Primitive Universe
Land
You may set this card aside face-up from your library before starting the game. If you do, put it on top of your library before drawing your opening hand.
Hexproof, indestructible
T: Add 1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may choose one — Exile the top three cards of your library, then put up to one basic land card from among them on top of your library; or discard a basic land card to scry 1.
Lands are already extremely resilient. Does this need hexproof and indestructible? Compare the cheapest land destruction effects and how early they hit. Considering what this does and that you can put it on top of your library, won't it achieve plenty of what it is supposed to do even if removed at the earliest possible moment?
If you want it to be unsolvable in addition to another effect, don't make it a permanent.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I put indestructibility and hexproof in the original for logical reasons: how does one go about Stone Raining a mostly region mostly devoid of matter? But from a game mechanics perspective, such abilities on a land card are indeed superfluous. So I'll try again, and I'll try to reduce the text and complexity a little bit.
Primitive Universe
Land
You may set this card aside face-up from your library before starting the game. If you do, put it on top of your library before drawing your opening hand.
T: Add 1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exile the top three cards of your library. If you do, put one basic land card from among them on top of your library if able and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
I'll gladly play no more than 15 lands in my combo deck, that's nice you thought about me.
Really, why do so many people want to screw with the mana system by giving players tools that are basically all upside? Don't you see that it makes broken strategies so much more broken?
Also, I'm not sure if the wording works correctly if you consider mulligans.
I don't know if the wording is completely appropriate with regard to mulligans, but Gatherer always has answers to FAQ about specific cards.
I think that many people (including myself) want to screw with the mana system because the mana system screws with us! Especially in limited formats, where you are forced to run practically all basic lands. Primitive Universe was created with limited formats foremost in my mind. I don't how being able to more reliably topdeck a basic land is really bad for people's subjective enjoyment of this game.
If it's busted for formats like Modern, Legacy, and Vintage, it ought to be banned; no big loss to players financially, because it's common.
If you are running a 60 card deck with only 15 lands and you fetch Primitive Universe to start the game, your odds of drawing a basic land per turn is about 67%. Is this worth the cost of having to run only basic lands in your deck?
You don't even need to use its triggered ability! If you have a low color demanding combo, or low curve deck, you can just play this and 15 dual color nonbasics, and have a keepable hand (2-4 lands) near guaranteed. And throughout the game, chance of drawing a land is very low, so every draw is a gas. It sounds fun, sure, but it's beneficial much more to non-interactive decks, and decks like these dominating all tournaments wouldn't be fun at all.
In limited, it probably would be ok, but it's probably too powerful for a common. This ability only for a handful of players for a low cost of picking a common is a lot. Its power level and game and deck building warping ability is comparable to Sovereign's Realm, and that's a mythic.
OK, now I see your point. In a non-Standard format, you could for example play a 15 land deck with 1 Primitive Universe, a bunch of fetchlands, and a few old-school dual lands. With a total of 15 lands in a 60-card deck (even without basics), you would be able to play lands on turns 1 and 2 about 86% of the time. And I suppose for some Legacy and Vintage decks, that is enough to get a combo off.
Conclusions: This card is certainly dangerous for non-Standard formats. This card is great for limited formats... but what if you don't have the good fortune to open one in your sealed pool or get passed one in draft? Then you are out of luck, which is sort of unfair. Perhaps if this were an artifact you can cast from outside the game, but you have to "donate" it to an opponent at the end of your turn. But that would probably not be common due to complexity issues. I attached an unrefined idea of a new card that would do this.
Recently, I've been trying Dominaria limited with the house rule "Basic lands cycle for 2." In retrospect, this house rule seems better than creating Primitive Universe.
In my defense, I haven't played Legacy in 10 years and don't follow it since I am plently entertained by Standard, Limited, Modern, and Pauper.
The first ability removes randomness which I feel is a design space that the game should not go into. Think of conspiracies on why they are banned in non draft formats.
The second ability seems ok but might be better (design wise) as a tap ability.
Land
You may set this card aside face-up from your library before starting the game. If you do, put it on top of your library before drawing your opening hand.
Hexproof, indestructible
T: Add 1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may choose one — Exile the top three cards of your library, then put up to one basic land card from among them on top of your library; or discard a basic land card to scry 1.
Lands are already extremely resilient. Does this need hexproof and indestructible? Compare the cheapest land destruction effects and how early they hit. Considering what this does and that you can put it on top of your library, won't it achieve plenty of what it is supposed to do even if removed at the earliest possible moment?
If you want it to be unsolvable in addition to another effect, don't make it a permanent.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
Primitive Universe
Land
You may set this card aside face-up from your library before starting the game. If you do, put it on top of your library before drawing your opening hand.
T: Add 1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exile the top three cards of your library. If you do, put one basic land card from among them on top of your library if able and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Really, why do so many people want to screw with the mana system by giving players tools that are basically all upside? Don't you see that it makes broken strategies so much more broken?
Also, I'm not sure if the wording works correctly if you consider mulligans.
I think that many people (including myself) want to screw with the mana system because the mana system screws with us! Especially in limited formats, where you are forced to run practically all basic lands. Primitive Universe was created with limited formats foremost in my mind. I don't how being able to more reliably topdeck a basic land is really bad for people's subjective enjoyment of this game.
If it's busted for formats like Modern, Legacy, and Vintage, it ought to be banned; no big loss to players financially, because it's common.
If you are running a 60 card deck with only 15 lands and you fetch Primitive Universe to start the game, your odds of drawing a basic land per turn is about 67%. Is this worth the cost of having to run only basic lands in your deck?
In limited, it probably would be ok, but it's probably too powerful for a common. This ability only for a handful of players for a low cost of picking a common is a lot. Its power level and game and deck building warping ability is comparable to Sovereign's Realm, and that's a mythic.
Conclusions: This card is certainly dangerous for non-Standard formats. This card is great for limited formats... but what if you don't have the good fortune to open one in your sealed pool or get passed one in draft? Then you are out of luck, which is sort of unfair. Perhaps if this were an artifact you can cast from outside the game, but you have to "donate" it to an opponent at the end of your turn. But that would probably not be common due to complexity issues. I attached an unrefined idea of a new card that would do this.
Recently, I've been trying Dominaria limited with the house rule "Basic lands cycle for 2." In retrospect, this house rule seems better than creating Primitive Universe.
In my defense, I haven't played Legacy in 10 years and don't follow it since I am plently entertained by Standard, Limited, Modern, and Pauper.
The second ability seems ok but might be better (design wise) as a tap ability.