Reinforce

Keyword Granting Creatures

So when looking through creatures that grant keywords in typal abilities, I’ve noticed that most creatures have the keyword and grant it to other creatures, but some just grant it to all that have the type. For example, Drogskol Reinforcements, a Spirit, has “Melee” and “Other Spirits you control have melee.”On the other hand, Lancer Sliver just has “Sliver creatures you control have first strike.”Why is there a difference? Is there a specific formatting or rules reason that all typal keyword-granting abilities don’t just follow the Lancer Sliver version? The latter seems simpler.

For clarity, the template is the creature has the ability and then grants the ability to “all other creatures you control”. Slivers use the old template because when you have a bunch of them, it’s easier to add up all the effects.

Creatures Drogskol Reinforcements First Strike Keywords Kindred / Typal Lancer Sliver Melee Melee Reinforcements Rules Sliver Spirit Templating Your Hand

Reprinting Color Pie Breaks

Regarding reprinting color pie breaks- i am strongly against, as it keeps reinforcing there is nothing wrong with that card to an awful lot of players.Commander has a viciously hungry list of cards every set and every year now. I'd rather reinforce in-color designs. Breaks also desensitize the audience to what is okay to print. The more I think about it, the worse it seems to keep reprinting breaks.

That is sadly not a majority player opinion. If cards are legal in the format they play, the majority of players want it to be reprinted.

Card Printing Color Pie Commander Format Legality Reinforce Reprints

Guilds Batching Complexity

Based on the watermark discussion, a set that batches all characteristics of each guild?“All Golgari creatures get +1/+1 (Golgari creatures are Green and Black creatures, creatures with Dredge, Green creatures with a B in their rules text…”Ok, I realized that it’s a bit more complicated than I thought for Ravnica’s Guilds or New Capenna’s Families. But theoretically, you could create factions and use both technologies (batches and watermarks) to help determine when a card belongs to a batch, right? For example, putting a “Historic” watermark in all artifacts, legendary cards and Sagas in Dominaria.

We do use watermarks to help reinforce factions, but as we’ve been talking about today, it carries no mechanical weight (well outside Un-sets).

Artifacts Batches Black Creatures Dominaria Dredge Dredge Factions Golgari (B/G) Green Historic Reinforce Rules Sagas Two Color Un-sets Watermarks

Royal vs. Princess Feedback

Tiny bit of feedback, I think I understand the reasoning, but 'Royal' really doesn't have the same resonance as 'Princess.' There's something fun and whimsical about making your giant monster or you tiny rat a princess that a royal doesn't have, and royal covers a wider variety of tropes (e.g. the stoic king, the evil queen, the charming prince) that washes out the specific meaning. Should've stuck with the princess!

A) We wanted to hit a wider range of tropes.B) Gendered language can reinforce stereotypes that can be harmful.

Charming Prince Giant Rat Reinforce

Creative Names in Eldraine

I love how clever the names are in Eldraine. Of course Wicked creatures would reward you for killing them, but you can also be rewarded for making the creature no longer wicked, tying into stories of redemption. Decadent Dragon's adventure doesn't mana wash (no room), so you'll probably have to spend treasure to make use of their Expensive Taste. So many extremely subtle details reinforce the stories you want to tell.

: )

Creatures Humor Mana Reinforce Treasure

Reinforce vs Channel

How do you think Reinforce could be fixed? Or is it considered obsolete because of Channel being able to do the same effect and more?

The issue with Reinforce is the design space. There are only so many slots you want in a set that are permanently boosting other creatures’ stats.

Design Space Reinforce

Color Tokens in Convoke

Hi Mark! Are out of colour tokens a problem in a set with convoke? I notice that Ral's reinforcements and Preening Champion in MOM make tokens that are red and blue, which means that either mono-colour deck can cast convoke spells of the other colour. That's obviously not the end of the world as far as the colour pie is concerned, but was it considered a bug or a feature for limited?

It was considered a feature.

Blue Champion Colors Convoke Limited Monocolor Preening Champion Ral's Reinforcements Red Spells Tokens

Reinforce Ability Reception

Do you remember how well Reinforce was received?

It was received pretty middle of the road.

Reinforce

Querying a White Balance Mechanic

Happy π day MaRo! Would White be able to get a "falling behind" balance mechanic themed card? Sort of a reverse of Timely Reinforcements. Drawing cards if you have fewer cards in hand than an opponent, and tutoring a basic land if an opponent controls more lands than you?

White can’t draw more than one card per turn (technically, per opponent per turn cycle).

Card Draw Lands Mark Rosewater Mechanics Reinforcements Timely Reinforcements Tutoring White Your Hand

Request for More Hybrids

I would like to second the request for more hybrids. Wouldn't a cycle at lower rarities every now and then also ne a good thing for a limited environment? Flexible cards add options.

Hybrids are harder to design and thus add additional constraints to a set. If hybrid is helping reinforce the main theme or themes then that’s great, but it’s not something we tend to just throw in sets.

Cycles Hybrid Limited Reinforce

White Card Draw and Mentor

Mark, you've previously stated that white card draw is ok for things that are white specialties and have also stated that small creatures is white's primary gig. In that case, why is Mentor of the Meek a break? It feels akin to Kor Spirtdancer, Puresteel Paladin or Sram, Senior Edificer? Is it more about crossing with green abilities?

We have crafted a philosophy of what differentiates white card draw from other colors’ card draw. I plan to go into more detail when we start seeing the cards that reinforce this new philosophy. The key is creating a series of draw effects that aren’t just replicating other colors’ effects. “Draw whenever you do a white thing” is not the philosophy we are following.

Bend / Break Card Draw Creatures Green Kor Mentor Mentor of the Meek Primary Puresteel Paladin Reinforce Sram, Senior Edificer White

Favorite Mechanics or Cards

I feel like a lot of people who say you’ve only done bad for the game don’t realize you’re probably behind some of their favorite mechanics or cards too. For a change of pace, can you list some beloved mechanics or cards you’re responsible for?

Here are the Magic mechanics I’ve had a hand in creating: Absorb, Addendum, Affinity, Aftermath, Aura Swap, Battle Cry, Bolster, Champion, Changeling, Cipher, Companion, Contraptions, Crew (Vehicles), Dash, Deathtouch, Delve, Dredge, Embalm, Energy, Entwine, Evoke, Exert, Exploit, Fabricate, Fateful Hour, Fateseal, Ferocious, Flashback, Flip, Forecast, Fortify, Frenzy, Gotcha, Graft, Gravestorm, Heroic, Hexproof, Host/Augment, Hybrid Mana, Imprint, Infect, Intimidate, Kicker, Landfall, Lifelink, Living Weapon, Madness, Manifest, Mentor, Modular, Monstrosity, Morbid, Morph, Multikicker, Mutate, Ninjitsu, Phyrexian Mana, Poisonous, Populate, Proliferate, Prowl, Raid, Rally, Reach, Recover, Reinforce, Retrace, Ripple, Shroud, Soulbond, Splice, Split Cards, Split Second, Suspend, Transfigure, Transform, Typecycling, Undying, Unearth, Vanishing and Wither.

Absorb Absorb Addendum Affinity Aftermath Aura Swap Battle Cry Battle Cry Bolster Champion Changeling Cipher Companion Contraptions Crew Dash Deathtouch Delve Dredge Dredge Embalm Entwine Evoke Exert Exploit Fabricate Fabricate Fateful hour Fateseal Ferocious Flashback Forecast Fortify Fortify Frenzy Graft Gravestorm Gravestorm Heroic Hexproof Hybrid Imprint Infect Intimidate Kicker Landfall Lifelink Lifelink Living Weapon Madness Mana Manifest Mechanics Mentor Modular Monstrosity Morbid Morph Morph Mutate Ninjitsu Phyrexian Poisonous Populate Proliferate Prowl Raid Rally Rally Recover Reinforce Retrace Ripple Shroud Soulbond Splice Split Cards Split Second Suspend Suspend Transfigure Transform Undying Unearth Unearth Vanishing Vanishing Vehicles Wither Your Hand

Naming of Recent Planeswalkers

I noticed that most planeswalkers first cards are just there name, but recent planeswalkers like Lukka, Callix, and Oko had titles. Can you comment on this trend?

We use titles if it can help reinforce story points.

Planeswalkers Reinforce Story / Lore

Fog Frequency in Green

Mark, why does "Fog" (Green) gets printed much more frequently than global damage prevention (White)? It seems pretty unfair that Green gets both big and (recently) mana-efficient creatures and still gets a "Fog" almost every set, while White's rarely getting damage prevention from multiple sources - like Safe Passage or Riot Control - and counts mostly on little creatures. Making the White version more frequent would also reinforce its "defensive color" aspect.

Many years ago we moved Fog to white. White didn’t end up needing it as it had so many other defensive tools, so we moved it back to green.

Card Printing Colors Creatures Green Mana Reinforce Riot Riot Control Safe Passage White

Avoiding Certain Tropes

I know tropes are a good tool to use when writing and they receive too much stigma imo but I was wondering which specific tropes, of any, the team tries to avoid using when making sets?

Mostly we avoid tropes that reinforce negative stereotypes.

Reinforce

Negative Breaks Explained

For ease of future discussion, do you have any examples of any negative breaks (where a color is doing exactly what it normally does, but is still undermining itself) from the past? You've discussed multiple positive breaks before, but if the way to identify a negative is "you can't make this playable by reducing the cost or increasing the power," nothing I can think of from Magic's past would qualify. Please send aid!

There are no positive breaks. Breaks undermine color identity. There are positive bends that help reinforce a set theme and allow us to add some novelty to a color. There are things in color pie, usually combinations, that can undermine a color. For example, a 1/1 with flash, “enter the battlefield, fight” and deathtouch is a break for green even though green can do all the component pieces.

Bend / Break Color Identity Color Pie Colors Deathtouch Enter The Battlefield Fight / Bite Flash Green Reinforce

Female Demons Perspective

Hi Mark! Regarding female demons, we have a tribe of exclusively female creatures (angels) that are far from being over sexualized, so I trust you can pull it off again!

Creating cards that push a narrative of strong female warriors doesn’t tie into any old archetypes that reinforce negative gender stereotypes. Succubi, in contrast, do. It’s the same reason we don’t do damsels in distress.

Angel Creatures Demon Reinforce Warrior

Artistic Stereotypes

Just for the sake of curiosity, what makes the art of Enthralling Victor acceptable but, for example, the depiction of a stereotypical female demon less so?

Playing into stereotypes that reinforce societal imbalances are much more problematic than playing against them.

Art Demon Enthralling Victor Reinforce

Movie Scene Philosophy

Hi Mark! Could you talk a little more about this idea that "no scene is worth a movie, and no line is worth a scene"? I think I under stand the gist, but could you give an example of a practical application - perhaps from MtG?

The idea is that your component has to serve the larger piece. The best scene in the world shouldn’t be added if it doesn’t enhance the movie you put it in. The Magic example, is we shouldn’t put in a great card design if it doesn’t reinforce the set it’s in. Save it for a set that it helps make shine.

Pop Culture Reinforce

Card Type and Color Pie

I wonder if the Glass Casket issue is much like deathtouch + fight. It takes two things (colored artifacts and artifacts that don't tap) that are fine individually, but feel weird and identity-breaking when combined. It isn't undermining a weakness per-se like pie breaks do, but it does undermine what had hithertho been a major distinction in card types. It's sort of like why you don't print really overcosted color pie breaks, since they still undermine identity even if unplayable.

Let’s talk about the card type pie and how it differs from the color pie. The color pie was created by Richard Garfield as a way to ensure variety in gameplay. How do you keep every deck from being the same? Take the different abilities and spread them through a lens tied to the key resource of the game. Then to further differentiate the gameplay, weave in strengths and weaknesses into the colors. The card type pie was created by Richard with a different task. Help reinforce game functionality. Certain game pieces work differently and you want a clean way to differentiate them. These type of cards stay on the battlefield. These cards can be cast at these certain times. These cards have additional qualities such as power and toughness that matter in gameplay. Richard also realized this was a chance to add additional flavor.As more and more cards were designed, it started to become clear that abilities could spread across card types in a way they couldn’t across colors. A creature could have an “enter the battlefield” effect that was the same as a sorcery, but we couldn’t just change what colors could do that effect.We recognized early on that artifacts and enchantments were very narrowly divided, but they had good flavor and the fact that colors cared about what card types things were for purposes of dealing with them mattered gameplaywise.What this all means is the color pie rigidity is necessary for the well being of the game structurally. The card type rigidity is more of a flavor issue and less a game wellness issue. Are certain things disorienting? Yes, but that’s mostly a byproduct of experience. Whenever the game shifts, there is a little discomfort, but as something becomes the new norm, it slowly stops feeling weird.For example, artifacts used to shut off when tapped. When we first took the rule away, players complained it felt odd, but after a number of years of that no longer being true, it stopped feeling odd that it didn’t work that way. We are shifting how we are handling artifacts and moving towards a world where they are more ingrained with color. For players used to the colorlessness of artifacts, this will take some time getting used to, but it doesn’t have any ill impact on gameplay. In fact, Glass Casket isn’t even the first artifact to have that ability, just the first white one.So, the two are very different in the sense that one has a rigidity necessary to structurally hold the game together and the other doesn’t.

Artifacts Card Printing Card Types Card Types Cast Color Pie Colors Creatures Deathtouch Enchantments Enter The Battlefield Fight / Bite Flavor Game Play Glass Casket Reinforce Richard Garfield Rules Sorceries Tap / Untap White