, Deathtouch, Delve, Dredge, Embalm, Energy, Entwine, Evoke, Exert, Exploit, Fabricate, Fateful Hour, Fateseal, Ferocious, Flashback, Flip, Forecast, Fortify, Frenzy, Gotcha, Graft, Gravestorm, Heroic, Hexproof, Host/Augment, Hybrid Mana, Imprint, Infect, Intimidate, Kicker, Landfall, Lifelink, Living Weapon, Madness, Manifest, Mentor, Modular, Monstrosity, Morbid, Morph, Multikicker, Mutate, Ninjitsu, Phyrexian Mana, Poisonous, Populate, Proliferate, Prowl, Raid, Rally, Reach, Recover, Reinforce, Retrace, Ripple, Shroud, Soulbond, Splice, Split Cards, Split Second, Suspend, Transfigure, Transform, Typecycling, Undying, Unearth, Vanishing and Wither.

Absorb Absorb Addendum Affinity Aftermath Aura Swap Battle Cry Battle Cry Bolster Champion Changeling Cipher Companion Contraptions Crew Dash Deathtouch Delve Dredge Dredge Embalm Entwine Evoke Exert Exploit Fabricate Fabricate Fateful hour Fateseal Ferocious Flashback Forecast Fortify Fortify Frenzy Graft Gravestorm Gravestorm Heroic Hexproof Hybrid Imprint Infect Intimidate Kicker Landfall Lifelink Lifelink Living Weapon Madness Mana Manifest Mechanics Mentor Modular Monstrosity Morbid Morph Morph Mutate Ninjitsu Phyrexian Poisonous Populate Proliferate Prowl Raid Rally Rally Recover Reinforce Retrace Ripple Shroud Soulbond Splice Split Cards Split Second Suspend Suspend Transfigure Transform Undying Unearth Unearth Vanishing Vanishing Vehicles Wither Your Hand

Improving Fateful Hour

Fateful Hour was cool design space but often not relevant. Do you think it's "fixable"? Would it be as simple as changing the life amount and the name?

It didn’t quite work out as planned. The trigger just didn’t happen enough and the extra effects weren’t impactful enough. My gut is tweaking numbers doesn’t get us to a good place.

Design Space Fateful hour

Fateful Hour Limits

How much design space is there in Fateful Hour?

Not a lot.

Design Space Fateful hour

Fateful Hour's Future

What is the fate of fateful hour? I don't think it had the best name but I really liked it. Will we ever see it again?

It did not fare well (nor had a lot of design space). I’d call it a 7 on the Storm Scale.

Design Space Fateful hour Keyword Abilities Storm Scale

Skipping Fateful Hour

Is there any particular reason Fateful Hour was kept out of Eldritch Moon or was it a "not enough room" kind of reason?

Besides not enough room, there’s it wasn’t a popular mechanic.

Eldritch Moon Fateful hour Mechanics

Fateful Hour Reception

How well was fateful hour received? I think the concept is really nice but the execution was off, when it does nothing for the majority of the game. Often the lethal blow will be for more than 5 damage, skipping fateful hour entirely.

Fateful Hour was an experiment that didn’t work out as well as I hoped. The flaw was as much the core of the mechanic as execution.

Fateful hour Mechanics

Word Association Game End

The last one of this game

Fateful hour. Well played. And that brings this little word association game to an end. : )

Fateful hour

Fateful Hour Reception

How was Fateful Hour received?

Not too well.

Fateful hour

Fateful Hour Reception

How was Fateful Hour recieved?

Fair to poor.

Fateful hour

Perception vs Power

You have mentioned numerous times that some mechanics were not received very well, like Radiance, Provoke, Chroma, Fateful Hour. I see a contradiction in this claim, since none of those mechanics really have any good cards attached to them. The opposite thing is happening at the moment where you said that both devotion and Constellation were received well, but card like Master of Waves and Doomwake Giant were/are a must to play in tournaments because they are so good. Do you have a take on it?

Having powerful cards obviously helps public perception, but we have numerous metrics we can look at that tell us whether or not a mechanic was popular despite overall power level.

Chroma Constellation Doomwake Giant Fateful hour Giant Master of Waves Mechanics Power Level Provoke Radiance The Moment

Fateful Hour Reception

How was fateful hour received? I liked it for flavour, but mechanically not so much. What's it like on the storm scale?

It wasn’t received all that well. I’d call it a 7 on the Storm Scale.

Fateful hour Flavor Keyword Abilities Storm Scale

Favorite Mechanic: Landfall

Battalion, bloodrush, channel, chroma, constellation, domain, fateful hour, grandeur, hellbent, heroic, imprint, inspired, join forces, kinship, landfall, metalcraft, morbid, radiance, strive, sweep, tempting offer, or threshold?

Landfall.

Battalion Blood Bloodrush Card Printing Channel Chroma Constellation Domain Fateful hour Grandeur Hellbent Heroic Imprint Join forces Join Forces Kinship Landfall Metalcraft Morbid Radiance Strive Sweep Tempting offer Threshold

Spellshapers vs Fateful Hour

spellshaper ability vs. fateful hour

Spellshapers.

Fateful hour Spellshaper

Fateful Hour Reception

How was Fateful Hour received? I thought it was very interesting and would love to see it again.

Slightly positive but only slightly.

Fateful hour

Adding Ability Words

Ability words are treated like reminder text. Given the Oracle changes to Invasion's Domain cards, it looks like Wizards is okay with adding ability words in. But would you be okay with adding Ability words to single cards in a set, or has R&D decided only to use Ability words when it's actually a set theme? Would you consider retconning Ability words into older cards? (eg, Convalescent Care with Fateful Hour.)

The main point of an ability word is to group like things together for ease of comprehension so doing one card with an ability word is not very attractive to us.

Ability Words Convalescent Care Domain Fateful hour Game Design

Fateful Hour Explanation

I don't see how Fateful Hour is enabled by a lack of mana burn.

With mana burn, you have far too much control over your life total (because you can mana burn to get it down) to have life total matter.

Fateful hour Mana

Mana Burn Design Space

I'm new to the Blogatog and have been going back through old entries. You mentioned in May 2011 that "the removal of mana burn opens up a bunch of design space which we are currently taking advantage of". Can you tell us when we'll start to see the realization of this design? Or is this a case of "I'll tell you when I can tell you?"

Dark Ascension had Fateful Hour which is one example.

Dark Ascension Design Space Fateful hour Mana

Mana Burn Evolution

May 9th 2011: "I had my design teams stop playing with mana burn to see what games would be like. A month later, it hadn’t come up in any game anyone had played. Also, the removal of mana burn opens up a bunch of design space which we are currently taking advantage of and one day all of you will have a chance to play." Is 'one day' upon us this fall?

Dark Ascension had Fateful Hour which couldn’t have been done with mana burn.

Dark Ascension Design Space Fateful hour Mana

Complex Mechanics Mix

I asked this last time "Do you consider designing a card that have two mechanic keyword?". Actually i mean complicated mechanic (eg: miracle+fateful hour or undying+soul bond etc) ,not the mechanic we common see(hexproof, first strike, indestructible etc).

We do that every once in a while when it makes sense to mix two block keywords. It’s not something we feel compelled to do every block though.

Fateful hour First Strike Hexproof Indestructible Keywords Mechanics Miracle Undying