4 ms·

There's no mention in the article, but as a kid I really liked the flavor text at the bottom of some cards: witty, small fragments of an unknown fantasy lore.

alok99 7y ago
Well there is the whole MtG novel series for the (relatively) newer blocks and sets. I wouldn't be surprised if some flavor texts are direct quotes.
- EamonnMR 7y ago
  That definitely wasn't the case in the heyday of MTG novels, though they might have gotten better at it more recently. Wizards is very open about its design process: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/116841 https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/116841
- Izkata 7y ago
  The novels have existed basically since the beginning, though tying them to a set may not have been there at the start. But if not, it was still very, very near the beginning, with the Weatherlight saga. I both played and read Invasion through Fifth Dawn, and while the quotes never appeared verbatim, some of them could be pinned down to specific events. One of my favorite easter eggs was learning that the Blind Seer from Invasion [0] was actually Urza in disguise... which fits that flavor text perfectly. [0] https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Blind%20Seer https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Bl...
the_af 7y ago
Agreed! In particular Kaervek has become a favorite with my friends -- none of which has played Magic for more than a decade now -- with his iconic "If it is weak, either kill it or ignore it. Anything else honors it."
GuB-42 7y ago
My favorite is "Ach! Hans, Run! It's the Lhurgoyf!" - Saffi Eriksdotter, last words. Just a fun, stupid and memorable flavor text. But there is more: - They made an Unhinged card out of it (Ach! Hans, Run!) - It is referenced in an other card with a similar ability (Revenant). "Not again." -Hans - Saffi Eriksdotter is a creature from the "time spiral" block. Many cards of this block are "parallel universe" version of older cards. And indeed, here, Saffi Eriksdotter manages to run away.
Noumenon72 7y ago
I like the text too. It's interesting that the text other people point to as their favorite is not interesting to me. https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-favorite-flavor-text-on-a-Magic-card https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-favorite-flavor-text-on-a... Magic serves many different audiences -- they even purposely design cards for certain players knowing others will hate them. I guess the flavor text hits different people too.

alok99 7y ago

Well there is the whole MtG novel series for the (relatively) newer blocks and sets. I wouldn't be surprised if some flavor texts are direct quotes.

EamonnMR 7y ago
That definitely wasn't the case in the heyday of MTG novels, though they might have gotten better at it more recently. Wizards is very open about its design process: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/116841 https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/116841
Izkata 7y ago
The novels have existed basically since the beginning, though tying them to a set may not have been there at the start. But if not, it was still very, very near the beginning, with the Weatherlight saga. I both played and read Invasion through Fifth Dawn, and while the quotes never appeared verbatim, some of them could be pinned down to specific events. One of my favorite easter eggs was learning that the Blind Seer from Invasion [0] was actually Urza in disguise... which fits that flavor text perfectly. [0] https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Blind%20Seer https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Bl...

the_af 7y ago

Agreed! In particular Kaervek has become a favorite with my friends -- none of which has played Magic for more than a decade now -- with his iconic "If it is weak, either kill it or ignore it. Anything else honors it."

GuB-42 7y ago

My favorite is "Ach! Hans, Run! It's the Lhurgoyf!" - Saffi Eriksdotter, last words. Just a fun, stupid and memorable flavor text. But there is more: - They made an Unhinged card out of it (Ach! Hans, Run!) - It is referenced in an other card with a similar ability (Revenant). "Not again." -Hans - Saffi Eriksdotter is a creature from the "time spiral" block. Many cards of this block are "parallel universe" version of older cards. And indeed, here, Saffi Eriksdotter manages to run away.

Noumenon72 7y ago

I like the text too. It's interesting that the text other people point to as their favorite is not interesting to me. https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-favorite-flavor-text-on-a-Magic-card https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-favorite-flavor-text-on-a... Magic serves many different audiences -- they even purposely design cards for certain players knowing others will hate them. I guess the flavor text hits different people too.