Spell chains & card draw: The mechanical focus for the Oqadic Think Tank.
Chorus of Inspiration 2UR
Sorcery
Draw two cards. Add two mana in any combination of U and/or R to your mana pool.
All-Knowing Qul 4GUR
Creature - Weird Druid Wizard
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play, draw four cards.
4/4
Powerwell 1GUR
Instant
Add G to your mana pool for each forest you control.
Add U to your mana pool for each island you control.
Add R to your mana pool for each mountain you control.
Mindeeder Qul 4UG
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
You may play an additional land card this turn.
3/4
Vitalizing Iqqarra G
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever a player draws a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
Spiral of Invention 4GUR
Enchantment
Whenever you play a card, you may draw a draw a card . If you do, add 1 mana of any color to your mana pool.
Keyword: Barrage (Which is an incredibly bad name in flavor and mechanics...) (This spell costs 1 less to play for each spell played before it this turn.)
Explosion of Vitality 2G
Instant
Target creature gets +4/+4 until the end of turn.
Barrage
Fiery Missile XRR
Sorcery
Fiery Missile deals X damage to target creature or player.
Barrage
Storm of Ingenuity 3UU
Sorcery
Draw three cards.
Barrage
Meeting of the Minds X3U
Sorcery
Scry X, then draw two cards.
Barrage
If anyone can think of a better name for this keyword, please put it forward.
I am GUR. I view the world around me with a sense of wonder and awe that only increases as I learn more about it. I quickly become bored if deprived of puzzles to solve or new things to learn. At my best, I am brilliant and inventive, at my worst, I am moody and erratic.
Chorus of Inspiration - Hehe, never seen the word Chorus on a non-white card before. I'm not sure about this one. I can't see a situation where the two mana might come in handy on your turn. At least if this was an instant, you might draw a counterspell (like...Counterspell) and then use the 2 mana to pay for it.
All-Knowing Qul - Woah. This looks really good. Not being legendary, I think it might be best to tone the ability down to three cards. Wouldn't want Momentary Blink and the like to be toogood...oh and finally, Sunseed Nurturer finds a fellow Druid Wizard.
Powerwell - Hmm, this could be pretty much be 'Add X mana in any combination of :symg:, and/or to your mana pool, where X is the number of lands you control. However, this forces players to use basic lands (or dual lands. Or [CARD=Stomping Ground] shock lands), which weakens the card. Powerwell's pretty crazy in the late game, but not particularly playable in the early and mid-game.
Mindeeder Qul - So late in the game (from let say, the 5th turn onwards), the Exploration-esque ability does close to nothing, unless you manage to draw two lands on the same turn. At least Azusa, Lost But Seeking could come out on 2nd or 3rd turn. Essentially, you're paying for a weaker Overbeing of Myth. I suggest implementing another mana-based ability, like 'Whenever you tap a land for mana, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that land produced' (i.e. Miari's Wake) or an every-turn Rampant Growth.
Vitalizing Iqqarra - Mechanically, this definitely feels more white than green, as there isn't a creature focus like Essence Warden. Looks really annoying actually.
Spiral of Invention - Got a bit of a typo there. I assume you mean 'Whenever you play a spell, you may draw a card.' Or did you want to include playing lands? This looks combo-riffic, with Storm cards or combo enablers like Aluren. I can't think of something right now, but I'm sure the lack of an activation cost WILL make this broken somehow.
Hehe, Barrage sounds like a theme deck name (I think it is actually). Or a combat-based mechanic. Other names you could use: Deluge, Surge, Torrent, Profuse, Cascade, Gush, Synergy, Harmonise, Metabolise, Synchronise...that's all I could think of at the moment.
Explosion of Vitality - This looks perfectly balanced.
Fiery Missile - Not a fan of this one. Assuming you played a spell that required 1+ mana before this e.g. Mogg Fanatic, and you have let say 5 Mountains, you just paid 4 mana (5 minus 1) to deal 3 damage. Which is the same if you were using a Blaze. Making it :xmana::symr: would eliminate this problem.
Storm of Ingenuity - Ouch, sorcery speed. You're going to need to play TWO spells for this to be better than Concentrate. The chances of that is rather slim if you ask me.
Meeting of the Minds - I think you're overcosting Scry here. This really needs to be an instant, and even then, it's not that good. If it was, and assuming the opponent plays one spell during his or her turn, for 3 mana, you get to play a Counsel of the Soratami at instant speed, or a Scry 1 + Inspiration for 4, and so on. I'm not even sure if making this :xmana::2mana::symu: would make this better than Serum Visions.
Chorus of Inspiration :2mana::symu::symr:
Sorcery
Draw two cards. Add two mana in any combination of and/or to your mana pool.
Strange thing is that this isnt a Mana Ritual what red would use and the draw is more or less 2 mana, and like every card that makes mana, you will try to reduce the cost to get it down to 2 mana to get a free draw 2.
Cards like that tend to be Storm and combo cards, and the mana it adds is somehow not really something that gives you something.
A nice solution to drive this card more in the red/blue area and to possible increase its effect could be:
Chorus of Inspiration :2mana::symu::symr:
Sorcery
Draw a card and Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, add or
to your manapool and repeat this process.
So this way you will just cantrip and if you go with a plan to clash you might end with a massive drawspell and massive extra mana, going in reds flavour of "randomness" (which isnt "really" random), and blue will have its massive burst and works especially good if you can set your library Up before it.
All-Knowing Qul :4mana::symg::symu::symr:
Creature - Weird Druid Wizard
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play, draw four cards.
4/4
Sounds pretty nuts, simply because this card is nothing to hardcast, players will either cheat it in play, Reanimate it or just use it draw massive cards, which than is simply "you win".
I would exchange the draw 4 for something that goes more in the colors, as the card doesnt look intresting that way, just too much draw packed on it:
All-Knowing Qul :4mana::symg::symu::symr:
Creature - Elemental
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play and is played from your hand, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a instant, sorcery and a creature card. Put these cards in your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
6/6
Creature type wise i say "wizard" doesnt sound "big", so p/t wise a Wizard tends to be small and draw the power from its ability. A "druid" is most the time small too and has something to do with Mana and lands, as a Druid is a creature of "nature".
This card wants the "played from hand" to avoid abuses, but doing that allows for more p/t to make the card an efficient 6/6 flying haster and the ability will give you 3 cards, and you can even toolbox with it to find another copy of this card, and 2 more spells that will ensure you will win.
So that all together drives this card to be played in a deck with the ability to ManaRamp into it, using ManaRituals in red, greens Mana or even blue to reduce its costing cost. So all in all for sure better than a "draw 4" taked on a random creature.
Powerwell :1mana::symg::symu::symr:
Instant
Add to your mana pool for each forest you control.
Add to your mana pool for each island you control.
Add to your mana pool for each mountain you control.
Sounds like it easy combos with all Shocklands, i just imagine this in a bunch of storm decks.
If i have 4 duals out this adds 8 mana to my pool.
I would change the card as the use of the basic land types doesnt seem the right:
Powerwell 2:symg::symu::symr:
Instant
Choose a player.
Add to that players mana pool for each creature in play.
Add to that players mana pool for each spell on the stack.
Add to that players mana pool for each sorcery card in your graveyard.
So this way the card gives a bunch of options to possible get not less mana from it, but not as simpel as to look for basic land types, which only gives the option to run all the Shock Duals you can (or use something to turn your lands temporary into them).
As it is you can use it perfect against opponents which many creatures and it encourages you to play creatures to, the blue will make at least 1 blue, but potentially more if you play it in Response to combo in your opponents turn and ofcourse you can use it with Free Spells.
The red will make a bunch of mana if you run it with all the Sorcery Rituals, and a bunch of Storm cards are Sorcery anyway so you might possible get a Seething Song, +1 blue and a bunch of green mana out of it when you play it in the right circumstances.
To give the final punsh i wanted the card to possible mana burn your opponent, so flavourwise overload his brain and cause a big [deadly] headache.
Mindeeder Qul :4mana::symu::symg:
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
You may play an additional land card this turn.
3/4
The card draw is for sure power in Limited, the land drop doesnt matter if you reach 6 mana.
So all in all i would say the land drop should be changed for something that has an "real" effect, or you put an additional effect that gives interaction with it:
V1 Mindeeder Qul :4mana::symu::symg:
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
:4mana::symu::symg:, T: Target island or forest becomes a 3/4 green and blue Weird Druid.
3/4
V2 Mindeeder Qul :4mana::symu::symg:
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
You may play an additional land card this turn.
:symu::symg:, return three lands you control to its owners hand: Put a creature card from your hand into play.
3/4
Vitalizing Iqqarra
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever a player draws a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
Gains not less life. Looks not broken, but it gains not less life and is a at least a free life each turn.
Barage in the end is like Storm problematic in Limited as it needs something to play it, Suspend was a good thing.
I like barrage when compared to storm. But as storm indicates, spell chains and card draw are a dangerous aspect of the game to focus on.
Chorus of Inspiration: Okay.
All-Knowing Qul: Good compared to Regal Force but it's in three colors, so it's probably not broken.
Mindeeder Qul: "You may play an additional land each of your turns." Doesn't really need to be blue, though in this set it probably should be.
Vitalizing Iqqara: Broken. Essence Warden is powerful enough, and she only triggers off of creatures.
Spiral Invention: Broken. Only 1 mana more than Recycle/Null Profusion, and you're both getting rid of its potent drawbacks and giving it a potent advantage.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
I like the vializing iqqara, and I think it is WAY more green than white, because green has a card drawing focus (that white simply does not have). the only change would be make it trigger only for cards a player draws after the first. so it doesn't just trigger 1 life every single turn.
I like barrage! It has the flavor of storm, but I really can't imagine this mechanic (at least as displayed here) being broken or overpowered at all. In fact, I think the cards you posted are probably underpowered. storm of ingenuity would be much cooler as an instant so it could trigger off the spells your opponent plays on his turn.
Vitalizing Iqqarra G
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
No longer all players, just you.
Fiery Missile XR
Sorcery
Fiery Missile deals X damage to target creature or player.
Barrage
Costs less now. And FBC, not identical, but I do see your point. Fiery Missile is actually easier to stop.
Mindseeder Qul 4UG
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
Whenever you tap a permanent for mana, you may add one mana of that color to your mana pool.
3/4
Redesigned.
Spiral of Invention 6GUR
Enchantment
Whenever you play a spell, draw a card and add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Higher mana cost, only spells trigger. Though it may still be broken - Cheating stuff into play is also on the list of mechanical themes here.
All-Knowing Qul 4GUR
Creature - Weird Warrior
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play, draw three cards.
4/4
Nerfed the ability.
Powerwell 2GUR
Add GGUURR to your mana pool. Draw a card.
Redesigned.
Meeting of the Minds XU
Instant
Scry X, then draw a card.
Redesigned.
Storm of Ingenuity 3UU
Instant
Draw three cards.
Barrage
Instant now.
Exploration of Barrage(Keeping the name after all. Inspired by the visual of an Oqadic mage chucking spell after spell at an opponent):
Plasma Bolt 3R
Instant
Plasma Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Draw a card.
Barrage
Shatterbolt 2R
Instant
Destroy target artifact. Draw a card.
Barrage
Flashclone 4UU
Instant
Put a token into play that's a copy of target creature.
Barrage
Cheating into play at its most elegant.
Invent 2GUR
Instant
You may put a creature, artifact, or enchantment card from your hand into play.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I am GUR. I view the world around me with a sense of wonder and awe that only increases as I learn more about it. I quickly become bored if deprived of puzzles to solve or new things to learn. At my best, I am brilliant and inventive, at my worst, I am moody and erratic.
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Chorus of Inspiration 2UR
Sorcery
Draw two cards. Add two mana in any combination of U and/or R to your mana pool.
All-Knowing Qul 4GUR
Creature - Weird Druid Wizard
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play, draw four cards.
4/4
Powerwell 1GUR
Instant
Add G to your mana pool for each forest you control.
Add U to your mana pool for each island you control.
Add R to your mana pool for each mountain you control.
Mindeeder Qul 4UG
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
You may play an additional land card this turn.
3/4
Vitalizing Iqqarra G
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever a player draws a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
Spiral of Invention 4GUR
Enchantment
Whenever you play a card, you may draw a draw a card . If you do, add 1 mana of any color to your mana pool.
Keyword: Barrage (Which is an incredibly bad name in flavor and mechanics...) (This spell costs 1 less to play for each spell played before it this turn.)
Explosion of Vitality 2G
Instant
Target creature gets +4/+4 until the end of turn.
Barrage
Fiery Missile XRR
Sorcery
Fiery Missile deals X damage to target creature or player.
Barrage
Storm of Ingenuity 3UU
Sorcery
Draw three cards.
Barrage
Meeting of the Minds X3U
Sorcery
Scry X, then draw two cards.
Barrage
If anyone can think of a better name for this keyword, please put it forward.
All-Knowing Qul - Woah. This looks really good. Not being legendary, I think it might be best to tone the ability down to three cards. Wouldn't want Momentary Blink and the like to be toogood...oh and finally, Sunseed Nurturer finds a fellow Druid Wizard.
Powerwell - Hmm, this could be pretty much be 'Add X mana in any combination of :symg:, and/or to your mana pool, where X is the number of lands you control. However, this forces players to use basic lands (or dual lands. Or [CARD=Stomping Ground] shock lands), which weakens the card. Powerwell's pretty crazy in the late game, but not particularly playable in the early and mid-game.
Mindeeder Qul - So late in the game (from let say, the 5th turn onwards), the Exploration-esque ability does close to nothing, unless you manage to draw two lands on the same turn. At least Azusa, Lost But Seeking could come out on 2nd or 3rd turn. Essentially, you're paying for a weaker Overbeing of Myth. I suggest implementing another mana-based ability, like 'Whenever you tap a land for mana, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that land produced' (i.e. Miari's Wake) or an every-turn Rampant Growth.
Vitalizing Iqqarra - Mechanically, this definitely feels more white than green, as there isn't a creature focus like Essence Warden. Looks really annoying actually.
Spiral of Invention - Got a bit of a typo there. I assume you mean 'Whenever you play a spell, you may draw a card.' Or did you want to include playing lands? This looks combo-riffic, with Storm cards or combo enablers like Aluren. I can't think of something right now, but I'm sure the lack of an activation cost WILL make this broken somehow.
Hehe, Barrage sounds like a theme deck name (I think it is actually). Or a combat-based mechanic. Other names you could use: Deluge, Surge, Torrent, Profuse, Cascade, Gush, Synergy, Harmonise, Metabolise, Synchronise...that's all I could think of at the moment.
Explosion of Vitality - This looks perfectly balanced.
Fiery Missile - Not a fan of this one. Assuming you played a spell that required 1+ mana before this e.g. Mogg Fanatic, and you have let say 5 Mountains, you just paid 4 mana (5 minus 1) to deal 3 damage. Which is the same if you were using a Blaze. Making it :xmana::symr: would eliminate this problem.
Storm of Ingenuity - Ouch, sorcery speed. You're going to need to play TWO spells for this to be better than Concentrate. The chances of that is rather slim if you ask me.
Meeting of the Minds - I think you're overcosting Scry here. This really needs to be an instant, and even then, it's not that good. If it was, and assuming the opponent plays one spell during his or her turn, for 3 mana, you get to play a Counsel of the Soratami at instant speed, or a Scry 1 + Inspiration for 4, and so on. I'm not even sure if making this :xmana::2mana::symu: would make this better than Serum Visions.
Strange thing is that this isnt a Mana Ritual what red would use and the draw is more or less 2 mana, and like every card that makes mana, you will try to reduce the cost to get it down to 2 mana to get a free draw 2.
Cards like that tend to be Storm and combo cards, and the mana it adds is somehow not really something that gives you something.
A nice solution to drive this card more in the red/blue area and to possible increase its effect could be:
Chorus of Inspiration :2mana::symu::symr:
Sorcery
Draw a card and Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, add or
to your manapool and repeat this process.
So this way you will just cantrip and if you go with a plan to clash you might end with a massive drawspell and massive extra mana, going in reds flavour of "randomness" (which isnt "really" random), and blue will have its massive burst and works especially good if you can set your library Up before it.
Sounds pretty nuts, simply because this card is nothing to hardcast, players will either cheat it in play, Reanimate it or just use it draw massive cards, which than is simply "you win".
I would exchange the draw 4 for something that goes more in the colors, as the card doesnt look intresting that way, just too much draw packed on it:
All-Knowing Qul :4mana::symg::symu::symr:
Creature - Elemental
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play and is played from your hand, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a instant, sorcery and a creature card. Put these cards in your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
6/6
Creature type wise i say "wizard" doesnt sound "big", so p/t wise a Wizard tends to be small and draw the power from its ability. A "druid" is most the time small too and has something to do with Mana and lands, as a Druid is a creature of "nature".
This card wants the "played from hand" to avoid abuses, but doing that allows for more p/t to make the card an efficient 6/6 flying haster and the ability will give you 3 cards, and you can even toolbox with it to find another copy of this card, and 2 more spells that will ensure you will win.
So that all together drives this card to be played in a deck with the ability to ManaRamp into it, using ManaRituals in red, greens Mana or even blue to reduce its costing cost. So all in all for sure better than a "draw 4" taked on a random creature.
Sounds like it easy combos with all Shocklands, i just imagine this in a bunch of storm decks.
If i have 4 duals out this adds 8 mana to my pool.
I would change the card as the use of the basic land types doesnt seem the right:
Powerwell 2:symg::symu::symr:
Instant
Choose a player.
Add to that players mana pool for each creature in play.
Add to that players mana pool for each spell on the stack.
Add to that players mana pool for each sorcery card in your graveyard.
So this way the card gives a bunch of options to possible get not less mana from it, but not as simpel as to look for basic land types, which only gives the option to run all the Shock Duals you can (or use something to turn your lands temporary into them).
As it is you can use it perfect against opponents which many creatures and it encourages you to play creatures to, the blue will make at least 1 blue, but potentially more if you play it in Response to combo in your opponents turn and ofcourse you can use it with Free Spells.
The red will make a bunch of mana if you run it with all the Sorcery Rituals, and a bunch of Storm cards are Sorcery anyway so you might possible get a Seething Song, +1 blue and a bunch of green mana out of it when you play it in the right circumstances.
To give the final punsh i wanted the card to possible mana burn your opponent, so flavourwise overload his brain and cause a big [deadly] headache.
The card draw is for sure power in Limited, the land drop doesnt matter if you reach 6 mana.
So all in all i would say the land drop should be changed for something that has an "real" effect, or you put an additional effect that gives interaction with it:
V1 Mindeeder Qul :4mana::symu::symg:
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
:4mana::symu::symg:, T: Target island or forest becomes a 3/4 green and blue Weird Druid.
3/4
V2 Mindeeder Qul :4mana::symu::symg:
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
You may play an additional land card this turn.
:symu::symg:, return three lands you control to its owners hand: Put a creature card from your hand into play.
3/4
Vitalizing Iqqarra
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever a player draws a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
Gains not less life. Looks not broken, but it gains not less life and is a at least a free life each turn.
Barage in the end is like Storm problematic in Limited as it needs something to play it, Suspend was a good thing.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
Chorus of Inspiration: Okay.
All-Knowing Qul: Good compared to Regal Force but it's in three colors, so it's probably not broken.
Mindeeder Qul: "You may play an additional land each of your turns." Doesn't really need to be blue, though in this set it probably should be.
Vitalizing Iqqara: Broken. Essence Warden is powerful enough, and she only triggers off of creatures.
Spiral Invention: Broken. Only 1 mana more than Recycle/Null Profusion, and you're both getting rid of its potent drawbacks and giving it a potent advantage.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
I like barrage! It has the flavor of storm, but I really can't imagine this mechanic (at least as displayed here) being broken or overpowered at all. In fact, I think the cards you posted are probably underpowered. storm of ingenuity would be much cooler as an instant so it could trigger off the spells your opponent plays on his turn.
Also, since grapeshot and fiery barrage and literally the same exact thing, (think about it) you can cut the cost down to xR or x1R
Vitalizing Iqqarra G
Creature - Weird Shaman
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 1 life.
1/1
No longer all players, just you.
Fiery Missile XR
Sorcery
Fiery Missile deals X damage to target creature or player.
Barrage
Costs less now. And FBC, not identical, but I do see your point. Fiery Missile is actually easier to stop.
Mindseeder Qul 4UG
Creature - Weird Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
Whenever you tap a permanent for mana, you may add one mana of that color to your mana pool.
3/4
Redesigned.
Spiral of Invention 6GUR
Enchantment
Whenever you play a spell, draw a card and add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Higher mana cost, only spells trigger. Though it may still be broken - Cheating stuff into play is also on the list of mechanical themes here.
All-Knowing Qul 4GUR
Creature - Weird Warrior
Flying, Haste
When All-Knowing Qul comes into play, draw three cards.
4/4
Nerfed the ability.
Powerwell 2GUR
Add GGUURR to your mana pool. Draw a card.
Redesigned.
Meeting of the Minds XU
Instant
Scry X, then draw a card.
Redesigned.
Storm of Ingenuity 3UU
Instant
Draw three cards.
Barrage
Instant now.
Exploration of Barrage(Keeping the name after all. Inspired by the visual of an Oqadic mage chucking spell after spell at an opponent):
Plasma Bolt 3R
Instant
Plasma Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Draw a card.
Barrage
Shatterbolt 2R
Instant
Destroy target artifact. Draw a card.
Barrage
Flashclone 4UU
Instant
Put a token into play that's a copy of target creature.
Barrage
Cheating into play at its most elegant.
Invent 2GUR
Instant
You may put a creature, artifact, or enchantment card from your hand into play.