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Wizards of the Coast Answer Magic: The Gathering Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

Wizards of the Coast game designer and editor Matt Tabak uses the power of Twitter to answer the internet’s burning questions about Magic: The Gathering. Why does everyone “hate” mono-white? If you attack with a 2/2 creature and are blocked by a 2/2 creature, which creature gets destroyed? What happens if your hand has no…

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Wizards of the Coast game designer and editor Matt Tabak uses the power of Twitter to answer the internet’s burning questions about Magic: The Gathering. Why does everyone “hate” mono-white? If you attack with a 2/2 creature and are blocked by a 2/2 creature, which creature gets destroyed? What happens if your hand has no lands and you can’t play any cards? What’s the weirdest, most obscure MTG rule that Matt knows of? Matt answers all these questions and much more.

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Wizards of the Coast Answer Magic: The Gathering Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

109 Comments

  1. Breaker

    January 15, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    Me and my friends have been mulliganing wrong for years 😔

    • Drakeeper

      January 15, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      The mulligan system changed pretty recently, if I recall correctly, so not necessarily. Google London Mulligan for more info.

    • Mikey Forrester

      January 15, 2021 at 5:54 pm

      If you are having fun the game is working

  2. Al Tee

    January 15, 2021 at 5:28 pm

    My question for magic: the gathering is an old fogey (not the card) question

    Why would you put out a poll to gauge the customer response and then ignore the results and tell them to get over it?

    • Mackie Messer

      January 15, 2021 at 6:52 pm

      what are you talking about?

    • Hunter Fry

      January 15, 2021 at 8:32 pm

      Wasn’t that the Commander RC? He isn’t even related to that.

    • Al Tee

      January 15, 2021 at 8:37 pm

      @Hunter Fry it was somebody through WotC. I know they published it through their magazine at the time

  3. Will Vincent

    January 15, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    Here’s a question? Why have you sold yourself out to the corporate overlords and made those god awful walking dead secret lairs. #werestillpissed

    • Hunter Fry

      January 15, 2021 at 8:30 pm

      This guy isn’t in charge of that.

    • Will Vincent

      January 15, 2021 at 11:29 pm

      @Hunter Fry oh man really? It’s not like he works for the company that is, and is being a spokesperson for said company? Idk where to throw my misplaced anger towards. Thanks for the heads up.

  4. oceanview56

    January 15, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    Does that guy have a ponytail?🤔

    • Books Rebound

      January 15, 2021 at 6:04 pm

      God I sure hope not but I 10/10 could totally see him having one

      Edit: no he doesn’t

  5. Pernalonga Comunista

    January 15, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    Eu creio que sim amor de João está em sua casa pra mim por nada meu DEUS abençoe sempre sua casa pra mim por nada meu bem graças

  6. fivenightsofben

    January 15, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    I once played a house rule where you could tap excess Mana and put it into a sort of “savings” which could accumulate and be used in later turns. It definitely broke the game but it was pretty fun

    • Paul Atreides

      January 15, 2021 at 7:24 pm

      Legends of Runeterra implemented a similar system, where you can “bank” up to 3 mana to be used on spells in the following round. It’s implemented very well and adds a lot of nuance to the game.

    • Dudits Grey

      January 15, 2021 at 8:51 pm

      There are cards that allow you to bank Mana now. Horizon stone for example or kruphix.

  7. Peeps Felizarta

    January 15, 2021 at 5:57 pm

    Where is the MTG Netflix series you guys promised?

    • Hunter Fry

      January 15, 2021 at 8:27 pm

      They are still producing it. I think their latest announcement was maybe a month ago.

  8. Jason Monroe

    January 15, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    I find it funny that the summoning sickness is related to how long you’ve had the permanent in play not when it became a creature. Seems to imply all permanents have some sentience allowing them to avoid being disoriented when they become creatures. I guess the experience of being summoned is more intense than gaining sentience.

  9. iAMhonka

    January 15, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    This guy sucks and talks too much.

  10. Dani EscC

    January 15, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    Stop deleting comments 😀

  11. Domagoj Gregorovic

    January 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm

    Yeah so will Secret Lair: Grey’s Anatomy be available worldwide?

  12. Josef Wakeling

    January 15, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    i play mono white and it’s very fun even though i lose fairly often

  13. rodri maux

    January 15, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    I have a question that has been pondering my head for months: If a have teferi time raveler on the field and my opponent plays the blue leyline, does he now gets to play things at instant speed or it just gets cancelled by teferi?

    • Vash The Stampede

      January 15, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      Tefaris effect would take precedent. So you would still only be able to cast things at sorcery speed.

    • rodri maux

      January 15, 2021 at 10:38 pm

      @Vash The Stampede Thanks for your response. How can we determine which effect is precedent?

  14. Jordan

    January 15, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    oh man there needs to be so many of these

  15. cory morgan

    January 15, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    Everyone hate white

  16. Gonza A

    January 15, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Weirdo

  17. ShiftingGrin

    January 15, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    This video would be improved if pictures of the cards in question were shown as they were mentioned, if only for a second.

  18. Jake S

    January 15, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    The real reason everyone hates on white is not because it’s good… It’s because it is by far the weakest color and wizards of the coast doesn’t even seem like they are trying to solve the problem

  19. Joshua Perrine

    January 15, 2021 at 10:54 pm

    Why didn’t they answer any of the real/hard questions people have been asking for the past couple of years?

    • Kyle Curness

      January 16, 2021 at 2:52 pm

      Because this is purely designed to advertise the game and that’s it. They talked about combat for 2 minutes in response to the 2/2 fighting a 2/2 questions ffs.

  20. Michael Lewis

    January 15, 2021 at 11:00 pm

    My favorite two cards are righteousness because you can bait powerful creatures into attacking a threat and then kill it with +7/+7 for only 1 white. The other one is Maze of Ith because it’s a land that untaps an attacking creature making it deal no damage or receive no damage, thus disabling it and killing lots of strategies that rely on a single powerful creature. It can also allow you to use a powerful creature safely in case your opponent buffs their creature in an effort to kill it. You just respond with Maze of Ith and their creature buff is wasted.

  21. Nicolas Furger

    January 15, 2021 at 11:11 pm

    Great video. Glad magic is being promoted.

  22. Joshua Perrine

    January 15, 2021 at 11:33 pm

    This is pathetic

  23. Ivan Chagas School of Polymaths

    January 15, 2021 at 11:46 pm

    I didn’t get why the aura thing was beautiful hahaha it just doesn’t do anything. What happened?

  24. Barry Burka

    January 16, 2021 at 12:33 am

    LMFAO. Get a life you loser.

  25. E 9701

    January 16, 2021 at 12:50 am

    Steve and sad robot also

  26. Elias Mozine

    January 16, 2021 at 2:05 am

    Dear Mr editor and game designer, could you please give us good creatures at drop 1 and 2 instead of all of them on drop 3 in future sets? Thank you in advance – mountain players

  27. Jack Morrison

    January 16, 2021 at 2:35 am

    Played this game 20 yrz ago. Had the entire alpha and beta set. Mint

    • Kevin B

      January 16, 2021 at 4:15 am

      And this guy would say they have no more value than any other card, with a straight face, because admitting the after market exists means the EU can call randomized booster packs gambling.

  28. Eduardo Aguirre

    January 16, 2021 at 3:41 am

    This guys answer to “Why does everyone hates mono-white so much?” was “because it sucks! change your strategy” Lol

  29. Kevin B

    January 16, 2021 at 4:13 am

    Ask him if the after-market value of singles is real. I bet he avoids the question.

  30. Alex-Agix Gaming

    January 16, 2021 at 4:25 am

    Okay, you win ♥️

  31. p m

    January 16, 2021 at 4:54 am

    why so many dislikes? MTG rules

  32. Hellcarver T.V

    January 16, 2021 at 7:11 am

    ….I mean does he have a sol ring in hand?

  33. Belmont

    January 16, 2021 at 9:13 am

    Magic Arena is the most rigged software in the world. I wouldn’t even call it a game

  34. الله اكبر

    January 16, 2021 at 9:39 am

    لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله ❤️

  35. الله اكبر

    January 16, 2021 at 9:39 am

    .
    .
    .

    .

  36. الله اكبر

    January 16, 2021 at 9:40 am

    .

  37. الله اكبر

    January 16, 2021 at 9:40 am

    💩🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷💩💩🇱🇷💩🇱🇷💩🇱🇷💩🇱🇷

  38. Kyle Curness

    January 16, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    Some of these questions HAVE to be staged. No fucken way some dude responds to this Twitter thing by asking
    what happens when a 2/2 fights a 2/2. That was clearly set up to explain combat to the audience to kind of advertise the game.

  39. Jeremiah Bachmann

    January 16, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    Suuuuuuuuuuuure…and these will be hard hitting questions about the Reserve List and reprints of other valuable cards???

  40. Sahar Garyani

    January 16, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    How is this a haiku 3:52

  41. Dark_Jester89

    January 17, 2021 at 12:44 am

    Textbook answers that don’t answer anything. Consistent with wotc response systems

  42. Ben Scaglione

    January 17, 2021 at 12:54 am

    So surprised to see this on this channel. Very make me happy

  43. vmcampos

    January 17, 2021 at 1:57 am

    Fun fact: Matt Tabak has been on my podcast, and it was such a long episode it was the first two-parter! 🤣

  44. yoshiman 95

    January 17, 2021 at 2:18 am

    i really wish that 9/10 of these were more like the nicknames question and asking favorite rules interactions instead of random, very basic ask a judge type questions

  45. Dale Werbowy

    January 17, 2021 at 3:06 am

    Seriously you game designers sure have made some really poor cards lately. There is no way you guys play tested some of the cards you release. And why do you guys keep stuffing down our throats mill decks? I have yet to find a person who enjoys playing against this. So why? If no one enjoys playing against it why make the game unfun.

  46. Christo Lupo

    January 17, 2021 at 4:35 am

    Why didn’t someone ask why the card stock quality continues to go down every set? Or why mtg arena is just built to suck your money away with nothing to show for it?

    • Lorenzo

      January 18, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      Oh I’m sure they did, they likely just didn’t answer the questions for obvious reasons.

    • Robert Wallis

      January 20, 2021 at 1:18 am

      Why would Matt Tabak, whose job revolves around the rules of the game and how the text on cards works, *answer* questions about that?

  47. Mix Master Mike

    January 17, 2021 at 4:41 am

    Q: game is called Magic: The Gathering, what happens once everyone is gathered??

    • He YouTube Me

      January 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm

      Depends. Are they wearing masks and socially distancing?

  48. Crale

    January 17, 2021 at 8:30 am

    You are a weird one. But I really enjoyed this video.

  49. TheGuesst

    January 17, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    I’ve been playing trading card games for years. To hear and remember how many changes the devs have to go over with the non-geek crowd makes me realize how complicated this game can be. Well entertained.

  50. YASH RAWAT

    January 17, 2021 at 6:37 pm

    Me: Can’t remember UNO rules

    Them: Makes a complex game about it

  51. DINOMITE22

    January 17, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    who are these people?
    i haven’t played in a decade, and all of these questions are elementary

    • ODDnanref

      January 18, 2021 at 10:59 pm

      I also agree

  52. Josh Varner

    January 18, 2021 at 12:53 am

    Wow. These are the most softball of softball questions.

  53. the_internet_

    January 18, 2021 at 1:07 am

    I used to love WOTC but it turns out Hasbro pays next to nothing so when they pinged me for a job, I would have made more money being a pizza delivery driver.

  54. Cristopher Kiri

    January 18, 2021 at 3:28 am

    Faith’s Fetters holding on to each other may cause the world to implode 🤔

  55. infinityproductions

    January 18, 2021 at 8:59 pm

    “Why do people hate mono white”
    “Well some people don’t like decks that often beat them.”
    Yes. That’s why people don’t like mono white. Because it wins too much /s

    • ODDnanref

      January 18, 2021 at 10:56 pm

      I am on MTG break. What happens with mono white?
      I know EDH mono white joke of being hated by design for not having any way to properly ramp and draw cards.

    • Lane Renner

      January 18, 2021 at 11:01 pm

      @ODDnanref A lot of it is just a spillover of the EDH joke, but some of it is also because of the busted cards printed outside of white in Standard that make fairer cards like a lot of the ones in White look a lot worse.
      There’s also stuff about not being able to draw cards efficiently, as well as other colors seeming to take chunks of the white color pie for their own with cards that could be white, but aren’t.

    • infinityproductions

      January 18, 2021 at 11:24 pm

      @ODDnanref no, that’s basically it. But EDH is pretty much the most popular format now, so it’s just known for being bad.

    • Shadow Gamer

      January 21, 2021 at 1:13 am

      Well if you play aggro and you stumble upon mono white lifegain like it happens right now in historic and standard, i can see it. Or during ixalan. Or death and taxes. Or balance armagedon in commander

  56. vonBelfry

    January 18, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    I heard Eight-And-A-Half-Tails had a very rude nickname, but it might have been a local one. It was…

    Fantastic Mr. Fuckstick

  57. RuFFRyDas87

    January 18, 2021 at 11:18 pm

    It’s the nerdy Nicolas Cage.

    • Dana Coleman

      January 19, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      that’s redundant

  58. Edouard Chartrand

    January 19, 2021 at 1:25 am

    1:59(˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)

  59. Ike Y

    January 19, 2021 at 3:25 am

    Wait so does that mean Artifacts have summoning sickness? I’ve been playing for years thinking Artifacts didn’t have summoning sickness

    • Zenjin Vein

      January 19, 2021 at 5:20 am

      Only creatures are effected by summoning sickness, artifact that are turned in a creature the same turn it is played it will be effected by summoning sickness as it is now a creature, the same is true of any permanent that became a creature the same turn it comes into play

  60. Guyu De'Sw0rd

    January 19, 2021 at 4:34 am

    What’s the nickname for deep analysis? Or assassin’s trophy?

    • NoD8313

      January 23, 2021 at 3:05 pm

      thatsbait.gif

  61. Isaiah Quantz

    January 19, 2021 at 7:18 am

    On Card Nicknames:

    Myself and others I know call the card Sakura-Tribe Elder “Steve” for short, Ramunap Excavator is aka “Remmy”, and the more common one is “Sad Robot” for Sollemn Simulacrum

    • Wesley Ackerman

      January 19, 2021 at 7:22 am

      Steve usually refers to Sakura Tribe Elder and Veridian Emissary, I think?

  62. Sdesser

    January 19, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    Why do I hate mono-white? My friend played a ‘detain’ deck when I started the game. I didn’t get to do much.

  63. Zephyr Blayze

    January 19, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    I wish they answered any questions concerning the game today instead of explaining basic rules.

  64. David Bäcker

    January 19, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    Matt Tabak! Good to see him on WIRED.

  65. Zakana

    January 19, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    My question is why Savour the Moment and the first turn of the game are treated differently when you look at Sphinx of the Second Sun

    • Connor Hamilton

      January 20, 2021 at 12:15 am

      I don’t understand what you are asking about. Could you try to explain your confusion a little more?

  66. Dawid Golda

    January 19, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Looks like Ben Finegold started playing card games.

  67. J. C.

    January 20, 2021 at 2:48 am

    This is why I stopped playing Magic. It’s all way too complicated and pointless.

  68. Babybigfoot1086

    January 20, 2021 at 11:06 pm

    They definitely picked the basic easy questions and skipped past the ‘ why is the game getting so much more expensive’ or ‘why did you make Uro, Oko, and omnath

  69. Shadow Gamer

    January 21, 2021 at 1:14 am

    The mulligan thing could just be a person familiar with the og mulligan rules which were indeed “draw 7 if you have either all or no lands”

  70. Joe Nader

    January 21, 2021 at 2:07 am

    15:40 is a bit too real.

  71. Embry Ocean

    January 22, 2021 at 4:37 am

    I just felt like I was being talked to by my oldest and best friend. I am so grateful.

  72. Made in No Place

    January 22, 2021 at 9:48 am

    meanwhile I can’t open a new binder on mtgo without the program crashing

  73. Demphis Ford

    January 22, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    Still denies white has no card draw or ramp

  74. Elliot Wong

    January 22, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    why was simic the only guild with a massive power creep recently?

  75. Greg 1756

    January 23, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    Best card nickname – Chad . Chad is any Gideon planeswalker card. Why? Because he looks like a Chad xD

  76. Jake Jeffrey

    January 23, 2021 at 4:28 pm

    I think the first guy meant was, why does wotc hate mono white?

  77. nantukoprime

    January 23, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    I used to pilot a ‘Death and Taxes’ and a ‘Prison’ mono-white style deck for Standard or Legacy game formats. Those decks change how a normal game is played, making the game slower or adding effects to the game that you planned for but your opponent did not. You get into a lot of arguments, and in general are not fun to play against. That said, in a game format with more players like EDH/Commander, those mono-white deck archetypes make you the target of the other players to eliminate first so they can go back to playing the kind of game they want to play.

  78. Bo Kuen Tao

    January 23, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    I have a question, if a MDFC phases out, can it return as either side of the MDFC or must it remain on the side that it phased out as?

    • Rosa

      January 24, 2021 at 4:57 am

      Phasing does not cause a permanent to exit/enter the battlefield. So it will remain on the side that it phased out with.

      However if you flicker (i.e. exile it then return it to the battlefield) a MDFC it will always return with the front face up (or remain in exile if the front isn’t a permanent).

  79. lovetownsend

    January 24, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    Everyone at Magic has the EXACT same voice lol

  80. M Safrons

    January 24, 2021 at 10:47 pm

    It’s cute that they actually think they test anything 😅

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