In General: Conspiracy - Disillusion

Hello and welcome back to In General, the column where we apparently discuss just about anything as long as it is tangentially related to Magic: the Gathering. Today I will conclude my ongoing rant about Conspiracy, by finally discussing The Disillusion Problem.

This idea is so named for a fake Magic card that I first saw years ago. Take a look:

The name is a double entendre, referring both to this card specifically, but also to the idea that you don't necessarily have to only take the cards that R&D gives you. With sufficient knowledge, design skill, and inspiration, you can create new cards to address specific issues in your casual play environments. In this example I am exclusively considering Powered Cube, where the format is defined by fast artifact mana. Without a way to interact with those cards, Black is severely limited in the 'fair' decks it can build.

This idea of 'peeking behind the curtain' of R&D can be liberating and scary. The strange, new draft-altering cards presented in Conspiracy broke many of the fundamental rules of the game. This creates a slippery slope: what is sacred? If you break one rule, what is to say you can't break a different one?

The Disillusion Problem stated simply is this: "If they can break the rules. Why can't I?"

There is a debate inside R&D between Mark Rosewater, who believes the color pie by should be defined by what each color is 'good at', and Aaron Forsythe, who believes the color pie should be defined by what each color has access to.

We can see Rosewater's idea with a card like Hornet Sting. Green isn't 'good at' direct damage, so this card is weak compared to Shock (the standard for this type of effect).

We see the other side of the coin with Disenchant and Black. Black...just doesn't have one. Zero total ways to answer a Doubling Season or Tangle Wire. Well technically, Black has Gate to Phyrexia and Phyrexian Tribute, but I am going to take up the stance that these cards are not good enough to see play in any format.

What is missing from this picture?

Is it Thoughsteize? Is it really? The point is that SOMETHING is missing and in the interest of a more balanced play experience for my own Cube, SOMETHING should occupy this space. I don't think that Disillusion is a printable card. However, there is an established theme within the design of Black cards that has been used hundreds of times of the years: Pay life to get what you want. These are more mechanically sound examples:




This isn't an article about how to design balanced cards. It is just meant to inspire you to take some initiative in creating your own fun. R&D breaks a few rules every once in a while, why can't you?

-GG