MTG Salvation

Lower the floor, raise the ceiling?

Healing Drakes 2GU
Creature - Drake (U)
Flying
When ~ enters the battlefield, create a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying, then gain 1 life for each Drake you control.
2/2

This seems good but fine to me, and I feel like green lifegain should be more tied to the creatures in some way, rather than just straight gaining life.

Activating from hand should be fine - see cycling, channel, forecast etc.
I'm ok with uncommon as is, but spicing it up to like City of Brass or activated creature land or something could make it a fun rare.

My criteria are one-mana hybrid 1/2s that have 3 tap abilities, one without mana and one of each color mana, and that have names that abbreviate to DR Shaman for extra confusion.
Also as you will see I'm going with Shaman traditions each from different planes instead of each Ravnica guild, and leaning into some unique color pair focuses rather than trying to make good generalist cards like the original.

The Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper people on Zendikar are I guess not technically shamans but I feel they should be. Balduvians also have a white-loving shaman and a weird strain of blue land-animating people but they are both wizards.

Dreamroil Shaman (W/U)
Creature - Merfolk Shaman Ally (R)
T: Untap target land creature.
W, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on target land you control. That land becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.
U, T: Copy target instant or sorcery spell that targets a land you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
1/2

Mardu off colors, leaning heavily into Warrior tribal. I intentionally and weirdly also left this open to 2HG play as a nod to Battlebond. I kind of want to do a voting shaman from Fiora but it just didn't fit the world. A rebel/mercenary from Mercadia would be cool too but I can't fit all those types.

Dustride Shaman (W/B)
Creature - Human Shaman Warrior (R)
T: Target Warrior gets +1/+2 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
W, T: Create a 1/1 white Warrior creature token. Activate this ability only if a creature attacked an opponent this turn.
B, T: Until end of turn, whenever a Warrior deals damage to an opponent, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
1/2

This time, it is Marit Lage. Brine Shaman is 2/3 of the way there already. Is probably too good if it kills anything with one ice counter?

Darkrime Shaman (U/B)
Snow Creature - Human Shaman (R)
T: Add 1. Spend this mana only to cast snow spells or activate abilities of snow permanents.
U, T: Tap target creature and put an ice counter on it.
B, T: Destroy target creature with toughness less than or equal to the number of ice counters on it.
1/2

I don't think a Spirit Shaman makes sense on Kamigawa so we'll go with a disciple of Kumano who found out about The Unspeakable. This one has a lot of possible ways the abilities could fall.

Depthreach Shaman (U/R)
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
T: Add 1 for each Arcane card you own in exile and in your graveyard.
U, T: Exile target Arcane card from your graveyard. For as long as it remains exiled, you may activate its splice ability as though it were in your hand.
R, T: Discard a card, then draw a card. If you discarded an Arcane card, untap Depthreach Shaman.
1/2

Amonkhet, somewhere outside the Hekma or after the fall of Naktamun. I like the setting and the mental image for this one but the mechanical theme needs some work. I could maybe do Grixis here instead using Unearth, and change the RG one from Jund.

Dreadrot Shaman (B/R)
Creature - Jackal Shaman (R)
T: Target permanent or spell you control gains wither until end of turn.
B, T: Each player loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent or discards a card.
R, T: Dreadrot Shaman deals 1 damage to each opponent for each Desert you control and each Desert card in your graveyard.
1/2

We already have the Golgari one so for red/green going to Jund.

Dracorage Shaman (R/G)
Creature - Viashino Shaman (R)
T: Target Dragon creature you control fights target creature you don't control.
R, T: Until end of turn, creature spells you cast have devour 3.
G, T: Create a 1/1 green Saproling creature token. Activate this ability only if a creature died this turn.
1/2

This one is pretty wacky and doesn't have too much of a precedent but I have fond memories of red/white soulbond in Avacyn Restored, weirdly since blue and green had a lot more soulbond. The only other candidate I can think of is Zendikari Kor with Equipment.

Dawnring Shaman (R/W)
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
T: If Dawnring Shaman and target creature you control are unpaired, pair them.
R, T: The creature paired to Dawnring Shaman gets +1/+2 and gains double strike until end of turn.
W, T: You gain life equal to the total power and toughness of Dawnring Shaman and the creature paired to it.
1/2

To the elves of Shadowmoor and their persist shenanigans. Not sure about the miserable mana-fixing ability.

Dimroot Shaman (G/W)
Creature - Elf Shaman (R)
T: Until end of turn, G and W symbols on cards you own are {GW} instead.
G, T: Remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control.
W, T: Target creature you control gains persist until end of turn.
1/2

Ixalan is pretty obvious for this last one. Was trying to make a creature tap and explore but it was difficult to word and this version seems like an interesting cap but also plays with the G ability if you get desperate.

Driftreed Shaman (G/U)
Creature - Merfolk Shaman (R)
T: Target creature you control with no counters on it explores.
G, T: Remove a counter from target permanent you control, then double the number of those counters on that permanent.
U, T: Creatures you control gain hexproof from spells until end of turn.
1/2

Ruric is a pretty good bet for Gruul guild kit I would think, since Nikya is too build-around and the Borborygmoses have such high CMC. Or maybe he just shows up in Milk.

I can't say it compares favorably to Skarrg Guildmage but the crickity is appreciated.

There is a lot of Planeswalker-targeting damage. Maybe an uptick in the number of walkers in Milk, given the story?

My favorite design of the set for sure - opening up flavorful windows for red's impulse draw is a great design innovation.

Interesting to see the movements in guild leadership over time.

Azorius
Augustin died, Isperia promoted then died, Lavinia 2nd representative twice. Dovin stepping in.

Orzhov
Looks like Ghost Council will be out for Kaya 3rd time but Teysa will probably stay constant. Most stable in a sense.

Dimir
Szadek gone, Lazav retains top spot. The 2nds have always been forgettable.

Izzet
Niv down in 3rd set as Ral rises.

Rakdos
Rakdos himself the only guild leader to reign through all three? I expect another random 2nd, Exava was not that exciting.

Golgari
Completely new characters every time although Jarad had a connection to Savra and I guess Izoni carries the Devkarin thread while Vraska sort of picks up from Sisters of Stone Death.

Gruul
Kinda seems like Borborygmos will be out in favor of some other rebellious second to Domri. Ruric Thar was kind of cool but Ulasht is just a random hellion hydra.

Boros
Keeps the same characters in the 2nd and 3rd visits (Aurelia and Tajic). Off chance of Feather showing up in Milk.

Selesnya
I guess Selesnya also has the same characters twice and the Chorus is at least similar to Trostani.

Simic
Interesting that Zegana is downgraded to rare, that's kind of what inspired this review. Total difference in the first two outings, and seems like we're going to get a new leader unless Vorel took over, which would be interesting.

The...end raze? is upon us? What does he say right before the logo?

I guess we have a new remote area that can be added to Innistrad with the Davriel story. Somewhere on the edges, Stensia seeming most likely as there was a Markov lord over the manor at some point.

Old Ulgrothan confirmed as scariest text

Good to see white guys named Dave getting more representation

Quote from Crash525 »

5/5 deals 1 of 5 first strike damage to the 1/1 and the remainder of the 4 of 5 first strike damage to the second 1/1 and then no damage is dealt to the 5/5. I know the damage can be divide any way.

That's the correct one (regardless of the terminology issue about "first strike damage").

It sounds like you are confusing first strike with the order of assigned blockers.
As you know, when there are two or more blockers you (the attacker) set an order and have to assign at least as much damage as the first one's toughness before assigning any damage to the next one, and so on.
So you have to assign at least 1 damage to the first Poisoner and any remaining damage to the next one.
The important thing is that this batch of 5 damage all happens during the first strike damage step, and the Poisoners don't get to do any damage then because they don't have first or double strike. The Ceratops's "first strike damage" doesn't "run out" or move out of the first strike step while being dealt to the first blocker - all 5 points of damage get assigned among the blockers, both players get priority, and then once both players pass the damage resolves. Then you move on to the normal damage step.

Sure - I think 3 open rounds and cut to Top 4 is also better.

Woodfall Primus
I feel like it should be common practice to tag cards when spoiled for reprint sets for easy access to price info.