Solution? 1/1s for C with TWO KEYWORDS. Am I worried about this? YES! I need serious feedback (not on my design philosophy, on the balance of these cards):
U Option 1 1/1 Flying, Flash - Faerie Wizard
- - This feels very strong, but it's also very blue. This is the absolute top tier of what blue can get as a 1 drop, but it's pretty bad overall. U Option 2 1/1 Flying, Vigilance - Faerie Soldier
- - I know people don't like blue vigilance, and obsoleting Zephyr Falcon is a big deal. That said, Vigilance is the best candidate for a UW ability, and this lets us have some cross-promotion between white and blue supported creature-type wise. U Option 3 1/1 Flying, Skulk - Faerie Rogue
- - More or less super unblockable. Hilarious against Giant Spider, which could be a problem.
Current Favorite: U Option 1
W Option 1 1/1 Vigilance, Lifelink - Kithkin Soldier
- - Seems very weak.
- - Holds equipment well, like most of these though.
Note: Ragtag Militia2W
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for four creatures with a CMC of 1 or less with different names and reveal them. Shuffle. Target opponent puts two into your graveyard. Put the other two onto the battlefield.
With this in the format, I think this guy can be a fair 1-2 of in the Ragtag deck, and for highlander solider decks moving forward.
W Option 2 1/1 First Strike, Reach - Kithkin Soldier Archer
- - Obsoletes Serra Zealot, but then again Boros Recruit and Mosquito Guard beat them there. W Option 3 1/1 First Strike, Lifelink - Kithkin Cleric Solider?
- - See above, but this guy rocks a Bonesplitter much better.
Current Favorite: W Option 2 , but I'd be okay with W Option 1
G Option 1 1/1 Hexproof, Reach - Elf Archer
- - doesn't let me print Gladecover Scout, but then again Slippery Bogle kind of obsoletes that save for the (tier 2) creature type(s). G Option 2 1/1 Flash, Reach - Elf Archer
- - U Option 1 laughs at this all day long. G Option 3 1/1 Haste, Trample - Elf Warrior G Option 4 1/1 Reach, Deathtouch - Elf Archer
- - Doesn't let me print Thornweald Archer, Pharika's Chosen/Typhoid Rats-like cards. G Option 5 1/1 Hexproof, Flash - Dryad Shaman
- - Feels too strong, but totally pwns U... which is what this wants to do, no?
- - Edit: Changed to Dryad. G Option 6 1/1 Haste, Flash - Elf Shaman
- - not quite Raging Kavu... but it is somewhat interesting from a design perspective. But I'd rather explore this on a larger card.
Current Favorite: G Option 5 1/1 Hexproof, Flash - Dryad Shaman
R Option 1 1/1 Menace, Haste - Goblin Warrior
- - Funny little guy, and probably the only 1/1 french vanilla that has a chance in goblin decks, even though the lords usually give haste anyways. R Option 2 1/1 First Strike, Haste - Goblin Warrior
- - No, just too strong. Especially at common, it hits turn 1, then still kills most blockers - especially with burn - for the next few turns. And with a goblin lord... just no. R Option 3 1/1 First Strike, Menace - Goblin Warrior
- - See, it's funny because if you block with 2 1/1s, it still gets the better one. too strong, so no.
Current Favorite: R Option 1 1/1 Menace, Haste - Goblin Warrior
B Option 1 1/1 Menace, Skulk - Human Rogue
- - quixotic evasion of the year? B Option 2 1/1 Menace, Skulk - Zombie Scout
- - Creature types matter. I want a Deathtouch 1/1 zombie for B and shambling goblin in this set. If having 3 1/1s for B at common in a set is okay, this is the way to go I think? A wealth of zombie 1 drops... B Option 3 1/1 Skulk, Deathtouch - Human Assassin
- - Obsoletes a lot, but it hits 2 things I want in this set - a 1/1 deathtoucher, and the 2-Keyword 1 drop cycle member for black. Printed alongside shambling goblin and it doesn't seem too crazy.
- - Still obsoletes Typhoid Rats, but I was going to make a zombie rat that did that anyway.
- - Creature types matter, and this is super flavorful for black but totally not tribal. B Option 4 1/1 Skulk, Deathtouch - Zombie Assassin
- - See above, but better creature types. Argh!
Twiddle MageU
Creature - Human Wizard Spellshaper (C) U,T, Discard a card: You may tap or untap target artifact, creature, or land.
1/1
Gideon's LawkeeperW
Creature - Human Solider (C) W, T: Tap target creature.
1/1
Elvish MysticG
Creature - Elf Druid (C) T: Add G to your mana pool.
1/1
Kris MageR
Creature - Human Wizard Spellshaper (C) R, T, Discard a card: Kris Mage deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/1
Finrot BlackmailerB
Creature - Merfolk Rogue Spellshaper (C) B, T, Discard a card: Target player reveals three cards from his or her hand and you choose one of them. That player discards that card. Play this ability as a sorcery.
1/1
Third common creature for C cycle:
Sea's TricksterU
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, target player puts the top four cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
1/1
Soul's AttendantW
Creature - Human Cleric (C)
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may gain 1 life.
1/1
Ent Sapling G
Creature - Treefolk (C)
1/3
Goblin LibrarianR
Creature - Goblin Wizard (C)
Whenever a player shuffles their library, ~ deals 2 damage to them.
1/1
Shambling GoblinB
Creature - Goblin Zombie (C)
When Shambling Goblin dies, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
1/1
Thornweald Archer1G
Creature - Elf Archer (C)
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
2/1
Menacing Assassin1B
Creature - Human Assassin (C)
Deathtouch
Menace
2/1
Moved to uncommon:
Illusion CrafterU
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (U) T: Choose one —
- Choose a creature type. Target creature becomes that creature type until end of turn. (It loses all other colors and creature types until end of turn.)
- Choose a basic land type. Target land becomes that type until end of turn. (Basic Land types are Forest, Mountain, Swamp, Plains, and Island. It loses all other land types until end of turn. It can only be tapped for mana that can be provided by that land this turn.)
- Choose a color. Target spell or permanent becomes that color until end of turn. (Colors are Blue, White, Green, Red, and Black. It loses all other colors until end of turn.)
1/1
You need to explain your design philosophy better. Why are those cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards a problem and your cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards are alright?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I'm kind torn between liking and disliking those. I like then because overall I think one drop 1/1 french vanilla are too weak (generally), so a better version is interesting. On the other hand I feel like a 1/1 body is so small that the keyword end being too low impact to matter and adding a extra one doesn't really change that. For example, how often does a 1/1 first strike survives attacks ? Not often, so adding vigilance is doing very, very little to the card.
You need to explain your design philosophy better. Why are those cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards a problem and your cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards are alright?
Fair request. However, I don't want this thread to devolve into a debate about my design philosophy because that's a sure way to get the thread locked, and historically a good way for people (read: me) to accidentally "troll" others and get banned.
(part of) my general design philosophy:
1) All cards printed should be constructed playable in some format.
- - Constructed formats include, but are not limited to: Standard, Modern, Vintage, Highlander-variants, multiplayer-variants, tribal-variants, commander, etc.
- - By "constructed playable," I mean a card that is, roughly, found in a tier 1-3 deck semi-regularly. This is a rather low threshold for playability, but much higher than "it has to play a role in draft even if it's not played in draft; IE Defensive Stance.
1a) All cards printed should not be strictly inferior (or even near-strictly inferior) to previous cards unless previous cards seriously restricted/harmed play (Counterspell, Black Lotus, etc.)
- - This is, of course, highly contentious with regards to certain cards. We could have this debate - sensibly - but probably not in this thread, given the scope.
- - Call this the Mindless Null or Akroan Jailer clause. This is to say that Scathe Zombies and Gideon's Lawkeeper did not create an "unfair" or "warped" play environment like Counterspell or Skullclamp did, so they should not be obsoleted in principle.
2) A set should also be draftable, and provide a fair, balanced, and memorable drafting experience.
- - Some might argue that (1) and (2) are incompatible. I believe this to be false, and have argued for this elsewhere. Reminder: Discussion of this point is outside the scope of this rather bloated thread, please respect that. If you wish to have the discussion of this elsewhere, please let me know - I'd all for a spirited, but respectful debate.
3) Cards should not needlessly obsolete previous, fair, playable cards. (This goes for the "highest fair playable" version of the design, not the most recently printed or the first playable version of the design) This is to say that if a card was/is constructed playable, it should remain the standard.
- - Changes in creature type to a more desirable type might not quality as "needlessly," but lateral creature type changes are preferable. Changes to an inferior creature type might allow for some small bonuses as well.
4) "Reprint" is not a dirty word. If a card is fit for reprint and fits the set, do so.
5) Rarity is not an issue with regards to power level. Rarity is only an issue with regards to limited and "coolness" factor; as some "super cool" cards that could be printed at common or uncommon might be cooler at rare or mythic.
6) Rarity is mildly an issue with regards to reprinting. Rarity shifts are acceptable if the bonus to memorability in limited or the draftability of the set is at issue; however we shouldn't be printing common dual lands "just because" it'll help fix mana bases.
- - My justification for Quicken at common is that it's such an iconic, fun ability that was rarely seen due to it's rarity. At common, it fulfills several roles in standard - a cheap "draw a card" spell, mostly, for deck thinning and storm-esque effects, and it allows for some control deck hijinks (that, to be fair, never saw constructed play when the spell was in standard, so who knows if it's legitimately constructed playable...). However, the fun of actually pulling off a Quicken in limited is something not to miss out on for rarity concerns.
7) *SOME* staple cards should be rares (note "Rares" not "Mythics"); this is to say that lands like the Ravnica dual lands that see play in pretty much every format deserve to be rares, while other lands that see play in mostly standard formats do not.
- - One might call this a $$$ clause, but I don't think this is entirely fair.
(part of) my Hypothetical Ideal Core Set philosophy:
1) The set should print cards that should be "evergreen", and while some of the cards will necessarily change from printing to printing, the goal is for the majority of the cards in the set to remain the same.
2) The set should be designed to bring new players in, and to provide cards that returning players can keep and return to the game in the future (see the above point).
3) Because the set is designed to be an introductory set, it should include a number of "simple" creatures - commonly referred to as "vanilla" and "french vanilla."
4) Keywords should be used at least 5 times within the set, and should have their complete reminder text spelled out on (non-foil) commons and uncommons.
- - Exception: Indestructible (because I want to print Darksteel Colossus).
My rationale here is that indestructible is "too cool" not to print on ONE card, and printing it on more than one (especially commons) would make it much less "cool." I think that this is substantively different from printing Paladin en-Vec as the ONE card with protection in a set (bad!) for a number of reasons, most notably that indestructible is easy to understand where as protection - certainly - is not.
Because of general design philosophy 1-3 and HICS 1-3, vanilla and french vanilla cards should be (a) constructed playable, and (b) not obsoleted when the card is playable (tier 1-3) in a popular format. (Thus if the standard for a 3/3 is GG, then one could print a GG 2/3 or 3/2 with an ability, but not a 3/3 for GG with only an upside. And no, Muraganda Petroglyphs existing is not enough to say that a 3/3 vanilla for GG is not relevantly strictly worse than a 3/3 for GG with trample, flash, first strike, skulk, reach, block all upsides keyword X, etc.)
Okay, so (roughly) that's my design philosophy. Now the question you ask is - Do I live up to it? I think the answer to that is "yes"... with one potential exception.
Look at the cards I've advocated for here: Fae Teleporter is not strictly better than Faerie Miscreant, although admittedly much like Faerie Miscreant replaced Flying Men, Fae Teleportermight replace it. (I say might here because card advantage is pretty awesome...) Kithkin Archer is not strictly better than Boros Recruit and Mosquito Guard. The fact it's not a goblin is quite relevant, given how good the type of goblin is. Kithkin is a supported, but not a lateral, creature type shift; that it obsoletes the unplayable Mosquito Guard is irrelevant since it's unplayable. Yavimaya Shaman is not strictly better than Slippery Bogle. Given it's (new) creature type of Dryad, it's a fairly substantial drop in creature type quality from Gladecover Scout, so this seems fair.
Feedback on this card, and the blue one, is needed. Hence the thread.
Mad Dasher is not strictly better than Legion Loyalist. Common Assassin is not a rat, and thus it has a lateral, if not downgrade, creature type change from Typhoid Rats. That said, Skulk also makes the card play differently, as you lose the ability to kill blockers that are too big to block it. Given various Lure/Deathtouch combos, the inclusion of equipment, etc, this is quite a big functional change. Thus while the card - if printed as a rat - would seem like a strictly superior card, it is not. Also, were Typhoid Rats standard playable? I didn't play in that format, so I don't know! Feedback is requested!
Also, I have no respect for Skulk as a keyword that "counts" for much of anything; like reach or trample it's practically free on whatever you print it on.
Sea's Trickster, I think, obsoletes something, but that something wasn't tier 1-3 constructed playable. No problem there.
Finally, Illusion Crafter does obsolete Imagecrafter and various other cards. Why? For the most part, these cards were unplayable except as "1 drop of creature type X" cards in standard formats only. Were the decks that ran Imagecrafter, Grixis Illusionist, Tideshaper Mystic, or the like tier 3 or above? I actually don't know - but from my experience, I think not.
My goal with Illusion Crafter is to print a card that casual fans (like me) will love, that will see lots of casual play, and might see constructed play as a 1 drop in creature-heavy merfolk or wizard decks. Because each of it's effects are rarely going to be useful, the ability to tap for all 3 might help it become more useful. It will also give whatever deck it runs the ability to "on the fly" react to obscure cards and effects - most notably color hosers (which are being phased out - historically, and in the HICS). It is also able to "hinder" certain nonbasic land effects by turning the land into a different land, and is an incredibly inefficient form of mana fixing for limited.
^
Everything he says plus.
I'm kind torn between liking and disliking those. I like then because overall I think one drop 1/1 french vanilla are too weak (generally), so a better version is interesting. On the other hand I feel like a 1/1 body is so small that the keyword end being too low impact to matter and adding a extra one doesn't really change that. For example, how often does a 1/1 first strike survives attacks ? Not often, so adding vigilance is doing very, very little to the card.
Thanks for replying! It took me an hour to type/research for the above, so I missed your comment.
The big bonus for adding more than 1 keyword is that the creatures become better equipment/aura hosts.
And yeah, I actually think white could get a card like this:
Hypothetical White Guy Is Probably FairW
Creature - Human Solider
Lifelink
Vigilance
Reach
1/1
I could even see him having First Strike if it was uncommon or rare - assuming it's not obsoleting anything playable first. But given the guy I propose above, I think it would be very cool to see Hypothetical White Guy Is Probably Fair at common in an expansion. Would he be better than Kithkin Archer? I think not, actually.
Note: 1/1 First strikers are great targets for combat tricks like Giant Growth or flash auras. Given the number of X/1 flyers in the set, though, Kithkin Archer is not that bad. And that's not even counting the X/1 red and black guys running around.
I see now. I was confused about your willingness to obsolete Flying Men, but you seem to be okay with obsoleting cards tat shouldn't be obsoleted if WotC does it first. I didn't want to go any deeper into the issue per your request. It just made some choices seem queer.
BTW:
You might want to create a hub thread for HICS in the CSC&D section and link it in the first post for easy reference - copying over your design philosophy there as well as some other information. For example my prevailing thought after seeing this post mimiced an off-hand comment you made about the number of 1-drops in this set. How many cards are there supposed to be in total?
---
You mention some criteria for rarity like Limited and "coolness", though you say no word about complexity and NWO (though you don't rule them out like you do for "power level") - I mention this because some cards would need to be red-flagged and at least one is so ridiculously wordy that I wouldn't even print it at a higher rarity.
T: Choose one —
- Choose a creature type. Target creature becomes that creature type until end of turn. (It loses all other colors and creature types until end of turn.)
- Choose a basic land type. Target land becomes that type until end of turn. (Basic Land types are Forest, Mountain, Swamp, Plains, and Island. It loses all other land types until end of turn. It can only be tapped for mana that can be provided by that land this turn.)
- Choose a color. Target spell or permanent becomes that color until end of turn. (Colors are Blue, White, Green, Red, and Black. It loses all other colors until end of turn.)
That's twelve lines of text includng reminder text and about seven without. Small text. Eye-straining text. That card needs to be reconsidered or scrapped.
---
Skulk and deathtouch seem like a weird combination to me. One works while attacking and the other is much more powerful blocking - and seems very redundant with the paricular form of evasion granted by skulk.
I personally would go with deathtouch, lifelink here (and consider menace, deathtouch for the 2/1 cycle - which seems like the perfect stats for these two abilities) - obviously you would switch around the names/creature types as well.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
BTW:
You might want to create a hub thread for HICS in the CSC&D section and link it in the first post for easy reference - copying over your design philosophy there as well as some other information.
Good idea. I'll try to do this later.
For example my prevailing thought after seeing this post mimiced an off-hand comment you made about the number of 1-drops in this set. How many cards are there supposed to be in total?
I'm shooting for a Magic: Origins level of cards - 272 cards (101 Commons, 80 Uncommons, 55 Rares, 16 Mythic Rares, 20 Basic Land). Origins had 12 1/1s in total, and this is more than that - at common - so it is a prima facie problem.
And yes, I'm worried about the number of 1 drops in the set as well. The closest set I've found that had this number of 1 drop creatures was fourth edition, which had substantively more cards.
Mirrodin, too, had substantively more cards, but had about 20 1/1s spread around common and uncommon.
Onslaught, again with more cards, had 34 1/1s spread among all rarities.
Lorwyn was more cards than M:O, but less than origins, and also had 34 1/1s spread across all rarities.
My design for the HICS is probably most influenced by these 4 sets - Fourth edition being a "simple" and yet varied set, with some tribal themes. Onslaught brought home the tribal theme and Lorwyn expanded upon it. And Mirrodin was an amazing draft environment where creature removal was less important than artifact removal, and equipment debuted. Equipment has an amazing flavor, and was one of the reasons for the (then atypical) number of low p/t creatures in the format.
One of the fun things about drafting mirrodin was that because creatures were, on average, small, you were often more interested in getting equipment. I'm trying to design the HICS with this strategy in mind, where big creatures are awesome, but because of their scarcity at common and uncommon, you try to draft equipment and efficient auras and combat tricks to help. Auras, typically, are card disadvantage, so I've tried to select and design the auras in my set to combat this. Equipment, of course, doesn't "die" when the creature does, but there'll be enough artifact/enchantment hate effects in the set at common and uncommon so that they shouldn't be too much of a problem.
When drafting Mirrodin, you drafted artifact hate first, and creature hate second. In Theros (which I wasn't able to draft), I imagine you did the same for enchantment hate, then creature hate. In the HICS, I want you to draft creature hate first (because in most sets that's the standard), but I do want there to be some incentive for picking up artifact and enchantment hate earlier than in many drafting formats. One of the ways I'm trying to coax this is to have efficient ways of looting/sifting through cards, and to have cards like Zombie Infestation which turn "pre-sideboarded" cards into something other than dead-cards. That said, there probably won't be many draft decks where naturalize doesn't have a few notable targets.
You mention some criteria for rarity like Limited and "coolness", though you say no word about complexity and NWO (though you don't rule them out like you do for "power level") - I mention this because some cards would need to be red-flagged and at least one is so ridiculously wordy that I wouldn't even print it at a higher rarity.
Complexity in the HICS set be below current sets, and more in lines with "introductory" sets - hence the focus on vanilla and french vanilla.
As for Illusion Crafter... it might be worth it to move it to uncommon and remove the reminder text.
T: Choose one —
- Choose a creature type. Target creature becomes that creature type until end of turn. (It loses all other colors and creature types until end of turn.)
- Choose a basic land type. Target land becomes that type until end of turn. (Basic Land types are Forest, Mountain, Swamp, Plains, and Island. It loses all other land types until end of turn. It can only be tapped for mana that can be provided by that land this turn.)
- Choose a color. Target spell or permanent becomes that color until end of turn. (Colors are Blue, White, Green, Red, and Black. It loses all other colors until end of turn.)
That's twelve lines of text includng reminder text and about seven without. Small text. Eye-straining text. That card needs to be reconsidered or scrapped.
Yeah, it's getting pretty ridiculous. I'll look for a replacement at common, but it does enough that if I can keep the reminder text off the card that it'll be worth printing.
Skulk and deathtouch seem like a weird combination to me. One works while attacking and the other is much more powerful blocking - and seems very redundant with the paricular form of evasion granted by skulk.
That's the conundrum with the card. I thought about doing a Skulk/Menace 1/1 for B, but I liked the flavor of him being sneaky and slowly poisoning the opponent, or just killing whatever is attacks.
I personally would go with deathtouch, lifelink here (and consider menace, deathtouch for the 2/1 cycle - which seems like the perfect stats for these two abilities) - obviously you would switch around the names/creature types as well.
Wow - that's a great, fun combination for the 1 drop, and a great combination for the 2 drop. However, I think the Deathtouch/Lifelink guy would obsolete the rats, so I'm going to tentatively switch to the Skulk/Menace guy - super unblockable - at common. And yeah, I'm gong with Menacing Assassin for a 2 drop!
Edit: I've replaced Illusion Crafter at common with Twiddle Mage. Given that red, black, and blue are the "best" at card discard (to be fair, blue's usually doing it for card advantage), this seems fair. Is Twiddle Mage constructed playable? I have my doubts, but as a wizard and with the amount of reanimation in the format, maybe? It's also a hilariously costy pseudo-Gideon's Lawkeeper/Icy Manipulator for limited.
I disagree with the idea that all cards should be constructed-playable. Many cards are designed to balance the set for draft. You may not play draft, but many people do, I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. This is why the common creature removal in Theros was so expensive. Players need time to set up their heroes and monsters. There were a few amazing ones, but at higher rarities so they show up less frequently.
That said, I agree that Topplegeist is overpowered, but I feel the effect is so minimal that it's okay. I plan on picking up a playset.
I disagree with the idea that all cards should be constructed-playable.
Many people do.
However, do you concede that it is an empirical question whether or not draft is compatible with a 100% constructed playable format?
Quite frankly, if forced to choose between printing a card that will "balance" draft but be uncontructed playable, I'd opt for harming draft. But I don't believe the two are incompatible.
Many cards are designed to balance the set for draft.
Sure.
Draft needs certain cards at certain rarities to make draft go smoothly - a green Reach creature, a blue creature with high toughness, "overpriced" or "situational" removal, etc. However, in principle, I don't see any reason why such cards can't be constructed playable. Often times they have been.
Draft also needs "signal" cards - cards that are clearly not first picks, and should be near-last picks to help the draft go smoothly. I see no reason why "signal cards" can't be bad in limited "for the sake of limited", but good in another format.
Finally, many "good in limited" cards are mediocre. Consider the wealth of non-constructed playable 3/3 flyers for 5 or more mana. Even in construcrted formats without Lighting Bolt, these don't have a chance at seeing constructed play. Now consider:
Angel from Beyond3WW
Creature - Angel Cleric (C)
Flying
Lifelink
~ gets +1/+1 for each player that owns a card in exile.
3/3
Angel from Beyond fulfills the "mediocre to good" limited card role while also playing a role in constructed. It's a great 1x for mutliplayer, and it gives you a 5/5 for 5 with 2 good keywords if you put a little work into it in normal constructed.
Players need time to set up their heroes and monsters.
There's a substantive problem with this philosophy. If your position is that things need to cost 1-2 more than they would in constructed to give players time, but the set has cards that are constructed playable at all rarities, then all you've really done is punish someone for not lucking into their constructed cards rather than their limited overcosted cards.
Mirrodin was a format where most threats were artifacts, and most removal cost 2 mana. And it was one of the most rewarding draft experiences I had (Barring Skullclamp/Luxodon Warhammer issues). Efficiency is, in and of itself, not a problem.
Make no mistake - draft needs leeway to recover from bad draws, as your deck is ad hoc and not fine tuned. Your cards don't always work well together, and don't always have a lot of synergy. I think we agree on that, but printing "all good cards" is not an impediment to that.
That said, I agree that Topplegeist is overpowered, but I feel the effect is so minimal that it's okay. I plan on picking up a playset.
I don't disagree abotu picking up a playset, but I have to think that this reasoning is kind of why WOTC keeps the powercreep rolling.
I'm all for increasing the power of effects that have been tried historically but fail, and for doing new and different things, but adding keywords or abilities to cards that are already playable just hurts the old cards and discourages new and old players. That card you just bought? It could be garbage next week if WOTC felt like it.
In any case, I'd be really interested to hear you thoughts on the cycles in this set (at least the 1st, since it's the most controversial I think). Are there any you think are overpowered? Or underpowered?
UWBR... GFlying, UWG... RBFlash
UWVigilance WG Reach GR Haste RB Menace BU Skulk
UR Prowess - N RW First Strike WB Lifelink BG Death Touch GU Hexproof
Legion Loyalist, Skitter of Lizards, Kolaghan Stormsinger, Topplegeist and Faerie Miscreant are problems for my design philosophy, obsoleting perfectly playable "tier 1.5-tier 2" french vanilla cards.
Solution? 1/1s for C with TWO KEYWORDS. Am I worried about this? YES! I need serious feedback (not on my design philosophy, on the balance of these cards):
U Option 1 1/1 Flying, Flash - Faerie Wizard
- - This feels very strong, but it's also very blue. This is the absolute top tier of what blue can get as a 1 drop, but it's pretty bad overall.
U Option 2 1/1 Flying, Vigilance - Faerie Soldier
- - I know people don't like blue vigilance, and obsoleting Zephyr Falcon is a big deal. That said, Vigilance is the best candidate for a UW ability, and this lets us have some cross-promotion between white and blue supported creature-type wise.
U Option 3 1/1 Flying, Skulk - Faerie Rogue
- - More or less super unblockable. Hilarious against Giant Spider, which could be a problem.
Current Favorite: U Option 1
W Option 1 1/1 Vigilance, Lifelink - Kithkin Soldier
- - Seems very weak.
- - Holds equipment well, like most of these though.
Note:
Ragtag Militia 2W
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for four creatures with a CMC of 1 or less with different names and reveal them. Shuffle. Target opponent puts two into your graveyard. Put the other two onto the battlefield.
With this in the format, I think this guy can be a fair 1-2 of in the Ragtag deck, and for highlander solider decks moving forward.
- - Obsoletes Serra Zealot, but then again Boros Recruit and Mosquito Guard beat them there.
W Option 3 1/1 First Strike, Lifelink - Kithkin Cleric Solider?
- - See above, but this guy rocks a Bonesplitter much better.
Current Favorite: W Option 2 , but I'd be okay with W Option 1
G Option 1 1/1 Hexproof, Reach - Elf Archer
- - doesn't let me print Gladecover Scout, but then again Slippery Bogle kind of obsoletes that save for the (tier 2) creature type(s).
G Option 2 1/1 Flash, Reach - Elf Archer
- - U Option 1 laughs at this all day long.
G Option 3 1/1 Haste, Trample - Elf Warrior
G Option 4 1/1 Reach, Deathtouch - Elf Archer
- - Doesn't let me print Thornweald Archer, Pharika's Chosen/Typhoid Rats-like cards.
G Option 5 1/1 Hexproof, Flash - Dryad Shaman
- - Feels too strong, but totally pwns U... which is what this wants to do, no?
- - Edit: Changed to Dryad.
G Option 6 1/1 Haste, Flash - Elf Shaman
- - not quite Raging Kavu... but it is somewhat interesting from a design perspective. But I'd rather explore this on a larger card.
Current Favorite: G Option 5 1/1 Hexproof, Flash - Dryad Shaman
R Option 1 1/1 Menace, Haste - Goblin Warrior
- - Funny little guy, and probably the only 1/1 french vanilla that has a chance in goblin decks, even though the lords usually give haste anyways.
R Option 2 1/1 First Strike, Haste - Goblin Warrior
- - No, just too strong. Especially at common, it hits turn 1, then still kills most blockers - especially with burn - for the next few turns. And with a goblin lord... just no.
R Option 3 1/1 First Strike, Menace - Goblin Warrior
- - See, it's funny because if you block with 2 1/1s, it still gets the better one. too strong, so no.
Current Favorite: R Option 1 1/1 Menace, Haste - Goblin Warrior
B Option 1 1/1 Menace, Skulk - Human Rogue
- - quixotic evasion of the year?
B Option 2 1/1 Menace, Skulk - Zombie Scout
- - Creature types matter. I want a Deathtouch 1/1 zombie for B and shambling goblin in this set. If having 3 1/1s for B at common in a set is okay, this is the way to go I think? A wealth of zombie 1 drops...
B Option 3 1/1 Skulk, Deathtouch - Human Assassin
- - Obsoletes a lot, but it hits 2 things I want in this set - a 1/1 deathtoucher, and the 2-Keyword 1 drop cycle member for black. Printed alongside shambling goblin and it doesn't seem too crazy.
- - Still obsoletes Typhoid Rats, but I was going to make a zombie rat that did that anyway.
- - Creature types matter, and this is super flavorful for black but totally not tribal.
B Option 4 1/1 Skulk, Deathtouch - Zombie Assassin
- - See above, but better creature types. Argh!
Current Favorite: Option 1
Thus far, the 2 Keyword 1/1 for C cycle is:
Creature - Faerie Wizard (C)
Flying, Flash
1/1
Creature - Kithkin Soldier Archer (C)
First Strike, Reach
1/1
Creature - Dryad Shaman (C)
Hexproof, Flash
1/1
Creature - Goblin Warrior (C)
Menace, Haste
1/1
Creature - Merfolk Zombie (C)
Skulk, Menace
1/1
T[mana] common 1/1 for C creature cycle:
Creature - Human Wizard Spellshaper (C)
U,T, Discard a card: You may tap or untap target artifact, creature, or land.
1/1
Creature - Human Solider (C)
W, T: Tap target creature.
1/1
Creature - Elf Druid (C)
T: Add G to your mana pool.
1/1
Creature - Human Wizard Spellshaper (C)
R, T, Discard a card: Kris Mage deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/1
Creature - Merfolk Rogue Spellshaper (C)
B, T, Discard a card: Target player reveals three cards from his or her hand and you choose one of them. That player discards that card. Play this ability as a sorcery.
1/1
Third common creature for C cycle:
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, target player puts the top four cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
1/1
Creature - Human Cleric (C)
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may gain 1 life.
1/1
Creature - Treefolk (C)
1/3
Creature - Goblin Wizard (C)
Whenever a player shuffles their library, ~ deals 2 damage to them.
1/1
Creature - Goblin Zombie (C)
When Shambling Goblin dies, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
1/1
Edit:
While I'm here...
1C 2 keyword cycle.:
Creature - Kithkin Wizard Rogue (C)
Hexproof
Vigilance
2/1
Creature - Pegasus (C)
Flying
Lifelink
2/1
Creature - Elf Archer (C)
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
2/1
Creature - Dwarf Rogue (C)
Haste
Trample
2/1
Creature - Human Assassin (C)
Deathtouch
Menace
2/1
Moved to uncommon:
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (U)
T: Choose one —
- Choose a creature type. Target creature becomes that creature type until end of turn. (It loses all other colors and creature types until end of turn.)
- Choose a basic land type. Target land becomes that type until end of turn. (Basic Land types are Forest, Mountain, Swamp, Plains, and Island. It loses all other land types until end of turn. It can only be tapped for mana that can be provided by that land this turn.)
- Choose a color. Target spell or permanent becomes that color until end of turn. (Colors are Blue, White, Green, Red, and Black. It loses all other colors until end of turn.)
1/1
Old/cut:
Creature - Zombie Vampire (C)
Deathtouch
Lifelink
2/1
Creature - Human Assassin (C)
Skulk, Deathtouch
1/1
Note to self: Remember to add:
Magus of the Scroll (R)
Mogg Fanatic (U)
Liar's Pendulum (R)
Pithing Needle (R) or Magnus of the Needle W 1/1 Human Cleric with Pithing Needle text?
Sai of the Shinobi (C)?
MAYBE: Sylvok Lifestaff (C)?
Explorer's Scope (U) - this seems too good, but never played with it...
Spectral Searchlight (U)
Muraganda Petroglyphs (R)
Mizzium Meddler (R)
Conclave Naturalists(U) - functional reprint, treefolk?
Abbot of Keral Keep
Claustrophobia (C)
Malakir Cullblade ?
Aquamoeba (C)
You need to explain your design philosophy better. Why are those cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards a problem and your cards obsoleting playable french vanilla cards are alright?
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
Everything he says plus.
I'm kind torn between liking and disliking those. I like then because overall I think one drop 1/1 french vanilla are too weak (generally), so a better version is interesting. On the other hand I feel like a 1/1 body is so small that the keyword end being too low impact to matter and adding a extra one doesn't really change that. For example, how often does a 1/1 first strike survives attacks ? Not often, so adding vigilance is doing very, very little to the card.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
Fair request. However, I don't want this thread to devolve into a debate about my design philosophy because that's a sure way to get the thread locked, and historically a good way for people (read: me) to accidentally "troll" others and get banned.
(part of) my general design philosophy:
1) All cards printed should be constructed playable in some format.
- - Constructed formats include, but are not limited to: Standard, Modern, Vintage, Highlander-variants, multiplayer-variants, tribal-variants, commander, etc.
- - By "constructed playable," I mean a card that is, roughly, found in a tier 1-3 deck semi-regularly. This is a rather low threshold for playability, but much higher than "it has to play a role in draft even if it's not played in draft; IE Defensive Stance.
1a) All cards printed should not be strictly inferior (or even near-strictly inferior) to previous cards unless previous cards seriously restricted/harmed play (Counterspell, Black Lotus, etc.)
- - This is, of course, highly contentious with regards to certain cards. We could have this debate - sensibly - but probably not in this thread, given the scope.
- - Call this the Mindless Null or Akroan Jailer clause. This is to say that Scathe Zombies and Gideon's Lawkeeper did not create an "unfair" or "warped" play environment like Counterspell or Skullclamp did, so they should not be obsoleted in principle.
2) A set should also be draftable, and provide a fair, balanced, and memorable drafting experience.
- - Some might argue that (1) and (2) are incompatible. I believe this to be false, and have argued for this elsewhere. Reminder: Discussion of this point is outside the scope of this rather bloated thread, please respect that. If you wish to have the discussion of this elsewhere, please let me know - I'd all for a spirited, but respectful debate.
3) Cards should not needlessly obsolete previous, fair, playable cards. (This goes for the "highest fair playable" version of the design, not the most recently printed or the first playable version of the design) This is to say that if a card was/is constructed playable, it should remain the standard.
- - Changes in creature type to a more desirable type might not quality as "needlessly," but lateral creature type changes are preferable. Changes to an inferior creature type might allow for some small bonuses as well.
4) "Reprint" is not a dirty word. If a card is fit for reprint and fits the set, do so.
5) Rarity is not an issue with regards to power level. Rarity is only an issue with regards to limited and "coolness" factor; as some "super cool" cards that could be printed at common or uncommon might be cooler at rare or mythic.
6) Rarity is mildly an issue with regards to reprinting. Rarity shifts are acceptable if the bonus to memorability in limited or the draftability of the set is at issue; however we shouldn't be printing common dual lands "just because" it'll help fix mana bases.
- - My justification for Quicken at common is that it's such an iconic, fun ability that was rarely seen due to it's rarity. At common, it fulfills several roles in standard - a cheap "draw a card" spell, mostly, for deck thinning and storm-esque effects, and it allows for some control deck hijinks (that, to be fair, never saw constructed play when the spell was in standard, so who knows if it's legitimately constructed playable...). However, the fun of actually pulling off a Quicken in limited is something not to miss out on for rarity concerns.
7) *SOME* staple cards should be rares (note "Rares" not "Mythics"); this is to say that lands like the Ravnica dual lands that see play in pretty much every format deserve to be rares, while other lands that see play in mostly standard formats do not.
- - One might call this a $$$ clause, but I don't think this is entirely fair.
(part of) my Hypothetical Ideal Core Set philosophy:
1) The set should print cards that should be "evergreen", and while some of the cards will necessarily change from printing to printing, the goal is for the majority of the cards in the set to remain the same.
2) The set should be designed to bring new players in, and to provide cards that returning players can keep and return to the game in the future (see the above point).
3) Because the set is designed to be an introductory set, it should include a number of "simple" creatures - commonly referred to as "vanilla" and "french vanilla."
4) Keywords should be used at least 5 times within the set, and should have their complete reminder text spelled out on (non-foil) commons and uncommons.
- - Exception: Indestructible (because I want to print Darksteel Colossus).
My rationale here is that indestructible is "too cool" not to print on ONE card, and printing it on more than one (especially commons) would make it much less "cool." I think that this is substantively different from printing Paladin en-Vec as the ONE card with protection in a set (bad!) for a number of reasons, most notably that indestructible is easy to understand where as protection - certainly - is not.
Because of general design philosophy 1-3 and HICS 1-3, vanilla and french vanilla cards should be (a) constructed playable, and (b) not obsoleted when the card is playable (tier 1-3) in a popular format. (Thus if the standard for a 3/3 is GG, then one could print a GG 2/3 or 3/2 with an ability, but not a 3/3 for GG with only an upside. And no, Muraganda Petroglyphs existing is not enough to say that a 3/3 vanilla for GG is not relevantly strictly worse than a 3/3 for GG with trample, flash, first strike, skulk, reach, block all upsides keyword X, etc.)
Okay, so (roughly) that's my design philosophy. Now the question you ask is - Do I live up to it? I think the answer to that is "yes"... with one potential exception.
Look at the cards I've advocated for here:
Fae Teleporter is not strictly better than Faerie Miscreant, although admittedly much like Faerie Miscreant replaced Flying Men, Fae Teleporter might replace it. (I say might here because card advantage is pretty awesome...)
Kithkin Archer is not strictly better than Boros Recruit and Mosquito Guard. The fact it's not a goblin is quite relevant, given how good the type of goblin is. Kithkin is a supported, but not a lateral, creature type shift; that it obsoletes the unplayable Mosquito Guard is irrelevant since it's unplayable.
Yavimaya Shaman is not strictly better than Slippery Bogle. Given it's (new) creature type of Dryad, it's a fairly substantial drop in creature type quality from Gladecover Scout, so this seems fair.
Feedback on this card, and the blue one, is needed. Hence the thread.
Mad Dasher is not strictly better than Legion Loyalist.
Common Assassin is not a rat, and thus it has a lateral, if not downgrade, creature type change from Typhoid Rats. That said, Skulk also makes the card play differently, as you lose the ability to kill blockers that are too big to block it. Given various Lure/Deathtouch combos, the inclusion of equipment, etc, this is quite a big functional change. Thus while the card - if printed as a rat - would seem like a strictly superior card, it is not. Also, were Typhoid Rats standard playable? I didn't play in that format, so I don't know! Feedback is requested!
Also, I have no respect for Skulk as a keyword that "counts" for much of anything; like reach or trample it's practically free on whatever you print it on.
Sea's Trickster, I think, obsoletes something, but that something wasn't tier 1-3 constructed playable. No problem there.
Finally, Illusion Crafter does obsolete Imagecrafter and various other cards. Why? For the most part, these cards were unplayable except as "1 drop of creature type X" cards in standard formats only. Were the decks that ran Imagecrafter, Grixis Illusionist, Tideshaper Mystic, or the like tier 3 or above? I actually don't know - but from my experience, I think not.
My goal with Illusion Crafter is to print a card that casual fans (like me) will love, that will see lots of casual play, and might see constructed play as a 1 drop in creature-heavy merfolk or wizard decks. Because each of it's effects are rarely going to be useful, the ability to tap for all 3 might help it become more useful. It will also give whatever deck it runs the ability to "on the fly" react to obscure cards and effects - most notably color hosers (which are being phased out - historically, and in the HICS). It is also able to "hinder" certain nonbasic land effects by turning the land into a different land, and is an incredibly inefficient form of mana fixing for limited.
Thanks for replying! It took me an hour to type/research for the above, so I missed your comment.
The big bonus for adding more than 1 keyword is that the creatures become better equipment/aura hosts.
And yeah, I actually think white could get a card like this:
Hypothetical White Guy Is Probably Fair W
Creature - Human Solider
Lifelink
Vigilance
Reach
1/1
I could even see him having First Strike if it was uncommon or rare - assuming it's not obsoleting anything playable first. But given the guy I propose above, I think it would be very cool to see Hypothetical White Guy Is Probably Fair at common in an expansion. Would he be better than Kithkin Archer? I think not, actually.
Note: 1/1 First strikers are great targets for combat tricks like Giant Growth or flash auras. Given the number of X/1 flyers in the set, though, Kithkin Archer is not that bad. And that's not even counting the X/1 red and black guys running around.
BTW:
You might want to create a hub thread for HICS in the CSC&D section and link it in the first post for easy reference - copying over your design philosophy there as well as some other information. For example my prevailing thought after seeing this post mimiced an off-hand comment you made about the number of 1-drops in this set. How many cards are there supposed to be in total?
---
You mention some criteria for rarity like Limited and "coolness", though you say no word about complexity and NWO (though you don't rule them out like you do for "power level") - I mention this because some cards would need to be red-flagged and at least one is so ridiculously wordy that I wouldn't even print it at a higher rarity.
That's twelve lines of text includng reminder text and about seven without. Small text. Eye-straining text. That card needs to be reconsidered or scrapped.
---
Skulk and deathtouch seem like a weird combination to me. One works while attacking and the other is much more powerful blocking - and seems very redundant with the paricular form of evasion granted by skulk.
I personally would go with deathtouch, lifelink here (and consider menace, deathtouch for the 2/1 cycle - which seems like the perfect stats for these two abilities) - obviously you would switch around the names/creature types as well.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
I'm shooting for a Magic: Origins level of cards - 272 cards (101 Commons, 80 Uncommons, 55 Rares, 16 Mythic Rares, 20 Basic Land). Origins had 12 1/1s in total, and this is more than that - at common - so it is a prima facie problem.
And yes, I'm worried about the number of 1 drops in the set as well. The closest set I've found that had this number of 1 drop creatures was fourth edition, which had substantively more cards.
Mirrodin, too, had substantively more cards, but had about 20 1/1s spread around common and uncommon.
Onslaught, again with more cards, had 34 1/1s spread among all rarities.
Lorwyn was more cards than M:O, but less than origins, and also had 34 1/1s spread across all rarities.
My design for the HICS is probably most influenced by these 4 sets - Fourth edition being a "simple" and yet varied set, with some tribal themes. Onslaught brought home the tribal theme and Lorwyn expanded upon it. And Mirrodin was an amazing draft environment where creature removal was less important than artifact removal, and equipment debuted. Equipment has an amazing flavor, and was one of the reasons for the (then atypical) number of low p/t creatures in the format.
One of the fun things about drafting mirrodin was that because creatures were, on average, small, you were often more interested in getting equipment. I'm trying to design the HICS with this strategy in mind, where big creatures are awesome, but because of their scarcity at common and uncommon, you try to draft equipment and efficient auras and combat tricks to help. Auras, typically, are card disadvantage, so I've tried to select and design the auras in my set to combat this. Equipment, of course, doesn't "die" when the creature does, but there'll be enough artifact/enchantment hate effects in the set at common and uncommon so that they shouldn't be too much of a problem.
When drafting Mirrodin, you drafted artifact hate first, and creature hate second. In Theros (which I wasn't able to draft), I imagine you did the same for enchantment hate, then creature hate. In the HICS, I want you to draft creature hate first (because in most sets that's the standard), but I do want there to be some incentive for picking up artifact and enchantment hate earlier than in many drafting formats. One of the ways I'm trying to coax this is to have efficient ways of looting/sifting through cards, and to have cards like Zombie Infestation which turn "pre-sideboarded" cards into something other than dead-cards. That said, there probably won't be many draft decks where naturalize doesn't have a few notable targets.
Complexity in the HICS set be below current sets, and more in lines with "introductory" sets - hence the focus on vanilla and french vanilla.
As for Illusion Crafter... it might be worth it to move it to uncommon and remove the reminder text.
Yeah, it's getting pretty ridiculous. I'll look for a replacement at common, but it does enough that if I can keep the reminder text off the card that it'll be worth printing.
That's the conundrum with the card. I thought about doing a Skulk/Menace 1/1 for B, but I liked the flavor of him being sneaky and slowly poisoning the opponent, or just killing whatever is attacks.
Wow - that's a great, fun combination for the 1 drop, and a great combination for the 2 drop. However, I think the Deathtouch/Lifelink guy would obsolete the rats, so I'm going to tentatively switch to the Skulk/Menace guy - super unblockable - at common. And yeah, I'm gong with Menacing Assassin for a 2 drop!
Edit: I've replaced Illusion Crafter at common with Twiddle Mage. Given that red, black, and blue are the "best" at card discard (to be fair, blue's usually doing it for card advantage), this seems fair. Is Twiddle Mage constructed playable? I have my doubts, but as a wizard and with the amount of reanimation in the format, maybe? It's also a hilariously costy pseudo-Gideon's Lawkeeper/Icy Manipulator for limited.
I didn't mean to spoil it, sorry. Click here if you want to look it up - New Set Spoiler
That said, I agree that Topplegeist is overpowered, but I feel the effect is so minimal that it's okay. I plan on picking up a playset.
However, do you concede that it is an empirical question whether or not draft is compatible with a 100% constructed playable format?
Quite frankly, if forced to choose between printing a card that will "balance" draft but be uncontructed playable, I'd opt for harming draft. But I don't believe the two are incompatible.
Sure.
Draft needs certain cards at certain rarities to make draft go smoothly - a green Reach creature, a blue creature with high toughness, "overpriced" or "situational" removal, etc. However, in principle, I don't see any reason why such cards can't be constructed playable. Often times they have been.
Draft also needs "signal" cards - cards that are clearly not first picks, and should be near-last picks to help the draft go smoothly. I see no reason why "signal cards" can't be bad in limited "for the sake of limited", but good in another format.
Finally, many "good in limited" cards are mediocre. Consider the wealth of non-constructed playable 3/3 flyers for 5 or more mana. Even in construcrted formats without Lighting Bolt, these don't have a chance at seeing constructed play. Now consider:
Angel from Beyond 3WW
Creature - Angel Cleric (C)
Flying
Lifelink
~ gets +1/+1 for each player that owns a card in exile.
3/3
Angel from Beyond fulfills the "mediocre to good" limited card role while also playing a role in constructed. It's a great 1x for mutliplayer, and it gives you a 5/5 for 5 with 2 good keywords if you put a little work into it in normal constructed.
I've drafted for years (although not lately), drafting weekly from about Onslaught through Lorwyn.
There's a substantive problem with this philosophy. If your position is that things need to cost 1-2 more than they would in constructed to give players time, but the set has cards that are constructed playable at all rarities, then all you've really done is punish someone for not lucking into their constructed cards rather than their limited overcosted cards.
Mirrodin was a format where most threats were artifacts, and most removal cost 2 mana. And it was one of the most rewarding draft experiences I had (Barring Skullclamp/Luxodon Warhammer issues). Efficiency is, in and of itself, not a problem.
Make no mistake - draft needs leeway to recover from bad draws, as your deck is ad hoc and not fine tuned. Your cards don't always work well together, and don't always have a lot of synergy. I think we agree on that, but printing "all good cards" is not an impediment to that.
I don't disagree abotu picking up a playset, but I have to think that this reasoning is kind of why WOTC keeps the powercreep rolling.
I'm all for increasing the power of effects that have been tried historically but fail, and for doing new and different things, but adding keywords or abilities to cards that are already playable just hurts the old cards and discourages new and old players. That card you just bought? It could be garbage next week if WOTC felt like it.
In any case, I'd be really interested to hear you thoughts on the cycles in this set (at least the 1st, since it's the most controversial I think). Are there any you think are overpowered? Or underpowered?