MTG Salvation

Kinda weird, I mean, maybe like you said, it can enable a forestwalking madness, but why the not-untap clause? It's not like she can block anything anyway after the opponent gains control of her.

Basalt Mannequin 4
Artifact Creature - Golem (R)
Whenever Basalt Mannequin enters the battlefield or dies, draw a card.
The beautiful sculptures and caryatids at the Nightfall Fortress work better than any living being.
(3/2)

Very playable, more solid than a Solemn and nets you two things, though of less tangible value. Might be a bit much as a 3/2, though, maybe more like a 2/3 would be better.

Pick Up Tools :symg::symw:
Enchantment
As Pick Up Tools enters the battlefield, choose one of the following creature types - Soldier, Cleric, Rogue or Scout.
Creatures you control with only one printed creature type are also creatures of the chosen type.
Creatures you control of the chosen type have +1/+1.

A few issues I have with it. Color seems reasonable, but then one of your types listed is Rogue, which is more of a U/B creature type as I've seen it.

Next, I'm not sure that it really works to say "one printed creature type", since all cards are considered to have their Oracle wording, and creature types can and do change over time. I also see this as slightly worse than Honor of the Pure, so maybe cost it at :1mana::symgw: ?

Anyway, here's mine:

Steeled Resolve :2mana::symw::symw:

Enchantment

Whenever a source deals damage to you, put a resolve counter on ~.
At the end of each turn, remove a resolve counter from ~.
You have Absorb X, where X is the number of resolve counters on ~. (If a source would deal damage to you, prevent X of that damage)

This should only remove counters during your end step. That way, you don't end up losing all of the counters by the next time an opponent can attack. Also, I agree that Absorb should effect players.

Ehye of the Storm :3mana::symu::symr:
Legendary Creature - Elemental Wizard {MR}
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay :2mana:. If you do, copy that spell for each other spell cast this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.
2/2

A bit of a catch-22, this. It's clearly intended as an EDH general, but has the same problem as Dralnu--one really should not be dicking around with lots of instants and sorceries in that format.

* * *

It may seem redundant, given black's recent saturation with 5cc enchantments...

Dead Men Walking 3BB
Enchantment (R)
Creatures cards in your graveyard have "XB: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped if its power or toughness is equal to X."

Interesting card, easily goes infinite with Priest of Gix. Maybe even reference the Priest in the flavor text? I would change it to be "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may play a creature card from your graveyard. If you do, that creature gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If it would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else." mostly because I like Postmortem Lunge a lot.

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 3BB
Instant
Destroy up to two target creatures. Put a 1/1 black Cat creature token with haste onto the battlefield.

It feels a bit too strong methinks, considering, in relative casting costs, Barter in Blood is only one mana behind. I could see it working if the cost was :2mana::symb::symb::symb:, as it is a bit unplayable at 6cmc.

Seeker of Martyrdom :1mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Cleric
Flash
If you sacrifice Seeker of Martyrdom, draw two cards, distribute four +1/+1 counters among creatures you control, and gain 8 life.
0/1

Seeker is weird. Draw in white is typically just to replenish what you've lost. 4 counter and 8 life is also a bit awkward. I'd remake it so you can activate the effect under broader circumstances, but weaken the results. Sometime like 1W Creature with flash, that if it dies in a particular way, has a Timely Reinforcements effect.

Nature's Encroachment 1G
Enchantment -(R)

Sacrifice a non-basic land, G:symtap:: Search your library for 2 basic lands and put them onto the battlefield tapped.

Potentially too cheap, especially if you have Flagstones of Trokair or worse. 4cc should be ok though. But who knows.


This guy desperately needs Relentless Assault

Shoremaw Leviathan 4UU
Creature - Leviathan (R)
Islandwalk
Whenever Shoremaw Leviathan deals combat damage to a player, lands that player controls become Islands until end of turn.
Despite its size, or perhaps because of its size, it has never washed ashore.
5/5

Comments?

I like the flavor, but it does feel a tad derivative of our current Island-rendering king of the sea. Compliments it though, if you're going for an mostly Leviathan strategem.

Shared Rejuvenation :1mana::symg:
Instant
Regenerate target creature. If the creature is successfully regenerated this way, you gain life equal to its toughness, then draw a card.

I think this is pretty good, but I think the proper wording would be:

"If the creature regenerates this way...", to keep it in line with the Oracle wording on Debt of Loyalty.

Anyway, here's a different take on Zealous Persecution

Darkness Ascended :symb::symb:
Instant (U)

Until end of turn, black creatures get +1/+1 and nonblack creatures get -1/-1
When all hope is lost, where will you turn?

Simple, lucid, and with a nice flavorful allusion. Good work.

* * *

Even though I still maintain that a 2cc hard counter need not carry with it a drawback...

Abrogate UU
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. Its controller may search his or her library for a card with a different name than that spell, reveal it, shuffle his or her library, then put that card into his or her library third from the top.

Interesting. It helps your opponent tutor, but at the same time, it's a cheap counterspell, so it can hurt. I like that.


Wall of Shards' best friend.

Thoughts of Vigor 5UU
Sorcery (R)
Target player draws cards equal to his or her life total.
Every finger, every strand of hair, and even every drop of blood tells a story.

Too strong?


EDIT:

Thoughts of Vigor 4GUU
Sorcery (R)
Target player draws cards equal to his or her life total.
Every finger, every strand of hair, and even every drop of blood tells a story.

I don't know if it's too strong an effect, though this is perhaps a tad undercosted. It also feels odd as a mono-blue spell in that it pertains to life. Perhaps make it more like :4mana::symg::symu::symu:? Still same converted but feels more like what the card wants, and it's not so undercosted with a seoncdary color and 3 colored symbols total. I like it though, feels very wincon-y in more ways than one, especially those that like to draw out the games with lifegain.

Anguish of the Vault-bound :3mana::symb::symg::symw:
Sorcery
Exile target creature you control. At the beginning of your next upkeep, return it to the battlefiel, and it gets +13/+13 and has trample and haste. Then, sacrifice it at the end of turn.

Quote from Arashmin

Anguish of the Vault-bound :3mana::symb::symg::symw:
Sorcery
Exile target creature you control. At the beginning of your next upkeep, return it to the battlefiel, and it gets +13/+13 and has trample and haste. Then, sacrifice it at the end of turn.

I think you have a reasonably good idea - though the name could use to feel a little stronger like impending doom.

Here is what it feels like: Otherworldly Journey into Krosan Cloudscraper-like Mythic Proportions with the haste and drawback of Ball Lightning.

Now when you look at the colors you propose which one doesn't fit?

I think these colors deserve a little different handling - especially considering the cost I would almost go for:

Doomform Invocation :?mana::symb::symg::symw:
Sorcery
Exile target creature you control. At the beginning of your next upkeep, return it to the battlefield with thirteen +1/+1 counters on it.

This is just a sketch for the most simple version. There are now changes you can add and work with to balance it and make it more black. You could add haste and trample right now. I feel casting this is memorable enough that the thirteen counters would serve as enough of a reminder for even an indefinite change.

Anyway a variant that I feel could serve to make the spell overall more black:

Doomform Bloodrite :?mana::symb::symg::symw:
Sorcery
Exile two creatures you control. At the beginning of your next upkeep, if you exiled two creatures this way, return one of them to the battlefield with thirteen +1/+1 counters on it.

You might come up with other solutions and consider the general feel if you want to put this into a set, but overall I think this path is open to you and you can tinker with it to come to an improved end result.

---
Next:

Quote from Ultimoron

Exaltation 4WUBRG
Sorcery (M)
If you control a white enchantment, a blue artifact, a black creature, a red planeswalker and a green creature, you win the game. Otherwise, return up to one card of each permanent type from your graveyard to the battlefield. (The permanent types are artifact, creature, enchantment, land, and planeswalker.)

It's kinda disappointing in quite a few ways:

• Colored artifacts are extremely limited.
• Creature appears twice.
• "Win the game effects" have been enchantments with upkeep triggers for a while now and this could take that path as well.
• Land is on one list, but not the other.

I just can't make a single suggestion to improve this since there are so many knobs to play with on this thing. Make a variant, try again!?

I think that card is both simple and decently balanced, if Moonveil Dragon is anything to go by. The abilities are all relevant and mesh well together.

Today, I present a Johnny Card:

Unnatural Exploitation
Enchantment - Aura (U)

Enchant nonland permanent
Whenever enchanted permanent is tapped for mana, its controller adds two mana of any combination of colors to his or her mana pool.
Vorinclex's alterations drew power from even the most unlikely and unnatural of sources.

Quote from SecretInfiltrator

Here is what it feels like: Otherworldly Journey into Krosan Cloudscraper-like Mythic Proportions with the haste and drawback of Ball Lightning

Actually, though Ball could be considered the original 'sac when done with it'-esque mechanic, it's since appeared on some black recursive spells like Postmortem Lunge, Goryo's Vengeance, Gruesome Encore, etc.; I feel the one-shot aspect of a hasty creature is now something that's probably more black or green than red these days. I do like the other suggestions and ways of moving with it, though.
--
Exaltation 2: Hmm... it does feel pretty mythic and seems somewhat fairly balanced for 9cc and 5 color requirement. Yet it feels a bit cheap with Phage the Untouchable and other such things that could make you lose the game rather easily, especially as all you need to do is put something into play that lets you pay 1 life to do something and to let you do it any number of times in a turn, and you've got yourself a win. But that's a lot of setup... I guess overall it's fine.

Curio Shop
Land
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:4mana:, :symtap:: Choose an opponent, then reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal two non-land permanent spells. The opponent picks one and casts it. You then cast the other. Put all other cards revealed this way on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Yeeeech, this gives too many options to the opponent. Would it be so broken if its controller got to pick first? And, perhaps this is just me, "curio", like "trinket" before it, implies a low CMC, maybe 3 or less.

Seriously, these "an opponent chooses" effects need to go the way of banding.

* * *

Era of Bloodshed 2RRR
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your first postcombat main phase, untap all creatures that attacked this turn and tap all creatures that blocked this turn. After this main phase, there is an additional combat phase, followed by an additional main phase.

(I quite disagree, I like giving interactivity to the opponents as it could lead to interesting strategies you couldn't manage otherwise It could stand a renaming as you mention, though curios could be anything of 'curiosity', including creatures and weaponry)

Considering the mass-tap effect this has, I feel that it's undercosted, even with the triple red in the cost. Something more like :4mana::symr::symr: would likely be more appropriate. It is perhaps one of the better Relentless Assault variants I've seen though.

Etchformer
Creature - Construct
:symtap:: Put an etching counter on target Aura enchanting a creature you control.
Etchformer receives all bonuses and abilities from Auras with etching counters you control as though they were attached to it.
1/1

Seems balanced. At first, I thought it might be a bit weak because it doesn't advance your mana base and has both karoo drawbacks, but two free creatures is powerful enough to compensate. Comparing it to Dryad Arbor, it gives more long-term benefit at a steeper cost and with no shenanigans (Like GSZ). I'm surprised they haven't made a land like that already.

Burning-Tree Bloodstain 1RG
Creature - Elemental Ooze (C)
Bloodthirst 4 (If an opponent was dealt damage this turn, this creature enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it)
0/0

I can't come up with any good flavor text.:(

Seems OK, fairly powerful. I'd keep it as an uncommon to stop draft decks to go all out with it. Perhaps tone the ripple down to 5.

Unassuming Mouse G
Creature - Mouse (C)
When ~ blocks or is blocked by a creature with 5 or more power, ~ gains deathtouch and becomes indestructible until end of turn.
1/1

(Trying to play off the whole "elephants are afraid of mice" thing)