I'm not saying that WOTC isn't creative or that they haven't done creative things in the past. That would be a blatant lie. But I was scrolling yesterday and I came upon this Q&A between MaRo and a player:
Here MaRo is asked if we'll ever see a redeemed demon character like we've already seen fallen angels. The way MaRo replies alarms me:
"Fallen Angel is a trope seen all over pop culture. Redeemed Demon is not."
I could see if perhaps the player was asking for an entire set based on some exceedingly obscure source material but he was asking if we would ever see that type of character. On top of that, not only is "redeemed demon" not a difficult concept to grasp for... anyone really, it's also a direct mirror image of a concept which he just said was pervasive throughout all of pop culture, which makes it even easier to understand.
But this isn't about one fan's question about one concept, it's about what appears to be, at least MaRo's attitude, about bringing new ideas into Magic. Why does everything Magic does have to be derivative of something from pop culture? Mirrodin, one of Magic's most beloved settings, doesn't even have many easily recognisable tropes in its world building aside from Phyrexia being comparable to The Borg. This just seems like a bad precident to move forward with.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
There may be a worthwhile critique of creativity restrictions within Magic, but as part of this discussion, MaRo did further expand on the question. Whether or not this is an acceptable answer I guess is left up to the reader (I personally think they are plenty creative, but not everyone feels that way). Anyway, here is the blog post where he expanded on this topic:
I personally don't see how a "redeemed demon" is any less valid than "fallen angel".
Tell me a story of Urabrask, a praetor, who redeems himself and fights for the Mirran Resistance. For not only could he sympathize with them, but he would share their love at getting back at the other praetors. How he could understand what it is like to lose those around you and what you can call home. As he is affected by the Red Mirran Sun that gave him and his other workers the gift of empathy and the love of freedom.
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/157385316878/weve-seen-fallen-angels-what-are-the-chances
Here MaRo is asked if we'll ever see a redeemed demon character like we've already seen fallen angels. The way MaRo replies alarms me:
"Fallen Angel is a trope seen all over pop culture. Redeemed Demon is not."
I could see if perhaps the player was asking for an entire set based on some exceedingly obscure source material but he was asking if we would ever see that type of character. On top of that, not only is "redeemed demon" not a difficult concept to grasp for... anyone really, it's also a direct mirror image of a concept which he just said was pervasive throughout all of pop culture, which makes it even easier to understand.
But this isn't about one fan's question about one concept, it's about what appears to be, at least MaRo's attitude, about bringing new ideas into Magic. Why does everything Magic does have to be derivative of something from pop culture? Mirrodin, one of Magic's most beloved settings, doesn't even have many easily recognisable tropes in its world building aside from Phyrexia being comparable to The Borg. This just seems like a bad precident to move forward with.
-Chandra Nalaar
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/157385824838/fallen-angel-is-a-trope-seen-all-over-pop
Tell me a story of Urabrask, a praetor, who redeems himself and fights for the Mirran Resistance. For not only could he sympathize with them, but he would share their love at getting back at the other praetors. How he could understand what it is like to lose those around you and what you can call home. As he is affected by the Red Mirran Sun that gave him and his other workers the gift of empathy and the love of freedom.