Into the Core

Complimenting Core Sets' Efforts

Really impressed by the effort R&D is putting into the core sets. I was ambivalent about their return, but feel like their potential is being realized. Also cool to hear Aaron is involved and pushing for cool reprints. Knowing how much your leadership (including you) cares about each set is a feel-good as a consumer.

Happy to hear that.

Game Design Into the Core Reprints

Design Mistake Example

It's easy to see when Play Design makes a mistake—something gets banned in Standard—but what's an example of a Set Design mistake or Vision Design mistake?

Vision design mistake is something baked into the core concept of the set. For example, I consider Battle for Zendikar focusing on the war with the Eldrazi a vision design mistake.

Bannings Battle for Zendikar Battles Eldrazi Format Legality Format Legality Into the Core Play Design Standard

Magic Politics Preference

I understand you do not enjoy the politics of more than 2 player Magic, but do you enjoy it in other games? If so, what makes it so different in Magic vs those games?

I personally prefer politics that are baked into the core mechanic of the game (like Diplomacy) rather than layered on top of a game that isn’t about that.

Into the Core Mechanics

Human Typing Debate

You bit the bullet and made Human a creature type - why not do the same for other keywords you wish you had (e.g., adding Fire to certain spells, which opens up the design space for things that reference Fire spells)?

There just comes a point where there are too many cards without the text that making the change is too hard. I think we’re past that point. Also changes like making fire a supertype would require building it into the core of the game which would needed to have been done when the game was first made.

Creatures Design Space Human Into the Core Keywords Spells Supertype

Battlecry in Core Sets?

Is there any chance Battlecry could make it into the core sets? Or is it a Mirrodin-specific rally call?

It’s the kind of mechanic we could do in a core set.

Into the Core Mechanics Mirrodin Rally

Color Pie Checks

Have you considered poking your head into the core set files a few times per year to check for color pie violations? If not you, shouldn't some un-invested person do a color pie check for core sets and supplemental products?

I do poke my head in every once in a while but a file changes often. Also, not all my color pie notes are listened to.

Color Pie Colors Into the Core

Core Set Voting

Will we ever get to do the voting on what will go into the core sets for reprints again? I think it was for m10 IIRC. That was really fun and made the set resonate that much more with me at least.

We called it “Selecting __ th Edition”. The problem with it was that it was hard to give the players votes that meant something that didn’t cause a lot of issues putting the set together. Also, it makes it much harder to surprise the audience when they’re voting on things.

Card Printing Into the Core Reprints

Red's Card Advantage

Regarding card advantage in Red: I think there should be more 2-for-1s. Every other color has a way to draw cards effectively, be it spell based (U/B) or creature based (W/G). It's extremely flavorful for Red to not have card draw and only generate advantage from 2-for-1s, reflecting the short term boon, and it makes Red more playable in EDH and the like. Kuldotha Flamefiend, Arc Trail, Arc Lightning, Into the Core are all very high picks in limited, that needs to be translated to Constructed!

Red and black fight for the #1 slot but they are the 2-for-1 kings, especially when you’re talking about the battlefield.

Arc Lightning Arc Trail Black Card Draw Colors Commander Constructed Creatures Dimir (U/B) Fight / Bite Flavor Into the Core Kuldotha Flamefiend Limited Red

Red's Exile Mechanics

How does the color pie feel about Into The Core exiling things in Red? Is it OK because of the environment it's in?

Red occasionally exiles things most often as a rider on burn spells to flavorfully show it’s really burned it up (see Alpha’s Disintegrate as an example.)

Alpha Color Pie Colors Disintegrate Into the Core Red Spells

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