Rule #1) Each set had to have each color represented twice.
Rule #2) Each set had to have some ally and some enemy guild combinations.
Rule #3) Any groups of four or three guilds that appeared together in Ravnica block could not all appear together again.
Rule #5) Start with two Dissension guilds.
Once all these rules were thrown into a blender, there ended up being only two options.
These four rules are enough to determine what those two options were.
1. By rule #5, there must be two, and only two, Dissension guilds. Suppose those guilds were the Azorius and Simic. That makes two blue guilds. By rule #1, the remaining three guilds need to be two red, two black, one green and one white guild. However, whichever guilds you pick for green and white, you end up having to pick Rakdos to complete red and black, meaning all three Dissension guilds would appear in Return to Ravnica, which breaks rule #5.
2. That leaves only two combinations of Dissension guilds: Azorius/Rakdos, and Simic/Rakdos. In either of these combinations, there are only two possibilities for the other blue guild: Izzet and Dimir. Let's show that Dimir can't be used in either. Suppose you have Azorius/Dimir/Rakdos. There are two green, one white and one red guild remaining, which leaves only one option: Gruul/Selesnya. This means all five ally-colored guilds appear in Return to Ravnica, breaking rule #2.
3. Suppose instead it's Simic/Dimir/Rakdos. This leaves two white, one red and one green guild, which once again leaves a single option: Selesnya/Boros. However, this time there are no Guildpact guilds in the set, so all three of the Guildpact guilds would have to appear in Gatecrash, breaking rule #3.
4. Thus, our two options become Azorius/Izzet/Rakdos and Simic/Izzet/Rakdos. In the first case, the remaining colors are two green, one white and one black, which translates to Selesnya/Golgari. In the other, the remaining colors are two white, one green and one black, meaning our guilds are Selesnya/Orzhov.
Both of these choices conform to all the rules. Particularly, rule #4 doesn't help to decide, since both choices have their share of fast and slow guilds. I guess Mark Rosewater just had to include that one to show that the process wasn't all abstract color decisions; though it's true that rule #2 pretty much guaranteed that there would be a balance between fast and slow, since most of the fast guilds were red, most of the slow guilds were black, and most of the guilds in the middle were white or green.
Rule #1) Each set had to have each color represented twice.
Rule #2) Each set had to have some ally and some enemy guild combinations.
Rule #3) Any groups of four or three guilds that appeared together in Ravnica block could not all appear together again.
Rule #5) Start with two Dissension guilds.
Once all these rules were thrown into a blender, there ended up being only two options.
These four rules are enough to determine what those two options were.
...
Both of these choices conform to all the rules. Particularly, rule #4 doesn't help to decide, since both choices have their share of fast and slow guilds. I guess Mark Rosewater just had to include that one to show that the process wasn't all abstract color decisions; though it's true that rule #2 pretty much guaranteed that there would be a balance between fast and slow, since most of the fast guilds were red, most of the slow guilds were black, and most of the guilds in the middle were white or green.
Congratulations on determining the minimum number of rules necessary to solve a logic puzzle, but it's quite possible that R&D didn't know that rule #4 was superfluous when they set out to decide the criteria for their choice. I think you're assuming way too much deviousness on the part of MaRo.
Pretty much. We wouldn't be Izzet if we didn't believe ourselves to be smarter than everyone else. But you're right, the fact that the Limited environment needs to be balanced is never a trivial matter. It better be, since Prereleases are pretty much the only Magic I ever play, and I always do terribly whenever multicolored cards are involved.
How to autocard (do this to specify a card in your posts): Type [c]Black Lotus[/c] to get Black Lotus . Type [c=Black Lotus]The Overpowered One[/c] to get The Overpowered One .
I like it. I like the idea that 6-drops don't immediately net you advantage-- you have to wait and give your opponent at least a chance to figure something out. I think once you reach 7-drop spot you should be allowed free advantage, like SoUthuun .
I think you're assuming way too much deviousness on the part of MaRo.
But you're right, the fact that the Limited environment needs to be balanced is never a trivial matter. It better be, since Prereleases are pretty much the only Magic I ever play, and I always do terribly whenever multicolored cards are involved.
