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Summary
Magic: The Gatheringhas never shied away from its pop-culture inspirations.
In Magic, sets (and individual cards) are either top-down or bottom-up.
Kamigawa Changed Everything
2022s Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was a watershed moment for Magic.
Kamigawa was considered a setting that was beyond savingits focus on Japanese mythology was too niche for most players.
…maybe we should evaluate other ideas wed previously dismissed.
But then, in 2022, we had Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
If we were wrong about Kamigawa, maybe we should evaluate other ideas wed previously dismissed.
It was an eye-opening moment that changed the direction of future Magic design.
It didnt just convince Wizards of the Coast to revisit older planes, though.
It inspired us to continue pushing boundaries.
Part of the problem was that both sets went too hard on the low-hanging fruit.
Likewise, I think humor is important, but it needs to belong to the world it occurs on.
I think 2024 was a little too high on both inorganic allusions and overly jokey humour.
The other problem was that both setsworldbuilding felt incredibly flat.
The way Ravnica wasnt used to its full potential in Karlov Manor is something Rosewater particularly regrets.
via MGM
Backdrop sets, weve learned, still need to feel integral to the world they take place on.
Magic sets are at their best when their themes are environmental.
I, personally, really enjoyed Karlov Manor.
This just made the percentage of trope cards higher than average.
Second, we didnt put enough of a Magic twist on them.
(For example, bear-hunting Goldilocks is preferred to normal Goldilocks.)
via MGM
Outlaws of Thunder Junction had its own problem.
I dont think we did a good job of pulling it off.
The biggest strike against it was there were too many characters that didnt feel like they organically belonged there.
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
Fans are even already begging for the setting to return.
It was followed up with Duskmourn, a brutal world inspired by modern horror and haunted houses.
Players like cool planes filled with flavourful designs, as long as those cards feel natural to the world.
The big lesson is one of execution.
We were conscious of the starkness between the two worlds.
We saw it as an experiment, one which went over well.
Thats the genre Im personally most excited to do.
Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players.
