I was recently reading a thread about the relative difficulty with stopping ramp strategies in EDH without harming everyone else: (link
While cards like Natural Balance and Ankh of Mishra do exist, I wanted to see if I could come up with some cards that would accomplish the same basic task... probably to be printed in a commander deck or something similar.
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon (Rare)
Flying, Vigilance
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls more lands than you sacrifices two lands.
5/4 It allows for no peaks higher than its own.
I really like the idea of using balance effects to counter ramp strategies and this is a decent body that can punish rampant rampers (assuming they aren't using rocks or dorks) without hurting other players too badly... though ETBs in the colors of Cloudshift and Kiki-Jiki are always fun.
Borderswapper
Artifact
When Borderswapper enters the battlefield, exile all lands.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may put a land exiled by Borderswapper onto the battlefield under their control.
MLD that doesn't (by default) screw everyone out of the game, simply slowing the game down for a couple of turns and redistributing the best utility lands. I can also imagine this as an enchantment for if the idea of giving all colors "MLD" is too terrifying to contemplate.
Tectonic Disaster
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all land cards that entered the battlefield since your last turn.
Exile Tectonic Disaster.
Actual targeted land destruction (instead of general answers like chaos warp, decimate, beast within, acidic slime, Terrastodon, Woodfall Primus, Vindicate, etc) for a mana cost (not just a land like wasteland) is the same problem with all targeted kill in a multiplayer setting: wasting your card to take out one target benefits all players not involved while taking cards from both you and the target's controller.
On the other hand, however, Sylvan Primordial and Sundering Titan both demonstrate the potential harm of targeted land destruction that hits all opponents. I just wanted to produce a single land-specific answer that:
1) has the potential to hurt multiple players
2) Is an effective foil for Boundless Realms that doesn't hose every other player too badly.
3) cannot be reused (such as by bouncing your eternal witness) to lock the game down.
4) causes no additional harm if copied a dozen times.
Master's Acquisition
Instant (Mythic)
If a permanent would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control this turn, it enters the battlefield under your control instead (cards cannot be cast in response to playing a land).
This one is tricky. Wanted to do a more expansive Gather Specimens that could theoretically snare lands gained through Explosive Vegetation or similar means. I felt that the reminder text was necessary as this is the exact sort of thing that newer players may think is possible if they forget that lands do not use the stack.
Snare Hunter
Creature- Human Assassin (rare)
Deathtouch, Menace
Whenever a land enters the battlefield tapped, put a +1/+1 counter on Snare Hunter and that land's controller loses 2 life.
2/1 Stop to catch your breath and he'll ensure its your last.
Just a small punisher effect for black that takes advantage of how many ramp effects get lands into play tapped... while also punishing greedy mana bases.
In EDH the only ramp to be truly afraid about is the one made by the mana rocks. I wouldn't bother so much with traditional ramp that is so much slower than the most efficent rocks legal in the format.
My issue with Hillrazer Regent is how easy it is to use "more lands than you" effects even in the absence of ramp. Knight of the White Orchid isn't a very difficult card to use, especially on the draw. With The Ur-Dragon as your commander and a turn 1 Sol Ring, you can play this on turn 3 before your land drop, which will most likely send opponents who went before you in the turn order back to turn 2. Heck, turn order is irrelevant if your turn 2 land drop happened to be a bounceland or borderpost. This also brings to focus the fact EDH has a great deal of non-land ramp, which makes this type of hate easy to abuse.
Borderswapper is similar to Fall of the Thran, so the only issues are the implications of a colorless Armageddon, which will most likely not be that much of a problem given the cost.
Tectonic Disaster is a very elegant piece of design, and it's my favorite of the cards you've presented here. My only concern is memory problems, given that it counts an entire turn cycle for everybody. Lots of lands entering the battlefield followed by a busy turn of untapping, reorganizing, and casting could make the lands that this cards would destroy difficult to remember. Would it kill the card to target a player instead, which at least allows this card's caster to mentally note what lands would be destroyed?
Master's Acquisition's cost makes it far too narrow to be of use. It requires players to put lands onto the battlefield by a means that uses the stack, else it becomes a very expensive Moonhold. This restriction would make a cost reduction rather safe, as the card's only uses outside of hate are some extremely mana-intensive combos such as with Warp World and The Great Aurora.
Snare Hunter is fine. It punishes budget multicolor manabases almost as much as it does ramp, so the symmetry can be thwarted by a bunch of ABU duals and fetchlands. Sometimes it'll just be an evasive 2/1, though, which isn't the most imposing thing in EDH.
My issue with Hillrazer Regent is how easy it is to use "more lands than you" effects even in the absence of ramp. Knight of the White Orchid isn't a very difficult card to use, especially on the draw.
Besides this ^, Hillrazer Regent seems great like a great card for anti ramp strategies. How can we have our cake and eat it to with Hillrazer Regent v2?
Besides this ^, Hillrazer Regent seems great like a great card for anti ramp strategies. How can we have our cake and eat it to with Hillrazer Regent v2?
I suppose the counting and sacrifice could apply to any permanent with a mana ability, though that might just clunk it up.
Forgot about that difficulty with Hillrazer. Might try going for something like this.
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon
Flying, Vigilance
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls more land than you selects up to five lands his or she controls and sacrifices the rest.
5/4
Natural Balance on a stick... that doesn't harm people with fewer lands than you in the late-game. May want to up the CMC to 6 or 7 and make it a 5/5 (or a 6/6) to make it a bit harder to abuse with copy and flicker effects... though five lands is plenty for a good number of decks. Or I could make it mono-red and change the ability to:
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon
Flying, Haste
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls seven or more lands sacrifices two lands.
5/4
@BlazingRagnarok: I am afraid that targeting a single player with Tectonic Disaster would kill the card as it would essentially become a strictly worse stone rain 95% of the time. Also, keep in mind that Mastermind's Acquisition works for all permanents (not just lands). Casting it to grab an awesome creature/artifact/walker as your opponent casts it is completely fair game. May still consider lowering the CMC to 7, however...
While cards like Natural Balance and Ankh of Mishra do exist, I wanted to see if I could come up with some cards that would accomplish the same basic task... probably to be printed in a commander deck or something similar.
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon (Rare)
Flying, Vigilance
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls more lands than you sacrifices two lands.
5/4
It allows for no peaks higher than its own.
I really like the idea of using balance effects to counter ramp strategies and this is a decent body that can punish rampant rampers (assuming they aren't using rocks or dorks) without hurting other players too badly... though ETBs in the colors of Cloudshift and Kiki-Jiki are always fun.
Borderswapper
Artifact
When Borderswapper enters the battlefield, exile all lands.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may put a land exiled by Borderswapper onto the battlefield under their control.
MLD that doesn't (by default) screw everyone out of the game, simply slowing the game down for a couple of turns and redistributing the best utility lands. I can also imagine this as an enchantment for if the idea of giving all colors "MLD" is too terrifying to contemplate.
Tectonic Disaster
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all land cards that entered the battlefield since your last turn.
Exile Tectonic Disaster.
Actual targeted land destruction (instead of general answers like chaos warp, decimate, beast within, acidic slime, Terrastodon, Woodfall Primus, Vindicate, etc) for a mana cost (not just a land like wasteland) is the same problem with all targeted kill in a multiplayer setting: wasting your card to take out one target benefits all players not involved while taking cards from both you and the target's controller.
On the other hand, however, Sylvan Primordial and Sundering Titan both demonstrate the potential harm of targeted land destruction that hits all opponents. I just wanted to produce a single land-specific answer that:
1) has the potential to hurt multiple players
2) Is an effective foil for Boundless Realms that doesn't hose every other player too badly.
3) cannot be reused (such as by bouncing your eternal witness) to lock the game down.
4) causes no additional harm if copied a dozen times.
Master's Acquisition
Instant (Mythic)
If a permanent would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control this turn, it enters the battlefield under your control instead (cards cannot be cast in response to playing a land).
This one is tricky. Wanted to do a more expansive Gather Specimens that could theoretically snare lands gained through Explosive Vegetation or similar means. I felt that the reminder text was necessary as this is the exact sort of thing that newer players may think is possible if they forget that lands do not use the stack.
Snare Hunter
Creature- Human Assassin (rare)
Deathtouch, Menace
Whenever a land enters the battlefield tapped, put a +1/+1 counter on Snare Hunter and that land's controller loses 2 life.
2/1
Stop to catch your breath and he'll ensure its your last.
Just a small punisher effect for black that takes advantage of how many ramp effects get lands into play tapped... while also punishing greedy mana bases.
Borderswapper is similar to Fall of the Thran, so the only issues are the implications of a colorless Armageddon, which will most likely not be that much of a problem given the cost.
Tectonic Disaster is a very elegant piece of design, and it's my favorite of the cards you've presented here. My only concern is memory problems, given that it counts an entire turn cycle for everybody. Lots of lands entering the battlefield followed by a busy turn of untapping, reorganizing, and casting could make the lands that this cards would destroy difficult to remember. Would it kill the card to target a player instead, which at least allows this card's caster to mentally note what lands would be destroyed?
Master's Acquisition's cost makes it far too narrow to be of use. It requires players to put lands onto the battlefield by a means that uses the stack, else it becomes a very expensive Moonhold. This restriction would make a cost reduction rather safe, as the card's only uses outside of hate are some extremely mana-intensive combos such as with Warp World and The Great Aurora.
Snare Hunter is fine. It punishes budget multicolor manabases almost as much as it does ramp, so the symmetry can be thwarted by a bunch of ABU duals and fetchlands. Sometimes it'll just be an evasive 2/1, though, which isn't the most imposing thing in EDH.
Besides this ^, Hillrazer Regent seems great like a great card for anti ramp strategies. How can we have our cake and eat it to with Hillrazer Regent v2?
I suppose the counting and sacrifice could apply to any permanent with a mana ability, though that might just clunk it up.
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon
Flying, Vigilance
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls more land than you selects up to five lands his or she controls and sacrifices the rest.
5/4
Natural Balance on a stick... that doesn't harm people with fewer lands than you in the late-game. May want to up the CMC to 6 or 7 and make it a 5/5 (or a 6/6) to make it a bit harder to abuse with copy and flicker effects... though five lands is plenty for a good number of decks. Or I could make it mono-red and change the ability to:
Hillrazer Regent
Creature- Dragon
Flying, Haste
When Hillrazer Regent enters the battlefield, each opponent who controls seven or more lands sacrifices two lands.
5/4
As an homage to Impending Disaster
@BlazingRagnarok: I am afraid that targeting a single player with Tectonic Disaster would kill the card as it would essentially become a strictly worse stone rain 95% of the time. Also, keep in mind that Mastermind's Acquisition works for all permanents (not just lands). Casting it to grab an awesome creature/artifact/walker as your opponent casts it is completely fair game. May still consider lowering the CMC to 7, however...