Okay, so having an adventure keeps Besotted Knight from being "vanilla", but does that keep it from working with Muraganda petroglyphs?

I believe he does work with Muraganda Petroglyphs.

I think the main reason everyone's asking about vanilla matters with Muraganda is that they're worried about how Muraganda would feel without something to make it stand out and not just feel like another Ixalan/Ikoria. I have faith that if we ever visited Muraganda it would be fleshed out to include more and feel unique but between vanilla creatures (and I think relatedly Core Sets) being cycled out and Muraganda Petroglyphs I think it's a yearning for a nostalgia hit of simpler magic.

If we ever make Muraganda, we’ll give it a mechanical identity. It’s what we do. I don’t think the current “vanilla matters” theme on this blog is caused by a desire for premier sets to have more vanilla creatures. I think it’s more about this unattainable idea that’s exciting in concept.

"No text can make it vanilla." Couldn't "____ loses all abilities" make a creature 'vanilla' (at least for the purposes of cards like Ruxa and Muraganda Petroglyphs)?

Yes, for purposes of those cards, it works.

One more try: in your podcast about vanilla matters issues, one you mention is wordiness. But Muraganda Petroglyphs is all of "Creatures with no abilities get +2/+2." I'm just curious if wordiness ("creature with no abilities") is actually an issue or if you were just misremembering the card there?

Wordiness is way down on the list of concerns. My point was caring about vanilla creatures can get complicated when it’s a whole theme. Muraganda Peteoglyphs has the luxury of being the only card that cares about this thing in the set it’s in and thus gets to be less wordy.

It's not fair to have one card be the cause of Muraganda being unlikely to visit, is it? Especially since that card was printed in a set that was showing off unusual, & in some cases intentionally unvisitable, future iterations of MtG? Steamflogger Boss was intended as nothing more than a joke, why can't that be true for Muraganda Petroglyphs? You would cater to enfranchised players a lot more by putting a personality behind a cool Planechase card rather than adhering to a forgettable jank rare.

Let’s try this. For people who want to see Muraganda, what are your expectations for it?

Follow up to the Vanilla Matters. I listened to the Podcast and first of all very insightful especially the part about A & B Design or the problem with granting abilities like trample. But I tought that the A & B statement feels deprecated now that you made Nullhide Ferox that actually becomes affected by Muraganda Petroglyphs. So would Vanilla Matters be possible if you make more card that can make themself lose all abilities until end of turn? Or would that solve to little problems?

There’s a big difference between: “can you find a way to make it work?” and “is it fun gameplay?”

Vanilla creatures are great ways of pushing power on cards. However, all but the toughest, like Gigantosaurus, usually don’t see play. Are there any plans for vanilla-specific support, like Muraganda Petroglyphs?

A deck filled with vanilla creatures that doesn’t go anything unless you draw and cast your vanilla helping card doesn’t seem like particularly fun Magic.

Wouldn't Muraganda Petroglyphs effect give face down creatures +2/+2?

Ah, that’s what the 4/4 was referencing. Got it.

Would you potentially make a Muraganda Petroglyphs-style effect that cares about "creatures with no activated or triggered abilities", or would that prove too confusing?

I’m not sure the majority of players can separate a static effect from a triggered effect.

Dryad Arbor wasn't a vanilla creature when it was first printed, but is now thanks to color indicators. It still doesn't benefit from Muraganda Petroglyphs because not having abilities is different from not having rules text. I don't know if my point is that creature lands are a bad idea or vanilla matters is a bad idea.

They’re both bad ideas. Well, troublesome ideas.