Tolarian Academy

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

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

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

Trivia about Teferi

Today is my birthday! Can we get some trivia about Teferi?

Teferi first appeared in Mirage, but my favorite appearance of him was as a young prankster at the Tolarian Academy in Urza’s Saga.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Mirage Sagas Tolarian Academy Urza's Saga Urza's Saga

Missed Joke Acknowledgment

“I’d like to thank the Academy”. You missed a “I’d like to thank the Tolarian Academy” joke :)

I was saving it for you. : )

Humor Tolarian Academy

Tolarian Academy Curriculum

Is colour pie philosophy a major in the tolarian academy?.

It would be if I was a professor there.

Colors Tolarian Academy

Legendary Rule Discussion

How so it's considered bad gameplay? Is having multiple of same legendary permanent on the battlefield considered "good gameplay" (ex. mirrors)?

Back when it was the rule, it severely punished the person who draws it second. For example, people were playing Tolarian Academy in decks that didn’t play blue or artifacts because getting it out first was so devastating to the other player.

Artifacts Blue Game Play Rules Tolarian Academy

Rishadan Port Insight

I'm surprised by your take on Rishadan Port. I thought it was a relatively reasonable answer to some very unreasonable lands. Gaea's Cradle and Tolarian Academy come to mind immediately.

That just makes Gaea’s Cradle and Tolarian Academy also mistakes.

Gaea's Cradle Lands Rishadan Port Tolarian Academy

Red Land Cycle

hey Mark, is there a reason red didn't get a land like Serra's Sanctum, Gaea's Cradle, Tolarian Academy and Cabal Coffers(I know cabal coffers wasn't part of that same cycle)?

Because it wasn’t actually a cycle.

Cabal Coffers Cycles Gaea's Cradle Lands Red Serra's Sanctum Tolarian Academy

Apocalypse Design Insight

Hey Mark, it’s my birthday! If you have any, I would love some never-before-seen trivia on my favorite card (Always Watching), my favorite set (Apocalypse), or my favorite deck (Tolarian Academy Combo). Even if you don’t have anything special about those, thanks for everything you do. I’ve been having an ongoing conversation about Magic with you for years, and that’s awesome.

Apocalypse ended up being the first set to be block designed even though the concept rules didn’t exist yet. Henry Stern and I independently had the same idea of holding back the enemy spells for its own set. Happy Birthday!

Always Watching Apocalypse Birthday Rules Spells Tolarian Academy