DroughtDrought | Illustrated by NeNe Thomas

For the past few sets, Magic: The Gathering has had a profound lack of flavor text. Compared with expansions sets from the 2000s and 2010s, the past year or so suffered from a distinct level of rules complexity and mechanical creeping. But according to Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater, the end of the flavor text drought is just beyond the horizon.

Mark Rosewater's Statement on Flavor Text

On Wednesday, August 6th, a Tumblr user asked Rosewater about the current lack of flavor text on most cards in recent years. This was noted especially for "fancy cards" that lacked reminder text. Rosewater replied, "We are making a conscious effort to prioritize having more cards with flavor text."

The present reality is that yes, flavor text is on a strict decline. With the game growing more and more complex with each passing year, there's so little room for flavor text now. However, if this is to change, it will only do so slowly and gradually overall. After all, the Magic Design team works roughly two and a half years ahead of a set's release.

Thoughts in the Notes Section

Nevertheless, this statement, as brief as it is, bodes well for fans of the story of each set. One especially grateful Tumblr user left a note on this statement, saying to Mark Rosewater directly, "I don’t have all the thanks this deserves, but take all the thanks I can give. Regardless, I’ll be sending more on a daily basis."

Another Tumblr user added, "Please add more flavor text. It is especially annoying for me when one card out of a cycle of five doesn’t have flavor text because it is wordier than the other four. It breaks the feel of the cycle." This is a sentiment that rings true to many Magic players, to be sure.

So now, let's hear from you, dear readers. Do you want Magic to eschew complexity in favor of lore and flavor text? Sound off below!