Top Menu – MTG Color Pie

After MaRo – Even a Blind Squirrel Finds an Acorn Sometimes

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’re new to the After MaRo series (I haven’t done anything like this in a while so you might be), I sometimes have “conversations” with Mark Rosewater. These conversations AREN’T real; I make them up in my head. I know I’ve been posting some info lately that has been more “journalistic” and I wanted to re-visit this column again. If/When I do have real information about something like this, it will be done in a serious manner. Sorry for the confusion.

It’s been a while since I called MaRo. Let’s see what he’s up to.

(Picking up phone) Hello, Mark Rosewater.

Hello Mr. Rosewater, this is Robby from MtG Color Pie.

No comment.

But, I’m not the press.

No comment.

What’s going on?

I’m not talking about Priceless Treasures.

Okay… I wasn’t calling about that.

(Surprised) Really?

No, I wanted to talk to you about your article on Monday, how you said no one liked Odyssey.

Yeah, people didn’t get the point of the article and think that I don’t like Odyssey. I love Odyssey. I have a shrine in my house and write Odyssey love letters every week.

You do?

(Beat) No. But a majority of people didn’t like it. Research shows.

And what is this research?

Microchips in every card.

I knew it! Continue reading “After MaRo – Even a Blind Squirrel Finds an Acorn Sometimes”

After MaRo – Meeting the Man Himself

: Actual photo of me and MaRo

If you follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/mtgcolorpie), you knew that I was at the Zendikar pre-release in Seattle. And you also know I met Mark Rosewater (or MaRo for the uninitiated) who is kind of a big deal (he smells of rich mahogany). Let me say that (mono-tone voice) Mark Rosewater is the smartest man alive. He can do no wrong. You are unable to stop him and his tyrannical reign upon Magic. (Yelling, shaking head violently) Ah, free from that mind control serum he gave me. I’m on to you sir.

We were having a conversation with Brian Tinsman (another high-profile R&D member) and another player (sorry, I forgot your name). And out of this conversation, I learned some things about Mr. “I’m the face of Magic to the internet crowd.” I’m willing to share these things with you, out of the goodness of my heart. Plus, if you ever meet him either at an event or somewhere else, you can have a hand up on him.

1. He reads all his tweets, e-mails and threads. This isn’t something he says, he actually does it. He really wants to know what you’re thinking. Sometimes when there’s a controversial topic he’s going to talk about (Mythic Rares) he knows he’s going to get people pissed off. Thinking that there’s a certain group of players out there who hates everything he does, MaRo knows he’s going to get that mail. He has yet to name said demographic (may I suggest a Jason, who created the much beloved Web Comic “UGMadness” and his character Fanboy). If you want to tell him how you’re feeling about something, do e-mail or tweet him (twitter.com/maro254).

2. Four young children walk ahead of MaRo ripping up Power 9 cards so his feet never touch the ground. After he walks by two more children walk after him to clean up the ripped up cards so that no one can use them again. Continue reading “After MaRo – Meeting the Man Himself”

After Maro – Lies! Lies and Slander!

(Editor’s Note: Not all of you get my references to jokes in titles and other areas of my posts. I understand, so I’m helping you out in this one. Watch Futurama, Season 3, The Route of All Evil. That’s as far as I’m going to help you here. Also, there’s spoilers to what Wizards have deemed alright to show on their page. If you don’t want spoilers, come back after the set has been released.)

Hello, Mark Rosewater’s desk.

Mr. Rosewater, it’s me, Robby from M:tGColorpie.

Sigh. What is it this week? Are you going to tell me you don’t like Exalted? Because I just don’t…

No, I do like Exalted.

(Beat) Excuse me?

At first I was like, “Wow, that’s kinda dumb, only one creature attacking. That’s not White, especially White Weenie.” Then I was like, “Wait, this all makes sense. All of the creatures are helping out one creature. That’s like totally White.”

I was waiting for the explosion and the “Bew bew sounds” but it sounds like you like it.

I totally do.

Good. (Beat) I’m sensing a problem.

Ah, the Force is strong in this one. Continue reading “After Maro – Lies! Lies and Slander!”

After MaRo – The 2008 State of Design Response 2: Electric Boogaloo

: If I mention politics, her pic goes up

Editor’s Note: Other possible titles of this post include: After MaRo – The 2008 State of Design Response 2: Electric Boogaloo or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love WotC, Take 2, and Stop Me If You’ve Heard this Before. If you don’t get this reference to the actual title, see here.

Just like in MaRo’s Type 1, Take 2 article (the Take 2 Link in the above aside) I want another shot at this article. What happened the first time was that I read MaRo’s State of Design and wanted to throw some stuff that I had been thinking about or things that were bothering me, mostly about the number of cards being printed at a time. Sure, I love creating different decks, but I made my point last time and I’m not going to do it this time again. I felt I was a little too political with how things should be handled (though being political got me to put Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin’s picture on this site because we need to beautify it here) and I didn’t really focus on the design of the past year (Note: I’m not supporting any ticket, only that Palin is the most attractive VP in the past 20 years (With apologies to Dan Quayle)).

Keep in mind that with my suggestion (and with the hard working people at Organized Play, alright, mostly their work), States/Champs are coming back. I am excited and now if Wizards would continue to include things that I talk about, maybe then I’ll get an overinflated ego that I think I’m making a difference.

Now, to the bulk of this post (again,a long post, but I’ll make it up to you).

Magic R&D: You guys are doing an awesome job. I like the cards that are seeing print, and except for a few of them, couldn’t be happier. Bringing us back to a tribal block and making it feel different was a great success. Thoug it isn’t being run by Goblins is a great feeling, but only to have them be run by Faeries is meh. When I was gunslinging at PAX last weekend, I played against Aaron Forsythe. He just sat down and played against me: his being a Greater Gargadon while mine was a Zur the Enchanter that just didn’t get going (Yes Aaron, that’s what I was playing). As I sat and looked at his suspended Gargadon while playing a Sower of Temptation to steal one of his tokens, I joked that I wish it had flash in hopes of taking said Gargadon. Aaron looked at me and said, “Well, in testing it did.” Maybe because I was being beaten horribly or just because I was a smart ass, I replied, “Oh, good thing it didn’t, because you didn’t want to make Faeries too good, did you?” Continue reading “After MaRo – The 2008 State of Design Response 2: Electric Boogaloo”

After MaRo – The 2008 State of Design Response

Lady(ies?) and gentlemen, the great master MaRo talked to us yesterday about his thoughts and opinions about the past year in Magic design. He told his his highs, his lows, and what he wants to do in the next year. Most of us play the game as well as junior designing, so some of their non-design decisions have been on our minds rather then if the past block worked well together. We’ll get to that in due time while some of that will be sprinkled in as well (this is a long post, be prepared).

(MaRo art by UGMadness.net (I don’t think I use that much bandwidth, though WordPress helps me out there)).

Lady(ies?) and gentlemen, the great master MaRo talked to us yesterday about his thoughts and opinions about the past year in Magic design. He told his his highs, his lows, and what he wants to do in the next year. Most of us play the game as well as junior designing, so some of their non-design decisions have been on our minds rather then if the past block worked well together. We’ll get to that in due time while some of that will be sprinkled in as well (this is a long post, be prepared).

Highlights of 2008

The Planeswalkers. Players were really worried when there was an announcement of a new card type, especially one that could break the game in half. Using the hybrid of a creature and an enchantment, cries were heard that they wouldn’t be different enough to see print.

Yeah, we players were wrong. Continue reading “After MaRo – The 2008 State of Design Response”