Part 1 of this series may be found here.

...And He Said:
"Wriiiiiite the beeeeeest Magic issues article in the world,
Or I'll eat your soul (soul)."
Well me and Ted, we looked at each other,
And we each said,"Okay."
So I wrote the first thing that came to my head,
Just so happened to be
The best Magic issues article in the world,
It was the best Magic issues article in the world...

Greetings, sportsfans.

Since my last installment, lots of crazy things have happened in the world of Magic. Mr. Rosewater published the follow-up column to Talk to Me, which was rather disappointing in my book. I would have liked to read about a few specific messages that Mr. Rosewater found especially interesting or otherwise liked rather than what he wrote, which amounted to a large scale version of the discussions of the previous week's survey that he usually tacks on to the end of his articles right before the new poll (gasps for air). There were a few things that were surprising, and I was glad to hear that people generally agree with me, but on the whole I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were a bit high; I was hoping that the project would be less of a litmus test and more of a community-wide brainstorming session. Fortunately for Mr. Rosewater, he redeemed himself with the announcement of the release of Unhinged, the sequel to the much loved Unglued. I can only hope that this means that R&D will get some of the silliness out of its system in one fell swoop.

The forum response to Part 1 was interesting. Feedback was mostly positive. A few people agreed with me that recent mechanics have been somewhat flavorless (Arcbound is an exception) and too restrictive in terms of what decks are viable. The biggest point of contention was my idea of reprinting the power nine. A few people's arguments were kind of nonsensical, but some were legitimate. One person said,"Magic is a collectable. The day they throw out the reprint policy and reprint the power cards is the day they have finally sold out, lied to their public, and I would quit the game cold turkey forever." Another argued that I underestimated the impact of reprinting on the value of the Power Nine, and had actually some rough figures to back it up.

I'd argue that reprints make a commodity more collectible. First editions of books go for astronomical sums, and certainly don't fall in value because a second or third edition is printed. If more people became interested in Type One because it became less expensive, the values of the"old school" nine might actually go up."Collectors" wouldn't care that the new nine was functionally the same as the old - they'd care that the old nine was still small in supply. Current Type One players would have their nine already, and new Type One players would love the chance to try their hand at Magic's most fabled format. I get the sense that Type One players are a bit hypocritical (Maybe factional is a better word than hypocritical, or at least a less odious one.). There are shouts of"not enough people play Type One, the format's dying!" but other Vintage players seem to have a bit of an"old boys club" kind of attitude.

I'd be interested to hear what a true economist has to say about this. If you're a Economics major or something, consider your assistance begged.

Deep thought for the day:

We Spikes are an arrogant bunch. We think Magic is about no one us. Who does MaRo answer to? Me. Why are cards like Phage the Untouchable printed? To spite me. Here's your ounce of perspective for the day. We don't count for squat. We're lucky R&D so much as acknowledges our existence. Do you know what the best selling set ever is? Guess. Is it the incredibly overpowered Odyssey? No. A set from the uber-broken Urza block? No. It's Legions.

Yeah.

The least favorite set of tournament players everywhere. That's how much we matter: Legions is the best selling set of all time.

Returning to the task at hand...

Color Pie
23.) How important is the color pie to you?
Simply put, the color pie should serve the game, not the other way around. The Green beasts of Onslaught block are a great example of what happens if cards are designed for the sole purpose of satisfying the color pie's definition of what a color should be doing. The thought process in R&D seemed to be"Green like huge creatures, so we have to design a bunch of random fatties." Cases in point: Krosan Groundshaker, Krosan Colossus, Towering Baloth, Treespring Lorian, Berserk Murlodont, Brontotherium, Enormous Baloth (not just Towering, Enormous!), Glowering Rogon, Krosan Cloudscraper, Titanic Bulvox.

Me: Mr. Rogon, what exactly are you?

Glowering Rogon: I'm a...um...a whatever!

I'll be returning to the idea that the color wheel needs to be a tool and not a omnipresent force of nature when we get to cycles.

24.) Does R&D put too much, just enough, or not enough emphasis on the color pie?
As implied by my answer to the previous question, a bit too much. Although this conversation from this magicthegathering.com article on Darksteel's development is both encouraging and scary:

"WW 1/15: This fits better into white vs. black as opposed to green vs. black, but I still don't think it's healthy in a block where we're already crossing so many other traditional lines, which is not to say I think we should never do this card, just maybe not here.
HS 1/16: Bothers me a lot less in white. Willing to playtest to see how it feels.
Bill 1/16: While I don't think this is crossing boundaries we shouldn't cross, if we are going to make flavorful cards that cross the line, we should make them in this block. The line is already crossed... another card won't matter."

They're probably talking about Purge.

25.) Should the color pie continually shift over time?
What does this question mean anyway? I'm assuming that it's asking if I'd like changes to the wheel to be regular, matter-of-fact occurrences, as opposed to sparingly-used measures to fix things that don't make sense. Is this even a question?"Oh, this block let's put lifegain in Red, just for a change of pace." Right.

26.) How often should we bleed an ability?
Sparingly, to make sure that each color maintains a distinct identity. Only to allied colors, or else only when it is otherwise flavorful. To clarify, First Strike is in both Red and White - in Red, because Red is impulsive and acts quickly, and in White because White is the best at military maneuvers and the like.

27.) Should R&D do a better job of explaining our current color wheel philosophies?
Yes. Maybe some of the weirder decisions will make more sense, or else their silliness would be exposed to outside scrutiny.

28.) What color is currently getting shafted?
Not Blue. Apparently most respondents cited Blue - but I don't see it. Before Skullclamp dropped an atom bomb on Standard, two of the top three decks used Blue (Affinity, U/W control). Part of this was due to the overall tendency of the metagame towards control (and permission's added value in a control heavy metagame) but if Blue had been total crap, we certainly wouldn't have seen the variety of Blue that we did. Black hasn't been too prevalent lately as a main color, but more because of metagame factors or the Black card pool's synergy than the Black card pool's power. Two of the current Standard's top decks splash Black. Red has been awesome in Limited, and is in several Standard decks.

Definitely White. Ben Bleiweiss has discussed this, and I agree with most of what he wrote. For Reference:

18,000 Words: Why Do You Hate Me, Randy Buehler?
And
Salt the Fields! Making White not Suck

Sometimes he's scarily prophetic:

"Make Samite Healer into the following:
W1, 1/1 Cleric. Tap: Prevent one damage to target creature. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each damage prevented in this way this turn."

Othertimes less so:
"Nobody could get Words of Worship to work in Constructed..."

Well of Lost Dreams? To his credit, Ben couldn't have known that Wizards would try the defeatist idea of making lifegain not suck by turning it into card advantage or fat.

But overall the assessment is valid. I initially didn't agree about Threaten/Ray of Command effects being White. I saw them as mind control, and mind control seemed bluer than blue. Then I remembered the flavor text for Chamber of Manipulation:"Politics is just a subtle form of mind control - and cephalids are master politicians." No, they're not (well, at least they shouldn't be); they're bookworms, scientists with nerdy glasses. Remember on The Simpsons when Comic Book Guy was on the"council of wise citizens" ruling in the absence of Mayor Quimby? That's what a Blue politician would be like. White is a much better politician - an unapologetic one, but a politician nevertheless. The Bush administration seems primarily White by Ben's definition, for instance.

The"Ask the Pros" feature on Sideboard a while back was on lifegain. How much life would an instant for a single White mana have to grant, they were asked, to see tournament play. Most responses were between seven and ten. Given the printing of Nourish, and the policy that White gets the best lifegain, I wouldn't be surprised to see something like that as early as Kamigama block. [Pulse of the Fields is insane. - Knut, just thought he'd mention that] Speaking of Kamigawa Block, anyone who jokes about"KKK Draft" will be slapped upside the head."CBS Draft" will be fun to write about though.

More on my plan to fix White later.

29.) What color has too much and needs to be knocked down?
Not too much, really. Colorless cards have been a bit out of control recently, but that's acceptable given that we've just had a whole block full of artifacts -"color unbalanced" sets can be dangerous because there's a greater chance that the broken cards of the set will be in the same color. Hopefully Fifth Dawn will bring some good answers to Ravager Affinity rather than just push it farther ahead of the pack.

30.) What ability is currently in a color it shouldn't be?
Shunt. Red, Wizards says, is a"trickster." Yeah, that Drooling Ogre sure is tricky! I can buy Red as a bit of a practical joker, but Red's idea of comedy is inflicting pain, not making a particularly witty pun. Red has no sense of irony at all, for instance.

No:
Grog: I sure do enjoy a nice afternoon of throwing rocks.
Targ: That's some gneiss schist, Grog - don't take it for granite!
Grog: lol.

Yes:
Grog: Urrg! Good throw.
Targ: Ha! You killed that leonin, Grog!
Grog: Huh huh huh.
Targ: I farted.
Grog and Targ: Huh huh huh huh!
Grog: Good one, Targ.

One of my friends suggested that Red is the color of battlemages, and that Shunt is kind of like a battlemage going"Just try it again, b***h." Well since the whole idea of the colors is that they represent different styles of combat, and therefore different kinds of battlemages, I don't like that argument. Leonin Battlemage kind of pokes some holes in that theory as well.

The verdict is in - stack manipulation is not Red. Blue knows the most about the nature of Magic - that's why Blue gets the mechanic.

31.) What ability needs to be in an additional color?
Recently I had a chance to sit down with White and have a chat. The following is what transpired.

GB: So, White, nice to have you here today.

Wt: Great to be here, Grant.

GB: Did you have a good flight in?

Wt: Yeah, but not as good as blue did.

(rim shot)

GB: I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.

Wt: Yes. Our meeting was certainly predestined.

GB: So you believe in destiny?

Wt: Of course! The Gods have plans for all of us.

GB: What do you think your destiny is?

Wt: To serve the nation, and extend my kind's dominion over the multiverse.

GB: Why would you want to do that?

Wt: I need to save the other colors from themselves.

GB: Could you elaborate?

Wt: Well, lets see...Ah! As much as a sympathize with Green, its animistic tendencies have to go, as they will certainly lead to Green's destruction.

GB: So you're not much for tolerance?

Wt: Some things should not be tolerated. Green really needs to worship my Gods if it intends to survive.

GB: I see.

Wt: And Red and Black really need to watch themselves. Don't get me started.

GB: Oh?

Wt: Red has no respect for authority, and Black would usurp any power structure given the chance. They need to understand that submitting to the nation's good is a better path than seeking their own selfish ends, and if they will not submit voluntarily, they must be forced.

GB: So in your mind, the state is supreme?

Wt: My mind has nothing to do with it. Blue gets this concept to some degree, but puts too much emphasis on the advancement of the individual within society than on the advancement of the state itself. Green understands that each individual has a certain role in the community, but they lack a well-defined concept of state.

GB: You want to put the other colors in line?

Wt: Yeah. Some people could do with hearing"No" a lot more frequently.

GB: And you're the color for the job?

Wt: Bet your bottom dollar I am.

GB: Could you tell me some more about what traits you share with your allies?

Wt: Blue and I both put a strong emphasis on order. Green and I both strive for the welfare of natural life.

GB: Natural meaning"not artificial?"

Wt: A finely made blade is invaluable, but artificial life is an abomination.

GB: If you had to make up a motto for yourself, what would it be?

Wt:"Tranquility through conformity."

GB: Well, it was nice getting to know you, White.

Wt: May the Gods smile upon your quest.

This discussion got me thinking. What part of Magic feels the most like one of the players is controlling the flow of the game? Setting the rules? Saying"No!"?

The answer I came up with was countermagic.

No, really. I mean it. Don't look at me like that! No! I don't want to go in the box! No! Please don't eat me - I love you!

White countermagic would certainly be of a different flavor than Blue's established style. After some brainstorming, I came up with these:

Mage's Moratorium (1)(W)(W)
Instant
Counter target spell. Put it on top of its owner's library instead of its owners graveyard.
You 2 gain life. (Since gaining life is kind of like gaining time, this fits really well.)

Injunction (2)(W)(W)
Instant
Counter target spell. You gain life equal to its converted mana cost.
"Why? Because the Kha orders it so!"

Repeal by Referendum (2)(W)
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays (1) for each White creature in play.

Veto (3)(W)
Instant
Counter target spell unless its owner pays (4).
"Override this."

Censure (2)(W)(W)
Instant
Counter target spell. Censure deals 2 damage to that spell's controller. Instead of putting that spell into its owner's graveyard, remove it from the game.
"Your plans are frowned upon by your colleagues in the Order."

I'm sure there are ways to describe White countermagic beyond legal terms, but such a theme fits White the best of those that I've considered. And although the idea seems ridiculous, it's probably not as harebrained as some of the forum responses I'm anticipating will suggest.

Mechanics
32.) How many keyword mechanics should be in a large set and how many in each small set?
The current number seems about right.

33.) Do you like R&D's recent strategy of being more liberal with using keywords?
Yes. Its useful to be able to call a mechanic by a name, rather that using some awkward circumlocution like"that mechanic where you..." If redone today, the Phantom creatures would probably be keyworded, like the Modular ones are today. Imprint stretched the usual templating of a keyword a bit too far for my liking, though.

34.) Do you believe the level of keywords in the game right now is too high, just right, or too low?
It's not unmanageable. I like the policy of rotating mechanics in an out with each block - it keeps the game fresh and makes it easier to initially learn.

35.) What abilities that currently do not have keywords should have them?
My personal favorite is"Doesn't tap to attack." I'd call it"Vigilance." It would help out White's flavor if its creatures could be"vigilant." The Spirit Link mechanic was the other top choice, but I think that the several types variations on it would make it hard to remember, at least at first.

36.) Do you consider an ability a mechanic if it doesn't have a keyword?
Yes. Especially the ones that keep popping up again and again.

37.) Is it okay to carry over mechanics between blocks?
No. This would make mechanic-based decks way too powerful.

38.) Is it okay to have mechanics that cannot be explained on the card and require additional rulebook support?
This is the question where I'm supposed to say,"No, what are you saying!?" and then MaRo says"Gotcha! Mindslaver is one of the most popular cards ever, but you don't want us to be able to do cards like that anymore, I guess. Just goes to show you why I have my job and you don't. Ha!"

But I'm not going to say that. This idea should be used sparingly - only for the coolest concepts. And by cool, I mean totally sweet.

39.) Do you enjoy when mechanics are teased (that is ,one that shows up in the expansion directly before it - a la Tempest's Spike Drone)?
It just gives me the giggles, I'll tell you! Hey, quit teasing! In all gravity, the teasing of cards can be seriously damaging to their self esteem.

I couldn't care less about this.

40.) How small a segment of the audience can care about a mechanic in order for it to still be okay to make it?
At least one of the three major player types, and preferably two. All the people who said"one person" (which never included me, by the way), were just asking for another Phage.

41.) Do you like cycles?
In general, yes. They make each set kind of like Where's Waldo?, except it's Where's the Cycles? Cycles do have a downside - they can limit creativity.

The mental conception I have of cycle design goes something like this:

Designer A: The block theme really shows through well in this card.

Designer B: Let's use it as an archetype to design four other cards that are basically identical but superficially different.

Designer A: Brilliant!

A recent example: Sparksmith, Wellwisher, Shepherd of Rot, Information Dealer, Battlefield Medic.

These are almost exactly the same card. I can't help but think that these could have been made even more flavorful if they hadn't been so strictly bound to the cycle.

I agree with those that responded that cycles should not be"stretched" to fit the last few cards.

More variety is needed in cycles. White's card in the cycle is almost always lifegain or damage prevention, Red's is almost always damage, Blue's is almost always card drawing, Green's is almost always a pump effect or token creation.

42.) Do we do too many, just enough or not enough cycles?
The number is about right - a certain number are useful in defining the colors and the plane - but as I wrote above, they need to be more varied.

43.) How do you feel about cycles that run across multiple expansions?
Okay, I guess. That was anticlimatic. Then again, this isn't the end. Next time, I'll be discussing Block Design, Art, and Card Concepts. Hopefully.

...Look into my eyes and its easy to see
One and one make two,
Two and one make three - It was destiny.
Once every hundred thousand years or so,

When the sun doth shine
And the wind doth blow
And the grass doth grow...