Complexity creep

Magic R&D is always fighting complexity creep, the trend for the game to get more complex over time.

Description

The game keeps evolving. As it does so, it continues to add new elements to the game. Complexity can only grow. The entry to the game, though, is always the same: the beginner knows nothing. They have to make the jump from knowing nothing to knowing enough to play. But that line, "knowing enough to play," is a moving target. As the game gains in complexity, the line goes up. At some point the differential is too high and not enough new players can make the jump.

Each time as R&D tries to remove complexity, for instance with New World Order, some enfranchised players cry out that they are "dumbing down the game". However, Mark Rosewater has pointed out that it is still one of the most complex games sold on the market today.

Rosewater has stated that R&D can’t avoid complexity over the long haul. He has pointed out that Standard and limited formats are designed to limit the amount of complexity to a compressed amount of sets. But if you want to play an Eternal format (i.e., where the number-one format in tabletop has access to most of the cards in the game), rising complexity is just something that’s going to come with a game that keeps making so much new content.

Word creep

It has been noted that cards from Strixhaven: School of Mages and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan are on the high end for word count. R&D is aware of it, and it's a topic they have been talking about. Inertia tends to push them toward complexity, so it's important to stop and take account from time to time. Set structures that contribute to this include:

• Double-faced cards, especially those without transforming keywords; they often have to explain their transformation clause, potentially twice.
• Having ability words over keywords, as each require spelling out, and can't rely on truncated reminder text. This also tends to add timing and control restrictions that can't be encapsulated into reminder text.
• Greater secondary type cohesion, as more targets often expand text boxes; Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty had to accommodate for both Reconfigure creatures and Vehicles.
• A larger count of nonbasic lands, as often "enters the battlefield tapped" is a common downside and often comes in cycles, and may also take up land slots, upping the set size and the card count by extension.
• Nonstandard tokens, such as Pests and Fractals, use more text and can also take up the space of a French vanilla creature that would normally only need keywords.
• Backwards compatibility templating, such as typal coupling; more words that aren't necessarily needed for the set at hand but would be a disservice to restrict.