Land Tax

Frequency of Green Land-Fetching

It fells odd to me that there are so few effects in green that put lands directly from the deck into your hand. There are lots of things in white that let you search for plains (land tax, gift of estates etc) but verry few green ones. Is searching lands to hand not in pie for green, or is there another reason why we don't see these effects.

We do them fairly often, so much so that R&D has a name for green cards where land fetching goes to hand: Lay of the Land cards.

Gift of Estates Green Land Tax Lands Lay of the Land Search White Your Hand

Misnamed Card Types

If or when: More cards with the names of card types they aren't (like Creature Bond, Ensoul Artifact, Tribal Flames and Land Tax)?

I assume when. We make a lot of cards.

Artifacts Card Types Creature Bond Creatures Ensoul Artifact If/When Kindred / Typal Land Tax Lands Tribal Flames

Standard's Power Level

On recent post you said Land Tax is too good for standard. Can you explain what that means or do you have an article/pod that explains this position? I don’t understand how a card is “too good” for Standard

Standard has a certain power level. Cards above that power level are “too good for Standard”.

Land Tax Lands Power Level Standard

Land Tax in Standard

Is Land Tax too good for Standard? If so, would it still be too good if it could only grab 1 or 2 cards?

Yes, yes and yes.

Land Tax Lands Standard

Land Tutoring Limits

Can white get repeatable basic land tutoring like Land Tax (but obviously less broken)?

I think we’re willing to do one shot. Repeatable has numerous issues.

Land Tax Lands Tutoring Tutoring White

Fixed Land Tax Idea

If you were to print a "fixed" Land Tax, would it only being able to tutor 1 basic land a turn be okay or would it have to cost more mana?

That’s still mega-broken. (Not a play designer, yada, yada, yada.)

Card Printing Land Tax Lands Mana Tutoring

Land Tax Dynamics

Land tax is a break?

White does get a little land fetching of plains if behind, but that’s like saying you can have a sip of water and somone offers you a fire hose.

Bend / Break Land Tax Lands White

White Drawing Restrictions

Re card draw: Is it just card draw white can't get, or is it also not supposed to be able to tutor/impulse for multiple cards without the same narrow restrictions as drawing (Three Dreams, Land Tax, etc)?

White can tutor but not for enough cards that it’s drawing cards.

Card Draw Land Tax Lands Three Dreams Tutoring White

Panglacial Wurm Rules

Why can't the rules handle Panglacial wurm? It seems so intuitive and easy to grok for me. Crack a fetch? You can play the wurm. Demonic tutor? Land Tax? Battalion foot soldier? Cast wurm.

There is a difference between what players can understand and what the rules can handle. Silver border is full of cards that fall in this category.

Battalion Battalion Foot Soldier Cast Demonic Tutor Land Tax Lands Panglacial Wurm Rules Soldier Tutoring Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Wurm

White Ramp Discussion

Mark, regarding white and ramp, I don't think that white ramp is really that bad at all because of all the available cards (even considering the breaks like Land Tax and Weathered Wayfarer). But considering the logic of the least need for ramping, shouldn't white bombs (high-costed spells) be better that the ones found in other colors as a way to reward the White player that endured enough to hardcast them (as white usually don't cheat spells)?

White is the best at cheap spells. It doesn’t get to be the best at big spells too. Remember you can play white with a ramping color.

Colors Land Tax Lands Spells Weathered Wayfarer White

White's Land Search Ability

What about the aspect of Land Tax where white can generate card advantage from land search if it has fewer lands that an opponent, like on Tithe, Gift of Estates, and Weathered Wayfarer? You don't do it that much these days (it was never that common). Is this still something white can do?

In theory, if the land it fetches are plains and they go to the battlefield.

Gift of Estates Land Tax Lands Search Tithe Weathered Wayfarer White

Land Tax's Color Pie

Is Land Tax still in white’s color pie?

Not the repeatable raw card advantage part. In theory, it can do one shots to help get plains onto the battlefield.

Color Pie Colors Land Tax Lands White

Color Break Reprints

If a certain card is a color break, why reprint it? Like, fore example, Land tax has been said to be a break, but is in battlebond?

We reprint color pie breaks if reprinting them doesn’t add them to a format they’re aren’t already playable in.

Battlebond Bend / Break Card Printing Color Pie Colors Land Tax Lands Reprints

Land Tax Mechanic

Is the Land Tax effect (if opponent has more lands, find land) still in White's slice of the color pie?

Only to get Plains.

Color Pie Colors Land Tax Lands White

Land Tax Mechanism

How is Land Tax a break when it's Teritary for White to tutor for a land? Unless the mechanical color pie 2017 means tutor for a plains. Also, it says "Artifact distruction". I think you mean "Artifact Destruction".

White can tutor for a plains.

Artifacts Bend / Break Color Pie Colors Land Tax Lands Tutoring White

Land Tax Comparison

How is Land Tax a break when Knight of the White Orchid isn't?

White can, on rare occasion, search for plains. It can’t search for any basic land.

Bend / Break Knight Knight of the White Orchid Land Tax Lands Rares Search White

Land Tax Council Role

If Land Tax is a break, does that mean the Council of Colors is on vacation?

When cards are reprints and only available to formats that already have the card, the Council of Colors doesn’t get involved.

Bend / Break Card Printing Colors Council of colors Land Tax Lands Reprints

Land Tax Classification

Is Land Tax a bend, since it fixes your colors?

It’s more break than bend.

Bend / Break Colors Land Tax Lands

Land Tax in Modern Design

Is land tax still in White's color slice? how undercosted would it be nowadays?

Not really. White can fetch the occasional Plains as a one-shot, but not repeatedly.

Colors Land Tax Lands White

Tithe Effects Status

Are tithe-like effects (land tax, Knight of the white orchid, etc.) still in White's color pie or are they bends?

They’re bends. We let every color have a little access to its own basic land type.

Color Pie Colors Knight Knight of the White Orchid Land Tax Lands Tithe White