I just wanted to be a voice in opposition to those upset about reprints like Oko, Elesh Norn, and Wurmcoil Engine. I think it’s awesome that some of these truly legendary cards can exist in an ordinary Limited format for which they are thematically relevant. I have no difficulty understanding that such cards appear so rarely that their impact on the format is minimal, certainly less so than even just the top common of the set. I also understand that Play Boosters are created with more than just Limited in mind. Without Stoneforge Mystic’s history on Constructed, no Limited player would have given it a second glance.

Often I put up someone complaining and it can read as if many people are making this complaint. Many more people are expressing happiness to get the cards than frustration that they potentially can show up in limited games.

I'm usually sending happy thoughts to this inbox, but today my game plan was ruined because my opponent cast wurmcoil engine in booster draft. Please tone down the crazy rares, they make the games much less fun and meaningful.

Is it your contention that we shouldn’t make cards of the power level of Wurmcoil Engine or that you preferred they weren’t in draft boosters?

Maro, it's my birthday this weekend and to celebrate we are drafting a box of Scars of Mirrodin! In that vein, I'd love some trivia on everyone's favorite Mirrodinian hero: Wurmcoil Engine.

Wurmcoil Engine was designed by Alexis Janson, winner of the first Great Designer Search.Happy Birthday!

Wurmcoil Engine has the wonderfully literal German name "Wurmspiralmaschine"

: )

RE: double sided tokens. I'd gladly pay for a 40 card pack of double sided tokens that are hard to get nowadays i.e. wurmcoil engine's tokens, Green/red goblin tokens for Wort, the raidmother, dragon broodmother's tokens. the Kaldra avatar token etc.

Would others like a supplemental product of just tokens? If so, double-sided or no?

I heard that in silver-border-land, a card's premiumness transfers to the tokens it creates. Does this apply to rarities, too? Can Rare-B-Gone take out the tokens made by Wurmcoil Engine?

Yes. A token takes on all qualities of the card that makes it including premiumness and rarity. 

I don't think every card should be competitive, but I do think relative power level should be less extreme. When cards like Wurmcoil Engine crop up - showing pretty blatant pushing for making the card sought for in constructed environments - well, it takes deckbuilding away from the players. Maybe this is my Johnny side, but don't you think that if power levels were a little more even we would see more mix and match?

The game is actually healthier with a wide range of power level than a very narrow one. One, it’s important for players at every level to be able to understand things and have things still to learn. Two, as we make errors on power level, having them all close together is much more dangerous.

you said that Scifi dosnt really have a place in magic but what about cards like Wurmcoil Engine and Phyrexia as a whole? they feel pretty scifi like and how in some places like Zendikar angels are more akin to (holy) aliens. not that I have a problem with those two things, I prefer them but I was just wondering

There is a difference between having some science fiction influences and being science fiction. Remember as I’ve talked about numerous times, from a core storytelling, I believe Magic is a science fiction story wrapped in fantasy trapping. (Much like Star Wars is a fantasy story wrapped in science fiction trapping.)

Does the modern day printing of all token creatures that appear in a set increase the token creature design space? Wurmcoil Engine makes two token creatures with different abilities, for instance- potentially hard to keep track of without indicators.

The existence of token cards in packs has led us to be slightly more willing to make tokens in greater quantity and in more complex forms. Slightly.

Related to the question above, why does R&D makes such blatant tournament worthy cards like the Titans or Wurmcoil Engine? It makes every other 6 CMC creature suck hard in comparison.

Make cards too good and people complain. Make them not good enough and people complain. Add in to that that only a small amount of cards can be “just right” when one makes 600+ cards a year and you can see why my mailbox is always full. :)