Stonehill Sneak2RR
Creature - Giant Rogue
Whenever Stonehill Sneak deals combat damage to a player, that player shuffles their hand into their library, then draws that many cards. "I don't remember seeing anyone unusual walk through here, but I don't remember much else, either!" - Laird, Kinsbaile Patroller
Sanguine ChemistR
Creature - Vampire Wizard
Sacrifice a creature, exile two cards from your graveyard, and pay three life : Sanguine Chemist gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
1/1
Lanessia, Siren Matron4UBR
Legendary Creature - Siren
Flying
Other Sirens you control have T: Tap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn.
Sacrifice a creature you control: Put three +1/+1 counters on Lanessia, Siren Matron.
2/3
I love Swarm. I'm not entirely how sure it'll play out but it's a cool mechanic, something I would be excited to play with. Much more so than Scavenge for whatever reason.
Thrive on the other hand is just fine. It doesn't really convey a sense of unity- it actually feels somewhat individualistic. I think something like bolster or support would work better but I understand if you want all original mechanics. I suspect it will play pretty decently though.
Arach’Thrax: 4/2 spider feels scandalously unconventional. I think it's good if there are some really specific mechanical or flavour reasons (ie, the Arach'Thrax has evolved to prey on the Fluttermoth and the Fluttermoth is a 1/4 flier) but I feel like you have to show a little more respect for tradition.
Brutal Interrogation: Again, the card feels fine mechanically and I guess it works for a generic card but it doesn't particularly feel like it belongs to either guild.
Carapace Armor: It's a good card. It will feel nice to play an aura and not be afraid of 2 for 1s. The theme is cool too.
Convocate: Great throwback, cool card. Very exciting for a common.
Deathrite Cultist: Not a card I'm super excited to play with, feels strange in a modern set. I wish there was more of a throwback to Deathrite Shaman.
Elemental Boon: Big exciting card. The trample clause adds a very interesting dimension to the choice. It's costed pretty conservatively, I wonder if 6 mana would be too little.
Feast Boar: Simple text, good gameplay. A perfect common.
Fledgling Cockatrice: I second the cockatrice feeling wrong. Mechanically it checks out, and in terms of Magic card design it's actually pretty clever, but it just feels wrong from a player perspective.
Golgari Gorgon: I appreciate the world building but this is just a boring piece of information haha.
Grave Tender - Mantis Warrior: All fine filler.
Nature's Reprieve: I don't really like these useless cards in a set, but WotC keeps doing it so I guess there's a reason. I mean they are probably exciting to someone, and this is almost enough lifegain to actually matter.
Sanctify: It's a fine card, but I feel like these obligatory effects are more exciting when they use one of the set's mechanics rather than being printable anywhere.
Scavenger Beast: It's a good card but dependent on context. I would like to see a sac outlet or two in the set to help it out.
Search the Undercity: I love it. Good role player but it also has an element of excitement and design danger. I would like to see more daring cards like this. But it is fairly overpowered in its current state. I think ETB tapped at 2 mana would be fair and 1 mana but only putting the land in hand would also be fine.
Selesnya Wildborn: I think this is one where you really want to nail the flavour. Right now it's very boring, but if players can love Vizzerdrix, they can love this.
Unbury: Very good; I think the simple flavour here works well because the card's gameplay is exciting enough.
Wall of Webs: Great card. Very exciting to look at but is not likely to cause problems in gameplay. In fact it really improves things by taking the sting out of every extra land you topdeck, though it'll probably be unlikely that a player will reach 10 mana without warping their deck.
Wing Pierce: Flavour feels good, clause is relevant. Good card.
I think soulbond does a much better job of conveying friendship. For this duo mechanic I think you need to focus on the exclusivity, especially if Sucram is going to the point of sacrificing all other allies (that has great thematic potential btw). Sucram's flavour text could be something more like "All I need is you", "you're the only one I'd have at my back" or "just you and me versus the world". Other good card names would be something like "Army of Two", "Dynamic Duo", "Double Trouble", or "Back to Back".
In general this is a good theme. Much better gameplay than loner.
I always read your threads but I seldom post as I rarely have something to say. These cards, as per your usual, are well designed, balanced, and have positive gameplay implications.
The only thing I could critique, and this is more a reflection of my own sensibilities than an objective consideration, but to me these cards feel a little sterile. I think there is some missed opportunity to say something about your world.
For example:
Gloom Reaper (Common) WB
Creature – Horror Cleric
2/2
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay (W/B). If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
could instead be
Mortuary TaxmanWB
Creature – Human Cleric
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay (W/B). If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/2
Even without flavour text I think this is more evocative. In the first card I think of some vaguely spooky monster that feeds on death. In the second card I think you get a clearer idea of what the Orzhov are about- not only are there so unscrupulous that they are willing to send a tax collector to a recently deceased person, but that it is such a routine measure that they have someone whose sole purpose is to do so.
But again, I think your mechanics are on point, and I envy your sense of balance and gameplay.
Taigam, Sultai Schemer2UU
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
If you control a dragon, transform Taigam, Sultai Schemer.
2/3
//// Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Exile an instant or sorcery from your graveyard: Choose one -
Taigam gets +2/+0 and can't be blocked until end of turn
Draw two cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
Return target noncreature spell to its owner's hand unless its controller pays 2
You could change the transformation trigger to require a dragon instead. After all, the Defector Taigam can't exist in a Tarkir with dragons.
I was about the say that the extra turn idea was great but this is even better.
Taigam, Sultai Schemer2UU
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
If you control a dragon, transform Taigam.
2/3
//// Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever a dragon you control deals combat damage to a player, return instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. 3UR: Target dragon creature gets +2/+0 and can't be blocked this turn
3/2
Activated ability is overcosted, but it's only here for colour identity/flavour anyways.
I'm assuming the last word of the first clause of the ETB ability here is supposed to be "library."
Flavorwise, he shouldn't be red. He's still Sultai in his initial version even if he has the memories of his Jeskai existence. Maybe monoblue for both sides would be okay?
I wanted to add red so that the card works for Commander, which is where he's intended for. But I think you're right, red doesn't make much sense. What do you think would be the best way to work it into his colour identity?
Taigam, Sultai SchemerUBR
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
When a Sarkhan planeswalker enters the battlefield, transform Taigam, Sultai Schemer.
3/2
//// Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Taigam, Ojutai Adept can't be blocked and gets +2/0 for each instant or sorcery in your graveyard.
2/3
I love the mechanics, but I think the name could use some tinkering. "Twofold" isn't very evocative to me. I think something kind of Storm-ish in flavour would be better.
Maybe a sort of ooze? Oozes could be a prevent creature type there? Seems cool with dinosaurs. I mean just look at The Mimeoplasm. He's an Ooze with a T Rex fist.
Oozes are black and green so could work
I think that's a great idea! I think a tie to the Mimeoplasm could be really good as well as it is a really mysterious force that I could really work with, lore wise.
It's still random in the same sense I was concerned about. If you build around my version, you are guaranteed to get the same outcome every time, but with your version it'll be something like a 1/3 at best to get the bonus, barring any library manipulation.
Isn't that basically the same level of "much text" and "random of a mechanic" as prowess or exert? At least as I conceptualize it.
Duergar Gold PannerWUG
Creature - Dwarf Scout
When Duergar Gold Panner enters the battlefield or attacks, explore (look at the top card of your library, and if it's a land card you may reveal it.)
Whenever Duergar Gold Panner explores a land, create a colorless artifact token called Gold onto the battlefield. It has "Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool." If that land is an island, create three Gold tokens instead.
3/3
Actually I'll admit that's not so bad, I'll admit. I do fail to see how Prowess and Exert are as random, though.
When we discussed explore for Pyrulea I had a similar attitude and suggested that you always get to have a certain bonus (putting the land card in your hand in this case) and get an aditional bonus if the explored/discovered land fits the wanted type.
I think that having a line for the trigger, a second line for a positive outcome, and a third line for the bonus outcome is a bit too much text and is still too random of a mechanic for my liking. I think there's more design space and more impact on deckbuilding and gameplay when it's more of a predictable build-around.
Nice mechanic. Flavor-wise, what sort of corruption is this? Curse. Demonic. A mental sickness?
Thanks! I was thinking of having it be a mysterious black oil/tar in a Muraganda (dinosaur world) set. My story would be that some people find a gateway to Muraganda and there's dinosaurs and scary natives, and also this weird oil that swallows people up and sometimes spits them back out all corrupted. Later on you find out that the natives are from the same place the new people are from and that they closed the gate because they figured out that the plane was creating the oil as a defense mechanism against the rift between planes.
This would help support me giving the mechanic a strong base in both black and green, as well as small bleeds into other colours. I am struggling to differentiate it from Phyrexian Oil, though. Maybe I should just make it the new Phyrexian Oil?
2 life is a lot. And this encourages stalemates since attacking will often cause life loss while blocking is free. I am worried about the game play behind this.
I could see this bleeding 1 life for each action from the detain list (attacking, blocking, activating an ability) which strains offense and defense equally and on a level that makes the choice to act anyway less painful.
Very good points and an excellent solution.
Corrupt - Put a corruption counter on target uncorrupted permanent you control. It becomes corrupted. Whenever a corrupted permanent attacks, blocks, or activates an ability, its controller loses 1 life.
I'm also thinking of making counters stack, what do y'all think of that?
Soul Mangler2BB
Creature - Horror
When Soul Mangler enters the battlefield, put 5 corruption counters on target creature.
3/2
Creature - Giant Rogue
Whenever Stonehill Sneak deals combat damage to a player, that player shuffles their hand into their library, then draws that many cards.
"I don't remember seeing anyone unusual walk through here, but I don't remember much else, either!" - Laird, Kinsbaile Patroller
Sanguine Chemist R
Creature - Vampire Wizard
Sacrifice a creature, exile two cards from your graveyard, and pay three life : Sanguine Chemist gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
1/1
Lanessia, Siren Matron 4UBR
Legendary Creature - Siren
Flying
Other Sirens you control have T: Tap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn.
Sacrifice a creature you control: Put three +1/+1 counters on Lanessia, Siren Matron.
2/3
I love Swarm. I'm not entirely how sure it'll play out but it's a cool mechanic, something I would be excited to play with. Much more so than Scavenge for whatever reason.
Thrive on the other hand is just fine. It doesn't really convey a sense of unity- it actually feels somewhat individualistic. I think something like bolster or support would work better but I understand if you want all original mechanics. I suspect it will play pretty decently though.
Arach’Thrax: 4/2 spider feels scandalously unconventional. I think it's good if there are some really specific mechanical or flavour reasons (ie, the Arach'Thrax has evolved to prey on the Fluttermoth and the Fluttermoth is a 1/4 flier) but I feel like you have to show a little more respect for tradition.
Brutal Interrogation: Again, the card feels fine mechanically and I guess it works for a generic card but it doesn't particularly feel like it belongs to either guild.
Carapace Armor: It's a good card. It will feel nice to play an aura and not be afraid of 2 for 1s. The theme is cool too.
Convocate: Great throwback, cool card. Very exciting for a common.
Deathrite Cultist: Not a card I'm super excited to play with, feels strange in a modern set. I wish there was more of a throwback to Deathrite Shaman.
Elemental Boon: Big exciting card. The trample clause adds a very interesting dimension to the choice. It's costed pretty conservatively, I wonder if 6 mana would be too little.
Feast Boar: Simple text, good gameplay. A perfect common.
Fledgling Cockatrice: I second the cockatrice feeling wrong. Mechanically it checks out, and in terms of Magic card design it's actually pretty clever, but it just feels wrong from a player perspective.
Golgari Gorgon: I appreciate the world building but this is just a boring piece of information haha.
Grave Tender - Mantis Warrior: All fine filler.
Nature's Reprieve: I don't really like these useless cards in a set, but WotC keeps doing it so I guess there's a reason. I mean they are probably exciting to someone, and this is almost enough lifegain to actually matter.
Sanctify: It's a fine card, but I feel like these obligatory effects are more exciting when they use one of the set's mechanics rather than being printable anywhere.
Scavenger Beast: It's a good card but dependent on context. I would like to see a sac outlet or two in the set to help it out.
Search the Undercity: I love it. Good role player but it also has an element of excitement and design danger. I would like to see more daring cards like this. But it is fairly overpowered in its current state. I think ETB tapped at 2 mana would be fair and 1 mana but only putting the land in hand would also be fine.
Selesnya Wildborn: I think this is one where you really want to nail the flavour. Right now it's very boring, but if players can love Vizzerdrix, they can love this.
Unbury: Very good; I think the simple flavour here works well because the card's gameplay is exciting enough.
Wall of Webs: Great card. Very exciting to look at but is not likely to cause problems in gameplay. In fact it really improves things by taking the sting out of every extra land you topdeck, though it'll probably be unlikely that a player will reach 10 mana without warping their deck.
Wing Pierce: Flavour feels good, clause is relevant. Good card.
In general this is a good theme. Much better gameplay than loner.
The only thing I could critique, and this is more a reflection of my own sensibilities than an objective consideration, but to me these cards feel a little sterile. I think there is some missed opportunity to say something about your world.
For example:
Gloom Reaper (Common)
WB
Creature – Horror Cleric
2/2
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay (W/B). If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
could instead be
Mortuary Taxman WB
Creature – Human Cleric
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay (W/B). If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/2
Even without flavour text I think this is more evocative. In the first card I think of some vaguely spooky monster that feeds on death. In the second card I think you get a clearer idea of what the Orzhov are about- not only are there so unscrupulous that they are willing to send a tax collector to a recently deceased person, but that it is such a routine measure that they have someone whose sole purpose is to do so.
But again, I think your mechanics are on point, and I envy your sense of balance and gameplay.
Taigam, Sultai Schemer 2UU
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
If you control a dragon, transform Taigam, Sultai Schemer.
2/3
////
Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Exile an instant or sorcery from your graveyard: Choose one -
- Taigam gets +2/+0 and can't be blocked until end of turn
- Draw two cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
- Return target noncreature spell to its owner's hand unless its controller pays 2
3/2I was about the say that the extra turn idea was great but this is even better.
Taigam, Sultai Schemer 2UU
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
If you control a dragon, transform Taigam.
2/3
////
Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever a dragon you control deals combat damage to a player, return instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
3UR: Target dragon creature gets +2/+0 and can't be blocked this turn
3/2
Activated ability is overcosted, but it's only here for colour identity/flavour anyways.
I wanted to add red so that the card works for Commander, which is where he's intended for. But I think you're right, red doesn't make much sense. What do you think would be the best way to work it into his colour identity?
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Whenever Taigam enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
When a Sarkhan planeswalker enters the battlefield, transform Taigam, Sultai Schemer.
3/2
////
Taigam, Ojutai Adept
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
Taigam, Ojutai Adept can't be blocked and gets +2/0 for each instant or sorcery in your graveyard.
2/3
I think that's a great idea! I think a tie to the Mimeoplasm could be really good as well as it is a really mysterious force that I could really work with, lore wise.
Duergar Gold Panner WUG
Creature - Dwarf Scout
When Duergar Gold Panner enters the battlefield or attacks, explore (look at the top card of your library, and if it's a land card you may reveal it.)
Whenever Duergar Gold Panner explores a land, create a colorless artifact token called Gold onto the battlefield. It has "Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool." If that land is an island, create three Gold tokens instead.
3/3
Actually I'll admit that's not so bad, I'll admit. I do fail to see how Prowess and Exert are as random, though.
I think that having a line for the trigger, a second line for a positive outcome, and a third line for the bonus outcome is a bit too much text and is still too random of a mechanic for my liking. I think there's more design space and more impact on deckbuilding and gameplay when it's more of a predictable build-around.
Thanks! I was thinking of having it be a mysterious black oil/tar in a Muraganda (dinosaur world) set. My story would be that some people find a gateway to Muraganda and there's dinosaurs and scary natives, and also this weird oil that swallows people up and sometimes spits them back out all corrupted. Later on you find out that the natives are from the same place the new people are from and that they closed the gate because they figured out that the plane was creating the oil as a defense mechanism against the rift between planes.
This would help support me giving the mechanic a strong base in both black and green, as well as small bleeds into other colours. I am struggling to differentiate it from Phyrexian Oil, though. Maybe I should just make it the new Phyrexian Oil?
Yes! That's the idea. Someone who uses Spite Fiend just wants to hurt others, even if it hurts themselves more.
Very good points and an excellent solution.
Corrupt - Put a corruption counter on target uncorrupted permanent you control. It becomes corrupted. Whenever a corrupted permanent attacks, blocks, or activates an ability, its controller loses 1 life.
I'm also thinking of making counters stack, what do y'all think of that?
Soul Mangler 2BB
Creature - Horror
When Soul Mangler enters the battlefield, put 5 corruption counters on target creature.
3/2