Tolaria

Maintaining Release Pace

May I request to NOT reduce the pace of new products? My favorite thing in the game is that you have new cards every couple of months and that I have a huge variety of themes to pick up.

Also, if you reduce the amount of releases, what are you removing? I understand that trimming down may be needed (as you did with Jumpstart set packs) but right now there are no new releases that are outright bad and should not exist.

When people ask for less products they forget that you may cancel the products they like most could be the one canceled.

The Professor did a video a while back where he went through the year intent on pointing out what products shouldn’t have been made. For each product though, he talked about who the audience was and how they enjoyed it, and came to the decision that it should stay. By the end of the video, he didn’t pick any product to stop making. That’s the issue that’s tricky. Every product has fans that that’s their favorite thing we do. Everyone can pick the thing that they’d be fine we didn’t make, but that product is the thing that someone else loves most.

Tolarian Community College

Omenpaths and Settings

In Urza's Saga, each of the colors had a different main setting, and they spanned multiple planes - Serra's Realm for white, Phyrexia for black, and Dominaria for blue, red, and green (Tolaria, Shiv, and Argoth, respectively). With the addition of omenpaths, could we see something like this again? Would that mean a possibility for planes like Mercadia or Ulgrotha to be featured in a premier set once more?

The omenpaths do open up design opportunities including seeing some planes we haven’t seen for a while.

Black Blue Colors Dominaria Green Omenpaths Planes Premier Sets Red Sagas Shiv Tolaria Urza's Saga White

Coaching at Photo Op

Coaching is unallowed for Photo Op, but is it unsporting if I go through the #GuessThatMagicCard tag and tell strangers that they look like Sol Ring, Tolarian Academy, Spike Tournament Grinder, etc?

Feel free to make whatever guesses you like. It just can’t be prompted by the poster.

Competitive Play Photo Op Sol Ring Spike Tolarian Academy

World Guide Numbers

In today's article, you quote the art descriptions. In a few places it made reference to three digit numbers."Location: A room at the Lat-Nam Tolarian academy, like the one on 321"Are those page numbers in the concept art/godbook?

That’s from the World Guide.

Art Tolarian Academy

Podcast feat. the Professor

Hey Mark! If/When, having the Professor on your podcast?

Been there, done that: https://media.wizards.com/2020/podcasts/magic/drivetowork739_theprofessor_Low73bdi.mp3

Drive to Work If/When Tolarian Community College

Tolarian Academy and Emrakul Joke

If you use Tolarian Academy to cast Emrakul, is it an Emraschool?

: )

Humor Tolarian Academy

Insights on the Character Rayne

My birthday is tomorrow. 2+ years ago, my wife was pregnant with our second child. I really wanted a boy and his name would be Ryan, RJ for short, after his father. If it were to be a girl she would be named Rayne, an anagram of Ryan + e as a compromise. Our first daughter is named Lilly. I wanted Liliana, but lost... another compromise. Needless to say, on Oct 6th 2019, my second daughter Rayne was born. I did not know there was a character named Rayne in mtg until 6 months ago when I happened to search the mtg card database. Immediately I bought a NM foil, to hopefully one day pass to my now 2 yr old daughter as a commander for her first edh deck. For my birthday, can you give me some deep knowledge on Rayne. I know you single handedly designed that set. I would love to know more about the character Rayne.

Rayne was a chancellor at the Tolarian Academy. She was wife to Barrin and mother to Hanna. For her card design, I wanted to play up her smarts and her protectiveness, so she draws cards when your stuff is targeted.She is part of a vertical blue cycle of creatures that gets a bonus if enchanted.She’s a very cool character.

Barrin Birthday Blue Commander Creatures Foil Foils Hanna Search Tolarian Academy

Mega Standard Format Proposal

Hello Mark, new idea for a format that would shake up the meta called “Mega Standard” where a player can use any deck that was legal in standard at one point
Example: Psychatog deck from odyssey could play against a current standard deck (definitely would need to ban certain cards from Urza block like Tolarian Academy) What do you think?

This was actually a format I played at one of the Magic Invitationals.

Bannings Format Legality Odyssey Psychatog Standard Tolarian Academy Urza

Urza and Barrin's Potential Objection

If Urza and Barrin were still alive and they heard that Strixhaven was considered the best magic school in the universe, would they planeshift over there and object to that claim?

Tolarian Academy is pretty good for a Dominarian Magic school. : )🐿 - Strixhaven has a tree in its library. Just saying.

Barrin Humor Planeshift The Library Tolarian Academy Urza

Every Mechanic is Kicker?

On October 30th, Tolarian Community College posted a short explaining how every mechanic is either Kicker, or Horsemanship. What are your thoughts on the accuracy of that statement?

I think a lot of mechanics are kicker (and) or split cards (or). I’ve been saying this for years.

Horsemanship Kicker Mechanics Split Cards Tolarian Community College

Mechanics as Kicker Comparison

The professor just made a short, funny video about how "every mechanic is just kicker"!

I watched it. Some are split cards. : )

Humor Kicker Mechanics Split Cards Tolarian Community College

Photo with the Professor

How did that last photo between you and the Professor happen?

I was in Portland celebrating my dad’s 80th birthday with my family and my sister’s family. I was invited to the grand opening of Mox Boarding House where I ran into The Professor.

Birthday Tolarian Community College

Tolarian Academy Cycle Redo

If you were to redo the Tolarian Academy cycle now that there are five permanent types, which type would each color care about?

I’m not sure there’s a clean line-up (ignoring the larger color pie questions about the cycle).

Color Pie Colors Cycles Tolarian Academy

Urza's Saga Cycle Inquiry

RE: the Urza's Saga cycle of Tolarian Academy, Serra's Sanctum, and Gaea's Cradle: Were Shivan Gorge and Phyrexian Tower intended to be part of that cycle? Why are their abilities so different from the other three?

They were intended to be part of that cycle. Each color got a land. They didn’t all tap for mana. There weren’t (at the time) five permanent types.

Colors Gaea's Cradle Lands Mana Phyrexian Phyrexian Tower Sagas Serra's Sanctum Shivan Gorge Tap / Untap Tolarian Academy Urza's Saga Urza's Saga

Strixhaven Trivia and Congratulatory Greetings

Hi Mark! I earned my master’s degree today! is there any interesting college trivia that you haven’t shared? Strixhaven or otherwise!

R&D discussed what’s the most powerful land, and the winner was Tolarian Academy. I think Mishra’s Workshop was second. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Lands Mishra's Workshop Tolarian Academy

Creation of Stryxhaven World

Why create stryxhaven as a magical academy world when you already had Tolarian Academy to build upon (Nowadays named Tolaria West)?

We wanted a blank slate to do something really cool.

Tolaria West Tolarian Academy

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

Trivia on Barrin or Obliterate

Waited a year for this, so invoking birthday trivia! Can I have trivia on either my favorite card, Obliterate, or the character depicted, Barrin?

When we created the Weatherlight Saga characters, we wanted to tie someone to the previous story, The Brothers War. We liked the idea that Hanna grew up at the Tolarian Academy, so we created the character of Barrin to be her father and tied him to Urza. Happy Birthday!

Barrin Birthday Hanna Obliterate Sagas Story / Lore Tolarian Academy Urza Weatherlight Weatherlight

Overview of M21 Legendary Creatures

I was wondering if you could give a quick who's who on the legendary creatures from M21. I'm relatively new to the game and don't recognize most of them, but I hear that they're returning characters.

This is a greatly oversimplification of these relationships:Barrin was Teferi’s teacher when he was younger (at the Tolarian Academy).Kaervek was an evil wizard that Teferi fought against.Mangara was a Wizard that Teferi teamed up with to fight Kaervel (after Mangara got rescued). Niambi is Teferi’s daughter.Radha fought alongside Teferi (I think it was during the Phyrexuan invasion of Dominaria).Subira was Teferi’s wife. EDIT: It turns out, Teferi and Radha fought together during The Time Spiral crisis. I also forgot Jolrael which was another wizard he teamed up with in the Mirage story.

Barrin Core Set 2021 Creatures Dominaria Fight / Bite Invasion Legendary Creatures Mirage Story / Lore Time Spiral Tolarian Academy

M21 Set Card Teaser Hints

Now that all of M21 has been revealed, can you go through your teaser and tell us the card or cards each hint was?

The new core set has a lot of exciting new cards, including:
• A brand new planeswalker (from a plane we’ve visited) - Basri Ket (from Amonkhet)• A card that lets you draw half of your library. - Peer into the Abyss• A +1/+1 tribal lord for a creature type that’s never had one. (A creature type with over fifty cards already in print.) - Pack Leader• A character with a Vanguard card and a legendary creature card gets a second of the latter. - Barrin, Tolarian Archmage• A card with thirty-one different options. - Sublime Epiphany• A card that gains all activated abilities of a certain subset of cards in a place it’s never done it before. - Conspicuous Snoop• A card that uses a nonevergreen named ability over twenty years old. - Teferi, Master of Time (phasing)• A card with the words “battlefield”, “cast”, “creature”, “converted mana cost”, “end of turn”, “exile”, “graveyard” and “mana cost”. - Idol of Endurance• An aura inspired from a cycle from Urza’s Sagablock - Demonic Embrace• A nonevergreen enchantment subtype returns - Shrines with Sanctum of Tranquil Light and company Core 2021 also has a number of fun reprints, including:• A popular character first introduced in flavor text. - Ugin, the Spirit Dragon• A French Vanilla mythic rare. - Baneslayer Angel• A popular aura that started as part of a cycle. - Faith’s Fetters• A card with a unique protection. - Runed Halo• Two cards played in tournaments that have been reprinted over twenty times with at least five different pieces of art - Duress & Shock• A card that’s never previously appeared in a premier set. - Grim Tutor• A card that’s never been reprinted before which has a 2, 3, 5 and 6 all appear on the card. - Massacre Wurm• A Human Monk. - Azusa, Lost but Seeking• A card from the Time Spiraltimeshifted sheet. - Tormod’s Crypt

Amonkhet Angel Art Auras Azusa, Lost but Seeking Baneslayer Angel Barrin, Tolarian Archmage Basri Ket Card Printing Conspicuous Snoop Core Set 2021 Creatures Cycles Demonic Embrace Dragon Duress Enchantments Endurance Flavor Text France French Vanilla Grim Tutor Human Idol of Endurance Kindred / Typal Mana Mana Value Massacre Massacre Wurm Monk Mythic Rares Pack Leader Peer into the Abyss Phasing Planeswalkers Premier Sets Protection Rares Reprints Runed Halo Sanctum of Tranquil Light Spirit Sublime Epiphany Subtype Teasers Teferi, Master of Time The Abyss The Exile Zone The Graveyard The Library Tutoring Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Vanguard Vanilla Wurm