MTG Salvation

Sounds like it would be rather well suited for a mono blue, or blue green elemental ramping deck. Personally wouldn't be a card I would use though as I tend to go for more mid game, or early game cards, it seems like a good card with potential in the right setting, but in most games I feel it will never see play with that residual six cost for each individual.

Land-ahoy G, or 1G (Probably would be functional at G )
Instant (C)
return a land you control to its owner's hand, You may play an additional land this turn.

Simplistic card, just allows you to place down an additional mana that turn. Would probably only see limited use.
Spectral Anomaly 2B
Enchantment (U)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control as an instant each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Hmmm...... something of a souped up Gigadrowse. I guess ok, doable. Though I kinda think the Flash effect needs to be at least 3 just in case.


Next

Stormcloud Ravager 2RR
Creature - Elemental (U)
Residual 4 (If the last spell you cast this turn shared a color with this card and you spent four or more mana to cast it, you may cast this card without paying its mana cost)
Haste
When Stormcloud Ravager enters the battlefield, it deals 4 damage to you unless you spent four or more mana to cast it.
4/2

Probably a bit too strong, but if you cheat out on the casting you'll get hurt. Comments?

I love the idea of archive! It protects important cards from thought-seize style effects. The problem is that you have to choose to draw or "draw the archived card" w/out knowing what card is on top of the library; if i need somewhat specific things (or to avoid flooding), where do I draw from? Sure, if nothing of the archived things even remotely helps you draw from library, but what if you have something archived that more or less helps, but is not exactly what you want? I'd add a scry style effect to make sure you can sculpt a great hand. Bear in mind, you are paying 3 mana for a card that does nothing when it ETB, and does not even give you card advantage, so you really need to pump it's card selection power.

Next,

Charcal, Keeper of the Eternity 3UW
Planeswalker.
[+2] Draw a card. Then, tap all creatures with power less that or equal to the number of cards in your hand. They do not untap during their controller's next untap phase.
[-4] Put any number of cards from your hand on the bottom of your library. Draw that many cards and gain life equal to the number of cards drawn this way.
[-10] You get an emblem with "At the beginning of each end step, you life total becomes 20, you draw 7 cards, and you may put up to 7 cards from your graveyard in the bottom of your library."
Loyalty: 5

I like it. There was a card back in the day - can't remember it now but it dealt so much damage depending on how many cards you had in your hand. And my friend played it against me all the time because I like to have a full hand :). This card satisfies me. Also an interesting drawback for what is essentially a red Divination.

Shadow Magician 3BB
Creature - Human
Shadow Magician enters the battlefield with a shadow counter on it.
Shadow Magician is unblockable and has hexproof as long as it has a shadow counter on it.
When Shadow Magician dies, distribute his shadow counters among creatures you control. They gain Shadow Magician's abilities.
A magician only shares some of his secrets on his deathbed. The rest go with him to the grave.
2/3

I probably could have worded it better with me explaining what shadow counters did but bleh I don't care enough to go back and fix it.

I always wanted something along the lines of Lightning Helix for Rakdos. Here's what I've come up with:

Searing Thoughts RB
Instant (u)
Searing Thoughts deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Whenever a creature dealt damage by Searing Thoughts dies this turn, its controller discards a card at random.
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.

Instant random discard is powerful and it was important for me to keep the card as balanced as I could. While hitting a card at random and at instand speed against control players sounds awesome, it's not going to be possible if your opponent doesn't control any creatures. In that case, this is a straight up Lightning Strike with a tougher mana cost vs control.

However, the card really shines against aggressive strategies which is exactly what I want it to do. Rakdos, in my mind, should be the most aggressive color combination and Searing Thoughts does a good job at punishing opposing aggro strategies that try to outrace us. Like Helix, this puts us ahead, but we're stripping away tools instead of gaining life.

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Here's a slightly pushed Rakdos Pain Seer-esque card as well:

Hate Seer RB
Creature - Human Cleric (r)
Haste, Protection from white
Whenever Hate Seer deals combat damage to an opponent, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you my play that card. If you don't, you lose life equal to its converted mana cost.
3/1
What we need is hatred. From it our ideas are born.

It's not as strong as Confident because it is not true card advantage and it requires you to connect in combat. However, it does have haste, 3-power and can potentially allow you to play the exiled card without any life loss. Then again, it forces you to play it otherwise the card is exiled and you end up losing life with nothing to show for it unlike Confident which guarantees you a card. Hate Seer feels like Rakdos to me and both red and black are nicely represented in its abilities. Note that unless you exile a land on turn 2 (assuming you have not yet somehow ramped), you're going to end up losing life without being able to cast the exiled card. Evil.

Finally, it felt fairly fragile with only 1-toughness, no evasion or first strike, but giving it those abilities may have put it over the top at two mana. Instead, I gave it protection from white which is not only more flavorful, but also protects it from Helix, Path, and Lingering Souls chump blocks.

I want these cards to be modern playable but not broken. Hopefully I've succeeded somewhat. What do you think?

So, worded properly, "at EOT, if you haven't played that card, you lose life". Well, admittedly the issue here is that if he hits too early, there is a chance that you exile a too expensive card that will get you killed because you can't cast it. Neat card; should be ok as is seeing that the exile is not optional.


Next'

Remold Spell 1R
Instant (U)
Exile target instant or sorcery spell you control, then exile cards from the top of your library until you reveal an instant or sorcery card with the same converted mana cost as that spell. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then shuffle the exiled card and the rest of the cards revealed this way into its owners' libraries.

Too complex for an uncommon?

I assume you're exiling the card from your hand, unless it is exiled from the stack? Seems unlikely. In any case, this card feels a little cluttered for a rather simple effect. I like the unpredictability of it, but how you're going to effectively use that is beyond me.

Reposting because I got skipped, with a different wording.

Shadow Magician 3BB
Creature - Human
Shadow Magician enters the battlefield with a shadow counter on it. Shadow counters have "this creature has hexproof and is unblockable."
When Shadow Magician dies, distribute his shadow counters among creatures you control. They gain Shadow Magician's abilities.
A magician only shares some of his secrets on his deathbed. The rest go with him to the grave.
2/3

Shadow Magician- I believe it should be worded ''Creatures with shadow counters on them gain hexproof and can't be blocked''. As for the card, it represents Shock on a stick every turn. Make it rare and add +1 power to become a bolt-like clock. I don't know how powerful it would be in limited then though. Perhaps 2 power is more safe.
I like the idea of the design, both in flavor and mechanics.

Since wizards failed yet again to create an interesting Boros commander...

Rhaz Morrass, Defender of People 2RW
Legendary Creature- Cat Cleric (MR)
Whenever a noncreature spell or permanent targets a creature you control, Rhaz Morrass, Defender of People deals 4 damage to that spell's or permanent's controller.
Rhaz Morrass, Defender of People deals noncombat damage as though it is commander damage.
3/4

Erm.... ok, I guess? I think I need to reread the rules on commanders (such as what the heck is commander damage), but anyway, seems like it's fine for the most part.


How about something too op...

Into Another Realm 3WUBRG
Sorcery (M)
Shuffle all cards in your hand and graveyard and all permanents you control into their owners' libraries. The reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal seven land cards, then shuffle other cards revealed this way into your library. Repeat this process for nonland permanent cards, then repeat for instant or sorcery cards. Put any number of permanent cards revealed this way onto the battlefield, then put the rest into your hand. Exile Into Another Realm.

Not sure the best wording for this, but essentially what this card does is that once this properly resolves, you'll end up with exactly seven lands on field, seven nonlands on field, and seven instant/sorcery cards in hand. You may end up with less if you have too few cards left in the library (maybe due to Delve whatsoever), but anyway, what do you think?

Erm... this as Instant is really weird, seeing that it's never cast anyway (no effect even if you free-cast it with whatever). Anyway, so this card replaces your land play with Geode tokens that eventually may make rainbow mana depending on what you have exiled. Neat, but given the rather steep way to achieve this I will give this a pass.


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Glyph Of First Words 2U
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of each upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it is an instant or sorcery card, you may reveal it and note its converted mana cost. Until end of turn, each instant or sorcery spell you cast that has the same converted mana cost as that card costs 1 less to cast.
"It's always nice to get some help to recite a few words out of our incantations."

Comments?

A little bit complicated for a bit of a low effect, but I am a fan of it. The only problem might be that because this is at every upkeep. The design is fine as it is (because it allows you to cast instants for cheaper], but I would love for it to only happen on your turn, but for a better bonus (making it even cheaper? Anything will do). I like it.

Goblin Barrel GGG
Instant
Put 3 1/1 Goblin counters on the battlefield. They have "This creature can't be blocked unless it attacks with non Goblin creatures."

An attempt for some tribal, and a nod to a good game. Comments?

Goblin Barrel- Out of color race, though lets hypothize this is a timeshifted version, i think ''can't be blocked'' makes it too uninteractive and linear for its own good. In the color of creature buffs this would lead to hyper aggressive strategies along with a splash of red. Sure triple green is a hinderance, but i guess in that tribal block this card would belong to should have a lot of secondary cards to compliment this one.

I suggest the goblins having menace instead. The rest is fine for triple color.

My turn:
Shade, One of the Many UB
Legendary Creature- Human Rogue (R)
Skulk
When Shade, One of the Many deals combat damage to an opponent scry 1 and fatesteal 1.
Grandeur- Discard another card named Shade, One of the Many: If an opponent would draw a card this turn except the first one he or she draws in each of his or her draw steps, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card.
1/3

*Fatesteal: To fateseal X, look at the top X cards of an opponent's library, then put any number of them on the bottom of that player's library and the rest on top in any order.

Repeatable Fateseal at such a low cost is potentially devastating, made worse by his 1/3 Skulk (Fogwalker was such a beast in EMN limited). You probably need to add some cost activation or such for the fateseal; that, or bump his cost to at least 4 (but you may then give him +1 toughness). Grandeur effect is fine; Korlash wasn't as busted as most people initially thought after all.


Next

Apathetic Citizen 1W
Creature - Human (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if an opponent controls a Demon, Vampire, Werewolf or Zombie, transform Apathetic Citizen.
"We have cathars protecting the township. Why must I be conscripted for town defense?"
1/1
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Unknown Vigilante
Creature - Human Rogue (WHITE)
First strike, vigilance
At the beginning of your end step, transform Unknown Vigilante unless an opponent controls a Demon, Vampire, Werewolf or Zombie.
The townsfolk could only report that something was attacking the monsters that roamed the streets at night, and no one in the militia was even aware they have someone so skilled at dispatching monsters in their midst.
3/1

Comments?

As instants/sorceries can't enter the battlefield, you'd need to overhaul the rules to make Living Spell work- right now if an instant or sorcery would somehow enter the battlefield, it remains in its previous zone. It doesn't have a permanent type anyway.

Glyph of the Overruled has an interesting idea in a self-limiting enchantment-matters theme where it scales up for bubble shields or whatnot, but then has a safety valve. Besides a few templating concerns ("to that spell or ability's owner" and whether split second can work on an ability), the problem here is having a reactive enchantment that does nothing if your opponent doesn't counter your spells, can't spring a trap in response to their counterspells like a negate could and even when they do counter, its a very small effect that needs to repeat many times before it gets value. Thats way too small an intersection of "R/W Enchantress sideboard against permission". I'd like to see that same sort of "For every X enchantment... then sacrifice an enchantment if X > 3"


Razaketh's Bargain BBB
Sorcery (M)
Choose any number of options for yourself. Target opponent performs all options you don't choose.

• Sacrifice a creature. If you do, search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
• Sacrifice a land. If you do, draw a card.
• Discard a card. If you do, gain four life.
• You lose four life and put the top six cards of your library into your graveyard.
• Exile all cards from your graveyard. For every three cards exiled this way, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.

I like the flavor and wording of this card, despite the overwhelming amount of choices. There is an interesting synergy between the effects, so ones that seem negative may not be at second glance. The cost might actually be too low for the potential value you can get out of this card, even if your opponent gains some of the effects. I would change it to 2BB.

Mage of the Mind 2UU
Creature - Human
Defender, Shroud
Whenever an opponent draws a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Mage of the Mind.
TUU: Counter target spell with converted mana cost equal to or less than Mage of the Mind's toughness. Remove 5 +1/+1 counters from Mage of the Mind. If you can't, exile it.
0/3

I like the idea of mage of the mind but I feel like it could perhaps be pushed a little bit more. As it is right now I'm not sure if I would run it in anything because its too slow. I would consider speeding it up by dropping the hexproof clause and reducing the "Remove 5 counters" part to 2 or 3. You can probably get away with 2 as long as it has defender. Overall its a really neat design that reminds me of Ertai.

Runo Stromkirk 1BBR
Legendary Creature - Vampire Cleric
When Runo Stromkirk enters the battlefield choose an opponent.
Runo Stromkirk gets -1/-1 for each card in the chosen players hand.
At the beginning of each players upkeep that player discards a card.
7/7
"Ha, Olivia thinks she is the new lord of Innistrad? She has no idea what I've recovered from Sorin's prison"

A reasonable card at a reasonable cost with a decent rider for helping it get bigger. It works!

Here's something ambitious-ish.

- 6
Sorcery
This should be something like uh "as an added cost, sack a creature unless GGGG was paid to cast -. If it was, tap an untapped creature." I'm not sure how to template it such that the tapped-ness of that creature is irrelevant if sacked.
Draw cards and gain life equal to that creature's power and toughness. If BBBB was paid to casr -, then target player discards that many cards and loses that much life.

So,

<Placeholder> - :sym6::symbg::symbg:
Sorcery
Choose target creature you control.
If GGGG was paid when you play ~, untap target creature, otherwise sacrifices it.
If BBBB was paid when you play ~, draw cards equal to target creatures toughness, and you gain that much life, otherwise each opponant discards that many cards, and loses that much life.


Personally, the abilities don't feel balanced at all.
What I would do, would be seperate the life gain/lose with green, and the discard with Black.

So, it would template something more like this...
<card>, 3BG
Sorcery
Choose a target creature and target player.
If GGG was paid, target player looses X life, otherwise he or she looses X life, where X is target creatures power.
If BBB was paid, target player Discards X cards, otherwise he or she draws X cards, where X is that creatures toughness.

(Oh, and don't allow the casting cost to allow you to necessarily optimise.)


Tacticians Puzzle - 4
Artifact
Whenever a player draws a card, that player put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Creatures with power 4 or greater, can't attack.
Creatures with toughness 3 or less gain hexproof.

1, Remove a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control: Put two +1/+1 counters on creatures you don't control. (Any player may use this ability.)

Erm..... I kinda worry this is so easily abusable. Maybe add some more cost to activate the counter-moving.


Simic's worst enemy

Unbridled Bloodlust 4RR
Enchantment (R)
All creatures attack each turn if able.
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then that creature deals damage to its controller equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on it.
An unrelenting wave of rage and violence will not be restrained.

Comments?

"Creatures must attack each turn if able" is the common way or phrasing it I believe. As for the rest of the card, it's interesting though I'm not sure how I feel about mono-red and +1/+1 counters in most contexts. It might work better if the card was RG. This card seems a little odd to me in that it forces creatures to attack, puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature if it deals damage to a player, and then punishes its controller with damage for that. I can sort of see the flavor though if your intention is that it represents the creature's uncontrollable rage, a sort of "confused barbarian" thing. Maybe if you changed the mana cost to 3RG or 4RG it'd be fine.

Memory Flux 2R
Sorcery (U)
Target player shuffles two cards at random from his or her hand into his or her library.

This is my attempt at red simulating discard.

Memory Flux, should cost more by at least :sym1: but otherwise I like it, flavor wise, otherwise, I don't think it belongs in monored. I see it being either R/U or R/B.


Mind Trap 3UB
Enchantment (U)
Whenever a player draws a card for the first time each turn, each of his or her opponents discard a card.
Whenever a player discards a card for the first time each turn, each of his or her opponents draw a card.

So..... on the next turn after this hits the board, the player draws 2 cards and the opponent discards a card.... a bit confusing, but works I guess. While the effect is strong, it's symmetrical, so I have no particular qualms about it, although given things like Howling Mine, I think this may cost cheaper.


Next

Stellapolis
Land (U)
T: Add C to your mana pool.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast Enchantment spells.
T, sacrifice an Enchantment: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

Way too complicated?

Hmmm.... no qualms, I guess. It does require you to pay some mana to copy the card, not to mention this counterspell is rather narrow. All in all, ok, no problem.


Next

Offer Of Annihilation 3BBB
Sorcery (M)
Target player may sacrifice thirteen permanents he or she controls. If that player does, transform Offer Of Annihilation and put it onto the battlefield under that player's control. Otherwise, each player loses 3 life, then shuffle Offer Of Annihilation into its owner's library.
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Harbinger Of Annihilation
Creature - Demon (BLACK)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a permanent. If you do, each opponent loses 3 life.
When Harbinger Of Annihilation leaves the battlefield, if you control no permanent, you win the game.
5/5

Comments?


EDIT:

Offer Of Annihilation 5BBB
Sorcery (M)
Target player may sacrifice thirteen permanents he or she controls. If that player does, transform Offer Of Annihilation and put it onto the battlefield under that player's control. Otherwise, each player loses 3 life, then shuffle Offer Of Annihilation into its owner's library.
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Harbinger Of Annihilation
Creature - Demon (BLACK)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a permanent. If you do, each opponent loses 3 life.
When Harbinger Of Annihilation leaves the battlefield, if you control no permanent, you win the game.
7/7

I love Doomgape-esque cards that have you sacrifice a lot of things. Only problem I see is if you cast this on yourself. Because you'll eventually win unless the Harbinger is killed when you have anything, and you get a headstart on the sacrificing, this is basically a six mana, two turn win. Either make the cost higher, or disable the ability to cast it on yourself. That would make for a fun game.

Goden, Ambassador of Peace 3WW
Legendary Creature
When Ambassador of Peace enters the battlefield, choose a player and ask for "War" or "Peace". If they choose "Peace", you gain 10 life and draw 2 cards. If they choose "War", transform Ambassador of Peace.
2/2

Goden, Infernal Warlord
Legendary Creature (Red)
Haste, Doublestrike, Trample
Whenever Goden kills a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on him.
5/4

Loved Will of the Council as a mechanic, so here's a variation of that I guess.

Soul Offering 2WB
Instant
Destroy target creature. You gain life equal to its casting cost.