Planar Impostor2UU
Creature — Shapeshifter [R]
Flash
You may have Planar Impostor enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. If you do, it gains "At the beginning of your end step, return this creature to its owner's hand."
[0/0]
Fallen Bugeisha1B
Creature — Vampire Samurai [C]
Lifelink
Bushido 2 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.)
[0/1]
Sengir, Lord of Eiganjo5BBB
Legendary Creature — Vampire Samurai [M]
Flying
Bushido 3 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +3/+3 until end of turn.)
Whenever Sengir, Lord of Eiganjo or another Samurai dies, return that card to the battlefield tapped and under your control at the beginning of your next upkeep. That creature is a black Vampire in addition to its other colors and types.
[5/5]
Fomori Warlord4RRR
Creature — Giant Warrior [R]
Trample
Whenever Fomori Warlord attacks, you may put a token that's a copy of target creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. Exile the token at end of combat.
[4/4]
Tibalt and Tamiyo4UR
Planeswalker — Tamiyo Tibalt [M]
/+2\: Discard two cards, then draw two cards.
|0|: You may activate other loyalty abilities of Tibalt and Tamiyo two additional times this turn as though none of its loyalty abilities had been activated this turn. Tibalt and Tamiyo deals 2 damage to you.
\-2/: Return target permanent you control and target permanent you don’t control to their owners’ hands.
\-4/: Each player reveals a card at random from his or her hand, then puts that card onto the battlefield if it's a creature card. Those creatures gain haste until end of turn.
{4}
So Tamiyo arrives on Dominaria, goes all snow-ified, then... turns evil somehow and heads back to Kamigawa with Tibalt and a bunch of soul traps in tow?
Fallen Bugeisha is pretty sweet.
I don't love the anti-synergy between flying and bushido, and Sengir's unkillability seemed a little sketch at first, but then I remembered Konda has indestructible so I guess it's okay.
The dual planeswalker seems very durdly. The abilities go well together but I can't help but wish that one of the two was replaced with another thematically appropriate planeswalker. T&T are mentally associated with each other as being the two new 'walker characters in AVR, but they have no real reason to be, since their stories don't intersect at all as far as I could tell.
So Tamiyo arrives on Dominaria, goes all snow-ified, then... turns evil somehow and heads back to Kamigawa with Tibalt and a bunch of soul traps in tow?
I'll admit that I've had to reexamine Tamiyo's involvement with the Dominaria storyline. I mean, she's there. She's getting a new PW card in Dominaria. But her involvement is more complex than "hangin' out with the Kaldarjar" and her route back to Kamigawa is a lot more circuitous than simply riding the planeswalker freeway and picking up Tibalt on her way home. Her plans even intersect with some business in Eleventh Edition, though the story there is necessarily sparse.
Tibalt is one of the central storyline 'walkers in Call to Glory block, so this won't be his first representation on a card this block, even if it may be his one and only appearance on an actual planeswalker card. Then again, he might get a double PW showing, I don't know. Tamiyo, on the other hand, is not seen in CtG block before this. The native Kamigawan planeswalker role is played by Pale-Eyes, not Tamiyo. I am putting the cart before the horse by showing Tamiyo and Tibalt together, here, so forgive me for disrespecting my own process of chronological revelation somewhat. Consider this a retroactive "spoiler alert" tag.
Clash of Realities, in general, has been something that I've been playing close to the chest for months, but finishing the DOM-XI-CtG project requires that I take some steps towards completing it now. I think I've still managed to protect the big secret that binds all of this stuff together.
I like Planar Imposter, but it is overcosted. Clone has been Standard legal for about half of Magic's history and has never seen play except (briefly) as a very inefficient legend killer under old rulesets. Clever Impersonator has a larger upside than your Imposter, and also is overcosted by enough that it doesn't come close to seeing play.
I think the right cost for a Clone with flash is 1UU. This would see Standard play but be rarely seen in Modern (i.e. similar power level to Stormbreath Dragon). The bounce part is generally a downside but can be used as a positive too so I'd keep the cost at 1UU with it on there (or UUU if it is made optional).
I like Planar Imposter, but it is overcosted. Clone has been Standard legal for about half of Magic's history and has never seen play except (briefly) as a very inefficient legend killer under old rulesets. Clever Impersonator has a larger upside than your Imposter, and also is overcosted by enough that it doesn't come close to seeing play.
I think the right cost for a Clone with flash is 1UU. This would see Standard play but be rarely seen in Modern (i.e. similar power level to Stormbreath Dragon). The bounce part is generally a downside but can be used as a positive too so I'd keep the cost at 1UU with it on there (or UUU if it is made optional).
I thought the price seemed fair for something that will almost certainly be used as an ETB ability spammer.
But I'm not saying no to a reduced cost... just that I'd rather this be "meh" in Standard than obnoxiously cheap in more casual formats to the point of being un-fun. Trying to strike the right balance.
I like Planar Imposter, but it is overcosted. Clone has been Standard legal for about half of Magic's history and has never seen play except (briefly) as a very inefficient legend killer under old rulesets. Clever Impersonator has a larger upside than your Imposter, and also is overcosted by enough that it doesn't come close to seeing play.
I think the right cost for a Clone with flash is 1UU. This would see Standard play but be rarely seen in Modern (i.e. similar power level to Stormbreath Dragon). The bounce part is generally a downside but can be used as a positive too so I'd keep the cost at 1UU with it on there (or UUU if it is made optional).
I thought the price seemed fair for something that will almost certainly be used as an ETB ability spammer.
But I'm not saying no to a reduced cost... just that I'd rather this be "meh" in Standard than obnoxiously cheap in more casual formats to the point of being un-fun. Trying to strike the right balance.
If it becomes an issue in casual formats it can be banned there, just like the (bad card) Sylvan Primordial. Meh in Standard and even Limited, obnoxious in multiplayer casual so it was banned in the main multiplayer casual format.
If it becomes an issue in casual formats it can be banned there, just like the (bad card) Sylvan Primordial. Meh in Standard and even Limited, obnoxious in multiplayer casual so it was banned in the main multiplayer casual format.
My development philosophy towards the format where 90% of Magic games take place is not, "Let them ban it, then."
I don't have a metagame reason to push this. I wasn't even thinking about Standard or Modern when I designed it. At 2UU, I think it is a solid Limited card, I think Johnny can build a deck with it, and I think EDH can have an absolute field day with it. I think that any good set should have a power-level budget, and I don't have a good reason for this to be eating up much of that budget for this set right now.
I'd up the cost of Planar Imposter to 5 or more. Mercurial Pretender is a Clone that bounces itself, and it costs 5, is restricted to creatures you control, and costs mana to bounce. And it doesn't have flash.
If you up the cost to 5 or even 6, it'll probably stay playable in Casual and Limited and almost certainly see play in EDH, since you can re-use EtB effects as well.
Fallen Bugeisha strikes me more as a white card than black. White is more about combat superiority and defensive tactics.
Fomori Warlord costs more than Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, lacks haste, and is more limited in its uses (in particular, it doesn't go infinite nearly as easily as Kiki). In exchange, you get a 4/4 body. Given how good Kiki is already, I'd say this is balanced.
Tibalt and Tamiyo: I think the 0 ability could be changed to a static ability. The +2 could be changed to draw first, then discard, given that you're paying 6 mana and it's a red-blue card.
I'd up the cost of Planar Imposter to 5 or more. Mercurial Pretender is a Clone that bounces itself, and it costs 5, is restricted to creatures you control, and costs mana to bounce. And it doesn't have flash.
If you up the cost to 5 or even 6, it'll probably stay playable in Casual and Limited and almost certainly see play in EDH, since you can re-use EtB effects as well.
Well, the difference here is that you're forced to re-cast Planar Impostor every turn, whereas Mercurial Pretender and inspiration Sakashima the Impostor are stickier, but give you the option to bounce.
Fallen Bugeisha strikes me more as a white card than black. White is more about combat superiority and defensive tactics.
I kept one eye towards Inner-Chamber Guard as I designed this. WotC has been moving black into a position where it gets more defensive creatures than it did before, so that's why I feel like it's appropriate.
Fomori Warlord costs more than Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, lacks haste, and is more limited in its uses (in particular, it doesn't go infinite nearly as easily as Kiki). In exchange, you get a 4/4 body. Given how good Kiki is already, I'd say this is balanced.
That's a relief to hear! My motivation was to do a Kiki-Jiki / Splinter Twin beater where people looked at it and said, "Hmmm... fair." Because the world doesn't need more cards that are as pushed as Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin.
Tibalt and Tamiyo: I think the 0 ability could be changed to a static ability. The +2 could be changed to draw first, then discard, given that you're paying 6 mana and it's a red-blue card.
My first hunch was to give it a static ability, but I settled on the current version when I realized that making it optional doesn't really require any more text. I'm hoping that the 2 damage is relevant enough to make that decision meaningful.
If it becomes an issue in casual formats it can be banned there, just like the (bad card) Sylvan Primordial. Meh in Standard and even Limited, obnoxious in multiplayer casual so it was banned in the main multiplayer casual format.
My development philosophy towards the format where 90% of Magic games take place is not, "Let them ban it, then."
I don't have a metagame reason to push this. I wasn't even thinking about Standard or Modern when I designed it. At 2UU, I think it is a solid Limited card, I think Johnny can build a deck with it, and I think EDH can have an absolute field day with it. I think that any good set should have a power-level budget, and I don't have a good reason for this to be eating up much of that budget for this set right now.
My attitude toward cards that are so overcosted they will never see competitive play is "What a waste of cool design space" and "What a disappointing thing to open in your pack", unless they are good enough in casual formats to actually be allstars there (like Soul of New Phyrexia or the first Avacyn), or cards that at least look like they have real potential but never get there (like Progenitor Mimic).
I played during Masques, which was a set full of cool designs that were overcosted by 1-2 mana and still remember the constant disappointment of opening them in packs.
Well, the difference here is that you're forced to re-cast Planar Impostor every turn, whereas Mercurial Pretender and inspiration Sakashima the Impostor are stickier, but give you the option to bounce.
Oh, I thought it was optional. Well, in that case... I'd say it's unplayable in limited, since you need a high density of good EtB creatures for it to work, and without that, it's just a surprise blocker. It would be a cool card if bouncing it was optional, but as it stands it's kinda useless because it can never attack without help, which isn't a great place to be when you're a card that's already useless without a good copy target.
Also, it's a bit too similar to Fomori Warlord, since they both have the same basic function of making a temporary copy of a creature, except that the Warlord isn't restricted to EtB-effect shenanigans.
My first hunch was to give it a static ability, but I settled on the current version when I realized that making it optional doesn't really require any more text. I'm hoping that the 2 damage is relevant enough to make that decision meaningful.
Making it a static ability makes it a bit easier to figure out what it's doing on the first read-through. Right now, it takes a bit of thought to realize "It's a planeswalker with three abilities, and I can use them twice in one turn at the cost of 2 life", whereas with a static ability you could basically say that outright. It also means that players don't have to remember to declare they're using the 0 ability beforehand if they want to use two abilities. Finally, seeing 4 abilities on one planeswalker might bring to mind That One Jace, even though your card isn't anything like him.
Oh, I thought it was optional. Well, in that case... I'd say it's unplayable in limited, since you need a high density of good EtB creatures for it to work, and without that, it's just a surprise blocker. It would be a cool card if bouncing it was optional, but as it stands it's kinda useless because it can never attack without help, which isn't a great place to be when you're a card that's already useless without a good copy target.
Also, it's a bit too similar to Fomori Warlord, since they both have the same basic function of making a temporary copy of a creature, except that the Warlord isn't restricted to EtB-effect shenanigans.
Remember, its only returned at the beginning of your end step - not each end step. It can also copy your opponent's creatures. This means you can get a single swing off with it for attacking triggers (eg. Fomori Warlord for two tokens). I think you're underselling it quite a bit, although it is costly to keep using every turn.
Oh, I thought it was optional. Well, in that case... I'd say it's unplayable in limited, since you need a high density of good EtB creatures for it to work, and without that, it's just a surprise blocker. It would be a cool card if bouncing it was optional, but as it stands it's kinda useless because it can never attack without help, which isn't a great place to be when you're a card that's already useless without a good copy target.
Also, it's a bit too similar to Fomori Warlord, since they both have the same basic function of making a temporary copy of a creature, except that the Warlord isn't restricted to EtB-effect shenanigans.
Remember, its only returned at the beginning of your end step - not each end step. It can also copy your opponent's creatures. This means you can get a single swing off with it for attacking triggers (eg. Fomori Warlord for two tokens). I think you're underselling it quite a bit, although it is costly to keep using every turn.
My card-reading skills are a bit off, it seems.
Yeah, that works, but it seems kinda wonky that you have to flash it in on your opponent's turn if you want to swing with it. Even for someone who reads the card properly, it might not be apparent right away how the card is supposed to work.
I'm still of the opinion that it should cost more and have an optional beginning-of-upkeep bounce effect.
Impostor is in a good place right now. It's cheap enough to be fun in casual without being obnoxious, it's got the color density not to make clone cry, and it's limited playable without being a tilting rare to play against.
I like T&T, but I suspect you will activate their 0 basically every turn you control them.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
I like T&T, but I suspect you will activate their 0 basically every turn you control them.
It does make it increasingly hard to double up when you're down on life, though. Especially if they can recast and threaten you right away with whatever you -2'd.
I love it when I get such bipolar responses to cards like Planar Impostor. To hear such different evaluations tells me that I've hit on something interesting.
you turned your eyes from us.
Creature — Shapeshifter [R]
Flash
You may have Planar Impostor enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. If you do, it gains "At the beginning of your end step, return this creature to its owner's hand."
[0/0]
Fallen Bugeisha 1B
Creature — Vampire Samurai [C]
Lifelink
Bushido 2 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.)
[0/1]
Sengir, Lord of Eiganjo 5BBB
Legendary Creature — Vampire Samurai [M]
Flying
Bushido 3 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +3/+3 until end of turn.)
Whenever Sengir, Lord of Eiganjo or another Samurai dies, return that card to the battlefield tapped and under your control at the beginning of your next upkeep. That creature is a black Vampire in addition to its other colors and types.
[5/5]
Fomori Warlord 4RRR
Creature — Giant Warrior [R]
Trample
Whenever Fomori Warlord attacks, you may put a token that's a copy of target creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. Exile the token at end of combat.
[4/4]
Tibalt and Tamiyo 4UR
Planeswalker — Tamiyo Tibalt [M]
/+2\: Discard two cards, then draw two cards.
|0|: You may activate other loyalty abilities of Tibalt and Tamiyo two additional times this turn as though none of its loyalty abilities had been activated this turn. Tibalt and Tamiyo deals 2 damage to you.
\-2/: Return target permanent you control and target permanent you don’t control to their owners’ hands.
\-4/: Each player reveals a card at random from his or her hand, then puts that card onto the battlefield if it's a creature card. Those creatures gain haste until end of turn.
{4}
EDIT: Added Fomori Warlord.
So Tamiyo arrives on Dominaria, goes all snow-ified, then... turns evil somehow and heads back to Kamigawa with Tibalt and a bunch of soul traps in tow?
Fallen Bugeisha is pretty sweet.
I don't love the anti-synergy between flying and bushido, and Sengir's unkillability seemed a little sketch at first, but then I remembered Konda has indestructible so I guess it's okay.
The dual planeswalker seems very durdly. The abilities go well together but I can't help but wish that one of the two was replaced with another thematically appropriate planeswalker. T&T are mentally associated with each other as being the two new 'walker characters in AVR, but they have no real reason to be, since their stories don't intersect at all as far as I could tell.
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Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
Tibalt is one of the central storyline 'walkers in Call to Glory block, so this won't be his first representation on a card this block, even if it may be his one and only appearance on an actual planeswalker card. Then again, he might get a double PW showing, I don't know. Tamiyo, on the other hand, is not seen in CtG block before this. The native Kamigawan planeswalker role is played by Pale-Eyes, not Tamiyo. I am putting the cart before the horse by showing Tamiyo and Tibalt together, here, so forgive me for disrespecting my own process of chronological revelation somewhat. Consider this a retroactive "spoiler alert" tag.
Clash of Realities, in general, has been something that I've been playing close to the chest for months, but finishing the DOM-XI-CtG project requires that I take some steps towards completing it now. I think I've still managed to protect the big secret that binds all of this stuff together.
I think the right cost for a Clone with flash is 1UU. This would see Standard play but be rarely seen in Modern (i.e. similar power level to Stormbreath Dragon). The bounce part is generally a downside but can be used as a positive too so I'd keep the cost at 1UU with it on there (or UUU if it is made optional).
But I'm not saying no to a reduced cost... just that I'd rather this be "meh" in Standard than obnoxiously cheap in more casual formats to the point of being un-fun. Trying to strike the right balance.
If it becomes an issue in casual formats it can be banned there, just like the (bad card) Sylvan Primordial. Meh in Standard and even Limited, obnoxious in multiplayer casual so it was banned in the main multiplayer casual format.
I don't have a metagame reason to push this. I wasn't even thinking about Standard or Modern when I designed it. At 2UU, I think it is a solid Limited card, I think Johnny can build a deck with it, and I think EDH can have an absolute field day with it. I think that any good set should have a power-level budget, and I don't have a good reason for this to be eating up much of that budget for this set right now.
If you up the cost to 5 or even 6, it'll probably stay playable in Casual and Limited and almost certainly see play in EDH, since you can re-use EtB effects as well.
Fallen Bugeisha strikes me more as a white card than black. White is more about combat superiority and defensive tactics.
Fomori Warlord costs more than Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, lacks haste, and is more limited in its uses (in particular, it doesn't go infinite nearly as easily as Kiki). In exchange, you get a 4/4 body. Given how good Kiki is already, I'd say this is balanced.
Tibalt and Tamiyo: I think the 0 ability could be changed to a static ability. The +2 could be changed to draw first, then discard, given that you're paying 6 mana and it's a red-blue card.
I kept one eye towards Inner-Chamber Guard as I designed this. WotC has been moving black into a position where it gets more defensive creatures than it did before, so that's why I feel like it's appropriate.
That's a relief to hear! My motivation was to do a Kiki-Jiki / Splinter Twin beater where people looked at it and said, "Hmmm... fair." Because the world doesn't need more cards that are as pushed as Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin.
My first hunch was to give it a static ability, but I settled on the current version when I realized that making it optional doesn't really require any more text. I'm hoping that the 2 damage is relevant enough to make that decision meaningful.
My attitude toward cards that are so overcosted they will never see competitive play is "What a waste of cool design space" and "What a disappointing thing to open in your pack", unless they are good enough in casual formats to actually be allstars there (like Soul of New Phyrexia or the first Avacyn), or cards that at least look like they have real potential but never get there (like Progenitor Mimic).
I played during Masques, which was a set full of cool designs that were overcosted by 1-2 mana and still remember the constant disappointment of opening them in packs.
Oh, I thought it was optional. Well, in that case... I'd say it's unplayable in limited, since you need a high density of good EtB creatures for it to work, and without that, it's just a surprise blocker. It would be a cool card if bouncing it was optional, but as it stands it's kinda useless because it can never attack without help, which isn't a great place to be when you're a card that's already useless without a good copy target.
Also, it's a bit too similar to Fomori Warlord, since they both have the same basic function of making a temporary copy of a creature, except that the Warlord isn't restricted to EtB-effect shenanigans.
Making it a static ability makes it a bit easier to figure out what it's doing on the first read-through. Right now, it takes a bit of thought to realize "It's a planeswalker with three abilities, and I can use them twice in one turn at the cost of 2 life", whereas with a static ability you could basically say that outright. It also means that players don't have to remember to declare they're using the 0 ability beforehand if they want to use two abilities. Finally, seeing 4 abilities on one planeswalker might bring to mind That One Jace, even though your card isn't anything like him.
Remember, its only returned at the beginning of your end step - not each end step. It can also copy your opponent's creatures. This means you can get a single swing off with it for attacking triggers (eg. Fomori Warlord for two tokens). I think you're underselling it quite a bit, although it is costly to keep using every turn.
Avant Block: Avant -- Stormfront
My card-reading skills are a bit off, it seems.
Yeah, that works, but it seems kinda wonky that you have to flash it in on your opponent's turn if you want to swing with it. Even for someone who reads the card properly, it might not be apparent right away how the card is supposed to work.
I'm still of the opinion that it should cost more and have an optional beginning-of-upkeep bounce effect.
I like T&T, but I suspect you will activate their 0 basically every turn you control them.
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).
I love it when I get such bipolar responses to cards like Planar Impostor. To hear such different evaluations tells me that I've hit on something interesting.