Volver

Volver Kicker Memory Aid

I never realized the two Volver kickers giving different +1/+1 counter amounts was a memory aid. I always assumed it was just "this is the color that makes it strongest".

I always enjoy filling people in on design decisions they might not have realized.

Colors Kicker Volver

Volver Abilities Number System

to get a bit meta with respect today's article, were the volver abilities always a combination of 1 and 2 counter abilities to aid in comprehension of the game state, or did y'all have to change them to that after playtesting?

The volvers were designed from the start with different numbers, so you could tell what abilities they had.

Playtesting Volver

Volver Type Consideration

Were there ever plans to give the creatures in the rare “and/or” kicker cycle the Volver type?

I don’t believe so.

Creatures Kicker Rares Volver

About Various Creature Types

-Er creature types: Nightstalker, Sliver, Shapeshifter, Specter, Soldier, Assembly-Worker, Spider, Artificer, Archer, Rigger, Berserker, Spellshaper, Salamander, Volver, Elder, Beholder, Bringer, Ranger, Badger, Thopter, Flagbearer, Badger, Otter, Oyster, Carrier, and Monger. Silver Border: Gamer, Paratrooper, Waiter, Proper (from Miss Demeanor, whose current typeline is Creature — Lady of Proper Etiquette), Designer, Lobster, and Wrestler.

FYI : )

Archer Artificer Assembly-Worker Assembly-Worker Badger Beholder Berserker Bringer Carrier Creatures Elder Flagbearer Gamer Humor Miss Demeanor Monger Nightstalker Otter Oyster Ranger Rigger Salamander Shapeshifter Shapeshifter Sliver Soldier Specter Spellshaper Spider Thopter Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Volver

Batching 'Er' Creature Types

I would like to second the request to batch bringer, monger, and volver.

Any other “er” creature types? : )

Batches Bringer Creatures Humor Monger Volver

Thingers or Doers Request

the batch that everybody really wants is bringer, monger, and volver. you could call them "thingers" or "doers" because their creature types aren't evocative of a specific form but simply imply that they do a thing.

That’s the first time I’ve had this request.

Batches Bringer Creatures Monger Volver

Unique Creatures Production Frequency

"1) There are also a bunch lower down on the scale. We have a lot of unique things to Magic.2) A bunch you have listed aren’t unique to Magic (like noggle or ouphe)." Which unique creatures are lower on the scale besides Slivers? And even those are only in supplemental sets at this point. I didn't know those weren't unique to magic, but the point is still the same; you guys seem to produce the more interesting looking and less generic creatures less often.

The original Magic creature types: Aetherborn, Assembly-Worker, Atog, Azra, Beeble, Blinkmoth, Bringer, Brushwagg, Camarid, Cephalid, Eldrazi, Fractal, Graveborn, Homarid, Inkling, Kavu, Kithkin, Kor, Lhurgoyf, Licid, Masticore, Metathran, Myr, Nightstalker, Orgg, Pentavite, Pest, Phelddagrif, Phyrexian, Praetor, Rigger, Saproling, Slith, Sliver, Soltari, Spellshaper, Spike, Surrakar, Tetravite, Thalakos, Triskelavite, Vedalken, Viashino, Volver, and Zubera.A bunch of those have appeared on new cards in the last five years.

Aetherborn Assembly-Worker Assembly-Worker Atog Atog Azra Beeble Blinkmoth Bringer Brushwagg Brushwagg Camarid Cephalid Colorless Competitive Play Creatures Eldrazi Fractal Graveborn Homarids Inkling Kavu Kithkin Kor Lhurgoyf Lhurgoyf Licid Masticore Masticore Metathran Myr Nightstalker Noggle Orgg Orgg Ouphe Pentavite Pest Phelddagrif Phelddagrif Phyrexian Praetor Rigger Saprolings Slith Sliver Soltari Spellshaper Spike Surrakar Tetravite Thalakos Triskelavite Vedalken Viashino Volver Zubera

Complex Card Request

Can we get a full art textless six colored volver arcane tribal conspiracy brush wag artifact enchantment land sorcery creature that’s playable in both vintage and casual commander?

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve gotten this request. : )

Art Artifacts Casual Play Commander Conspiracy Creatures Enchantments Kindred / Typal Lands Sorceries Vintage Volver

Designing Color-shifted Volvers

If you designed the Volvers for friendly-colored Planeshift, did you have to redesign them for Apocalypse's enemy colors? Did you just shuffle around the kicker effects from Shard-volvers to Wedges?

I had to redesign them.

Apocalypse Colors Kicker Planeshift Shuffle Three Color Volver

Volver Cycle Origins

Greetings MaRo. Thanks for your hard work. Birthday today so I thought to ask. Any trivia I could get on my first Rare, Necravolver, or its cycle?

I designed the Volver cycle during Invasion with the intent of it being the Kicker upgrade in Planeshift. Mike Elliott designed the Battlemages with the same intent. Not wanting both in the same set, the Volvers got pushed back to Apocalypse.Happy Birthday!

Apocalypse Birthday Kicker Mark Rosewater Necravolver Planeshift Rares Volver

Birthday Trivia Share

Mark, I've been following you and Doug manually for over a year now, and just got a tumblr account today. My birthday was on the 10th, and I was wondering if you had any trivia on either Cromat, or the Apocalypse disciple/sanctuary/volver cycles.

Mike Elliott designed the Battlemages and I designed the Volvers both during Planeshift design. We knew we couldn’t do both cycles so we put the Battlemages in Planeshift and moved the Volvers to Apocalypse. Happy Belated Birthday!

Apocalypse Birthday Blogatog / Tumblr Cromat Cycles Planeshift Volver

No Evolvers Yet

Why aren't there any Volvers with evolve yet?

Those would be evolvers. : )

Evolve Volver

Wedge Nicknames Origin

Do the nicknames for wedges come from the Volver cycle in Apocalypse?

There are no formal nicknames for wedges. Different players use different names.

Apocalypse Three Color Volver

Wedge Names

When we eventually get another set with wedge-golds, do you think you'll bring back the volver wedge names for them? (ana, ceta, necra, etc) Or do you think you're more likely to rename them all?

Those names were not designed to be the default names for the wedges. When (not if, I’m confident it will happen one day) we do a wedge set, we’ll get real names for them.

Three Color Volver

Shard Names Strategy

Were the shard names (Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Naya) named the way they were because you would know that people would use them to describe the color combination of decks, like "Esper Control" or "Naya Aggro", and because of this fact, did you want them to be as short/least amount of syllables as possible?

EDIT: TUMBLR’S ACTING UP. ORIGINAL QUESTION: DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DESIGN OF APOCALYPSE? As I explained in my podcast on Invasion, a lot of the cards in it were originally designed for Invasion and then saved when we decided to hold off on the enemy colored cards. So yes, I had a hand in the design of Apocalypse. Also, I made the Volvers.

Apocalypse Bant Bant (W/U/G) Blogatog / Tumblr Colors Drive to Work Esper Esper (W/U/B) Grixis Grixis (U/B/R) Jund Jund (B/R/G) Naya Naya (R/G/W) Three Color Volver Your Hand

Volver Cycle Fondness

What do you think of the Volver cycle from 'Apocalypse?'

It was my baby so I’m a bit biased, but I’m a big fan.

Apocalypse Volver