I'm not sure how to word this properly. Which one is the proper version?
Scream In The Night UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is equal to or less than the discarded card's converted mana cost.
==
OR
==
Scream In The Night UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is X or less, where X is the discarded card's converted mana cost.
Normally you want to get away from using X in a card that does not have a reason to use X in a cost.
The wording with "equal or less" works a lot better as it is better to read, for Spellshutter sprite they use X as you have to count the number of Faeries when ability resolves anyway, which can change, but the converted manacost of the discarded card will not change, which makes the Wording better to use "equal".
The bad with the "X" wording is that you "translate" it into the equal or less anyway, so the card should use the first simply because of that.
Most of the cards that dont have an X in a cost should avoid to use an X in the text.
If a cost has X, or it "counts" something it will use X most the time, as it makes sence in that case.
If the card has nothing to do with an Variable Value it simply should not use an variable to express this.
Say your card would discard an card and than count the cards in the graveyard, in that case X would make sence, but the converted manacost will allways be the same, you discard it and it does exactly that.
I would word it like this.
Scream In The Night
:symu::symb:
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card with converted mana cost X.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is X or less.
X costs are clunky when they appear that many times. It works on the sprite because the number of faeries in play is a vacuous phrase and X helps frame it. But your first wording it confusing anyway.
Try this:
Scream In The Night UB
Instant
When you play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell with converted mana cost less than or equal to the discarded card's.
If you get rid of the, "or equal to" the card becomes even smoother and you can drop the mana cost to make it more desirable to play. Like this.
Scream In The Night(U/B)
Instant
When you play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell with converted mana cost less than the discarded card's.
A lot more elegant with comporable power, plus is even in the flavor of black.
Stairc I think it's a little too powerful. Yes you two for one yourself but in Dredge decks and animation decks and Haakon decks and madness decks it's never a drawback to discard the card.
You could also word it:
Scream in the Night - UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream in the Night, discard a card with a converted manacost of X.
Counter target spell with a converted manacost of X or less.
I believe that the following is the crux of the matter.
I agree X should be avoided when possible, since in this case there is no "counting", but so far most people seem to prefer the second wording (with X), simply because the phrase "equal to or less than" makes for a lumpy sentence; thus, they prefer the smoother aesthetic feel of "with converted mana cost X or less".
It would seem that for this card the Spellstutter Sprite model is smoother.
1) "Less than or equal to" souds better than, "equal to or less than". That smoothes it out right there.
2) I think you should just make it, "less than". It's much, much simpler than either wording and sacrifices a miniscule amount of power. It even leaves room for an aditional ability if you want one - which can help counterbalance the very slight reduction in power.
3) I don't think my second version of the card is unprintable. Dredge decks aren't much of a threat in extended right now. It's a little absurd, I grant you that, but many cards are. If we wanted to make it a more normal power level we could put the countered spell on top of your opponent's deck, put the discarded card on the bottom of your library rather than discarding it or just up the mana cost to (U/B)(U/B).
While card advantage is very important and essentially you'll be two for oneing yourself in most decks, I still know is too cheap for your suggested change Stair. You lose essentially nothing when you counter something that loses you the game. We could compare this to Disrupting Shoal. Instead of discarding you remove the card from the game. The card is limited to blue only cards. The cost of Disrupting shoal is free plus a card from the hand. The X must be exact. To do it your way you get waaaay more versatility for the single cost of a blue or a black AND you get to keep the card in your graveyard AND it's X or less. It's a little difficult to compare free and one "Almost free" but still, I think it's safe to say your version would need to cost more even if it said "less than X"
I just don't think the tradeoff is enough of a difference to lower the CMC to 1. Then again you could take a Disrupting shoal approach to it and make it cost x - You may discard a card to pay for X etc.
Whatever you do, you can't have the condition "with converted mana cost [mathematical property]." The property would be undefined at the time you have to choose a target since you haven't discarded a card yet, so it would be impossible for the game to tell what is a legal target.
So, that out of the way, I'll tell you that you shouldn't use X unless you have to. There's no need for it, and it complicates the use of X on actual "variable" cards, which is stressful enough on the rules.
Scream in the Night UB
As an additional cost to play Scream in the Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is less than or equal to the discarded card's converted mana cost.
Maybe "equal to or less than" looked lumpy because it's not the actually the wording seen on cards.
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Scream In The Night
UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is equal to or less than the discarded card's converted mana cost.
==
OR
==
Scream In The Night
UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is X or less, where X is the discarded card's converted mana cost.
2nd wording wins.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Thanks for your thoughts.
The wording with "equal or less" works a lot better as it is better to read, for Spellshutter sprite they use X as you have to count the number of Faeries when ability resolves anyway, which can change, but the converted manacost of the discarded card will not change, which makes the Wording better to use "equal".
The bad with the "X" wording is that you "translate" it into the equal or less anyway, so the card should use the first simply because of that.
Most of the cards that dont have an X in a cost should avoid to use an X in the text.
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If the card has nothing to do with an Variable Value it simply should not use an variable to express this.
Say your card would discard an card and than count the cards in the graveyard, in that case X would make sence, but the converted manacost will allways be the same, you discard it and it does exactly that.
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Scream In The Night
:symu::symb:
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream In The Night, discard a card with converted mana cost X.
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is X or less.
Try this:
Scream In The Night UB
Instant
When you play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell with converted mana cost less than or equal to the discarded card's.
If you get rid of the, "or equal to" the card becomes even smoother and you can drop the mana cost to make it more desirable to play. Like this.
Scream In The Night (U/B)
Instant
When you play Scream In The Night, discard a card.
Counter target spell with converted mana cost less than the discarded card's.
A lot more elegant with comporable power, plus is even in the flavor of black.
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You could also word it:
Scream in the Night - UB
Instant
As an additional cost to play Scream in the Night, discard a card with a converted manacost of X.
Counter target spell with a converted manacost of X or less.
I agree X should be avoided when possible, since in this case there is no "counting", but so far most people seem to prefer the second wording (with X), simply because the phrase "equal to or less than" makes for a lumpy sentence; thus, they prefer the smoother aesthetic feel of "with converted mana cost X or less".
It would seem that for this card the Spellstutter Sprite model is smoother.
Any thoughts?
2) I think you should just make it, "less than". It's much, much simpler than either wording and sacrifices a miniscule amount of power. It even leaves room for an aditional ability if you want one - which can help counterbalance the very slight reduction in power.
3) I don't think my second version of the card is unprintable. Dredge decks aren't much of a threat in extended right now. It's a little absurd, I grant you that, but many cards are. If we wanted to make it a more normal power level we could put the countered spell on top of your opponent's deck, put the discarded card on the bottom of your library rather than discarding it or just up the mana cost to (U/B)(U/B).
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I just don't think the tradeoff is enough of a difference to lower the CMC to 1. Then again you could take a Disrupting shoal approach to it and make it cost x - You may discard a card to pay for X etc.
So, that out of the way, I'll tell you that you shouldn't use X unless you have to. There's no need for it, and it complicates the use of X on actual "variable" cards, which is stressful enough on the rules.
Maybe "equal to or less than" looked lumpy because it's not the actually the wording seen on cards.
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