MTG Salvation

It seems like there are going to be enough "drawback is oppo gets a basic" in this set to enable a new type of archetype that focuses on exhausting your opponents' basic lands then running rampant with overpowered effects. So far we've got:

Ghost Quarter
Path to Exile
Settle the Wreckage
Field of Ruin
Old-Growth Dryad

Add in Crucible of Worlds/Ramunap Excavator and even Aven Mindcensor/Thalia, Heretic Cathar.

Aggressive Tax Collector 2W
Creature - Human Advisor C
Creatures may not block ~ unless their controller pays 2 for each of those creatures.
“Capital punishment: The income tax.” – Jeff Hayes
3/1

Chains of Community W
Enchantment - Aura C
Enchant Creature
Enchanted Creature can't attack or block unless its owner controls at least two other creatures
Sometimes having friends can lift you up - often it drags you down.

Ban 5W
Instant C
Exile target permanent.

(compare to Scour from Existence - i feel white can get this general instant at this point)

Thanks for the help guys!

I initially had like ashrog's choose two - but I am unclear how the order of the modes works. If you choose the self-mill option does that happen before (which is what I want) the choosing of a creature or land to return?

Octobreaker
Creature - Octopus U
Whenever Octobreaker becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, its controller discards a card.
4/4

Mirthless Harvest
Sorcery U
You may choose to put the top five cards of your library into your graveyard. If you do choose one of the following, if you do not you may choose one or both:

• Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
• Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.

Smith's Talent
Enchantment - Aura U
Enchant Creature
When you cast Smith's Talent you may return target Equipment card from your graveyard to your hand.
Enchanted Creature has "Equip abilities costs 3 less to activate if they target enchanted creature"

@Saneatali - In that case I would make those cards come into play tapped since that seems almost always better than terramorphic expanse. (life payment instead of coming into play tapped)

Fickle Hamada
Land - Desert R
T, [Pay [1 (?)] life (?)], Sacrifice : Search your library for a desert and put it onto the battlefield [tapped (?)]. Then shuffle your library.

Given the variety in Deserts that are out and will come out - but also given that fetchlands can already, each, search up every color (due to duals in eternal and shock lands in modern), this probably wouldn't be better than they are. That said - what would be the best way to balance this card. Should you pay 1 life - or more? Should the lands come into play tapped?


Thoughts?

Thanks! I've changed SF to UG instead of hybrid. The black was a holdover from the design when it was straight up BG (the intention being that countering a creature spell was basically removal). I got rid of that idea, keeping it in the appropriate color pie, but forgot about taking black out of it entirely.

Foregone Conclusion 2WG
Sorcery C
Target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn. It fights target creature you don't control. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
Is the fight even worth having when the victor is already known?

Swift Fecundity UG
Instant C
Counter target creature spell. Each player may search his or her library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle his or her library.
Remember that the circle of life has no start and no end. It is a circle. You begin and end simultaneously.

Ineffectual Anger BR
Enchantment - Aura C
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -2/-2 and attacks each turn if able.
Rage often makes men run head first into a spear

Are these too complex for commons (and is the last one, too broad of an effect for a common)?

Retired War-Hero 2W
Creature - Human Townsfolk C
When ~ enters the battlefield, put a colorless Equipment artifact token named Plowshare onto the battlefield with "Equipped creature gets +2/+2" and equip 2.
I have long beaten my swords to plowshares, but plowshares can still kill.
2/2

Thanatos Gambler 2B
Creature - Human Mercenary C
When ~ dies do two of the following of an opponent's choice:

• create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
• draw a card
• Each player loses 3 life.

"The most fearsome adversary is the one willing to be destroyed for revenge." — Niccolò Machiavelli
2/2

Field of Cowards R
Enchantment C
Whenever you cast a creature spell, target creature can't block this turn.
"A decent man is bound to be a coward and a slave.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Create Phylactery B
Sorcery - R
Exile target artifact card from your graveyard and create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a Phylactery in addition to its other types with no mana cost and it has "As long as you control a Phylactery, you can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game."
Your life total becomes 0

Compare with Gideon of the Trials and the hoops you need to go through with this and the life loss - do you think that balances the fact that decks without artifact destruction simply can't win? What do you think?

A question on Faith of the Devoted and Drake Haven . . . turn 4 "drain 4 life every turn" or turn 4 "get 4 flying power every turn" too weak? (Turn 3 if you're running accel). And hey - they work with Collective Brutality ... IDK, it seems like a huge stretch

It seems like it has potential?

Something like:

Time to Reflect W
Instant
Exile target creature that blocked or was blocked by a Zombie this turn.

Idk why, but I really like this card. I can see a deck running a whole bunch of cheap zombies, PTE and this. 8 1 mana exile effects isn't bad.

I know it's more parasitic, but I would think lore (specifically secretinfiltrator's first version which I like the best) would make more sense as requiring legendary cards.

Lore - You may discard a legendary card from your hand. If you do, [Effect]

Oketra's Monument + Whitemane Lion or Kor Skyfisher? Great token generator. . . .

I never intended this to beat combo decks. I play legacy. Most combo decks can win through one or two cards that are designed to stop them. I intended this to just be another option against combo decks for non-blue decks. Those decks would still have to run other cards and have a clock to beat combo.

I do get the concern regarding the leyline doing nothing if you yourself cast it turn 4+ and it leading to more tie games. Don't really know how to address that atm.