It will operate a little bit like Kicker. Spells (it is not clear if it will be all spells or just non-permanents, the only example so far is a Sorcery) will have a standard casting cost and an Awaken casting cost.
If you pay the Awaken casting cost you will turn target land you control into a 0/0 Elemental with a number of +1/+1 counters dependent on the Awaken ability on the card. So you could have Awaken 3 or Awaken 5 or Awaken 1. The land has haste and is still a land.
Speculation:
Awaken will be in all colors, but may be more common in the standard land-awakening color of Green.
There may be space for spells or abilities, perhaps equipment, that are cheaper and/or more effective if they target Elementals/lands.
I think any Blue Awaken counterspell or bounce will be very popular, as would a Black removal. In a late game, a control deck can afford the higher mana and would like the flexibility in being able to turn a land into a finisher. These are the two card types I'm really looking for.
Any other ideas?
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----- "I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
It will operate a little bit like Kicker. Spells (it is not clear if it will be all spells or just non-permanents, the only example so far is a Sorcery) will have a standard casting cost and an Awaken casting cost.
If you pay the Awaken casting cost you will turn target land you control into a 0/0 Elemental with a number of +1/+1 counters dependent on the Awaken ability on the card. So you could have Awaken 3 or Awaken 5 or Awaken 1. The land has haste and is still a land.
Speculation:
Awaken will be in all colors, but may be more common in the standard land-awakening color of Green.
There may be space for spells or abilities, perhaps equipment, that are cheaper and/or more effective if they target Elementals/lands.
I think any Blue Awaken counterspell or bounce will be very popular, as would a Black removal. In a late game, a control deck can afford the higher mana and would like the flexibility in being able to turn a land into a finisher. These are the two card types I'm really looking for.
Any other ideas?
Awakened lands are colorless, and we've already got Ghostfire Blade.
I think that the "tricksy" thing to do is to Awaken a man-land to get some counters on it. I'm looking for some fairly simple man-lands (closer to the Urza's Legacy cycle than the Worldwake cycle) that can get beefy with Awaken.
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I'm not really expecting much from the mechanic. It seems like something that will just be stapled on to something that every color does.
White gets a token maker/trick spell with awaken.
Blue gets a permission/draw/bounce spell with awaken.
Black gets a kill spell with awaken.
Red gets a burn spell with awaken.
Green gets a trick/ramp/flier hate spell with awaken.
Unlike scry, where it can be stapled onto a card for 2 more mana, awaken looks like a form of kicker, so they can't really overcost the spells too badly.
I know it wouldn't be able to the way I worded it (Another creature would still fight, then the land awakens), but I think it would add flavor to Awaken definitely.
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"The essence of every world, every spell and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
search your library for a basic land and put it into play tapped.
Awoken 2- 2GG
That is some excellent design, except that you cannot awaken the land you will be searching because you have to selct your target before searching for the land. I feel sad for the missed opportunity!
Oh man, I really hope that if we get a flier hate spell with awaken that the art has the land rearing up to chomp on a flying thingy. Or if we get an awaken fightbspell that the art is a misshapen and mossy arm of rock coming out of the earth and crushing an Eldrazi. I'd buy those arts in foil day one.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
Nature awoken 1G
Enchantment
When you cast a spell you may pay an additional 1. If you do, that spell has "Awaken 1". (Treat multiple instances of awaken separately.)
I wonder if they'd make a card with an Awaken cost cheaper than the Mana cost, that would have a negative effect towards you. Like, for example:
Roaring Tremors 4WW
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated
Awaken 3 - 2WW
So in essence you'd get a cheaper version of the spell with the added cost of sacrificing a land.
Okay, so the "awakening" of your land happens before the spell resolves? Interesting.
I'm not sure that it does. You follow spells in written order. Awaken text says "also..." as if to say that it comes after the spell itself. So my assumption would be that all creatures would be destroyed, then the land gets counters and becomes a creature. This would actually be an upside, not a downside.
I wonder if they'd make a card with an Awaken cost cheaper than the Mana cost, that would have a negative effect towards you. Like, for example:
Roaring Tremors 4WW
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated
Awaken 3 - 2WW
So in essence you'd get a cheaper version of the spell with the added cost of sacrificing a land.
Okay, so the "awakening" of your land happens before the spell resolves? Interesting.
I'm not sure that it does. You follow spells in written order. Awaken text says "also..." as if to say that it comes after the spell itself. So my assumption would be that all creatures would be destroyed, then the land gets counters and becomes a creature. This would actually be an upside, not a downside.
You could change the sweep to be read as something like "At the end of the next step" or "At the end of the turn" "destroy all creatures." But that's wordy and complicated in a way that I can't see WOTC printing.
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----- "I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
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.
Awaken will be an ability in BFZ.
It will operate a little bit like Kicker. Spells (it is not clear if it will be all spells or just non-permanents, the only example so far is a Sorcery) will have a standard casting cost and an Awaken casting cost.
If you pay the Awaken casting cost you will turn target land you control into a 0/0 Elemental with a number of +1/+1 counters dependent on the Awaken ability on the card. So you could have Awaken 3 or Awaken 5 or Awaken 1. The land has haste and is still a land.
Speculation:
Awaken will be in all colors, but may be more common in the standard land-awakening color of Green.
There may be space for spells or abilities, perhaps equipment, that are cheaper and/or more effective if they target Elementals/lands.
I think any Blue Awaken counterspell or bounce will be very popular, as would a Black removal. In a late game, a control deck can afford the higher mana and would like the flexibility in being able to turn a land into a finisher. These are the two card types I'm really looking for.
Any other ideas?
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Awakened lands are colorless, and we've already got Ghostfire Blade.
I think that the "tricksy" thing to do is to Awaken a man-land to get some counters on it. I'm looking for some fairly simple man-lands (closer to the Urza's Legacy cycle than the Worldwake cycle) that can get beefy with Awaken.
Manplant Growth 1G.
Sorcery
search your library for a basic land and put it into play tapped.
Awoken 2- 2GG
White gets a token maker/trick spell with awaken.
Blue gets a permission/draw/bounce spell with awaken.
Black gets a kill spell with awaken.
Red gets a burn spell with awaken.
Green gets a trick/ramp/flier hate spell with awaken.
1G World At War
Instant
Target Creature you control fights target creature you don't control.
3G Awaken 3
You mean World at War?
1G Ruthless Retaliation
Instant
Target Creature you control fights target creature you don't control.
3G Awaken 3
"The ravages of war on Zendikar affects us and the land in which we step foot on" -Gideon Jura
It doesn't work like I think you think it works. You can't make the newly awakened land fight.
That is some excellent design, except that you cannot awaken the land you will be searching because you have to selct your target before searching for the land. I feel sad for the missed opportunity!
-Chandra Nalaar
Roaring Tremors 4WW
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated
Awaken 3 - 2WW
So in essence you'd get a cheaper version of the spell with the added cost of sacrificing a land.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Okay, so the "awakening" of your land happens before the spell resolves? Interesting.
-Chandra Nalaar
Nature awoken 1G
Enchantment
When you cast a spell you may pay an additional 1. If you do, that spell has "Awaken 1". (Treat multiple instances of awaken separately.)
I'm not sure that it does. You follow spells in written order. Awaken text says "also..." as if to say that it comes after the spell itself. So my assumption would be that all creatures would be destroyed, then the land gets counters and becomes a creature. This would actually be an upside, not a downside.
You could change the sweep to be read as something like "At the end of the next step" or "At the end of the turn" "destroy all creatures." But that's wordy and complicated in a way that I can't see WOTC printing.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Geyser Breath 2R
Instant
~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
Awaken 3-4R
But I would guess that a Common would change the damage and counters to 1, with a change in cost to match. An X cost variant could also be fun.
Furious Blaze XR
Sorcery
~ deals X damage to target creature or player.
Awaken X-XXR
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.
Ravaging Quake R
Sorcery
~deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Awaken 2-2R
A little Flametongue Kavu. A 2/2 haste that has a shock build into it for 3 mana would be a solid uncommon.