Frenzy

Frenzy Keyword Opinion

Has a reflavored/variant of Frenzy been considered as the mythical Izzet evergreen keyword? The aggression feels red and the synergy with evasion seems like it makes for a nice overlap in blue.

Play design is not a fan of frenzy. Every time I’ve talked about adding it to a set, they recommend against it.

Blue Evasion Evergreen Frenzy Izzet (U/R) Keywords Play Design Red

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

Frenzy Ability Future

Hey Mark, what's the likelihood of seeing the Frenzy ability in a premier set??

I’ve tried. The rest of R&D is not a fan of the mechanic.

Frenzy Mechanics Premier Sets

Frenzy Mechanic Future

How come we've never seen frenzy (from Future Sight)? It would seem that "this creature deals extra damage to players" is a very simple and clean mechanic that you could put in many sets.

Play design is not a fan of the mechanic. I’ve tried putting it in sets.

Creatures Frenzy Future Sight Mechanics Play Design

X-Men in Magic

How many Magic creature types can you name that are also the names of past or current members of the X-Men? (There are at least eight.)

X-men that are creature types: AngelBeastPhoenixCyclopsWolverineRogueJuggernautWarlock SageScoutX-men that are mechanics: Storm ChangelingArmorCypher (mechanic spelled Cipher)FrenzyX-men that are expansions:MirageLegion (expansion is Legions)

Angel Beast Changeling Cipher Creatures Cyclops Frenzy Juggernaut Legions Mechanics Mirage Phoenix Rogue Scout Warlock Wolverine

Jaya Design Appreciation

Hi Mark, reading your column from last week and I wanted to say that I really loved the idea of the Jaya version #3 design. I was a big fan of Experimental Frenzy when it was in Standard and I really like the idea of a planeswalker pushing further into that design space in cool ways. Hope something along those lines makes it into a set at some point, the sooner the better.

One of the reasons I show different versions of design is to show you ideas we were playing with. It’s very common for an idea that doesn’t work out in one place, to get tried again somewhere else.

Appreciation Design Space Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Planeswalkers Standard

Request for Two-Type Lords

May I request lords that pump two creature types, maybe in the Llorwyn style of creature and profession? (Ex. Faeries and Warlocks have frenzy 2)

We have done a few, but yes, we could do more.

Creatures Faerie Frenzy Warlock

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

Watermark Inconsistency Query

Why do some two-colored spells in KTK not have watermarks? Kin-Tree Invocation for example really wants an Abzan watermark. It can't depend on the card type, because another sorcery, Death Frenzy, has a watermark.

The rationale for watermarks in Khans of Tarkir was a little looser than normal.

Abzan (W/B/G) Card Types Death Frenzy Frenzy Khans of Tarkir Kin-Tree Invocation Sorceries Spells Watermarks

Future Innistrad Visit

I know we’re on a Eldraine frenzy right now, but I need to ask: what about Innistrad? We need to know what happened there after Emrakul’s shenanigans

Innistrad’s one of our most popular planes. We’ll return there.

Frenzy Innistrad Planes Shenanigans

White's Library Play

Can white play cards from the top of it's library? I know it's not a cycle, but each other color has that ability in some form (Future sight, Experimental Frenzy, Vizier of the Menagerie + Courser/Oracle and now Bolas's Citadel).

It’s not really a white thing.

Bolas's Citadel Colors Cycles Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Future Sight The Library Vizier of the Menagerie White

Frenzy Design Challenges

"I’ve failed every time I’ve tried to get frenzy in a set." What was the problem with frenzy?

It’s hard to push powerwise in a way that leads to good gameplay.

Frenzy Game Play

Frenzy in Unstable

You got Frenzy into Unstable, didn't you?

I did. : )

Frenzy Unstable

Birthday Mechanics Trivia

So its my B-day in 3 hours, so i was hoping to get some birthday trivia. Are there any mechanics/keywords you wanted to see in past sets that got rejected, that you dont get to talk about too often?

I’ve failed every time I’ve tried to get frenzy in a set.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Frenzy Keywords Mechanics

Frenzy Mechanic Future

If/When: Frenzy making a return, Standard or supplemental.

Minor If. I’ve tried and failed numerous times. Play design is not a fan of frenzy.

Frenzy If/When Play Design Standard

Experimental Frenzy Query

"Why does Experimental Frenzy destroy itself, instead of sacrifice?" I don't think any modern effects cause a card to sacrifice itself as part of the effect, rather than the cost, besides maybe a card that needs to be on the field temporarily before it goes to the yard to check something. Since there's no effect tied to getting rid of Experimental Frenzy, it destroys itself rather than sacrifices itself for no effect.

Someone else also pointed this out. I wasn’t looking at the card, so I forgot it was an effect and not a cost.

Destroy Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Modern Sacrifice

Frenzy Mechanic Insights

About Frenzy: I guess that's because sacrifice is (almost) always a cost, not an effect.

Good point.

Frenzy Sacrifice

Experimental Frenzy Query

Why does Experimental Frenzy destroy itself rather than sacrifice?

I’m not sure. That’s a good question.

Destroy Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Sacrifice

Experimental Frenzy Debate

Experimental frenzy is a color pie break because it's red and destroys an enchantment ;)

We actually talked about that and said it was okay.

Color Pie Colors Enchantments Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Humor Red

Experimental Frenzy Color

Could Experimental Frenzy have been printed in blue, changing nothing except for mana symbols?

No, the total package doesn’t feel blue.

Blue Card Printing Experimental Frenzy Frenzy Mana