Tragic Slip

Ability Words Flexibility

Can ability words be added/removed from cards for the sake of reprints? For example, "Tragic Slip" having it's Morbid tag removed in a set where that isn't a theme, or "Bone Picker" having Morbid added to it if you want to use it in a set where that's a theme.

Ability words can be removed/added. They don’t functionally impact a card.

Ability Words Bone Picker Card Printing Morbid Reprints Tragic Slip

Black's Color Pie

Is very large -N/-N (like with Tragic Slip) still in black's color pie?

Yes, as Black can just destroy creature outright.

Black Color Pie Colors Creatures Destroy Tragic Slip

Tragic Slip Evolution

Mark! I started reading Blogatog 11 months ago and have been dying to ask you for my birthday trivia. Can I get something cool about my all time favorite card, Tragic Slip, or my favorite Planeswalkers Narset or Tamiyo?

Tragic Slip originally was -1/-1 with the Morbid upgrade being destroy target creature. I felt the two didn’t feel mechanically connected enough and I was looking for an opportunity to get more 13’s in the set so I changed it to -13/-13. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Creatures Destroy Morbid Planeswalkers Tragic Slip

13-Related Trivia

Good evening Maro! Birthday trivia time! And on Friday the 13th no less! I've been chomping at the bit to ask you for this. Can you please tell us something 13-related that you haven't told us yet? The overt references are great. But the subtle ones are spectacular! Between the two blocks so far, I don't think I've even found them all yet. The whole subtheme makes my inner Vorthos all warm and fuzzy. Thank you for all that you do!

Tragic Slip in original Innistrad used to just kill the creature when you had Morbid, but I saw a chance to both make the effects more parallel and get in another 13 so I changed it to -13/-13. Happy Birthday!

Appreciation Birthday Creatures Innistrad Mark Rosewater Morbid Tragic Slip Vorthos

Morbid Mechanic Limits

Was morbid Ever considered as "morbid N," where N was the number of creatures that died that turn? So Tragic slip, for example, could have given the targeted creature -N/-N if it had morbid?

No. It was be excess complexity for little design gain.

Creatures Morbid Tragic Slip

More 13 Cards Maybe

Can I get a "maybe" on more "13" cards in Shadows over Innistrad? Tragic Slip is one of my favorite cards ever. It never fails to get a laugh when I show it to a newer player.

Maybe. : )
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Shadows over Innistrad Tragic Slip

Ulamog's Troublesome Slip

Please explain how Ulamog can get Tragic Slip'd.

He’s clumsy. : )

Tragic Slip

Design Space for 13

I really adore cards that deal with the number 13 (Tragic Slip, Archive Trap, Blasphemous Act, Shivan Meteor, etc). Is there still design space for them, or has it been dried up?

There’s a little but not tons. Note that it was a theme we did because of the horror theme of Innistrad.

Archive Trap Blasphemous Act Design Space Horror Innistrad Shivan Meteor Tragic Slip

Card Design Trivia

Hi Mark, it's my birthday today, so I was hoping I could have some trivia on my favourite card tragic slip or my second favourite card grave titan, and thanks for making such a fantastic game for me to spend too much money on.

Tragic Slip’s Morbid effect was originally “Destroy target creature” but I changed it to “Target creature gets -13/-13” to parallel the original effect and get two more 13’s onto Innistrad block cards. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Creatures Destroy Grave Titan Innistrad Morbid Tragic Slip

Tragic Slip Trivia

Hello Mark! It's my birthday today. Any chance I could get some trivia about my favorite removal spell, Tragic Slip?

Tragic Slip originally said -1/-1 or “destroy target creature” at morbid. I felt it was more aesthetic if the numbers just got bigger. We already had a growing 13 theme so -13/-13 was a perfect fit. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Creatures Destroy Morbid Tragic Slip

Morbid Keyword Confusion

Someone asked you about reprinting Tragic Slip without Morbid on the card and you said that you don't reprint cards without their keywords. Then someone mentioned other cards that had ability words added to them and asked why you couldn't do the reverse, and you said keywords are handled differently. But Maro, Morbid IS an Ability Word! So confused.

Sorry. I misremembered that morbid is an ability word.

Ability Words Card Printing Keywords Mark Rosewater Morbid Reprints Tragic Slip

Tragic Slip Core Set

Could Tragic Slip be reprinted in a Core set but without the Morbid ability word?

We generally don’t reprint cards that have a keyword mechanic without the keyword being used.

Ability Words Card Printing Keywords Mechanics Morbid Reprints Tragic Slip

Significance of 13

How do you decide seemingly arbitrary values in instances like Tragic Slip's -13/-13 effect or Army of the Damned's 13 Zombies or Into the Maw of Hell's 13 damage? Is 13 commonly used to represent a big number because it's perceived as an unlucky number, or does this come out of playtesting as an ideal choice in these cases?

13 was a theme of Innistrad because it’s a symbol of bad luck.

Army Army of the Damned Innistrad Into the Maw of Hell Playtesting Tragic Slip Zombie

Significance of 13

This may have been asked before, but what was the significance of the number 13 in the Innistrad block (Into The Maw of Hell, Curse of the Skisfang, Withengar Unbowed, Tragic Slip, etc)??

The number thirteen superstitiously brings bad luck so it is used often in horror films.

Horror Innistrad Into the Maw of Hell Tragic Slip

Flavor Imperfections

Does it ever bother you that Broken Fall can't save a creature from Tragic Slip?

And you can Remove Soul a Soulless One. The flavor’s good but it’s not perfect.

Broken Fall Creatures Flavor Remove Soul Soulless One Tragic Slip

White Removal Critique

Isn't it weird for white to have the permanent, efficient removal that is Path to Exile? When I think of efficient removal I think of black, but most 1-drop removal in modern is Bolt (makes sense) or Path (less so). I wish instead of Path we had some kind of super Tragic Slip, like Disfigure but with the additional option of sacrificing a creature to exile the target instead of -2/-2ing it.

If you have read me for any length of time, you would know that I am not a fan of Path to Exile or any efficient version of white removal that allows it to get rid of anything. I much more prefer White having answers with answers such as Pacifism and Oblivion Ring.

Black Creatures Disfigure Modern Oblivion Ring Pacifism Path to Exile The Exile Zone Tragic Slip White

Complex Commons

In response to the person asking about NWO, here are some commons that are not only in competitive decks right now, but also very complex in most situations and lead to a lot of decisions: Doomed Traveler, Tragic Slip, Delver of Secrets, Faithless Looting, Duress, Fog, Mulch, Young Wolf, Arbor Elf, Smite, Zhur-Taa Druid, Negate, Farseek, Goblin Electromancer, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Pilfered Plans, Cloudfin Raptor, Grisly Salvage, Thought Scour, Centaur Healer, Elvish Visionary, Pillar of Flame, etc.

FYI

Arbor Elf Avacyn's Pilgrim Centaur Centaur Healer Cloudfin Raptor Commons Competitive Play Doomed Traveler Druid Elf Elvish Visionary Faithless Looting Farseek Gates Goblin Goblin Electromancer Grisly Salvage Mulch Negate Pilfered Plans Pillar of Flame Thought Scour Tragic Slip Wolf Young Wolf Zhur-Taa Druid

Black Removal Evolution

You said: "Black creature removal has shifted away from having to have restrictions. “Just let black kill” seems to be the current motto." That doesn't seem to be the case, since of the four main black kill spells in Standard, Tragic Slip is conditional, Ultimate Price and Victim of Night are target-restricted, and only Murder just kills. What's up with that?

I didn’t say we dropped all restrictions, I just said we are pushing towards more letting black kill than we used to.

Black Creatures Spells Standard Tragic Slip Ultimate Price Victim of Night

Innistrad Number Theme

Was there something special about the number 13 for Innistrad block? (referring to Blasphemous Act, Tragic Slip, and Into the Maw of Hell)

Yes, it was a mini theme in the block due to the status of 13 being a superstitiously unlucky number.

Blasphemous Act Innistrad Into the Maw of Hell Tragic Slip

Visualizing Tragic Slip

Does it bother you at all that you can tragic slip Avacyn, Innistrads great savior? Picturing it in my head it would truely be tragic.

It would be tragic.

Tragic Slip