Ophidian

Multicolor Card Rules

You’ve said in the past that multicolor cards are allowed to do things that either color normally isn’t. This seems off to me. Does this mean there could be a UR creature with deathtouch? A BW creature with Ophidian text?

It can do things that neither color can do individually. It doesn’t get to do things assigned to other colors.

Colors Creatures Deathtouch Izzet (U/R) Ophidian Rules

Ophidian Mechanic Strength

Is the Ophidian mechanic a candidate for Blue's combat mechanic, or is it too strong for widespread use?

It’s too strong.

Blue Mechanics Ophidian Power Level

Curiosity Power Adjustment

Finally decided to get in on the question asking and I have so many but I'll start with the one on my mind now: It seems as though, In the Theros previews so far the ophidian ability has been reworked to only trigger on combat damage instead of all damage as we saw with Curiosity and Ophidian Eye. It makes me a little sad because A Curious Guttersnipe is the only thing that makes the current Standard bearable for me. Is there a power issue with all damage, if not what brought up this decision?

Making card draw too abusable has historically caused a lot of problems so we got more conservative with it.

Card Draw Eye Guttersnipe Ophidian Spoilers Standard Theros

Ophidian Ability Lore

Regarding the "Ophidian" ability (draw cards if you deal combat damage), besides being tied to blue and green, is it also tied to the snake creature type (i.e. Ohran Viper, Seshiro the Annointed, Snake Umbra, Ophidian)?

Nostalgia gets us to occasionally put it on snakes but snakes don’t have to have it and creatures with it don’t need to be snakes.

Blue Card Draw Creatures Green Ohran Viper Ophidian Snake Snake Umbra

Ophidian Ability Query

Is the "Ophidian" ability currently part of green's color pie? I ask because it has been in the not-too-distant past (cf. Snake Umbra, Ohran Viper, etc).

It’s primary in blue and secondary in green.

Blue Color Pie Colors Green Ohran Viper Ophidian Primary Secondary Snake Snake Umbra

Behind Thieving Magpie

Who's the man behind Thieving Magpie? It's kinda silly, but it's my favorite creature in the entire game :D

I designed it because I wanted a simpler Ophidian. I was a big fan of Ophidian but I didn’t like the whole “you have to give up the damage to get the effect”.

Creatures Ophidian Thieving Magpie

Green Card Draw Logic

I don't understand philosophically why green has the ophidian ability at all. Or abilities like Momentous Fall - what does a creature's toughness have to do with knowledge? Or heck, the new Garruk. The only green card draw that makes sense to me is drawing based on the # of creatures you have - knowledge from the collective.

All of green’s card drawing is tied to creatures. Since the ophidian ability is tied to creature combat damage, it fits the requirement.

Card Draw Creatures Green Momentous Fall Ophidian

Ophidian Ability Word

Rather than keywording the Ophidian ability, what about ability-wording the "Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, [do whatever]" ability? I've heard it referred to as "Saboteur" and I think it fits quite well. Do ability words have less 'vocabulary cost' than keywords, considering that it's still written out in full?

Yes, saboteur is the slang R&D uses for triggers based on combat damage. (Once upon a time it meant giving up damage fro an effect, but it’s changed as we stopped doing those effects for combat damage triggered ones.) Ability words do have less cost as they don’t require the player to have to learn them since they’re written out. There is still some cost mind you.

Ability Words Keywords Once Upon a Time Ophidian Triggered Abilities

Red Ophidian Ability

Could red get the Ophidian ability?

Blue and green both have it now so I don’t think we’d put it in a third color.

Blue Colors Green Ophidian Red

On Double Strike Keyword

You said the Ophidian ability is too good to use often enough to make it a keyword. I'd argue that double strike is in the same category. (There are no common creatures with double strike in Standard, although there is Assault Strobe.) Would you still keyword double strike today?

Double strike is not a common keyword. It basically is just a way to upscale first strike and is used in the exact same colors.

Assault Strobe Colors Creatures Double Strike First Strike Keywords Ophidian Standard

Keywording Ophidian Ability

Have you considered keywording the Ophidian ability? It feels both Black and Blue to me.

The problem with the Ophidian ability (draw a card when you deal combat damage to a player) is that it’s too good to be used in the amount we tend to use creature keywords.

Black Blue Card Draw Creatures Keywords Ophidian