Over the years, there have been plenty of individual card designs and mechanics that ended up being mistakes. Recently, for example, Wizards of the Coast made it clear that Nadu, Winged Wisdom was, unsurprisingly, a mistake. As for mechanics, the original Companions from Ikoria definitely fit the bill.
In many cases, these cards and mechanics end up being rather unfun to play against. The long turns associated with Nadu combos certainly contribute to that feeling. However, some mechanics can be fun in theory and still end up being design mistakes.
According to MTG head designer Mark Rosewater in response to a recent Blogatog post, the Partner mechanic utilized in Commander was a mistake in retrospect. Partner is very intriguing, and the idea behind it is cool. Unfortunately, there are plenty of negatives associated with the Partner mechanic that, in hindsight, should’ve been addressed ahead of time.
Mark Rosewater’s Stance
Mark Rosewater’s admission of Partner being a mistake in its current form came in response to a Blogatog post asking if any mechanics that were still fun ended up having issues down the line. His response was rather intriguing. Beyond just stating that the Partner mechanic fit this description, he mentioned that they would’ve been happier if they only made mono-color cards with Partner.
For reference, Partner is a keyword that allows players to utilize two different Commanders at once in the Command Zone. There have been different variations of Partner printed over the years, such as Doctor’s Companion in the Doctor Who crossover. However, the original Partner mechanic is undoubtedly the most powerful, as it lets players have tons of flexibility in how they craft their decks.
As a follow-up, Tumblr user lazcarno made the point that one of the goals in creating the Partner system in the first place was to allow players to have access to extra four-color Commander decks. With this in mind, he asked how mono-color Partners would help accomplish this task. This is where things get even more interesting.
See, Mark Rosewater answered with the claim that this goal of providing extra four-color Commanders via Partner had problems from the get-go. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but this begs the question: how would restricting partners to being only mono-color improve the mechanic as a whole?
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A Problem Meets a Theoretical Solution
In order to answer this question, we need to look at the reasons why multi-color Partners have been a net negative for MTG. The biggest downside is that, because there have been a lot of Partner cards printed, players can often free-roll a second Commander for the sole purpose of giving you access to cards of specific colors in your remaining 98 cards.
This is a common occurrence, especially in cEDH. Take Thrasios and Tymna decks, for example. On its own, Thrasios is a decent efficient Commander staple. It also serves as a perfect win condition if you assemble an infinite mana combo. Because it has Partner, though, you get easy access to white and black powerhouses like Orcish Bowmasters by simply pairing Thrasios with Tymna.
It’s also very common to see Underworld Breach combo decks make use of Rograkh, Son of Rohgah for a similar reason. Not only do you get access to all the elite red cards you want, but you also get a zero-mana Commander to add to the Storm count at basically no cost. Pair Rograkh with Silas Renn, Seeker Adept and you get to use all the Grixis cards you want. Being able to essentially bypass the Commander color requirements by using Partner Commander of different colors is far from ideal.
If mono-color Partners were all that existed, players wouldn’t be able to build “four-color soup” piles at no expense. Getting to use two Commanders at once is a sweet concept, and if we could go back in time, Mark Rosewater’s solution seems worthwhile.
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Player Reaction
Even though the complaints about multi-color Partners are warranted, some players suggested that creating only mono-color Partners may not have had the same effect on how Commander evolved. One Tumblr comment by themartiangeek states that if Partners were restricted to mono-color Commanders, they may never have used them at all.
Another comment claimed that Wizards of the Coast should’ve created more four-color Commanders in that case. The lack of four-color Commanders was something Partner tried to address, which is why players feel Mark Rosewater’s stance is rather ironic.
Obviously, we can’t go back in time and change the past. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see Wizards recognizing the issues at hand and acknowledging ways to improve the situation. There are bound to be more mistakes in the coming years, and it’s important to address them accordingly.
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