Bear (template)
- For the creature type, see Bear.
| Template: Bear | |
|---|---|
| Scryfall Statistics | |
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959 cards  1.6%  22.8%  2.4%  11.8%  15.5%  18.4%  27.5% |
A bear is any 2/2 creature with a mana cost of 
M. The term is R&D jargon and derives from Grizzly Bears (Alpha), the first card with those attributes.[1] Other creature names are occasionally used as holotypes in a similar fashion. Patrick Sullivan described these and similarly repeated designs as "templates".[2]
The Scryfall search query is:bear returns the set of all cards with 2 power, 2 toughness, and 2 mana value.
Variations
A hate bear is a bear with additional rules text designed to be strong against specific other decks. For example, Containment Priest was designed for Commander, as a cheap answer against players attempting to engage in "unfair" play.[3]
A "bear with set's mechanic" is a common card design.[2] The Mystery Booster card Bear with Set's Mechanic pays homage to the phrase.
Other creatures
Other combinations of power, toughness, cost, and keywords are sometimes associated with specific cards. Wind Drake is a template for a 2/2 flying creature for 
M, as seen on Drake with Set's Mechanic. A Hill Giant is a vanilla 3/3 with a mana value of 4.[1][4] Snidd, from Sea Snidd, was used to describe a 3/3 for 
M.[5]
Power creep
Grizzly Bears was printed in every Core Set through Tenth Edition.[6] However, a vanilla bear has long been recognized as weak. During the development of Tempest (1997), R&D intentionally chose to print the strictly better Muscle Sliver, even though it would make Grizzly Bears obsolete.[7] As of 2003, R&D felt that there was no possibility of printing a tournament-viable vanilla 2/2 at any cost. Grizzly Bears was not powerful enough, and Savannah Lions was the strongest card they wanted to print with a mana value of 1, so the cost for that hypothetical card would necessarily lie between M and M.[8] Two later cards, Isamaru, Hound of Konda and Icehide Golem, exceed the stat line of Savannah Lions, but have drawbacks in their type line or mana cost.
Ken Nagle argued in 2008 that continuing to print vanilla bears served a purpose, because the presence of strictly better cards in the same environment enabled players to feel confident in their card choices and derive a sense of accomplishment.[9]
References
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (November 7, 2016). "A Few More Words from R&D". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Sullivan's Satchel: Damage On The Stack, Variance, And Revisiting Mirrodin (en-US). Star City Games (2021-09-29). Archived from the original on 2026-01-04.
- ↑ Sam Stoddard (October 31, 2014). "Hate Bears in Commander". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2017-11-23.
- ↑ Monty Ashley (August 16, 2010). "The Legion of Hill Giants". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 17, 2023). "Some trivia regarding the card or "sea snidd" please.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (May 26, 2003). "White's "Bears"". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25.
- ↑ Design Files: Tempest, Part 1 (en). MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04.
- ↑ Let's Start at the Very Beginning (en). MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04.
- ↑ Ken Nagle (October 17, 2008). "Bear With Me". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.