This is another idea I got for a Rakdos mechanic, called Dramatic:
Leather-Lash Burglar2B
Creature - Human Rogue Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, draw a card and you lose 1 life.
3/1
Thrill-Killer2BB
Creature - Human Assassin
Deathtouch Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, destroy target creature an opponent controls.
1/1
Smoke Breather2B
Creature - Human Wizard Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, each other creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
1/1
Rakdos Knife-Thrower1R
Creature - Human Warrior
First strike Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to any target.
1/1
Flame-Chain Spiker3RR
Creature - Ogre Warrior
Menace Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to each creature, planeswalker, and player.
3/2
Madcap Bomb-Juggler2R
Creature - Goblin Rogue Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, destroy target artifact an opponent controls.
3/1
Hellfire Ringmaster4BR
Creature - Demon
Flying Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, each player sacrifices a permanent at random.
6/3
The idea is that the Rakdos could have a flair for dramatic entrances and departures (Flair could also be a good alternate name). Note that while the ability can work with sacrifice effects like Exploit, it also works with bouncing, tucking, and exiling. It could prove particularly strong with flickering since you'd get two triggers each time you flicker the creature. Dramatic/Flair can also work on noncreature permanents, but the flavor and mechanics lean toward creatures. The biggest limitation to Dramatic/Flair is that you generally want effects that can work either before or after combat, which makes temporary P/T boosts and combat-relevant keywords a little less appealing.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I... don't hate it. It's a bit nonspecific - every color gets both ETB and LTB triggers. I guess it's good for pushing a sacrifice and #value theme in Rakdos?
I love it! I was trying to figure out how to make flicker a valid theme for a custom card set I've been working on, and this works great as a simple ability.
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GENERATION 11: The first time you see this, copy and paste it into your signature and add 1 to the generation number. It's a social experiment.
Dramatic did start out as "enters the battlefield or dies", but after coming up with the name I realized it would fit bouncing and other forms of removal well too since you can have dramatic exits; just look at Owain from Fire Emblem Awakening or "The Great and Powerful" Trixie from MLP:FiM. So, I opted for a more general "enters/leaves" duality.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
This mechanic needs better balancing. Most of the creatures here are costed for an ETB or LTB trigger, but not both.
Leather Last Burglar A 3/1 for 3 with draw 1 lose 1 on either enters or leaves would be strong, but both is too much for that cost.
Thrill KillerRavenous Chupacabra is not a weak card by any means, so I don't see the need to make it any stronger. Deathtouch makes this a friggin' 3 for 1.
Smoke Breather Interesting chain reaction if you already have one of these on the battlefield. I wouldn't want this at common in a set with a token theme, since double wipe would be too much in limited.
Rakdos Knife-Thrower This is another card that would be acceptable with either ETB or LTB, but it is hard to justify at that cost with both, especially since you've thrown first strike into the equation.
Flame-Chain Spiker Oh, hey, this one is costed to take both into account. Nice.
Madcap Bomb-Juggler Yet another 3-for-1. At least this one makes up for it by being niche.
Hellfire Ringmaster Oh this one looks fun. Do more of this.
Overall, I don't think the idea is bad, per se, but you really need to cost 3-for-1s like what they actually are instead of only half of what they are.
I was going to make a lot of the examples smaller, but I felt too many 1/1s and 2/1s would look underwhelming. Thrill-Killer has Deathtouch mostly because I figured players would expect an Assassin to have Deathtouch, not to mention we have Thrill-Kill Assassin from RTR as precedent. The destroy effect could be limited to creatures that have already been dealt damage, a la Hooded Assassin. The Bomb-Juggler has 3 power mostly because it's juggling three bombs. Leather-Lash was going to be a 2/2 or even 2/1, but at one point too many of the examples had the same cmc and p/t, so I was pushing for greater diversity, plus lower toughness helps ensure the LTB effect gets triggered.
I've also got an idea for a reward card:
Dramatic Climax1BR
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control causes an ability to trigger by entering or leaving the battlefield, put a climax counter on ~. Then if there are twenty or more climax counters on ~, you win the game.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I was going to make a lot of the examples smaller, but I felt too many 1/1s and 2/1s would look underwhelming.
I think the main issue is that you have suggested not a single card that doesn't potentially create card advantage. Everything draws cards, or is potential removal/sweep/edict even just on ETB that's a 2-for-1. How could that be attractively cost? The examples lack the "Target player loses 1 life." and "Rummage"/Scry cards that get things going cheaper. There certainly is an issue where many possicle effects e. g. panic, granting a keyword or p/t bonus etc. might very well not fit with the timing of LTB/Death. That's a wrinkle to the mechanic. But that doesn't mean there isn't a token creator and +/+1 counter maker more in there.
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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]
Leather-Lash Burglar - Lose 1 life --> Lose 2 life
Thrill-Killer - 2BB --> 3BB
Rakdos Knife-Thrower - 1R --> RR
Madcap Bomb-Juggler - Destroy target artifact an opponent controls --> Each player sacrifices an artifact
I would prefer to stay away from double monocolor weight at low cmc as it discourages multicolor play, something Ravnica cards shouldn't do. Better to make the Knife-Thrower a 2R. The Bomb-Juggler tweak has potential, though if you aren't running a lot of artifacts it still becomes rather one-sided.
I think the main issue is that you have suggested not a single card that doesn't potentially create card advantage. Everything draws cards, or is potential removal/sweep/edict even just on ETB that's a 2-for-1. How could that be attractively cost? The examples lack the "Target player loses 1 life." and "Rummage"/Scry cards that get things going cheaper. There certainly is an issue where many possicle effects e. g. panic, granting a keyword or p/t bonus etc. might very well not fit with the timing of LTB/Death. That's a wrinkle to the mechanic. But that doesn't mean there isn't a token creator and +/+1 counter maker more in there.
I could certainly see a rummager in there, though if Mad Prophet, Viashino Racketeer, and Rummaging Goblin are any indication, rummagers still lean toward the 3/4 cmc range. I could see a small Devil or Goblin token maker. Maybe even an Imp token maker for novelty. Goblin would be the most likely to appear in a Ravnica set, though.
Sawblade Magician1B
Creature - Human Wizard Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.
1/1
Undead Thespian2B
Creature - Zombie
~ can't block. Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may exile target card from a graveyard. If you do, draw a card.
2/2
Card-Trick Magician2R
Creature - Human Wizard Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Madcap Ringleader1R
Creature - Goblin Rogue Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token.
1/1
Rakdos Chain-DancerBR
Creature - Human Warrior Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
3/1
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Undead Thespian's card draw isn't black. Exiling cards from graveyards doesn't represent giving up anything substantive. In fact, it's usually going to get you something useful and then another useful thing on top.
Madcap Ringleader is strictly better than Mogg War Marshal, which is a pretty good card to begin with.
Undead Thespian's card draw isn't black. Exiling cards from graveyards doesn't represent giving up anything substantive. In fact, it's usually going to get you something useful and then another useful thing on top.
Madcap Ringleader is strictly better than Mogg War Marshal, which is a pretty good card to begin with.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I would think someone as familiar with the game as you would know the difference between cantrips and CA generating card draw. They do not justify painless Divination in black.
But is Madcap Ringleader broken?
It's 3 1/1 bodies for 2 mana, in a sacrifice-heavy context. It's not broken, but it's not common material, either.
I would think someone as familiar with the game as you would know the difference between cantrips and CA generating card draw. They do not justify painless Divination in black.
But is Madcap Ringleader broken?
It's 3 1/1 bodies for 2 mana, in a sacrifice-heavy context. It's not broken, but it's not common material, either.
I have in the past asked Maro on Blogatog (under the name of "bcrossfire") whether or not black could get a curiosity variant that works like Cremate. He answered something to the effect of "it would have to be in the right set". So, while I concur that paying life or sacrificing creatures for card draw is more likely, repeat cremation is not necessarily out of the question. If anything makes it less likely here, it's Undergrowth discouraging graveyard exile.
Would 2R for Madcap Ringleader be better?
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Hey, the Rakdos can appreciate a dramatic entrance. All part of living while you can. That said, if they had to use the LTB-exclusive version, I'd call it Finale.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
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Creature - Human Rogue
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, draw a card and you lose 1 life.
3/1
Thrill-Killer 2BB
Creature - Human Assassin
Deathtouch
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, destroy target creature an opponent controls.
1/1
Smoke Breather 2B
Creature - Human Wizard
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, each other creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
1/1
Rakdos Knife-Thrower 1R
Creature - Human Warrior
First strike
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to any target.
1/1
Flame-Chain Spiker 3RR
Creature - Ogre Warrior
Menace
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to each creature, planeswalker, and player.
3/2
Madcap Bomb-Juggler 2R
Creature - Goblin Rogue
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, destroy target artifact an opponent controls.
3/1
Hellfire Ringmaster 4BR
Creature - Demon
Flying
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, each player sacrifices a permanent at random.
6/3
The idea is that the Rakdos could have a flair for dramatic entrances and departures (Flair could also be a good alternate name). Note that while the ability can work with sacrifice effects like Exploit, it also works with bouncing, tucking, and exiling. It could prove particularly strong with flickering since you'd get two triggers each time you flicker the creature. Dramatic/Flair can also work on noncreature permanents, but the flavor and mechanics lean toward creatures. The biggest limitation to Dramatic/Flair is that you generally want effects that can work either before or after combat, which makes temporary P/T boosts and combat-relevant keywords a little less appealing.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Leather Last Burglar A 3/1 for 3 with draw 1 lose 1 on either enters or leaves would be strong, but both is too much for that cost.
Thrill Killer Ravenous Chupacabra is not a weak card by any means, so I don't see the need to make it any stronger. Deathtouch makes this a friggin' 3 for 1.
Smoke Breather Interesting chain reaction if you already have one of these on the battlefield. I wouldn't want this at common in a set with a token theme, since double wipe would be too much in limited.
Rakdos Knife-Thrower This is another card that would be acceptable with either ETB or LTB, but it is hard to justify at that cost with both, especially since you've thrown first strike into the equation.
Flame-Chain Spiker Oh, hey, this one is costed to take both into account. Nice.
Madcap Bomb-Juggler Yet another 3-for-1. At least this one makes up for it by being niche.
Hellfire Ringmaster Oh this one looks fun. Do more of this.
Overall, I don't think the idea is bad, per se, but you really need to cost 3-for-1s like what they actually are instead of only half of what they are.
I've also got an idea for a reward card:
Dramatic Climax 1BR
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control causes an ability to trigger by entering or leaving the battlefield, put a climax counter on ~. Then if there are twenty or more climax counters on ~, you win the game.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Leather-Lash Burglar - Lose 1 life --> Lose 2 life
Thrill-Killer - 2BB --> 3BB
Rakdos Knife-Thrower - 1R --> RR
Madcap Bomb-Juggler - Destroy target artifact an opponent controls --> Each player sacrifices an artifact
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I think the main issue is that you have suggested not a single card that doesn't potentially create card advantage. Everything draws cards, or is potential removal/sweep/edict even just on ETB that's a 2-for-1. How could that be attractively cost? The examples lack the "Target player loses 1 life." and "Rummage"/Scry cards that get things going cheaper. There certainly is an issue where many possicle effects e. g. panic, granting a keyword or p/t bonus etc. might very well not fit with the timing of LTB/Death. That's a wrinkle to the mechanic. But that doesn't mean there isn't a token creator and +/+1 counter maker more in there.
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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I would prefer to stay away from double monocolor weight at low cmc as it discourages multicolor play, something Ravnica cards shouldn't do. Better to make the Knife-Thrower a 2R. The Bomb-Juggler tweak has potential, though if you aren't running a lot of artifacts it still becomes rather one-sided.
I could certainly see a rummager in there, though if Mad Prophet, Viashino Racketeer, and Rummaging Goblin are any indication, rummagers still lean toward the 3/4 cmc range. I could see a small Devil or Goblin token maker. Maybe even an Imp token maker for novelty. Goblin would be the most likely to appear in a Ravnica set, though.
Sawblade Magician 1B
Creature - Human Wizard
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.
1/1
Undead Thespian 2B
Creature - Zombie
~ can't block.
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may exile target card from a graveyard. If you do, draw a card.
2/2
Card-Trick Magician 2R
Creature - Human Wizard
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Madcap Ringleader 1R
Creature - Goblin Rogue
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token.
1/1
Rakdos Chain-Dancer BR
Creature - Human Warrior
Dramatic - Whenever ~ enters or leaves the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
3/1
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Madcap Ringleader is strictly better than Mogg War Marshal, which is a pretty good card to begin with.
Cremate says hi.
But is Madcap Ringleader broken?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I would think someone as familiar with the game as you would know the difference between cantrips and CA generating card draw. They do not justify painless Divination in black.
It's 3 1/1 bodies for 2 mana, in a sacrifice-heavy context. It's not broken, but it's not common material, either.
I have in the past asked Maro on Blogatog (under the name of "bcrossfire") whether or not black could get a curiosity variant that works like Cremate. He answered something to the effect of "it would have to be in the right set". So, while I concur that paying life or sacrificing creatures for card draw is more likely, repeat cremation is not necessarily out of the question. If anything makes it less likely here, it's Undergrowth discouraging graveyard exile.
Would 2R for Madcap Ringleader be better?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Leaves the battlefield alone would be better.
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Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.