Nyx

Text Order on Creature Cards

If a creature has a lot of text on it, and has the ability Reach, please put Reach first before all other text. When a creature has a lot of text and has flying, typically the art serves as enough of a reminder to remember that for combat purposes (especially limited). It is a complete tossup whether or not a wordy creature has reach and where it will be on the card. Examples from MH3 limited: Petrifying Meddler, Annoyed Altisaur, Nyxborn Hydra, Writhing Chrysalis.

One of the challenges of templating is what order do you put text in? Do you prioritize things that you need to know when you cast it? Things that happen when you play it? Qualities it has on the battlefield that are relevant to combat?

Annoyed Altisaur Art Creatures Flying Hydra Limited Modern Horizons 3 Nyxborn Hydra Petrifying Meddler Templating Writhing Chrysalis

Trivia: Return to Ravnica

Mark, its my birthday today and I would like to invoke the ancient rite of trivia!Could I have some trivia about my very first set, Return to Ravnica?

Azorius’s initial mechanic in Return to Ravnica design was constellation. It didn’t fit in well with the other guilds, something important for a faction set, so it got replaced. We would later do it in Journey into Nyx.Happy Birthday!

Azorius (W/U) Birthday Constellation Factions Journey into Nyx Mechanics Return to Ravnica Two Color

Planeswalker Naming

Big when / little when: another planeswalker card like Professor Onyx that does not include the planeswalker's type in the name of the card?

Big when.

Planeswalkers Professor Onyx

Journey into Nyx Trivia

Hey Mark!l, today I turned 21! Could I please get some birthday trivia on the Journey into Nyx "God Pack" (the 15 gods in one booster), or on the Theros Block's Hero's Path and Challenge Decks?

Booster packs are made by having different sheets drop into different slots in the booster pack. Every once in a rare while, a rare sheet accidentally gets dropped into a common or uncommon hopper. This can result in a set having a lot more rares than normal. This phenomenon was nicknamed “god boosters”, so when we were making Theros block, we realized that there were going to be fifteen gods. This meant we could literally make god boosters, so we set out to make it a reality (although a small percentage of the time. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Boosters God Journey into Nyx Rares Theros Uncommons

Lack of Constellation in Colors

Hi Mark, why were there no black or red cards with Constellation in Theros Beyond Death? For reference, in Journey into Nyx black had the most cards with Constellation: six including Underworld Coinsmith. Green had five, blue had two, red had one, and white had three also including Underworld Coinsmith. Before Theros Beyond Death, both green and black got an additional Constellation card in supplemental sets.

In each set we focus different mechanics in different colors to differentiate the colors in the set. In Theros Beyond Death, we focused constellation in white, blue and green.

Black Blue Colors Constellation Green Journey into Nyx Mechanics Red Theros Beyond Death Underworld Coinsmith White

Trivia: Nyxbloom Ancient

It's my birthday! Can I get any trivia about nyxbloom ancient?

One of the things we do when designing mythic rare cards is to push the envelope and make things that just seem crazy, then we usually pull back a bit. But Nyxbloom Ancient is an example where we said, “No, we might be able to actually print this.”Happy Birthday!

Birthday Card Printing Mythic Rares Nyxbloom Ancient Rares

Professor Onyx's Subject

Hey Mark! I was wondering, what is Professor Onyx a professor of? What classes does she teach?

She teaches in Witherbloom. I’m not sure the topic. She does have training in herbology.

Golgari (B/G) Professor Onyx Training

Card Teaser's Overlapping Info

I thought you said that each entry on your STX teaser is for a different card. But Professor Onyx seems to cover two of them, the 'repeat six times' and 'planeswalker you know, but not as you know them'. Or am I misunderstanding?

It was my intent for each to be unique, but I goofed with Professor Onyx, so it’s possible that there’s other overlap.

Professor Onyx Strixhaven: School of Mages Teasers

Evaluating Nykthos Design Risk

Hey Mark, Obviously, lands that can produce more than one mana when you tap them, like Tolarian Academy and Mishra’s Workshop, are dangerous to design. But in Theros, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx was created. Was Nykthos considered dangerous during design, or was the fact that you need to invest two mana to even activate it enough of a limiting factor? Or was it thought that it being Devotion and not something easier to get out cheaply like artifacts, creatures, and enchantments limited it enough?

We knew we were playing in dangerous space, so the card got a lot of playtesting attention. Devotion is a little harder to abuse than things like number of artifacts, especially when ones that cost 0 exist in the environment.

Activate Artifacts Creatures Enchantments Lands Limited Mana Mishra's Workshop Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx Playtesting Tap / Untap Theros Tolarian Academy

Showcase Card Variance

Hey, back to Theros for a moment, there were a lot less showcase style cards this set compared to Eldraine. Is this amount the new normal for showcase cards?

Two things:1) We counted the Nyx basic lands as part of the showcase cards, so it’s as-fan is much higher than you might think.2) It will vary set by set.

As-fan Lands Nyx Theros

Black Discard Payoff

Could we get a black discard pay off at common rarity? Something like a weaker The Rack or Nyxathid, or downshifted Megrim? Mono B Discard seems to be a classic mono b build, but not worth playing in pauper, because of no reward for getting rid off opponent's hand. How come blue have Jace's Erasure and Curse of the Bloody Tome at common...

We don’t tend to do build-around a at common. They usually start at uncommon.

Black Blood Blue Curse of the Bloody Tome Discard Jace's Erasure Megrim Nyxathid Pauper Rarity The Rack Uncommons Your Hand

Feedback on Constellation

Super stoked for Theros! Can I cast one vote for missing constellations on enchantments, though? I loved being able to run a deck that was 100% land and enchantment and it working. I know it had to be opened up for design space, but I think we got no new constellation enchantments this time. Second q, if I may- was nykthos thought too strong for the return? Don't want to seem negative though, the set seems like a home run!

The change came about so play design could balance the cards. Every constellation being on enchantments caused a lot of problems for balance in Journey into Nyx. We talked about Nykthos, but decided it was a little too strong. We did make the lotus to fill that space.

Cast Constellation Design Space Enchantments Journey into Nyx Lands Nyx Play Design Power Level Theros

Flavor Text Compliment

Any chance of a high five for whoever wrote the flavor text for Nyxborn Marauder? The use of dactylic hexameter made one random nerd smile.

I believe that was James Wyatt.

Flavor High Fives Nyxborn Marauder

Missing Theros Sheep

Where did the sheep in Theros go??? Surprised to not see a reprisal of Nyx-Fleece Ram.

Lots of cool things to bring back. Only so much room.

Nyx Reprisal Sheep Theros

Nyxbloom Ancient Reasoning

Nyxbloom ancient. Why?

To triple your pleasure, triple your fun. : )

Nyxbloom Ancient

Showcase Cards Explanation

I'm a little bit confused. I thought that Showcase cards were going to be a regular thing, but it appears Theros has none? Are they just going to come back every so often?

The showcase cards in each set are different. Throne of Eldraine had the storybook frames (found on the adventure cards). Theros Beyond Death has the Nyx basic lands and the constellation frames (found on the gods and demigods).

Card Frames Constellation God Lands Nyx Theros Throne of Eldraine

Nyx Lands Availability

Just to clarify for good, are there any official products in which I can get the full art Nyx lands other than the draft boosters?

Yes, they also appear in the Theros Beyond Death collector boosters.

Art Collector Boosters Draft Boosters Lands Limited Nyx Theros

Constellation Card Logic

why are so many constellation cards on nonenchantments?

It’s a play design decision which lets us make stronger constellation cards. Them all being enchantments in Journey into Nyx made us have to nerf a lot of them.

Constellation Enchantments Journey into Nyx Nyx Play Design

Nyx Lands Bulk Option

Will there be any way to get the brilliant nyx lands in bulk? I know they're not in bundles (disappointing) but I'm looking to fill my edh decks with them, so a bulk option would be greatly appreciated not just by me but by my entire playgroup and I'm sure many other players would appreciate it as well.

There is no bulk option. They are in every single Theros Beyond Desth draft booster though.

Bundles Commander Draft Boosters Lands Limited Nyx Theros

Nyx Lands' Clarity

My thanks to the art department for the big mana symbol in the middle of the Nyx lands' art. I've always struggled telling Forests and Swamps apart when it comes to full-art lands (at least from across the table), these are a lot clearer.

Glad you like them. : )

Appreciation Art Lands Mana Nyx