How A Rejected Card Design Became The Greatest New Mechanic | Magic The Gathering

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Check out What To Expect In Strixhaven | The Professor's Top 5 Predictions here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ2cmpSgg7hoa6M

[@violentswamy8147]

Really excited for the new Warmbo and John Krasinski KZbin channel!

[@avacyn9946]

This was a really good video!

[@swiftdragonrider]

Yes plz. Anything for less plainswakers. Please no more. I am so sick of them. Even tho they actually did good and none of the new ones are that good.

[@aidensypolt]

omnath is being banned in any format. he was very powerful

[@DonovanPresents]

Imagine more sagas about more planeswalkers? 🤩

[@GoodMorningMagic]

As someone who was in the room where it happened with Sagas (and still has Richard's original playtest cards at the office!) this was great history recap. (Not to mention had spiffy production values!) Great work. :)

[@patricklickman9972]

Thanks Gavin!

[@stormcry0]

I wanna be in the room where it happens, The room where it happens!! (8) (But honestly, being part or R&D would be a dream come true... Some day... Some day... Im not gonna waste my shot (?) )

[@RasmusVJS]

Do you think there's a chance we'll actually see sagas take planeswalker spots in new sets?

[@RafaelAAMerlo]

I cried at this video when I saw Victor Adame Minguez smile holding the real-world encarving. The story and the art of Magic are so powerful and part of my imagination since my childhood that whenever it manifests in other art media and venues my heart warms up. I wonder if someday would be possible to do it myself as a composer and set some of this sagas and stories to Music

[@Turn2Ugin]

@@RasmusVJS no

[@kendowarrior99]

The art on sagas would be incredible in a return to Kamigawa.

[@obadijahparks]

I want that so.... much!

[@Pistolsatsean]

YES

[@stephencarroll4681]

That would be awesome. Their main reservation about returning was the legendary theme but with the historic mechanic (and uncommon legendaries) there's nothing standing in the way. Return to Kamigawa will have insane sales

[@pokecool2257]

This is the comment WOTC needs to see for inspiration... Among other comments *looks over at strixhaven praying there is no mention of the word Harry potter*

[@danielwappner1035]

@@stephencarroll4681 I just hope it's longer than just one set..

[@SpiritGolem]

Modal Double-Faced Sagas for return to Tarkir, front for the original timeline the back for the alternate.

[@ethancordray8006]

That would be DOPE AS HELL. So hard to design, though.

[@mckenziebraswell-miller2327]

Okay, I’m on board because that sounds absolutely sick

[@nyxvalkenburg]

@@ethancordray8006 I think it would be easy, you word the reminder text to say: Transform after N in one side, and Sacrifice after N in the other side. And could be a cycle of Fall and Rise i.e.: Rise of Marduk Clan//Fall of the Marduk, Fall of Kolaghan//Rise of Kolaghan

[@ry7hym]

oh... yes please

[@jackheintz9747]

This aged well!

[@thefrozengoat]

“Bands with other Homarids” is probably the best ability I can think of.

[@christopherlundgren1700]

The Homarids are a proud and self-deterministic people and they insist that they get to decide how combat damage is dealt to them.

[@ohno8569]

Both of these comments are epic...

[@jamesgasik3424]

Was that on an 'un' card? I thought Homarids and Camarids went extinct (and I'm pretty sure "Bands with" never made it out of Legends).

[@christopherlundgren1700]

@@jamesgasik3424 Close. The Old Fogey has Bands with Other Dinosaurs and Protection from Homarids. As we all know, dinosaurs and lobstermen are natural enemies so it makes sense.

[@jamesgasik3424]

@@christopherlundgren1700 Ah ok, thanks.

[@DorkmasterFlek]

Sagas really are the best damn idea they've come up with in years. I love them, glad they're used more often now!

[@faerie7dragon]

I've yet to see one being cast myself, outside of limited or that random The Eldest Reborn some Nicole fans use for flavour.

[@RowanHG]

Birth of Meletis and Elspeth Conquers Death was used CONSTANTLY all over the place in Standard not too long ago.

[@doncon_380]

@@RowanHG and also history of benalia for a long time in standard as well as flame of keld in budget mono red decks

[@faerie7dragon]

@@RowanHG That is awesome, from Standard the only one I ever saw was History of Benalia, for aggro decks.

[@Pistolsatsean]

@@faerie7dragon do you even play the game?

[@Marlun42]

$20 says someone somewhere is already getting a Bloodsky Massacre tattoo.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Oh, I am sure.

[@TheSkullPanda]

@@TolarianCommunityCollege this just builds in my theory of an alternate prof personality, the "punk prof", who shaves his head, has tattoos, probably rides a motorbike or wears leather jackets.

[@AJKiesel]

@@TheSkullPanda That's what I imagine red Prof as. Radical.

[@artfulGhoul]

@@AJKiesel Good Point. I feel like we've met Blue Prof and Black Prof. When do we meet White, Red, and Green Prof?

[@AJKiesel]

@@artfulGhoul ​ @Bryan Arneson You can meet them in the "Which Magic: the Gathering Color are you?" video from a week ago.

[@fanaticalproductions9661]

This video should be called “The saga of sagas.”

[@patricklickman9972]

Mark Rosewater already took that title for his article!

[@arlanengin6904]

@@patricklickman9972 Then this video should have been called The Saga of Sagas (of Sagas).

[@kerolokerokerolo]

Like history of history is historiography, this would be sagaphy

[@omnivore6607]

History of historic permanents (one kind of them)

[@StrikerX-]

Engagement metric

[@angelowilliams5239]

I gotta say, I thoroughly enjoy Sagas as a mechanic. I agree that seeing more of them and less planeswalkers for a few sets would be perfectly fine.

[@gyorgyor7765]

The Forgotten Realms MIGHT not have Planeswalkers because that is not how Planar travel works in D&D's multiverse. Sagas on the other hand they can go nuts with because between Forgotten Realms novels, important moments within the settings history, and volume of lore Sagas fit the Forgotten Realms like a glove. I could easily design dozens of Sagas from Forgotten Realms lore.

[@LouisKing995]

Fewer planeswalkers

[@SenorTallon]

Oh my gosh, in a future Return to Tarkir we could get the saga "Surrak Punches the Bear"!

[@stevenvanveelen9124]

Yes please! ''Surrak punches the bear'' 1RG Act 1; Create a 1/1 human warrior token. Act 2; Create a 2/2 bear token. Act 3; Target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn and fights another target creature. edit: How cool would it be if the saga would gave the 2/2 bear to target opponent? Flavor :D

[@Sombres]

"Sarkhan goes to Hot Topic" "Narset reads a book" "Sidisi murders someone"

[@aleix2012]

@@stevenvanveelen9124 Spoiler: the 1/1 human dies by punching the bear...

[@therealbaddie6959]

One of my favorite mechanics that hasn’t been given a keyword is “tap creature it doesn’t un tap during next untap” I feel like it should be like “freeze target creature”

[@Highstar7331]

Agreed!

[@EdHGuru]

I legit call it a “freeze tap” because the majority of the cards that do it depict some form of icy art work ie frost Titan icefall regent icy blast ojutais breath.

[@bartoszkleszcz5420]

Paralyze or stun would also work.

[@Highstar7331]

@@bartoszkleszcz5420 stun has been known to refer to "target creature can't block this turn" (Google stun mtg) but I appreciate the idea

[@felixrivera895]

Freeze is oddly in the state that Mill was before they made it evergreen

[@andrewnixon5872]

I want to see a Saga that Transforms into a Planeswalker. Like a literal living legend. Or the reverse could work if it was a Gideon.

[@dawsonburroughs4858]

That’s like the best idea I’ve heard all day

[@friki1282]

I disagree with the profesor in that planeswalker make the game less fun. It all goes to how well designed and foreshadowed into the lore. I think that they are pretty cool because yo can choose what they are gonna do next, making feel alive. I love sagas too. No need to explain why. So this idea you had, is fantastic.

[@friki1282]

Maybe, they could be modal cards instead of transforming. It will make more sense on most cases. The Gideon case will work better as a transformation.

[@WitherFang]

Now that would be an amazing way to make Planeswalkers! A Saga on how the particular individual actually became a PW and the last Lore counter will basically flip the Saga with a replacement text over it being destroyed, into the individual, as a planeswalker!

[@bravely_first6057]

Calix: Origins

[@strangelaw6384]

Professor: one of the most fun, engaging, and flavorful mechanics in years Vorinclex: *evil laughs*

[@qwcew]

Still pretty flavourful. Vorinsexy accelerates sagas beneficial to him (Sagas you control [Storywise: The Trickster-God's Heist and Waking the Trolls]) and stalls opposing sagas (Storywise: The Raven's Warning).

[@qwcew]

@@MrBkatt True, to a degree. If the Saga is active before he enters, then the Saga is 'stuck' on its current stage. However, once Vorinclex is removed, the next Saga's can progress as usual. Still, I definitely understand the woes of Vorinclex's saga-hate mechanic. Though I wonder if people would be feeling the same if there were more Sagas with a passive effect, particularly in their first part (Elspeth Conquers Death's second part, The First Iroan Games second part, or The Raven's Warning's second part.)

[@Redwud3381]

As a primarily commander player, I want to see some sort of storyteller commander where sagas are his whole schtick. Whether it's someone who makes it so you don't sacrifice the saga after the final chapter or someone who can lock a saga on a particular chapter or something like that.

[@Carrtoondragon]

I read someone mentioning they made a Ghen saga deck. Apparently you can sac the sage before it sacs itself to Ghen's ability. Sounded pretty spicy to me.

[@ilmarivirtanen9145]

Huh you got what you wished for, Tom Bombadil from the LOTR set. And it's 5 color too.

[@clemos1845]

"Time of Ice" is still my absolute favorite saga - the art is just so incredible!

[@danielwappner1035]

The only problem I have with it is that what it does mechanically feels too disconnected from what it's trying to represent

[@robbburch]

I want a playmat with Time of Ice Artwork Soooooooooooo badly!!!! I haven’t been able to find anything with the artwork :(

[@clemos1845]

@@robbburch me too. I would love to buy a print somewhere

[@WangFire]

The sole reason I got back into Magic after 15 years was Sagas and the Historic mechanic in Dominaria. I play MtG solely for flavor, and I was hooked on the idea of playing a deck that told a story. I know the Prof hates Planeswalkers, but Planeswalkers and Sagas are THE embodiment of Magic The Gathering's soul and I wouldn't have become an active player if it weren't for those two card types.

[@artfulGhoul]

I love Sagas. Honestly, if Planeswalkers had been designed with exclusively 'minus' abilities that put them on a clock just like Sagas, I think they would be a great part of the game as well.

[@elenna_alexia]

I love sagas and I like the idea of putting them in more sets in place of planeswalkers. When you said "we haven't talked about the best part yet: The art" I said the last part in unison with you. The art is just so wonderful on these and adds so much flavor. They did a great job on the new Kaldheim ones.

[@giansantos3134]

Yeah, would be nice, like a static ability like "+0: PW ability is any Saga in play or under your control effect". May be very limiting, not unless if the PW is colorless

[@trantigone]

Great video prof! I think one thing to note is that Yugioh actually used to have a pretty active line of transparency thanks to Pojo Forums. Kevin Tewart, who was a pretty big name in the yugioh department of Konami America, was very active on Pojo forums and would frequently comment on certain cards and how they were designed/translated etc.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Interesting!

[@PrettyNightmare69]

I love your vids Professor! The Sagas have beautiful art, the wood craving one is awesome!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Glad you like them!

[@poisonpeoplemtg4304]

I agree! Prof, you make me fall so much more in love with the game. ❤

[@palrobfred1]

I really love this type of video. Showcasing the history and design while also talking about implementation and the future. I’d love this to be a more common video type. Maybe highlighting various tribes or fun card abilities and looking at the ‘why’ behind them.

[@KT-dq6wv]

I love planeswalkers, but you are surely right on that they are printed way too often. War of spark went way too far!

[@alexanderkaufman3575]

Perhaps, but I will admit that it at least made sense, all the planeswalker being called to the plane by the Interplanar Beacon for a massive showdown. Although not necesarily a fan of the story leading up to War of the Spark. Felt to much like a cop out of Avengers Endgame (released not to far apart from Ravnica)

[@01MEGABOB]

@@alexanderkaufman3575 I’m glad it’s not just me that felt that. Definitely looked like they were just jumping on the “super hero team up” theme of the last few years.

[@felixrivera895]

Honestly War of the Spark made them reinvent how Planeswalkers work a little, so there was a benefit. I just would like to see walkers become more rare and awe inspiring again

[@alexanderkaufman3575]

@@felixrivera895 With you there! Maybe if they became more deciduous rather than evergreen. But despite having relatively recently gaining the Legendary card type, they have kind of stopped feeling legendary. Also, I feel Sagas are a lot more user friendly than walkers. I remember not knowing what a planeswalker was when I pulled my first one (M10 Liliana Vess) and not knowing how to use it. Sagas have reminder text at the top explaining it

[@CPYRGTNME]

This is probably my fav video you've ever done. I'd love to see more history of MTG videos!

[@bgstilts1675]

"I'm sick of planewalkers" *me looking at my atraxa superfriends deck* "yeah man, same here. Duh."

[@raseaces]

Exactly! I've deep-dived into a lot of behind-the-scenes for games, but I don't think any other game in the world has been so transparent with it's design process as Magic has, thanks to the articles and podcasts and videos over what has been decades. It honestly took me by surprise when I started playing Magic. In some games you'd be hard-pressed to find the reasoning why a certain game element is a certain way, in Magic you'd get a whole article explaining why a card is like so, chronicling the multiple versions it went through and how it got it's effects, art, flavor text, etc. The accumulated know-how they've built over the years is such a fantastic resource for anyone looking into game design, and I don't think everyone realizes just how incredibly valuable it is that they've chosen to make it all accessible for free to their player base. I can't think of any other long-running global piece of media that consistently shares all their "secrets" like that.

[@TalliahSlavik]

As a dedicated Two-Headed Giant Player my favorite mechanic is „Partner With“ from Battlebond. You can play as teams where you play one partner and your team member plays the other one. The mechanic is also a bit open so that you can use both partners all by yourself in your own (EDH) deck or even play a Two-Headed Giant Commander game helping each other decks out. I built an Orzhov Sylvia Brightspear Deck with Knight Tribal and my friend built a Rakdos Khorvath Brightflame Deck with Dragon Tribal. Both Decks are built to have strong graveyard mechanics to fish and/or revive for one Partner card to pro-actively help out each other. This is not just sharing life total and blocking for each other - It has so much more depth to the gameplay. I also put Crux of Fate into my deck, to help out my friend. To this day I do neither know why so few people play Two-Headed Giant nor why the partner with mechanic was not so well received. As a future development and regarding the evolution of the playerbase towards multiplayer and EDH, I wish for more team based mechanics which have a Backdoor like partner with, to be still playable in matchups without teams. My dream would be a combination of partner with and the melds with mechanic.

[@brittanynguyen3794]

Ah, yes, _flavour_

[@stormcry0]

The tastiest part of magic, its spices design.

[@clagen86]

*sips goblet* Yes.... Quite!

[@evanstanley8114]

Last year I started playing Magic again after 20 or 25 years off. It's been such a joy to rediscover again. And a lot of that joy has come not only from uncovering the cards again and all the memories they hold, but also from watching your videos, and knowing that there are people like you who play and care about this game too. You bring so much warmth, humour, and humanity to the world of this game. Thank you!

[@marceledel8619]

Here's an idea: Instead of the yearly Planeswalker Decks, at least once Wizards can make Saga Decks. Have a few theme decks with limited edition Saga cards that retell the many events of the Multiverse (E.G. The Kami War and The Conflux of Alara's Shards ).

[@aryeh323]

Man it's almost as if this richard garfield is a good game designer or something...

[@grahamward4556]

It seems to me like one thing that helps his more recent Magic designs is that he isn't typically designing magic anymore. He comes in as a game designer, rather than a Magic designer and so brings in wild ideas. The card Cramped Bunker in Unstable was originally submitted by Richard Garfield for Dominaria. He just brings in these crazy ideas, some of which even work!

[@NecromancyForKids]

He has come up with a lot of stinkers, too.

[@suikodin2501]

@championchap the stinkers didn't happen before the hits. It's not like he was 'bad at it first'. The stinkers comment is legit. He is very hit/miss. As opposed to OP mentioning generically good.

[@icathiantactician9209]

​@@suikodin2501 He is generally a good game designer though who thinks outside of the box with game design. Its also just who he is as a guy, as btw, he could easily have rested on his laurels and stuck with only MTG but that isn't what he wanted and left in the mid 2000s so he can pursue making other games. What you are forgetting is the big one: A lot of his other creations have to live in MTG's shadow. Which means their popularity is always going to have a lower ceiling for popularity and a more fleeting interest compared to MTG.

[@NecromancyForKids]

@@suikodin2501 Exactly this. I'm 100% not saying he is bad at game design because he's made some bad ones, but I'm just saying, he doesn't make only good games. Many of said not good games having come out well after MTG.

[@whycantijusthaveausernameo3993]

So when we finally get to New Phyrexia, I want there to be Sagas there. The history of Phyrexia, the conquest of Mirridon, and most importantly: Their conquest of other planes.

[@TheZahirNT2]

Mirrodin

[@lazerbeam134]

They can reprint Phyrexian Scripture

[@SkyknightMu]

First they to conquer something…

[@Trismagistus88]

I must say, this is one the finest videos I've seen for Vorthos audiences, (and every player is bit of a Vorthos inside) especially how it intertwines flavor, lore, design process, game mechanics and history, great for new and established players. It helped appreciate the cards beyond their commercial value or competitiveness...and yes, those other videos are fun and useful to watch, too.

[@AllAboutTradingCardGames]

I love saga’s, I think it is good that they brought it back for Kaldheim. Would be kind of silly if they did not.

[@samus2205]

They need to be evergreen. Or at least deciduous

[@AllAboutTradingCardGames]

@@samus2205 true! They shouldn’t be included in every set. What I meant is that Kaldheim is based on Norse mythology and folklore, saga’s in the real world are basically these epic tales of Norse and Germanic heroes and gods. Not including saga’s in Kaldheim would be like creating a set based on Ravnica and not include multicolor cards =)

[@npcSteven]

this is probably my favorite prof video ever--down to the editing, it just felt so good and fun and fluid and story-like

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jemm113]

We NEED the Spellplague, The Sundering, and The Sundering 2: Deity Boogaloo as Sagas for the D&D set!

[@andreasbuehler1821]

Karsus binds Mystra.

[@prog00017]

This was a great watch! Really good compilation of the history of the mechanic's development and the interesting design space it opens up for future sets.

[@carloscalvo5644]

More planeswalkers should died in War of the Spark

[@davidreid4334]

Rage Werewolf the Apocalypse TCG did it first back in 1995. At least the card frame and type, still love that game

[@stormybaker4135]

Solemnity says, "I said hey. Baby, I got your money."

[@ruvmu]

"I would like to see a reduction in planeswalkers and an increase in sagas" And the monkey's paw curled a finger.

[@theredbaron3989]

Man, Sagas aged well. Lore Counters? Aging? This is the part where you laugh.

[@jimmyrivera1830]

Take my like and leave

[@TheFiretiger]

Ha

[@K1llerL0mbaX]

That tattoo is my favorite art from the new set. Replacing planes walkers with sagas would be awesome. Give planeswalkers a break ever now and again

[@thatvillainjay]

Don't think I didn't notice the whole video is actually a 3 part saga

[@ChaostheClown]

I always come back to your channel when I get that magic itch, and I've been watching since the beginning. Your content's still amazing [even better!] and I'm just happy to see you happy talking cards. Thanks as always!

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

Huh, didn't know that Planeswalker cards could've ended up looking like Saga cards.

[@mikeh5871]

I liked this video Professor. It was clean and told a bit of a story. If you ever run short on content short little stories like this (not directly about the Magic storyline but more the story of magic's creation of the game) really are relaxing and enjoyable.

[@VivaLaReverend]

Right on time to class!

[@BluWoolify]

I was a little late, can I see your notes after class?

[@codybullock6123]

One of my favorite videos on this channel. Relevant and balanced! Thanks professor!!

[@thefrozengoat]

Just like I wish that Planeswalkers would NOT accompany every set, I hope that Sagas do not either. They’re so cool but I feel like they’re most flavorful when they’re in a set that relies on deep history being a part of the immediate narrative. I don’t know if they would have felt right in Ikoria for instance.

[@dariocampanella7992]

I agree. I dont think they belong in a core set either. I think is nice to have them 1 out 3 sets. It what makes the set special. And i think if was of the spark didnt have a lackuster story it would have belonged there. I would like to see artifacts sagas for mirrodin. Even if is going to be unbalanced due to recursion. I think continuing the story of the phyrexian is nice.

[@thefrozengoat]

Also, to clarify - I absolutely love sagas and probably always will. The fact that they debuted in the most nostalgia-field set in a long time is icing not he cake.

[@thefrozengoat]

@@dariocampanella7992 whoa - very interesting. Is a saga an item, per se? Great idea either way. I can definitely see colorless saga where it might matter. But it probably couldn't be an artifact because it is also an enchantment already. And I don't think there has been an artifact/enchantment combo card ever. But I am totally ok with new card types being slowly introduced. Would add lots more dimension to the game. When are we going to get that 6th color we've all been dreaming of anyway?

[@Psil33t]

love seeing a video that's primarily optimistic. nice change of pace.

[@Mognet_t]

I personally like Sagas being a "once in a while" mechanic. I love them, but I'd hate to see them become stale or overused like Planeswalkers.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

this. in 2 years will see how well this video aged

[@draytonyork4811]

I LOVE hearing behind the scenes design stories like this. Always happy to see these wonderful videos go up!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Glad you like them!

[@IAmQale]

Double faced sagas for Innistrad: Werewolves

[@dominickdavila1836]

Neon Dynasty hit those “Deciduous” types hard! Vehicles and Sagas for everyone, its like a car dealership and a library had a baby

[@pvtpain66k]

"it's not an actual tattoo" Give it time. It's in Rakdos, one off them will DEFINATELY do it. Edit. Return to Return to Theros with a bunch of sagas would be cool.

[@Pistolsatsean]

Im actually considering it

[@yugen]

Returning Magic player here (played in 95, 2002, 2015, and now) Foretell, Sagas, Runes, - AWESOME new mechanics! Really creates a lot of depth and alleviates some of the inherent issues within MTG game design (for example, Foretell allows Magic to function more like Hearthstone in many ways and mitigates some of the issues with land draw). And wow, the art and flavor of the Sagas is just beautiful. I love it!

[@yanlopez674]

I remember a time when a player said: a saga, an enchantment that doesn't permanently stay on the battlefield. That kind of card sucks ngl. . . . . Boy was he so wrong

[@Twafflejc]

Eventually, he started to use it himself didn't he?

[@yanlopez674]

@@Twafflejc Yeah, as soon as sagas were seen in the standard meta

[@NecromancyForKids]

That's like saying instants suck because they don't stay

[@Ajani413]

I'm so glad sagas became a popular card type. Toms of flavor, tons of design space. I love how some require build around while others fit in multiple archetypes. Excellent card design

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I totally agree!

[@Thror251]

I would want to see a reduction in "boring" planeswalkers. They are all basically the same with a card advantage/loyalty ability, a protection/board impact ability and a game ending ultimate ability.

[@thisguyIGOTOUNO]

Great content. You have me looking a little closer at the art of my cards now! Also, I had no idea about the wood carved art! That's awesome!

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Anyone else want a saga called “A Song of Ice and Fire”?

[@blueroom789]

A Song of Frost and Fire is a saga in Kaldheim and about as close as you can get to that reference

[@FishMr3]

scryfall.com/card/khm/204/battle-of-frost-and-fire You mean almost exactly like this one?

[@danielmillar255]

Being new to Magic I do enjoy hearing about the history of cards, decks and mechanics... Thank you

[@Goggledguy]

Damn, last time I was this early White still had unique abilities and its own portion of the color pie!

[@emyron1843]

so you've never been this early, eh?

[@saqvobase4301]

I love how you structured the video like a saga, with the chapters

[@jessicajones657]

I agree, less Planeswalkers and replace them with Sagas. Make a Planeswalker and Saga set and there is a backbone for the pre-construction decks of any new set. I really think Sagas are a great way to point out the importance of the story being told to a wider audience.

[@Keirebu1]

Muy creativo! Love how you broke this topic down saga-style. Great writing!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Thank you so much!

[@yashizuko]

Sagas are basically "super sayan" archetipe for magic, something that "if i can charge it up to max ohhh boy you are in trouble"

[@glenmoody-elias1040]

I'd say that also applies for Planeswalkers in general. Sagas at least won't necessarily win you the game outright.

[@scettico...]

I don't think that's true. A saga almost always resolves all the way through if uncountered, and in many sagas, except maybe a few dominarian and kaldheim ones, the first chapter is what you play them for

[@andresbellocq6421]

Dragon ball secret lair

[@philcolton5933]

Great video, love when the talented artist of magic get the spot light.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

I’m conflicted by sagas. despite their competently handled nature in Kaldheim and Theros, I don’t think they were as impactful like they were in Dominaria. That set was able to tell a tale about mtg itself and it had the means to do so. Ever since Dominaria, the newer sagas just feel more shallow, especially when they’re used to parody real world myths and events (the Olympics Saga, ragnorok).

[@DarkDragonDave]

I think part of it might be the fact that Dominaria's Sagas were part of Magic history. There's an "I remember that" factor. The newer sagas are new information.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

@@DarkDragonDave it’s a distinct advantage that it can achieve thanks to more than a decade worth of sets. I adore other old sets like kamigawa and alara but they’re not nearly deep enough or central to magic like Dominaria to warrant sagas. That said, I don’t know a better way to portray their story and history the way sagas can so perhaps it’s something we just have to settle for

[@DarkDragonDave]

@@vinnythewebsurfer Sagas are effective story delivery. And until they return to a plane with as much importance as Dominaria, sagas will remain the way they feel. (Also, if it looks like I thumbs downed your comment, I accidentally clicked it when I went to click "Show more.")

[@schwaah]

Please release more content on commander deck techs. I have had a lot of fun playing decks that you have created. Thanks :)

[@kennydarmawan13]

Many Magic: the Gathering players ask the question: Will Wizards ever steal a gameplay mechanic idea made by a fan?

[@KingBobXVI]

I'm sure someone's done something similar to Sagas before, but let's be honest, over the last 25 years of this game's existence so many fan designs have been made, it would be far more improbable for them to come up with a design that _hasn't_ been thought of before than it would be to come up with something literally no one has ever done. If they were required to run every idea through even just /r/CustomMagic and scrap it if even one person had done something vaguely similar before, the game would never have a new mechanic again.

[@VincentWolfeye]

This was an really elegant video. And some well earned praise for magic on one of their best mechanics in recent years. Well done to the both of you 😊

[@saucercrabzero]

Sagas are an excellent piece of game design, in a time when there's been a lot of really good game design, some terrible game design(companions), and some absolutely terrible business choices. Magic is really going through some of the highest highs, and lowest lows all at once right now.

[@serafimb2319]

This video came at the exact right time for me. I was starting to lose interest in new sets, however i thought you might have something interest to say about it. Now i'm glad i clicked it. Thanks for showing me that wizards are creative as ever with their art instructions

[@alfyb4512]

I’d be happy to see more sagas and less planeswalkers. Heck, I’d be happy to see more basic lands and less planeswalkers.

[@piguy5684]

As someone who does a lot of custom card design, the level of transparency from Wizards on their design process is one of the most interesting and brilliant things the company does. Would love to see more videos like this in the future!

[@faerie7dragon]

This mechanic is so great, I've yet to see anyone in my EDH playgroup ever cast a Saga, they might be just a tiny bit too slow.

[@Betropper]

I play an Aminatou flicker deck that messes around with all the Esper sagas, and it’s almost insane to flicker things like Scriptures, Fall of the Thran and Kiora Bests the Sea God to the point that I’m considering taking them out. Also nice to just get great four-player value from smaller ones like King Narfi’s Betrayal. I think lots of them are super underrated!

[@Feyamius]

I have an Atraxa deck that manipulates counters in a way that you can remove them from permanents as well. I'm running a good amount of sagas in that deck bc they're so versatile and I can repeatedly trigger exactly the chapter that I need at any given time.

[@VoodooDuck]

I play a tayam, luminous Enigma deck and use a couple of sagas in it and reuse them from the graveyard. They are actually very good in it :) I play song of freyalise, return of the titans, tymaret calls the dead and ascend of the worthy

[@faerie7dragon]

@@Feyamius Not gonna lie guy, your meta sounds so nice, I am used to dying in by turn 5, not always to a combo. I'm jealous.

[@Pistolsatsean]

Edh players are actually the worst. Thinking that you can judge card balance from the perspective of a singleton format. Just keep buying commander products and stop asking for things that hurt the game in general.

[@Quroe_]

It may be subtle editing, but I'm a huge fan of the 'display timer' border you used when displaying a card.

[@shogotube]

In in a parallel world planes walkers were rejected and Magic is perfect.

[@BlueProphet7]

One of your best videos in a while Prof. You can tell you really care about this mechanic. I agree with you. One of the best things they've done in years.

[@ChristianSmithable]

Did COVID kill anyone else’s enthusiasm for this game?

[@jasonmcdonald1042]

No it did not lower it one bit

[@crooker23]

i can imagine that the in-person play aspect of magic is really important to a lot of people. if you have a webcam/discord you can still play paper magic with your friends, with a little hassle! a friend of mine plays twice a week with all his boys and its sweet

[@ChristianSmithable]

@@crooker23 I think I’ll give webcam magic a try. Are there major discord’s that host webcam tournaments maybe?

[@crooker23]

@@ChristianSmithable i dont know, but i would bet there are. if i remember to ill ask him about it and try to get back to you tho

[@crooker23]

@@ChristianSmithable he said playing with power has a discord tourney!

[@KingBobXVI]

There are actually _two_ physical art pieces in this set - the wood carving you mentioned, but also the carving in "The Three Seasons" is also a photo of a physical piece. This actually brings the total count of physical art pieces in MTG history to six. The other four being from Urza's Saga - Cathodion, Claws of Gix, Voltaic Key, and Worn Powerstone, all by Henry G. Higginbotham who also did the classic cover art for the D&D manuals of 3rd edition, all also in the same physical style.

[@Vmcf1968]

This was another well done discussion. awhile back you made a video called koria bests a sea god, it was the insperationj for my wifes first deck. she loved the video production so much that she just had to have a sea creature deck built around the saga. the deck we created together stays on theme and is still powerful, all thanks to your great redidtion of the card. ty, for your terrific contant brain keep up the good work.

[@joshwi4193]

Part of what makes sagas so engaging is that they're powerful ticking time bombs, but they still give an opponent the opportunity to defuse them before time is up. It adds a feeling of pressure or inevitability, while being versatile to many play types. By contrast, Planeswalker cards have very little wiggle room in terms of balance, and can end up being extremely unfun to play against. War of the Spark opened up a can of worms in the design space, with innate abilities on planeswalkers that made them feel even more constricting than usual. I've always thought that Planeswalkers should be temporary - cards that aid you in key moments, then planeswalk away. But I suppose it's much too late for that. Another great video, Prof!

[@TippettRugby]

Bravo to your writing and production team, this is quality content! I hope we get extended art sagas one day, to really show off the detail the artists put into their work!

[@dks6515]

What an amazing video, i never really took a look at saga cards until now and they are indeed awesome!

[@ETiWells]

Excellent video! Glad we can still find positive things in the game to talk about.

[@crazyvalman]

The idea of Sagas replacing Planeswalkers as auto includes in every set is interesting. What would also be great is that when a set is about new plane, they create planeswalker cards, and when it's about revisiting an old one, they create sagas. So both mechanics would still be represented frequently, but we would get more sagas and less planeswalkers

[@WindySilver]

Now this was full of stuff I had no idea about! Pretty cool! I for one would like to get see Sagas. They're definitely on the more unique side of MTG cards and I love the art and story in them (which is especially important since I'm a collector over a player when it comes to paper Magic).

[@Bluex12345]

I love the way a single card design combines story, gameplay, and flavor. Awesome video, Professor!

[@Hyper88]

The art having such minute details is such a splendor

[@neilcotton9184]

Great video Prof. To me it feels like saga's are getting it just right in terms of power level and the amount we see them. They have a design elegance about them too which feels right when it comes to the flow of a game of Magic. I really agree with the contrast you make with Planeswalkers... they've been around for a number of years now, yet it's clear that they remain a divisive topic in the game.

[@uncanidani8225]

The art direction and flavor are out of the park for sagas, for sure. Good eye on the tusk/tattoo/carvings, Professor! That's a cool detail. I enjoy planeswalkers as well, though. Because the characters are very important to me, and it makes me feel flavor-wise, that they're fighting alongside me. Having a board permanent in relation to a character I enjoy is very important to me in MTG.

[@donschellenberg6625]

Great video Professor! One of your best in quite a while! Loved the history lesson regarding Saga's...and...I really would them even more if they had the 'Go back to 'Chapter 1' mechanic like the original Planeswalker idea...that would be really be something. 👍👍

[@justins7711]

Really cool video prof! I love stuff that digs into design when it's actually successful. The art on these cards is also far more interesting than I originally thought. And I don't think people give wizards enough credit for just how transparent they are and have always been with their design decisions.

[@counsellour]

That was a particularly on-point narration!

[@BrandNewMorning]

I do agree that this would be a wonderful addition to the Forgotten Realms set.

[@lorenordeanjohnson]

I absolutely love Sagas. Completely on board with seeing more of them. So flavorful, vertical format is beautiful, and easily balanced.

[@eggsburst789]

I do enjoy the places the story is going, with each set focusing on the adventures of a different set of planeswalkers, so I feel that introducing new cards for them is a flavourful thing to show what changes they've gone through when compared to their previous appearance. Nissa getting a little blue was a good example of this in Kaladesh, and Garruk going from green, to green-black, to full black before going back to green was an interesting story in and of itself.

[@matthewyoho5422]

Garruk never went full black on any of his cards, they're all either mono-green or green-black.

[@mauriciokubaski4982]

The video was so nice! Thank you professor and equip! Also, saga mechanics are fun :D one of the things that made me and my wife stick with the game