MTG Salvation

For Dreamscape

After my latest rounds of playtesting I've compiled my current watchlist of cards that I either want to change or may need change in the future.
Feel free to suggest any changes, alternatives or ideas.

MY COMMENTS IN BLUE

Foretold Heroics
Instant (U)
Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
Premonition 3- (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and put this card into your library face up beneath the top three cards. As it reaches the top, cast it for free.)
This card is for the blue/white tempo or red/white tokens decks. I want a card in the vein of Dauntless Onslaught or War Flare. However I've had feedback that this may be too punishing but have yet to have this card appear in playtests. Thus is remains on the Watch List until I get further data. One possibility is to change it to +2/+1. This would also help differentiate it from the green Overrun variant.

Resist your Fears
Instant (U)
Blocked creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
"Resolved to walk the path of light,
We push against the dark of night."
-Hymn of Daymas
This card got moved from common to uncommon due to numbers concerns but it is fighting for space with Foretold Heroics. Needs a replacement.

Vitality Unending
Sorcery (M)
You gain 100 life.
"Life, peace and community. Together these values will preserve our way of life."
-Reevus, pre Dreamscape
This card has been highly controversial. Many players love it while I've had other express real concern over its power level or possibility of unfun gameplay. Will stay on the Watch List until I've seen it played more.

Subconscious Recall
Sorcery (C)
Draw three cards.
Premonition 7-:symu: (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and put this card into your library face up beneath the top seven cards. As it reaches the top, cast it for free.)
In the Blue/Black self mill deck this often felt plain unfair in limited. However that is the best case scenario (and requires significant deck commitment) so I'm putting it on the watchlist to see if I need to increase the premonition number to 8. Its average case scenario is probably fine in most blue decks.

Flash of Inspiration
Instant (C)
Flash of Inspiration deals 5 damage to target creature or player.
Premonition 3-:2mana: (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and put this card into your library face up beneath the top three cards. As it reaches the top, cast it for free.)
This is supposed to be reds premium burn spell at common. The ability to go to the face however worries me and so I'm putting it on the watch list until further testing with its new mana cost.

Jorallen Battlemage
Creature - Human Shaman (C)
Whenever Jorallen Battlemage deals combat damage to a player, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
"The flames of the future always blow in my favor."
2/1
This got put on the watch list when Memoir got changed so that it works with discard. Didn't see it much in my drafts recently so its staying for now.

Warflame Aspirant
Creature - Human Warrior (U)
Dreamwalk (This creature can't be blocked by untapped creatures. Tapped creatures can block it.)
Whenever Warflame Aspirant becomes tapped, it deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/1
Obviously a very strong card. I need more playtesting before I consider whever it is pushed or just OP.

Dreamweaver
Creature - Spider (C)
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Whenever Dreamweaver blocks a creature with dreamwalk or flying, Dreamweaver gets +3/+0 until end of turn.
1/4
This reads a lot worse than it is, often being the 12th -> 14th pick in a pack. O the Watch List to see if this was just an anomaly.

Mori Gargantuan
Creature - Elemental Elk (U)
Trample
Other Elemental creatures you control get +1/+0 and have trample.
Whenever you cast a spell, target creature you control gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
5/5
Not happy at all with this card. Needs replacing.

Sword of Myth
Artifact - Equipment (C)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Equip 2 (:2mana: : Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Was one of many designs and changes recently added to increase aggression in the format. On the watch list in-case I have overdone it and the format gets too aggressive.

What is the RG archetype that Mori Gargantuan is meant to signal? Looks like Elementals? If you're looking for a replacement, knowing its role is very important.

Quote from TurboJustice »

What is the RG archetype that Mori Gargantuan is meant to signal? Looks like Elementals? If you're looking for a replacement, knowing its role is very important.

The R/G archetype is Elemental ramp. The current design is functionally fine but super inelegant. Thus why I want it replaced or reworked.

Dreamweaver doesn't need to be good. If it's pretty bad, that's still OK, as you have argued, bad cards are necessary. I presume the concern is that it is a card you want to be reasonably good for development reasons and it's underperforming that. If you do decide it needs to be stronger, I would suggest simply making it 1/5. That way it's still not amazing, but a little better.

Is the 'Elemental Ramp' archetype tribal, or is it just associated with that type and Mori Gargantuan in the minority? Essentially, to what degree is the elemental component relevant? With Mori Gargantuan, why not just remove the triggered ability and give it +1/+1 or something? Is the triggered ability trying to tie into memoir or something or is it just a random ability?

Vitality Unending should cost 8-10 mana, probably 10. Consider Time Stretch. How many turns will 100 life buy you?

Dreamweaver is too good.

When I question a card's power, but it doesn't want to show up, I force it to show up by throwing eight copies into a deck.

Foretold Heroics/Resist your Fears: could one of these put a +1/+1 counter on each of your creatures instead?

Vitality Unending: I think this card is mostly. Seems like a Johnny card more than anything to me.

Mori Gargantuan: I suggest just dropping the +2/+0 clause and then tweaking its numbers to make it feel more elegant:

Mori Gargantuan 3RG
Creature- Elemental Elk
Trample
Other Elemental creatures you control get +1/+0 and have trample.
5/4

Everything else seems fine to me for now.

Quote from Legend »

Vitality Unending should cost 8-10 mana, probably 10. Consider Time Stretch. How many turns will 100 life buy you?

The comparison here isn't applicable though as Vitality Unending still allows your opponent to continue to amass their board state while Time Stretch is strictly one sided.
A closer comparison is a fog effect. (on a larger scale.)

Dreamweaver is too good.

Interesting, why do you think this?

It singlehandedly shuts down the average limited flying archetype. Maybe the triggered ability should be an activated ability.

EDIT: 100 life is also a tremendous resource. Being able to chain them is another factor. Perhaps "Your life total becomes 100." could be 6WW. It would still combo outrageously with life gain effects but put a cap on the ludiocrisy.

I dunno, it seems pretty fair compared to Netcaster Spider.

Bonuses: +1 toughness and gets bonus off dreamwalkers as well
Downside: -1 power against non-evasive attackers and Costs 1 more.

Or another one of these, Ezuri's Archers:

Bonuses: +2 toughness and dreamwalk bonus
Downside: Costs 3 more to cast for that 2 toughness.

Not to mention there are a bunch of big reachers at common - Geist Trappers, Nessian Asp, and Sentinel Spider all hose fliers harder in my opinion.

Quote from Legend »

. Perhaps "Your life total becomes 100."

See now this is a good suggestion. Keeps the fun nature of the effect while removing a lot of the unfun elements.
I'll probably do this.

I love flying archetype and hate reach so I guess I have a biased view of it.

If a card looks fun to Timmy and sucks to play against in practice, give it the scrambleverse treatment. I'd hate to be in any fair game (commander isn't fair) when that "gain 100 life" or, "your life total beomes 100" resolves.

Foretold Heroics - As-is for now, pending playtesting results.

Resist Your Fears - Blocked creatures gain protection from a chosen color instead of pump?

Vitality Unending - Agreed with costing more and setting life total.

Subconscious Recall - I'm surprised to see this at common. As such an homage to Ancestral Recall, it could be a showcase rare to get people excited for the set, or at least an uncommon. It's redflagged already for card advantage, right? I urge you to move it up.

Flash of Inspiration - good notes. Could be too good, Brimstone Volley is similar hoop-jumping but good to watch.

Jorallen Battlemage - No comments.

Warflame Aspirant - Reminds me of Pulse Tracker. Of course, evasion makes this a touch better.

Dreamweaver - I'm a sucker for spiders, so I'd play this pretty happily, I'd feel good wheeling one.

Mori Gargantuan - Maybe "Whenever a creature you control attacks, add or to your mana pool. This mana doesn't empty from your mana pool until end of turn."? Or let it be a mana sink for late game: "1RG: Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn."

Sword of Myth - I could see a rename, but this looks fine to me. Wizards isn't reprinting Vulshok Morningstar any time soon, but I think this is fine when compared against Adventuring Gear.

Quote from Piar »

Subconscious Recall - I'm surprised to see this at common. As such an homage to Ancestral Recall, it could be a showcase rare to get people excited for the set, or at least an uncommon. It's redflagged already for card advantage, right? I urge you to move it up.

Straight card advantage without and change in the board state is fin at common. Thus why effects like Mind Rot ,Thassa's Bounty or Treasure Cruise are printed.
Having splashy and exciting cards at all rarities is important and this card often reads a lot better than it is. Imagine drawing this on turn three or four. Do I premonition it and not be able to cast it until turn 10 or 11? Or do I play it as 4UU to draw three cards which is ok if a bit slow. Only when drawn of turn 1 is this at its best and even then you can get run over by aggressive decks.
I currently plan on a minor debuff either by making it cost 5UU or by making the premonition time equal 8. However I think having it at common is a good way to push the themes of the set and encourage interactions like self mill.