M14 & Dual Lands

[prayos]

I actually asked Mark Rosewater once, and he responded. This is how it went:

Hi Mark. First time, long time. I had a number of questions if you'd be so kind. 1) How come all tokens are not double-sided? If you're already printing the front, why not print another token on the rear to cut down on printing more cards? 2) If double-sided "purified" creatures were too costly to make in Avacyn, how come each pack comes with an advertisement card? 3) Why aren't all vanilla creatures full art? For that matter, how come land is not all full art? You should showcase the art.

Welcome. Now let's get to your questions.

1) The tokens are printed on the backside of the ad cards. The ads are what pay for the card. Brand allows R&D to do whatever we want with the backside of the ad cards and one of the things we've chosen to do is make tokens. Why no double-sided tokens? Because the ad cards have to actually have ads on them as that what pays for them.

2) We didn't make double-faced cards for thematic reasons in Avacyn Restored not financial reasons. Also, the ad cards are a different card stock than the normal, playable cards.

3) One of our jobs is to make every set exciting. One of the ways we do that is find things that excite players. We use those things for a while and then put them away to bring back later to excite the players again. That's the nature of an ongoing trading card game.

I don't buy number 1.  Why do we have to have ad cards to pay for anything?  We pay upwards of $4/pack.  Are they not making enough money from that?

[Falcon182]

I actually asked Mark Rosewater once, and he responded. This is how it went:

Hi Mark. First time, long time. I had a number of questions if you'd be so kind. 1) How come all tokens are not double-sided? If you're already printing the front, why not print another token on the rear to cut down on printing more cards? 2) If double-sided "purified" creatures were too costly to make in Avacyn, how come each pack comes with an advertisement card? 3) Why aren't all vanilla creatures full art? For that matter, how come land is not all full art? You should showcase the art.

Welcome. Now let's get to your questions.

1) The tokens are printed on the backside of the ad cards. The ads are what pay for the card. Brand allows R&D to do whatever we want with the backside of the ad cards and one of the things we've chosen to do is make tokens. Why no double-sided tokens? Because the ad cards have to actually have ads on them as that what pays for them.

2) We didn't make double-faced cards for thematic reasons in Avacyn Restored not financial reasons. Also, the ad cards are a different card stock than the normal, playable cards.

3) One of our jobs is to make every set exciting. One of the ways we do that is find things that excite players. We use those things for a while and then put them away to bring back later to excite the players again. That's the nature of an ongoing trading card game.

I don't buy number 1.  Why do we have to have ad cards to pay for anything?  We pay upwards of $4/pack.  Are they not making enough money from that?

If they were advertising something else, like ultra pro sleeves or something I could see that, but really they're just advertising their own products, which people would have already had to buy to see that advertisement. This doesn't make sense to me... It's like putting an ad poster for a car... Inside a car you've just purchased!

[Dudecore]

Hasbro gives Wizards a certain advertising budget - that is what they use some of it on. It makes sense. Wizards uses the same budget for pre-release and retail space (like Walmart).

They do have ultra pro ads and also ads for their own stuff of course - you still need to advertise your own products even if players are consuming them.

[Double-O-Scotch]

I still think that ad money would be better spent if I found a {aisling leprechaun} in my lucky charms. Ad cards in boosters is like those test bottles of booze attached to a big 40oz of the same kind. Only worse...lol

[izik99]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

[Guypocolypse]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

But you two for one yourself...

[izik99]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

But you two for one yourself...

What do you mean?

[All-Mana Mania]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

But you two for one yourself...

What do you mean?

You are exiling two lands for one mainly. Why not exile a forest or a mountain

[xStrayKnightx]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

But you two for one yourself...

What do you mean?

You are exiling two lands for one mainly. Why not exile a forest or a mountain

Or exile the nonbasic for the two basics.

[InfinitiveDivinity]

They should make these:

Amazing Land

When amazing land enters the battlefield, search your library for a Forest card and a Mountain card and exile them.

{T}: Add {R} or {G} to your mana pool.

But you two for one yourself...

What do you mean?

You are exiling two lands for one mainly. Why not exile a forest or a mountain

Or exile the nonbasic for the two basics.

The clause is an if-else without an else, it needs an out if you don't feel like exiling lands, also it's broken if you don't run the named lands, you just gave Tron a better {Grove of the Burnwillows}

[Greg54js]

I want to see more stuff in the wedge colours (and not just lands)

i think we'll see versions of {crumbling necropolis} and other tri lands from shards in the core as it seems magic is headed into a multicolored deck building realm

[Guypocolypse]

I want to see more stuff in the wedge colours (and not just lands)

i think we'll see versions of {crumbling necropolis} and other tri lands from shards in the core as it seems magic is headed into a multicolored deck building realm

I very much so hope this happens

[Greg54js]

I want to see more stuff in the wedge colours (and not just lands)

i think we'll see versions of {crumbling necropolis} and other tri lands from shards in the core as it seems magic is headed into a multicolored deck building realm

I very much so hope this happens

i'm right there with you. i could always use good multi lands in EDH

[Guypocolypse]

I want to see more stuff in the wedge colours (and not just lands)

i think we'll see versions of {crumbling necropolis} and other tri lands from shards in the core as it seems magic is headed into a multicolored deck building realm

I very much so hope this happens

i'm right there with you. i could always use good multi lands in EDH

They would be so good in standard too

[Greg54js]

I want to see more stuff in the wedge colours (and not just lands)

i think we'll see versions of {crumbling necropolis} and other tri lands from shards in the core as it seems magic is headed into a multicolored deck building realm

I very much so hope this happens

i'm right there with you. i could always use good multi lands in EDH

They would be so good in standard too

oh no doubt.. I just don't play standard that often