‘s latest set, , has now been out for a few weeks – and it’s safe to say it’s been quite popular. Having settled into our new decks, chatted with Product Architect Mike Turian to get further insight into how the set came to be, why sets are always so popular, and how incredibly satisfying it is to play a bunch of freaks. Turian has played and followed competitively for as long as that was an option, so his experience (and memories) were paramount in developing the new set.
Getting sets to click is important, given their main users. “ players are diehard fanatics, and rightly so,” said Turian. “For many of them, it’s their primary way of interacting with the game as there’s so much to explore and tweak.
” Deciding what deserves to come back “These sets are also a chance for us as designers to get gloves off and worry less about complexity,” said Turian. “If Modern is a giant puzzle, is us throwing a bunch of new pieces into the mix to form a brand-new picture!” When it comes to deciding on what makes it as a reprint, there’s a lot of collaborative discussion. The puzzle requires strategic thinking – in sets like this, the decision-making process around choosing which cards do and don’t make the cut isn’t easy.
If anything, there can sometimes be more scrutiny over whether or not the cards make the right amount of sense to be reprinted. According to Turian, there are two major considerations that make a unique design challenge: “With 21 year.
