MTG Salvation

It's difficult to evaluate. Drawing a card is always good, and while gaining three life isn't worth that much, incidental life gain over time is very nice for a control deck to have against aggressive strategies. The problem is that it's not exactly clear if this fits into any deck strategy - aggressive decks don't want to give their opponents three free life every turn, and a control deck doesn't want to give the other deck more cards - control decks win by grinding out to the late game with answers and card draw - more card draw than the opponent. This certainly has interesting political applications for multiplayer, but does that make up for a lackluster 1v1 experience? That, I cannot say.

Songs of Remembrance 2WW

Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature becomes tapped, put a stillness counter on it.
Creatures with stillness counters on them have: "If this creature would become untapped, instead remove a stillness counter from it."

Well it sort of exists as freyalise's winds/temporal distortion, which I recall was a particularly unfun card to play with/against, but right up the alley of masochists. The effect makes sense in white as much as blue I suppose, both have a tapping creature theme, whereas winds is just so old the color pie wasn't well developed. Now wizards would be loathe to print such a card nowadays if they're carebear enough to hate land destruction, and while I may welcome it, many would have some justifiable hate. All stasis-esque effects are like that I suppose. But it certainly wouldn't fly at 4 CMC anymore, even 5 was painful. I guess the flavor makes sense.

Ezylia's Shadow 1UB
Creature - Zombie Ninja (U)
1B, Sacrifice an unblocked attacker: Return Ezylia's Shadow from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking.
When Ezylia's Shadow deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
3/1

hrmm its sort of like a big ol blessings of nature, an uncontrollable 9x +1/+1 counters for 6 cmc. When you look at it on a 1-creature board its a raw +9/+9 to one creature for 6, which I guess is fairly strong but reasonable, along the lines of eldrazi conscription and mythic proportions. So distributing those counters along weaker grounds for less mana and harder colors, seems fine if not weak, but I think at 5 cmc it would be too strong, so you've got it about at the sweet spot. I'd really like it if it could go without reminder text for either bolster or the fact you have to do the bolsters in order. But it has to be a rare, not uncommon, besides being quite strong in limited its got the complexity and the erm, mythic proportions, of a rare.

Relentless Pursuer UB
Legendary Creature - Shade (R)
First Strike
While you're shuffling your library, you may reveal Relentless Pursuer from your library and put it on top of your library after shuffling.
When Relentless Pursuer dies, put it on the bottom of its owner's library.
2/1

note this is a bit different from panglacial wurm; it uses a "while shuffling" instead of "while searching" clause.
oh and I meant it more inspired by a certain game voiced by sam mowry, not any recent horror movies, but that works too

Quote from clan_iraq »

Relentless Pursuer UB
Legendary Creature - Shade (R)
First Strike
While you're shuffling your library, you may reveal Relentless Pursuer from your library and put it on top of your library after shuffling.
When Relentless Pursuer dies, put it on the bottom of its owner's library.
2/1

note this is a bit different from panglacial wurm; it uses a "while shuffling" instead of "while searching" clause.
oh and I meant it more inspired by a certain game voiced by sam mowry, not any recent horror movies, but that works too

I could see this posing a lot of cheating issues. Not every effect that shuffles a library allows a player to look at the cards in it. By shuffling a library, a player can have suspicion of possibly having a Relentless Pursuer in there, look through a library that they're not allowed to look at, and thus violate the rules.

Aside from that, a 2/1 first striker in UB seems weird at first glance, but the fact that it's a Shade creature justifies it a little bit, I suppose.

---

Suppression Link UU
Instant {U}
Counter target activated or triggered ability unless its controller pays 2. If that player cast a noncreature spell this turn, counter that spell instead.

Interesting card. A 2/1 First Strike for 2 isn't anything to write home about, but being able to get it on demand and get some quasi-recursion with it and shuffle effects isn't the worst thing in the world. I have no idea why this is or needs to be legendary, though.


EDIT:
Suppression Link: Did you mean to say "counter that ability" instead? Because it doesn't seem right to have it counter abilities, except when it counters spells randomly. Other than that, it's a lot weaker than Stifle, and I think this can safely be costed at 1U. U is probably too strong for Standard in its current incarnation.


Steadfast Defenders 2WW

Creature - Spirit Soldier (R)
First Strike, Vigilance
Reincarnate 1WW (Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, you may pay 1WW. If you do, return this card to the battlefield. Otherwise, exile it.)

3/1

The soldiers of Elainor Kingdom are so loyal to their lands that even death cannot sway their duty.

While shuffling...... Err.... okay, since the card needs to be revealed anyway for the effect to happen, I think that's doable. Nice card, for sure, although maybe it needs to cost a little higher for such a repeatable threat?


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Dreamspill GWU
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for a permanent card, reveal it and put it into your hand. If you have cast four other instant or sorcery spells this turn, put that permanent card onto the battlefield under your control instead.
When one dreams much of the unreal, what is unreal becomes the true reality.

Comments?


EDIT: Excellent color suggestion. Thanks mate.
And holy crap... I missed an entire page, from the looks of it. Sorry.

Dreamspill URG
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for a permanent card, reveal it and put it into your hand. If you have cast four other instant or sorcery spells this turn, put that permanent card onto the battlefield under your control instead.
When one dreams much of the unreal, what is unreal becomes the true reality.

Interesting storm variant, of sorts. Reminds me of Wargate, except that sometimes, you cheat out Emrakul for 3 mana. I wonder if this sort of card would make a viable Storm deck - the deck has Manamorphose to filter colors, and we could always see some sort of Ascendancy variant. I could see this being URG as well without much of a problem.

Same card as above - I received no feedback last time.

I guess the proper templating for suppression link would be
"Counter target activated or triggered ability unless its controller pays 2. Counter the next noncreature spell that player casts this turn. (Counter that spell whether or not the 2 was paid.)
or otherwise "The next time that player casts a noncreature spell this turn, counter it"

Steadfast defenders has a pretty good riff on recover, I never really liked the "you must use this ability now or else it goes away" idea of recover, but it works. I'm curious why you went with non-token when recover itself would work on tokens, especially since it works bad in multiples with the use-or-lose clause and limited mana, it would be tough to break with tokens. I remember the reason for recover being added at all was as a riff on cards where it mattered what order your graveyard was in, and they simulated it by exiling once a creature was put on top. For reincarnate, I guess that seems like a good mechanic to bring to creatures, and maybe the nontoken clause makes more sense if the logic is to emulate GY-ordered cards (since tokens didn't change them). In terms of balance? I think its a dangerous mechanic. Two such creatures could reincarnate each other all day, and at only 3 cmc, its probably too pushed for such an efficient body. I mean, a 3/1 vigilance first strike coming out of your graveyard for no cost in CA is a big effect.

Dreamspill is one neat storm card I guess. I mean, it seems like it would be pretty busted in older combo decks, it gives you a reliable win-con on the spot with both tutor and cheat into play, but it also seems completely, utterly unplayable in its intended manner outside of a storm deck, even eggs can't trigger it. Thats the kind of specific niche that worries me, its very narrow. As a 3 cmc tutor thats conditional and for high color intensity, it might be fair. If it was unconditional (nonpermanents) I think it would be too strong, but as printed its fine I think. I guess the color combo works as per wargate as said by drinking skies, honestly I would have seen it be at least part black.

Quote from Thought Criminal »

I could see this posing a lot of cheating issues. Not every effect that shuffles a library allows a player to look at the cards in it. By shuffling a library, a player can have suspicion of possibly having a Relentless Pursuer in there, look through a library that they're not allowed to look at, and thus violate the rules.

Hrmm yeah thats a good point. I guess the trickiness is that most effects that do let you search your library (all?) shuffle afterwards, so if it put a card on top of the library during the search, it would be shuffled back. So heres my attempt at a better template:

Relentless Pursuer UB
Legendary Creature - Shade (M)
First Strike
While you're searching your library, you may exile Relentless Pursuer from your library. If you do, put it on the top of your library at the beginning of the next end step.
When Relentless Pursuer dies, put it on the bottom of its owner's library.
2/1

Bit more wordy, and now fully on the search clause instead of shuffle, but I think this avoids any cheatyface?

If you cast this during your opponent's turn then you're not really getting an extra turn. Shouldn't the wording say: if you cast this during your opponent's turn, take an extra turn after your next turn? Otherwise, the only thing you are gaining is an extra draw step and untapped mana. Doesn't seem particularly powerful.

This is a card for both control decks and decks fighting control: vs control, you temporarily get rid of all your dead cards (like creature removal). For control, if you're holding counterspells but you need removal, you can hope to hit it.
Second Chance U
Instant (U)
Exile any number of cards from your hand. Draw that many cards plus one. Then shuffle the cards exiled this way into your library.

Theres a reason brainstorm is a broken card, and it only dug 3 cards at most, this can dig 6-7, and it left the chaff on top and needed fetchlands to sweep it away. When wizards prints such an effect recently, it was usually at 3 cmc, not letting you keep any cards you want in hand, often symmetric and not replacing the card, usually sorcery speed. Stuff like shattered perception, dark deal. Tolarian winds is the closest, and its one of those busted cards from urzas block, but its not even half as busted as a card that lets you keep the cards you want. Try to imagine how the card would play in a combo deck. You have maybe 2-3 cards you need to get in hand at which point you basically win the game on the top. Drawing into them needs digging through your deck. So you play second chance, dig 6-7 deep, and keep filtering towards combo pieces and god hand protection and any other second chances you find, then pitch any duplicates or unnecessary cards back into your library and shuffle- you can keep doing this fairly reliably, and at instant speed, within a turn or two, you have a hand as if you stacked your deck, something brainstorm and ponder and alike can't even dream of. Also, sadly, the name is taken. I like where you're going with the flavor, but maybe you could come up with a more conditional way to do it? Imagine something like last chance, where the powerful ability is offset by a powerful drawback. But heck, even if your instant lost you the game at EOT, legacy/vintage combo decks like tendrils would get it banned pronto

Stalking Nemesis BB
Creature - Horror (U)
Deathtouch
Duel (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature an opponent controls when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired as long as different players control both them. Dueling creatures must block and be blocked alone by their pair if able.)
At the end of each turn, if Stalking Nemesis is unpaired, sacrifice it.
3/2

edit: tightened up the mechanic a bit
ah good spot on 'unpaired', this should be good template now

Well, that new mechanic seems very neat. I think I have an idea:

Duel (You may target an unpaired creature and pair with it. Paired cards must block alone their pair if able and can only attack their pair's controller.)

Also:

At the end of turn, if ~ is unpaired, sacrifice it.

Anyway, the mechanics is pretty solid and having a complicate text. "Pair" would have to become a special action, but otherwise fine.

Saya, Mistress of Runes 3UU
Legendary Creature - Human Spellshaper (M)
XU, T: Put X +1/+1 counters on ~.
T, Remove X +1/+1 counters from ~: Add X mana of any combination of colors to your mana pool.
2/3

This at instant is just ridiculously insane. It's a Molten Disaster that hits all opponents, and deal additional damage like Bonfire of the Damned, and all this at instant is just a big no-no. And the kicker cost is potentially insanely low; make it so that it deals X damage to you too, and unpreventable (ok, casting this when you're at 20 life is stupid, but otherwise, at low life, this instantly turns the game around it's not funny)


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Savor Carnage 1B
Sorcery (R)
Kicker - 2BB
Until end of turn, whenever a creature dies, you gain 1 life. If Savor Carnage was kicked, destroy all creatures.
The taste of blood can be intoxicating and addictive to some.

Comments?


EDIT:

Savor Carnage B
Sorcery (R)
Kicker - 4B
Until end of turn, whenever a creature dies, you gain 1 life. If Savor Carnage was kicked, destroy all creatures.
The taste of blood can be intoxicating and addictive to some.

Hrmm considering its a rare sweeper, I think the 1B mode is a bit weak, its hard to get beyond 1-2 lifegain from it in normal usage. I mean, moonlit wake was a permanent effect and was jank (as was soul net), and vigil of the lost at least tried to get relevant amounts of lifegain but was priced out of relevancy anyway, but for a sorcery- not an instant that would let you squeeze that 1-2 extra out of it in response to a killspell or sweeper- I think 2 cmc might be a bit high. Would it really be too much to just give it B for the primary mode? Just to match healing salve would be tough enough, let alone the various cards that gain 2 life per creature. The other problem is, death frenzy already exists and is more or less the same idea, though it was weak with only -2/-2 for sweeping- but it was uncommon and at least somewhat relevant in drafts. Now 6 cmc for the combined effect, that seems exactly what wizards would put it at. Its no decree of pain, but I think an unconditional sweeper with healthy upside nowadays would be priced at a sad 6 cmc where standard and modern constructed would be rankled by it, but it seems realistic. So I'd figure B with 3BB kicker, you can't make the lifegain side instant unless you want the sweeper side to become that much stronger. Flavor is good, no doubt the Baron knows.

Paladin of Dusk's Repose 1WW
Creature - Human Knight (R)
First Strike, Vigilance
Duel (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature an opponent controls when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired as long as different players control both of them. Dueling creatures must block and be blocked alone by their pair if able.)
Paladin of Dusk's Repose may duel only Skeletons, Specters, Spirits and Zombies.
3/1

I gauged the P/T vs anax and cymede. The plane I'm thinking wouldn't have any vampires
I think this templating keeps the mechanic working well in that it doesn't break it for multiplayer (has no effect if attacking someone else), has no effect if the creatures aren't able to block (can't tap a dueling creature to make its pair unblockable) and covers cases like changing control. Am I missing any scenarios it could break down? As long as duel cards don't have haste it should mostly avoid scenarios where dueling creatures tap to attack each turn and never connect with one another

Very cool idea and I like the restriction since without it it would be OP for standard. I'm thinking maybe play with the p/t and cost maybe to take away that restriction and make it more versatile but it's definitely playable as is.

I have an idea for a Regrowth with flashback since I don't think an effect like this exists yet.

Unwinding Decay - 2G
Sorcery - C
Return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
Flashback 3G

It might be more playable if the cost was 1G and was exiled after you cast it so it could only flashback if it was put into your graveyard from somewhere else.

Well, wizards have definitely shown they aren't willing to reprint regrowth, opting at best conditional nature's spiral or revive, but as down from down/dirty shows, 2G plus an upside is perfectly fine for unconditional at sorcery speed. The flashback is a bit of a tricky case though since we're talking layered recursion, and I think development would price it at 3GG, but its better and probably quite safe at 3G. I think it would have to be uncommon though. I like the name for sure, i wish there were more recoup effects. TBH, when you stack it side by side with recoup, you see why development costed it so poorly

And yeah the restriction on duel there was just the unique mechanic for that one card as a hoser and flavor piece, I wasn't picturing restrictions being a normal fare. It was just a stronger P/T and ability with a hose-only duel clause, duelists could be balanced on their own. I suppose we'd need boring french vanilla creatures at common/uncommon, so with that in mind;

Pale-Banner Knight 2WG
Creature - Human Knight (U)
Duel (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature an opponent controls when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired as long as different players control both of them. Dueling creatures must block and be blocked alone by each other if able.)
Exile all creatures slain by Pale-Banner Knight.
3/2

for comparison
slain would be a new wording like 'dies' for creature combat

actually is the "be blocked" of "block and be blocked alone" part even necessary?

Quote from magac »

Hmm.... interesting, that ability is quite open to loopholes (give this guy flying after you choose duel with a nonflier, and this guy becomes unblockable). Still, thanks to the relatively expensive cost, this should be just fine. And the alone part... I suppose yes, necessary, but that's just me.

I think I've covered that scenario though, its a "block alone if able" clause, so if you aren't able to block him alone, you can block him with other creatures. IE, if a flying creature duels a ground creature and attacks, you can block it with one or more flying creatures. It also avoids making him unblockable when attacking a second opponent in multiplayer

Hmm.... interesting, that ability is quite open to loopholes (give this guy flying after you choose duel with a nonflier, and this guy becomes unblockable). Still, thanks to the relatively expensive cost, this should be just fine. And the alone part... I suppose yes, necessary, but that's just me.


Next

Hydraform 3GG
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life.
Whenever a source deals damage to you, put a 1/1 green Hydra Spirit creature token with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life" onto the batttlefield.
"How can we slay someone who suddenly grows twenty heads?"
- Etri, frustrated hunter

Comments?

It stalls the game a lot and it may even make it hard for dying. Then, of course, poison counters would take you down in a single slash and trample will not be nice on you either.

Cards based on story ideas I randomly had.

Master of the Headwind Sword 3UR
Legendary Creature - Human Berserker (R-M)
Haste, first strike.
Whenever ~ is blocked or blocks a non-Wall creature, switch that creature's power and toughness until the end of turn.
5/3

Will this wording make it that ALL creatures blocking it would have this happening on them? Also, can't decide on the rarity of this...

How about "whenever a non-Wall creature blocks or becomes blocked by ~, switch their power/toughness"? Otherwise, dangerous card, but then again, may be abused by your opponent to your detriment. Ok, I guess.


Next

Slagarnon, The Other Devourer 4BB
Legendary Creature - Horror (R)
Intimidate
Whenever Slagarnon, The Other Devourer deals combat damage to a player, put the top card of that player's library into his or her graveyard. Then count the number of other cards in that graveyard that share a card type with the card put into graveyard this way, then put that many additional cards from the top of that player's library into his or her graveyard.
6/5

Not sure a good wording for this, but what this does is that if this guy deals combat damage and mills a creature card, count the number of other creature cards in the graveyard, then mill some more (this is not recursive btw). Comments?

What about wording it like rune snag: "Whenever Slagarnon, The Other Devourer deals combat damage to a player, put the top card of that player's library into his or her graveyard, plus an additional card for each card that shares a card type with the card put in the graveyard this way". Man, that's alot of "card".
the rate on this guy is fair i believe. But do we need it? At 6 power this guy kills in 3 attack phases (including some 2 random damage points). So do we really need te mill? Maybe make him smaller, but more resilient (can be cast from the yard for instance?), so he can mill without killing.

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Wall of Answers UU
Defender.
Whenever Wall of answers is dealt damage, put that many knowledge counters on Wall of Answers.
Sacrifice Wall of answers: Scry X, where X is the number of knowledge counters on wall of answers. Then draw a card.
0/4

Looks good, it's like WallofOmEnS though it can be potentially better it's also a fair bit clunkier to use.


Spark of Life GG
Instant (U)
Target non-creature permanent becomes a 3/3 creature.

Wall: To gain knowledge from a wall, you have to sketch on it, i.e. harm it, so flavorwise, it fits. I also think the whole scry is a good idea to decide what to draw. I like it.

Spark: Wonderful instant, must say. But you may need to clarify: Does it gain other types? Does it remain as an artifact? Does it keep its abilities (Does that have to be addressed or it's on the rules that if not mentioned, it's not affected)?

Support for my card above.

Darksteel Claymore 10
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (M)
~ has indestructible.
Equipped creature has trample.
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, put that many charge counters on ~
Remove X charge counters from ~: enchanted creature gets +X/+0 until the end of turn.
~'s equip ability costs 5 less to activate if it targets a legendary creature.
Equip 5

This guy may get insane with enough legendaries and lots of damage soaking, but all in all, I think 10 casting cost is waaaaaaaay too expensive. 6 should suffice even considering the indestructibility, seeing that the equip cost is usually too massive to be of any good.


Next

Shilgengar 3BB
Legendary Creature - Demon (M)
Lifelink
2B: Exile target Human creature. Its controller puts a 2/2 black Vampire creature token with Lifelink onto the battlefield. Put a +1/+1 counter on Shilgengar.
5/4

Name may be familiar.... ya think it fits?

Heh, lorewise I thought of shilgengar as more of a famine or pestilence causing demon, he was supposed to be more indirectly making vampires than giving them the ol bite on the neck thing. But I like where you're going flavorwise, I just don't like how very narrow it seems, I guess it makes sense when you build a human deck around it, but as a removal piece he'd feel very situational. I'm not entirely sure about the mechanic vs flavor lineup of exiling the creature and putting the vampire onto the battlefield, which makes it feel like two separate objects, which makes sense for bursting saprolings out of someones chest or making a zombie/skeleton out of a corpse, but shouldn't turning a human into a vampire while still "alive" be more of a "Target human creature becomes a Vampire with base power and toughness 2/2, loses all its abilities and gains lifelink" or something like that? I guess maybe the rules headache wouldn't be worth it, so you're fine. Powerwise I think he's just begging for evasion like flying to be a baneslayer counterpoint, but as is he's fine and humans are a big component of a lot of popular decks so he wouldn't be out to dry.

Sureblade Duelist 3W
Creature - Human Soldier (U)
First Strike
Wields a Rapier +2 (When this creature enters the battlefield, put a colorless Equipment artifact token named Rapier onto the battlefield attached to it. Rapier has "Equipped creature gets +2/+2" and Equip 2. A creature cannot equip more than one Rapier.)
1/1

the inverse of living weapon, would it work?
or would there be any point? Flavorwise living weapon would just completely not fit for an idea I had in mind

It is more powerfull than a LW. If you change the equipment from the Lw to another creature, you love the germ. In this case, you can move the rapier and not loose the duelist. So this gives you pure card advantage, while the living weapon gives you only virtual CA. In terms of rate, you are paying 3 C for a 3/3 first striker. That is a good rate. But you get an equipment for free. It would be a very powerful card in limited at the uncommon level.

I feel that the way R&D wants to move card drawing for blue control decks is away from sheer drawing and more into a "quality rather than quantity" paradigm (like they did with dig through time, that only really nets you one card, or what they recently did with anticipate). I like this, because lots of the counters and removal are powerful but narrow. So I think this next card would fit that bill:

Alter the past 2UU
Instant
Draw a card, then discard a card. You may put up to two cards that share a card type with the discarded card from your graveyard into your hand.

So this card is almost like Recall except it requires same card type, quite neat card when it gets printed.

Tenacity 1R
Instant (R)
Exile a creature you own and control. Return that creature to the battlefield any time you want for as long as it remains exiled. If that creature enters the battlefield, its abilities doesn't trigger.
Draw a card.