Recurring Insight: Smokestack
Patrick Sullivan analyzes the history and design behind one of Magic’s most notorious lock pieces: Smokestack.
AuthorPatrick Sullivan
Patrick Sullivan is a game designer for Dire Wolf Digital. His resume boasts four Grand Prix Top 8s, a slew of SCG Tour® top 8s (including a win), and an SCG Invitational Top 8 in Indianapolis. He is also one of the most celebrated faces in Magic commentary for his work on SCGLive.
Sullivan’s Satchel: Basketball Business, Battle Of The Bad Sets, And Begging For Bans
Patrick Sullivan answers mailbag questions on NBA free agency, reviewing bad sets, and why the calls for card bans seem to be louder.
Recurring Insight: Mutagenic Growth
Phyrexian mana led to some of the most broken Magic cards in this century. Patrick Sullivan looks back at the game’s cheapest pump spell, Mutagenic Growth.
Sullivan’s Satchel: Vintage’s Restricted List, Kitchen Finks, and Designing Rares
Patrick Sullivan answers mailbag questions on the Vintage Restricted List, his process for designing a card, and the importance of powerful rares.
Recurring Insight: Maze Of Ith
One of Magic’s iconic lands is also among its biggest rule-breakers. Patrick Sullivan explores Commander favorite Maze of Ith, an early lesson in how not to design a land.
Sullivan’s Satchel: Party Games, Rolling D20s In MTG, And Fleshing Out Mechanics
Patrick Sullivan answers mailbag questions on evolving MTG mechanics, twenty-sided dice in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and party games.
Recurring Insight: Life From The Loam
How does a card printed to enable a mechanic spawn whole new archetypes on its own? Patrick Sullivan looks back at Life from the Loam.
Recurring Insight: Loxodon Smiter
What makes the perfect Standard card? Patrick Sullivan looks back on a creature that met its moment flawlessly: Loxodon Smiter.
Sullivan’s Satchel: Pyrite Spellbomb, Playing Competitively, and Trash Talk
Patrick Sullivan opens his mailbag once again to answer four fan-submitted questions!
Recurring Insight: Sensei’s Divining Top
Join Patrick Sullivan as he analyzes the history and MTG design of the iconic Sensei’s Divining Top!
Sullivan’s Satchel: Design Inspirations, Controversial Mechanics, And Leaving WotC
Patrick Sullivan answers mailbag questions on design inspirations, Magic’s lessons for real life, and controversial mechanics.
Recurring Insight: Bridge From Below
Is Bridge from Below even a real Magic card? Patrick Sullivan looks back at one of the game’s most controversial designs.
Sullivan’s Satchel: Free Spells, Crystalline Giant, And Using Data Effectively
Patrick Sullivan answers mailbag questions on what counts as a “free” spell, the odd design of Crystalline Giant, and the strengths and limitations of Magic data.
Recurring Insight: Mana Tithe
Color-shifting, or reprinting effects in new colors, reached its zenith in Planar Chaos. Patrick Sullivan looks back at the Force Spike color-shifted to white, Mana Tithe.
Can Anything Stop Urza’s Saga In The New Modern?
Is Urza’s Saga the latest example of a “use until banned” card in Modern? Eight SCG creators say what they’d play in a rapidly changing format.