Skeleton Keys1 Artifact
Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, you may draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
Cemetery Keys1 Artifact 3, Sacrifice Cemetery Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life. Activate only as a Sorcery. This is heaven, hell, and purgatory—the resting place of fools, villains, and heroes. Time to bury you.
Original version was devised when pondering over a discard utility. I love the subtly of the original version, but then devised the second version when I had thought the first wouldn't make the cut in a Oath of Ghouls deck I had sketched up, because it wasn't removal (and there was no room for anything else). I had also long considered there should be a concept swap on Smallpox, but I'm not keen on making this over the first (for how sentimental the subtly of that one is to me).
Designing cards specifically to be good enough for constructed decks is very unwise. Leave that up to the deckbuilders. They will surprise you with what they think is useful.
The one mana version is the better design. It's less imbalanced. But it's still slightly too efficient. And why is the opponent losing life when the card is already arguably better than Relic of Progenitus?
Notice the clear trend: you aren't allowed to have graveyard hate AND draw a card for just one mana. Every single one of them requires two mana except Conjuror's Bauble, which isn't grave hate.
Here are printable versions:
Skeleton Keys1
Artifact (U)
Skeleton Keys enters the battlefield tapped. T, pay 1 life, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, you may draw a card.
Skeleton Keys1
Artifact (U) 1,T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, each opponent loses 1 life and you may draw a card.
Skeleton Keys2
Artifact (U) T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, each opponent loses 1 life and you may draw a card.
Obviously it would need to be uncommon, and it's a pretty powerful card. But no, you don't just get to go outclassing Relic of Progenitus like that.
The three mana version is obviously a black card and once again obviously too efficient. Three colorless mana doesn't get an edict plus a discard plus graveyard hate. Plus you can activate it as an instant, which they don't like to do on discard. Again, look for precedent.
Here are the printable versions:
Skeleton Keys3
Artifact (R) 2, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
Skeletal Laughter1BB
Sorcery (U)
Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life.
Remember to check precedents for your ideas. Each spot on the mana curve has a very tight level of what it's allowed to do.
I know you're going to say I've taken your beautiful designs and destroyed them, since in the past you have been very unwilling to take any feedback. But all I've done is apply the cards to the color-pie and mana-curve as is well established. When you start playing fast and loose with what mana is worth in the attempt to make something constructed-playable, you end up with bad designs like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (which in my opinion is the worst magic card design in recent history).
A Relic rarely cares about more than a few of the the cards it is exiling when it hits their gy, and cannot kill an opponent who is at 1 life. 1 to cast and 1,T to activate is in line with where it should be.
The main difference is relic draws a card plus grants an advantage for 2. This draws a card plus grants an advantage for 1. Pretty big difference. They've been quite careful to keep that from being possible if you look at the list of cards I posted.
If what you're looking for is a bauble that draws a card for 0 or 1 mana, it's gotta have a much more conservative ability as every bauble does. Or you could consider making it narrower:
Skeleton Keys1
Artifact T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards that share a card type are exiled in this way, draw a card.
This makes it a cross between a Tormod's Crypt style straight grave hose and a bauble. In fact, you are very likely to be eating out of your graveyard too to make the quota. It makes it a very different card.
I would agree that more aspect of challenge should be reserved by limiting it to sorcery speed, for what it's worth.
I had considered black mana in the casting cost, making this card black, but digress the thought for the same reason; as it's better remaining colorless as to not become more bait for cards such as Unmask and Force of Despair.
I had also considered a 3 to cast and 2 to activate, but then I thought it would be pushed, but greatly in the wrong direction. People give themselves excuses that cards like Sol Ring and Crystal Vein exist, and use it as a token to push certain things, which forces confides that these cards are viable (or they are considered overstated) only because they can be build around this way. However, I think that these should not be excuses to push content of any kind, and one should consider how monotone that begins to make the game, when it forces said archtypes to be depended on so intensely (or used as a Despotic Scepter). You can't play anything else. One of the healthiest things a person could do is break away from this, and develop more open and freely, because there's other underlying potential that will be opened when one does so. And this creates new opportunity.
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Artifact
Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, you may draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
Cemetery Keys 1
Artifact
3, Sacrifice Cemetery Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life. Activate only as a Sorcery.
This is heaven, hell, and purgatory—the resting place of fools, villains, and heroes. Time to bury you.
Original version was devised when pondering over a discard utility. I love the subtly of the original version, but then devised the second version when I had thought the first wouldn't make the cut in a Oath of Ghouls deck I had sketched up, because it wasn't removal (and there was no room for anything else). I had also long considered there should be a concept swap on Smallpox, but I'm not keen on making this over the first (for how sentimental the subtly of that one is to me).
The one mana version is the better design. It's less imbalanced. But it's still slightly too efficient. And why is the opponent losing life when the card is already arguably better than Relic of Progenitus?
Let's have a look at similar cards to determine a fair rate: Tormod's Crypt, Soul-Guide Lantern, Conjuror's Bauble, Cranial Archive, Crook of Condemnation, Heap Doll, Jack-o'-Lantern, Lantern of the Lost, Moratorium Stone, Nihil Spellbomb, Phyrexian Furnace, Scrabbling Claws, Sentinel Totem.
Notice the clear trend: you aren't allowed to have graveyard hate AND draw a card for just one mana. Every single one of them requires two mana except Conjuror's Bauble, which isn't grave hate.
Here are printable versions:
Skeleton Keys 1
Artifact (U)
Skeleton Keys enters the battlefield tapped.
T, pay 1 life, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, you may draw a card.
Skeleton Keys 1
Artifact (U)
1,T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, each opponent loses 1 life and you may draw a card.
Skeleton Keys 2
Artifact (U)
T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled this way, each opponent loses 1 life and you may draw a card.
Obviously it would need to be uncommon, and it's a pretty powerful card. But no, you don't just get to go outclassing Relic of Progenitus like that.
The three mana version is obviously a black card and once again obviously too efficient. Three colorless mana doesn't get an edict plus a discard plus graveyard hate. Plus you can activate it as an instant, which they don't like to do on discard. Again, look for precedent.
Here are the printable versions:
Skeleton Keys 3
Artifact (R)
2, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
Skeletal Laughter 1BB
Sorcery (U)
Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards are exiled from a single player's graveyard this way, that player discards a card, sacrifices a creature, and loses 1 life.
Remember to check precedents for your ideas. Each spot on the mana curve has a very tight level of what it's allowed to do.
I know you're going to say I've taken your beautiful designs and destroyed them, since in the past you have been very unwilling to take any feedback. But all I've done is apply the cards to the color-pie and mana-curve as is well established. When you start playing fast and loose with what mana is worth in the attempt to make something constructed-playable, you end up with bad designs like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (which in my opinion is the worst magic card design in recent history).
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
+ life loss
- late game/full graveyard capability
A Relic rarely cares about more than a few of the the cards it is exiling when it hits their gy, and cannot kill an opponent who is at 1 life. 1 to cast and 1,T to activate is in line with where it should be.
The main difference is relic draws a card plus grants an advantage for 2. This draws a card plus grants an advantage for 1. Pretty big difference. They've been quite careful to keep that from being possible if you look at the list of cards I posted.
If what you're looking for is a bauble that draws a card for 0 or 1 mana, it's gotta have a much more conservative ability as every bauble does. Or you could consider making it narrower:
Skeleton Keys 1
Artifact
T, Sacrifice Skeleton Keys: Exile up to three target cards from any number of graveyards. If three cards that share a card type are exiled in this way, draw a card.
This makes it a cross between a Tormod's Crypt style straight grave hose and a bauble. In fact, you are very likely to be eating out of your graveyard too to make the quota. It makes it a very different card.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
3 to play 1 to activate is kinda pushed, but it's probably okay since they have to have a graveyard.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
I had considered black mana in the casting cost, making this card black, but digress the thought for the same reason; as it's better remaining colorless as to not become more bait for cards such as Unmask and Force of Despair.
I had also considered a 3 to cast and 2 to activate, but then I thought it would be pushed, but greatly in the wrong direction. People give themselves excuses that cards like Sol Ring and Crystal Vein exist, and use it as a token to push certain things, which forces confides that these cards are viable (or they are considered overstated) only because they can be build around this way. However, I think that these should not be excuses to push content of any kind, and one should consider how monotone that begins to make the game, when it forces said archtypes to be depended on so intensely (or used as a Despotic Scepter). You can't play anything else. One of the healthiest things a person could do is break away from this, and develop more open and freely, because there's other underlying potential that will be opened when one does so. And this creates new opportunity.