Hilmir Ice-Bound8UUUU
Legendary Snow Creature — Giant [M]
Flash
Hilmir Ice-Bound costs 2U less to cast for each nonsnow spell your opponents control.
Trample
When Hilmir enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
[12/12]
EDIT: changed its name from "Slumbering Keeper", changed it from a nonlegendary Kraken to a legendary Giant, dropped the mana cost by 1U, changed the discount to a static 3 per spell rather than the CMC of the spell.
EDIT: Changed the mana cost from 9UUU and the cost reduction from 3, at the suggestion of RoadsarePoison.
That's a cool card, but it definitely, definitely feels nothing like a kraken to me. If you changed the typing I'd be all for it. Right now it really seems like an illusion, a'la Draining Whelk. I don't know if that fits your setting, but I can't really see a giant kraken (giant creatures are generally slow-like, and there's even "the kraken/leviathan clause" which keeps krakens from untapping during your upkeep) surfacing fast enough to get in the way of a lightning helix.
The flavor I'm going for is "your annoying spells have awoken me." The flash is incidental. If there is a better way to communicate that flavor, I'd love it.
Well, it was the combination of the countering and the flash that pushed it too far out of Deep Sea Monster range for me. Pearl Lake Ancient has flash, and I think he's alright. Does this guy have to be a kraken counterspell? If not, you could go the "Slumbering Keeper costs X less to cast, where is is the total converted mana cost of all non-snow spells cast by your opponents this turn" route, which is where I thought the card was going initially.
I like where we're going for flavor, but this card... I just can't tell who it's for. It isn't competitive/skill testing/resource-oriented, so it's not for Spike. It makes you jump through some complicated hoops, but they are very hard to build around and at the end of it you just get a counter spell+ a 12/12, so I don't think it's for Johnny. Even though it's a huge expensive monster it doesn't feel very timmyish either.
Maybe something like Slumbering Dragon, but triggering on no snow spells cast rather than attacks. Perhaps a Dark Depths throwback, where counters can be removed by mana, but you can also remove one when your opponent casts a non snow? Those both also end up referencing Deep-Sea Kraken a little.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
But it does need to be serviceable, and right now this just seems... close to unusable. Best case scenario is multiplayer games where you can jump in on a counter war, but does that happen often enough to build a mythic rare around? Keep in mind, mythic rares are supposed to be the exciting cards of the set that showcase flavor and the tip of the power peak for the part of the spectrum/faction they represent. This... I see it and, like Sliver Lord said, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it.
I think you have the basis for a really cool card here, but I also think it needs some adjusting. It's just too narrow, even for a mythic sea creature.
EDIT: Okay, I had an awesome idea. This is a sort of control-y card meant to punish players for playing non-snow cards, right? Why not reduce the cost for each non-snow, nonland permanent your opponents control and then return all non-snow non-land permanents to their owner's hand when it enters the battlefied? It's really similar to where you were going, but it's a lot splashier and this sort of bounce is precedented for krakens.
OK, just did a big flavor and mechanics update in the first post. Here's the old version:
Slumbering Keeper10UUUU
Snow Creature — Kraken [M]
Flash
Slumbering Keeper costs X less to cast, where X is the total converted mana cost of all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
Trample
When Slumbering Keeper enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
[12/12]
At 12/12 with trample it probably should have some kind of anti-reanimation ability. The first thing that came to mind:
Flash; Hilmir Ice-Bound costs 3 less to cast for each nonsnow spell your opponents control.
Trample
Hilmir enters the battlefield tapped and doesn’t untap during your untap step.
When Hilmir enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
Whenever a spell or ability you control counters a spell, you may untap Hilmir.
It is already pretty wordy though without adding all that, so another option could be to just drop him to 9/9.
A minor templating nitpick: Shouldn't flash and trample be on the same line?
Nope. Flash is usually separated because it affects how you cast the spell rather than mattering on the battlefield. (See also Angel of Salvation. Flash and convoke are on the same line because they are both relevant to casting, while flying is relevant while on the battlefield).
It probably doesn't need an anti reanimating clause. There are much better things to reanimate in modern /eternal/casual, and I don't think this standard format contains a competitive reanimating spell (yet?)
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Putting an anti-regeneration clause on it is not an option, but lowering the P/T is.
It That Betrays is the highest-power creature that has neither an anti-reanimation clause nor significant barriers to getting it onto / keeping it on the battlefield. So, this would be 1 higher than that. I can understand where the jitters start to come in.
I don't think it's busted at 12/12, but I guess there's a certain fair play principle that says you probably shouldn't be able to win the game just by getting two swings in with your reanimated fatty. It would sadden me to see this card abused that way.
Let's just say I make it 9/9. If I do that, what else has to change?
I honestly could see this card as a Kraken. The Ice-Bound makes me think of Dark Depths and that mental image was awesome. I am not opposed to it being a giant, though. It's a cool card.
I honestly could see this card as a Kraken. The Ice-Bound makes me think of Dark Depths and that mental image was awesome. I am not opposed to it being a giant, though. It's a cool card.
There will most likely be both a rare / mythic blue snow Kraken, and a rare / mythic blue snow Giant, and one will be legendary.
When I design the other one, if it makes more sense as the legendary jötun, then I might switch this back to being a Kraken (which it originally was).
Would this be broken if it cost 8UUUU and his ability made him cost 2U less to cast for each nonsnow spell? 95% of the time you will still pay 6UUU. But every so often you will play against storm or something and cast this for free which I think I'm okay with. More storm hosers is probably fine. Even in multiplayer, opponents having 3-4 spells on the stack is still quite a hoop to jump through to cheat a fatty into play.
Would this be broken if it cost 8UUUU and his ability made him cost 2U less to cast for each nonsnow spell? 95% of the time you will still pay 6UUU. But every so often you will play against storm or something and cast this for free which I think I'm okay with. More storm hosers is probably fine. Even in multiplayer, opponents having 3-4 spells on the stack is still quite a hoop to jump through to cheat a fatty into play.
I actually really like that suggestion. I've been trying to think of a way to add more colored mana symbols to the mana costs of my Kaldarjar rares and mythics, and this would let me do that while also improving the overall functionality. (If you were planning to hardcast this, the extra color intensity is the least of your problems, anyway.)
Set 1 of 3 in Dominaria block
Hilmir Ice-Bound 8UUUU
Legendary Snow Creature — Giant [M]
Flash
Hilmir Ice-Bound costs 2U less to cast for each nonsnow spell your opponents control.
Trample
When Hilmir enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
[12/12]
EDIT: changed its name from "Slumbering Keeper", changed it from a nonlegendary Kraken to a legendary Giant, dropped the mana cost by 1U, changed the discount to a static 3 per spell rather than the CMC of the spell.
EDIT: Changed the mana cost from 9UUU and the cost reduction from 3, at the suggestion of RoadsarePoison.
Maybe something like Slumbering Dragon, but triggering on no snow spells cast rather than attacks. Perhaps a Dark Depths throwback, where counters can be removed by mana, but you can also remove one when your opponent casts a non snow? Those both also end up referencing Deep-Sea Kraken a little.
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
It's indicative of where blue is going in this set, but this card doesn't need to be a Standard champ.
I think you have the basis for a really cool card here, but I also think it needs some adjusting. It's just too narrow, even for a mythic sea creature.
EDIT: Okay, I had an awesome idea. This is a sort of control-y card meant to punish players for playing non-snow cards, right? Why not reduce the cost for each non-snow, nonland permanent your opponents control and then return all non-snow non-land permanents to their owner's hand when it enters the battlefied? It's really similar to where you were going, but it's a lot splashier and this sort of bounce is precedented for krakens.
Slumbering Keeper 10UUUUSnow Creature — Kraken [M]
Flash
Slumbering Keeper costs X less to cast, where X is the total converted mana cost of all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
Trample
When Slumbering Keeper enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
[12/12]
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
Trample
Hilmir enters the battlefield tapped and doesn’t untap during your untap step.
When Hilmir enters the battlefield, counter all nonsnow spells your opponents control.
Whenever a spell or ability you control counters a spell, you may untap Hilmir.
It is already pretty wordy though without adding all that, so another option could be to just drop him to 9/9.
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
It That Betrays is the highest-power creature that has neither an anti-reanimation clause nor significant barriers to getting it onto / keeping it on the battlefield. So, this would be 1 higher than that. I can understand where the jitters start to come in.
I don't think it's busted at 12/12, but I guess there's a certain fair play principle that says you probably shouldn't be able to win the game just by getting two swings in with your reanimated fatty. It would sadden me to see this card abused that way.
Let's just say I make it 9/9. If I do that, what else has to change?
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When I design the other one, if it makes more sense as the legendary jötun, then I might switch this back to being a Kraken (which it originally was).
I'll update it in the OP. Thanks for the idea!