Really enjoyed Rhystic Studies' look at Fallen Empires, a set very dear to me. Sam speculates that Homarid Explorer in Dominaria may have been inspired by a puzzle sent to R&D by
@loreleywrites.bsky.social, though notes that Loreley dismisses this theory. I can shed some light! (🧵)
Fallen Empires was an abject disaster that should’ve killed Magic dead. 31 years have passed. We're all still here.
🎥 :
youtu.be/SakRUkDPxn4
I can confirm that the puzzle isn't the sole or primary reason Homarid Explorer exists. With me and
@ethanfleischer.bsky.social on the team, someone would have had to physically stop us from putting a Homarid in. The puzzle was a kind of "well now we HAVE to" moment. The fans demand it! Well, a fan.
My recollection is that Dominaria AD Mark Winters was onboard from the start (unlike with some other old things he had serious doubts about, like djinn), but he was concerned that--as Sam notes in the video--the core concept of homarids is just kind of goofy, and it would be hard to do it right.
Visually, our goal for Dominaria was "The thing you remember, updated to our current aesthetics and standards"--or, more cheekily, "As good as you remember it (which is probably better than it actually was)." It was important to us to update the look without losing that goofy appeal.
Winters found artist Jehan Choo, and we were struck by his ability to create creatures that were so expressive despite barely even having faces. We knew he would deliver "crab, but person." (After acing this first piece, Jehan went on to create the art for Yargle, whose whole job was maximum charm.)
Dec 1, 2025 02:51Ethan and I always wanted to make a Homarid, Winters was in as long as it looked good, and Jehan made sure it did. The puzzle was a delightful gesture that we really appreciated, but there would've been a homarid in the file either way.
So no, the puzzle isn't really why Homarid Explorer exists. At most I think you could say that it raised the odds from 95% to 99%. But I can certainly say that we were thinking about the puzzle when we made it--and that if cards had dedication pages, this one would be for Loreley.
P.S. Fun fact: I was so taken with Fallen Empires that it inspired some of my earliest custom Magic cards--an entire set called Legacy that explored the aftermath of the set and how the invaders might struggle to set up new empires of their own. (The cards were, of course, very bad.)
