Master of RealityUUU Creature — Avatar
Master of Reality can't be countered or exiled.
Master of Reality is unblockable.
Whenever Master of Reality or an Illusion you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, you may shuffle it into your library. If you do, draw three cards. "I am not your perception of me—I control your perception of me."
2/3
Dream CloudU Creature — Illusion
Illusion spells you cast cost 2 less to cast.
Whenever Dream Cloud becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it. Life is but a dream at its best. A sleeping reality we can only hope to awaken—or only hope to never awake from.
0/3
"Dreams can be a strife at their worst. A living nightmare we can only hope to never awaken—or only hope to inevitably escape from."
Fantasia ElementalxU Creature — Illusion
Fantasia Elemental can't be countered unless its controller pays x.
Fantasia Elemental enters the battlefield as an X/X.
Whenever Fantasia Elemental attacks or blocks, shuffle X cards from your graveyard into your library, where X is equal to its power. If your graveyard is empty, put that many cards from the top of your library into your graveyard instead. It is a world unto itself. You may get lost in all of your dreams that you find there—or spirited away in all your deepest fears that may find you.
*/*
Vaporling1U Creature — Illusion U: Exile Vaporling. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step. U: Vaporling is unblockable this turn. U: Vaporling's power becomes 3 until end of turn. U: Vaporling's toughness becomes 7 until end of turn.
1/1
BONUS
Arcades Reprise1GWU Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
Flying, vigilance
Each creature you control with defender assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power. 2: Target creature attacks this turn if able or must be blocked by exactly one creature this turn if able.
3/5
DISCLAIMER: The opinions below are based on how the poster's cards would work in a normal Magic the Gathering game and are made without any knowledge of other cards/rules/gamestates/metagames/player behaviors/etc. the creator may or may not have dreamed up.
So overall, there aren't any glaring issues with these cards. Power level/costing might need to be tweaked depending on where they are intended to see play, but nothing stops the game from working and nothing is worded in such a way that people wouldn't understand how it should work.
The only power level issues with Master of Reality is that being able to trigger your own illusions to draw three cards is exceedingly powerful. If your intention is for this ability to deter your opponents targeting your stuff, limit it to triggering off opponent's spells and abilities. If you did mean this as a card drawing engine for the controller instead, you'd need to decrease the number of cards drawn to two and increase the cost of the Master so it wouldn't run away with the game. Lastly, I think can't be countered is fine but, since it already can protect itself with the shuffle ability, the "Can't be exiled" is unnecessary.
Dream Cloud should probably be a little more to cast. The same cost reduction on Dragonspeaker Shaman costs 3 and there are a lot more low cost illusions that can take advantage of this ability than there are dragons. Casting your Cloud on turn 1 and following it with, for instance, Fleeting Image and then Illusory Angel, you are off to way too strong a start. If this costed 1U it would be better balanced, or if it reduced cost by 1 instead of 2 at the current manacost.
Spirit of Terror should probably be 2BB, since the effect exists on Abomination of Llanowar at 3 mana but is two-colors, legendary, and doesn't regenerate. I also had to check the rulings for how the triggered regeneration works on Knight of the Holy Nimbus, since toughness reduction is a weird corner case with regeneration, because I thought there might be an infinite loop here, but there isn't.
(Note that Dismember effects don't destroy a creature; state-based effects put creatures with 0 power into the graveyard, but don't destroy it so regeneration doesn't trigger.)
As to Arcades and Aetherling, honestly, I think you should just make up new cards as your tweaks on these are close enough to the originals that I can't say Arcades is even betters that its former version (I'd rather have the card draw than provoke in that deck) and Aetherling is under costed for the versatility and survivability, but not really more exciting since the deck that want it needs a late game finisher not an early threat.
Long story short, your new cards here are solid, if a little undercosted. They all offer oppontunity for interaction and non of them runs counter to the rules or the expectations people have in reading them. Good designing.
The only power level issues with Master of Reality is that being able to trigger your own illusions to draw three cards is exceedingly powerful. If your intention is for this ability to deter your opponents targeting your stuff, limit it to triggering off opponent's spells and abilities. If you did mean this as a card drawing engine for the controller instead, you'd need to decrease the number of cards drawn to two and increase the cost of the Master so it wouldn't run away with the game. Lastly, I think can't be countered is fine but, since it already can protect itself with the shuffle ability, the "Can't be exiled" is unnecessary.
I do see your concern—but what you seem to be concerned about is something hopeful at most.
Remember that the spots you use to fill with 'self-targeting' content to enable Master of Reality's ability like this will take away from spots that would go to 'counterspells and control' that you would [ideally be seeking to draw into as your game winning condition?]. That potential is kind of illusory at most. It would only have big domain influence in more casual games, against other casual/creative decks/deck structures. Even when it does work like that, you're then relying on Master of Reality to attack to victory for you, which by itself would take some 10 turns to complete. That's awesome to have a centerpiece card like act as the powerhouse. It's not awesome for it to take 10 turns. That's a mighty uphill battle. It possibly allows you to run stuff like Unsummon and have it see new worlds of potential. No one should think to complain about that though—involving multiple card resources to work—and not locked out from effects like Pyroclasm and Mutilate.
Can't be exiled is significant providing staying power. Although the ability can be used to evade targeting spells, you don't have to use it prematurely. It also adds force majeure to the design and the fantasy element of the game, providing the graphic visual of an entity 'one with reality' and unable to dismiss.
Dream Cloud should probably be a little more to cast. The same cost reduction on Dragonspeaker Shaman costs 3 and there are a lot more low cost illusions that can take advantage of this ability than there are dragons. Casting your Cloud on turn 1 and following it with, for instance, Fleeting Image and then Illusory Angel, you are off to way too strong a start. If this costed 1U it would be better balanced, or if it reduced cost by 1 instead of 2 at the current manacost.
Dragons do not equal =/= illusions. Multi-card combos are simply an element of fun and challenge, which is what makes the game fun. I have spoken on this before saying, ["It doesn't have to be a big challenge. Get a creature on the table and enchant it. It just needs to be interactive."] None of the above are immune to removal with the addition of a third card, and now you're talking about far-stretching resource building, whose potential is, once again 'hopeful at most'.
Remember 4 copies of a single card in your deck gives you a 48% of drawing it in your opening hand. Even if you have another 4 copies, there's only a 40% chance of drawing the second card in your pocket aces combo. And a 34% chance of drawing your third one. MTG does not currently offer much support for resourcing cards other than lands—via fetch lands. Tutors are few and far between, and somewhat poorly implemented in general. Although blue has a wonderful assortment of technical resourcing, running those designs takes away from crucial domain influence (such as creatures and control spells). It most often can't really afford to run them. Thus, this doesn't do well to support a favorable argument for the point of interest.
Spirit of Terror should probably be 2BB, since the effect exists on Abomination of Llanowar at 3 mana but is two-colors, legendary, and doesn't regenerate. I also had to check the rulings for how the triggered regeneration works on Knight of the Holy Nimbus, since toughness reduction is a weird corner case with regeneration, because I thought there might be an infinite loop here, but there isn't. (Note that Dismember effects don't destroy a creature; state-based effects put creatures with 0 power into the graveyard, but don't destroy it so regeneration doesn't trigger.)
The designs I had in mind when contouring this one were actually Dauntless Dourbark and Dungrove Elder. It's not that I didn't think this could cost more, it's just that for playability's sake, I felt that Dungrove Elder was the better contemporary to contour. It's equally as powerful to great means, and considerably more playable. The bonus you get from the graveyard can be trivial. And it wasn't intended to provide bulk power, but flavor and force majeure, as it represents the crippling effect that 'the memory of nightmares past' can have on people. Post traumatic stress.
I am totally aware that regeneration has no domain influence over -X/-X effects.
You seem to see the term "target of a spell or ability" and think that players would run unsummon or twiddle to essentially trade the card from their hard and their card on the field for a net of +1 cards.
The fact of the actual card game that actual people are playing, however, is that people have shuko. Shuko allows players to target their illusions with a spell or ability at will for 0 mana and no additional investment of cards, increasing the effective bonus to +2 each time. Even if you ignore shuko, there is grafted wargear, Nomads En-Kor (the oracle text says "target creature"), and so forth. Even if you ignore all of the absolutely free abilities that have gone out there, there has recently renewed discussion regarding Volrath's Whim, a card with buyback that can target any permanent for 3 mana (still an incredibly good investment to repeatedly trade in a cheap illusion for 3 cards).
I can understand that you may think that free targeting at will is a negative game effect. I agree with you. I think that wizards would agree as well, seeing how these effects are no longer really printed. As they do exist, however, you may want to change the target to only being triggered by spells and not by abilities (mirroring the language of heroic and similar effects) or lower the card draw to 2 cards (so the engine "breaks even" when working as intended and provides slight advantage when exploited).
You seem to see the term "target of a spell or ability" and think that players would run unsummon or twiddle to essentially trade the card from their hard and their card on the field for a net of +1 cards.
The fact of the actual card game that actual people are playing, however, is that people have shuko. Shuko allows players to target their illusions with a spell or ability at will for 0 mana and no additional investment of cards, increasing the effective bonus to +2 each time. Even if you ignore shuko, there is grafted wargear, Nomads En-Kor (the oracle text says "target creature"), and so forth. Even if you ignore all of the absolutely free abilities that have gone out there, there has recently renewed discussion regarding Volrath's Whim, a card with buyback that can target any permanent for 3 mana (still an incredibly good investment to repeatedly trade in a cheap illusion for 3 cards).
I can understand that you may think that free targeting at will is a negative game effect. I agree with you. I think that wizards would agree as well, seeing how these effects are no longer really printed. As they do exist, however, you may want to change the target to only being triggered by spells and not by abilities (mirroring the language of heroic and similar effects) or lower the card draw to 2 cards (so the engine "breaks even" when working as intended and provides slight advantage when exploited).
Well understood with all those, but you are missing the point made in which this potential is theoretical and just 'hopeful at most'.
Including copies of these cards detracts from slots occupied by 'control spells', which is exactly what drawing masses of becomes overpowered, and thus neutralizes the domain influence of the drawing effect. Why not just run more control spells in place of this psuedo-resourceful combo? Instead of trying to fish through masses of cards for something that's now few and far between.
There is Isochron Scepter with the aforementioned Unsummon and Twiddle, but that is a 3 card combo, occupying some 10 spots in your deck or more; so even then it would just be okay.
Well understood with all those, but you are missing the point made in which this potential is theoretical and just 'hopeful at most'.
Including copies of these cards detracts from slots occupied by 'control spells', which is exactly what drawing masses of becomes overpowered, and thus neutralizes the domain influence of the drawing effect. Why not just run more control spells in place of this psuedo-resourceful combo? Instead of trying to fish through masses of cards for something that's now few and far between.
There is Isochron Scepter with the aforementioned Unsummon and Twiddle, but that is a 3 card combo, occupying some 10 spots in your deck or more; so even then it would just be okay.
Why are mentioning control cards? Master of Reality isn't a card for a control deck. It is a card for a tempo or aggro deck. Either of which would love to run an few equipment to further their plan on a normal board to power through their deck when they get the master out. Also there are a number of lands that allow you to target. You talk like a player is adding cards to a control deck diluting their game plan. This just isn't how the game works. Nobody adds these cards to decks that aren't already doing exactly what these cards want to do.
Well understood with all those, but you are missing the point made in which this potential is theoretical and just 'hopeful at most'.
Including copies of these cards detracts from slots occupied by 'control spells', which is exactly what drawing masses of becomes overpowered, and thus neutralizes the domain influence of the drawing effect. Why not just run more control spells in place of this psuedo-resourceful combo? Instead of trying to fish through masses of cards for something that's now few and far between.
There is Isochron Scepter with the aforementioned Unsummon and Twiddle, but that is a 3 card combo, occupying some 10 spots in your deck or more; so even then it would just be okay.
Why are mentioning control cards? Master of Reality isn't a card for a control deck. It is a card for a tempo or aggro deck. Either of which would love to run an few equipment to further their plan on a normal board to power through their deck when they get the master out. Also there are a number of lands that allow you to target. You talk like a player is adding cards to a control deck diluting their game plan. This just isn't how the game works. Nobody adds these cards to decks that aren't already doing exactly what these cards want to do.
The assumption was that it creates a draw engine that puts access to controlspells through the roof, and creates and unfair advantage against the opponent.
I realize that it wants a permanent based strategy. That was the intended function when designing it.
The assumption was that it creates a draw engine that puts access to controlspells through the roof, and creates and unfair advantage against the opponent.
I realize that it wants a permanent based strategy. That was the intended function when designing it.
I understand you incorrectly made this assumption. I'm asking why you made this assumption. You are the only one talking about this in a control deck. In a control deck this is confusing and underpowered. But no competent person would use this as a control finisher. As a sole finisher in a control deck it is simply too small to be viable.
The assumption was that it creates a draw engine that puts access to controlspells through the roof, and creates and unfair advantage against the opponent.
I realize that it wants a permanent based strategy. That was the intended function when designing it.
I understand you incorrectly made this assumption. I'm asking why you made this assumption. You are the only one talking about this in a control deck. In a control deck this is confusing and underpowered. But no competent person would use this as a control finisher. As a sole finisher in a control deck it is simply too small to be viable.
I didn't incorrectly make anything. This is the general consensus argument for mass drawing power in blue.
I didn't incorrectly make anything. This is the general consensus argument for mass drawing power in blue.
This is where your lack of current play knowledge is causing you to misevaluate how your card is played. You said you played a lot during 7th/Odyssey. So did I; I remember the Psychatog and Counter-Draw decks of the time too, but that's not how the games play anymore. Counterspells aren't as cheap and plentiful as they were then, the hard counter benchmark is Cancel at three mana instead of Counterspell at two, meaning the straight counterspell decks fold to aggressive creature strategies, which are also more efficient than they were a decade ago.
The card you created, at UUU, only fits well in a mono blue deck. Its too small to be a control finisher, as user said, and mono-blue control only really works in legacy where counterspell is still legal, so it fits best in a mid-range deck or aggro blue deck where the card draw can be used once you've emptied your hand onto the board. There actually was a fringe Illusions deck in modern built around Lord of the Unreal and Phantasmal Image with Aether Vial, and this card slots into it very easily and helps make up for the deck's main weakness which was running out of cards to play very quickly.
I didn't incorrectly make anything. This is the general consensus argument for mass drawing power in blue.
This is where playing the game helps because this is simply wrong. It is your assumption not the general consensus that mass drawing in blue is for control.
If you are willing to take a step back and realize that your assumptions are outdated then you will be a better designer.
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Creature — Avatar
Master of Reality can't be countered or exiled.
Master of Reality is unblockable.
Whenever Master of Reality or an Illusion you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, you may shuffle it into your library. If you do, draw three cards.
"I am not your perception of me—I control your perception of me."
2/3
Dream Cloud U
Creature — Illusion
Illusion spells you cast cost 2 less to cast.
Whenever Dream Cloud becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
Life is but a dream at its best. A sleeping reality we can only hope to awaken—or only hope to never awake from.
0/3
"Dreams can be a strife at their worst. A living nightmare we can only hope to never awaken—or only hope to inevitably escape from."
Fantasia Elemental xU
Creature — Illusion
Fantasia Elemental can't be countered unless its controller pays x.
Fantasia Elemental enters the battlefield as an X/X.
Whenever Fantasia Elemental attacks or blocks, shuffle X cards from your graveyard into your library, where X is equal to its power. If your graveyard is empty, put that many cards from the top of your library into your graveyard instead.
It is a world unto itself. You may get lost in all of your dreams that you find there—or spirited away in all your deepest fears that may find you.
*/*
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Aetherling Reprise
Vaporling 1U
Creature — Illusion
U: Exile Vaporling. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.
U: Vaporling is unblockable this turn.
U: Vaporling's power becomes 3 until end of turn.
U: Vaporling's toughness becomes 7 until end of turn.
1/1
BONUS
Arcades Reprise 1GWU
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
Flying, vigilance
Each creature you control with defender assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power.
2: Target creature attacks this turn if able or must be blocked by exactly one creature this turn if able.
3/5
So overall, there aren't any glaring issues with these cards. Power level/costing might need to be tweaked depending on where they are intended to see play, but nothing stops the game from working and nothing is worded in such a way that people wouldn't understand how it should work.
The only power level issues with Master of Reality is that being able to trigger your own illusions to draw three cards is exceedingly powerful. If your intention is for this ability to deter your opponents targeting your stuff, limit it to triggering off opponent's spells and abilities. If you did mean this as a card drawing engine for the controller instead, you'd need to decrease the number of cards drawn to two and increase the cost of the Master so it wouldn't run away with the game. Lastly, I think can't be countered is fine but, since it already can protect itself with the shuffle ability, the "Can't be exiled" is unnecessary.
Dream Cloud should probably be a little more to cast. The same cost reduction on Dragonspeaker Shaman costs 3 and there are a lot more low cost illusions that can take advantage of this ability than there are dragons. Casting your Cloud on turn 1 and following it with, for instance, Fleeting Image and then Illusory Angel, you are off to way too strong a start. If this costed 1U it would be better balanced, or if it reduced cost by 1 instead of 2 at the current manacost.
Spirit of Terror should probably be 2BB, since the effect exists on Abomination of Llanowar at 3 mana but is two-colors, legendary, and doesn't regenerate. I also had to check the rulings for how the triggered regeneration works on Knight of the Holy Nimbus, since toughness reduction is a weird corner case with regeneration, because I thought there might be an infinite loop here, but there isn't.
(Note that Dismember effects don't destroy a creature; state-based effects put creatures with 0 power into the graveyard, but don't destroy it so regeneration doesn't trigger.)
As to Arcades and Aetherling, honestly, I think you should just make up new cards as your tweaks on these are close enough to the originals that I can't say Arcades is even betters that its former version (I'd rather have the card draw than provoke in that deck) and Aetherling is under costed for the versatility and survivability, but not really more exciting since the deck that want it needs a late game finisher not an early threat.
Long story short, your new cards here are solid, if a little undercosted. They all offer oppontunity for interaction and non of them runs counter to the rules or the expectations people have in reading them. Good designing.
I do see your concern—but what you seem to be concerned about is something hopeful at most.
Remember that the spots you use to fill with 'self-targeting' content to enable Master of Reality's ability like this will take away from spots that would go to 'counterspells and control' that you would [ideally be seeking to draw into as your game winning condition?]. That potential is kind of illusory at most. It would only have big domain influence in more casual games, against other casual/creative decks/deck structures. Even when it does work like that, you're then relying on Master of Reality to attack to victory for you, which by itself would take some 10 turns to complete. That's awesome to have a centerpiece card like act as the powerhouse. It's not awesome for it to take 10 turns. That's a mighty uphill battle. It possibly allows you to run stuff like Unsummon and have it see new worlds of potential. No one should think to complain about that though—involving multiple card resources to work—and not locked out from effects like Pyroclasm and Mutilate.
Can't be exiled is significant providing staying power. Although the ability can be used to evade targeting spells, you don't have to use it prematurely. It also adds force majeure to the design and the fantasy element of the game, providing the graphic visual of an entity 'one with reality' and unable to dismiss.
Dragons do not equal =/= illusions. Multi-card combos are simply an element of fun and challenge, which is what makes the game fun. I have spoken on this before saying, ["It doesn't have to be a big challenge. Get a creature on the table and enchant it. It just needs to be interactive."] None of the above are immune to removal with the addition of a third card, and now you're talking about far-stretching resource building, whose potential is, once again 'hopeful at most'.
Remember 4 copies of a single card in your deck gives you a 48% of drawing it in your opening hand. Even if you have another 4 copies, there's only a 40% chance of drawing the second card in your pocket aces combo. And a 34% chance of drawing your third one. MTG does not currently offer much support for resourcing cards other than lands—via fetch lands. Tutors are few and far between, and somewhat poorly implemented in general. Although blue has a wonderful assortment of technical resourcing, running those designs takes away from crucial domain influence (such as creatures and control spells). It most often can't really afford to run them. Thus, this doesn't do well to support a favorable argument for the point of interest.
The designs I had in mind when contouring this one were actually Dauntless Dourbark and Dungrove Elder. It's not that I didn't think this could cost more, it's just that for playability's sake, I felt that Dungrove Elder was the better contemporary to contour. It's equally as powerful to great means, and considerably more playable. The bonus you get from the graveyard can be trivial. And it wasn't intended to provide bulk power, but flavor and force majeure, as it represents the crippling effect that 'the memory of nightmares past' can have on people. Post traumatic stress.
I am totally aware that regeneration has no domain influence over -X/-X effects.
You seem to see the term "target of a spell or ability" and think that players would run unsummon or twiddle to essentially trade the card from their hard and their card on the field for a net of +1 cards.
The fact of the actual card game that actual people are playing, however, is that people have shuko. Shuko allows players to target their illusions with a spell or ability at will for 0 mana and no additional investment of cards, increasing the effective bonus to +2 each time. Even if you ignore shuko, there is grafted wargear, Nomads En-Kor (the oracle text says "target creature"), and so forth. Even if you ignore all of the absolutely free abilities that have gone out there, there has recently renewed discussion regarding Volrath's Whim, a card with buyback that can target any permanent for 3 mana (still an incredibly good investment to repeatedly trade in a cheap illusion for 3 cards).
I can understand that you may think that free targeting at will is a negative game effect. I agree with you. I think that wizards would agree as well, seeing how these effects are no longer really printed. As they do exist, however, you may want to change the target to only being triggered by spells and not by abilities (mirroring the language of heroic and similar effects) or lower the card draw to 2 cards (so the engine "breaks even" when working as intended and provides slight advantage when exploited).
Well understood with all those, but you are missing the point made in which this potential is theoretical and just 'hopeful at most'.
Including copies of these cards detracts from slots occupied by 'control spells', which is exactly what drawing masses of becomes overpowered, and thus neutralizes the domain influence of the drawing effect. Why not just run more control spells in place of this psuedo-resourceful combo? Instead of trying to fish through masses of cards for something that's now few and far between.
There is Isochron Scepter with the aforementioned Unsummon and Twiddle, but that is a 3 card combo, occupying some 10 spots in your deck or more; so even then it would just be okay.
The assumption was that it creates a draw engine that puts access to control spells through the roof, and creates and unfair advantage against the opponent.
I realize that it wants a permanent based strategy. That was the intended function when designing it.
I didn't incorrectly make anything. This is the general consensus argument for mass drawing power in blue.
This is where your lack of current play knowledge is causing you to misevaluate how your card is played. You said you played a lot during 7th/Odyssey. So did I; I remember the Psychatog and Counter-Draw decks of the time too, but that's not how the games play anymore. Counterspells aren't as cheap and plentiful as they were then, the hard counter benchmark is Cancel at three mana instead of Counterspell at two, meaning the straight counterspell decks fold to aggressive creature strategies, which are also more efficient than they were a decade ago.
The card you created, at UUU, only fits well in a mono blue deck. Its too small to be a control finisher, as user said, and mono-blue control only really works in legacy where counterspell is still legal, so it fits best in a mid-range deck or aggro blue deck where the card draw can be used once you've emptied your hand onto the board. There actually was a fringe Illusions deck in modern built around Lord of the Unreal and Phantasmal Image with Aether Vial, and this card slots into it very easily and helps make up for the deck's main weakness which was running out of cards to play very quickly.
If you are willing to take a step back and realize that your assumptions are outdated then you will be a better designer.