I wanted to design a Black planeswalker with an identity that is unique from existing options. It has been a long time since Pox/Stax has gotten any love so I wanted to create a card that catered to that archetype and also borrowed a little inspiration from Tavern Swindler.
Blavus, Blood-Barterer3B
Legendary Planeswalker - Blavus (M)
When Blavus, Blood-Barterer gains or loses loyalty you gain or lose that much life.
+2: Sacrifice a nonland permanent: Each opponent must sacrifice a permanent that shares a type with it. If they can't, they lose 2 life.
-1 Draw a card.
-4: Exile the top 4 cards of your library face up. For each type among permanent cards exiled this way each player sacrifices a permanent of that type. Each time an opponent can't, they lose 2 life.
[3]
Ideas Behind the Card: I chose the name Blavus because I'm a sucker for alliteration. The casting cost of four was meant to mirror existing Stax options such as Braids, Cabal Minion and Smokestack. I think costing repeatable stax effects any cheaper is incredibly dangerous, any more and the archetype is too slow to be effective. I went with the splashable 3B cost to make this accessible to more decks and also to enable this card have a pseudo Phyrexian Arena mode that is costed appropriately.
The first ability is like Vraska, Golgari Queen meets Plaguecrafter. You gain 2 life and each player goes down a permanent. I do think the nonland restriction is necessary for this first trigger, but I am open to arguments against it. There's a lot going on with this first ability. First, you don't have to have another permanent to use it. You can sacrifice Blavus to take out an enemy PW or make an opponent lose 2 life. However, if you have another permanent it gets better as Blavus will go to five loyalty and your opponent will either lose 2 life or better yet, Blavus will go to 5 loyalty and your opponent will lose a permanent of equal or greater value.
The second ability is a pseudo Phyrexian Arena. It provides utility to the card in instances where the primary ability is less helpful and helps you to counteract the loss of permanents from the first and final abilities. Drawing a card is paired to life loss to allow for the effect to properly exist on a monoblack card. Unchecked Blavus could draw you 3 cards for 3 life or more if the second ability is used in conjunction with the first.
The final ability is a stax ultimate! It forces players to sacrifice permanents based on what you reveal from your library! -4 means it cannot be used until your second turn with Blavus at the earliest (barring shenanigans) and you will have to be able to protect him for a turn. It also means the ability costs 4 life so be careful with that! It will quite often be worth it though. Say you exile the top four cards and get two lands, a creature, and an artifact. Each player will have to sacrifice a land, creature, and artifact if they are able. Note: Revealing two lands will not force the players to sacrifice two lands. I think the +2 hitting lands is too strong, the -4 being able to take out a land is fine. While the sacrifice effect is symmetrical, the damage caused if a player has nothing to sacrifice only affects opponents! Also -4 means that the ability could be repeated when games run long and with attrition effects like this, games can run longer.
Final notes: Symmetry and pseudo-symmetry is a major theme of this card. You gain 2 life when you sacrifice a permanent and if your opponent can't do the same, they lose 2 life. You lose 1 life for 1 card. The -4 lets you exile the top 4 and both players sacrifice if they are able, but only your opponent loses life if they can't.
You don't want to use "same type" here. You want to use "that shares a type with". Same is used when making an exact match so same type would means if you sacrifice an artifact creature they either sacrifice an artifact creature or lose 2 life.
The last ability also needs to be reworded as it punishes you for revealing multiple cards of the same type. As is if you reveal 4 creatures they only have to sacrifice a single creature. And your hit again by the use of same, if they have no artifact creatures they sac nothing for a revealed artifact creature. You want "For each permanent card exiled this way. Each opponent must sacrifice a permanent that shares a type with it."
Thanks for the wording fix. MTG wording is a challenge to say the least. Also, yes, the last ability intentionally works as you say. If you flip four lands then they only have to sacrifice one land. Also, if you manage to flip four lands, the RNG gods just hate you. You are nearly always going to get at least two types assuming your deck isn't running a bunch of non-permanents.
Didn't see that not doubling up was intentional on the ultimate. The wording will be "For each type among permanent cards exiled this way each player sacrifices a permanent of that type." This gets the benefit of artifact creatures hitting both an artifact and a creature but doesn't double up on types.
Nice. I'm envious of your wording abilities. Thank you again. I made one more for funsies.
Savage SeerUG
Creature - Beast Wizard (R) 2GU: Put a +1/+1 counter on Savage Seer. You may have Savage Seer fight target creature an opponent controls. For each creature put into the graveyard this turn as a result of damage dealt this way, draw a card.
2/1
Nice. I'm envious of your wording abilities. Thank you again. I made one more for funsies.
Savage SeerUG
Creature - Beast Wizard (R) 2GU: Put a +1/+1 counter on Savage Seer. You may have Savage Seer fight target creature an opponent controls. For each creature put into the graveyard this turn as a result of damage dealt this way, draw a card.
2/1
I know what your trying to do with this wording and no matter what it's going to be a mess. However, what you want is
2GU: Put a +1/+1 counter on Savage Seer. You may have Savage Seer fight target creature an opponent controls. When a creature dealt damage this way dies this turn, draw a card.
When you have a sperate trigger nested inside an ability you word such abilities assuming that their conditions are true. Burn Away, Acidic Dagger, Golden Guardian.
I think this might be too strong. It can only take out a simple 2 power creature turn 4 and live. But it can take out a 3 toughness creature and draw two cards on turn 4, that is significant. Being a 1/1 would slow it down significantly but it could still be too dangerous.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Blavus, Blood-Barterer 3B
Legendary Planeswalker - Blavus (M)
When Blavus, Blood-Barterer gains or loses loyalty you gain or lose that much life.
+2: Sacrifice a nonland permanent: Each opponent must sacrifice a permanent that shares a type with it. If they can't, they lose 2 life.
-1 Draw a card.
-4: Exile the top 4 cards of your library face up. For each type among permanent cards exiled this way each player sacrifices a permanent of that type. Each time an opponent can't, they lose 2 life.
[3]
Ideas Behind the Card: I chose the name Blavus because I'm a sucker for alliteration. The casting cost of four was meant to mirror existing Stax options such as Braids, Cabal Minion and Smokestack. I think costing repeatable stax effects any cheaper is incredibly dangerous, any more and the archetype is too slow to be effective. I went with the splashable 3B cost to make this accessible to more decks and also to enable this card have a pseudo Phyrexian Arena mode that is costed appropriately.
The first ability is like Vraska, Golgari Queen meets Plaguecrafter. You gain 2 life and each player goes down a permanent. I do think the nonland restriction is necessary for this first trigger, but I am open to arguments against it. There's a lot going on with this first ability. First, you don't have to have another permanent to use it. You can sacrifice Blavus to take out an enemy PW or make an opponent lose 2 life. However, if you have another permanent it gets better as Blavus will go to five loyalty and your opponent will either lose 2 life or better yet, Blavus will go to 5 loyalty and your opponent will lose a permanent of equal or greater value.
The second ability is a pseudo Phyrexian Arena. It provides utility to the card in instances where the primary ability is less helpful and helps you to counteract the loss of permanents from the first and final abilities. Drawing a card is paired to life loss to allow for the effect to properly exist on a monoblack card. Unchecked Blavus could draw you 3 cards for 3 life or more if the second ability is used in conjunction with the first.
The final ability is a stax ultimate! It forces players to sacrifice permanents based on what you reveal from your library! -4 means it cannot be used until your second turn with Blavus at the earliest (barring shenanigans) and you will have to be able to protect him for a turn. It also means the ability costs 4 life so be careful with that! It will quite often be worth it though. Say you exile the top four cards and get two lands, a creature, and an artifact. Each player will have to sacrifice a land, creature, and artifact if they are able. Note: Revealing two lands will not force the players to sacrifice two lands. I think the +2 hitting lands is too strong, the -4 being able to take out a land is fine. While the sacrifice effect is symmetrical, the damage caused if a player has nothing to sacrifice only affects opponents! Also -4 means that the ability could be repeated when games run long and with attrition effects like this, games can run longer.
Final notes: Symmetry and pseudo-symmetry is a major theme of this card. You gain 2 life when you sacrifice a permanent and if your opponent can't do the same, they lose 2 life. You lose 1 life for 1 card. The -4 lets you exile the top 4 and both players sacrifice if they are able, but only your opponent loses life if they can't.
Let me know your thoughts! =D
The last ability also needs to be reworded as it punishes you for revealing multiple cards of the same type. As is if you reveal 4 creatures they only have to sacrifice a single creature. And your hit again by the use of same, if they have no artifact creatures they sac nothing for a revealed artifact creature. You want "For each permanent card exiled this way. Each opponent must sacrifice a permanent that shares a type with it."
Savage Seer UG
Creature - Beast Wizard (R)
2GU: Put a +1/+1 counter on Savage Seer. You may have Savage Seer fight target creature an opponent controls. For each creature put into the graveyard this turn as a result of damage dealt this way, draw a card.
2/1
When you have a sperate trigger nested inside an ability you word such abilities assuming that their conditions are true. Burn Away, Acidic Dagger, Golden Guardian.
I think this might be too strong. It can only take out a simple 2 power creature turn 4 and live. But it can take out a 3 toughness creature and draw two cards on turn 4, that is significant. Being a 1/1 would slow it down significantly but it could still be too dangerous.