Currently showing the answers.
For each question I will start by showing you the correct answer and then how the test takers that answered the question answered. (790 took the test, but not every question was answered by every test taker.)
Once again, 44 correct answers were needed to pass to the next round.
Your score was 0 out of 0.
Now, let's walk you through the answers. For each question I will start by showing you your answer, the correct answer, and then how the test takers that answered the question answered. (790 took the test, but not every question was answered by every test taker.)
Questions 1–3 refer to the following card:
Fast Guy
Creature – Human
3/1
Lifelink, haste
1) Which color is most appropriate for this card?
a) white
b) blue
c) black
d) red
e) green
Correct Answer: C
A: 66 (8.35%)
B: 1 (0.13%)
C: 644 (81.52%)
D: 52 (6.58%)
E: 27 (3.42%)
I chose to start the test with a pretty easy question. The question wanted to know if you knew what colors the keywords of lifelink and haste appear in. Lifelink appears in white and black. Haste appears in red and black and every once in a while in green, mostly on tournament-caliber cards (a short explanation for this appears in Gatherer on the Discussion page for the card Blackcleave Goblin—it also will introduce you to Aaron Forsythe's Random Card of the Day Comments if you aren't already reading them). The only overlap between the two abilities is black, so this card has to be black.
2) Which rarity is most appropriate for this card?
a) common
b) uncommon
c) rare
d) mythic rare
Correct Answer: B
A: 183 (23.16%)
B: 564 (71.39%)
C: 42 (5.32%)
D: 1 (0.13%)
The answer to this questions deals with two things: dual keyword abilities and lifelink. Normally, at common we tend not to do what I call "double scoop French vanilla creatures" (a.k.a. creatures with no text but two keyworded creature abilities).
There are a few exceptions, though. First, flying is consider so close to vanilla that we will often double things up with flying at common. Second, when we are featuring a mechanic in a block where we're doing it in some volume in common (such as the infect keyword), we will pair it up with other keywords to allow variety. Third, every once in a while when something gets pushed out of uncommon for numbers we'll let it slide at common as long as the two abilities don't cause confusing interactions.
Okay, so double keywords can be done at common. What keeps this card from being common? The answer is lifelink. While we do allow lifelink at common, we tend to keep the power low. Lifelink can be very swingy, so we don't print creatures with lifelink with power greater than 2 at common.
The card is not rare or mythic rare, by the way, because it just doesn't have the pizzazz we tend to look for in the higher rarities.
One last piece of trivia: This question was the most missed question by the test takers that scored 47 and greater.
3) You are changing one of Fast Guy's keywords to another one. Which of the following combinations would result in a card that could not be monocolored?
a) first strike, haste
b) flying, haste
c) lifelink, shroud
d) lifelink, vigilance
Correct Answer: C
A: 5 (0.63%)
B: 35 (4.44%)
C: 737 (93.41%)
D: 12 (1.52%)
a) is wrong because red has both first strike and haste. b) is wrong because black has both flying and haste. d) is wrong because white has both lifelink and vigilance. c) is correct because lifelink is in white and black and shroud is in blue and green, so there's no overlap to create a monocolored card.
Questions 4–6 refer to the following card:
Deflecting Mage
Creature – Human Wizard
1/4
Flash
When Deflecting Mage enters the battlefield, change the target of target spell with a single target.
4) If this card were a hybrid card, which color pair would be most appropriate?
a) white-black
b) blue-red
c) black-green
d) red-white
e) green-blue
Correct Answer: B
A: 1 (0.13%)
B: 737 (93.29%)
C: 1 (0.13%)
D: 5 (0.63%)
E: 46 (5.82%)
The card has an "enters the battlefield" trigger that deflects a spell (that is, changes the spell's target). This ability is used in blue and red. Normally red does not get flash creatures, but we allow flash to go on creatures when they cannot work without it.
5) If Design wanted to change this card's rules text but keep it a hybrid card, which of the following options would not work?
a) flash; shroud
b) double strike
c) 
: Switch Deflecting Mage's power and toughness until end of turn.
d) 
: Target player gains 2 life.
e) : Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Correct Answer: E
A: 70 (8.88%)
B: 37 (4.7%)
C: 53 (6.73%)
D: 73 (9.26%)
E: 555 (70.43%)
The key to finding this answer is to find the one ability that cannot be done in two different colors. a) could be done in blue and green. b) can be done in white and red. c) can be done in blue and red. d) can be done in white and green. e) can only be done in black, so it is the right answer.
6) Design often makes creatures that have flash and "enters the battlefield" triggered abilities like Deflecting Mage. Which of the following abilities would we least likely pair with flash?
a) Counter target spell.
b) The next time target instant or sorcery spell would deal damage, it deals double that damage instead.
c) CARDNAME deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
d) Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
e) Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Correct Answer: E
A: 18 (2.28%)
B: 645 (81.65%)
C: 32 (4.05%)
D: 24 (3.04%)
E: 71 (8.99%)
This was the question missed by the greatest number of test takers. Only 71 out of 790 got it correct. Let's walk through each one. a), b) and c) cannot be done as an "enter the battlefield" trigger unless the creature has flash, as all need to work at "instant" speed to work. a) and b) target a spell on the stack, and c) targets a creature in combat. d) can work at sorcery speed but it so neuters the quality of the effect that it really isn't worth doing. e) would benefit from the "instant" speed, but it isn't necessary. e) is the only "enter the battlefield" effect you would ever see of the above on a creature that didn't have flash (which isn't to say that we'd probably print e) with flash if we printed it, it's just least likely of what was given).
Questions 7–9 refer to the following card:
Return to the Æther
Instant
Return target creature you control to its owner's hand.
7) Other than blue, which color is most appropriate for this card?
a) white
b) black
c) red
d) green
Correct Answer: A
A: 763 (96.58%)
B: 6 (0.76%)
C: 15 (1.9%)
D: 6 (0.76%)
While "bounce" (slang for putting permanents back into their owner's hands) is mostly a blue ability, we allow white the ability to "bounce" its own permanents from time to time making a) the right answer.
8) Which rarity is most appropriate for this card?
a) common
b) uncommon
c) rare
d) mythic rare
Correct Answer: A
A: 743 (94.05%)
B: 44 (5.57%)
C: 3 (0.38%)
D: 0 (0.0%)
This is a very straightforward, simple effect, so common is the right rarity. I was happy that not a single test taker thought the ability was mythic rare.
9) Which of the following changes are we least likely to make?
a) Make the card a sorcery.
b) Change "target creature" to "all creatures" and "its owner's hand" to "their owners' hands."
c) Change "target creature" to "target permanent."
d) Change "you control" to "an opponent controls."
e) Change "owner's hand" to "controller's hand."
Correct Answer: E
A: 45 (5.7%)
B: 16 (2.03%)
C: 2 (0.25%)
D: 3 (0.38%)
E: 724 (91.65%)
a) through d) are all things we could do. I admit that changing the spell to a sorcery greatly reduces its usefulness, especially since its role is mostly to save your things in danger. e) is the correct answer, though, because it is something we wouldn't do. Why? Because if we change the card to read "controller's hand," that would allow players to put cards they've stolen from another player into their own hand, and we never allow that. Your cards cannot end up in the opponent's hand, graveyard, or library, and vice versa. This rule can be broken with Un-cards and ante cards, neither of which are currently acceptable for tournament-legal cards.
Questions 10–12 refer to the following card:
Mystical Fighter
Creature – Human
2/2
First strike
[Mana]: Regenerate Mystical Fighter.
10) If this card was a multicolored card, which combination of colors couldn't it be?
a) white-black
b) black-red
c) red-green
d) red-white
e) green-white
Correct Answer: D
A: 6 (0.76%)
B: 19 (2.41%)
C: 10 (1.27%)
D: 741 (93.8%)
E: 14 (1.77%)
When you boil this question down it's about understanding what color two keywords appear in: first strike and regeneration. First strike appears in white and red, occasionally in black, and regeneration appears in black and green. Every combination of white or red and black or green shows up. The only exception is d), which has no color that has regeneration.
11) From a design perspective, what is the most significant problem with this card?
a) It's inelegant for one ability to require mana to activate and the other to not.
b) To make first strike have more impact, the power should be greater than the toughness.
c) To make the regeneration happen more often, the creature should have a lower toughness.
d) Humans don't regenerate.
e) The two abilities don't complement each other as the use of one tends to decrease the use of the other.
Correct Answer: E
A: 1 (0.13%)
B: 8 (1.01%)
C: 4 (0.51%)
D: 13 (1.65%)
E: 763 (96.7%)
a) is not true; we often have multiple abilities where one activates and the other does not. b) is often true, but far from mandatory. c) is also something we tend to follow, but it is not mandatory. If Wolverine can regenerate, that's good enough for me to let humans regenerate. (Yeah, yeah, he's a mutant, but I'd argue he's a Human Mutant in Magic terms.) e) is actually the real design issue. I often talk about how it's important that all the designs on a card work together, and this is where this design falls through the most.
12) If Design wanted to change this card to green/blue by changing first strike to another keyword, which one would not work?
a) flash
b) flying
c) islandwalk
d) shroud
e) vigilance
Correct Answer: E
Mystical Fighter has first strike and regeneration. If we swap out first strike, that means that we are putting each of the answers with regeneration. Regeneration is a green ability but not a blue one, so the answer we're looking for is an ability that does not go in blue. Blue has flash, flying, islandwalk, and shroud. It does not get vigilance (except, yes, long ago in Legends and more recently in the color-pie-shifting Planar Chaos). Green does get vigilance, but that would make both abilities green and thus wouldn't work well on a green/blue card.
Questions 13–15 refer to the following card:
Nasty Demon
Creature – Demon
5/5
Intimidate
Whenever Nasty Demon deals combat damage to an opponent, that player discards two cards.
13) Which color is most appropriate for this card?
a) white
b) blue
c) black
d) red
e) green
Correct Answer: C
A: 1 (0.13%)
B: 1 (0.13%)
C: 788 (99.75%)
D: 0 (0.0%)
E: 0 (0.0%)
This is the question answered correctly by the largest number of the test takers. In fact, only 2 people out of 790 missed it. I guess demons being black is pretty common knowledge.
14) Which rarity is the most appropriate for this card?
a) common
b) uncommon
c) rare
d) mythic rare
Correct Answer: C
A: 0 (0.0%)
B: 3 (0.38%)
C: 681 (86.2%)
D: 106 (13.42%)
We've never done a demon at common and have very rarely done them at uncommon. (Champions of Kamigawa block, I'm looking at you.) The real question is whether this card should be rare or mythic rare. The reason this card is rare is more about why it isn't mythic rare. At 5/5, the body isn't very impressive for a demon. The ability, while a little above what you would see at uncommon, also isn't all that impressive, at least not impressive enough to be a mythic rare. We try hard to make mythic rares feel special and unique, and Nasty Demon just doesn't quite clear the bar.
15) As a Demon, which change is Design most likely to make?
a) Add flying.
b) Increase power and toughness.
c) Add a mechanical downside that has potential to harm the controller.
d) Change "combat damage" to "damage."
e) Change the effect of the triggered ability to make the opponent discard his or her entire hand.
Correct Answer: C
A: 168 (21.29%)
B: 16 (2.03%)
C: 584 (74.02%)
D: 2 (0.25%)
E: 19 (2.41%)
This one's a little harder. a) is something we'd consider as many of our most iconic demons fly. I should point out, though, that not all of them fly. The reason a) isn't the best answer is that it says "Add flying." Nasty Demon already has an evasion ability with intimidate. If we wanted the card to add flying, we wouldn't have just added it; we would have exchanged intimidate with flying. b), d), and e) are all things we could do but none of them are things we would feel compelled to do. While c) is not universally true for all demons, it is definitely something we try to do with most demons and of the options available is the one design would most make.
Questions 16–18 refer to the following card:
Mimsy Borogove
Creature – Human
2/2
16) Which mana cost is least appropriate for this card?
a) 
b) 
c) 
d) 
e) 
Correct Answer: B
A: 13 (1.65%)
B: 648 (82.03%)
C: 55 (6.96%)
D: 52 (6.58%)
E: 22 (2.78%)
For starters, we've done white and green two-mana 2/2 creatures multiple times, so those are right out. The next we are most likely to make is black. We've haven't done it yet, but we've talked about doing it. That leaves blue and red. These two are what we call the "spell colors," as they have the smallest percentage of creatures. The reason blue wins out is that we are more willing to push red weenies than blue. The reason for this is that weenies that attack are more a part of red's identity than blue's.
17) This card is known in R&D slang as a "vanilla creature" because it has no abilities. Of the following reasons, which is the least important reason that Design creates vanilla creatures?
a) To increase the number of creatures in a set without pulling focus from the set's main themes.
b) To create cards that are easier to cost.
c) To lessen overall board complexity.
d) To make cards that are easier for beginners to learn.
e) To provide a baseline that helps players evaluate more complex creatures.
Correct Answer: B
A: 75 (9.49%)
B: 633 (80.13%)
C: 29 (3.67%)
D: 21 (2.66%)
E: 32 (4.05%)
Design cares about many things. Making cards easier to cost is not one of them. If development needs to tweak power or toughness to properly cost a creature, they will. The other four reasons are entirely valid, so b) is clearly the answer here.
18) If we wanted to make this card a "French vanilla" creature (a creature with one or more keyword abilities but no other rules text) and keep it at common, which keyword is the least appropriate?
a) double strike
b) lifelink
c) reach
d) trample
e) vigilance
Correct Answer: A
A: 718 (91.0%)
B: 2 (0.25%)
C: 6 (0.76%)
D: 56 (7.1%)
E: 7 (0.89%)
Trample and vigilance appear in common on creatures in every set. Lifelink and reach both appear in common on creatures from time to time. While there are some common spells that grant double strike, the only common creature to have double strike is Springjack Knight from Lorwyn and even then only if you win the clash.
Questions 19–21 refer to the following card:
Take It and Suffer
Enchantment – Aura
Enchant creature
When Take It and Suffer enters the battlefield, destroy enchanted creature. Take It and Suffer deals damage to target player equal to that creature's toughness.
19) If this card is black, which change is Design most likely to make to this card?
a) Add "nonblack" to the enchant ability.
b) Change the damage so it is equal to the creature's power rather than its toughness.
c) Change the destruction to a sacrifice effect.
d) Change the damage to loss of life.
e) Make the card an instant or sorcery.
Correct Answer: E
A: 75 (9.51%)
B: 21 (2.66%)
C: 14 (1.77%)
D: 127 (16.1%)
E: 552 (69.96%)
While the other four choices are all something Design might think about, changing the card to an instant or sorcery is something we would almost certainly do. Why? Because there's very little reason for this card to be an Aura. It essentially functions like a sorcery, so why have all the extra words for minimal effect?
20) Could Design change this card into an Equipment with only minor tweaking?
a) yes
b) no
Correct Answer: B
A: 142 (18.0%)
B: 647 (82.0%)
The reason this card cannot be an Equipment is that the equip ability is only allowed to target creatures you control. This card is pretty useless if you cannot target an opponent's creature.
21) Design wants to change this card so it destroys other types of permanents yet wishes to keep it black. According to black's portion of the color pie, which card types is it most appropriate for this card to destroy?
a) artifacts
b) enchantments
c) lands
d) artifacts and lands
e) artifacts and enchantments
Correct Answer: C
A: 6 (0.76%)
B: 5 (0.63%)
C: 765 (96.84%)
D: 11 (1.39%)
E: 3 (0.38%)
This is another question that was answered correct by almost all of the test takers. In its portion of the color pie, black can destroy creatures and lands, but not artifacts and enchantments.
Questions 22–24 refer to the following card:
Annoying Bell
Artifact
Annoying Bell enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it.
T, Remove a charge counter from Annoying Bell: Target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
22) In an artifact block such as Mirrodin or Scars of Mirrodin, which rarity is most appropriate for this card?
a) common
b) uncommon
c) rare
d) mythic rare
Correct Answer: A
A: 428 (54.18%)
B: 324 (41.01%)
C: 38 (4.81%)
D: 0 (0.0%)
In a normal set, "millstones" (slang for artifacts that put cards on top of the library into the graveyard) tend to be rare. Annoying Bell, though, has a limited number of uses. This tends to pull the card down to uncommon. In an artifact block, to allow the numbers of common artifacts needed, rarities tend to get pulled down another rarity. As a millstone is a very straightforward effect, Design is most likely to pull this card down to common in an artifact block.
23) Assuming this card is for an artifact block, what is the most significant reason this card wouldn't be turned into an artifact creature?
a) Its ability couldn't be activated on the turn it was cast.
b) As artifact blocks tend to use +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters, to avoid confusion between different kinds of counters, we normally don't put charge counters on creatures.
c) It's much easier to untap creatures and thus much easier to activate the ability more than once during the same turn.
d) It's much easier to return creatures to their owner's hand and thus it would be too easy to "refill" the counters.
e) Artifact blocks like to play up the tropes of artifacts and "millstones" are a popular artifact trope.
Correct Answer: B
A: 33 (4.18%)
B: 699 (88.48%)
C: 2 (0.25%)
D: 25 (3.16%)
E: 31 (3.92%)
All of the answers have some validity, but the key to answering this question is to see which answer R&D would most care about. If we had concerns about a), we could just cost the creature one less to allow it to get out a turn earlier and use its ability the turn we wanted. c) and d) are probably more of a plus than a minus in that we like to give the Johnnies (and some Spikes) of the world the ability to manipulate the cards to get them to do things they might not do normally. If it's too easy, Development can usually deal with it through costing. e) is true, but we like to tweak our tropes, and turning an artifact into an artifact creature is fair game for Design. b) is the one concern that there isn't an easy fix for.
24) A player loses the game when he or she draws a card with no cards left in his or her library. What's the most important reason for this rule?
a) It encourages players to play with larger decks.
b) It gives the game an interesting win condition.
c) It keeps the game from continuing indefinitely.
d) It makes long games more exciting.
e) It makes draw effects that target a player more flexible.
Correct Answer: C
A: 0 (0.0%)
B: 89 (11.27%)
C: 683 (86.46%)
D: 6 (0.76%)
E: 12 (1.52%)
Richard created the "decking" loss condition because he needed to make sure the game would end. While there have been other benefits of the "decking" rule, nothing trumps the reason it was created in the first place.
25) Which of the following is true about planeswalker design?
a) A planeswalker must have exactly three abilities.
b) A planeswalker cannot activate its "ultimate" ability on the turn it is cast.
c) A planeswalker must have at least one ability that adds loyalty counters and one ability that removes them.
d) A planeswalker must have a subtype that isn't shared by any other card.
e) A planeswalker cannot have any card types other than planeswalker.
Correct Answer: E
A: 2 (0.25%)
B: 59 (7.47%)
C: 17 (2.15%)
D: 47 (5.95%)
E: 665 (84.18%)
To find this answer, all you had to do is figure out which of the five rules we hadn't broken yet. Jace, the Mind Sculptor had four abilities. Gideon Jura can activate his "ultimate" the turn he's cast (even if it won't do much unless you can give him haste). Sarkhan the Mad does not have any ability that adds loyalty counters. And multiple planeswalkers share their subtype with other planeswalkers (those subtypes currently are Ajani, Chandra, Elspeth, Jace, and Sarkhan—with more to come). e) is the only actual rule. I talked about this rule when I explained why Tezzeret the Seeker wasn't an artifact planeswalker.
26) Which of the following blocks could most appropriately be called an "enchantment block?"
a) Tempest block
b) Urza's Saga block
c) Mercadian Masques block
d) Invasion block
e) Odyssey block
Correct Answer: B
A: 14 (1.77%)
B: 743 (94.17%)
C: 26 (3.3%)
D: 1 (0.13%)
E: 5 (0.63%)
This was another question answered correctly by almost all the test takers. Urza's Saga is the only block listed with a strong enchantment theme. (Yes, its being called The Artifact Cycle did cause some confusion of the issue at the time.) Urza's Saga alone had one hundred and one enchantments.
27) If Magic 2012 needed to take an uncommon white card from Magic 2011 and reprint it as a common, which of the following cards is R&D most likely to choose?
a) Ajani's Pridemate
b) Celestial Purge
c) Roc Egg
d) War Priest of Thune
e) White Knight
Correct Answer: D
A: 47 (5.95%)
B: 61 (7.72%)
C: 103 (13.04%)
D: 568 (71.9%)
E: 11 (1.39%)
Let's walk through the cards one at a time. Ajani's Pridemate: Besides being part of an uncommon cycle of planeswalker spells, it also has a global effect that adds +1/+1 counters, none of which are things we tend to do at common. Celestial Purge: Also part of an uncommon cycle, this card is a color-hosing card. With a few exceptions, we tend to do color-hosing cards at uncommon. Roc Egg: It's possible that this card could be pushed to common, but it makes a token and is essentially a 3/3 flier—not an ideal choice. Let's see if we can do better. War Priest of Thune is a virtual vanilla creature (see question 48) with a simple "enters the battlefield" effect. Odds are this card was created for common and got pushed up because of space issues. It is very easy to move down. White Knight: This card has two abilities, one of which is protection, a more complicated ability—something we tend to avoid at common in core sets. Examining all the choices, War Priest of Thune is the clear winner.
28) Which of the following is not an example of a modular mechanic?
a) cycling
b) echo
c) flashback
d) infect
e) kicker
Correct Answer: D
A: 33 (4.18%)
B: 21 (2.66%)
C: 8 (1.01%)
D: 712 (90.24%)
E: 15 (1.9%)
A modular mechanic is a mechanic that does not force you to play with specific other cards. The easiest test is this: can you just throw a single card with this mechanic in a deck? Cycling, echo, flashback, and kicker easily pass this test. Infect? Not so much. Infect is a very linear mechanic in that when you play one infect card you tend to play many others along with it.
29) Which of the following enchantments are we least likely to print?
a) All creatures with changeling have flying.
b) All creatures with echo have deathtouch.
c) All creatures with exalted have lifelink.
d) All creatures with infect have first strike.
e) All creatures with landfall have haste.
Correct Answer: E
A: 65 (8.26%)
B: 262 (33.29%)
C: 118 (14.99%)
D: 97 (12.33%)
E: 245 (31.13%)
This was the second most missed question on the test. Going into the test, if you had asked me what the hardest question on the test was, I would have picked this one. Why is this so hard? Well, for starters, I made it hard. I knew we were going to have a lot of test takers, and that meant we had to have some hard questions.
The hardest part about this question is that it isn't clear what you're looking for. What exactly makes one of the cards less likely to see print than the others? The answer is that four of these cards we probably wouldn't print, but one card we couldn't print. That card is e). Why can't we print e)? The answer is a technical one, something Design has to care about. Changeling, echo, exalted, and infect are all keywords. Landfall is an ability word. While the players don't really need to know the difference between the two, designers do.
The biggest reason for this is that ability words cannot be referenced in rules text of other cards. Ability words are more decorative than rule-setting. They exist mostly to help players see the connectivity between like-minded cards. They don't have any rules content, though, meaning that other cards can't look for cards with a specific ability word. Because of this, we can't print e). I'm not saying you'll see a), b), c), or d) any time soon, but they are cards we are allowed to print, which puts them ahead of e).
30) Who is most likely to build a deck themed around The Wizard of Oz? (The description of the five answers are here and here.)
a) Timmy
b) Johnny
c) Spike
d) Vorthos
e) Melvin
Correct Answer: B
A: 18 (2.28%)
B: 379 (47.97%)
C: 1 (0.13%)
D: 381 (48.23%)
E: 11 (1.39%)
While this wasn't one of the five most missed questions, it did have more people guess another answer than the correct one. The reason many people missed this question is that they made one false assumption. Vorthos likes flavor, but the flavor he or she likes is that of Magic. What Vorthos enjoys is cards that bring forth the fantasy flavor of the game: top-down designs and cards that are resonant. Vorthos is excited by cards that bring Magic to life.
The reason someone would build a Wizards of Oz deck is to show off their deck-building skills, to demonstrate some creative expression. The person who would do that would be Johnny.
31) Which of the following abilities is R&D most likely to put on a common creature in an upcoming set?
a) : CARDNAME deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
b) : Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn.
c) : Tap target creature.
d) : Target creature gains first strike until end of turn.
e) : Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Correct Answer: C
A: 92 (11.66%)
B: 289 (36.63%)
C: 253 (32.07%)
D: 31 (3.93%)
E: 124 (15.72%)
This was the fourth most missed question on the test. To solve this one, let's walk through each answer. a) is repeatable creature kill. While early Magic had Prodigal Sorcerer, this is an ability we've moved out of common. We've found it unfun in large numbers in Limited and have pushed it up to uncommon to lessen how often it shows up. b) is another ability that once upon a time showed up in common. In recent years, we've come to realize that this ability causes a lot of board complexity as it creates a lot of potential options that become hard to track. As with repeatable creature kill, we moved it up to uncommon to lessen how often it shows up in Limited. c) actually lessens board complexity as it cuts down on either the number of attackers or blockers that are available. As such, we've chosen to keep this ability at common.
d) is another ability that seems simple but causes a lot of board complexity. Because it can target any creature, you have to do math assuming each creature could have the bonus. In common, we tend to have creatures that affect just themselves and at uncommon we put the creatures that affect other creatures. Note that there are some exceptions, as with c). Mostly these come from effects that help cut down on options rather than raise them. e) falls into the same camp as d).
32) You're designing a rare card by starting with each of the common cards below and changing only numbers in that card's rules text. Assuming the mana cost will change to fit the power level of the card, which card is least likely to make a compelling rare?
a) Raise the Alarm
b) Divination
c) Last Gasp
d) Tremor
e) Giant Growth
Correct Answer: C
A: 9 (1.14%)
B: 70 (8.87%)
C: 649 (82.26%)
D: 21 (2.66%)
E: 40 (5.07%)
The key to solving this question is to see what kind of change you can make by altering numbers in the rules text. Raise the Alarm could make a whole bunch of tokens. If that number is large enough, it's a rare effect. Divination draws you cards. If that number is large enough, it could be rare. Tremor deals damage to creatures. If that number is large enough it could be rare. Giant Growth boosts creatures. If the boost is large enough it could be rare.
That leaves Last Gasp. The problem Last Gasp has is that no matter how big the numbers are, the ability will only kill one creature at most. Yes, -100/-100 looks impressive, but it's not much different than Doom Blade, a common card.
33) "Each person's life unfolds according to a pattern. Accepting this fact is the key to harmony." Which color has this philosophy?
a) white
b) blue
c) black
d) red
e) green
Correct Answer: E
A: 277 (35.15%)
B: 29 (3.68%)
C: 1 (0.13%)
D: 0 (0.0%)
E: 481 (61.04%)
This is green's half of the green/blue nature-vs.-nurture argument. Blue believes that everyone is born as a blank slate that can be shaped to become whatever you want. Green believes that your role is predetermined—it is something you were born into. Green feels that to find peace you have to accept your role in the pattern of the universe.
If you weren't so up on your color philosophy, you could have also looked up the words "pattern" and "harmony," both of which only show up in the names of green cards (Harmony of Nature, Multani's Harmony, and Pattern of Rebirth).
34) Which of the following mechanics would be most at home in the Golgari guild (black-green) from Ravnica?
a) flashback
b) madness
c) morph
d) shadow
e) storm
Correct Answer: A
A: 674 (85.42%)
B: 92 (11.66%)
C: 14 (1.77%)
D: 8 (1.01%)
E: 1 (0.13%)
The Golgari are all about the cycle of life and death. As such, they are very focused on the graveyard and recursion. As flashback cares about all these things, it's the clear choice. Madness is the closest runner-up, but its ethos does not match the Golgari nearly as well. It's not really about the graveyard, and the Golgari do not tend to have the kind of mechanics needed to make madness work.
35) Which effect is usually seen on more sorceries than instants?
a) direct damage
b) life gain
c) power/toughness pumping
d) returning permanents to their owner's hand
e) token creation
Correct Answer: E
A: 28 (3.54%)
B: 85 (10.76%)
C: 2 (0.25%)
D: 5 (0.63%)
E: 670 (84.81%)
This is just a number-crunching question. You had to be careful in your Gatherer search, though, because if you just search for "gain life" in rules text and "sorcery" you'll find a lot of black cards that drain life from creatures and/or players. The majority of actual life-gain spells are instants. Token making, on the other hand, exists mostly on sorceries.
36) Which of the following is not true about Magic sets?
a) Design should make sure there are large, all-upside creatures for Timmy.
b) Design should make sure there are build-around enchantments for Johnny.
c) Design should make sure there are spells with swingy effects for Timmy.
d) Design should make sure there are cards with unique effects for Johnny.
e) Design does not need to design cards for Spike as they will gravitate toward whatever the best cards are.
Correct Answer: E
A: 12 (1.52%)
B: 63 (7.97%)
C: 23 (2.91%)
D: 4 (0.51%)
E: 688 (87.09%)
e) is a myth that I have repeatedly disputed in my column. Spikes, like any kind of player, have likes and dislikes that Design has to design around. a) through d) are all things Design has to think about.
37) Which of the following characteristics of a Magic creature card is most relevant to design?
a) color
b) creature type
c) mana cost
d) power and toughness
e) rarity
Correct Answer: A
A: 654 (82.78%)
B: 17 (2.15%)
C: 38 (4.81%)
D: 53 (6.71%)
E: 28 (3.54%)
To solve this question, one needs to look at what gets chosen by Design that tends to have the least amount of change during Development. The color of a card rarely changes once it's handed off from Design. Development will move around a few cards for balance but whole color changes are rare. The creature type almost always changes after the design handoff. Unless the set has a tribal component, Design seldom cares about what exactly the creature types are. Normally, the creative team chooses the creature types of each creature.
Design creates mana costs, but with the knowledge that Development will change them all to whatever they need to be. Power and toughness are also a dial that gets turned a lot by Development. Creatures shrink and grow to help fill out mana curves. Rarity is probably the second most stable element of a card, but as there is more give with rarity, Development is much more likely to swap things between rarities, mostly one up or one down from wherever Design handed it in.
38) Which of the following abilities is R&D least likely to put onto a green creature in an upcoming set?
a) All creatures able to block CARDNAME do so.
b) CARDNAME can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
c) [Mana]: CARDNAME gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
d) Vigilance
e) You may have CARDNAME assign its combat damage as though it weren't blocked.
Correct Answer: B
A: 1 (0.13%)
B: 371 (46.96%)
C: 5 (0.63%)
D: 286 (36.2%)
E: 127 (16.08%)
The "Lure" ability, a), has been in green since Alpha. The "Rootwalla" ability, c), has been a staple in green since Tempest. Vigilance started being a green ability since the creature keyword revamp that happened with Future Sight. The "Rhox" ability, e), while used infrequently, is seen exclusively in green. The "Goblin War Drums" ability, b), is a red ability. It's appeared on only three green creatures, two of which (Gruul Nodorog and Summit Apes) require a red influence to use the ability. Vine Kami from Champions of Kamigawa is the only green creature to ever naturally have this ability, and I'll be honest—I have no idea why.
39) Which of the following is the least likely reason a card would move from common to uncommon during design?
a) The card is too complicated.
b) The card needs to show up less often in limited.
c) There are too many cards doing what the card is doing at common.
d) The card is likely to show up in tournaments.
e) There's no space for the card at common.
Correct Answer: D
A: 16 (2.03%)
B: 14 (1.77%)
C: 50 (6.33%)
D: 674 (85.32%)
E: 36 (4.56%)
Let's walk through the answers. a) is probably the number-one reason why we move cards from common to uncommon. b) is a close runner-up. Usually c) makes us kill cards, but from time to time we'll move up a card we really want to keep. e) is another common reason we move cards up. Every rarity has tournament-level cards. Being tournament quality, d), is the least likely reason we'd move a card up.
40) From a design standpoint, what is the most important advantage of the variance of the draw to Magic?
a) It's a catch-up feature.
b) It adds randomness, which creates greater variety of game play.
c) It allows a player to beat a more skilled opponent.
d) It creates suspense in the late game.
e) It enables the creation of cards that manipulate the library.
Correct Answer: B
A: 16 (2.03%)
B: 544 (69.04%)
C: 25 (3.17%)
D: 12 (1.52%)
E: 191 (24.24%)
One of the biggest problems applicants have with the multiple-choice test is overthinking. This question is a perfect example. The question is asking about what is the most important feature for design. Note it isn't asking about card design but just design in general. For the design of the game, which is the most important? All games need a catch-up feature, but Magic has other catch-up features. We like that Magic allows lesser-skilled players to have the chance to win some of the time, but that's far from the most important feature. Suspense is good, but lower on the list. Having an area for new card design is a plus, but if Magic could never manipulate the library there would still be plenty left to do. By far the greatest advantage for the overall design of the game is the randomness it provides. I spent a whole article talking about how important randomness is to games in general and Magic in particular.
41) According to current design standards, which of the following is least likely to be a common card?
a) A white instant that gives protection to target creature.
b) A blue Aura that stops enchanted creature from untapping.
c) A black sorcery that causes you to pay life to draw cards.
d) A red instant that states target creature can't block this turn.
e) A green sorcery that destroys all enchantments.
Correct Answer: E
A: 208 (26.33%)
B: 6 (0.76%)
C: 70 (8.86%)
D: 37 (4.68%)
E: 469 (59.37%)
Almost every block has b), c), and d) in common. That brings it down to a) and e). We don't do a) all that often but as Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeretdemonstrates we'll still put the ability at common. e), on the other hand, while it started in common in, was long ago moved off to uncommon. Global destruction (destroying all of something) is an ability we've chosen to move out of common.
42) According to R&D, which of the following is the least parasitic mechanic?
a) affinity
b) cycling
c) infect
d) splice
e) threshold
Correct Answer: B
A: 4 (0.51%)
B: 741 (93.92%)
C: 10 (1.27%)
D: 11 (1.39%)
E: 23 (2.92%)
By "parasitic," we mean cards that require you to play other cards in the same set. Once you're playing enough cards to play affinity (for artifacts or for anything else), you're encouraged to play more affinity for the same thing. Infect makes you want to have more infect. Splice (onto Arcane) requires that you have Arcane cards, so one splice card brings more splice cards. Threshold, likewise, makes you jump through a hoop that makes other threshold cards more attractive. Cycling is the only mechanic that does not "combo" with itself. One card with cycling does not make you play another. (Okay, if you have something like Lightning Rift or Astral Slide it does, but that's the result of those cards rather than the mechanic itself.)
43) "I believe that block had a lot of problems because it was just too parasitic without enough backward compatibility." Which block am I most likely talking about?
a) Urza's Saga block
b) Mercadian Masques block
c) Odyssey block
d) Champions of Kamigawa block
e) Lorwyn block
Correct Answer: D
A: 3 (0.38%)
B: 21 (2.66%)
C: 27 (3.42%)
D: 715 (90.62%)
E: 23 (2.92%)
Each of the five blocks above had some issue with parasitic mechanics, but none come close to Champions of Kamigawa. The set is well known in R&D for having almost nothing but parasitic mechanics (the pinnacle being splice onto Arcane—a mechanic that can only work with cards in its block). When the most backward-compatible thing you have going for you is Spirits, you know you're in trouble.
44) According to R&D, what is the flanking mechanic's biggest shortcoming from a design perspective? (See all creatures with flanking here.)
a) Flanking not working against other flankers wasn't intuitive to many players and thus was often played incorrectly.
b) Flanking creatures were all conceived as humans riding horses, thus limiting the types of creatures R&D could design.
c) Flanking only worked on attacking and not on blocking, limiting the number of interactions it created.
d) Flanking was priced such that players didn't actually pay anything extra for the flanking ability.
e) Flanking didn't include a number, eliminating the ability to design future versions using increments greater than -1/-1.
Correct Answer: A
A: 250 (31.65%)
B: 87 (11.01%)
C: 215 (27.22%)
D: 26 (3.29%)
E: 212 (26.84%)
This was the third most missed question on the test. a) is the correct answer, because, as I often talk about in my column, it's very important that mechanics work the way players intuitively expect them to work. b) isn't a big issue as flanking wants to go on smaller creatures, so the horse-riding limitation wasn't much of a big deal. Only working on attacking makes the mechanic more aggressive, which isn't a huge negative. When creating a combat mechanic you have to figure out whether or not you want it to be offensive or defensive or both. Flanking being just offensive works fine, especially in the colors Mirage used it in. The costing is a development issue. Finally, I think players overvalue the ability to make changes in the future. Design is flexible where it makes sense, but adding a number that Design never plans to use is wasteful and adds unnecessary complexity.
45) The philosophy of four of the five colors is stated below. Which color is missing?
-
"Morality? There's no such thing as morality. It's a construct of the weak to justify their actions."
-
"What value is there in thinking about tomorrow? Who knows if we'll even be alive tomorrow?"
-
"Everybody is trying so hard to change everything that they sometimes miss that things don't need to be changed."
-
"Any problem that is understood can be solved."
a) white
b) blue
c) black
d) red
e) green
Correct Answer: A
A: 652 (82.53%)
B: 4 (0.51%)
C: 2 (0.25%)
D: 7 (0.89%)
E: 125 (15.82%)
Let's walk through the quotes. The first one is black. Black is all about amorality and sees leaning on others as a weakness. The second quote is red. Red lives for the moment, not thinking of the consequences of its actions. The third quote was the one nearly all test takers got wrong if they missed this question. The quote is by green. Green is the color trying to prevent change. Green wants everyone to just let the natural way be. The final quote is blue, which believes that knowledge is the most important tool. This means that white was the color that was missing.
46) Which of the following cards is least a Johnny card?
a) Clone
b) Devastating Summons
c) Fauna Shaman
d) Mortician Beetle
e) Near-Death Experience
Correct Answer: B
A: 225 (28.52%)
B: 433 (54.88%)
C: 70 (8.87%)
D: 45 (5.7%)
E: 16 (2.03%)
Let's walk through these answers. Clone is a very Johnny card because it creates so many options. Johnny loves the ability to use cards is ways that others don't see, and a card like Clone is very attractive because of its ability to provide so many different uses. Fauna Shaman enables cool, quirky decks. Mortician Beetle is an odd "build-around-me" card that attracts Johnny. Near-Death Experience is a testing card that creates a challenge for Johnny to meet. The reason Devastating Summons is the least Johnny of the bunch is that it doesn't have much flexibility and its restriction just isn't that hard to work around. The card is much more for Spike than Johnny.
Question 47 refers to the following card:
Those Pesky Dead
Enchantment
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a 2/2 black Vampire creature token onto the battlefield tapped.
47) What change is Design most likely to be make?
a) Change "creature" to "nontoken creature."
b) Change "the battlefield" to "anywhere."
c) Change 2/2 to 1/1.
d) Change "Vampire" to "Zombie."
e) Remove "tapped."
Correct Answer: A
A: 691 (87.58%)
B: 2 (0.25%)
C: 2 (0.25%)
D: 75 (9.51%)
E: 19 (2.41%)
The reason a) is the answer is because it's the only one that Design just wouldn't forget to do before handing over the file to Development. Cards that trigger to make tokens are always worded to prevent endless token making. Bad things happen if the tokens you make trigger the creation of other tokens. d) is the number two answer, as the flavor is a bit of a misfit for the mechanic, but it's not as important a change as a). All the others are changes Design could make, but nothing we'd feel compelled to do.
48) One of R&D's ongoing concerns is board complexity. We've coined the term "virtual vanilla" to refer to a creature that, after the first turn it enters the battlefield, functions as a simple vanilla creature for purposes of evaluating the board state. (Avoid getting hung up on obscure combinations of cards that could make the card not function as a vanilla.)
Here are ten creatures:
How many of the ten creatures are virtual vanilla?
a) four
b) five
c) six
d) seven
e) eight
Correct Answer: D
A: 14 (1.77%)
B: 42 (5.32%)
C: 229 (28.99%)
D: 345 (43.67%)
E: 160 (20.25%)
This was the fifth most missed question, but probably the most heatedly debated. Let's talk about each of the cards and I'll get to the hot button topic.
Æther Adept: It's a 2/2 with an "enters the battlefield" effect. Next turn it's just a 2/2. Virtual vanilla.
Ambassador Oak: A 3/3 with an "enters the battlefield" effect. True, it creates a token, but both Ambassador Oak and the token function as a vanilla during the next turn. Virtual vanilla.
Bog Raiders: The card has swampwalk every turn. Not virtual vanilla.
Canyon Minotaur: Now we get to the controversial card. By the definition I laid out for you, Canyon Minotaur is a virtual vanilla card, as are all vanilla creatures. They do, in fact, function as vanilla creatures the turn after they're played. When R&D uses the term, we do count vanilla creatures. The reason is the one I laid out for you. To understand board complexity, we want to know what on the board is creating complexity. The term "virtual vanilla" was created so we could identify what we didn't need to worry about. Leaving vanilla out of that grouping doesn't help us. Virtual vanilla.
The easy trap to fall into is to focus on the word "virtual" rather than on the definition I gave. The name was chosen more for its alliteration than its 100% accuracy. Design slang and English usage don't always line up exactly (see linear as another example).
Gravedigger: Another 2/2 with a "enter the battlefield" effect. Virtual vanilla.
King Cheetah: All flash creatures (without other abilities) are virtual vanilla as flash is only relevant the turn it's played. Virtual vanilla.
Riptide Crab: The Crab has a "put into graveyard" effect that is relevant for all the turns it's in play. Not virtual vanilla.
Rotting Legion: This card is essentially a virtual vanilla the turn it comes into play. The tapped state of the card has no relevance on its board interaction (well, other than to prevent any from happening). Virtual vanilla.
Squadron Hawk: This was probably the sneakiest thing on the test. The Hawk has a "enter the battlefield" effect just like the many others. What's easy to miss is that it also has flying, and thus is not virtual vanilla. It is virtual French vanilla, but that's a topic for another test.
Vulshok Berserker: Haste, like flash, is a virtual vanilla mechanic in that it is not relevant beyond the first turn. But what about an instant that could steal it? See my parenthetical sentence from the question. Virtual vanilla.
That means the correct answer was seven. This question did have the bonus that if you both overshot and undershot, you could still get the question right.
49) R&D often likes to use cycles for its designs. Which of the following cards is not part of a five-card cycle?
a) Angel's Herald
b) Dawnglare Invoker
c) Martial Coup
d) Rest for the Weary
e) Steppe Lynx
Correct Answer: C
A: 3 (0.38%)
B: 4 (0.51%)
C: 703 (89.21%)
D: 21 (2.66%)
E: 57 (7.23%)
Angel's Herald was part of an uncommon cycle of Heralds in Shards of Alara. Dawnglare Invoker was part of a common cycle of Invokers in Rise of the Eldrazi. Rest for the Weary was part of a common cycle of landfall spells in Worldwake. Steppe Lynx was part of a common cycle of landfall creatures (that all got +2/+2) in Zendikar. This means the odd card out was Martial Coup from Conflux. While Martial Coup shared its "if X is 5 or more" text with a rare and mythic rare (Apocalypse Hydra and Banefire), it wasn't part of a five-card cycle.
50) From a design standpoint, what is the most realistic threat to Magic's long-term health?
a) complexity creep
b) creative limitations
c) running out of block themes
d) running out of design space for individual cards
e) Mark Rosewater
Correct Answer: A
A: 657 (83.27%)
B: 37 (4.69%)
C: 21 (2.66%)
D: 59 (7.48%)
E: 15 (1.9%)
Creative limitations aren't a major design threat. Running out of block themes or individual card space is something that many people on the outside seem to worry about, but as someone in his fifteenth year of making Magic, I'm convinced that Magic has more years in its design life than I have. Fifteen people seem to think that I'm the greatest threat, but if I haven't been able to kill the game in fifteen years, I don't like my chances. On a more serious note, I have talked numerous times about the danger of complexity creep. One of these days I'll dedicate a whole column to it. It is by far the greatest threat to Magic design's long-term health.
Whew! And they said I couldn't do it in under 10,000 words. I better wrap this up quick or I'll hit it. I hope you had fun taking the test today and I'm sure I'll here some dissent in the thread this week.
Join me next week when I poison all your minds.
Until then, may you find the comfortable space between thinking and overthinking.