I was trying to figure out when you would use Silence, but then assumed this is supposed to be a cool pair. They both look very bad on their own though. A 2-drop into Elephant Guide or Griffin Guide gets close enough without the massive downsides. I suppose Mysterious Statue has some other niche uses by having such a massive power / toughness compared to cost.
Yea, It was inspired by Hearthstone's Ancient Watcher (http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Ancient_Watcher) and some kind of silence effect (silence is literally "remove all text from this creature").
Would Silence actually be fine if it cost W and was a cantrip? Could also be U or hybrid. Maybe such a cheap cost breaks something in older formats?
EDIT: Make it 'enchant creature an opponent controls' and it fixes the potential for abuse. The question then remains, is it good enough? The complexity in most of our cubes is such that many creatures have relevant activated, static or triggered abilities to turn off.
Given your first comment, should that be 'exile target creature', not destroy? Seems fine either way
Oh, my comment was just meant to say that I didn't want my removal to randomly hose regenerate, especially since regenerate is pretty rare in my cube anyway.
I think they don't print effects like Silence anymore due to rules issues. (What happens when you have a card like Levitation in play, or if a creature is enchanted with both Shiv's Embrace and Silence?
I should consider borderland explorer. Magic could use more cards like this, because mana problems are why I will don't consider Magic the best game
I saw this comment from Leelue, and it got me thinking about more low-opportunity cost cards that help mana smoothing. What about a Borderland Ranger that exchanges better stats for only conditionally getting the land?
Conditional Ranger 1G
Creature - Snake Burglar
At the beginning of your end step, if ~ entered the battlefield this turn and you did not play a land this turn, you may search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. If you do, shuffle your library.
2/2
If you stumble on that third (or fourth) land drop, it can help you while still playing something at least somewhat relevant. And it doesn't really ramp you, since you aren't playing the land. Later in the game, it would ramp you, and act as a better Rampant Growth/Sakura-Tribe Elder. That sentence, "a better Sakura Tribe Elder", makes me a bit skeptical, but I would imagine it is ok since it is worse in the early game which is when ramp spells are most relevant.
EDIT:Actually, it is almost exactly as a Borderland Ranger in the late game, in that you pay two for a 2/2 and a tapped land as opposed to paying 3 for a 2/2 and an untapped land.
And also, shouldn't these exist by now?
Scryforest
Land - Forest (T:Add G to your mana pool)
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When ~ enters the battlefield, scry 1.
At least without basic land types, I would imagine these are something that are just waiting to happen. I think they could be neat, but I guess they would end up in the same spot as the cycle lands for Cube, that they are cards that most people would be happy to put in their deck, but not to put in their cube.
Yeah it's basically a strictly better Borderland Ranger since you can deploy a Grizzly Bear when you need to block red aggro dudes. I guess the downside is you can't loot away the land you find if you cast it on T9 with no lands in hand, but that's very niche.
--
There's New Benalia, but the problem is that the vast majority of sets don't have single-color non-basics. We got a new cycle in BFZ, but when was the last one before that? Worldwake?
Aether Sprite
Creature - Something Kaladeshian
Cost: U
1/1
Flying
Whenever this deals combat damage to an opponent, you get E.
If you have EEE or more, this gets +1/+1.
Not sure if that is a bit pushed for a Flying Men given that it is a repeat energy enabler for a single mana, but the baseline needs something for us to consider it. I don't recall there being a card that just rewards you for having energy (I was thinking like Glissa Sunseeker).
Mysterious Killer
Enchantment
Cost : 2BB
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose a creature at random. That creatures controller sacrifices it, then investigates.
When there are no creatures on the battlefield, sacrifice ~THIS~.
That is probably a rare effect, but I made it kind of symmetrical by being random and having the option of replacing the victim to try and keep it within the realm of peasant. Lots of ways to tweak it. Ideally a control deck would play it with no creatures of its own on the board, but depending on their board state that might be a bold move.
Yeah, I can see how it would be hard to build around. I was thinking along the lines of Braids, Cabal Minion. Perhaps it could just be 'at the beginning of each players upkeep, that players sacrifices a creature. If they do, that players investigates. If they can't, sacrifice ~THIS~'. But then it requires you to have your own creatures to sacrifice, but you could build around that with tokens etc.
Another energy enabler you can play in a deck without other energy. It would be nice to cost it at 2, but I can't come up with something that doesn't seem overpowered or clunky.
Energy Rock
Cost: 3 t: Add one mana of any colour to your mana pool. t: You get E. Et: Scry 1.
Seer's Lantern would seem to disagree. That card isn't particularly pushed, but seers lantern with 0 activation cost AND creating energy would limit design space.
Reflecting on the above, I'm sure I'd throw it (the version with 0 activation to scry) in my cube without worrying about it being too powerful in the environment; I just can't imagine a world where Wizards would print it.
Groundtiller
Cost: G
Creature - Human Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top card of your graveyard into your library. If it's a land card, gain 1 life. 1G: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
It's strictly better than Groundskeeper, but I don't know if I would play it if it was 0/1 or the ability cost 3. Could also be a 2 mana 1/3 or something.
Do you mean just tap with no other activation cost? Might be ok, but I don't you can lose the 'basic' rider if that is what you are suggesting. I suspect that would break things in other formats. And I think I like the opportunity to threaten to grow back 3 lands while swinging in with Noose Constrictor and the like.
I meant: Groundtiller
Cost: G
Creature - Human Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top card of your graveyard into your library. If it's a land card, gain 1 life. T1G: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
You loose the several activations in a turn aspect, but at least it is no longer a strictly better groundskeeper.
To be fair, the biggest problem with Groundskeeper is the fact that it is a 1/1 for 1. This is not an effect for which you need the creature to be dropped early since it is effectively a late game CA engine (used for synergies). As such, I would actually prefer something like this:
Keeper of the Grounds (or )
Creature - Elemental / [Whatever]
: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/4
Anyone interested in proxying me up some cards I can print for my cube? I haven't used a set editor for many years. I'm ready to try out my quirky land of choice cards.
Name - Painland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one painland of your choice. (The painlands are Adarkar Wastes, Battlefield Forge, Brushland, Caves of Koilos, Karplusan Forest, Llanowar Wastes, Shivan Reef, Sulfurous Srpings, Underground RIver, and Yavimaya Coast)
Name - Bounceland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one bounceland of your choice. (The bouncelands are Azorius Chancery, Boros Garrison, Dimir Aqueduct, Golgari Rot Farm, Gruul Tuf, Izzet Boilerworks, Orzhov Basilica, Rakdos Carnarium, Selesnya Sanctuary, and Simic Growth Chamber)
Name - Triland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one triland of your choice. (The trilands are Arcane Sanctum, Crumbling Necropolis, Frontier Bivouac, Jungle Shrine, Mystic Monastery, Nomad Outpost, Opulent Palace, Sandsteppe Citadel, Savage Lands, and Seaside Citadel)
Talk of 5 mana red cards got me thinking. I think most aggro decks don't want a 5-drop at all, I think if you want a red 5-drop its generally because you want to be a bit more midrange or controlling.
Some dude
Cost : 3RR
Creature - Something
3/4
First strike
Creatures you control have "1R,t : This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player."
You'd love it to be 4/4 but I don't think that is realistic for peasant, and the ability might even need to cost 2R. A 4/4 first striker alone would already be pretty difficult to deal with in combat.
Enchantment - Aura
Enchanted creature loses all abilities.
Mysterious Statue 2
Creature - Statue
4/6
Mysterious Statue can't attack or block.
EDIT: Make it 'enchant creature an opponent controls' and it fixes the potential for abuse. The question then remains, is it good enough? The complexity in most of our cubes is such that many creatures have relevant activated, static or triggered abilities to turn off.
Oh, my comment was just meant to say that I didn't want my removal to randomly hose regenerate, especially since regenerate is pretty rare in my cube anyway.
(Silence is already a cardname)
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
I saw this comment from Leelue, and it got me thinking about more low-opportunity cost cards that help mana smoothing. What about a Borderland Ranger that exchanges better stats for only conditionally getting the land?
Conditional Ranger 1G
Creature - Snake Burglar
At the beginning of your end step, if ~ entered the battlefield this turn and you did not play a land this turn, you may search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. If you do, shuffle your library.
2/2
If you stumble on that third (or fourth) land drop, it can help you while still playing something at least somewhat relevant. And it doesn't really ramp you, since you aren't playing the land. Later in the game, it would ramp you, and act as a better Rampant Growth/Sakura-Tribe Elder. That sentence, "a better Sakura Tribe Elder", makes me a bit skeptical, but I would imagine it is ok since it is worse in the early game which is when ramp spells are most relevant.
EDIT:Actually, it is almost exactly as a Borderland Ranger in the late game, in that you pay two for a 2/2 and a tapped land as opposed to paying 3 for a 2/2 and an untapped land.
And also, shouldn't these exist by now?
Scryforest
Land - Forest
(T:Add G to your mana pool)
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When ~ enters the battlefield, scry 1.
At least without basic land types, I would imagine these are something that are just waiting to happen. I think they could be neat, but I guess they would end up in the same spot as the cycle lands for Cube, that they are cards that most people would be happy to put in their deck, but not to put in their cube.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
--
There's New Benalia, but the problem is that the vast majority of sets don't have single-color non-basics. We got a new cycle in BFZ, but when was the last one before that? Worldwake?
Aether Sprite
Creature - Something Kaladeshian
Cost: U
1/1
Flying
Whenever this deals combat damage to an opponent, you get E.
If you have EEE or more, this gets +1/+1.
Not sure if that is a bit pushed for a Flying Men given that it is a repeat energy enabler for a single mana, but the baseline needs something for us to consider it. I don't recall there being a card that just rewards you for having energy (I was thinking like Glissa Sunseeker).
Mysterious Killer
Enchantment
Cost : 2BB
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose a creature at random. That creatures controller sacrifices it, then investigates.
When there are no creatures on the battlefield, sacrifice ~THIS~.
That is probably a rare effect, but I made it kind of symmetrical by being random and having the option of replacing the victim to try and keep it within the realm of peasant. Lots of ways to tweak it. Ideally a control deck would play it with no creatures of its own on the board, but depending on their board state that might be a bold move.
I mean it's a cool and flavorful thing but it's just going to backfire so hard, so often.
Another energy enabler you can play in a deck without other energy. It would be nice to cost it at 2, but I can't come up with something that doesn't seem overpowered or clunky.
Energy Rock
Cost: 3
t: Add one mana of any colour to your mana pool.
t: You get E.
Et: Scry 1.
New one, combining what I want out of Crop Sigil with the fringeness of Groundskeeper.
Groundtiller
Cost: G
Creature - Human Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top card of your graveyard into your library. If it's a land card, gain 1 life.
1G: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
It's strictly better than Groundskeeper, but I don't know if I would play it if it was 0/1 or the ability cost 3. Could also be a 2 mana 1/3 or something.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
Groundtiller
Cost: G
Creature - Human Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top card of your graveyard into your library. If it's a land card, gain 1 life.
T1G: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
You loose the several activations in a turn aspect, but at least it is no longer a strictly better groundskeeper.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
Keeper of the Grounds (or )
Creature - Elemental / [Whatever]
: Return target basic land card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/4
Sorcery
Exile target creature, then return it to the battlefield under your control.
My cube discussion thread
Thats really cool
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Name - Painland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one painland of your choice. (The painlands are Adarkar Wastes, Battlefield Forge, Brushland, Caves of Koilos, Karplusan Forest, Llanowar Wastes, Shivan Reef, Sulfurous Srpings, Underground RIver, and Yavimaya Coast)
Name - Bounceland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one bounceland of your choice. (The bouncelands are Azorius Chancery, Boros Garrison, Dimir Aqueduct, Golgari Rot Farm, Gruul Tuf, Izzet Boilerworks, Orzhov Basilica, Rakdos Carnarium, Selesnya Sanctuary, and Simic Growth Chamber)
Name - Triland of Choice
Type - Land Draft
Card Text - When you draft this card, reveal it and immediately replace it with one triland of your choice. (The trilands are Arcane Sanctum, Crumbling Necropolis, Frontier Bivouac, Jungle Shrine, Mystic Monastery, Nomad Outpost, Opulent Palace, Sandsteppe Citadel, Savage Lands, and Seaside Citadel)
Some dude
Cost : 3RR
Creature - Something
3/4
First strike
Creatures you control have "1R,t : This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player."
You'd love it to be 4/4 but I don't think that is realistic for peasant, and the ability might even need to cost 2R. A 4/4 first striker alone would already be pretty difficult to deal with in combat.