Hi all, thanks for reading my thread.
I've recently decided I'd like to try my hand at both set and card design.
My idea for this set is a world where mana is both rampant and chaotic, and creatures and spells consume it entirely to become bigger, better and more fun! Mechanically, this means I'm looking at doing something that goes a way to dealing with mana flood/screw (in my view magic's biggest problem). I'm first and foremost a limited player, so my goal is to have this set workable for limited. I'll try to include constructed playable but not broken cards.
The solution I've come up with, and am pretty excited by, is a mechanic I've called consume. Before I discuss it any further, I'll describe it so you can understand where I'm coming from.
Consume - when CARDNAME comes into play, you may sacrifice a (specified land/landtype). If you do, (do something).
The idea is to be able to run a few more than the standard 17 lands to make sure you can draw them early game, but that if you get flooded they're still useful. It also provides a lot of your cards with choices, which I feel makes games both more fun and more skill intensive.
This is what my current common cycle looks like: (the names are hacked together as I'm in a rush to post this.)
Spirit Marshall :1mana::symw:
Creature - Human Cleric (c)
Consume - when Spirit Marshall comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, put two 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens into play under your control.
1/2
Thoughtsearch Adept :2mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Consume - when Thoughtsearch Adept comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, draw two cards.
1/3
Strength Defiler :1mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Shaman (c)
Consume - when Strength Defiler comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
1/1
Goblin Devourer :2mana::symr:
Creature - Goblin Rogue (c)
Consume - when Goblin Devourer comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, destroy target land.
2/1
Bloom Composter :1mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Consume - when Bloom Composter comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
2/2
Ok, gotta run. Thanks for any feedback, I'll post my uncommon cycle later.
Ciao.
I agree about the blue and white ones, although given the power level of recent sets these should be alright.
Great mechanic btw, very open. I would additionally make some cards that can consume more than one land, like:
Volcano Behemoth3RRR
Creature - Beast
Haste
Consume - When Volcano Behemoth comes into play you may sacrifice any number of mountains. Deal damage to all creatures and players equal to twice the number of lands sacrificed.
4/6
Thanks for the input to both of you.
Power level is a really big challenge to face with this mechanic.
It's very hard to know how much losing a land will affect you.
Here's my reasoning for the white/blue guys. I very well may still change them however, I'm not attached to their power level.
White - he's awful without sacrificing a land. Really bad. And any two drop creature that you don't want to play on turn two is pretty situational. If you DO sac the plains on turn two, you're setting yourself up for curve issues, and getting behind. 3 power might be worth it, but the moment they play a 2/2 you're in trouble. Ultimately I think it would require some testing to get a really good idea. Maybe he is just too good.
Blue - I originally had him at 4 mana. Then I realised he's basically just a really bad Mulldrifter... which I suppose is ok. Mulldrifter was disgusting at common. Maybe he should be a 4 mana 2/3. I'm sold.
As for sacrificing multiple lands, I have thought about this already.
Just not sure the best way to execute it. That's a LOT of card disadvantage, so the effects would need to be big. Also I'm still unsure how pervasive this mechanic will be through the set. I have a lot of ideas.
Anyway. Here's my mythic rare to show you I've been thinking.
He's likely to win the game if you can pull him off so yes, he's very powerful.
Fenrin, the Wild God :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:
Legendary Creature - Elemental Avatar (mr)
Consume - when Fenrin, the Wild God comes into play, you may sacrifice a land of each basic land type. If you do, destroy all lands you don't control.
Protection from Spells.
5/5
I'm about to go out, but tomorrow I'll post my cycle of lands that like being consumed, my uncommon consume cycle, and another uncommon cycle that care about lands going to graveyards. Thanks for again for you input.
Take care.
Powerful cards are OK at common, but they are sometimes a problem depending on their effect. Mulldrifter isn't objectively an issue at common, but, say, Spikeshot Goblin..
Powerful cards are OK at common, but they are sometimes a problem depending on their effect. Mulldrifter isn't objectively an issue at common, but, say, Spikeshot Goblin..
Spikeshot Goblin was a problem because of the abundance of good common equipment like Bonesplitter. Mulldrifter was superior in a void, and with some good Unsummon or Raise Dead effects would have been a huge problem. Power level is all about context.
Limited discussions aside, here is my cycle of uncommon consume boys.
Ghostly Skirmisher :2mana::symw:
Creature - Spirit Soldier (u)
Flash
Consume - when Ghostly Skirmisher comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Ætherspray Weird :4mana::symu:
Creature - Weird (u)
Shroud
Consume - when Ætherspray Weird comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do return up to two target creatures of your choice and target creature of an opponent's choice to their owner's hands.
3/3
Sickening Strider :2mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror (u)
Fear
Consume - when Sickening Strider comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, target player discards two cards.
2/3
Furyforger :3mana::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (u)
:symr:: Furyforger gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Consume - when Furyforger comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, Furyforger deals damage equal to its power to target creature.
2/2
Thicket Shepherd :3mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman (u)
Trample
Consume - when Thicket Shepherd comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
4/4
And here's my uncommon cycle of lands.
Ancestor's Prairie
Land - Plains (u)
Ancestor's Prairie comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Ancestor's Prairie is put into a graveyard from play, you gain 2 life.
Vision Pools
Land - Island (u)
Vision Pools comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Vision Pools is put into a graveyard from play, look at the top 3 cards of your library then put them back in any order.
Rotting Mire
Land - Swamp (u)
Rotting Mire comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Rotting Mire is put into a graveyard from play, each player loses 2 life.
Seething Ridge
Land - Mountain (u)
Seething Ridge comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Seething Ridge is put into a graveyard from play, add to your mana pool.
Fertile Copse
Land - Forest (u)
Fertile Copse comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Fertile Copse is put into a graveyard from play, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play under your control.
That's it for today. Hope you enjoyed my designs. All criticisms and comments welcome.
I hope double posting isn't a problem if I'm updating cards.
Clearly I should have given the thread a more outrageous name, therefor receiving more replies.
Anyway, here's the (uncommon again) "lands dying matter" cycle.
Managlare Spirit :1mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Elemental Spirit (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may tap target permantent.
2/3
Manadream Weird :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Elemental Weird (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may put the top two cards of target player's library into his or her graveyard.
1/3
Manablind Horror :1mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Elemental Horror (u)
If a land would be put into a graveyard, remove it from the game instead.
3/1
Manaburn Ogre :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Elemental Ogre Shaman (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may have Manaburn Ogre deal 1 damage to target player.
2/2
Manabloom Fungus :1mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Elemental Fungus (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a land card from your hand into play tapped.
3/3
And here's an equipment to party with the gang.
Harvest Scythe
Artifact - Equipment (r)
Equipped creature gets +2/+2.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Equip - Sacrifice a land.
That's it from me today.
My next post will move away from consume a bit, and try to flesh out commons a bit.
I really like this idea! i feel like you're tapping into some valuable untouched design space, I'm interested to see where this takes you.
Some ideas:
-multicolor consume (sacrifice a forest and a plains, e.g. Or require a sac of a land not of the creature's color)
-Really go nuts with the crazy **** consume can do. You DON'T want this to be just a narrower version of kicker, so try to work out a lot of synergy beyond just "sac some land = extra ****e." Since lands are getting dumped into the yard all over the place, how about some lands that have static effects in the graveyard? Or you could do some Flagstones of Trokair- type effects. Also worth looking at are the Genju from Kamigawa. You could even have specialized black or green consume cards that specifically remove lands in graveyards from the game. Best of luck, I'll be checking in to see how this is doing!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far." - H.P. Lovecraft
Thanks for all your support. It's nice to know people care.
I have been tossing up about multicoloured boys for a while, but I still haven't decided. There's some excellent design space for sac a different type of land than you are, and I already have a rare cycle of these in my head. They would come in the 2nd set though, as they're not very "main settish".
In answer to your 2nd point, I'm not sure you've read my whole post. I have a cycle of lands that like being eaten (like Flagstones of Trokairand I have a cycle of men that trigger when lands are eaten (one removes them from the game, just as you said).
I hadn't thought of a "likes being in the gy" land, I'll get to work on at least one of those.
I never much liked the Genju idea, but I'll keep it in mind.
Consume - sacrifice an enchantment
Consume - discard a sorcery card
Consume - remove 4 blue elf zombies in your graveyard from the game
Consume - pay 5 life
Consume - Remove the top X cards of our library from the game
I said that this wouldn't be part of the main set, but I still like the design, so I'll post them here anyway. As usual all comments and advice welcome (especially with names). Here goes!
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:symtap:: Tap target creature.
Consume - when Fatigue Invoker comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, target player skips his or her next untap step.
2/4
Scornful Lobotomist :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for up to five cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/2
Treacherous Abomination :3mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror (r)
Sacrifice a creature: Regenerate Treacherous Abomination.
Consume - when Treacherous Abomination comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
4/1
Furysurge Champion :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (r)
Haste
Consume - When Furysurge Champion comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, it gets +3/+3 and trample until end of turn.
3/1
Benevolent Rejuvinator :4mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman
Benevolent Rejuvinator can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Comsume - when Benevolent Rejuvinator comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, each player returns to play all artifact, enchantment and land cards that were put into his or her graveyard from play this turn.
4/4
Sorry that they're kinda wordy. Stupid rares!
That's it from me.
Until next time.
The blue one with the sacrifice a swamp is kind of strong (cranial extraction cost 4 and isn't repetable) also it kills combo even if you don't know the combo before.
I think it is to strong when you can for 3 mana (and sacrificing a swamp) can shut a lot of comboes down. Of course it didn't hit the hand, but it has a reasons cranial etraction and the new one have mana cost 4
Also I would make some more cards, which returns lands from graveyard to hand/play or in black need to remove lands in your graveyard from the game.
They would perfectly fit and are kind of necessary when you want to play more then 1 2 of the consume cards in the same deck (especially in limited)
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My new houserules:
1. Every player saing exiled or battlefield will be kicked out.
2. Not using you mana deals 2 points of manaburn.
3. Combat damage goes over the Stack and you can freely assign it.
4. Lifelinks does stack and doesn't safe you from dying.
5. Tokens are owned bye the one who has made them.
Everyone thinking M10 will not affect a lot of cards or Limited a lot, either has no clue about magic or has never played limited or is getting paid by wizards to do propaganda.
Agreed. I wasn't sure if he might be too good or not. It's hard to make Jester's Cap cards balanced. They're so often awful. I was originally going to have him bigger and more expensive, but Human Wizard doesn't sound that big. Anyway, how about this?
Scornful Lobotomist :2mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for a card and remove it from the game. Then that player reveals his or her hand. You choose a card from it and remove that card from the game. Remove target card in that player's graveyard from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/3
Ugh. Soooo wordy. I like the ability, but it's a bit intense on the words. Otherwise i could keep it as it was, but with the new costs? 5 mana would just make it bad. Removing fewer I don't like, because four is too symmetrical, and three is too weak.
As for fetching more lands (especially in limited), the idea of this mechanic is to allow you to run maybe as high as 19 lands without really suffering from flood. In this way, you're far less likely to get mana screwed, either. With that in mind, here is some fetching (see http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=159241 for a green common).
Sturdy Plough
Artifact (u)
:1mana:,:symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-6: Put all land cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
3
Bourem's Boon :2mana::symg:
Sorcery (c)
Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. You may reveal your hand. If you do, and there are no land cards in your hand, you may search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Unstable Terrain
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:,:symtap:, Sacrifice Unstable Terrain: Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.
Remove Unstable Terrain from the game: Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only if Unstable Terrain is in your graveyard.
Ranger's Article
Artifact (c)
When Ranger's Article comes into play, draw a card.
Sacrifice Ranger's Article: You may play land cards from your graveyard this turn.
I hope that fixed your mana worries. Thanks again for reading.
Until next time.
This might help you out. It really helps with mana fixing, without having to slow down your development (since you can tap it before it's sacrifices to mana acceleration) helps hose land destruction (allowing you to build more of those mechanics into the set) and is beautiful for limited.
Wandering Divide
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 0 What's walked a thousand footsteps, yet never found a home?
-Riddle of the Divide
Here's what I've come up with for this common fetcher.
Wild Panorama
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:, :symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
And here's another common cycle (gogo limited!).
Memorial Guard
Creature - Human Soldier (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Memorial Guard gets +1/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
1/1
Squallrider :1mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Squallrider gets +1/+1 and gains flying until end of turn.
1/2
Wallowing Thief :2mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Rogue (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Wallowing Thief gets +1/+1 and gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
Mogg Forerunner
Creature - Goblin Warrior (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Mogg Forerunner gets +1/+1 and gains first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Wandering Shrub :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, wandering shrub gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
2/2
There we have them. Here's my idea for another keyword. Any help with names?
If you control 5 or more lands, "turn ~ on".
Ok, I'm going to put this mechanic (Abundance) on a cycle of commons here.
Compassionate Ancestor :2mana::symw:
Creature - Spirit (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Compassionate Ancestor gets +1/+1 and has flying.
2/2
Vanish Weird
Creature - Weird (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Vanish Weird gets +1/+1 and is unblockable.
1/1
Lingering Monstrosity :1mana::symb:
Creature - Horror (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Lingering Monstrosity gets +1/+1 and has :1mana::symb:: Regenerate Lingering Monstrosity.
2/1
Cunning Pathfinder :1mana::symr:
Creature - Goblin Rogue (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Cunning Pathfinder gets +1/+1 and can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
2/1
Stingweed :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Stingweed gets +1/+1 and has deathtouch.
1/3
There we go. I think the set is a bit high on 3-drops so far. More issues arise!
[quote=Stairc;/comments/7419176] Wandering Divide
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 0 [quote]
Evoke "0" is horrible broken as you can (and you will) allways use Evoke and never play it as a land.
Its simply Terramorphic Expanse in uba broken.
It makes mana, it doesnt cost you "anything" and you will play this card simply "allways" in any deck just because it does absolutly everything for no cost at all.
A solution:
Wandering Divide
Land T: Add one mana to your mana pool a basic land you control could produce.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 3
The thing is that you cant make it "Evoke 0" thats simply way to broken.
It must be scaled down so it isnt better than a Rampant Growth, no matter what its just a land.
If the card taps for colorless you limit it to decks that actually can use colorless mana, which are not much currently.
And it must be safe against decks that simply will use it to make mana and sacrifice it with something, Flagstone of Trokair shows that the effect is allready pretty strong in decks that can use it for card advantage via Smokestack or just to get more sacrifice for Greater Gargadon, or just to get Mana Fixing.
Wild Panorama
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:, :symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Sounds like a good land for Limited to get better draws late game and get some Splash mana, its for sure a slower land, but a land you will play pretty much allways if you are not Mono Color.
And for a "common" land this is pretty strong allready and it can be a reason that "splashs" are more easy to play.
Memorial Guard
Creature - Human Soldier (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Memorial Guard gets +1/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
1/1
Big big mistake. Lifelink will stack, and this makes this card into a very very broken creature.
Play this in White/Red have 4 lands, together with Fetchlands, Greater Gargadon and Flagstones of Trokair you have an insane creature that will easy get to 4/4 and bigger, in which case it has 3 times or more Lifelink, which is 3x4 = 12 life gain for you, add 1 more land, you end with 4x5 = 20 life gain, somehow this adds very much and its overall a big evil creature, make it vigilance for white, lifelink is to strong anyway.
Squallrider :1mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Squallrider gets +1/+1 and gains flying until end of turn.
1/2
Wallowing Thief :2mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Rogue (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Wallowing Thief gets +1/+1 and gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
Mogg Forerunner
Creature - Goblin Warrior (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Mogg Forerunner gets +1/+1 and gains first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Red had this in a 2 slot Akki Lava runner or something, but a lot better as you could sacrifice the land when you wanted. It was just good for fast beatdown to get more damage with lands you dont need, however for red you have a good amount of interactions that eat your own lands to get this creature to 2/2 pretty much allways, even if that is only a fetchland, Wasteland or something like that.
Wandering Shrub :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, wandering shrub gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
*Problem here. The green guy is simply worser than the black, and green should allways get "more" than red/black or blue (only white has Efficient "small" creatures in the color wheel).
So balance wise its even ok if its 3/3 for 3 mana, as the ability will get it not to dangerours and it hurts nobody if this makes it somehow constructed playable.
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-6: Put all land cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
3
Here we have a common problem peops do with planeswalkers.
It has no way to win a game, it is just a random support card.
Even if a planeswalker wants to "support" you it is still capable to win a game "somehow".
Each planeswalker either makes tokens, deals damage, reanimates creatures or mills, even if you take "poisen counters" its ok.
But if the only reason is that the planeswalker will give you some cards or give you lands, and has no way to win a game, it fails in design.
So if you take a Planeswalker that is focused on lands, why dont you give the Ultimate an animation for the lands or something that actually "wins" a game, an Ultimate will pretty much allways be a Game Breaker and have a very powerfull effect, most the time this works together with the other abilities so the card creates "self synergy" and gives the feeling that its a "real" player with a "real" strategy in mind to actually "win" a game.
Example:
Garruck plays a simpel green deck with creatures, mana ramp and the final overrun.
Chandra plays the simpel Mono Red Burn with the big blowout.
Jace plays the mill together with draw spells (which is a small form of mill).
Ajani plays the white weenie in the +1/+1 anthem effect and pairs life gain with the big Serra Avatar.
Liliana plays the discard together with the big Living Death, the Vampiric either searches Removal or other win Options you have.
The multic color walkers more or less pair parts of this "basic" planeswalkers but all have a "strategy" in mind and want to win the game (who doesnt?).
Nobody will play a deck full of lands with nothing else and no way to win the game, with this common sence a planeswalker that cant do anything else is a bad idea.
So if you want a planeswalker with a "land" focus at least give it something that has some potential:
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play up to two additional basic lands this turn.
+1: Search your library or graveyard for a basic land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-4: Untap each basic land you control and they become 2/2 green elemental creatures.
2
This way you have the planeswalker and it will still accelerate you for a good amount. It wants to up the lands to 2, to keep it fair it focus only on "basics", like Early Harvest does, which is a good thing to drive players back to use them, with that in mind it can get a small power boost anyway as it plays against the multicolor brokenes around.
The -1 ability becomes a +1 in that case, as its nothing that is worth more or less than the manaboost, its equal and it might be a nice little extra to be able to get lands back from the graveyard, just in case and maybe you want this land as its your single card of that color (if you splash 2 or even 4 colors with a single basic land of the color).
The "ultimate" will make sure you play as much basics as you can and in that case gives you an "Early Harvest" untap which will boost your mana and makes them into 2/2 creatures to either smash your opponent or use it for some other reason (like Intruder Alarm combos or the like).
All in all the card feels very green, and its a good thing to make something that helps decks to play "basics" in a high number, another good point is that it works good together with Garruck, Untap lands and get the Overrun for all your lands for a deadly strike, this might be a good basis for this kind of deck.
Bourem's Boon :2mana::symg:
Sorcery (c)
Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. You may reveal your hand. If you do, and there are no land cards in your hand, you may search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Sounds just worser than Kodamas Reach as it does pretty much exactly the same in bad (ok it searches any land with the extra).
A solution might be to scale it down to a singel green and search just a forest in your hand.
Bourem's Boon
Sorcery (c)
Reveal your hand.
Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
If you have no land cards in your hand, search your library for up to three forest cards instead.
This way the card is "fair" to just get forest cycling more or less in exchange for the reveal, and you will still use the effect to get a splash mana if thats needed.
The pseudo "kicker" will give you 3 "forests" if you have no more lands, which will give you enough lands and helps to thin out your library in Limited, which is especially good in the late game, or just to get the mana for your "big" cards.
The difference between basic land or forest is important if you need the splash mana, so you might need to keep a land in your hand before you play this card, which forces a player to think ahead in Limited if they need the splash mana and possible topdeck this card.
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:symw:, :symtap:: Tap up to three target creatures with a combined converted manacost of 5 or less. If that creatures are red or black ~ deals damage to them equal to their power.
2/4
Sounds like the Synergy doesnt work as inteded.
The tap will not come in time to tap a creature to not untap and its overall a pretty "normal" card, i cant see the "rare" about it.
Loxodon Mystic is a 3/3 that taps creatures for 3WW that was pretty ok, and most white "tappers" requiere a white mana to use them, which is a pretty common thing.
However overall this card really needs something to look "rare".
The idea to make a "rare" white tapper forces you to make it pretty good, simply because Tappers tend to be strong Limited cards as they are more or less Removal and can kick out 2 blockers or 1 attack, no matter how big they are.
So the idea of a Rare Tapper might be that it can hold an opponents army alone, the combined power of 5 might be something worth enough and it is a card that works incredible good against all the undercosted creatures we have, which all tend ot be very big for a low cost (Nacatle, Tarmagoyf, Kird Ape, Wooly Toctar, Doran, Figure of Destiny, and all that guys).
Another good part is the "hate" against red and black, and the ability to deal damage to that creatures will make the important cut to push it into constructed formats to face them, especially Bitterblossom tokens and reds high power beater.
But keep in mind that these decks will run a lot of Removal anyway to kill the 2/4 or deal their damage in turn 1-4 before you can use the ability and than just burn you to death.
If this card simply "must" have the Consume "kicker" it might be a good idea to really have some synergy with that.
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
When ~ comes into play, tap all permanents you don't control.
:symw::symw:, Tap two untapped creatures: Tap target permanent.
Consume - When Fatigue Invoker comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, target player skips his or her next untap step.
2/4
This way we have the interaction with Consume to tap down a player to get in for an attack and keep the permanents "frozen".
The activated ability will help to keep some problems down and especially in numbers it will help to keep lands tapped to work around Mass Removal or just to take some colors away.
Scornful Lobotomist :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for up to five cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/2
Combo should and "will" play more combo pieces than 5 if such cards are around, and most run Wishes anyway if they know their pieces can be removed. The problem is that this card removes 5 cards of choice, which is kinda strong against pretty much anything, and even more deadly against control decks which play not much finishers, and to be true, Jesters Cap is a lot more deadly against Control decks with just a small amount of finishers than against combo, simply because combo might win before you can use this card, but controll will just suffer or its forced to counter this card.
So if its scalled down to "3" cards its still pretty strong but seems more fair without making it bad.
Cranial Extraction for example was only good against very simpel combo Decks like Tooth and Nail which had no other choice for the combo pieces, but for most other it doesnt really matter if they remove a singel combo piece when their are 2 or 3 more with different names.
Storm for example can easy run other Storm spells than Tendrils, their Empty the Warrens, Grapeshot, Brainfreeze, and Storm tends to be pretty fast to win "around" this card or even after it.
Other combo decks like the Elf deck will simply roll over you before you play this card or laugh at you when it resolves.
A good idea could be to limit the effect and make it consume more than just 1 swamp:
Scornful Lobotomist2
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu::symu:, sacrifice ~: You may play a card removed from the game with ~ with converted manacost equal or less to the number of cards removed from the game, without paying its manacost.
Consume X - When Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice X swamps. If you do, search target player's library for X cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/3
Here the idea is that you need to play this card together with many swamps, best together with urborg to get your lands in swamps, eat them and remove some cards.
If you remove expensive cards you might never be able to play them.
It works good together with blacks abilities to remove cards from graveyards and it will be able to "steal" on of the cards of your opponent (which is blue and black, especially as you will extract the card you want to steal).
However in the end this card might work better with "Delve" or something as the source, so it powers itself up better and more easy:
Scornful Lobotomist5
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
Delve
When ~ comes into play remove cards from target opponents library from the game equal to the number of cards in your graveyard.
:1mana::symu::symu:, sacrifice ~: You may play a card removed from the game with ~ with converted manacost equal or less to the number of cards removed from the game face up, without paying its manacost.
2/3
This version power itself up with a massive Mill if you have a lot of graveyard cards and you can cheat it out fast just to get a random reveal and play the card in that case.
Treacherous Abomination :3mana::symb:
Creature - Horror (r)
Sacrifice a creature: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Consume - when Treacherous Abomination comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
4/1
Keep in mind that regenerate is pretty weak today with all that Remove effects, and especially as most creatures tend to ignore it, Wither, Doublestrike all that works against the good old regenerate, especially as Indestructible takes more and more its place.
However, the card can need a push it should cost just a singel black to make it a card for red decks to splash for it, and the ability might be a lot more usefull if it "kills" something instead of keeping itself alive.
Together with the consume ability we have a pretty nice card that is wonderful to eat away a blocker and use your creatures to further kill some small creatures.
Furysurge Champion :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (r)
Haste, trample
Consume - When Furysurge Champion comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, put two +1/+1 counters on it.
3/1
Wow this is rare? It looks so much like a Uncommon because its just a random Limited card.
It will strike pretty much allways for 6 damage and than end as a 3/1 that dies, but its still not the kind of "rare" it should be.
A good idea could be to simply give it two +1/+1 counters instead to keep it a 5/3 haste, just cancel out the trample in that case, Skizzik was cool enough in its days.
Benevolent Rejuvinator :4mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman
Benevolent Rejuvinator can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Comsume - when Benevolent Rejuvinator comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, each player returns to play all artifact, enchantment and land cards that were put into his or her graveyard from play this turn.
4/4
The ability is very white, as it is pretty much Second Sunrise and green isnt about getting cards back into play that died this turn, green just keep things alive with regenerate or indestructible (or simpel pump spells).
And the design sucks in this card as you will "allways" consume a plains as you get it back anyway, and you still end with a sucky 4/4 for 6 mana which is bad.
A big problem with the "consume" mechanic is that you cant use "much" of them, simply because its a heavy cost to lose a land for just a "kicker" effect, and you can play too much as they will eat up your lands way to fast.
A idea to work around this might be to print a bunch of permanents that become lands themself:
Forest Bear 1G
Creature - Bear
As long as ~ is in play, it is a Forest in addition to its other types. Its still a creature.
2/2
Red Hill Giant 3R
Creature - Giant, Warrior
As long as ~ is in play, it is a Mountain in addition to its other types. Its still a creature.
3/3
You see that this simpel cycle gives pretty much, they are vanilla creatures that make mana and they help to sneak more lands in the set.
Another idea is to give green/blue a kind of removal, as the colors can shift some basic land types allready or like to turn cards into something else (green Lignify, Giant Growth and such, flavourwise):
Turn to Stone 1UG
Sorcery
Target permanent becomes a mountain.
Idea is simpel, you can pretty much Vindicate a permanent, but you give them a Mountain, plays like a Path to Exile in this case, just that the card will still be able to get back to its original form (via bounce or such).
Another for black similiar idea:
Toxic Contamination 2B
Sorcery
Target land becomes a swamp and gets "Whenever this card becomes tapped, you lose 3 life."
This could work together with some ways to tap permanents, lickly in blue.
Land cycling is something to help players in Multicolor sets, its pretty much abused in Alara.
All in all if you want to have a big theme about Lands or eat a lot of them, than you need some cards that give player more of them, not just in green, get some cycles of cards for each color, green might get more but it should not have the only.
I like the concept, I think it's a neat area of design space.
I'm glad that you added the *if you control 5 or more lands* mechanic, because otherwise, it seemed that players would cap out at 3 land, sac the rest for effects, and maybe even not play more than 16/17 land because they only need low drops.
The concept of "this counts as a -basic land type-" is interesting as well, but did you intend for it generate mana, or not?
Just a thought,
You could include a cool lhurgoyf in this set:
Terravore Mk. II 2G
Creature - Lhurgoyf (R)
Terravore Mk. II's power is equal to the number of basic land types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
*/*+1
Thanks for the time you spent evaluating my designs. Some of the things you saw I most certainly agree with, like Bourem's ultimate. I just didn't want him to animate lands because he is more ranger/hermit and less warrior/druid. But it makes sense that he has to be able to win. (Also compare your version to Rampant Growth. He would be far too good and played in every midrange/control deck)
The reason the green trigger guy is weak is because the green commons have been very strong so far, and I want to make sure it isn't too powerful.
Thanks for the catch up on the white guy, I momentarily forgot about lifelink stacking.
As for many of the other changes, I feel like you haven't got what I was trying to do at all. That's ok, but I think I want to keep most of them the same.
As for the Fatigue invoker, the ability to skip thier untap is the main part of the card, making him a tapper is very much his secondary ability.
And the furysurge guy is absolutely rare, you said he just swings for six then dies? Ball Lightning? He's like ball lightning but harder to stop and you need to actually kill him.
As for the rejuvinator, you *might* not always use his ability, as you might not have a plains, or your opponent might have some very advantageous ways to sacrifice their permanents. Or they might have graveyard removal. This guy is also there because I'm trying to put cards in that might lead to the possibility for combo decks.
As for the number of lands, I said earlier that I'm trying to push for 19 lands as a standard goal in limited. I agree that not only green should get the fixing, but I've posted 2 (common) lands and 3 artifacts all up that help fixing, and I'm not done yet.
@LonElara: Thanks for the encouragement.
I'm not blind to how graveyard intensive this set could be, and I have an idea or two for lhurgoyfs. This one is pretty similar. Ta!
Wandering Divide
Land
T: Add to your mana pool.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 0
[quote]
Evoke "0" is horrible broken as you can (and you will) allways use Evoke and never play it as a land.
Its simply Terramorphic Expanse in uba broken.
It makes mana, it doesnt cost you "anything" and you will play this card simply "allways" in any deck just because it does absolutly everything for no cost at all.
Ah, contraire! While it certainly is better than terramorphic expanse, it isn't by much... Provided you were always going to evoke it. The only advantage it has over the expanse when evoked is that it can tap for colorless before it leaves play - allowing you to fix your mana without slowing down too much. Considering how little play terramorphic expanse sees in constructed - I think it's safe to say that the extra mana doens't break it.
However, the card still counts as a land drop for the turn, so it's like it comes into play tapped as a basic land of your choice (superior to arcane santum or somesuch) but then never produces any other kind of mana (inferior to arcane sanctum or somesuch).
Moreover, there are many legitimate reasons to play the card without evoking it. If you allready have all the colors you need, this is just dandy as a land drop. Also it helps hose opposing land destruction strategies and give Obliterate decks some more tech. It's extremely fun, for nearly everyone involved. Yet when you compair it to flagstones of trokair, the onslaught fetchlands (since it can only feth basic lands and they enter tapped), the tri-colored tap lands and more; it's not overpowered at all. After all, a tri-colored land can produce W one turn and U the next... Which is very important for cryptic command and the like.
I considered costing it at evoke 1 but I don't think it's necessary. It does so much at once, but it's clearly inferior to a lot of good lands for important decks. I also think it's funny that some people think it's incredibly broken and others think it's complete crap. Anything that fun has got to have something going for it!
I've recently decided I'd like to try my hand at both set and card design.
My idea for this set is a world where mana is both rampant and chaotic, and creatures and spells consume it entirely to become bigger, better and more fun! Mechanically, this means I'm looking at doing something that goes a way to dealing with mana flood/screw (in my view magic's biggest problem). I'm first and foremost a limited player, so my goal is to have this set workable for limited. I'll try to include constructed playable but not broken cards.
The solution I've come up with, and am pretty excited by, is a mechanic I've called consume. Before I discuss it any further, I'll describe it so you can understand where I'm coming from.
Consume - when CARDNAME comes into play, you may sacrifice a (specified land/landtype). If you do, (do something).
The idea is to be able to run a few more than the standard 17 lands to make sure you can draw them early game, but that if you get flooded they're still useful. It also provides a lot of your cards with choices, which I feel makes games both more fun and more skill intensive.
This is what my current common cycle looks like: (the names are hacked together as I'm in a rush to post this.)
Spirit Marshall :1mana::symw:
Creature - Human Cleric (c)
Consume - when Spirit Marshall comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, put two 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens into play under your control.
1/2
Thoughtsearch Adept :2mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Consume - when Thoughtsearch Adept comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, draw two cards.
1/3
Strength Defiler :1mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Shaman (c)
Consume - when Strength Defiler comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
1/1
Goblin Devourer :2mana::symr:
Creature - Goblin Rogue (c)
Consume - when Goblin Devourer comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, destroy target land.
2/1
Bloom Composter :1mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Consume - when Bloom Composter comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
2/2
Ok, gotta run. Thanks for any feedback, I'll post my uncommon cycle later.
Ciao.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
The white and blue ones, however, I think are too strong, especially for commons.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Great mechanic btw, very open. I would additionally make some cards that can consume more than one land, like:
Volcano Behemoth 3RRR
Creature - Beast
Haste
Consume - When Volcano Behemoth comes into play you may sacrifice any number of mountains. Deal damage to all creatures and players equal to twice the number of lands sacrificed.
4/6
Power level is a really big challenge to face with this mechanic.
It's very hard to know how much losing a land will affect you.
Here's my reasoning for the white/blue guys. I very well may still change them however, I'm not attached to their power level.
White - he's awful without sacrificing a land. Really bad. And any two drop creature that you don't want to play on turn two is pretty situational. If you DO sac the plains on turn two, you're setting yourself up for curve issues, and getting behind. 3 power might be worth it, but the moment they play a 2/2 you're in trouble. Ultimately I think it would require some testing to get a really good idea. Maybe he is just too good.
Blue - I originally had him at 4 mana. Then I realised he's basically just a really bad Mulldrifter... which I suppose is ok. Mulldrifter was disgusting at common. Maybe he should be a 4 mana 2/3. I'm sold.
As for sacrificing multiple lands, I have thought about this already.
Just not sure the best way to execute it. That's a LOT of card disadvantage, so the effects would need to be big. Also I'm still unsure how pervasive this mechanic will be through the set. I have a lot of ideas.
Anyway. Here's my mythic rare to show you I've been thinking.
He's likely to win the game if you can pull him off so yes, he's very powerful.
Fenrin, the Wild God :symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:
Legendary Creature - Elemental Avatar (mr)
Consume - when Fenrin, the Wild God comes into play, you may sacrifice a land of each basic land type. If you do, destroy all lands you don't control.
Protection from Spells.
5/5
I'm about to go out, but tomorrow I'll post my cycle of lands that like being consumed, my uncommon consume cycle, and another uncommon cycle that care about lands going to graveyards. Thanks for again for you input.
Take care.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Mulldrifter was superior in a void, and with some good Unsummon or Raise Dead effects would have been a huge problem. Power level is all about context.
Limited discussions aside, here is my cycle of uncommon consume boys.
Ghostly Skirmisher :2mana::symw:
Creature - Spirit Soldier (u)
Flash
Consume - when Ghostly Skirmisher comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Ætherspray Weird :4mana::symu:
Creature - Weird (u)
Shroud
Consume - when Ætherspray Weird comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do return up to two target creatures of your choice and target creature of an opponent's choice to their owner's hands.
3/3
Sickening Strider :2mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror (u)
Fear
Consume - when Sickening Strider comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, target player discards two cards.
2/3
Furyforger :3mana::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (u)
:symr:: Furyforger gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Consume - when Furyforger comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, Furyforger deals damage equal to its power to target creature.
2/2
Thicket Shepherd :3mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman (u)
Trample
Consume - when Thicket Shepherd comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
4/4
And here's my uncommon cycle of lands.
Ancestor's Prairie
Land - Plains (u)
Ancestor's Prairie comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Ancestor's Prairie is put into a graveyard from play, you gain 2 life.
Vision Pools
Land - Island (u)
Vision Pools comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Vision Pools is put into a graveyard from play, look at the top 3 cards of your library then put them back in any order.
Rotting Mire
Land - Swamp (u)
Rotting Mire comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Rotting Mire is put into a graveyard from play, each player loses 2 life.
Seething Ridge
Land - Mountain (u)
Seething Ridge comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Seething Ridge is put into a graveyard from play, add to your mana pool.
Fertile Copse
Land - Forest (u)
Fertile Copse comes into play tapped.
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
When Fertile Copse is put into a graveyard from play, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play under your control.
That's it for today. Hope you enjoyed my designs. All criticisms and comments welcome.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Clearly I should have given the thread a more outrageous name, therefor receiving more replies.
Anyway, here's the (uncommon again) "lands dying matter" cycle.
Managlare Spirit :1mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Elemental Spirit (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may tap target permantent.
2/3
Manadream Weird :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Elemental Weird (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may put the top two cards of target player's library into his or her graveyard.
1/3
Manablind Horror :1mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Elemental Horror (u)
If a land would be put into a graveyard, remove it from the game instead.
3/1
Manaburn Ogre :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Elemental Ogre Shaman (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may have Manaburn Ogre deal 1 damage to target player.
2/2
Manabloom Fungus :1mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Elemental Fungus (u)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a land card from your hand into play tapped.
3/3
And here's an equipment to party with the gang.
Harvest Scythe
Artifact - Equipment (r)
Equipped creature gets +2/+2.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Equip - Sacrifice a land.
That's it from me today.
My next post will move away from consume a bit, and try to flesh out commons a bit.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Some ideas:
-multicolor consume (sacrifice a forest and a plains, e.g. Or require a sac of a land not of the creature's color)
-Really go nuts with the crazy **** consume can do. You DON'T want this to be just a narrower version of kicker, so try to work out a lot of synergy beyond just "sac some land = extra ****e." Since lands are getting dumped into the yard all over the place, how about some lands that have static effects in the graveyard? Or you could do some Flagstones of Trokair- type effects. Also worth looking at are the Genju from Kamigawa. You could even have specialized black or green consume cards that specifically remove lands in graveyards from the game. Best of luck, I'll be checking in to see how this is doing!
I have been tossing up about multicoloured boys for a while, but I still haven't decided. There's some excellent design space for sac a different type of land than you are, and I already have a rare cycle of these in my head. They would come in the 2nd set though, as they're not very "main settish".
In answer to your 2nd point, I'm not sure you've read my whole post. I have a cycle of lands that like being eaten (like Flagstones of Trokairand I have a cycle of men that trigger when lands are eaten (one removes them from the game, just as you said).
I hadn't thought of a "likes being in the gy" land, I'll get to work on at least one of those.
I never much liked the Genju idea, but I'll keep it in mind.
Thanks again for the support and suggestions.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Consume - discard a sorcery card
Consume - remove 4 blue elf zombies in your graveyard from the game
Consume - pay 5 life
Consume - Remove the top X cards of our library from the game
?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:symtap:: Tap target creature.
Consume - when Fatigue Invoker comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, target player skips his or her next untap step.
2/4
Scornful Lobotomist :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for up to five cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/2
Treacherous Abomination :3mana::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror (r)
Sacrifice a creature: Regenerate Treacherous Abomination.
Consume - when Treacherous Abomination comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
4/1
Furysurge Champion :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (r)
Haste
Consume - When Furysurge Champion comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, it gets +3/+3 and trample until end of turn.
3/1
Benevolent Rejuvinator :4mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman
Benevolent Rejuvinator can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Comsume - when Benevolent Rejuvinator comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, each player returns to play all artifact, enchantment and land cards that were put into his or her graveyard from play this turn.
4/4
Sorry that they're kinda wordy. Stupid rares!
That's it from me.
Until next time.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
I think it is to strong when you can for 3 mana (and sacrificing a swamp) can shut a lot of comboes down. Of course it didn't hit the hand, but it has a reasons cranial etraction and the new one have mana cost 4
Also I would make some more cards, which returns lands from graveyard to hand/play or in black need to remove lands in your graveyard from the game.
They would perfectly fit and are kind of necessary when you want to play more then 1 2 of the consume cards in the same deck (especially in limited)
1. Every player saing exiled or battlefield will be kicked out.
2. Not using you mana deals 2 points of manaburn.
3. Combat damage goes over the Stack and you can freely assign it.
4. Lifelinks does stack and doesn't safe you from dying.
5. Tokens are owned bye the one who has made them.
Everyone thinking M10 will not affect a lot of cards or Limited a lot, either has no clue about magic or has never played limited or is getting paid by wizards to do propaganda.
Scornful Lobotomist :2mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for a card and remove it from the game. Then that player reveals his or her hand. You choose a card from it and remove that card from the game. Remove target card in that player's graveyard from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/3
Ugh. Soooo wordy. I like the ability, but it's a bit intense on the words. Otherwise i could keep it as it was, but with the new costs? 5 mana would just make it bad. Removing fewer I don't like, because four is too symmetrical, and three is too weak.
As for fetching more lands (especially in limited), the idea of this mechanic is to allow you to run maybe as high as 19 lands without really suffering from flood. In this way, you're far less likely to get mana screwed, either. With that in mind, here is some fetching (see http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=159241 for a green common).
Sturdy Plough
Artifact (u)
:1mana:,:symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-6: Put all land cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
3
Bourem's Boon :2mana::symg:
Sorcery (c)
Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. You may reveal your hand. If you do, and there are no land cards in your hand, you may search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Unstable Terrain
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:,:symtap:, Sacrifice Unstable Terrain: Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.
Remove Unstable Terrain from the game: Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only if Unstable Terrain is in your graveyard.
Ranger's Article
Artifact (c)
When Ranger's Article comes into play, draw a card.
Sacrifice Ranger's Article: You may play land cards from your graveyard this turn.
I hope that fixed your mana worries. Thanks again for reading.
Until next time.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Wandering Divide
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 0
What's walked a thousand footsteps, yet never found a home?
-Riddle of the Divide
Remaking Magic - A Podcast for those that love MTG and Game Design
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Sig-Heroes of the Plane
Wild Panorama
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:, :symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
And here's another common cycle (gogo limited!).
Memorial Guard
Creature - Human Soldier (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Memorial Guard gets +1/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
1/1
Squallrider :1mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Squallrider gets +1/+1 and gains flying until end of turn.
1/2
Wallowing Thief :2mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Rogue (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Wallowing Thief gets +1/+1 and gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
Mogg Forerunner
Creature - Goblin Warrior (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Mogg Forerunner gets +1/+1 and gains first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Wandering Shrub :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, wandering shrub gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
2/2
There we have them. Here's my idea for another keyword. Any help with names?
If you control 5 or more lands, "turn ~ on".
Ok, I'm going to put this mechanic (Abundance) on a cycle of commons here.
Compassionate Ancestor :2mana::symw:
Creature - Spirit (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Compassionate Ancestor gets +1/+1 and has flying.
2/2
Vanish Weird
Creature - Weird (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Vanish Weird gets +1/+1 and is unblockable.
1/1
Lingering Monstrosity :1mana::symb:
Creature - Horror (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Lingering Monstrosity gets +1/+1 and has :1mana::symb:: Regenerate Lingering Monstrosity.
2/1
Cunning Pathfinder :1mana::symr:
Creature - Goblin Rogue (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Cunning Pathfinder gets +1/+1 and can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
2/1
Stingweed :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Abundance - if you control five or more lands, Stingweed gets +1/+1 and has deathtouch.
1/3
There we go. I think the set is a bit high on 3-drops so far. More issues arise!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Wandering Divide
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 0
[quote]
Evoke "0" is horrible broken as you can (and you will) allways use Evoke and never play it as a land.
Its simply Terramorphic Expanse in uba broken.
It makes mana, it doesnt cost you "anything" and you will play this card simply "allways" in any deck just because it does absolutly everything for no cost at all.
A solution:
Wandering Divide
Land
T: Add one mana to your mana pool a basic land you control could produce.
When Wandering Divide is put into a graveyard from play, search your library for a basic land card and put it into play tapped.
Evoke 3
The thing is that you cant make it "Evoke 0" thats simply way to broken.
It must be scaled down so it isnt better than a Rampant Growth, no matter what its just a land.
If the card taps for colorless you limit it to decks that actually can use colorless mana, which are not much currently.
And it must be safe against decks that simply will use it to make mana and sacrifice it with something, Flagstone of Trokair shows that the effect is allready pretty strong in decks that can use it for card advantage via Smokestack or just to get more sacrifice for Greater Gargadon, or just to get Mana Fixing.
Wild Panorama
Land (c)
:symtap:: Add to your mana pool.
:2mana:, :symtap:, Sacrifice a land: Search your library for a basic land card, and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Sounds like a good land for Limited to get better draws late game and get some Splash mana, its for sure a slower land, but a land you will play pretty much allways if you are not Mono Color.
And for a "common" land this is pretty strong allready and it can be a reason that "splashs" are more easy to play.
Memorial Guard
Creature - Human Soldier (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Memorial Guard gets +1/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
1/1
Big big mistake. Lifelink will stack, and this makes this card into a very very broken creature.
Play this in White/Red have 4 lands, together with Fetchlands, Greater Gargadon and Flagstones of Trokair you have an insane creature that will easy get to 4/4 and bigger, in which case it has 3 times or more Lifelink, which is 3x4 = 12 life gain for you, add 1 more land, you end with 4x5 = 20 life gain, somehow this adds very much and its overall a big evil creature, make it vigilance for white, lifelink is to strong anyway.
Squallrider :1mana::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Squallrider gets +1/+1 and gains flying until end of turn.
1/2
Wallowing Thief :2mana::symb:
Creature - Rat Rogue (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Wallowing Thief gets +1/+1 and gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
Mogg Forerunner
Creature - Goblin Warrior (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, Mogg Forerunner gets +1/+1 and gains first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Red had this in a 2 slot Akki Lava runner or something, but a lot better as you could sacrifice the land when you wanted. It was just good for fast beatdown to get more damage with lands you dont need, however for red you have a good amount of interactions that eat your own lands to get this creature to 2/2 pretty much allways, even if that is only a fetchland, Wasteland or something like that.
Wandering Shrub :2mana::symg:
Creature - Plant (c)
Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, wandering shrub gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
*Problem here. The green guy is simply worser than the black, and green should allways get "more" than red/black or blue (only white has Efficient "small" creatures in the color wheel).
So balance wise its even ok if its 3/3 for 3 mana, as the ability will get it not to dangerours and it hurts nobody if this makes it somehow constructed playable.
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-6: Put all land cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
3
Here we have a common problem peops do with planeswalkers.
It has no way to win a game, it is just a random support card.
Even if a planeswalker wants to "support" you it is still capable to win a game "somehow".
Each planeswalker either makes tokens, deals damage, reanimates creatures or mills, even if you take "poisen counters" its ok.
But if the only reason is that the planeswalker will give you some cards or give you lands, and has no way to win a game, it fails in design.
So if you take a Planeswalker that is focused on lands, why dont you give the Ultimate an animation for the lands or something that actually "wins" a game, an Ultimate will pretty much allways be a Game Breaker and have a very powerfull effect, most the time this works together with the other abilities so the card creates "self synergy" and gives the feeling that its a "real" player with a "real" strategy in mind to actually "win" a game.
Example:
Garruck plays a simpel green deck with creatures, mana ramp and the final overrun.
Chandra plays the simpel Mono Red Burn with the big blowout.
Jace plays the mill together with draw spells (which is a small form of mill).
Ajani plays the white weenie in the +1/+1 anthem effect and pairs life gain with the big Serra Avatar.
Liliana plays the discard together with the big Living Death, the Vampiric either searches Removal or other win Options you have.
The multic color walkers more or less pair parts of this "basic" planeswalkers but all have a "strategy" in mind and want to win the game (who doesnt?).
Nobody will play a deck full of lands with nothing else and no way to win the game, with this common sence a planeswalker that cant do anything else is a bad idea.
So if you want a planeswalker with a "land" focus at least give it something that has some potential:
Bourem, Fenrin's Tracker :1mana::symg:
Planeswalker - Bourem (mr)
+1: You may play up to two additional basic lands this turn.
+1: Search your library or graveyard for a basic land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
-4: Untap each basic land you control and they become 2/2 green elemental creatures.
2
This way you have the planeswalker and it will still accelerate you for a good amount. It wants to up the lands to 2, to keep it fair it focus only on "basics", like Early Harvest does, which is a good thing to drive players back to use them, with that in mind it can get a small power boost anyway as it plays against the multicolor brokenes around.
The -1 ability becomes a +1 in that case, as its nothing that is worth more or less than the manaboost, its equal and it might be a nice little extra to be able to get lands back from the graveyard, just in case and maybe you want this land as its your single card of that color (if you splash 2 or even 4 colors with a single basic land of the color).
The "ultimate" will make sure you play as much basics as you can and in that case gives you an "Early Harvest" untap which will boost your mana and makes them into 2/2 creatures to either smash your opponent or use it for some other reason (like Intruder Alarm combos or the like).
All in all the card feels very green, and its a good thing to make something that helps decks to play "basics" in a high number, another good point is that it works good together with Garruck, Untap lands and get the Overrun for all your lands for a deadly strike, this might be a good basis for this kind of deck.
Bourem's Boon :2mana::symg:
Sorcery (c)
Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. You may reveal your hand. If you do, and there are no land cards in your hand, you may search your library for a land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Sounds just worser than Kodamas Reach as it does pretty much exactly the same in bad (ok it searches any land with the extra).
A solution might be to scale it down to a singel green and search just a forest in your hand.
Bourem's Boon
Sorcery (c)
Reveal your hand.
Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
If you have no land cards in your hand, search your library for up to three forest cards instead.
This way the card is "fair" to just get forest cycling more or less in exchange for the reveal, and you will still use the effect to get a splash mana if thats needed.
The pseudo "kicker" will give you 3 "forests" if you have no more lands, which will give you enough lands and helps to thin out your library in Limited, which is especially good in the late game, or just to get the mana for your "big" cards.
The difference between basic land or forest is important if you need the splash mana, so you might need to keep a land in your hand before you play this card, which forces a player to think ahead in Limited if they need the splash mana and possible topdeck this card.
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:symw:, :symtap:: Tap up to three target creatures with a combined converted manacost of 5 or less. If that creatures are red or black ~ deals damage to them equal to their power.
2/4
Sounds like the Synergy doesnt work as inteded.
The tap will not come in time to tap a creature to not untap and its overall a pretty "normal" card, i cant see the "rare" about it.
Loxodon Mystic is a 3/3 that taps creatures for 3WW that was pretty ok, and most white "tappers" requiere a white mana to use them, which is a pretty common thing.
However overall this card really needs something to look "rare".
The idea to make a "rare" white tapper forces you to make it pretty good, simply because Tappers tend to be strong Limited cards as they are more or less Removal and can kick out 2 blockers or 1 attack, no matter how big they are.
So the idea of a Rare Tapper might be that it can hold an opponents army alone, the combined power of 5 might be something worth enough and it is a card that works incredible good against all the undercosted creatures we have, which all tend ot be very big for a low cost (Nacatle, Tarmagoyf, Kird Ape, Wooly Toctar, Doran, Figure of Destiny, and all that guys).
Another good part is the "hate" against red and black, and the ability to deal damage to that creatures will make the important cut to push it into constructed formats to face them, especially Bitterblossom tokens and reds high power beater.
But keep in mind that these decks will run a lot of Removal anyway to kill the 2/4 or deal their damage in turn 1-4 before you can use the ability and than just burn you to death.
If this card simply "must" have the Consume "kicker" it might be a good idea to really have some synergy with that.
Fatigue Invoker :2mana::symw::symw:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
When ~ comes into play, tap all permanents you don't control.
:symw::symw:, Tap two untapped creatures: Tap target permanent.
Consume - When Fatigue Invoker comes into play, you may sacrifice an island. If you do, target player skips his or her next untap step.
2/4
This way we have the interaction with Consume to tap down a player to get in for an attack and keep the permanents "frozen".
The activated ability will help to keep some problems down and especially in numbers it will help to keep lands tapped to work around Mass Removal or just to take some colors away.
Scornful Lobotomist :1mana::symu::symu:
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu:: Return Scornful Lobotomist to it's owner's hand.
Consume - when Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice a swamp. If you do, search target player's library for up to five cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/2
Combo should and "will" play more combo pieces than 5 if such cards are around, and most run Wishes anyway if they know their pieces can be removed. The problem is that this card removes 5 cards of choice, which is kinda strong against pretty much anything, and even more deadly against control decks which play not much finishers, and to be true, Jesters Cap is a lot more deadly against Control decks with just a small amount of finishers than against combo, simply because combo might win before you can use this card, but controll will just suffer or its forced to counter this card.
So if its scalled down to "3" cards its still pretty strong but seems more fair without making it bad.
Cranial Extraction for example was only good against very simpel combo Decks like Tooth and Nail which had no other choice for the combo pieces, but for most other it doesnt really matter if they remove a singel combo piece when their are 2 or 3 more with different names.
Storm for example can easy run other Storm spells than Tendrils, their Empty the Warrens, Grapeshot, Brainfreeze, and Storm tends to be pretty fast to win "around" this card or even after it.
Other combo decks like the Elf deck will simply roll over you before you play this card or laugh at you when it resolves.
A good idea could be to limit the effect and make it consume more than just 1 swamp:
Scornful Lobotomist 2
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
:1mana::symu::symu:, sacrifice ~: You may play a card removed from the game with ~ with converted manacost equal or less to the number of cards removed from the game, without paying its manacost.
Consume X - When Scornful Lobotomist comes into play, you may sacrifice X swamps. If you do, search target player's library for X cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
2/3
Here the idea is that you need to play this card together with many swamps, best together with urborg to get your lands in swamps, eat them and remove some cards.
If you remove expensive cards you might never be able to play them.
It works good together with blacks abilities to remove cards from graveyards and it will be able to "steal" on of the cards of your opponent (which is blue and black, especially as you will extract the card you want to steal).
However in the end this card might work better with "Delve" or something as the source, so it powers itself up better and more easy:
Scornful Lobotomist 5
Creature - Human Wizard (r)
Delve
When ~ comes into play remove cards from target opponents library from the game equal to the number of cards in your graveyard.
:1mana::symu::symu:, sacrifice ~: You may play a card removed from the game with ~ with converted manacost equal or less to the number of cards removed from the game face up, without paying its manacost.
2/3
This version power itself up with a massive Mill if you have a lot of graveyard cards and you can cheat it out fast just to get a random reveal and play the card in that case.
Treacherous Abomination :3mana::symb:
Creature - Horror (r)
Sacrifice a creature: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Consume - when Treacherous Abomination comes into play, you may sacrifice a mountain. If you do, untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
4/1
Keep in mind that regenerate is pretty weak today with all that Remove effects, and especially as most creatures tend to ignore it, Wither, Doublestrike all that works against the good old regenerate, especially as Indestructible takes more and more its place.
However, the card can need a push it should cost just a singel black to make it a card for red decks to splash for it, and the ability might be a lot more usefull if it "kills" something instead of keeping itself alive.
Together with the consume ability we have a pretty nice card that is wonderful to eat away a blocker and use your creatures to further kill some small creatures.
Furysurge Champion :1mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Warrior (r)
Haste, trample
Consume - When Furysurge Champion comes into play, you may sacrifice a forest. If you do, put two +1/+1 counters on it.
3/1
Wow this is rare? It looks so much like a Uncommon because its just a random Limited card.
It will strike pretty much allways for 6 damage and than end as a 3/1 that dies, but its still not the kind of "rare" it should be.
A good idea could be to simply give it two +1/+1 counters instead to keep it a 5/3 haste, just cancel out the trample in that case, Skizzik was cool enough in its days.
Benevolent Rejuvinator :4mana::symg::symg:
Creature - Giant Shaman
Benevolent Rejuvinator can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Comsume - when Benevolent Rejuvinator comes into play, you may sacrifice a plains. If you do, each player returns to play all artifact, enchantment and land cards that were put into his or her graveyard from play this turn.
4/4
The ability is very white, as it is pretty much Second Sunrise and green isnt about getting cards back into play that died this turn, green just keep things alive with regenerate or indestructible (or simpel pump spells).
And the design sucks in this card as you will "allways" consume a plains as you get it back anyway, and you still end with a sucky 4/4 for 6 mana which is bad.
A big problem with the "consume" mechanic is that you cant use "much" of them, simply because its a heavy cost to lose a land for just a "kicker" effect, and you can play too much as they will eat up your lands way to fast.
A idea to work around this might be to print a bunch of permanents that become lands themself:
Forest Bear 1G
Creature - Bear
As long as ~ is in play, it is a Forest in addition to its other types. Its still a creature.
2/2
Red Hill Giant 3R
Creature - Giant, Warrior
As long as ~ is in play, it is a Mountain in addition to its other types. Its still a creature.
3/3
You see that this simpel cycle gives pretty much, they are vanilla creatures that make mana and they help to sneak more lands in the set.
Another idea is to give green/blue a kind of removal, as the colors can shift some basic land types allready or like to turn cards into something else (green Lignify, Giant Growth and such, flavourwise):
Turn to Stone 1UG
Sorcery
Target permanent becomes a mountain.
Idea is simpel, you can pretty much Vindicate a permanent, but you give them a Mountain, plays like a Path to Exile in this case, just that the card will still be able to get back to its original form (via bounce or such).
Another for black similiar idea:
Toxic Contamination 2B
Sorcery
Target land becomes a swamp and gets "Whenever this card becomes tapped, you lose 3 life."
This could work together with some ways to tap permanents, lickly in blue.
Land cycling is something to help players in Multicolor sets, its pretty much abused in Alara.
All in all if you want to have a big theme about Lands or eat a lot of them, than you need some cards that give player more of them, not just in green, get some cycles of cards for each color, green might get more but it should not have the only.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
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I'm glad that you added the *if you control 5 or more lands* mechanic, because otherwise, it seemed that players would cap out at 3 land, sac the rest for effects, and maybe even not play more than 16/17 land because they only need low drops.
The concept of "this counts as a -basic land type-" is interesting as well, but did you intend for it generate mana, or not?
Just a thought,
You could include a cool lhurgoyf in this set:
Terravore Mk. II 2G
Creature - Lhurgoyf (R)
Terravore Mk. II's power is equal to the number of basic land types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
*/*+1
The reason the green trigger guy is weak is because the green commons have been very strong so far, and I want to make sure it isn't too powerful.
Thanks for the catch up on the white guy, I momentarily forgot about lifelink stacking.
As for many of the other changes, I feel like you haven't got what I was trying to do at all. That's ok, but I think I want to keep most of them the same.
As for the Fatigue invoker, the ability to skip thier untap is the main part of the card, making him a tapper is very much his secondary ability.
And the furysurge guy is absolutely rare, you said he just swings for six then dies? Ball Lightning? He's like ball lightning but harder to stop and you need to actually kill him.
As for the rejuvinator, you *might* not always use his ability, as you might not have a plains, or your opponent might have some very advantageous ways to sacrifice their permanents. Or they might have graveyard removal. This guy is also there because I'm trying to put cards in that might lead to the possibility for combo decks.
As for the number of lands, I said earlier that I'm trying to push for 19 lands as a standard goal in limited. I agree that not only green should get the fixing, but I've posted 2 (common) lands and 3 artifacts all up that help fixing, and I'm not done yet.
@LonElara: Thanks for the encouragement.
I'm not blind to how graveyard intensive this set could be, and I have an idea or two for lhurgoyfs. This one is pretty similar. Ta!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Ah, contraire! While it certainly is better than terramorphic expanse, it isn't by much... Provided you were always going to evoke it. The only advantage it has over the expanse when evoked is that it can tap for colorless before it leaves play - allowing you to fix your mana without slowing down too much. Considering how little play terramorphic expanse sees in constructed - I think it's safe to say that the extra mana doens't break it.
However, the card still counts as a land drop for the turn, so it's like it comes into play tapped as a basic land of your choice (superior to arcane santum or somesuch) but then never produces any other kind of mana (inferior to arcane sanctum or somesuch).
Moreover, there are many legitimate reasons to play the card without evoking it. If you allready have all the colors you need, this is just dandy as a land drop. Also it helps hose opposing land destruction strategies and give Obliterate decks some more tech. It's extremely fun, for nearly everyone involved. Yet when you compair it to flagstones of trokair, the onslaught fetchlands (since it can only feth basic lands and they enter tapped), the tri-colored tap lands and more; it's not overpowered at all. After all, a tri-colored land can produce W one turn and U the next... Which is very important for cryptic command and the like.
I considered costing it at evoke 1 but I don't think it's necessary. It does so much at once, but it's clearly inferior to a lot of good lands for important decks. I also think it's funny that some people think it's incredibly broken and others think it's complete crap. Anything that fun has got to have something going for it!
Remaking Magic - A Podcast for those that love MTG and Game Design
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Sig-Heroes of the Plane