I was thinking today about the Baneslayer test (if a format is healthy, Baneslayer Angel or its ilk should be a good card), and what Baneslayer-esque cards might look like in other colours. The principal role of Baneslayer in the format is as a five cost creature with good stats & keywords, so that was where I started with my designs.
Azakesh, Stormlord3UU
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (M)
Flying, shroud
When CARD enters the battlefield or dies, you may search your library for a blue sorcery or enchantment and reveal it. You must then choose to put that card into your hand, graveyard, or exile. Afterwards shuffle your library.
4/3
Kuzrilkol2RRR
Legendary Creature - Ape (M)
Haste, trample
When CARD enters the battlefield or dies, you may sacrifice any number of permanents. Deal X damage to up to X targets, where X is the number of permanents sacrificed this way.
5/5
The Cloudscraper1GGGG
Legendary Creature - Treefolk (M)
Vigilance, reach
At the beginning of each end step, if a creature with flying died this turn put three +1/+1 counters on CARD.
5/7
Bonus:
Unpleasant Return4UU
Instant (R)
Counter up to two target spells.
Dredge 4
Some template issues with Azakesh. I would write it "When CARDNAME enters the battlefield or dies, you may search your library for an enchantment or sorcery card and exile it. You may put that card into your hand or graveyard. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it."
Enchantment search is really not a blue effect, I would suggest sticking to instant or sorcery search to stay on color. Shroud has been retired, Hexproof would be more appropriate. I don't feel that Azakesh would be as impactful as Baneslayer. Strong yes, but Baneslayer Angel's dominance wasn't just about the stats of the one card, it was how the deck formed around it and enabled extremely aggressive strategies. Azakesh is a tutor, the decks that would gravitate to that would be combo, maybe control.
Kuzrilkol is very pushed, probably too much so. Thundermaw Hellkite was already essentially the red Baneslayer and your design is mostly more powerful than that. It hits for 10 and wipes your opponent's board on turn 5 all by itself. This is a game-ending card, and the later it's played the better it scales. The dies effect is really superfluous, if it dies, it'll be the same turn you play it, and you'll have already fed it anything you're willing to at that point.
The Cloudscraper feels like its gone in the other direction. It punishes flyers, but not very quickly. You opponent simply won't block it with flyers, and against anything else its not as strong as Ivorytusk Fortress or Arachnus Spinner, it really doesn't feel mythic. It's to focused on anti-flyers to live up to Baneslayer's reputation. It's not a bad design, I could totally see them printing it considering they made Arbor Colossus, it's just not up to scratch if you're going for a green Baneslayer.
Unpleasant Return is probably overcost. There are seldom two spells on the stack that you want to counter, unless there are way more than hat because of some Storm shenanigans. Putting dredge on it definitely makes it rare, so I'd stick it at 3UU.
Azakesh intentionally has the weird wording, to make sure that the player understands they can choose to put the searched for card in exile, hand, or graveyard. If Improvise can have an unnecessary line of additional reminder text, this additional wordiness is acceptable.
Blue does interact with enchantments, just not as often or as strong as white or green. A mythic blue enchantment tutor is more than acceptable. A big push with the ability is to separate instants & sorceries, which are too often mechanically equated. Azakesh is not meant to be a blue aggro monster, I was inspired by the "Baneslayer test". Creating a "blue Baneslayer" is a useless exercise.
Retiring shroud was one of the biggest mistakes Wizards has ever made, principally because hexproof is such a stupidly low-skill mechanic.
Kuzrikol on review is indeed too pushed.
Like I said, I'm not trying to make a "green Baneslayer", such an exercise is pointless.
There is literally 1 blue card that tutors for enchantments, and that card is Zur the Enchanter. On the other hand, ALL of the enchantment tutor effects are white, including Zur. Tutoring is a very specific type of interaction, and though blue does interact with enchantments to some degree, it has not tutor for them in he past, so you're breaking new ground. If that's your goal, fine mythics do sometimes borrow mechanics from other colors, but it is nonetheless a stretch of the color pie.
I'm sorry if I came across as overly critical, I enjoy examining card designs, and when you're trying to make pushed, format-defining bombs, they really need a thorough analysis to get them just right.
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Azakesh, Stormlord 3UU
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (M)
Flying, shroud
When CARD enters the battlefield or dies, you may search your library for a blue sorcery or enchantment and reveal it. You must then choose to put that card into your hand, graveyard, or exile. Afterwards shuffle your library.
4/3
Kuzrilkol 2RRR
Legendary Creature - Ape (M)
Haste, trample
When CARD enters the battlefield or dies, you may sacrifice any number of permanents. Deal X damage to up to X targets, where X is the number of permanents sacrificed this way.
5/5
The Cloudscraper 1GGGG
Legendary Creature - Treefolk (M)
Vigilance, reach
At the beginning of each end step, if a creature with flying died this turn put three +1/+1 counters on CARD.
5/7
Bonus:
Unpleasant Return 4UU
Instant (R)
Counter up to two target spells.
Dredge 4
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
Enchantment search is really not a blue effect, I would suggest sticking to instant or sorcery search to stay on color. Shroud has been retired, Hexproof would be more appropriate. I don't feel that Azakesh would be as impactful as Baneslayer. Strong yes, but Baneslayer Angel's dominance wasn't just about the stats of the one card, it was how the deck formed around it and enabled extremely aggressive strategies. Azakesh is a tutor, the decks that would gravitate to that would be combo, maybe control.
Kuzrilkol is very pushed, probably too much so. Thundermaw Hellkite was already essentially the red Baneslayer and your design is mostly more powerful than that. It hits for 10 and wipes your opponent's board on turn 5 all by itself. This is a game-ending card, and the later it's played the better it scales. The dies effect is really superfluous, if it dies, it'll be the same turn you play it, and you'll have already fed it anything you're willing to at that point.
The Cloudscraper feels like its gone in the other direction. It punishes flyers, but not very quickly. You opponent simply won't block it with flyers, and against anything else its not as strong as Ivorytusk Fortress or Arachnus Spinner, it really doesn't feel mythic. It's to focused on anti-flyers to live up to Baneslayer's reputation. It's not a bad design, I could totally see them printing it considering they made Arbor Colossus, it's just not up to scratch if you're going for a green Baneslayer.
Unpleasant Return is probably overcost. There are seldom two spells on the stack that you want to counter, unless there are way more than hat because of some Storm shenanigans. Putting dredge on it definitely makes it rare, so I'd stick it at 3UU.
Blue does interact with enchantments, just not as often or as strong as white or green. A mythic blue enchantment tutor is more than acceptable. A big push with the ability is to separate instants & sorceries, which are too often mechanically equated. Azakesh is not meant to be a blue aggro monster, I was inspired by the "Baneslayer test". Creating a "blue Baneslayer" is a useless exercise.
Retiring shroud was one of the biggest mistakes Wizards has ever made, principally because hexproof is such a stupidly low-skill mechanic.
Kuzrikol on review is indeed too pushed.
Like I said, I'm not trying to make a "green Baneslayer", such an exercise is pointless.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
I'm sorry if I came across as overly critical, I enjoy examining card designs, and when you're trying to make pushed, format-defining bombs, they really need a thorough analysis to get them just right.