Flickerwisp

Blink vs Flicker

Can you confirm which term (blink or flicker) applies to which ability (end of turn versus immediately)? I would assume flicker is end of turn due to flickerwisp, but I’ve heard both ways from many people.

People tend to use one or the other and just add the duration - “flicker until end of turn”.

Flickerwisp

Teaching the Stack

why not referencing the stack? decks like death and taxes use stack complex interactions thanks to flickerwisp, would not be better to teach the new player all the stacks possibilities that can use the stack so they can understand this kinds of decks more easy?

You do understand less than .001% use decks like that.

Beginners Flickerwisp The Stack

Flickering Library Rules

With YAAV, why would a permanent flickered from the top of a library return to said library? Once a top card of a library is exiled it is a face up object in the exile zone. It ceases to be on the battlefield, and ceases to be in the library, Flickerwisp et al. return things to the battlefield, but there is no reason to assume it would be returned to the top of the library.

It remembers where it came from and goes back there. In black border world, that’s always the battlefield, but in silver border world it can be any zone.

Black Black Border Flickerwisp The Exile Zone The Library Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

Aether Vortex Rules

I have Yet Another Aether Vortex in play and another on top of my library. My opponent casts Flickerwisp exiling the Vortex on top of my Library, then destroys the one on the battlefield. At the end of his turn does my Vortex come back face up or face down?

Face down.

Flickerwisp The Library Yet Another Aether Vortex

Exiling Creatures Mechanic

Has exiling a creature (or anything) and returning it to the battlefield at the end of the turn (Venser, Flickerwisp) been replaced by immediately returning it to the battlefield (Cloudshift, Restoration Angel) or are both abilities still valid for card designs?

Both are still valid although we don’t tend to do both versions within th same set.

Angel Cloudshift Creatures Flickerwisp Restoration Angel

Flicker and Blink

Speaking of flicker, did it ever cross anyone's desk to make flicker and blink be representations of the two varieties of flicker? Flicker would have been the flickerwisp variety, and blink could have been the momentary blink variety. I have always wished it was like that, but the phrase blink has only been used on a card just the once to my knowledge.

We just call them flicker and fast flicker. Having two different words for almost the same effect just causes confusion.

Flickerwisp Momentary Blink

Name Changes Complexity

"Instant" -> "Instant Sorcery" and "Sorcery" -> "Noninstant Sorcery" is about the same as "removed from the game" -> "Exiled" and "in play" -> "Battlefield". They're all just new names for exactly the same things that work in exactly the same way. Even Auras had a bigger impact, with Flickerwisp getting a marginal change in functionally. Is "no" the consensus of R&D and the Rules Manager?

It’s a lot messier than simple word swapping. In many cases the swap isn’t one for one word substitution. “Instant or sorcery”, for example, becomes “sorcery”. Mix new cards with nineteen years of old cards and things get very messy.

Auras Flickerwisp Game Design Instants Rules Sorceries The Exile Zone

Exile Mechanic Viewpoint

In your recent article you come down pretty hard on things that come back from exile. Your primary exception was cards that exile and bring themselves back. Does the exception include flickering of all other varieties as well? I would be sad if you stopped making Flickerwisp type cards.

I don’t mind when exile is used as a limbo, when the spell that removes it brings it back. My ire is against cards that bring back cards that were supposed to be removed forever.

Flickerwisp Primary The Exile Zone

Design for Color Curve

Do you even look at a specific color and CMC and think, "we need something there"? Or is that the realm of development? On an unrelated note, we need another white 3-power flier for 3. Flickerwisp is lonely. (The other three cards weren't designed for me)

Design is aware of the curve and quite often has to design a three-drop common white creature.

Colors Creatures Flickerwisp Mana Value White