MaRo has mentioned multiple times that Dinosaur World is on the short list. Which makes me think: To ensure the theme is visible at common, we'll naturally see Dinos in each color, especially as the larger creatures of the set. Is there a chance we'll see different distinct tribes of Dinosaurs?
WU Pterodactyls - As white and blue are the flying colors, it's only natural to expect the most famous flying dinosaurs in these colors. A few black Dactyls could also occur.
UB Plesiosaurs - These were the first aquatic dinosaurs to come to mind, though I'm sure others could be used instead. These colors bring to mind murky water, so the associated species should be aquatic or amphibious.
BR Tyrannos, Raptors - Tyrannosaurus Rex is often viewed as a frightening predator, though in reality was probably a scavenger. Regardless, the idea of a mouth full of sharp teeth on two thick legs charging at you certainly has a scary, aggressive vibe. The pop culture version of Raptors, more scientifically known as "deinonynchuses", could also fit here as black and red get haste which lends itself well to small, speedy aggressors. Viashino would be easy to adapt as slightly more humanoid versions. I could see some Tyrannos in green as well, being large and carnivorous.
RG Triceratops - The horned dinosaurs, bulky and short tempered like their mammalian successors, the Rhinos. Which species would be more appropriate for red and green's favorite shared keyword, trample? I could see some in white as well, further emphasizing their similarities to Rhinos.
GW Brontosaurs - As the tallest and most often perceived as gentle and peaceful dinosaurs, long-necks would be ideal as the defensive Towering Indrik and Siege Mastodon-style fatties. As many long-necks spend time near water, particularly Brachiosaurus, I could see some blue long-necks as well, though Plesios would occupy much of the same space.
Of course there are other species to keep in mind as well like Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I'd love to see some kind of proto-world like this, perhaps you could also include stuff like early predecessor races:
Moonfolk WU
Amphin BU
Viashino BR
Titans/Giants RG
Ancient more faerie like and individually (rather than collectively) powerful elves GW
They'd all have some kind of ancient and decadent advanced civilization that will fall in the future and be left as only ruins kind of thing going, and likely be in conflict with one another, and maybe have enslaved or random tribes of predecessors of more modern races out there, like Neanderthals and some kind of primitive goblins. Maybe some wurms and drakes as forms of proto-Dragons as well terrorizing the land.
Could be the world of 'Muraganda' and have the petroglyphs card and lots of strong on the curve vanilla creatures to take advantage of that strategy.
That feels like deviating away from the base theme. Humans and Viashino I could easily see, but Moonfolk? Elves? Those just don't scream "Dinosaur World" to me.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
MaRo has mentioned multiple times that Dinosaur World is on the short list. Which makes me think: To ensure the theme is visible at common, we'll naturally see Dinos in each color, especially as the larger creatures of the set. Is there a chance we'll see different distinct tribes of Dinosaurs?
WU Pterodactyls - As white and blue are the flying colors, it's only natural to expect the most famous flying dinosaurs in these colors. A few black Dactyls could also occur.
UB Plesiosaurs - These were the first aquatic dinosaurs to come to mind, though I'm sure others could be used instead. These colors bring to mind murky water, so the associated species should be aquatic or amphibious.
BR Tyrannos, Raptors - Tyrannosaurus Rex is often viewed as a frightening predator, though in reality was probably a scavenger. Regardless, the idea of a mouth full of sharp teeth on two thick legs charging at you certainly has a scary, aggressive vibe. The pop culture version of Raptors, more scientifically known as "deinonynchuses", could also fit here as black and red get haste which lends itself well to small, speedy aggressors. Viashino would be easy to adapt as slightly more humanoid versions. I could see some Tyrannos in green as well, being large and carnivorous.
RG Triceratops - The horned dinosaurs, bulky and short tempered like their mammalian successors, the Rhinos. Which species would be more appropriate for red and green's favorite shared keyword, trample? I could see some in white as well, further emphasizing their similarities to Rhinos.
GW Brontosaurs - As the tallest and most often perceived as gentle and peaceful dinosaurs, long-necks would be ideal as the defensive Towering Indrik and Siege Mastodon-style fatties. As many long-necks spend time near water, particularly Brachiosaurus, I could see some blue long-necks as well, though Plesios would occupy much of the same space.
Of course there are other species to keep in mind as well like Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.
Not to be an ass, but Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are archosaurs, which is a clade within reptiles which also includes dinosaurs (and crocodiles), but they are definitely distinct. As a quick cheat sheet for you: there were no marine and no flying dinosaurs. All (non-avian) dinosaurs were primarily land dwellers. If MaRo is really talking about only dinosaurs, these groups aren't going to be there. If he's expanding his classification to general ancient life, then you get a bit more flexibility.
Anyway, to assist in your nomenclature:
Pterodactyl is a specific species within the Pterosaur group. I don't think you mean that every creature is going to specifically be a variant of the same species.
Tyrannosaurs and "Raptors" are both groups within the larger order of Theropod dinosaurs. While crazy things like Therizinosaurs wouldn't really fit in this color combination, I think we can broaden the inclusion to many other types of Theropods than just the two you mentioned.
Again, only Triceratops (a single species)? Let's broaden this to all of the Ceratopsids. Probably include the Stegosauria in here as well.
Just... Just stop. Brontosaurus never existed. It was, and still is, an incorrect name of Apatosaurus. Please stop calling it by the incorrect name. You sound like a fool. Anyway, lets expand this group to also include all Sauropods. There are a surprising variety of body shapes within this Order of dinosaurs (Diplodocids are very long; Brachiosaurs are very tall; Titanosaurs are just massive), but you could probably expand this color combination to also include the Ankylosauria (as you mentioned) and the Ornithopods.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
Not to be an ass, but Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are archosaurs, which is a clade within reptiles which also includes dinosaurs (and crocodiles), but they are definitely distinct. As a quick cheat sheet for you: there were no marine and no flying dinosaurs. All (non-avian) dinosaurs were primarily land dwellers. If MaRo is really talking about only dinosaurs, these groups aren't going to be there. If he's expanding his classification to general ancient life, then you get a bit more flexibility.
It's a little something called Pop Culture. It's the reason why there were Krakens in Theros. When people say Dinosaurs, they generally mean every prehistoric reptilian that lived during the Mesozoic Era, from the Triassic through Jurassic to Cretaceous.
Anyway, to assist in your nomenclature:
Pterodactyl is a specific species within the Pterosaur group. I don't think you mean that every creature is going to specifically be a variant of the same species.
I mean that WU Dinosaurs would be winged and have flying, and if the majority of them resemble Pterodactyls then that's what creative went with. Funny story: I actually was going to use Pterosaurs but figured that Pterodactyls would be more distinct, and the fact is you can use Dactyl as a shorthand for "flying dinosaur", and it's a shorthand that sounds better than "Pteros" to boot.
We're talking Magic, not dinosaur science. Plesiosaurs were the first Dinosaurs that came to mind as UB, being aquatic and certainly easy to imagine living in swampy regions regardless of any real-life precedents for doing so. You can try and lump other species into the same pair, but a Magic set only has room for so many creatures, especially in blue, and the fact is a lot of the species will be completely made up like in the case of Imperiosaur. We're talking general tropes here, and an aquatic dinosaur with a head somewhat resembling a snake sounds like a good fit for UB to me.
Tyrannosaurs and "Raptors" are both groups within the larger order of Theropod dinosaurs. While crazy things like Therizinosaurs wouldn't really fit in this color combination, I think we can broaden the inclusion to many other types of Theropods than just the two you mentioned.
Again, looking at general tropes here. How many people will pick out Allosaurus over Tyrannosaurus Rex? And when people think Raptors, they think those "tiny T-Rexes" from Jurassic Park with footclaws like daggers that did half the hunting and killing in the movie. They were the pack of wolves to the T-Rex's bear; both scary and dangerous but in different ways. That's what the BR Dinos need to capture: That sense of being hunted, the feeling of dread when a pack of Raptors or a big honking Rex charge at you.
Again, only Triceratops (a single species)? Let's broaden this to all of the Ceratopsids. Probably include the Stegosauria in here as well.
Again, looking at general tropes here. Triceratops is the archetypal horned dinosaur, and quite appropriate for RG's benchmark keyword, Trample. I would expect that RG Dinosaurs take after the Ceratopsids in particular because which other kind of Dino is going to charge at you and trample right over anything that gets in their way?
Just... Just stop. Brontosaurus never existed. It was, and still is, an incorrect name of Apatosaurus. Please stop calling it by the incorrect name. You sound like a fool.
And yet most people will get what it means: "Long neck Dinosaur", just like Dactyl refers to "flying Dinosaur" and Raptor refers to "small, speedy dinosaur with razor-sharp toenails". The moment you said "fool", you lost your credibility to me. That kind of insult is not necessary for disambiguation nor does it contribute anything to the discussion.
This is a case of knowing the scientific specifics but disregarding them for the sake of communicating a concept. Most people who play Dinosaur World aren't going to care whether the long-necked Dinosaurs are called Brontosaurus, Apatosaurus, or Dingdongasaurus, they're going to love the chance to finally relive their childhood memories of "T Rex versus Triceratops" that they used to enact with their Dinosaur toys as a kid. The scientific specifics aren't going to sell the set, the sheer thrill of playing huge lizards will. As long as people recognize the Dinosaur tropes being used and enjoy it, the set will be a success.
Look, I get that there are a lot of liberties taken with Dinosaurs in pop culture and I understand your desire to make the proper terms and classifications known, but Magic is not the place to push for education on the matter. By its very nature as a fantasy game, many of the creatures in Magic are made up while still being based on recognizable real life animals. What's most important in a game like Magic is that people have fun playing it, and if that entails sacrificing academic and taxonomic accuracy, then it's a price worth paying. If people want to know more about real dinosaurs, there are sources of knowledge about them, like Wikipedia to which you linked several times, with which they can educate themselves.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I don't think Tribal makes much sense for a Dino world. I mean:
The dino "tribes" won't be seen elsewhere. Thus, their support will be purely parasitic.
The non-raptor dinos aren't particularly well known for their team work.
Tribal would feel like dino factions are pitted against one another, when Dinos probably wouldn't care about much more than finding lunch.
Personally, I'd prefer it if all the dinos represented in the game are fictional, fantasy-influenced species and are referred by fictional names (all flying reptiles are referred as "Pteras", Aquatic reptilas are called "Aquarians", etc.).
Nearly every dinosaur in Magic is R or G. I'm pretty sure that , if we ever do see a "dinosaur world" -themed block, other prehistoric animals will fill in the W, U, and B slots.
Just like how Dragons have always appeared exclusively in red? Most sets haven't been Dinosaur themed.
Just because there are different tribes of Dinosaurs doesn't mean they have to be distinguished as creature types; it would just so happen that the majority of blue Dinosaurs, for example, are Dactyls or Plesios. Mostly this boils down to identifying which kinds of Dinosaurs each color gets; white, blue, and black all get fliers so they'll get the avian Dinos while red and green get the bulky, trampling Dinos and so forth.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
...
Look, I get that there are a lot of liberties taken with Dinosaurs in pop culture and I understand your desire to make the proper terms and classifications known, but Magic is not the place to push for education on the matter...
I really didn't mean to be an ass, but I suppose that did come on a bit strong. My appologies for that.
I guess my overall point is that absolutely everywhere is the correct place to push for scientific accuracy. Everyone absorbs much more from these trivial sources throughout their lives than they realize, and I don't think it should matter if we're talking about a Nick Jr cartoon or a Hollywood blockbuster. The creators should be taking as much care with historical and scientific accuracy as prudently possible.
This is all academic however, as I agree with what has been said a few times now. Wizards is likely going to use basic body shapes from the real world, and make up their own creature type to fit it. Virtually noone is going to care about the real-world analogues, as long as they don't represent everything like the Rite of Spring section of Fantasia.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
If that's what people would find fun, and thus pay for, that's what Design is going to go with. Perhaps you should write a book addressing the common misconceptions about dinosaurs? Then you can educate people and make money off of it at the same time. Just don't decry those who took liberties for the sake of fun.
Perhaps I should design a cycle or two of Dinosaurs to demonstrate the topic's concept?
Vertisaur4W
Creature - Lizard
3/5
So yes, this would be an example of an Apatosaurus-influenced Dinosaur creature, fit into the Siege Mastodon role.
This is based on Jurassic Park's depiction of a Dilophosaurus, which was rather inaccurate but nevertheless passed into pop culture as the "spitting raptor". Since I mentioned that "Raptors" could be black as well as red, this seems like a good example. Also, Typhoid Rats variant.
Thundersaurus Rex3RR
Creature - Lizard
Haste
4/3
Here's a Thundering Giant variant reimagined as a T-Rex inspired dinosaur.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I would love for them to do this and go more with a Dinotopia feel, having each civilization specialize in raising, training and fighting with the various types of Saurian's. I would think that allied pairs would probably work the best in this, but I could see shards or enemy pairs work as well.
I could see a really strong focus on "chaotic" or "primitive" magic. Spells would be a lot more Umph for their cost, but perhaps more random. Imagine a 2 mana for 4 damage that has to randomly target a creature or opponent. What fun in draft/Commander! Human Hunters, focus on mono color groups. You could even have the second set feature something akin to the great ice age of Dominaria and the death of the dinosaurs at the hands of a cataclysmic event. I like this idea, but for me I first want to see a Nordic style setting. I've been dreaming about a Norse setting in magic for the better part of 18 years.
I could see a really strong focus on "chaotic" or "primitive" magic. Spells would be a lot more Umph for their cost, but perhaps more random. Imagine a 2 mana for 4 damage that has to randomly target a creature or opponent. What fun in draft/Commander! Human Hunters, focus on mono color groups. You could even have the second set feature something akin to the great ice age of Dominaria and the death of the dinosaurs at the hands of a cataclysmic event. I like this idea, but for me I first want to see a Nordic style setting. I've been dreaming about a Norse setting in magic for the better part of 18 years.
There will be a Norse setting, but I very much doubt it'll be the same one as a "primordial" setting.
As to the OP, note that all the Muruganda stuff is in red and green. I would doubt we'll get a full-on dinosaur world, and more a primitive / primordial one, where the dinosaur-aspect is focused in green and red, with other colours getting other aspects of said pop culture imagery.
Well I don't expect the Nordic setting will be primal, I was simply stating I'd like to see a Nordic setting before a "dinosaur plane" type setting. I'd love to see a completely different take on the God idea, for the Norse.
Well a Dinosaur world needs to have Dinos in every color just as Innistrad had Gothic horror tropes in every color and Theros had Greek myth tropes in every color. But Dinos need not be all there is to the world. Dinosaurs and Cavepeople are often lumped together despite the inaccuracy of such an association, so it stands to reason that more primitive peoples, or possibly Dinotopia-inspired civilizations like fettpett suggested, appear as well. Think Allosaurus Rider but in a much less strange setting.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Accepted. Just try not to get too hung up on details in the future; education is all well and good, but the bottom line was getting the "long-necked dinosaur" trope across and whichever name best conveys that is the one that should be used.
Having thought about it, I like the idea of a Dinotopia-inspired civilization in there, particularly concentrated in white, blue, and black. Red and green still work as cave man colors, though not every red or green humanoid needs to be a cave man.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
MaRo has mentioned multiple times that Dinosaur World is on the short list. Which makes me think: To ensure the theme is visible at common, we'll naturally see Dinos in each color, especially as the larger creatures of the set. Is there a chance we'll see different distinct tribes of Dinosaurs?
WU Pterodactyls - As white and blue are the flying colors, it's only natural to expect the most famous flying dinosaurs in these colors. A few black Dactyls could also occur.
UB Plesiosaurs - These were the first aquatic dinosaurs to come to mind, though I'm sure others could be used instead. These colors bring to mind murky water, so the associated species should be aquatic or amphibious.
BR Tyrannos, Raptors - Tyrannosaurus Rex is often viewed as a frightening predator, though in reality was probably a scavenger. Regardless, the idea of a mouth full of sharp teeth on two thick legs charging at you certainly has a scary, aggressive vibe. The pop culture version of Raptors, more scientifically known as "deinonynchuses", could also fit here as black and red get haste which lends itself well to small, speedy aggressors. Viashino would be easy to adapt as slightly more humanoid versions. I could see some Tyrannos in green as well, being large and carnivorous.
RG Triceratops - The horned dinosaurs, bulky and short tempered like their mammalian successors, the Rhinos. Which species would be more appropriate for red and green's favorite shared keyword, trample? I could see some in white as well, further emphasizing their similarities to Rhinos.
GW Brontosaurs - As the tallest and most often perceived as gentle and peaceful dinosaurs, long-necks would be ideal as the defensive Towering Indrik and Siege Mastodon-style fatties. As many long-necks spend time near water, particularly Brachiosaurus, I could see some blue long-necks as well, though Plesios would occupy much of the same space.
Of course there are other species to keep in mind as well like Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.
Not to be an ass, but Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are archosaurs, which is a clade within reptiles which also includes dinosaurs (and crocodiles), but they are definitely distinct. As a quick cheat sheet for you: there were no marine and no flying dinosaurs. All (non-avian) dinosaurs were primarily land dwellers. If MaRo is really talking about only dinosaurs, these groups aren't going to be there. If he's expanding his classification to general ancient life, then you get a bit more flexibility.
Anyway, to assist in your nomenclature:
Pterodactyl is a specific species within the Pterosaur group. I don't think you mean that every creature is going to specifically be a variant of the same species.
Tyrannosaurs and "Raptors" are both groups within the larger order of Theropod dinosaurs. While crazy things like Therizinosaurs wouldn't really fit in this color combination, I think we can broaden the inclusion to many other types of Theropods than just the two you mentioned.
Again, only Triceratops (a single species)? Let's broaden this to all of the Ceratopsids. Probably include the Stegosauria in here as well.
Just... Just stop. Brontosaurus never existed. It was, and still is, an incorrect name of Apatosaurus. Please stop calling it by the incorrect name. You sound like a fool. Anyway, lets expand this group to also include all Sauropods. There are a surprising variety of body shapes within this Order of dinosaurs (Diplodocids are very long; Brachiosaurs are very tall; Titanosaurs are just massive), but you could probably expand this color combination to also include the Ankylosauria (as you mentioned) and the Ornithopods.
I am pretty certain that Archaeopteryx and its ilk where flying dinosaurs (and precursors to modern birds).
Sorry, I just had to put that out there. Such things have been a pet peeve of mine ever since I had a biology teacher who was convinced that pterosaurs where mammals because, and I quote "There has never been a flying reptile." He didn't acknowledge neither Darwin's Theory of Evolution nor Linnea's catalog system either. So how in Hades he managed to become a biology teacher is beyond me. >.<
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
Perhaps Archaeopteryx could be adapted as Bird Lizards?
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Hmm, enemy pairs would need something to do, and the idea is that Dinosaurs appear in all five colors, so it would make sense if there were species associated with enemy pairs too. Granted, it's not like multicolor commons would appear, but much like Theros' poleis you still have distinct species-pair associations. Ankylosaurus could work as RW. But where does Stegosaur fit in? Ceratopsians would be RG and Brontosaurs would be GW.
Granted, Magic Dinos don't have to use just one species; we could see Dinos with Ceratopsian horns and Stegosaurian spiked tails or long necks with spinal plates, for example. It ultimately comes down to what Dinosaur traits each color and color pair wants. Indeed, by exercising some creative license we can create Dinosaurs that are familiar yet different from the common Hollywood stock Dinos.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Having thought about it, I like the idea of a Dinotopia-inspired civilization in there, particularly concentrated in white, blue, and black. Red and green still work as cave man colors, though not every red or green humanoid needs to be a cave man.
oooh, I LOVE the idea of a Dinotopian themed set, complete with intelligent Dinosaurid's (possibly Raptor-esq humanoids). and make it a full world not just an island. Red-Green would easily work with the savagery of the the Therapods (T-Rex, Spineasaur, etc).
I also think it would be fun to bring Kithkin back as the main humanoid species of this type of set.
I wonder if WOTC would treat the Dinosaurs like they do Dragons in DTK in that they are higher up in the rarity spectrum, larger bombs that are opened less frequently, or if they would splash dinosaurs everywhere, so that you'd sometimes open a common 3/3 or 3/4 or 4/3 dinosaur that may just have trample or nothing else. There were a lot of Dragons, but not as many as you could have put in if you wanted DRAGONS everywhere. I'd have high expectations for a Dinosaur set, especially if it is trying to play up the tribal affiliations of different species/groups.
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WU Pterodactyls - As white and blue are the flying colors, it's only natural to expect the most famous flying dinosaurs in these colors. A few black Dactyls could also occur.
UB Plesiosaurs - These were the first aquatic dinosaurs to come to mind, though I'm sure others could be used instead. These colors bring to mind murky water, so the associated species should be aquatic or amphibious.
BR Tyrannos, Raptors - Tyrannosaurus Rex is often viewed as a frightening predator, though in reality was probably a scavenger. Regardless, the idea of a mouth full of sharp teeth on two thick legs charging at you certainly has a scary, aggressive vibe. The pop culture version of Raptors, more scientifically known as "deinonynchuses", could also fit here as black and red get haste which lends itself well to small, speedy aggressors. Viashino would be easy to adapt as slightly more humanoid versions. I could see some Tyrannos in green as well, being large and carnivorous.
RG Triceratops - The horned dinosaurs, bulky and short tempered like their mammalian successors, the Rhinos. Which species would be more appropriate for red and green's favorite shared keyword, trample? I could see some in white as well, further emphasizing their similarities to Rhinos.
GW Brontosaurs - As the tallest and most often perceived as gentle and peaceful dinosaurs, long-necks would be ideal as the defensive Towering Indrik and Siege Mastodon-style fatties. As many long-necks spend time near water, particularly Brachiosaurus, I could see some blue long-necks as well, though Plesios would occupy much of the same space.
Of course there are other species to keep in mind as well like Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Moonfolk WU
Amphin BU
Viashino BR
Titans/Giants RG
Ancient more faerie like and individually (rather than collectively) powerful elves GW
They'd all have some kind of ancient and decadent advanced civilization that will fall in the future and be left as only ruins kind of thing going, and likely be in conflict with one another, and maybe have enslaved or random tribes of predecessors of more modern races out there, like Neanderthals and some kind of primitive goblins. Maybe some wurms and drakes as forms of proto-Dragons as well terrorizing the land.
Could be the world of 'Muraganda' and have the petroglyphs card and lots of strong on the curve vanilla creatures to take advantage of that strategy.
Muraganda is popularly proposed for such a set, pointing to cards like Imperiosaur, Muraganda Petroglyphs, and Feeding Grounds.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Not to be an ass, but Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are archosaurs, which is a clade within reptiles which also includes dinosaurs (and crocodiles), but they are definitely distinct. As a quick cheat sheet for you: there were no marine and no flying dinosaurs. All (non-avian) dinosaurs were primarily land dwellers. If MaRo is really talking about only dinosaurs, these groups aren't going to be there. If he's expanding his classification to general ancient life, then you get a bit more flexibility.
Anyway, to assist in your nomenclature:
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
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It's a little something called Pop Culture. It's the reason why there were Krakens in Theros. When people say Dinosaurs, they generally mean every prehistoric reptilian that lived during the Mesozoic Era, from the Triassic through Jurassic to Cretaceous.
I mean that WU Dinosaurs would be winged and have flying, and if the majority of them resemble Pterodactyls then that's what creative went with. Funny story: I actually was going to use Pterosaurs but figured that Pterodactyls would be more distinct, and the fact is you can use Dactyl as a shorthand for "flying dinosaur", and it's a shorthand that sounds better than "Pteros" to boot.
We're talking Magic, not dinosaur science. Plesiosaurs were the first Dinosaurs that came to mind as UB, being aquatic and certainly easy to imagine living in swampy regions regardless of any real-life precedents for doing so. You can try and lump other species into the same pair, but a Magic set only has room for so many creatures, especially in blue, and the fact is a lot of the species will be completely made up like in the case of Imperiosaur. We're talking general tropes here, and an aquatic dinosaur with a head somewhat resembling a snake sounds like a good fit for UB to me.
Again, looking at general tropes here. How many people will pick out Allosaurus over Tyrannosaurus Rex? And when people think Raptors, they think those "tiny T-Rexes" from Jurassic Park with footclaws like daggers that did half the hunting and killing in the movie. They were the pack of wolves to the T-Rex's bear; both scary and dangerous but in different ways. That's what the BR Dinos need to capture: That sense of being hunted, the feeling of dread when a pack of Raptors or a big honking Rex charge at you.
Again, looking at general tropes here. Triceratops is the archetypal horned dinosaur, and quite appropriate for RG's benchmark keyword, Trample. I would expect that RG Dinosaurs take after the Ceratopsids in particular because which other kind of Dino is going to charge at you and trample right over anything that gets in their way?
And yet most people will get what it means: "Long neck Dinosaur", just like Dactyl refers to "flying Dinosaur" and Raptor refers to "small, speedy dinosaur with razor-sharp toenails". The moment you said "fool", you lost your credibility to me. That kind of insult is not necessary for disambiguation nor does it contribute anything to the discussion.
This is a case of knowing the scientific specifics but disregarding them for the sake of communicating a concept. Most people who play Dinosaur World aren't going to care whether the long-necked Dinosaurs are called Brontosaurus, Apatosaurus, or Dingdongasaurus, they're going to love the chance to finally relive their childhood memories of "T Rex versus Triceratops" that they used to enact with their Dinosaur toys as a kid. The scientific specifics aren't going to sell the set, the sheer thrill of playing huge lizards will. As long as people recognize the Dinosaur tropes being used and enjoy it, the set will be a success.
Look, I get that there are a lot of liberties taken with Dinosaurs in pop culture and I understand your desire to make the proper terms and classifications known, but Magic is not the place to push for education on the matter. By its very nature as a fantasy game, many of the creatures in Magic are made up while still being based on recognizable real life animals. What's most important in a game like Magic is that people have fun playing it, and if that entails sacrificing academic and taxonomic accuracy, then it's a price worth paying. If people want to know more about real dinosaurs, there are sources of knowledge about them, like Wikipedia to which you linked several times, with which they can educate themselves.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Snarling Stegosaurus
Swooping Pterodon
Sludge Brontosaurus
Slagging Triceratops
Grim Tyrannosaurus
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The dino "tribes" won't be seen elsewhere. Thus, their support will be purely parasitic.
The non-raptor dinos aren't particularly well known for their team work.
Tribal would feel like dino factions are pitted against one another, when Dinos probably wouldn't care about much more than finding lunch.
Personally, I'd prefer it if all the dinos represented in the game are fictional, fantasy-influenced species and are referred by fictional names (all flying reptiles are referred as "Pteras", Aquatic reptilas are called "Aquarians", etc.).
Give Zaliki a CardI must have all the cats!
Just because there are different tribes of Dinosaurs doesn't mean they have to be distinguished as creature types; it would just so happen that the majority of blue Dinosaurs, for example, are Dactyls or Plesios. Mostly this boils down to identifying which kinds of Dinosaurs each color gets; white, blue, and black all get fliers so they'll get the avian Dinos while red and green get the bulky, trampling Dinos and so forth.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I really didn't mean to be an ass, but I suppose that did come on a bit strong. My appologies for that.
I guess my overall point is that absolutely everywhere is the correct place to push for scientific accuracy. Everyone absorbs much more from these trivial sources throughout their lives than they realize, and I don't think it should matter if we're talking about a Nick Jr cartoon or a Hollywood blockbuster. The creators should be taking as much care with historical and scientific accuracy as prudently possible.
This is all academic however, as I agree with what has been said a few times now. Wizards is likely going to use basic body shapes from the real world, and make up their own creature type to fit it. Virtually noone is going to care about the real-world analogues, as long as they don't represent everything like the Rite of Spring section of Fantasia.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRGCheck out some of my older lists and my Type4 Cube!GRBUW
Perhaps I should design a cycle or two of Dinosaurs to demonstrate the topic's concept?
Vertisaur 4W
Creature - Lizard
3/5
So yes, this would be an example of an Apatosaurus-influenced Dinosaur creature, fit into the Siege Mastodon role.
Dactyl 2U
Creature - Lizard
Flying
2/2
Wind Drake reimagined as a Dinosaur.
Venoraptor B
Creature - Lizard
Deathtouch
1/1
This is based on Jurassic Park's depiction of a Dilophosaurus, which was rather inaccurate but nevertheless passed into pop culture as the "spitting raptor". Since I mentioned that "Raptors" could be black as well as red, this seems like a good example. Also, Typhoid Rats variant.
Thundersaurus Rex 3RR
Creature - Lizard
Haste
4/3
Here's a Thundering Giant variant reimagined as a T-Rex inspired dinosaur.
Stampeding Ceratopsid 4G
Creature - Lizard
Trample
4/4
Stampeding Rhino reimagined as a dinosaur.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Well I don't expect the Nordic setting will be primal, I was simply stating I'd like to see a Nordic setting before a "dinosaur plane" type setting. I'd love to see a completely different take on the God idea, for the Norse.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Guardian article
Ha ha. I was thinking about this a couple of days ago. Looks like I officially owe you an apology.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRGCheck out some of my older lists and my Type4 Cube!GRBUW
Having thought about it, I like the idea of a Dinotopia-inspired civilization in there, particularly concentrated in white, blue, and black. Red and green still work as cave man colors, though not every red or green humanoid needs to be a cave man.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I am pretty certain that Archaeopteryx and its ilk where flying dinosaurs (and precursors to modern birds).
Well, will you look at that, they where.
Sorry, I just had to put that out there. Such things have been a pet peeve of mine ever since I had a biology teacher who was convinced that pterosaurs where mammals because, and I quote "There has never been a flying reptile." He didn't acknowledge neither Darwin's Theory of Evolution nor Linnea's catalog system either. So how in Hades he managed to become a biology teacher is beyond me. >.<
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Anyone else think that Ankylosaurus just feels RW?
Would be disappointed in a Dinosaurs set if they didn't have some big iconic creatures, don't know if it would be a gold set or not though.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Granted, Magic Dinos don't have to use just one species; we could see Dinos with Ceratopsian horns and Stegosaurian spiked tails or long necks with spinal plates, for example. It ultimately comes down to what Dinosaur traits each color and color pair wants. Indeed, by exercising some creative license we can create Dinosaurs that are familiar yet different from the common Hollywood stock Dinos.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
oooh, I LOVE the idea of a Dinotopian themed set, complete with intelligent Dinosaurid's (possibly Raptor-esq humanoids). and make it a full world not just an island. Red-Green would easily work with the savagery of the the Therapods (T-Rex, Spineasaur, etc).
I also think it would be fun to bring Kithkin back as the main humanoid species of this type of set.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles