Grizzly Bears

Justice for Grizzly Bears

why are mice, squirrels and rats regularly able to kill grizzly bears in one on one combat? I demand justice for apex predators please confirm that you will see to it that future Bears have a size appropriate for their place in the food chain.

Blame the fate of Bears on Alpha and inertia. Grizzly Bears (plural) was a 2/2 originally, and became the core nickname for 2/2’s. A Bear should probably be a base 4/4, but inertia is a powerful force.

Bear Food Food Chain Grizzly Bears Mouse Rat Rat Squirrel

Kicker Playtest Story

I vaguely remember a story about you playtesting a kicker card without knowing it had kicker. Can you tell it again please?

We were playtesting Invasion. Randy Buehler built a red/green deck for me. I went 4-0. He then explained the Grizzly Bears in the deck we’re actually Kavu Titans. The next week I went 2-2.

Bear Green Grizzly Bears Gruul (R/G) Invasion Kavu Kicker Playtesting Story / Lore

Quality and Purpose of Decks

Products like Commander decks, Event Decks, Unsanctioned etc still have bad cards in them and are designed with essentially zero limited in mind. The people who assume that no limited equals no bad cards can look to those for an example.

Here’s another important point. Take a card like Grizzly Bears (2/2 for 1G). That card sees a lot of play outside of limited. Why? It’s strictly worse than a whole bunch of cards. Two main reasons:1) The majority of Magic players aren’t making high-end tournament decks. They play with what they own. 2) There are many decisions people play cards beyond the power level of the card. Maybe they like the art. Maybe they like Bears. Maybe it was a gift from a friend and it emotionally means something to them. We’re still making Grizzly Bear even if we stop caring about limited (which again we’re not doing because it’s highly popular).

Art Bear Commander Decks Event Decks Grizzly Bears Limited Power Level

Kavu Titan Playtest Story

Perhaps you could tell the story of your playtest win rate when you discovered that Kavu Titan had kicker?

I’ve told this story many times, but for the newcomers.Many years ago, when the FFL (the Future Future League, the R&D testing of future environments) first started, I was asked to play in it. I said I wasn’t a good enough deck builder, so they said I would be given decks. The first deck I got was red/green and built by Randy Buehler. I went 4-0. After my last game Randy pointed out that the Grizzly Bears in the deck were actually supposed to be played as Kavu Titans (1G 2/2 that can be kicked to be a 3GG 5/5 trampler.) The next week I went 2-2. It taught me an important lesson about the importance of maximizing cards by playing then when you’re able.

Bear Green Grizzly Bears Gruul (R/G) Kavu Kavu Titan Kicker Playtesting Story / Lore

Effects of Stet on Bears

If Stet deletes the first seven letters of both Grizzly Bears and Striped Bears, will a Maelstrom Pulse destroy both Bears?

Yes.

Bear Destroy Grizzly Bears Maelstrom Pulse Striped Bears

Dominia Name Origin

I never noticed until just now, but on the Alpha through 4th Edition printings of Grizzly Bears, Dominaria is spelled "Dominia" in the flavor text. Was this the original name idea for the plane, or was it a simple typo that wasn't fixed until 5th Edition?

Dominia was the name of the multiverse originally but people confused Dominaria and Dominia so we just started calling it the multiverse.

Alpha Bear Card Printing Dominaria Flavor Grizzly Bears

Hypothetical Un-Rule Query

Hypothetical Un-situation: I have "yet another aether vortex" and future sight. Can I cast the grizzly bears from on top of my library, even though it is also technically on the battlefield? If so, how does the game recognize this?

Yes, you can cast it. It will change it from on the battlefield and on top of your library to just on the battlefield which means you won’t draw it and a design different card is now on top and potentially also on the battlefield.

Bear Cast Future Sight Grizzly Bears The Library Yet Another Aether Vortex

Protection from Wordy

Protection from Wordy doesn't look at flavor text? I thought all cards that mention the text box care about flavor text too since that is an Un-design space. Pygmy Giant even references how it should work in it's flavor text.

There are cards that do look at flavor text. Protection from wordy works against wordy cards. Grizzly Bears, no matter what flavor text it has, isn’t wordy.

Bear Design Space Flavor Giant Grizzly Bears Protection Pygmy Giant

Un-Rules Query

Un-Rules question: I have Yet Another Aether Vortex on the battlefield, along with a Grizzly Bears. I attack with the Bears, and my opponent uses Azorius Charm to put it on to of my library. Is it still attacking them?

Yes. It is immune to “put on top of deck” effects as it is already there.

Attacking Azorius (W/U) Azorius Charm Bear Grizzly Bears Rules The Library Un-sets Yet Another Aether Vortex

Vanilla Term Origin

Is the vanilla mythic true vanilla (like grizzly bears) or does it have something like Flying or Haste?

Are you asking the person who coined the term “French vanilla” if I meant “French vanilla” when I said “vanilla”? : )

Bear Flying France French Vanilla Grizzly Bears Haste Vanilla

Defining Power Creep

I think this is a good time to remind people what power creep actually is: It's not making better versions of cards that are below the power curve, it's making new cards that push the power curve up and demand newer cards to compete with them. Sylvan Acolyte is better than Grizzly Bears, sure, but it is still not Tarmogoyf - not power creep. New Ulamog pushing old Ulamog and even Emrakul out of modern Tron decks is closer to power creep.

Yes, making a card better than a card not good enough to play in constructed is not inherently power creep.

Bear Constructed Grizzly Bears Modern Power Creep Power Level Tarmogoyf

Grizzly Bears Replacements

"Is someone interested in doing the homework of how many times we’ve made strictly better Grizzly Bears (counting all 2/2 for 1G)? It’s a big number." Gatherer turns up 55 2/2s for 1G. Of those, 7 are Vanilla creatures, 1 is a sliver, and 1 is an un-card. So at leasn 48 times, you've obsoleted Grizzly, 47 times in a standard, vintage, or modern legal way. Comparatively, 4 cards have the text "2, T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool". 9 do it for 1, 1 with a restriction.

Thank you for all the people that did the homework. I should start a class. : )

Appreciation Bear Colors Creatures Grizzly Bears Mana Modern Power Level Sliver Standard Vanilla Vintage

Creature Power Creep

By my count, there are 47 strictly better Grizzly Bears and 86 strictly better Gray Ogres in Magic. (Note that I'm not counting creatures like Magus of the Moon, which could be worse based on your own deck.)

Fair enough.

Bear Creatures Grizzly Bears Magus of the Moon Ogre Power Creep Power Level

Grizzly Bears Obsolescence

Are you sure Celestial Prism hasn't been more obsoleted than Grizzly Bear?

Is someone interested in doing the homework of how many times we’ve made strictly better Grizzly Bears (counting all 2/2 for 1G)? It’s a big number.

Bear Celestial Prism Grizzly Bears Power Level Prism

Obsoletion Commentary

Grizzly bears is the most obsoleted card? You just made Gray Ogre cry!

I believe Grizzly Bear has been more obsoleted than Grey Ogre.

Bear Gray Ogre Grizzly Bears Ogre

Power Creep Concerns

You often talk about power creep as a long-term threat to the health of the game. But when you print a card like Sylvan Advocate-- a 2/3 vigilance with the potential to get even bigger assuming the game lasts beyond turn eight or so-- at the same cost as Grizzly Bears, I can't help but wonder what Wizards is thinking.

Grizzly Bears is far from a powerful card. It might actually be the card we’ve obsoleted the most times in the history of Magic.

Bear Card Printing Grizzly Bears Power Creep Power Level Sylvan Advocate Vigilance

Creation Changes

Why did Grizzly Bears turn into Runeclaw Bear, and Llanowar Elves into Elvish Mystic?

Creative decisions. The first because we’re trying to do more things that seem magical and less mundane. The second because the art is better if there is a singular image and thus they prefer singular creatures to plural creatures. Llanowar Elves has always really felt like Llanowar Elf.

Art Bear Creatures Elf Elvish Mystic Grizzly Bears Llanowar Mystic Runeclaw Bear

Creature Nicknames

Does R&D have a nickname for creatures that are better than Grizzly Bears?

No. What about Sizzly Bears?

Bear Creatures Game Design Grizzly Bears

Design Choices

I asked this earlier, but I suppose you've missed it. Why do you print functional reprints of vanilla creatures? I'm talking about Runeclaw Bears being a functional reprint of Grizzly Bears, and Centaur Courser being a functional reprint of Nessian Courser. Since they're pretty much the same creature (P/T and even creature types), why bother making the new card when the old one works just fine. Is it a flavor reason? Because I see no huge difference in flavor.

Yes, usually it is for flavor reasons.

Bear Card Printing Centaur Centaur Courser Creatures Flavor Grizzly Bears Nessian Courser Reprints Vanilla

Serra's Narrative Presence

If Llanowar Elves and Grizzly Bears got replaced because they have plural names, is something like Serra Angel at risk of replacement because Serra's no longer around in Magic's storyline?

While Serra might be gone, her angels live on.

Angel Bear Elf Grizzly Bears Llanowar Serra Angel