Thragtusk

Ajani Damage Prevention

re: Ajani and healing: Samite Healer is the original trend-setting "Magic" healer, while life-gain seems to come from the oddest of things (why does Thragtusk gain you life?). Now, making a Planeswalker card that prevents damage in sufficient quantities to seem fitting... tricky. Perhaps give it a try next time Ajani gets a card?

Having a card at sorcery speed on your turn prevent damage to your creatures is problematic to say the least.

Creatures Planeswalkers Samite Healer Sorceries Thragtusk

Thragtusk's Target

What was thragtusk an answer to?

To blue tempo decks with Delver of Secrets, Snapcaster Mage and Vapor Snag.

Blue Snapcaster Mage Thragtusk Vapor Snag

Thragtusk's Impact

You said that some answer cards became just as problematic as the card it was an answer to in a question about bans. Can you give some examples of this?

Thragtusk is the one that jumps to mind.

Thragtusk

Blue vs. Green Creatures

OK, Blue's creatures need to be built around to be good and Green's don't. In constructed, this has little to no impact on power level because all decks can be built around whatever they want. It feels like most of us complaining about blue are focusing on constructed, and you're responding by talking about limited. If I have to play the best blue cards ever printed (Brainstorm and Force of Will) in order to make Delver of Secrets good, is that really a downside?

Denver of Secrets goes in a dedicated Delver deck. Thragtusk goes in any deck that can run green. That is very relevant to Constructed.

Blue Brainstorm Card Printing Constructed Creatures Force of Will Green Limited Power Level Thragtusk

Pie-Breaking Justification

Why do you excuse Master of Waves for "being fragile" but hornet queen is "6 flying power" when it's a 2/2 and a bunch of 1/1s? Is Precursor Golem (three 3/3s and "when a spell targets only a golem copy it to each other golem") counted as "a gamble on your opponent getting free value" or "9 power for five mana?" Also, do you feel this pie-breaking infraction is more serious than an accidental combo (splinter twin) or wrong evaluation on a card's format impact (thragtusk) ? All seem serious.

Blue is allowed to make tokens. That is well within blue’s part of the color pie. It’s not a weakness. Flying is supposed to be a green weakness. Green has all sorts of answer to flying because it’s not supposed to get good fliers. Combos will happen but they are much harder to see or catch. Making a card which unto and by itself breaks the color pie, especially when it weakens color vulnerabilities, is something we should have the self-control not to do.

Blue Color Pie Colors Flying Golem Green Hornet Hornet Queen Mana Master of Waves Precursor Golem Splinter Splinter Twin Thragtusk Tokens

Thragtusk Reprint Possibility

Do consider Thragtusk broken or could it be reprinted someday?

A development question. My best guess is it’s too strong to bring back to Standard.

Card Printing Power Level Reprints Standard Thragtusk

Non-Interactive Strategy View

"Over the years we have definitely turned down the dial on 'I do my thing and ignore you hoping that my thing wins before your thing does'." --And in so doing, you've eliminated most of the ability to utilize strategies that do an end-run around the opponent. It's not very newbie-friendly, but it's REALLY GREAT at high levels of play. Competitive players want viable decks with unique approaches to the game. 11 different flavors of "Thragtusk Midrange" was, in my opinion, worse than Jace Standard

Non-interaction is not good gameplay regardless of experience level.

Beginners Competitive Play Game Play Standard Thragtusk

Addressing Thragtusk

I'm disappointed. I have been anticipating this State of Design column for a long time, waiting for someone to address the monumental development failure that is Thragtusk.

Then I would wait for the “State of Development” article. : ) Seriously, my column is me talking about design which is what I’m in charge of. I do not feel qualified to talk about issues with other aspects that are beyond my purview.

Thragtusk

Mana Acceleration Impact

In response to being asked about Diamonds/Signets/Mind Stone balanced against Thragtusk and Hellrider, you used the former as though they would be powering out the latter. Wouldn't putting the former in a set mean you wouldn't be printing the latter?

I was just trying to point out that mana acceleration isn’t just about itself but what it allows players to do faster.

Card Printing Hellrider Mana Mind Stone Thragtusk

Card Power in Standard

I want to know why Diamonds/Signets/Mind Stones are too powerful for standard but Thragtusk, Hellrider, and Burning-Tree Emmissary are fine? Is it because R&D want to make the standard format about nothing but the combat step?

I’m confused. You want your opponents casting the Thragtusks and Hellriders even sooner?

Game Design Hellrider Standard Thragtusk

Thragtusk Impact

Having seen Thragtusk exist as a card for almost a year now, what's your take on it? Good/bad design? Good/bad impact?

I think the design is good. The issue is power level which is a development issue.

Power Level Thragtusk

Life-Gain in Standard

Is it correct to say that Standard with Blind Obedience, Obzedat, Azorius Charm, Centaur Healer, Sphinx's Revelation, Trostani, Rhox Faithmender, Thragtusk and Huntmaster of the Fells is the most life-gain-centric Standard we're going to see?

I’d say the pendulum is pretty far in life gain’s favor right now.

Azorius (W/U) Azorius Charm Blind Obedience Centaur Centaur Healer Lifegain Rhox Sphinx Sphinx's Revelation Standard Thragtusk

Mythic to Rare Ratio

What is the approximate ratio of a specific mythic to a specific rare? i.e. for every Sublime Archangel there is X number of Thragtusk. I'd like to make a cube that gets this ratio correct. It's difficult to figure this out since they share a slot in the packs.

In a large set, there are 53 rares and 15 mythic rares. In a small set there are 35 rares and 10 mythic rares. The rares appear twice on the sheet while the mythic rares appear once. For example, if you perfectly opened 121 boosters of a large set, you would get two of each rare and one of each mythic rare.

Boosters Cube Draft Rares Sublime Archangel Thragtusk

Defending Goblin Test Pilot

Do all the people hatin' on Goblin Test Pilot get this up-in-arms about every Pillarfield Ox and Urban Burgeoning? I mean, do they expect every card to beat out Snapcaster Mage or Thragtusk in level of expert play mode? Let the Johnnies have their little cards. It's not like the true spikes aren't going to limit their viable playing pool to 2% of the cards in standard anyway! Anyway, adventurous people will play this in limited, Johnnies will put it in decks. I promise.

Goblin Test Pilot will see plenty of play just not in tournament venues. Many people forget that the majority of Magic play isn’t at high level tournament-quality events.

Goblin Goblin Test Pilot Limited Oxen Pillarfield Ox Pilot Snapcaster Mage Spike Standard Thragtusk Urban Burgeoning

Mass Removal vs Creatures

I know this is more development's deal but wrath effects should not be getting worse! With the creature-base getting stronger we need more answers to players overreaching with lots of strong creatures. Besides, creatures like Thragtusk and Blood Artist make wraths even weaker.

Creature answers *have* been getting stronger. It’s mass removal that’s gotten weaker.

Art Blood Blood Artist Creatures Thragtusk

Green Splash Trend

How do you feel about the fact that lots of people splash in green just to use Thragtusk?

I feel good for green. It’s not traditionally the color people splash for.

Colors Green Thragtusk

Gratitude for Diverse Cards

I wanted to say thank you for the cards for every different style. Thank you for the Warp Worlds and the Archive Traps, for the Ponders and the Path to Exiles, for Master of the Wild Hunt and for Thragtusk. Thank you for Landfall, Flashback, Undying and Hexproof. Thank you for Pain-Lands, Fetch-Lands and Man-Lands. Thank you for Split Cards, Flip Cards, Tokens and Counters. Thank you for the Reprints, the Re-envisionings, the Revivals and the Rewordings. Thank you to everyone who makes Magic!!!

You’re welcome. Thank you for a very thorough thank you. : )

Appreciation Card Printing Flashback Flip Cards Hexproof Landfall Lands Master of the Wild Hunt Reprints Split Cards Thragtusk Tokens Undying

Thragtusk Joke

Why did Thragtusk cry on the playground? Because it had been pushed!

Why did the Thragtusk cross the playground? To get to the other slide. : )

Thragtusk

Redirection Mechanic Potential

Can red get more ability redirection? Oblivion Ring suddenly hitting its controller's own Gideon or a Pacifism's target becoming their own Thragtusk would be a wonderful thing for any Red player.

Now that is something red could possibly do more of. My only concern is that I’m not sure we want redirection at common.

Oblivion Ring Pacifism Red Thragtusk

Design to Development

When designing any card, Thragtusk for example, do you first design the power/toughness and abilities first and they use some sort of formula to figure out the casting cost? Like 5/3 = 3colorless, 2colorless and a C. Makes a 3/3 beast = whatever then add them all up as a baseline or do you just "eyeball it up" and let development sort it all out from play testing?

Here’s how it works. I design a card and then call out to one of the developers in the Pit: “I need you to cost a card.”

Beast Casting Cost The Pit Thragtusk