[EXT] Jimmy Groove's archetypes

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Jimmy Groove has been assigned the UR and BG archetypes to design. This page will present them.

 

Archetypes as of 7/16.

 

Unfortunately, he did not distinguish between main cards and reserve.

 

My comments are in green.

 

 

U/R: the Crackling Reef

 
 
COMMONS
 
Shock Eel2R
Creature - Elemental Fish (C)
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or creature, Shock Eel has "Sacrifice Shock Eel. Shock Eel deals 2 damage to target creature or player."
2/2
 
Screechvoice DolphinR
Creature - Mutant Whale (C)
Ferocious - When Screechvoice Dolphin enters the battlefield, if you control a creature with power 4 or greater, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
1/1
 
I have already made a dolphin, and anyway it looks quite strange seeing a dolphin as a 1/1 and in red in my opinion. Also given the similarity between these two cards, I'd take the flavor of the Eel (which is better in my opinion) and the mechanics of the dolphin (which are way more understandable) to make the following card to include in the archetype:
 
Shock Eel 2R
Creature - Elemental Fish (C)
Ferocious - When Screechvoice Dolphin enters the battlefield, if you control a creature with power 4 or greater, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
2/2

Coralspire Webspinner1R
Creature - Beast Spider (C)
Reach, Predator (At the beginning of the end step, if this creature dealt combat damage this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
2/2
 
Predator needs to be on its own line. Anyway, I know that R&D is trying reach in red, but this feels really green to me: Beast, Spider, reach, everything screams "I'm green!" to me. Also, I costed the French vanilla 2/2 predator at 2G because I was afraid of giving it bear stats, and this has even further upside! This needs to cost at least 1GG and then it would actually fit perfectly in my RG archetype. We'll see who has more space.

Geyser Rusher2R
Creature - Mutant Lizard (C)
Raw - When Geyser Leaper enters the battlefield, if you spent only red mana to cast it, it gets +2/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.
2/2
 
Good.

Firespout Worm2R
Creature - Elemental Worm (C)
Adaptive 1 (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, you may put a +1/+1 counter on it. Otherwise, you may remove all +1/+1 counters from it.)
Firespout Worm has first strike as long as there are no +1/+1 counters on it.
2/1
 
Good. Maybe we'll use the template with "as long as" first.
 
Cracklecoral EncrustmentR
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and gains "Whenever this creature it targeted by a spell or ability, it deals 2 damage to that spell or ability's controller."
 
It should be "becomes the target of a spell or ability". May this be an anti-fight card?

Isopod Tongue1R
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gains +2/+0 and has menace.
 
Good.

Boiling Blast1R
Instant (C)
Boiling Blast seals 2 damage to target creature an opponent controls.
Raw - If you spent only red mana to cast Boiling Blast, Boiling Blast deals 1 damage to each other creature that opponent controls.
 
I'd like to increase both the mana cost and the damage this deals to the first creature, something similar to Chandra's Fury.

Show the Teeth1R
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or creature, target creature gets +1/+0 and gains doublestrike until end of turn instead.
 
A space is missing between "double" and "strike", and the ferocious ability should say "that creature" and not "target creature". It's true we have no double strike until now, but the interaction with predator is quite strong. I'd keep this as an uncommon.
 
See Anemone1U
Creature - Mutant Jellyfish (C)
Defender
Raw - When you cast See Anemone, if you spent only blue mana to cast it, scry 2.
1/3
 
Good.

Variable Drake3U
Creature - Drake (C)
Adaptive 1 (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, you may put a +1/+1 counter on it. Otherwise, you may remove all +1/+1 counters from it.)
Variable Drake has flying as long as there are no +1/+1 counters on it.
2/3
 
This is incompatible with my Mutating Bird. I don't have any problem with killing my Bird and leaving this as an overlapping card with my WU archetype, but I can also keep the Bird killing this and to leave you more room for other cards in this long list. Your choice, really.

Keen-Eyed Darter1U
Creature - Beast Bird (C)
Flying, prowess
1/1
 
This doesn't feel a Beast at all. As just a Bird it's fine, and it's actually another card that might overlap with the more aggro version of my WU archetype.

Nocturnal Serpent3U
Creature - Serpent (C)
Nocturnal Serpent gets +2/+2 as long as it isn't your turn.
2/2
 
Good but a bit generic. I'd keep this as reserve.

Shell-Hopper Hermit3U
Creature - Beast Crab (C)
Adaptive 1 (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, you may put a +1/+1 counter on it. Otherwise, you may remove all +1/+1 counters from it.)
Shell-Hopper Crab gets +0/+3 as long as there are no +1/+1 counters on it.
2/2
 
I avoided having P/T modifiers associate with adaptive in my original custom set adaptive comes from because of the confusion it may cause. If we want to keep something like this (and I'm actually leaning towards no), I'd say this has to be uncommon.

Touch of the Coral2U
Enchantment (C)
Raw - When you cast Touch of the Coral, if you spent only blue mana to cast it, draw a card.
Whenever you draw a card, tap target creature.
 
The raw ability needs to be "When Touch of the Coral enters the battlefield..." This also lets the two abilities interact, while if it was on cast, ignoring the fact that it would be the only card with the permanent raw version to work differently, you would draw a card from the raw ability when this hasn't entered yet, so that card you just drew would NOT trigger the second ability. All this changes and becomes the more intuitive way with raw on etb instead of cast. I also see this as an uncommon, tapping your opponent's strongest creature every turn looks a bit too strong for common in my opinion.

Nullcurrent Blast2U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2
Raw - If you spent only blue mana to cast Nullcurrent Blast, counter target spell instead.
 
As I've already said, this and my Spell Freezing are incompatible. I'd fuse them together using your mechanics with my flavor.
 
Sneak Up2U
Sorcery (C)
Target creature you control cannot be blocked this turn.
Ferocious - Another target creature you control cannot be blocked this turn.
 
The ferocious clause is missing, and anyway it would need to say "up to one another target creature" because otherwise you'd have to choose two targets always even if you don't have ferocious. Except for that, it's good, and it may help predators get through defense.
 
Eyes In the Reef3U
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards.
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or better, tap up to two target creatures an opponent controls.
 

It should be "with power 4 or greater", not "better". Except that, I'm good with this.

 

 

B/G: the Festerwood Jungle

 

 

COMMONS

 

Foulmist Sting-Puffer2G
Creature - Mutant Fish (G)
Adaptive 2 (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, you may put two +1/+1 counters on it. Otherwise, you may remove all +1/+1 counters from it.)
Foulmist Sting-Puffer has deathtouch and reach as long as there are no +1/+1 counters on it.
1/1
 
Good. Maybe we'll use the template with "as long as" first.
 
Manafruit Harvester1G
Creature - Ape (C)
T: Add G to your mana pool and you gain 1 life.
1/1
 
Do we really need this with my Glowing Fungus already there (that has to be there for flavor anyway)? I'd leave room for other things from this list.
 
Pondshaker3GGG
Creature - Beast Frog (C)
Reach
Ferocious - You may cas Pondshaker as though it had flash as long as you control a creature with power 4 or greater.
4/4
 
Good.
 
Seedsower Ant2G
Creature - Insect (C)
When you cast Seedsower Ant, look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a lard card revealed this way and put it into your hand, then put the rest of the cards into your graveyard.
2/1
 
Good, even if again I'm not sure this is needed with my ramp cards. We might leave this as reserve to have more room here. Anyway, "lard card" makes me laugh! I'm picturing a Magic card actually made of lard! Smile It should oviously be "land card".

Leafpool Bloomtender2G
Creature - Mutant Starfish (C)
Raw - When you cast Leafpool Bloomtender, if you spent only green mana to cast it, draw a card.
2/3
 
It should be "if only green mana was spent to cast it". It also feels quite strange to see a Starfish with that mechanic in green instead of blue.

Fruitdrop2G
Instant (C)
Gain 5 life
Raw - If you spent only green mana to cast Fruitdrop, gain 10 life instead.
 
Might this be the lifegain spell we want Urge to Graze to become (obviously colorshifted to white)? I think it might, freeing even more room here.

Dream-Oak Leaffall2G
Sorcery (C)
Scry 2, then reveal the top card of your library. If it is a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Draw a card.
 
I really like this very much. The two consecutive "F"'s in "Leaffall" somehow perplex me. Could we simplify the name on this? Something like "Fall of the Leaves"?

Stalker's Mist2G
Instant (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn except by target creature you control.
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, that target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
 
As is, this is not acceptable. Lifelink is not a green ability in the mechanical color pie. You may change it to say "you gain life equal to that creature's power" or "toughness", but it can't be lifelink. Also, "that target creature" is wrong, it should just be "that creature".

Bite the HandG
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, it gets +4/+4 until end of turn instead and deals 1 damage to you.
 
Dealing damage to you really doesn't feel as it belongs in green as a drawback. I'd say just have this cost one more mana and get rid of the drawback. There is also the possible ambiguity of: who gets +4/+4? The creature I target or the ferocious one? I understand the intent is the former, but we must never undervalue possible sources of confusion.
 
Festerwood Leech1B
Creature - Leech (C)
B. Pay 1 life: Put a +1/+1 counter on Festerwood Leach. Activate this ability only once each turn as a sorcery.
1/1
 
This should say "and only any time you could cast a sorcery". Anyway, this is incompatible with both Rootwalla and the pseudo-Putrid Leech. Of these three cards we should really just keep one.

Horrendipede2B
Creature - Mutant Insect (C)
Adaptive 1 (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, you may put a +1/+1 counter on it. Otherwise, you may remove all +1/+1 counters from it.)
Horrendipede has menace as long as there are no +1/+1 counters on it.
2/1
 
Good. Maybe we'll use the template with "as long as" first.
 
Leafgator3B
Creature - Elemental Crocodile (C)
Raw - Whenever Leafgator enters the battlefield, if you spent only black mana to cast it, return target creature card from graveyard to your hand.
4/2
 
Good.

Deadpool Raptor2B
Creature - Beast Bird (C)
Flying, predator
Whenever Deadpool Raptor deals combat damage to a player, you lose 2 life.
2/2
 
Good, it just needs to have predator in its own line with reminder text.

Horrormask Cobra2B
Creature - Beast Snake (C)
Ferocious - When Horrormask Cobra deals damage to a player, if you control a creature with power 4 or more, that player discards a card.
2/2
 
We should really decide in which colors we want ferocious to be. I think we should just keep it in Temur colors, we already have adaptive and raw that go in all colors, so let's keep some differentiation. If we decide to have ferocious in black (and again, I'm not sure at all), than this is good. It just needs to say "4 or greater", not "or more".

Deadpool Infection2B
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -2/-2 and has "Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, you lose 2 life."
 
Good but potentially confusing. How many players will get at a glance that here "you" is not actually you, but your opponent (supposing you're putting this on an opponent's creatures, as you're supposed to do)? I'd say either turn that into an ability of the Aura, rather than the creature, and/or bump this to uncommon. Having the ability as one of the Aura means this would be:

Deadpool Infection 2B
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -2/-2.
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, its controller loses 2 life.
 
which is much clearer.

Spit Acid2B
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target creature. Lose life equal to that creature's toughness.
Ferocious - If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, gain 4 life.
 
I really like this very much. This should say "You lose life..." and "... you gain 4 life".

One With the MuckB
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
At the beginning of the end step, if you lost life this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature (Damage causes loss of life.)
 
I think this might be a bit confusing with predator, having the same effect but different triggers. I'd keep this as reserve.
 
Reabsorb the Dead1B
Sorcery (C)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Raw - If you spend only black mana to cast this spell, gain life equal to that creature card's toughness.
 
I'd just say "equal to its toughness", there is no ambiguity anyway, the creature card will be the only one to have a toughness, and it reads better. Mechanically, I like this.
 
 

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