Maro recently noted that a lack of cards that worked between the factions was part of what lead to the drafts being more "On rails" during Ixalan and Rivals, and that got me thinking about cards that could bridge the gap, similar to how some cards in Lorwyn did.
Brazen Stampeder 2RR
Creature - Human Pirate (U)
When CARDNAME enter the battlefield, create a 3/3 Dinosaur creature token with trample.
Dinosaurs and other Pirates you control have haste.
1/1
Warden Pariah
1BG
Creature - Merfolk Vampire (U)
Wnevever CARDNAME becomes blocked, it gains Lifelink until the end of turn.
Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, it explores.
2/2
River Manipulator
2U
Creature - Merfolk Pirate (U)
Whenever a another Merfolk enters the battlefield under your control, target Pirate gains flying until the end of turn.
Whenever a another Pirate enters the battlefield under your control, target Merfolk gains +1/+0 until the end of turn.
1/1
Body Counter
2B
Creature - Vampire Pirate
CARDNAME's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Pirates and Vampires you control on the battlefield plus the number of Pirate and Vampire cards in your graveyard.
*/*
Harried Brontodon
3WW
Creature - Dinosaur
Vigilance
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, create three 1/1 Vampire creature tokens with Lifelink
3/3
Imperial Diplomat
2G
Creature - Human Shaman
At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on up to one Merfolk you control and on up to one Dinosaur you control.
1/3
Definitely great concepts and flavor here. Not sure how much some of it works in the lore - dunno if Ixalani Merfolk can be turned into Vampires - but I'm happy with anything that curbs the inherent linearity of tribal themes at least a little.
The Merfolk/Vampire is the one that I'm least excited about as is. Every other card can be slotted into either tribe and encourages it to grab the cards that of the other color that share a tribe with it, but Merfolk and vampires share 0 colors, so this has to encourage drafting a third color rather than cutting cards of the color you are already in. I almost feel like it needs either not to be there or that there be another WU Merfolk vampire to push the opposite way in the draft.
The Merfolk/Vampire is the one that I'm least excited about as is. Every other card can be slotted into either tribe and encourages it to grab the cards that of the other color that share a tribe with it, but Merfolk and vampires share 0 colors, so this has to encourage drafting a third color rather than cutting cards of the color you are already in. I almost feel like it needs either not to be there or that there be another WU Merfolk vampire to push the opposite way in the draft.
Being the only multicolored card here in one of Ixalan's color deserts doesn't help, either. I feel like you'd be better off designing a better explore signpost than dragging two tribes into a color combination that they don't share. A WU counterpart would only serve to pull the tribes in even more directions, confusing rather than counterbalancing. I think these kinds of tribal bridges are simply much better off as monocolored cards to show off their flexibility.
I'm a big fan of double-dipping into tribes, but you also have to be conscious of the tribal identities. Undermining the colors of the tribes is an issue. What the set really needed was some strong (not necessarily overwhelmingly strong, but competing with the tribes) nontribal mechanical themes that can pull you into different directions e. g. giving red-green Dinosaurs a stronger +1/+1 counter theme would overlap with Merfolk +1/+1 counters and allow drafters to take green +1/+1 counter Merfolk to go into multiple directions.
Brazen Stampeder 2RR
Creature - Human Pirate (U)
When CARDNAME enter the battlefield, create a 3/3 Dinosaur creature token with trample.
Dinosaurs and other Pirates you control have haste.
1/1
Monocolored "intersection" creatures are always good glue. Though they don't usually make for less linear decks unless they are explicitely better if used with multiple tribes rather than a single tribe e. g. Grim Captain's Call. Either way this should have haste by itself.
Warden Pariah
1BG
Creature - Merfolk Vampire (U)
Wnevever CARDNAME becomes blocked, it gains Lifelink until the end of turn.
Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, it explores.
2/2
I'd replace this with a creature with a generic creature type that has "As long as you control a Vampire, ~ has lifelink." and "When ~ ETBs, if you control a Merfolk, ~ explores." If you consider the previous statements you'll see how this actually really demands the tribes. Though I see how this place with the themes of the tribes already.
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]
Brazen Stampeder 2RR
Creature - Human Pirate (U)
When CARDNAME enter the battlefield, create a 3/3 Dinosaur creature token with trample.
Dinosaurs and other Pirates you control have haste.
1/1
Warden Pariah
1BG
Creature - Merfolk Vampire (U)
Wnevever CARDNAME becomes blocked, it gains Lifelink until the end of turn.
Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, it explores.
2/2
River Manipulator
2U
Creature - Merfolk Pirate (U)
Whenever a another Merfolk enters the battlefield under your control, target Pirate gains flying until the end of turn.
Whenever a another Pirate enters the battlefield under your control, target Merfolk gains +1/+0 until the end of turn.
1/1
Body Counter
2B
Creature - Vampire Pirate
CARDNAME's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Pirates and Vampires you control on the battlefield plus the number of Pirate and Vampire cards in your graveyard.
*/*
Harried Brontodon
3WW
Creature - Dinosaur
Vigilance
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, create three 1/1 Vampire creature tokens with Lifelink
3/3
Imperial Diplomat
2G
Creature - Human Shaman
At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on up to one Merfolk you control and on up to one Dinosaur you control.
1/3
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Being the only multicolored card here in one of Ixalan's color deserts doesn't help, either. I feel like you'd be better off designing a better explore signpost than dragging two tribes into a color combination that they don't share. A WU counterpart would only serve to pull the tribes in even more directions, confusing rather than counterbalancing. I think these kinds of tribal bridges are simply much better off as monocolored cards to show off their flexibility.
I agree with what you're saying. It's just a problem for a Merfolk Vampire crossover because those tribes share no colors.
Monocolored "intersection" creatures are always good glue. Though they don't usually make for less linear decks unless they are explicitely better if used with multiple tribes rather than a single tribe e. g. Grim Captain's Call. Either way this should have haste by itself.
I'd replace this with a creature with a generic creature type that has "As long as you control a Vampire, ~ has lifelink." and "When ~ ETBs, if you control a Merfolk, ~ explores." If you consider the previous statements you'll see how this actually really demands the tribes. Though I see how this place with the themes of the tribes already.
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."
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