Eldrazi, which are considered great monstrosities that bring about termination and the end of reality, never really have any other form beyond such. Though considered mindless, if the Eldrazi are truly boundless (Aside from artificial seals) then there in fact could be one or two Eldrazi who are intelligent (If they all aren't). The idea behind this particular card is the intelligent Eldrazi, who simply exists to bring the destruction of other planeswalkers and as the messenger for the titans. As the spawn of Emrakul, Xa'hothtep lives under the guise of a planeswalker to fool living societies on different planes into slave-harbors under his control. Since he is very intelligent, he emulates planeswalker abilities to his utmost extent even without a spark, but resulting in very few abilities. With this traits he is able to fool lesser beings into believing that he is nothing less than a Messiah and that his monstrous true form (Shown) is never even thought.
This character was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's creation Nyarlathotep, who is (From my readings) the servitor of Azazoth and the harbinger of Great Old Ones. With his countless forms he often takes the shape of a Black Pharaoh, and roams the lands seeking fanatical cults to twist and contort.
Link to original art by Thienbao
Xa'hothtep, Apocryphal Messiah12
Starting loyalty: 4 +2 : Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and exile it face-up. You may cast it from exile. If you do, it costs 4 mana less to cast. 0 : Until the end of the turn, Xa’hothtep, Aprocryphal Messiah becomes a legendary 9/9 Eldrazi creature with Hexproof and annihilator 3 (He doesn’t lose loyalty while he’s not a planeswalker). 0: Until the Xa’hothtep leaves the battlefield or the end of the turn, you may play cards from any player’s graveyard without paying their mana cost. Whenever you cast a spell this way, remove a loyalty counter from Xa’hothtep.
Um...wuh? Do you realize how broken "all the free spells" is? Consider that you generally can't get him out until turn 12, or with ramp, maybe turn 6 or so. Peoples' graveyards are full of cards, so you can just play all the things, pump Xa'hothtep up to like 10 loyalty (you only need to play 7 cards for that from ALL graveyards, including your own), and next turn he's a 9/9, hexproof, haste, annihilator 10. ANNIHILATOR 10.
I know, Eldrazi are powerful and planeswalkers are powerful, so putting them together should be powerful, but... this goes overboard. Maybe it's a sign that either Eldrazi shouldn't be planeswalkers, or else they need to be nerfed to do so.
The -3 also says nothing about what happens to the spells after you cast them. Since you can cast cards in graveyards for free, you can literally cast all the instants and sorceries in all the graveyards as many times as you want, because when they resolve they go right back to the graveyard.
Play Summer Bloom and a mill spell and play all the cards in all the decks!
Gotta say, this just feels like a first attempt at a cool card that over reaches more than a little. The first ability is more than a little crazy by itself.
Disclosure: I don't agree with the flavour of an Eldrazi Planeswalker either. The basic idea of adapting Lovecraft to MTG is cool, but doesn't Nyarlathotep have a focus on mysterious and impossible science? This could be a good excuse to make a blue Eldrazi-aligned character.
The -3 also says nothing about what happens to the spells after you cast them. Since you can cast cards in graveyards for free, you can literally cast all the instants and sorceries in all the graveyards as many times as you want, because when they resolve they go right back to the graveyard.
Play Summer Bloom and a mill spell and play all the cards in all the decks!
I actually didn't realize this because the "gets exiled" clause is always in my mind, I'm gonna add that!
About the Omniscience ability and power level, is there any recommendations on how that can be adjusted? I'm trying to vision a Karn Liberated literally doubled in power level but I suppose it was a bit overboard
Gotta say, this just feels like a first attempt at a cool card that over reaches more than a little. The first ability is more than a little crazy by itself.
Disclosure: I don't agree with the flavour of an Eldrazi Planeswalker either. The basic idea of adapting Lovecraft to MTG is cool, but doesn't Nyarlathotep have a focus on mysterious and impossible science? This could be a good excuse to make a blue Eldrazi-aligned character.
I'm not against him having a color, I feel like it would make more sense. The most important part of the character is the direct offspring of Emrakul (Which I have representing Azazoth) Which could in the world of endless possibilities result in this character. Nyarlothotep does have an involvement with mysterious and impossible science to a small degree however the feature would be more unique to this particular character if he would inherit the blue trait. I feel like it would be closer to blue/black.
This is definitely crazy-overpowered as it stands.
For starters, you've got a colorless Omniscience. Perhaps it would not see as much play as the Omni itself because you can't Show and Tell it, but it's just something to think about as a baseline.
Next, you've got his +0. It effectively allows you to swing the turn you drop him with a hasty annihilator 6. Your opponent has only a short window to stop him, and because of the hexproof, they have to have a removal spell that can kill a Planeswalker at instant speed or they suffer the 6 annihilator, which in many cases is GG.
Then you've got his ultimate. Even with a "and then exile them" clause, this ability is pretty bonkers. You play every card in both graveyards for free, and get a loyalty counter for each one?
How about this for a more balanced approach?
12 cost
Starting Loyalty: 6
+3: You may cast the next colorless spell from your hand this turn without paying its mana cost
+0: ~ becomes a 9/9 Eldrazi Creature with trample and annihilator 3 until end of turn
-3: Until end of turn, you may play cards in each player's graveyard. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast spells this way. If an instant or sorcery spell is cast this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard
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Thanks for the suggestion, I made a rework of the abilities and I'd love feedback.
Xa'hothtep, Apocryphal Messiah 12
Starting loyalty: 4
+2 : Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and put that card into your hand. That spell costs 4 less to cast.
0 : Until the end of the turn, Xa’hothtep, Aprocryphal Messiah becomes a legendary 9/9 Eldrazi creature with Hexproof and annihilator 3. (He doesn’t lose loyalty while he’s not a planeswalker)
0: Until the Xa’hothtep leaves the battlefield or the end of the turn, you may play cards from any player’s graveyard without paying their mana cost. Whenever you cast a spell this way, remove a loyalty counter from Xa’hothtep.
The new version is MUCH more balanced. Still very powerful, but I've already admitted that an Eldrazi Planeswalker should be; but not so crazy that one look makes everyone scoop. However, there's a memory issue from the +2 ability. If it's going into your hand, a private zone, there's no way to mark that it is the spell which costs 4 less. In addition to not being revealed (so opponents have no idea what the card is which should be cheaper), if you keep it in your hand for a few turns, it's far too easy for someone to later say, "No, that wasn't the card you tutored for!"
I think the way to make that work is to make it say, "Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and exile it face-up. You may cast it from exile. If you do, it costs less to cast."
The new version is MUCH more balanced. Still very powerful, but I've already admitted that an Eldrazi Planeswalker should be; but not so crazy that one look makes everyone scoop. However, there's a memory issue from the +2 ability. If it's going into your hand, a private zone, there's no way to mark that it is the spell which costs 4 less. In addition to not being revealed (so opponents have no idea what the card is which should be cheaper), if you keep it in your hand for a few turns, it's far too easy for someone to later say, "No, that wasn't the card you tutored for!"
I think the way to make that work is to make it say, "Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and exile it face-up. You may cast it from exile. If you do, it costs less to cast."
Was considering exactly this and I agree. I feel this change makes the card more appropriate especially flavor-wise.
Gotta say, this just feels like a first attempt at a cool card that over reaches more than a little. The first ability is more than a little crazy by itself.
Disclosure: I don't agree with the flavour of an Eldrazi Planeswalker either. The basic idea of adapting Lovecraft to MTG is cool, but doesn't Nyarlathotep have a focus on mysterious and impossible science? This could be a good excuse to make a blue Eldrazi-aligned character.
I think with U being the major Artifact color (Among everything else U gets), it doesn't really need to be any more colorless friendly.
I'm against the idea of a colored Eldrazi (As that kind of takes away the point of the Colorless Tribal).
I like the card, but the one thing I would change is make him start with 7 Loyalty (7 is kinda a number amongst the Eldrazi) and make his second 0 -X, where X is the cards CMC.
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Oath of the Gatewatch; the set that caused the competitive community to freak out over Basic Lands.
This character was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's creation Nyarlathotep, who is (From my readings) the servitor of Azazoth and the harbinger of Great Old Ones. With his countless forms he often takes the shape of a Black Pharaoh, and roams the lands seeking fanatical cults to twist and contort.
Link to original art by Thienbao
Xa'hothtep, Apocryphal Messiah 12
Starting loyalty: 4
+2 : Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and exile it face-up. You may cast it from exile. If you do, it costs 4 mana less to cast.
0 : Until the end of the turn, Xa’hothtep, Aprocryphal Messiah becomes a legendary 9/9 Eldrazi creature with Hexproof and annihilator 3 (He doesn’t lose loyalty while he’s not a planeswalker).
0: Until the Xa’hothtep leaves the battlefield or the end of the turn, you may play cards from any player’s graveyard without paying their mana cost. Whenever you cast a spell this way, remove a loyalty counter from Xa’hothtep.
Edit: Fixed version of the card
Edit 2: Updated
An enigma as vexing as life itself.
I know, Eldrazi are powerful and planeswalkers are powerful, so putting them together should be powerful, but... this goes overboard. Maybe it's a sign that either Eldrazi shouldn't be planeswalkers, or else they need to be nerfed to do so.
Play Summer Bloom and a mill spell and play all the cards in all the decks!
Disclosure: I don't agree with the flavour of an Eldrazi Planeswalker either. The basic idea of adapting Lovecraft to MTG is cool, but doesn't Nyarlathotep have a focus on mysterious and impossible science? This could be a good excuse to make a blue Eldrazi-aligned character.
Art is life itself.
I actually didn't realize this because the "gets exiled" clause is always in my mind, I'm gonna add that!
About the Omniscience ability and power level, is there any recommendations on how that can be adjusted? I'm trying to vision a Karn Liberated literally doubled in power level but I suppose it was a bit overboard
I'm not against him having a color, I feel like it would make more sense. The most important part of the character is the direct offspring of Emrakul (Which I have representing Azazoth) Which could in the world of endless possibilities result in this character. Nyarlothotep does have an involvement with mysterious and impossible science to a small degree however the feature would be more unique to this particular character if he would inherit the blue trait. I feel like it would be closer to blue/black.
An enigma as vexing as life itself.
For starters, you've got a colorless Omniscience. Perhaps it would not see as much play as the Omni itself because you can't Show and Tell it, but it's just something to think about as a baseline.
Next, you've got his +0. It effectively allows you to swing the turn you drop him with a hasty annihilator 6. Your opponent has only a short window to stop him, and because of the hexproof, they have to have a removal spell that can kill a Planeswalker at instant speed or they suffer the 6 annihilator, which in many cases is GG.
Then you've got his ultimate. Even with a "and then exile them" clause, this ability is pretty bonkers. You play every card in both graveyards for free, and get a loyalty counter for each one?
How about this for a more balanced approach?
12 cost
Starting Loyalty: 6
+3: You may cast the next colorless spell from your hand this turn without paying its mana cost
+0: ~ becomes a 9/9 Eldrazi Creature with trample and annihilator 3 until end of turn
-3: Until end of turn, you may play cards in each player's graveyard. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast spells this way. If an instant or sorcery spell is cast this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard
Currently Playing:
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Xa'hothtep, Apocryphal Messiah 12
Starting loyalty: 4
+2 : Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and put that card into your hand. That spell costs 4 less to cast.
0 : Until the end of the turn, Xa’hothtep, Aprocryphal Messiah becomes a legendary 9/9 Eldrazi creature with Hexproof and annihilator 3. (He doesn’t lose loyalty while he’s not a planeswalker)
0: Until the Xa’hothtep leaves the battlefield or the end of the turn, you may play cards from any player’s graveyard without paying their mana cost. Whenever you cast a spell this way, remove a loyalty counter from Xa’hothtep.
An enigma as vexing as life itself.
I think the way to make that work is to make it say, "Search your library for a colorless nonland permanent and exile it face-up. You may cast it from exile. If you do, it costs less to cast."
Was considering exactly this and I agree. I feel this change makes the card more appropriate especially flavor-wise.
An enigma as vexing as life itself.
I think with U being the major Artifact color (Among everything else U gets), it doesn't really need to be any more colorless friendly.
I'm against the idea of a colored Eldrazi (As that kind of takes away the point of the Colorless Tribal).
I like the card, but the one thing I would change is make him start with 7 Loyalty (7 is kinda a number amongst the Eldrazi) and make his second 0 -X, where X is the cards CMC.