Gaea's Balance - 4GG
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches his or her library for a land card and puts it into play until that player controls lands equal to the player who controls the most. Each player who searched his or her library then shuffles it. Each player puts 3/3 green Beast tokens onto the battlefield under his or her control and draws cards the same way.
Steelwing Drake - 3UU
Creature -- Drake (R)
Flying, protection from creatures without flying
3/3
Boulder Sled - 1RR
Creature -- Goblin (U)
Trample
Boulder Sled doesn't untap during your untap step if it attacked last turn.
5/3
Runic Sweep - 1W
Instant (C)
Choose one or more: Destroy target artifact; or destroy target enchantment.
Nether Beast - 5BB
Creature -- Horror Beast (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Nether Beast is the only card in your graveyard, you may return it to the battlefield. 2BB, Exile two cards in your graveyard: Target player sacrifices a creature. Activate this ability only if Nether Beast is in your graveyard.
5/5
Gaea's Balance - 4GG
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches his or her library for a land card and puts it into play until that player controls lands equal to the player who controls the most. Each player who searched his or her library then shuffles it. Each player puts 3/3 green Beast tokens onto the battlefield under his or her control and draws cards the same way.
This is fairly hard to word. 'The same way' doesn't apply here because you're comparing lands. If a player puts 3/3 tokens until they control the same amount of lands, they're going into an infinite loop. Same happens with cards in hand. I don't know how to word this in a way that doesn't crunch the text.
Nether Beast - 5BB
Creature -- Horror Beast (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Nether Beast is the only card in your graveyard, you may return it to the battlefield. 2BB, Exile two cards in your graveyard: Target player sacrifices a creature. Activate this ability only if Nether Beast is in your graveyard.
5/5
I like it, but it's graveyard ability is a tad undercosted, I think. Dedicated decks would play this as a recurring 2BB: Target player sacrifices a creature, which is very very powerful removal.
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I like the concept of Gaea's Balance a lot. It really fits greens idea of Balance. Unfortunately, it will have to be a lot wordier than it's namesake and I think you'll have to spell it out three times. Using the word "difference" like Balance of Power is probably where you'll want to go.
"Each player draws cards equal to the difference between his or her cards in hand and the player with the most cards in hand. Each player puts a number of 3/3 Beast creature tokens onto the battlefield equal to the difference between the number of creatures he or she controls and the number of creatures the player with the most creatures controls. Each player may search his or her library for a number of land cards equal to the difference between the number of lands he or she controls and the number of lands the player with the most lands controls, and puts them into play tapped. Each player who searched thier library in this way shuffles his or her library."
That's the best I can think up.
Otherwise, I think Runic Sweep should cost 1WW. Hull Breach is a very good card and it's both a sorcery and harder to cast.
I like Nether Beast too. Cool concept, but it's a tough card to balance properly. One problem in particular, if I'm on the draw, I'm going to skip my first land drop every time just so I can discard this guy. You might consider making him castable from the graveyard instead, or attaching some kind of cost to bringing him back.
Runic Sweep - 1W
Instant (C)
Choose one or more: Destroy target artifact; or destroy target enchantment.
Nice. I could see this at 2W.
The cards reminds me of a question I've had for some time: Why hasn't WotC errata'd Disenchant/Naturalize, Lightning Bolt, and others to be modular when they have done so for Active Volcano, Alabaster Potion, Balm of Restoration, Blue Elemental Blast, Energy Bolt, Feast or Famine, Flash Flood, Healing Salve, Hydroblast, Phyrexian Splicer, Pyramids, Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Reign of Chaos, Relic Bind, Thunderbolt, and Triassic Egg? (btw looking into this was interesting)
The cards reminds me of a question I've had for some time: Why hasn't WotC errata'd Disenchant/Naturalize, Lightning Bolt, and others to be modular when they have done so for Active Volcano, Alabaster Potion, Balm of Restoration, Blue Elemental Blast, Energy Bolt, Feast or Famine, Flash Flood, Healing Salve, Hydroblast, Phyrexian Splicer, Pyramids, Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Reign of Chaos, Relic Bind, Thunderbolt, and Triassic Egg? (btw looking into this was interesting)
They don't need to errata disenchant/naturalize etc. Things like Active Volcano and stuff need to be modal, because they do different things to different target types. You can't have say target creature gain X life with Alabaster Potion. They do different things to their different targets. Things like Disenchant destroy the target regardless of which permanent type it targets.
Gaea's Balance - 4GG
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches his or her library for a land card and puts it into play until that player controls lands equal to the player who controls the most. Each player who searched his or her library then shuffles it. Each player puts 3/3 green Beast tokens onto the battlefield under his or her control and draws cards the same way.
Each player does this simultaneously:
Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield as long as you control fewer lands than another player. Repeat this process until you control as many lands as the player who controls the most. Then put a number 3/3 green beast creature tokens onto the battlefield until you control as many creatures as the player that controls the most creatures. Then draw a number of cards until you have as many cards in hand as the player who has the most cards in hand.
But then there's Reality Spasm, which does target and is even a descendant of the nonmodal Twiddle.
Cards that don't target (or that have multiple targets) use the "choose one" format because it's more clear that you have to make a choice. Imagine if Slagstorm said "Slagstorm deals 3 damage to each creature or 3 damage to each player." You don't even know you have a decision to make until you see the word "or." A lot of people might even gloss over it and assume it just does 3 damage to each creature and 3 damage to each player. And if Reality Spasm said "You may tap or untap X target permanents," people might assume you could choose to tap or untap each one individually. The "choose one" wording makes it clear that it's all tapping or all untapping.
With cards like Disenchant, this doesn't matter, because players are making a choice as soon as they pick a target for it, and "artifact or enchantment" just defines the scope of what you can target. Doing it with the "choose one" wording wouldn't make it much easier to grok.
Hurly-Burly, Merciless Eviction, Slagstorm, etc.: You have to make your choice as you cast the spell which means that it gives other players an opportunity to respond appropriately to your choice.
Reality Spasm: You are either tapping all of the chosen targets or you are untapping all of the chosen targets. Other wordings would be a bit ambiguous and players might think it could function like Toils of Night and Day.
Runic Sweep - This should be a sorcery, and/or cost more than Disenchant, and/or be multicolor like Hull Breach, and/or have an additional nonmana cost like Gleeful Sabotage.
Steelwing Drake - I think a nonflying creature with protection from flying would be more relevant.
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches his or her library for a land card and puts it into play until that player controls lands equal to the player who controls the most. Each player who searched his or her library then shuffles it. Each player puts 3/3 green Beast tokens onto the battlefield under his or her control and draws cards the same way.
Steelwing Drake - 3UU
Creature -- Drake (R)
Flying, protection from creatures without flying
3/3
Boulder Sled - 1RR
Creature -- Goblin (U)
Trample
Boulder Sled doesn't untap during your untap step if it attacked last turn.
5/3
Runic Sweep - 1W
Instant (C)
Choose one or more: Destroy target artifact; or destroy target enchantment.
Nether Beast - 5BB
Creature -- Horror Beast (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Nether Beast is the only card in your graveyard, you may return it to the battlefield.
2BB, Exile two cards in your graveyard: Target player sacrifices a creature. Activate this ability only if Nether Beast is in your graveyard.
5/5
This is fairly hard to word. 'The same way' doesn't apply here because you're comparing lands. If a player puts 3/3 tokens until they control the same amount of lands, they're going into an infinite loop. Same happens with cards in hand. I don't know how to word this in a way that doesn't crunch the text.
Neat idea. How about his nemesis, a 4/4 trampler in green with protection from flying?
Correct wording is "When ~ attacks, it doesn't untap on your next untap step"
Great card. I hope we see this someday.
I like it, but it's graveyard ability is a tad undercosted, I think. Dedicated decks would play this as a recurring 2BB: Target player sacrifices a creature, which is very very powerful removal.
"Each player draws cards equal to the difference between his or her cards in hand and the player with the most cards in hand. Each player puts a number of 3/3 Beast creature tokens onto the battlefield equal to the difference between the number of creatures he or she controls and the number of creatures the player with the most creatures controls. Each player may search his or her library for a number of land cards equal to the difference between the number of lands he or she controls and the number of lands the player with the most lands controls, and puts them into play tapped. Each player who searched thier library in this way shuffles his or her library."
That's the best I can think up.
Otherwise, I think Runic Sweep should cost 1WW. Hull Breach is a very good card and it's both a sorcery and harder to cast.
I like Nether Beast too. Cool concept, but it's a tough card to balance properly. One problem in particular, if I'm on the draw, I'm going to skip my first land drop every time just so I can discard this guy. You might consider making him castable from the graveyard instead, or attaching some kind of cost to bringing him back.
Nice. I could see this at 2W.
The cards reminds me of a question I've had for some time: Why hasn't WotC errata'd Disenchant/Naturalize, Lightning Bolt, and others to be modular when they have done so for Active Volcano, Alabaster Potion, Balm of Restoration, Blue Elemental Blast, Energy Bolt, Feast or Famine, Flash Flood, Healing Salve, Hydroblast, Phyrexian Splicer, Pyramids, Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Reign of Chaos, Relic Bind, Thunderbolt, and Triassic Egg? (btw looking into this was interesting)
They don't need to errata disenchant/naturalize etc. Things like Active Volcano and stuff need to be modal, because they do different things to different target types. You can't have say target creature gain X life with Alabaster Potion. They do different things to their different targets. Things like Disenchant destroy the target regardless of which permanent type it targets.
But then there's Reality Spasm, which does target and is even a descendant of the nonmodal Twiddle.
Each player does this simultaneously:
Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield as long as you control fewer lands than another player. Repeat this process until you control as many lands as the player who controls the most. Then put a number 3/3 green beast creature tokens onto the battlefield until you control as many creatures as the player that controls the most creatures. Then draw a number of cards until you have as many cards in hand as the player who has the most cards in hand.
Just a thought I had. Could be good or bad.
Cards that don't target (or that have multiple targets) use the "choose one" format because it's more clear that you have to make a choice. Imagine if Slagstorm said "Slagstorm deals 3 damage to each creature or 3 damage to each player." You don't even know you have a decision to make until you see the word "or." A lot of people might even gloss over it and assume it just does 3 damage to each creature and 3 damage to each player. And if Reality Spasm said "You may tap or untap X target permanents," people might assume you could choose to tap or untap each one individually. The "choose one" wording makes it clear that it's all tapping or all untapping.
With cards like Disenchant, this doesn't matter, because players are making a choice as soon as they pick a target for it, and "artifact or enchantment" just defines the scope of what you can target. Doing it with the "choose one" wording wouldn't make it much easier to grok.
Reality Spasm: You are either tapping all of the chosen targets or you are untapping all of the chosen targets. Other wordings would be a bit ambiguous and players might think it could function like Toils of Night and Day.
Runic Sweep - This should be a sorcery, and/or cost more than Disenchant, and/or be multicolor like Hull Breach, and/or have an additional nonmana cost like Gleeful Sabotage.
Steelwing Drake - I think a nonflying creature with protection from flying would be more relevant.
Boulder Sled
Apes of Rath, sure. See also: Goblin Rock Sled and Tangle Kelp.
This is a pretty hefty sized blocker.
Nether Beast - So turn 1: Entomb, Putrid Imp, Funeral Charm, Raven's Crime, Skull Fracture, etc.