Do you have any wild ideas for sets that you know will never get made?
I never assume my wild ideas can’t get made. A lot of early brainstorming is about trying the crazy ideas because often they can be stepping stones to innovation.
July 2011
Dear Maro,
I was wondering. Doesn't it just drive you batty getting asked a million questions from people trying to fish information out of you? I would drive me crazy, and I feel for you man. New set looks CREEPY, and creepy is good. Keep up the good work.
I am honored that so many people care so passionately about what I do. Having too many people asking questions because they are so excited is a pretty good problem to have.
As we get closer to Innistrad’s release I’ll be able to say more and more. I will say that I think the questions getting asked are good ones and while I can’t answer most of them yet I do believe that when I can you’re going to like the answers I’ll give.
Will we be seeing Scarecrows in Innistrad? They're pretty creepy, and already have precedent as a tribal creature type.
I cannot give specifics yet but there are plenty of creepy things in Innistrad.
With all of the multicolored tribes in Innistrad, are we going to be seeing more multicolored cards this block? Lately we've only seen them as mythic rares, but it would be nice to see some at uncommon and rare, like Time Spiral block.
Innistrad is not a multicolor block. Yes, there will be a handful of multicolor cards like almost all blocks but this block is not about multicolored cards. When I say vampires are in black/red that means that they will appear as mono-black cards and mono-red cards.
Am I right in assuming the development codenames are completely random, or are they based on the content of the set?
The codenames of Magic expansions have no bearing on what the sets do mechanically. They are picked because they have a set of three in an order that everyone can easily remember. Don’t read anything into what a set might do based on its codename.
How can you see how the things will work if you change what the cards do during the tests? Sure, it blows mind and is fun, but doesn't it cloud things?
The way playtesting works is that you play and figure out what is working and what isn’t. Then you change what isn’t working and try again. Design and development are both very iterative processes. How do we keep track of what’s going on in an ever changing environment? It’s a skill you pick up.
How does design know what is fun/how to make a fun environment when they aren't messing with the power level of cards? I suppose Timmy and Johnny cards don't have to be 'strong'. Does development care more about Spike's enjoyment?
I think it’s a misnomer that Spike’s fun is only dependent on power level. Spike, like the other psychographics,has certain aspects of the game that he or she likes. Designing for Spike is playing into those areas.
Here’s my article about designing for Spike:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/67
Given your talents, industry connections, fans, intensive playtesting, and all the teasers you've given us, why aren't you ever going to give us a chance to buy the game you play with your wife?
If I could snap my fingers and get Mood Swings made it would be in your hands right now. I’m still plugging away on it. I hope someday it sees the light of day. It’s a complex issue that I can’t talk about.
Hey Maro, is there any place I can see wich cards are your the only creator? Would you be so kind to sign them if I send them to the office?
Thanks mate
No such document exists. If you list your twenty favorite cards, odds are I’ve made a number of them. I don’t have a list obviously, but my designs are in the thousands. (Working here for 15 years helps.)
So Ghosts will be WU? What about WG?
Ghosts are W/U. Well, they actually show up in all five colors but they’re concentrated in white and blue. What tribe is left for white and green? Talk amongst yourselves. I will say that it will make a lot of sense when you hear it.
If vamps are red and black and zombies are black and blue what are white and green? No love?
White & Blue and White & Green get tribes. We just haven’t told you what they are yet. Hint: Look at the “Tales from the Pit” below for a hint of what one of them is. (Okay, it’s more than a hint but what color combination will it be in?)
You've said that Innistrad will have blue zombies and red vampires. Will we have have black zombies and vampires too?
Yes. In Innistrad, vampires are black and red and zombies are black and blue.
If you're allowed to answer this... can we get any sort of idea of what's in store for the other four colours in Innistrad? All of the horror fantasy creature stuff like vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc. are all very distinctly black, and a horror theme in general is pretty black. I'm quite curious as to how the other colours fare in a set built around a theme that fits one colour.
At the SDCC Magic Panel, I gave away a few hints of things you’ll see in non-black:
Blue - Zombies (Frankenstein-type; zombies made by science)
Red - Vampires & Werewolves
Green - Werewolves
There’s a lot more coming but that’s all that’s been revealed so far.
What is the most enjoyable country that magic has taken you? Why that one?
I think the country that I enjoyed most was Australia. I went to Sydney twice, once for a Magic Invitational (with my wife and six-month old daughter) and once for a World Championships.
Runners-up include Brazil, Japan, South Africa and Finland.
Two questions:
1. Will we get a Van Helsing style Legend during the Innistrad block?
2. Besides Liliana can you give a cryptic clue, or maybe even a puzzle to hint at another planeswalker in Innistrad?
1. Maybe :)
2. In the San Diego Comic-Con Panel, I said the other planeswalker (Innistrad has two) is also a planeswalker you already know, aka has formerly been printed as a planeswalker.
So, vampires, zombies and werewolfs, okay. Is there any chance we will see creatures like demons, ghosts, maybe a lich or two, cursed dolls and etc? I really liked the flavor of Innistrad.
Yes.
Are you keeping "Human Wolf" as the creature types for a werewolf?
Not only is Innistrad playing up werewolves in a major way for the first time, it will also be introducing werewolf as a creature type.
