Charmpelt Stag |GG Creature – Elk ( U )
When Charmpelt Stag enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.
Sacrifice Charmpelt Stag: Add G.
2/1
Sift (Choose land or creature. Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a card of the chosen type at random from your graveyard to your hand.)
{Type}sift (Landsift, Creaturesift, Beastsift, Swampsift) (Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a {type} card at random from your graveyard to your hand.)
I think the only design problem with the stag is that isn't really the usual type of mana acceleration that green gets. Typically the split between green and red mana acceleration is a gap between long and short term priority. It isn't a total departure, though, since green does get ritual-style ramp every once in a while.
Sift just seems really inconvenient with a large graveyard, since it ports all of the bother of shuffling into graveyard interaction. Heaven forbid that sift and graveyard order-matters cards ever cross paths, at which point you'd need a more sophisticated method of randomization with a large graveyard. In terms of power level, it's a little difficult to compare to a cantrip. On one hand, mechanics like cantrips and explore never really miss because you always get something out of the ordeal, even if that something isn't what you want or need. Sift has a chance to whiff outright or fish up something useless, but, with proper deckbuilding and support, it can also get you what you want with a high degree of accuracy, much like Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
Creature – Elk ( U )
When Charmpelt Stag enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.
Sacrifice Charmpelt Stag: Add G.
Sift (Choose land or creature. Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a card of the chosen type at random from your graveyard to your hand.)
{Type}sift (Landsift, Creaturesift, Beastsift, Swampsift)
(Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a {type} card at random from your graveyard to your hand.)
What design problems am I faced with here?
Sift just seems really inconvenient with a large graveyard, since it ports all of the bother of shuffling into graveyard interaction. Heaven forbid that sift and graveyard order-matters cards ever cross paths, at which point you'd need a more sophisticated method of randomization with a large graveyard. In terms of power level, it's a little difficult to compare to a cantrip. On one hand, mechanics like cantrips and explore never really miss because you always get something out of the ordeal, even if that something isn't what you want or need. Sift has a chance to whiff outright or fish up something useless, but, with proper deckbuilding and support, it can also get you what you want with a high degree of accuracy, much like Tasigur, the Golden Fang.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝