Rout

List of Green Cards

In case anyone was curious about how many Lay of the Land cards are in green:Mono-Green: 58
Analyze the Pollen
Attune with Aether
Borderland Ranger
Boseiju Reaching Skyward
Brave the Wilds
Bushwack
Caravan Vigil
Civic Wayfinder
Cultivate
District Guide
Druid of the Emerald Grove
Elfhame Sanctuary
Evolution Charm
Flare of Cultivation
Flourishing Bloom-Kin
Fork in the Road
Gaea's Bounty
Gatecreeper Vine
Greenseeker
Herd Migration
Horizon Seeker
hunting Cheetah
Journey for the Elixir
Journey of Discovery
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Kura, the Boundless Sky
Land Grant
Lay of the Land
Many Partings
Nervous Gardener
Nissa's Encouragement
Nissa's Pilgrimage
Nissa's Triumph
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nylea's Intervention
Open the Gates
Outcaster Greenblade
Peregrination
Realm Seekers
Realms Uncharted
Reclaim the Wastes
Rites of Spring
Seek the Horizon
Shard Convergence
Spinewoods Armadillo
Spirit of the Aldergard
Sprouting Vines
Sylvan Ranger
Sylvan Scrying
The Huntsman's Redemption
Thirsting Roots
Trail of Mystery
Traverse the Ulvenwald
Verdant Mastery
Vorinclex
Yavimaya Elder
You Happen On a GladeGreen featuring another colour: 7
Dig Up
Flower // Flourish
Huatli, Poet of Unity
Invasion of Ergamon (flipped to Truga Cliffcharger)
Path to the World Tree
Safewright Quest
Yasharn, Implacable EarthUn-cards: 3
Selfie Preservation (Un-card)
Spirit of the Season (Un-card)
Wild Crocodile (Un-card)(everyone feel free to add any that I've missed!)

FYI

Analyze the Pollen Armadillo Attune with Aether Borderland Ranger Brave the Wilds Caravan Vigil Civic Wayfinder Colors Crocodile Cultivate Dig Up District Guide Druid Druid of the Emerald Grove Elder Elfhame Sanctuary Evolution Charm Flare Flare of Cultivation Flourishing Bloom-Kin Flower // Flourish Fork in the Road Gaea's Bounty Gatecreeper Vine Gates Green Greenseeker Herd Migration Horizon Seeker Hunting Cheetah Invasion Journey for the Elixir Journey of Discovery Kodama's Reach Krosan Tusker Kura, the Boundless Sky Land Grant Lands Lay of the Land Many Partings Nervous Gardener Nissa's Encouragement Nissa's Pilgrimage Nissa's Triumph Nylea's Intervention Open the Gates Outcaster Greenblade Path to the World Tree Peregrination Ranger Realm Seekers Realms Uncharted Reclaim the Wastes Rites of Spring Safewright Quest Seek the Horizon Seeker Selfie Preservation Shard Convergence Spinewoods Armadillo Spirit Spirit of the Aldergard Spirit of the Season Sprouting Vines Sylvan Ranger Sylvan Scrying The Huntsman's Redemption The Wilds The World Tree Thirsting Roots Trail of Mystery Traverse the Ulvenwald Un-sets Verdant Mastery Wild Crocodile Yasharn, Implacable Earth Yavimaya Elder You Happen On a Glade

Humanoid vs Monster Commanders

First, I want to say I really like Thunder Junction more than I thought I would. It could end up being my favorite set this year. Great job to you and the team! Second, back in AFR, the commander precons had a humanoid adventurer face commander and a monster alt commander. I thought that was really cool because I'm a big fan of monsters and weird creatures and love building decks with them as the commander. Magic has some really great monsterous creature types that are underrepresented as legendary creatures. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I'd love for one humanoid and one beast/monster commander to be the norm for precon design. The Grand Larceny, Desert Bloon, and Quick Draw precons are great examples of this. Having Yuma, Gonti, and Stella Lee as the humanoid face commanders and Kirri Talented Sprout, Felix Five Boots, and Eris Roar of the Storm as the more monstrous alt commanders.
I bring this up because I was really hoping for something a little more monsterous for the Most Wanted precon alt commander. Like a Skeleton or Nightmare or Horror or Minotaur, or Bird. Something along those lines would be really interesting with one of the outlaw creature types. Instead, we got a Dwarf. Vihaan Goldwaker is a great card, don't get me wrong. I just wish that every precon could have alt commanders that are a little more "out there" in terms of creature type usage instead of another human or dwarf or elf, etc. What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts are there’s some one out there who loves Dwarves who’s super happy because we made a Dwarf card for them. I hear you that you’d like more non-humanoid legendary creatures, and that is something we’re dedicated to doing, as evidenced by the decks you did enjoy, but there’s a lot of player desires to meet, which means we need to spread the love a bit.

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Beast Bird Commander Creatures Dwarf Elf Horror Human Larceny Legendary Creatures Minotaur Most Wanted Nightmare Nightmare Quick Draw Skeleton Sprout

Wraths Insights

If my searching skills aren't failing me, there've been 3-4 Wraths that keep your own board alive, all in black, like you said. (Dread Cacodemon, In Garruk's Wake, Overwhelming Forces for 1v1, Plague Wind) There've been two instant speed wraths (Fated Retribution, Rout) So it looks like one sided wraths are more likely.

FYI

Black Dread Dread Cacodemon Fated Retribution In Garruk's Wake Instants Overwhelming Forces Plague Wind Retribution Rout

Sprout Swarm in Mythic

Re: common to mythic. What about Sprout Swarm? Isn't that a common that the team decided to not reprint in not even in mythic because it was too powerful for limited?

I pointed out that the as-fan at mythic rare was still too high for limited purposes, not that the card felt like a mythic rare.

As-fan Limited Mythic Rares Rares Reprints Sprout Swarm

Discussion about Printed Cards

Some of the cards you say in your column today didn't make it to print did, in fact, make it to print! Butterfly became Whip-Spine Drake; Spellwild Dog became Spellwild Ouphe; Boss Scragnoth became Quagnoth. Also, Sneaky Goblin seems a lot like Street Wraith, and Veiled Clone like Shapeshifter's Marrow. Also the green common kicker/convoke creature did make it, as Kavu Primarch; Sprout Swarm was in addition. Also, one of the vanishing cycle you say got cut did stay, as Lost Auramancers.

FYI

Card Printing Clone Convoke Creatures Dog Drake Goblin Green Kavu Kavu Primarch Kicker Lost Auramancers Ouphe Primarch Quagnoth Scragnoth Shapeshifter's Marrow Spellwild Ouphe Sprout Swarm Street Wraith Vanishing Vanishing Whip-Spine Drake Wraith

Conditional Flash Sorceries

Regarding conditional flash on sorceries - yes, flash is used. Crashing Tide, Rout, and Swift Reckoning are recent examples, and Quicken can make your next sorcery have flash. But it's always conditional (an additional cost, or controlling a certain thing like a Merfolk).

I stand corrected.

Crashing Tide Flash Merfolk Quicken Rout Sorceries Swift Reckoning

Instances vs Sorceries

What are some effects that design prefers to keep separate and distinct between instants and sorceries? With the exception of Rout (at a cost) board wipe comes to mind

Discard, extra turns, land fetching and land destruction are all default sorcery effects.

Discard Instants Lands Rout Sorceries

Keyword Combo Sets

If or When (In Supplemental most likely) A theme or cycle of multiple keywords from the past that work well together on a card. Examples: Haze of Rage (Storm & Buyback), Sprout Swarm (Convoke & Buyback), Ichor Slick (Cycling & Madness), etc.

We call those “mix & match”. It would have to be a supplemental set and one with enough keywords to make it work. It’s not out of the question.

Buyback Convoke Cycling Haze of Rage Ichor Slick If/When Keyword Abilities Keywords Madness Sprout Swarm

Spitting Image's Color Fit

I'm a little surprised at the idea that Spitting Image isn't even much of a bend. When it was printed the only green cards that made token copies were Spawnwrithe and Sprouting Phytohydra (which only copied themselves, Parallel Evolution (which only copies tokens) and Dual Nature (which is the only thing vaguely like Spitting Image). Since then the only comparable card is Bramble Sovereign. Seems like a heck of a bend.

No, it’s an in-color ability used infrequently. There are many of those.

Bend / Break Bramble Sovereign Card Printing Colors Dual Nature Green Parallel Evolution Spawnwrithe Spitting Image Sprouting Phytohydra Tokens

Multi-Keyword Card Promise

Cards with multiple non-evergreen key/ability words on them again? If or when? (ex: Sprout Swarm having convoke and buyback)

When, although more likely in supplemental products than Standard-legal ones.

Ability Words Buyback Convoke Evergreen If/When Sprout Swarm Standard

Dinosaur Card Identification

I'm curious about the methodinogy used to change old cards to dinosaurs. Can you guess which of these is a dinosaur: Allosaurus Rider, Bloodspore Thrinax, Brooding Saurian, Crag Saurian, Gnathosaur, Pteron Ghost, Pygmy Pyrosaur, Scarland Thrinax, and Sprouting Thrinax? (Hint: It is not a rider or a ghost.)

The Allosaurus Rider is the rider and not the Allosaurus much like a Knight is not a horse.

Allosaurus Rider Blood Bloodspore Thrinax Brooding Saurian Crag Saurian Dinosaur Gnathosaur Horse Knight Pteron Ghost Pygmy Pyrosaur Scarland Thrinax Sprouting Thrinax

Lifelink Keyword Usage

FYI, Soulfire Grand Master gives instants and sorceries you control lifelink, so Lifelink is a keyword non-permenants can use. I believe it currently is unique in this respect (unless you count flash on things like Rout, and mechanics made for both instants/sorceries and permanents like Suspend).

FYI

Flash Instants Keywords Lifelink Mechanics Permanents Rout Sorceries Soulfire Grand Master Suspend

Sorcery Flash Possibility

"sorin-slackov-bored-of-innistrad asked: Is it possible for a Sorcery to have Flash? No." Actually there's a cycle of sorceries in Invasion that can gain Flash if you pay 2 more to cast them (Rout, Twilight's Call, etc.) and there's also Swift Reckoning from Magic Origins that has "Spell Mastery - Gains Flash"

Okay, let me change my answer.Yes.

Cast Cycles Flash Innistrad Magic Origins Rout Sorceries Spell mastery Swift Reckoning Twilight's Call

Sorceries with Flash History

RE: sorceries with flash: I think there was a cycle of sorceries in either onslaught block or Odyssey block where you could pay 2 to cast them any time you could pay an instant (eg: Rout)

I believe it was in Invasion.

Cast Cycles Flash Instants Odyssey Onslaught Rout Sorceries

Common Clone Complexity

RE: Creatures that clone themselves at common; I believe the asker was referring to creatures such as Spawnwrithe and Sprouting Phytohydra, that make copies of themselves under certain circumstances

No, those would never be common. Too complex.

Creatures Question Marks Spawnwrithe Sprouting Phytohydra

Card Art Decisions

Why was Elesh Norn on the card Rout from Conspiracy?

Because she was Routing.

Conspiracy Rout

Mix-Match Mechanics Proposal

You can't take card ideas, but you're all ears for what we like and don't like. So, here's my two cents. I loved the mix-and-match mechanics cards from Future Sight (ex. Sprout Swarm, Gathan Raiders). I hope you're able to do more of them again.

They’re hard to do in normal expansions. What would you guys think of a mix & match supplemental product?

Future Sight Gathan Raiders Mechanics Sprout Swarm

Wedge Creature Cycles

Why was there no full cycle of wedge 3 drop creatures? Only Anafenza, Mantis Rider, and Savage Kunckleblade, rather than at least one for each like the wedges got with Rhox War Monk, Sprouting Thrinax, Wolly Thoctar, Windwright Mage, and Kederekt Creeper? Would have been especially nice if they were a full cycle of uncommons with power level similar to Wolly Thoctar and Rhox War Monk.

Not everything comes in cycles.

Creatures Cycles Kederekt Creeper Mantis Rider Monk Power Level Rhox Sprouting Thrinax Three Color Uncommons Windwright Mage

Trade Routes Card Color

What would you think about Trade Routes being red?

The next two weeks my articles are card-by-card design stories and I examine each one of the outside designer cards and evaluate them.

Red Trade Routes

Flash Sorceries Possibility

Is there any chance for new sorceries that can be cast with flash at higher cost, like Rout and Ghitu Fire?

There is definitely a chance. I’d put them at 5 on the storm scale.

Cast Flash Ghitu Fire Keyword Abilities Rout Sorceries Storm Scale