MTG Salvation

Looking for CMC advice, what should be appropriate for this:

Name TBD (?)(W)(U)
Legendary Creature - Wizard Solider (4/4)

First Strike
When Name TBD enters the battlefield or attacks create a white and blue 1/1 Solider Elemental creature token with when this creature deals damage to a creature that creature doesn't untap during its next untap step.

You must always critique the card before you in this thread if you're posting a new card.

Fledgling - Amusing and fun throwback. The once-per-turn limit makes this low-impact enough that I could see it at uncommon. At rare I'd think this'd have flying naturally.

Name TBD - No race type? This could cost 3WU and not be especially strong or 2WU and be very very pushed. Why "Solider (sic) Elemental" tokens? I guess we're talking ice Elementals here but not knowing anything else about the character/flavor I can't critique that aspect.

I'm new so take my critique with a grain of salt.

Fledgling- I like that it doesn't naturally have flying, because it's a young bird that has yet to try.

Void_nothing - Thank you for that input. I think you are right with NameTBD. With a play group that is designing our own commanders, I'm trying to keep the white/blue feel. I'd like the tokens to be white/blue as well (why I picked solider elementals) Ice elementals are exactly the art/lore I am going for. I suppose the artwork could speak to their white identity?

change to = Human Solider Wizard

Let's say I wanted a mythic rare or rare?

void nothing's Critique on TBD fits for the most part, and I can't really say anything else other than agreeing that it should cost 5cc.


Another 5cmc card.

Seraph of Armistice 3WU
Creature - Angel (M)
Flying
Whenever one or more creatures deal combat damage to a player, end the turn.
"That is enough. I do not permit you to commit further aggression"
5/4

I feel like I'm pushing the stat here despite the symmetrical effect, but then aside, I'm actually thinking this could actually be mono white. Do you agree?


EDIT:

Seraph of Armistice 3WW
Creature - Angel (M)
Flying
Whenever one or more creatures deal combat damage to a player, end the turn.
"That is enough. I do not permit you to commit further aggression"
5/4

Seraph of Armistice - I agree it could be mono white.

Thanks for the feedback on NameTBD

My friend Ezra's Commander, he is also contemplating fair cmc and is willing to drop to a 1/4. I personally like the 1/5 for a treefolk. Maybe add Shaman?

Ocomore, Mind Gatherer 3UG
Legendary Creature - Treefolk 1/5
At the beginning of your upkeep create a 1/1 green Saproling creature token.
x,t: Exchange control of X Saproling creature tokens with target creature with converted mana cost X.

A fair Legend. A fair payoff for your swarm. This guy is sooo fair hes a bit underwhelming.
It needs a tap, needs X mana and takes 4 turns to steal a 4CMC (provided you get no other sapromakers). Maybe this guy needs less X or less tapping. Or more saprolings/ turn.


Ground Spectathyd (2/B)BB
Creature - Specter Horror(MR)
Whenever Ground Spectathyd deals combat damage to a player, that discards a card.
As long as an opponent has one or less cards in hand, Ground Spectathyd gets +2/+2.
3/5

I think being castable at 3 cmc could make it a too strong given the 3/5 base body. Being an overly efficient body by default, moreso even when its just incidentally getting pumped without having to connect first, makes this a lot more dangerous than Guul Draz Spectre. Even without the typical spectre evasion, just being so far above the curve put opponents into an oppressive bind when you can just untap and cast a removal spell on their biggest threat, and your 3/5 should be able to kill whatever smaller creatures they have left in combat. And then they're losing cards either way, chumping or discarding, and the spectre will get active either way as they lose their hand or need to cast spells to stabilize their board. For something that can so easily be 5/7 when topdecked normally even on fairly early turns, going up to 4 CMC might be prudent.

Urien, King of Everwinter 5UU
Legendary Creature - Human (M)
Other creatures are tapped and don't untap.
4/4

Urien, King of Everwinter - Not even untap with cards that make them untap? ie. Untap target permanent. ? Other creatures are tapped and don't untap during that players untap step. Or you want absolute rule.

Fix:
Ocomore, Mind Gatherer 3UG
Legendary Creature - Treefolk 1/5 (M)
At the beginning of your upkeep create two 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens.
t: Exchange control of X Saproling creature tokens with target creature with converted mana cost X.

Now this Ocomore feels interesting. Giving your opponents a bunch of bodies and power on the board for their beater seems like a fair exchange - reminiscent of Mercy Killing - as is two-odd Saps for their hatebear, and so on. Just good job overall, very build-around.

I like Ocomore indeed. Very creative use of a token strategy, and there's always plenty of ways to lopside it (such as Curse of Death's Hold). Well done.


Random idea of a mox (cycle).

Mox Obsidian 0
Artifact (R)
As Mox Obsidian enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a black creature. If you don't, put Mox Obsidian into its owner's graveyard instead.
T: Add B.

Balanced enough? Or too expensive?

well the templating should use the same replacement effect as mox diamond, but I think that as far as moxes go it would actually be a bit on the weak side. Unlike mox opal or amber mox that can be used in decks to trigger metalcraft or affinity or other 'artifacts-matter' effects, the mox diamond drawback is pretty harsh for deckbuilding since it doesn't help those plans without having its trigger clause active. And that clause is pretty steep here: Sacrificing a black creature is probably the costliest version, well beyond pitching a land or a card in hand like chrome mox. Having a creature already on the battlefield means its very difficult to run out early turns or mid-combo unless it already produced those creatures, and token-makers or manlands are restricted by it needing to be black.
I think another comparison is springleaf drum or paradise mantle. They basically do it for 1 mana without the creature dying and produces rainbow mana. It can't accelerate like mox obsidian but it can still pay for itself.

Blooming Hydra XG
Creature - Hydra (R)
Intensify (You may exert non-exerted mana sources you tap to pay for this spell. If you do, they pay for this spell with an additional one mana of any type they produced. An exerted permanent won't untap during your next untap step.)
Blooming Hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
0/0

Blooming Hydra is pretty awesome. I don't have any complaints about Intensify, except the name, which to me sounds more like a Izzet oriented term. Maybe Channel, but that's already a card. The hydra seems nicely balanced by it's self, but it might be too easy to break with Bear Umbra, or Prophet of Kruphix. Also, I feel like, since it's "blooming", it should be a plant hydra.

Return to Sender
Instant
Choose one:
- Change the target of target spell that targets a player, or target ability that targets a player to it's controller.
- Counter target spell or ability that targets it's controller.

Return to sender is a fine card, if a little narrow. I do think that it's a little awkwardly worded. I'd maybe push up a little bit in CMC to just make it spells that target a player, rather than its controller.

Mysterious Disappearance
W
Instant
Exile target creature. It's controller investigates (they create a colourless Clue artifact token with '2, Sacrifice this: Draw a card'
"No body, no signs of forced entry, the doors locked from the inside. A perfect crime. But ah-HA! The killer was foolish enough to leave his cigarette butt on the floor."

Hmmm..... well, we have Swords to Plowshares (overpowered) and Path To Exile (still quite strong). Compared to them, I think this card is balanced enough: It benefits your opponent in a way, but the benefit isn't so free.


Squee's best friend.

Apherdera, Exvitalis Paragon 5BB
Legendary Creature - Demon (R)
Flying, menace
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may discard a creature card. If you do, each opponent sacrifices a creature.
"You will pay tribute in blood to me, one way or another."
5/5

Comments?

Ouch. All? I like the concept, but even though it's symmetrical Sarnoth would be way too much of a lock - certain deck types (burn most prominently) would just have to scoop to it if it hit the board.

The thing with Sarnoth is that wizards have printed very few cards that grant hexproof or shroud both as a boon and to themselves. They prefer cards that grant the boon only to other permanents, not themselves, like privileged position. The reason being that a card like Shalai, while generally protecting your team, still lives the fair out to an opponent of simply targeting Shalai. Even if it blanks some targeted effects, many will open the game back up again. In that regard, its often the same effect as a flagbearer or spellskite: it doesn't lock your opponent's targeted effects out of the game, it just demands the first removal spell go to it. For cards that truly lock out targeted effects, they're either really expensive like Archetype of Endurance, or very niche and limited to a number of permanents like diplomatic immunity and elgaud shieldmate. Sarnoth would be perfectly fine if it had the same 'other' clause, drogskol captain and other similar lords show its fine to be a fully lock in multiples. But that's also a lot less unique and not the effect you're clearly going for.

Ihsan the Betrayer BB
Legendary Creature - Shade Knight (R)
First strike, menace
Hexproof from white
B: Put a +1/+1 counter on Ihsan. When Ihsan attacks or blocks, he loses this ability. (This effect lasts indefinitely)
1/1

Champion of the Realm [Ch][Ch][Ch]
Creature - Avatar
[Ch] can be paid only with colored mana.
Protection from colorless, ~ is every color.
Whenever ~ etb, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.
0/1



Trying to design a custom set with a new mechanic, Chromatic mana, which is intended to be a variant on the Colorless mana from BFZ/OGW.

Ihsan is intereting, but the counter-giving ability may need to be more expensive... though I may be wrong; He's only protected from white, which doesn't save him from all manners of Pyroclasms and whatever. The offset of losing that autopump once he gets up is cute; could work, for sure.


I hope this doesn't cause infinites.

Lonely Companionship 3UU
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if you control exactly one creature, create a token that is a copy of that creature, except that it is not legendary.
"I wish there was someone with me around."

Comments?

It's not to bad, it took a second for me to clear up the templatin in my head, but... meh...

Ember Mox
Legendary Artifact - Mox
(Spells without mana costs cannot be cast.)
You may Reveal this from your hand, and discard a Red Sorcery Spell from your hand, if you do, put this onto the battlefield.
T: Add R

Soot Mox
Legendary Artifact - Mox
(Spells without mana costs cannot be cast.)
You may Reveal this from your hand, and discard two black cards, if you do, put this onto the battlefield
T: Add B

Mist Mox
Legendary Artifact - Mox
(Spells without mana costs cannot be cast.)
You may Reveal this from your hand and discard a blue instant spell, if you do put this onto the battlefield.
T: Add U

Pollen Mox
Legendary Artifact - Mox
(Spells without mana costs cannot be cast.)
You may Reveal this from your hand and discard a Green creature spell, if you do put this onto the battlefield.
T: Add G

Hope Mox
Legendary Artifact - Mox
(Spells without mana costs cannot be cast.)
You may Reveal this from your hand and discard a White Enchantment spell, if you do put this onto the battlefield.
T: Add W

hrmm well if these were ever to be printed outside a commander product, the problem is that you'd be introducing up to 20 copies of moxen into an environment with the 4 card limit. One playset of moxen is already a big deal. It means that for example a UW deck could run 8 mox alongside a normal suite of enchantment removal and counterspells. Also, as templated, you can flash them onto the battlefield at instant speed- that's quite scary when it comes to counterspell blowouts like daze did. Now in terms of the actual cost, they're very similar to chrome mox- more restrictive on type and they're legendary, but as chrome mox showed, even getting -1 CA to play a mox is overpowered on its own. And having 5 different mox for 20 copies is extremely scary. Also, soot mox breaks the symmetry by being far worse when played fairly, but its also far more degenerate when played unfairly. Some kind of dredge decks could run this to discard 2 cards at instant speed with no putrid imp on the table and get the mana to go off. It would bust wide a deck like legacy reanimator which is already busted.
I think theres a good reason all mox in modern memory have been chromatic instead of cycles

Frozen Horror 1UU
Creature - Elemental Horror (U)
Frozen Horror enters the battlefield tapped and exerted.
Frozen Horror is indestructible while tapped.
5/3

I’m not sold on Unstable (the mechanic). It sounds like just having ‘at the beginning of your upkeep’ trigger but with extra steps. Yeah, it does trigger ‘when something else ETB’s’ and cast triggers, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the extra complexity.

As for the card itself. It’s broken. 2 life a turn for free ramp is way too effecient, especially since any deck that runs his will he trying to kill you before the life loss is relevant. Storm in particular loves this card, since it is a ramp card early that continues to contribute to the decks storm count. Probably leads to a T2 kill in storm in modern and makes legacy storm more consistent.

I’m any case:

Mechanic: Frost Counters (when a permanent with 1 or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it).

Frost counters are a new type of counter with innate rules meaning. They create a replacement effect whenever a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, which causes a counter to be removed instead of that permanent untapping.

Blood Frost
1UR
Enchantment
When a non-basic land is tapped for any amount of mana, put that many frost counters plus one onto it. (When a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it.
).

Hmmm.... well, since it punishes only nonbasics, it's good. Pretty strong that it brutally punishes things like storage lands and Cabal Coffers, oh, and not forgetting the Karoos, but aside from those examples this should be doable.


Some random Un card

Eloquence War 4RR
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose two target creatures. If the flavor texts of those creatures share one or more words, those creatures fight each other.
"You have no business in saying the word blood, vile pest!"
- Falkenrath Aristocrat, to Eyeblight Assassin

I think it's severely wrongly costed. The closest equivalent, Blood Feud, is a six mana Sorcery, but a nearly-identical and usually better effect is found on Ancient Animus, a two-mana Instant. Either way, it's cost is wildly out of place, given other cards with the ability to cause Fights. As an Un-card, it works perfectly by using a silly targeting restriction that's gameable to use for a staggeringly large number of targets, thus making it effectively all-purpose

Have a reworked mechanic, attached to the initial card:

Cinder Spike 1(B/R)
Instant
Wither
Deal 2 damage to target creature.
Enchanted creature gets +3/-1 and Wither

Infuse 1BR (You may cast this spell for it's Infuse cost. If you do, it's an Enchantment - Aura in addition to its other types enchanting a permanent targeted by another of it's effects)

---

With this rework, the enchantment target must be targeted by the Instant/Sorcery/whatever. This means that this card's real Enchantment effect is giving Wither and +1/-3, because of the added counters. This makes the mechanic a bit more versatile and able to have better tradeoffs or benefits, as the target can be harmed or helped by the Instant/Sorcery (or even creature!), enhancing some potential effects (this, for example, gives -3 Toughness to trigger state-based kills for three mana) and reducing others (you now end up with +1/-3 due to the counters).

Of note is that practical to use -1/-1 counter removal was present in Shadowmore block, alongside Wither, so you aren't unable to fix some of the downside. Matter of fact, there's a card in Shadowmoor that turns -1/-1 counters into health.

On infuse: I think that the mechanic would work better if it was reversed to work like an Evoke variant for enchantments. Essentially make it:

Infuse - Cost: You may cast aura for its infuse cost. If you do, sacrifice it after it enters the battlefield.

It’s a bit cleaner since it doesn’t result in cards changing their card types, which pushes down the complexity particularly at common. For effects that you want to be instants you can just give the Aura flash.

As for the card itself, I think that it’s a bit to complex for what it does. Giving +/- stats while also putting -1/-1 counters on the card it’s enchanting just makes it confusing for what it’s actually doing. I think it would be cleaner to just have this directly put counters on the target instead of dealing damage with Wither (a bit of a bend in red but likely exceptable in the context of the block) and have it give no P/T modification (or only modify power). It’s a fine idea, but it needs some refinement and cleaning.

Gideon, Knight of Sacrifice
2WWW
Legendary Planeswalker - Gideon
+2: Until your next turn, target creature can’t attack or block and it’s activated abilities can’t be activated.
0: Gideon becomes a 5/5 Human Knight Creature with indestructible until the end of the turn. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Gideon this turn.
-14: Exile Gideon and all permanents target player controls.
4

This version of gideon plays pretty similar to gideon of the trials as written. You +1 to nullify one enemy creature or 0 to become a beater. But its quite a bit less aggressively costed. The problem is that while the -14 is a huge effect, and wins you the game, it wouldn't come down until turn... 10? And thats on the curve, completely untouched. As costed, it makes him just a 2 ability walker. Gideon, Champion of Justice showed how a very expensive ultimate could be reached by a scaling +loyalty ability, but this just ticks up slowly and won't realistically build towards it. The other gideons were designed for a third utility ability and no ultimate, this could either use a smaller ultimate or utility skill.

Spilling Forth 1BB
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a Blood counter on Spilling Forth. Then you draw X cards and lose X times X life, where X is the number of Blood counters on Spilling Forth.