This is a mechanic I'm thinking of using for my Final Fantasy-inspired Crystals of Gerra block. It's inspired by Evoke, which currently serves as COG's mechanic of choice for Eidolons, basically summons. Basically, you can cast an instant or sorcery card for its summon cost to transform it immediately after it hits the stack. If the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield as a creature. If the card is put into any zone other than the battlefield or stack, it reverts to an instant or sorcery card.
Flames of Rebirth3RW
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control.
Return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Summon 5RW(You may cast this card from your hand for its summon cost. If you do, transform it as you cast it.)
Phoenix Eidolon
Creature - Phoenix Spirit
Flying
When ~ enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
The instant or sorcery side represents the signature move of the Eidolon in question. For example, Phoenix Eidolon's signature move is Flames of Rebirth.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Flames of Rebirth3RW
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control.
Return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Summon 5RW (You may cast this spell for its summon cost).
If you paid the summon cost, put a 5/5 flying red white phoenix spirit token in the battlefield.
No weird stack of flipping shenanigans. For example, it's already a creature before you pay the summon cost, which makes it counter intuitive. Is it affected by things that increase the cost of thalia or thorn of amethyst?
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Pretty sure this should work. DFCs are probably the only way for instants/sorceries that become creatures to work. However, they take up a lot of complexity points, and if the plan is for all of them to be french vanilla+ the effect from the spell side I don't really see the need for this over token making. It's no more confusing with Thalia or Thorn than Bestow was (I've seen that interaction come up exactly once, ever. Amusingly the MTGO engine handled it incorrectly (bestow is supposed to cost one 1, Phoenix Eidolon would not) and I got 10 tix back from the bug report).
As for the relationship with evoke, yes, conceptually, this and evoke are opposite ways of doing the same thing. But it's less that this is reverse-evoke, and more that evoke is reverse-this. MaRo has said many times that evoke came about because they designed instants/sorceries that you could pay more to make creatures, but had to be changed to the evoke we know because the rules tech didn't exist at the time.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
Flames of Rebirth3RW
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control.
Return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Summon 5RW (You may cast this spell for its summon cost).
If you paid the summon cost, put a 5/5 flying red white phoenix spirit token in the battlefield.
No weird stack of flipping shenanigans. For example, it's already a creature before you pay the summon cost, which makes it counter intuitive. Is it affected by things that increase the cost of thalia or thorn of amethyst?
If each card created a different token, that would lead to a ton of tokens in the set, and there's room for only so many different types of tokens in a given set. You could spring for a common Spirit token, but the flavor would push towards giving the Spirits different types.
Pretty sure this should work. DFCs are probably the only way for instants/sorceries that become creatures to work. However, they take up a lot of complexity points, and if the plan is for all of them to be french vanilla+ the effect from the spell side I don't really see the need for this over token making. It's no more confusing with Thalia or Thorn than Bestow was (I've seen that interaction come up exactly once, ever. Amusingly the MTGO engine handled it incorrectly (bestow is supposed to cost one 1, Phoenix Eidolon would not) and I got 10 tix back from the bug report).
As for the relationship with evoke, yes, conceptually, this and evoke are opposite ways of doing the same thing. But it's less that this is reverse-evoke, and more that evoke is reverse-this. MaRo has said many times that evoke came about because they designed instants/sorceries that you could pay more to make creatures, but had to be changed to the evoke we know because the rules tech didn't exist at the time.
Indeed, Evoke's backstory inspired this very mechanic. If the Instant or sorcery-to-creature effect doesn't work or is too complex, there's always the option of enchantments that can transform into creatures.
Flames of Rebirth3RW
Enchantment
Summon 5RW(You may cast this card from your hand for its summon cost. If you do, transform it when it enters the battlefield.)
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you didn't pay its summon cost, sacrifice it. If you do, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Phoenix Eidolon
Enchantment Creature - Phoenix Spirit
Flying
When this enchantment transforms into ~, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
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Flames of Rebirth 3RW
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control.
Return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Summon 5RW (You may cast this card from your hand for its summon cost. If you do, transform it as you cast it.)
Phoenix Eidolon
Creature - Phoenix Spirit
Flying
When ~ enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
The instant or sorcery side represents the signature move of the Eidolon in question. For example, Phoenix Eidolon's signature move is Flames of Rebirth.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Art is life itself.
Flames of Rebirth 3RW
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control.
Return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Summon 5RW (You may cast this spell for its summon cost).
If you paid the summon cost, put a 5/5 flying red white phoenix spirit token in the battlefield.
No weird stack of flipping shenanigans. For example, it's already a creature before you pay the summon cost, which makes it counter intuitive. Is it affected by things that increase the cost of thalia or thorn of amethyst?
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
As for the relationship with evoke, yes, conceptually, this and evoke are opposite ways of doing the same thing. But it's less that this is reverse-evoke, and more that evoke is reverse-this. MaRo has said many times that evoke came about because they designed instants/sorceries that you could pay more to make creatures, but had to be changed to the evoke we know because the rules tech didn't exist at the time.
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
If each card created a different token, that would lead to a ton of tokens in the set, and there's room for only so many different types of tokens in a given set. You could spring for a common Spirit token, but the flavor would push towards giving the Spirits different types.
Indeed, Evoke's backstory inspired this very mechanic. If the Instant or sorcery-to-creature effect doesn't work or is too complex, there's always the option of enchantments that can transform into creatures.
Flames of Rebirth 3RW
Enchantment
Summon 5RW (You may cast this card from your hand for its summon cost. If you do, transform it when it enters the battlefield.)
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you didn't pay its summon cost, sacrifice it. If you do, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Phoenix Eidolon
Enchantment Creature - Phoenix Spirit
Flying
When this enchantment transforms into ~, it deals 3 damage to each creature your opponents control. Then return all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.