War-Drum Tusker2RR
Creature - Beast [R]
Haste
Whenever War-Drum Tusker attacks, each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more creatures this turn.
4/4
Seems reasonable (though likely would be printed with less than 4 toughness), but do we really need another hasty 4-power 4-drop with an evasion effect?
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No, I just thought it would be a thematic and fun card and decided to post it. I actually wanted it to be a 4/5 elephant, but thought that would be too good, so I went with a 4/4 beast.
Sorry, I was posting in a bit of a hurry last night between smash matches.
I don't love reprioritize, as unless you are countering a huge spell or another counterspell, there's a huge chance you just end up giving them an equally good permanent or spell way too much of the time. It is particularly bad early, which is where traditional control really needs its counters to be good.
I like shockwave, as shock and the various shock plus's have always been close but generally not good enough except where they scale to give you reach and the potential for more damage, and this does this. It's not hard to imagine a board state where this domes your opponent for 2 then forces in another 2-3 damage, which is great for 2 mana. However, that extra damage is not a given, which makes it a fair spell. I would definitely test this.
I don't like flame, as I feel like it's only great when you have a grip of lands or irrelevant cards, which is way too conditional for a 3 mana enchantment. Even in it's BCS, where you're in topdeck mode and you get to pitch any card you don't want, it's just essentially scry 1 each turn.
Hatred is interesting. It's a harder to remove and cheaper than hellrider (the obvious comparison), but doesn't hit for 4 on its own. It does, however, make all your future creatures hit for a lot more, and it's great to have in play after you get wrathed. I think this one would be testable as well.
Are we at the point yet where this could be printed?
Better Searing Spear
Instant
Better Searing Spear deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
When Searing Spear and Lightning Strike are no longer good cards then maybe. I don't think we are close to that. Maybe a sorcery speed version but I really doubt it. They have never given us a 3 mana version of that without a drawback.
Wuld it be possible to make Ajani's trigger a may? Or make it trigger when you attack with 3 or more creatures? I'd like to have some more control over when it has to leave. Cool post-transform abilities though.
I'd like Nissa's token to be a bear or a Llanowar Elf token rather than a generic 1/1. Plus, the transform ability seems more difficult than is maybe desirable. Also, would it be possible to have two abilities that work together rather than trample + reach (like vigilance + reach or trample + other offensive ability)?
Fine designs, and I'd test both, but I'd be happier with synergistic abilities that I have a bit more control over.
@hawkeye: What about combining the effects of Shockwave into an Arc Lightning variant?
Shockwave 2.0 1RR
Sorcery [U]
Shockwave deals 3 damage divided as you choose among one, two, or three target creatures and/or players. Creatures damaged by Shockwave can't block this turn.
Alternatively, it could be a 2R spell and not hit players, but I like the above version better.
To be fair that (Warleader's Helix) is also a lifelinking 4 damage. So maybe we can drop the lifelink and get it costed at 2R.
Well, 1 life is clearly not worth 1 colorless mana, so we know that wizards thinks going from 3 to 4 is somewhere between 1 and 2 colorless mana. Further, we know that wizards now thinks 3 damage should cost 2 mana, so I doubt we'll see a drawbackless char anytime soon.
They could probably print 2R instant - 4 damage to target player though.
Edit - not that I'd cube with it, but it's a card I could see. Hell, they could probably do 1R 4 damage to target player if we look at boros charm and the fact that it had 3 modes.
Hand of the Blood Flame2R
Instant
Hand of the Blood Flame deals 4 damage to target creature. The damage can't be prevented. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead. Hellbent - If you have no cards in hand, Hand of the Blood Flame deals 4 damage to target creature and 4 damage to that creature's controller instead.
Interject1U
Instant [U]
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2. Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Interject1U
Instant [U]
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2. Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
I think the actual comparison here is Condescend. Is this going to be better in enough cases (your opponent taps all but one, you don't have more than two mana to pay) to be worth being worse in other cases (you have more available mana than your opponent can pay)?
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I made it an uncommon so it doesn't step on Hopes' toes. But that card is pretty bad, so...
I thought the best comparison was Condescend/Miscalculation. It has pros and cons against those two cards and neither of those are broken, so I thought the design might be okay.
I think most decks that want condescend would be perfectly happy to run interject along side both condescend and miscalc. There are many times where I have condescend in hand and 2 mana up and my opponent leaves a mana up, making me very sad. It's certainly worse than condescend as the game goes longer, but I like having the option to cast some main phase spells and turns 3-5 and not be left with nothing but an expensive force spike. I'd definitely test this card.
I certainly don't think it's broken, as wizards must know that stymied hopes was complete garbage.
It's probably a fair card, and it would see a lot of Standard play if it were printed, I'm just curious if it makes the cut when Condescend isn't in many lists.
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I'm surprised condescend isn't in a lot of lists. I love Condescend! Also, given that I already think that miscalculation is better than mana leak, I'd probably test wtwlf's card in mana leak's spot, as I imagine the alway-on card quality advantage that the scry 2 gives you would be substantially better than making the opponent pay 3 as opposed to 2, as it's just not that often that the opponent has exactly 2 mana that they can pay.
It's probably a fair card, and it would see a lot of Standard play if it were printed, I'm just curious if it makes the cut when Condescend isn't in many lists.
It's not? Condescend is in the average 360 card cube on CubeTutor. I think Condescend is in the vast majority of cube lists.
3BB
Creature - Goblin Rogue
When ~ enters the battlefield, put three 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield. 1B, Sacrifice a Faerie: Put two -1/-1 counters on target creature or remove up to two counters from target permanent.
2/2
Seems reasonable (though likely would be printed with less than 4 toughness), but do we really need another hasty 4-power 4-drop with an evasion effect?
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Isn't this just a strictly worse arcane denial 99.9% of the time in that it costs UU instead of 1U? You end 1 card down with both of them.
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I don't love reprioritize, as unless you are countering a huge spell or another counterspell, there's a huge chance you just end up giving them an equally good permanent or spell way too much of the time. It is particularly bad early, which is where traditional control really needs its counters to be good.
I like shockwave, as shock and the various shock plus's have always been close but generally not good enough except where they scale to give you reach and the potential for more damage, and this does this. It's not hard to imagine a board state where this domes your opponent for 2 then forces in another 2-3 damage, which is great for 2 mana. However, that extra damage is not a given, which makes it a fair spell. I would definitely test this.
I don't like flame, as I feel like it's only great when you have a grip of lands or irrelevant cards, which is way too conditional for a 3 mana enchantment. Even in it's BCS, where you're in topdeck mode and you get to pitch any card you don't want, it's just essentially scry 1 each turn.
Hatred is interesting. It's a harder to remove and cheaper than hellrider (the obvious comparison), but doesn't hit for 4 on its own. It does, however, make all your future creatures hit for a lot more, and it's great to have in play after you get wrathed. I think this one would be testable as well.
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Better Searing Spear
Instant
Better Searing Spear deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
When Searing Spear and Lightning Strike are no longer good cards then maybe. I don't think we are close to that. Maybe a sorcery speed version but I really doubt it. They have never given us a 3 mana version of that without a drawback.
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I agree that we could maaaybe see this as a sorcery, but we can't even get 2R instant no-drawback 4 damage.
I could also see it at RR.
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Yup, and you just have too look at lightning helix v. warleader's helix to see what Wizards thinks it costs to go from 3 damage to 4.
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I'd like Nissa's token to be a bear or a Llanowar Elf token rather than a generic 1/1. Plus, the transform ability seems more difficult than is maybe desirable. Also, would it be possible to have two abilities that work together rather than trample + reach (like vigilance + reach or trample + other offensive ability)?
Fine designs, and I'd test both, but I'd be happier with synergistic abilities that I have a bit more control over.
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Shockwave 2.0 1RR
Sorcery [U]
Shockwave deals 3 damage divided as you choose among one, two, or three target creatures and/or players. Creatures damaged by Shockwave can't block this turn.
Alternatively, it could be a 2R spell and not hit players, but I like the above version better.
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What about these:
Forked Ferment B
Instant
Distribute 2 -1/-1 counters among 1 or 2 target creatures
Buried Together B
Instant
As part of the cost of ~ discard a creature card.
Destroy target creature.
Soul Scream B
Instant
Spend X Life. Target creature gets -x/-x until end of turn.
Hell's Bombardment B
Sorcery
Discard X cards, Destroy X non-black creatures, you lose X life.
Corruption's Renewal B
Sorcery
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature, draw a card
Well, 1 life is clearly not worth 1 colorless mana, so we know that wizards thinks going from 3 to 4 is somewhere between 1 and 2 colorless mana. Further, we know that wizards now thinks 3 damage should cost 2 mana, so I doubt we'll see a drawbackless char anytime soon.
They could probably print 2R instant - 4 damage to target player though.
Edit - not that I'd cube with it, but it's a card I could see. Hell, they could probably do 1R 4 damage to target player if we look at boros charm and the fact that it had 3 modes.
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Flames of the Blood Hand?
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Lol, totally forgot that existed. So yeah, I guess they can print that =P.
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Instant
Hand of the Blood Flame deals 4 damage to target creature. The damage can't be prevented. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.
Hellbent - If you have no cards in hand, Hand of the Blood Flame deals 4 damage to target creature and 4 damage to that creature's controller instead.
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I like the idea of this, but I'd like it more as "Put a card from your hand on top of your library".
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Instant [U]
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2. Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
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Well, it makes Stymied Hopes look like garbage.
Oh wait...
I think the actual comparison here is Condescend. Is this going to be better in enough cases (your opponent taps all but one, you don't have more than two mana to pay) to be worth being worse in other cases (you have more available mana than your opponent can pay)?
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I thought the best comparison was Condescend/Miscalculation. It has pros and cons against those two cards and neither of those are broken, so I thought the design might be okay.
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I certainly don't think it's broken, as wizards must know that stymied hopes was complete garbage.
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It's not? Condescend is in the average 360 card cube on CubeTutor. I think Condescend is in the vast majority of cube lists.
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3BB
Creature - Goblin Rogue
When ~ enters the battlefield, put three 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
1B, Sacrifice a Faerie: Put two -1/-1 counters on target creature or remove up to two counters from target permanent.
2/2