Magic: The Gathering Head Designer Fires Massive Shot At Kamigawa Design Team

Image: Wizards of the Coast/ Art by Nottsuo

The Kamigawa block (2004-2005) is considered by many to be one of the worst Magic: The Gathering blocks ever designed. While there are a few cards from the sets that made an impact, the overall design of the block looks weak compared to the sets that came before and after it. Even Magic head designer Mark Rosewater admits that the Kamiga block is a "mediocre" set.

On his Blogatog post, Rosewater posted an image of a goblin with the thought cloud saying, "What if we held a mediocre design search?". The punch line was written on the bottom of the comic-style panel: "How Champions of Kamigawa block happened."

Photo: Blogatog

That's a hard stab at the design team of the whole Kamigawa block.

Now that the Great Designer Search 3 trials have started, it makes sense that Rosewater would comment on something regarding their designer search. The block featured unique Japanese-inspired mechanics like Bushido, Arcanes, and flip cards, and even though the first of the three sets contained 306 cards, the sets' lackluster design and forgettable lore made the whole block mediocre.

Do you agree with Rosewater? What other Magic: The Gathering sets do you think are considered "mediocre"? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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