I wanted to get some experience designing monohybrid creatures for a custom set focused on limited play. I am wondering if these would be viable as say commons. Feedback is appreciated!
Echo of the Praire(2/W)(2/W)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a plains, ~ has lifelink.
2/2
Echo of the Coast(2/U)(2/U)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control an island, ~ has flying.
2/2
Echo of the Marsh(2/B)(2/B)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a swamp, ~ has menace.
2/2
Echo of the Ravine(2/R)(2/R)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a mountain, ~ has first strike.
2/2
Echo of the Weald(2/G)(2/G)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a forest, ~ has deathtouch.
2/2
Thanks for the feedback! I did struggle a bit to balance the power with mana cost. I admit I really wanted to keep them each at a "2/c 2c" style cost, to reward players going deep into a color.
You shouldn't put a disadvantage for not playing the "on" color twice. As-is these would most often be French vanillas for two-or-three mana each, because they're barely even draftable as 2/2 vanillas for four if you don't have the "on" color at all.
My suggestion: Make them "as long as you control a non-TYPE land", so that they're best when played in multicolor decks. That just makes for the best possible environment, rather than pushing monocolor.
The main question you need to answer before you can balance these is are you rewarding mono color or opening multicolor. Either way they currently seem too weak but not significantly. If you are pushing mono color leave the current casting cost and add 1 power or toughness depending on the color. If you are opening up slots for off-color picks you want to drop to 1 hybrid and 1 generic, and you can make them care about an enemy or ally basic land, which ever draft strategy your pushing for your set.
4 for a 2/2 french is a little much, but making them 3/3 would make them too good (with the exceptions of green and white). Perhaps settle for 3/2 or 2/3?
Twobrid symbols really look better without generic or same-color symbols next to them. You want to avoid "mana cost bleeding" (a visual effect created by putting a hybrid symbol next to a nonhybrid symbol that shares a color with it; U(U/R)R or 1(2/W)W for example). It makes the colors run together and doesn't look as appealing to the eye. Plus, it can easily confuse new players. The reason Shadowmoor cards put twobrid symbols together only with other twobrid symbols is that it looks better and is pleasantly symmetric. You can then remember that each symbol counts for 2 in the cmc.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
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Echo of the Praire (2/W)(2/W)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a plains, ~ has lifelink.
2/2
Echo of the Coast (2/U)(2/U)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control an island, ~ has flying.
2/2
Echo of the Marsh (2/B)(2/B)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a swamp, ~ has menace.
2/2
Echo of the Ravine (2/R)(2/R)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a mountain, ~ has first strike.
2/2
Echo of the Weald (2/G)(2/G)
Creature – Spirit
As long as you control a forest, ~ has deathtouch.
2/2
Thanks for the feedback! I did struggle a bit to balance the power with mana cost. I admit I really wanted to keep them each at a "2/c 2c" style cost, to reward players going deep into a color.
My suggestion: Make them "as long as you control a non-TYPE land", so that they're best when played in multicolor decks. That just makes for the best possible environment, rather than pushing monocolor.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Twobrid symbols really look better without generic or same-color symbols next to them. You want to avoid "mana cost bleeding" (a visual effect created by putting a hybrid symbol next to a nonhybrid symbol that shares a color with it; U(U/R)R or 1(2/W)W for example). It makes the colors run together and doesn't look as appealing to the eye. Plus, it can easily confuse new players. The reason Shadowmoor cards put twobrid symbols together only with other twobrid symbols is that it looks better and is pleasantly symmetric. You can then remember that each symbol counts for 2 in the cmc.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.