The Grail Blossom2WBG
Legendary Creature — Plant [R]
Indestructible
The Grail Blossom can't attack or block.
If damage would be dealt to you, prevent that damage. Put a -1/-1 counter on The Grail Blossom for each 1 damage prevented this way.
[0/20]
Shrinking TouchXB
Enchantment — Aura [U]
Enchant creature
When Shrinking Touch enters the battlefield, put X -1/-1 counters on enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature has "T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on another target creature."
Concentrated MightG
Enchantment — Aura [C]
Enchant creature
When Concentrated Might enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.
EDIT: Added Shrinking Touch and Concentrated Might.
So the Grail Blossom is basically just gain 20 life but in a fun way? It's cool but feels more Mythic for the sake of limited and for the unique factor.
Shrinking Touch is amazing. The lenticular design here is great. A+.
Concentrated Might gives me a headache. I understand what it's doing (basically turning -1/-1 counters into +1/+1 counters). I dont think this card is particularly worth the trouble it will inevitably bring.
Could you up the cost on The Grail Blossom and swap pacifism for defender? Norealreason.
I wanted this to be a legendary Wall. I really did. That was my original objective. I tried to keep it a Wall as I played around with the design. Ultimately, I believed that allowing it to block interacted with its marquee ability in an unintuitive way. I thought about letting it be a Wall anyway, but I think the ability to block is central to that creature type so I just Vigean Hydroponed it. I get what you're saying. I just think those combos will have to wait for a different 0/20 creature.
So the Grail Blossom is basically just gain 20 life but in a fun way? It's cool but feels more Mythic for the sake of limited and for the unique factor.
I agree, I would probably put this design at mythic in any other set for the reasons you mentioned. But in L2, I'm aiming to give as many legends as possible that "unique" factor, even common / uncommon ones, so I think you might see a lot of mythic-feeling designs at surprising rarities. And I don't think that's a bad thing. As for Limited, yeah, this has a huge red flag on it and I'm fairly sure I will have to explore cost / mechanical fixes if I want to have any hope of keeping it rare / keeping it in the set. If that doesn't work then I'll either need to give it a fourth color and bump it up to mythic (my design framework for the set has 3-color legends at rare and 4-color legends at mythic), or we'll have to cut it. But despite all these concerns I like the card and want to give it a Hail Mary chance of making it.
Concentrated Might gives me a headache. I understand what it's doing (basically turning -1/-1 counters into +1/+1 counters). I dont think this card is particularly worth the trouble it will inevitably bring.
Concentrated Might be a bit too mathy to be worth it.
Would the design work at a higher rarity? Maybe with a little extra goodness involved? (I had considered giving the card flash, and/or giving the enchanted creature trample.)
It could have been a common 23 years ago, before NWO was even a glink in MaRo's eye. If that's what you're going for, then it's fine as is. Otherwise, it should be uncommon due to complexity. I think it'd actually be kinda high on the storm scale. I don't think it needs any errata atm. Less is much more on Concentrated Might.
It could have been a common 23 years ago, before NWO was even a glink in MaRo's eye. If that's what you're going for, then it's fine as is. Otherwise, it should be uncommon due to complexity. I think it'd actually be kinda high on the storm scale. I don't think it needs any errata atm. Less is much more on Concentrated Might.
Cool. That's reassuring. I will mull over the common vs. uncommon decision.
I think, in general, I want to pay respects to NWO, but I think there's an open question of whether L2 is being designed as a regular expansion or a supplemental, "expert"-level expansion. I think we all agree that we want it to be draftable, i.e. it's not a Commander product or anything like that. But I think there are a few directions the set could go where we don't worry about common complexity so much. For now, my default is to abide by NWO, however. So, Concentrated Might stands a good chance of going up to uncommon.
I had a weird idea for an alternate take on The Grail Blossom:
~NAME~2WBG
Legendary Creature — ~TYPE~ [R]
Indestructible
~NAME~ can't block.
If damage would be dealt to you, prevent that damage. Put a -1/-1 counter on ~NAME~ for each 1 damage prevented this way.
[10/10]
I thought of a few different versions of that, but that's the cleanest-templated one, so that's the one I'm putting here. Thoughts?
Plus, it would mean that I could take another stab at my 0/20 legendary Wall (that is, as a different card).
That 20 toughness worries me, but I've been trying to figure out how to break it and all I can come up with is gaining 20 life off of it with something like Ayli which isn't even really a combo since The Grail Blossom is basically a pile of life anyways. So I guess that it's fine. It's certainly a fun and creative card, but with that level of weird and powerful I would definitely put it at Mythic.
Shrinking Touch is another oddity, it reminds me of some sort of inside-out Mikaeus, the Lunarch crossed with a backwards Torture, if that makes any sense at all. I really like the design a lot, a good, solid, useful Uncommon, but also flavorful and with potential for some strong and unorthodox interactions.
You've stolen my brain juices with Concentrated Might. I've been tinkering with exactly that ability for a minor set mechanic, the only thing that's held me back from presenting it to anyone is that I haven't been able to come up with a name for the keyword.
I do not think that it is to complex for a common ability, it's simply turning all the -1/-1 counters into +1/+1s, that should be simple enough for commons. I think it has enough merit to be a minor keyword mechanic in a -1/-1 counter set, perhaps as a counterpoint to Wither or Infect in a set that brings one of those back.
Here's my common-level design using that ability, my -1/-1 counters are disease themed rather than shrinking themed though.
Tumescent Zombie2B
Creature - Zombie [C]
Keyword (This gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
It could have been a common 23 years ago, before NWO was even a glink in MaRo's eye. If that's what you're going for, then it's fine as is. Otherwise, it should be uncommon due to complexity. I think it'd actually be kinda high on the storm scale. I don't think it needs any errata atm. Less is much more on Concentrated Might.
I agree here. Less is more with Concentrated Might. I like it at uncommon personally.
Keyword (This gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.)
I do not think that it is to complex for a common ability...
This effect is very iffy as a mechanic. Consider sleeving up some cards with this mechanic and play testing it before going through the rigamarole of extensive design and development. But give the deck to other players of varying skill levels, tell them nothing, and see what happens.
Legendary Creature — Plant [R]
Indestructible
The Grail Blossom can't attack or block.
If damage would be dealt to you, prevent that damage. Put a -1/-1 counter on The Grail Blossom for each 1 damage prevented this way.
[0/20]
Shrinking Touch XB
Enchantment — Aura [U]
Enchant creature
When Shrinking Touch enters the battlefield, put X -1/-1 counters on enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature has "T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on another target creature."
Concentrated Might G
Enchantment — Aura [C]
Enchant creature
When Concentrated Might enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.
EDIT: Added Shrinking Touch and Concentrated Might.
Great design !
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
Shrinking Touch is amazing. The lenticular design here is great. A+.
Concentrated Might gives me a headache. I understand what it's doing (basically turning -1/-1 counters into +1/+1 counters). I dont think this card is particularly worth the trouble it will inevitably bring.
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I agree, I would probably put this design at mythic in any other set for the reasons you mentioned. But in L2, I'm aiming to give as many legends as possible that "unique" factor, even common / uncommon ones, so I think you might see a lot of mythic-feeling designs at surprising rarities. And I don't think that's a bad thing. As for Limited, yeah, this has a huge red flag on it and I'm fairly sure I will have to explore cost / mechanical fixes if I want to have any hope of keeping it rare / keeping it in the set. If that doesn't work then I'll either need to give it a fourth color and bump it up to mythic (my design framework for the set has 3-color legends at rare and 4-color legends at mythic), or we'll have to cut it. But despite all these concerns I like the card and want to give it a Hail Mary chance of making it.
Would the design work at a higher rarity? Maybe with a little extra goodness involved? (I had considered giving the card flash, and/or giving the enchanted creature trample.)
I think, in general, I want to pay respects to NWO, but I think there's an open question of whether L2 is being designed as a regular expansion or a supplemental, "expert"-level expansion. I think we all agree that we want it to be draftable, i.e. it's not a Commander product or anything like that. But I think there are a few directions the set could go where we don't worry about common complexity so much. For now, my default is to abide by NWO, however. So, Concentrated Might stands a good chance of going up to uncommon.
I had a weird idea for an alternate take on The Grail Blossom:
~NAME~ 2WBG
Legendary Creature — ~TYPE~ [R]
Indestructible
~NAME~ can't block.
If damage would be dealt to you, prevent that damage. Put a -1/-1 counter on ~NAME~ for each 1 damage prevented this way.
[10/10]
I thought of a few different versions of that, but that's the cleanest-templated one, so that's the one I'm putting here. Thoughts?
Plus, it would mean that I could take another stab at my 0/20 legendary Wall (that is, as a different card).
Shrinking Touch is another oddity, it reminds me of some sort of inside-out Mikaeus, the Lunarch crossed with a backwards Torture, if that makes any sense at all. I really like the design a lot, a good, solid, useful Uncommon, but also flavorful and with potential for some strong and unorthodox interactions.
You've stolen my brain juices with Concentrated Might. I've been tinkering with exactly that ability for a minor set mechanic, the only thing that's held me back from presenting it to anyone is that I haven't been able to come up with a name for the keyword.
I do not think that it is to complex for a common ability, it's simply turning all the -1/-1 counters into +1/+1s, that should be simple enough for commons. I think it has enough merit to be a minor keyword mechanic in a -1/-1 counter set, perhaps as a counterpoint to Wither or Infect in a set that brings one of those back.
Here's my common-level design using that ability, my -1/-1 counters are disease themed rather than shrinking themed though.
Tumescent Zombie 2B
Creature - Zombie [C]
Keyword (This gets +2/+2 for each -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
I agree here. Less is more with Concentrated Might. I like it at uncommon personally.
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
This effect is very iffy as a mechanic. Consider sleeving up some cards with this mechanic and play testing it before going through the rigamarole of extensive design and development. But give the deck to other players of varying skill levels, tell them nothing, and see what happens.