The lead designer of Magic: The Gathering, Mark Rosewater, talked about the intense outcry from certain players following the prohibition of multiple cards in the Commander format.
The Rules Committee of the format swiftly banned four cards from Commander: Dockside Extortionist, Jeweled Lotus, Mana Crypt, and Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Wizards of the Coast acknowledged this on September 23.
A player urged Rosewater to comment on “harassment towards the RC and CAG to deter these harassers” in a blog post from September 28. Rosewater responded with a lengthy reply.
He added that much of the intense animosity stems from internet anonymity.
“We sometimes take actions that the majority finds extremely offensive. Things can become a little ugly at that point. Many civilities are ingrained in daily existence. You don’t always speak or do certain things to other people. Online, most of that is lost.
Rosewater went on to say, “I came to realize that someone being nasty is more a commentary on them than on me,” outlining how he handles threats and personal attacks. To keep doing what he loves, he added, “It saddens me that I have to. I’ve consciously decided to build a thick skin and weather special media.”
Rosewater concluded by pleading openly for such terrible actors to consider the possible consequences of their behavior and saying, “I ask the Magic community to be better.” I am aware of our potential. I have witnessed it.
The revelation of the September 23 ban sparked charges of insider trading due to the high secondary market value of all four impacted cards. The Rules Committee swiftly refuted these claims and stated that it had “no desire or intent” to reverse any of the adjustments.
