Healing Salve

Defining Crime in Magic

So, if I am understanding Crime correctly. Using Healing Salve to save an opponent's creature is a crime, but bringing down the Wrath of God and destroying all creatures isn't? Spectral Searchlight wouldn't be a crime because it doesn't target, right?

Crime is defined by you targeting an opponent or their “stuff”. Wrath of God - not a crime.

Creatures God Healing Salve Spectral Searchlight Wrath of God

Black Lifegain Frequency

My point about Black lifegain isn't that it should never do it, but it does it so frequently and so "generically" in a way White cards don't. There's more White cards that gain life, but most of them are just life gain (Healing Salve) or based around life gain as the archetype. Black gets it much more "generically", like with Sheoldred or Fleshgorger; Black may not get lifegain as much as White, but it gets it where it matters and sees play.

Black is allowed in color pie to have good life gain as long as it uses specific effects.

Black Color Pie Healing Salve Lifegain White

On a Prairie Universe Scenario

I'd like to think that in the Prairie/Coast timeline, Ancestral Recall was the less powerful of the cycle, while Healing Salve went on to become one of the most powerful cards in the game. :)

In the Prairie universe, my blog is filled with posts complaining white is too strong. : )

Ancestral Recall Cycles Healing Salve Humor Power Level White

Scaling the Boon Cycle

You've talked about scaling the boon cycle to Ancestral Recall before! Quoting a previous answer:
"This is a little out of my area of expertise, so I texted Donald Smith and he talked with a number of the play designers. Here’s his text:
"So the answers I’m getting right now are Lightning Bolt between 5 and 6, Dark Ritual between 4 and 5, Giant Growth between 7 and 10, Healing Salve between 20 and 100 (or infinite). There are also reasonable arguments being made for Bolt needing to be 7 or 10 and Giant Growth needing to be 20 (especially since a 100 point Healing Salve counters these two directly).¿¿My personal answer is Bolt is 6, Dark Ritual is 5, Giant Growth is 10, and Healing Salve at 100. I’m closer to Bolt and Giant Growth needing to be higher rather than lower too lol.”"

FYI

Ancestral Recall Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Lightning Bolt

Scaling Alpha's Boon Cycle

If the rest of the Boon cycle in Alpha was scaled up to the power level of ancestral recall, what could that look like?

This is a little out of my area of expertise, so I texted Donald Smith and he talked with a number of the play designers. Here’s his text: “So the answers I’m getting right now are Lightning Bolt between 5 and 6, Dark Ritual between 4 and 5, Giant Growth between 7 and 10, Healing Salve between 20 and 100 (or infinite). There are also reasonable arguments being made for Bolt needing to be 7 or 10 and Giant Growth needing to be 20 (especially since a 100 point Healing Salve counters these two directly).¿¿My personal answer is Bolt is 6, Dark Ritual is 5, Giant Growth is 10, and Healing Salve at 100. I’m closer to Bolt and Giant Growth needing to be higher rather than lower too lol.”

Ancestral Recall Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Lightning Bolt Power Level

White's Unique Abilities

Do you think it's healthy for white to be the only colour without both ramp and card draw (Yes, I know it has cards that do both but they're few and far between and mostly very narrow)? Drawing cards is widely considered being the best thing you can do in magic and white being the only colour that can't do it feels like very outdated design from Magic's early days, before people realized how good drawing cards was (Ancestral Recall vs Healing Salve).

Every color has strengths and weaknesses. White’s the only color that can destroy any type of permanent. Note that white does fine in the vast amount of formats. It’s just Commander with its specific make-up that causes white as a color problems. And we’re working on that.

Ancestral Recall Card Draw Colors Commander Destroy Healing Salve White

Lifegain Strategies

Mark, it was my birthday, and I wanted to ask trivia about the weakest of the boon cycle: Healing Salve! On the same avenue, I would like to ask why is lifegain such an generally overcosted, only-target-yourself thing in magic (although there are exceptions)? Is it because it goes against the essence of win/lose of the game and drag things on? Like Sharazad?

We stopped making Healing Salve because the modal quality was confusing for less enfranchised players and the damage prevention part was seldom used. It was also mega-weak.We do, and have, push life gain from time to time. The reason we don’t do it as a default is it can significantly lengthen game times.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Experienced / Enfranchised Players Healing Salve Lifegain

Alpha Boon Analysis

So of the Alpha boon cycle, Ancestral Recall is never-doing-that-again crazy undercosted, Dark Ritual is undercosted and also a stretch for modern color pie, Lightning Bolt is so strong it warps the toughness of everything in the set but maybe if the stars align..., Healing Salve is just terrible even for only W, and Giant Growth is on the higher end of what you want an instant to do for G but very doable. Does that sum it up accurately?

Yes.

Alpha Ancestral Recall Color Pie Colors Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Instants Lightning Bolt Modern

Reprint Possibilities

Is Healing Salve the only member of the original 1-for-3 cycle that could potentially be reprinted into Standard, or can Giant Growth still get there?

Giant Growth is still reprintable in Standard.

Card Printing Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Reprints Standard

Healing Salve Weakness

Really healing salve is a 6? Whats wrong with it? There are usually a lot of rather low pwer lifegain spells that float around in current sets, i think it would be a nice reference to have it be called back and reflavored for a new set

We stopped using it because it was too weak and the modalness of it was awkward.

Healing Salve Lifegain Power Level Spells

Healing Salve Reprint

"Healing Salve a 6" Can you explain this? Healing Salve is considered by most the worst of the cycle, to the point of it being unplayable. So why is it so high?

High means it’s unlikely to get reprinted not that it’s strong. Healing Salve is both too weak and confusing for a common.

Card Printing Cycles Healing Salve Power Level Reprints

Boons Scale Positions

Regarding the Boons, Ancestral Recall is Reserved, and Dark Ritual is a 9 on the Storm Scale last I checked. Where are Healing Salve, Lightning Bolt, and Giant Growth?

Giant Growth is a 2. Healing Salve a 6. And Lightning Bolt an 8.

Ancestral Recall Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Keyword Abilities Lightning Bolt Storm Scale

Alpha Cycle Purpose

Are there ever cycles in different rarities? My friend and I noticed a "3 for 1" cycle in alpha, comprised of healing salve, ancestral recall, dark ritual, lightning bolt, and giant growth. And we're just wondering if it was accidental, or if it's ever intended

It was on purpose. They are known as the Boons.

Alpha Ancestral Recall Cycles Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve Lightning Bolt

Least Balanced Cycle

So Mark what cycle of cards in all of magic's history to you think was the least balanced in terms of power? I always have to go with the alliance cycle of 4 cards that are not force of will, and then force of will.

The Boons from Alpha do stretch from Healing Salve to Ancestral Recall.

Alliance Alpha Ancestral Recall Force of Will Healing Salve

White Cycle Completion

When are you printing the white part of the 3 for 1 cycle? (no white, brainstorm, dark ritual, lighting bolt, giant growth)

White was Healing Salve and Blue was Ancestral Recall. All five of the cycle appeared in Alpha.

Alpha Ancestral Recall Blue Brainstorm Card Printing Cycles Dark Ritual Giant Giant Growth Healing Salve White

Healing Salve Reprint

So Ancestral Recall is a little strong, Lightning Bolt would warp standard, and Dark Ritual is out of color pie. So what are the odds of a standard-legal reprint of Healing Salve?

Ironically, it’s a little weak.

Ancestral Recall Card Printing Color Pie Colors Dark Ritual Healing Salve Lightning Bolt Reprints Standard

Healing Salve Template

With the new template for cards that allow a choice, is it possible we will see something like Healing Salve back in sets at common? I know its a weak effect but I kind of miss it.

Its removal was not template related.

Healing Salve Templating

Planeswalker Healing Mechanics

Do you think we'll ever get a way to heal Planeswalkers? Something like Healing Salve, but with "or add N Loyalty Counters to a Planeswalker." or something? It would be a nice contrast to Red's damage to them.

Proliferate can add loyalty counters which is like healing, sort of.

Healing Salve Planeswalkers Proliferate Red

White Counterspell Logic

Would an effect like, "Counter target spell or ability that deals damage to you or a creature you control" be white? It seems like a natural extension of white's damage prevention, but I'm curious. The question about a better healing salve made me wonder, since I was thinking about how Healing Salve effectively "counters" a bolt.

It’s an arguable position. I do agree that white would be secondary in counterspells if any one is.

Creatures Healing Salve Secondary White

Healing Salve Revision

If you could go back in time (yet another time travel question) and change Healing Salve, would you and what would the improved version be?

I don’t mess with time travel. Bad things happen when you mess with time travel. Or so most of my science fiction stories tell me. (Okay, it worked out for Marty Mc Fly.)

Healing Salve