Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast #1294: Moxen and Lotuses
Nov 14, 2025
Explore the intriguing design history of Mox and Lotus cards, featuring their origins and impact on gameplay. Learn how the names carry power and nostalgia, from the iconic Black Lotus to creative variants like Lotus Veil and Mox Opal. Discover playful designs such as Jack in the Mox, which introduces randomness and risk, and the controversial Blacker Lotus that requires players to literally rip the card. This journey through innovative creations highlights the balance needed to keep Moxes and Lotuses both special and exciting.
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Episode notes
Power Words Carry Extra Weight
- "Mox" and "Lotus" function as 'power words' that immediately signal potency to players.
- Designers use those words sparingly to preserve excitement and historical resonance.
Lotus Veil Origins And Naming Debate
- Lotus Veil was printed as a land that required sacrificing two lands to enter and then tapped for three of one color.
- Rosewater remembers debates about whether to put 'Lotus' in the name and chose to lean into the homage.
Fix Broken Cards With Meaningful Tradeoffs
- When redesigning broken cards, give them a meaningful drawback rather than removing power entirely.
- Small changes like reducing mana output can still produce widely played but safer variants.