MesmerizeU Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller has you fateseal 2. If that player does, you may do so before or after that spell resolves. I gazed upon the illusionist—and giving him my attention was my first mistake.
Alt. Flavor Text
The illusionist doesn't want your attention, but to fragment it into pieces you would be lucky to ever recollect.
be amaze
This was a throwback to Mesmeric Sliver, intended as a utility in a deck concept I had where you clone the sliver and continuously mana screw your opponent.
You are radically over estimating the value of fateseal. Admittedly, if this just read Fateseal 2 it might be too good but because you can't be proactive that value vanishes. Leaving you with a cards that can counter useless spells but not useful ones. Unfortunately, this is a case of no value of fateseal being viable to balance the counter. Even an absurd fsteseal 8 will only make it marginally playable as there will be cards that you would be willing to let be countered but as it could never stop a combo or save your life it fails as a counterspell.
A nice attempt at supporting an archetype but as the card is unbalancable its a complete failure.
First, a side note: the “If that player does, you may do so before or after that spell resolves.” doesn’t work. Aside of it trying to be needlessly novel for no real gameplay value, there can still be multiple priority passes “before the spell resolves” and the whole rest of the game “after it resolves”. Your intention is understood, but as usual your language isn’t precise enough for game rules to actually do what you want.
To the main issue.
As usual, your lack of gameplay experience makes you not realize this card is effectively useless because this will almost never actually counter a spell.
1) If I’m casting a game winning spell, I don’t care if you fateseal me because I am going to win.
2) If I have cards in hand, I don’t care if you fateseal because you won’t be able to make a fully informed decision about whether the cards on top of my deck are actually useful to me.
While slightly better than fateseal 1, most cases this will just say “Counter target spell unless it’s controller mills 2” due to your lack of knowledge about their needs.
3) Fateseal 2 will be moderately strong if either they have no cards in hand or you know the contents of their hand. Even then, as the caster it’s always the right call to let you fateseal because only you finding 2 lands and leaving them on top slows me down, anything you bottom just puts cards that might help me closer to being drawn.
Strategically, this card will never return value to the player using it.
I'm not overestimating the value of fateseal. I understand exactly how powerful it is.
The point here is that this is what fateseal 2 is probably worth—countering a spell.
You know, its quite funny. Everyone agrees that you are overestimating the value of fateseal. And normally you'd go "Oh, but in my version of magic only played by people in my head I'm right." And you could still make this claim but fateseal is actually worth significantly less in your version of magic where every card has a massive card flow mechanic stapled on in your deus ex series. Anything less than fateseal 6+ is factually worthless when most of your spells draw two to four cards.
Though that isn't even the problem with this card. The problem with this card is that you've put incomparable together. There is no reasonable situation where the opponent will let their spell be countered.
The ability to play down other counters in your hand, and save this as a single mana counter (that gives you the ability to then mana or resource screw your opponent) is immense value and utility. That's even if you don't have an entire deck built around this. It still holds great strategic potential. The ability to break out with this in the start of the game and disrupt your opponent's stride just as useful. Does it need to cost more than 1? It could—but it doesn't need to. And doing so takes away from half of this card's worthiness—in that you can open up with it—providing only a conditional counter. Being able to see maximum potential on this requires combo materia, such as Maze of Ith, which could allow you to pass this on a creature that you can catch it with Maze and go forward for the fateseal as a rebound. Synergy that's fun and challenging—but not broken.
Being able to fateseal before or after works perfectly fine, and it is imperative to the design, where you would use it on a spell in which your opponent tinkers with their deck (which would reset the fateseal if forced on one side [before]), and thus make the condition useless.
Certainly, your arguments against fateseal are correct, but they're also obvious. Such filler to devoid a meaningful point of interest.
It's also not very intuitive to say that fateseal is worthless, but originally say that I'm underestimating the value. Which is it?
It seems you only want to have opposing things to say, to fabricate some notion that I'm a bad designer and I don't know what I'm doing. This is probably one of the most simple and straight-away designs I've posted in awhile, and I still can't win with you. Let's acknowledge that posting something incredibly simple doesn't make for interesting discussion. But it's exactly the type of thing you'd being trying to bend my will towards with you incessant opposition.
If you can't see the toxicity in that, it's too bad. Something very shameful and degen.
No, we don't have to fabricate anything to prove you're a bad designer; you do that all by yourself.
The fact that you don't understand there is never a good reason to choose for your opponent to counter the spell is the reason you are bad at this. You have effectively designed a card that says.
Mezmerize U
Instant
Fateseal 2.
Until you actually play the game you will continue to design cards with "choices" that don't actually matter.
Now, how do we make this card actually worth playing. Easy, Fateseal is only relevant when you have enough information to actually decide if the cards are useful or not, so lets give the player that information. As a bonus, I'll even template it for you so the fateseal can happen after their spell resolves.
Sidenote: Fateseal N actually means "look at the top N cards of AN opponent's library..." meaning in a multi player game, you are not limited to just fatesealing the controller of the spell, so I am writing the ability out to avoid that corner case.
Mezmerize U
Instant
Target spell's controller may choose for you counter it. If they do not, when that spell resolves look at that player's hand and the top two cards of that player's library, then put any number of them on the bottom of that player's library and the rest on top in any order.
This spell will still never counter a game winning spell, because unlike paying mana or sacing a creature or something, the opponent will never be in a position where they cannot pay the cost.
Rather, not the spell is significantly stronger in the early game where you can use the fateseal to keep them from drawing what you KNOW they will need, so the counter becomes a meaningful choice for your opponent. Late game it still has less utility, not unlike how Force Spike is much weaker once mana bases are established. Force Spike, though, can still counter their game-winner if they tap out for it.
Now your card would likely see play and might actually be a little strong for its cost. You're welcome.
It's also not very intuitive to say that fateseal is worthless, but originally say that I'm Overestimating the value. Which is it?
Normally it's bad forum to edit quote text but you have insisted that your mistakes be corrected this way.
Then to answer, since context clues are apparently lost on you. You constantly overvalue Fateseal. On this specific card, fateseal is worthless because no matter the value you put on it, it won't matter.
It would be explicitly harder control if it just flat-out fateseal 2 and wasn't reliant on something like an opponent casting a spell, providing it then only as an option.
This form makes it interesting and balanced. I'd like to remind that typically, you don't want a soft control like this. Although, fateseal does make it tempting as a backup. Still, you want to run hard control (Flashfreeze). Curbing that something that gets through becomes reliant on other resources, that you probably won't be running, or otherwise will cost you board-state securities (you can't afford to lose). Why would you put yourself in that spot? Who is the one that can't play strategy card games really?
In reality, I've only overstated fateseal once; in a spell named Clairvoyant Cognition (costing UUU), which had a mode to scry 3 then fateseal 3. Once. And I acknowledge this. I wanted the design to have epic pop and Timmy appeal on selecting that option alone. The spell allowed you to choose two modes if you paid UUUU. Which is so overbearing it almost wants to suggest balance. But in reality, even fateseal 2 on that spell would be overbearing. To be honest, I've never finalized any of my project blocks. It was my intention to one day, but I used them as a proxy, so it wasn't in the initial schematic to do so. Let's not take the face value of anything for full value.
Wake Crash1U Sorcery
Each nonbasic land becomes an Island until the end of your next turn. There's a thin line between brave and stupid, and the physics will often tell you where that is best.
Alt. Flavor Text 1
There's a thin line between brave and naive—and the physics will often tell you where that is first—if not also last.
Although I kind of loathe tracing over my Duel at Sunset design.
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller has you fateseal 2. If that player does, you may do so before or after that spell resolves.
I gazed upon the illusionist—and giving him my attention was my first mistake.
Alt. Flavor Text
The illusionist doesn't want your attention, but to fragment it into pieces you would be lucky to ever recollect.
be amaze
This was a throwback to Mesmeric Sliver, intended as a utility in a deck concept I had where you clone the sliver and continuously mana screw your opponent.
A nice attempt at supporting an archetype but as the card is unbalancable its a complete failure.
The point here is that this is what fateseal 2 is probably worth—countering a spell.
To the main issue.
As usual, your lack of gameplay experience makes you not realize this card is effectively useless because this will almost never actually counter a spell.
1) If I’m casting a game winning spell, I don’t care if you fateseal me because I am going to win.
2) If I have cards in hand, I don’t care if you fateseal because you won’t be able to make a fully informed decision about whether the cards on top of my deck are actually useful to me.
While slightly better than fateseal 1, most cases this will just say “Counter target spell unless it’s controller mills 2” due to your lack of knowledge about their needs.
3) Fateseal 2 will be moderately strong if either they have no cards in hand or you know the contents of their hand. Even then, as the caster it’s always the right call to let you fateseal because only you finding 2 lands and leaving them on top slows me down, anything you bottom just puts cards that might help me closer to being drawn.
Strategically, this card will never return value to the player using it.
Though that isn't even the problem with this card. The problem with this card is that you've put incomparable together. There is no reasonable situation where the opponent will let their spell be countered.
The ability to play down other counters in your hand, and save this as a single mana counter (that gives you the ability to then mana or resource screw your opponent) is immense value and utility. That's even if you don't have an entire deck built around this. It still holds great strategic potential. The ability to break out with this in the start of the game and disrupt your opponent's stride just as useful. Does it need to cost more than 1? It could—but it doesn't need to. And doing so takes away from half of this card's worthiness—in that you can open up with it—providing only a conditional counter. Being able to see maximum potential on this requires combo materia, such as Maze of Ith, which could allow you to pass this on a creature that you can catch it with Maze and go forward for the fateseal as a rebound. Synergy that's fun and challenging—but not broken.
Being able to fateseal before or after works perfectly fine, and it is imperative to the design, where you would use it on a spell in which your opponent tinkers with their deck (which would reset the fateseal if forced on one side [before]), and thus make the condition useless.
Certainly, your arguments against fateseal are correct, but they're also obvious. Such filler to devoid a meaningful point of interest.
It's also not very intuitive to say that fateseal is worthless, but originally say that I'm underestimating the value. Which is it?
It seems you only want to have opposing things to say, to fabricate some notion that I'm a bad designer and I don't know what I'm doing. This is probably one of the most simple and straight-away designs I've posted in awhile, and I still can't win with you. Let's acknowledge that posting something incredibly simple doesn't make for interesting discussion. But it's exactly the type of thing you'd being trying to bend my will towards with you incessant opposition.
If you can't see the toxicity in that, it's too bad. Something very shameful and degen.
The fact that you don't understand there is never a good reason to choose for your opponent to counter the spell is the reason you are bad at this. You have effectively designed a card that says.
Mezmerize U
Instant
Fateseal 2.
Until you actually play the game you will continue to design cards with "choices" that don't actually matter.
Now, how do we make this card actually worth playing. Easy, Fateseal is only relevant when you have enough information to actually decide if the cards are useful or not, so lets give the player that information. As a bonus, I'll even template it for you so the fateseal can happen after their spell resolves.
Mezmerize U
Instant
Target spell's controller may choose for you counter it. If they do not, when that spell resolves look at that player's hand and the top two cards of that player's library, then put any number of them on the bottom of that player's library and the rest on top in any order.
This spell will still never counter a game winning spell, because unlike paying mana or sacing a creature or something, the opponent will never be in a position where they cannot pay the cost.
Rather, not the spell is significantly stronger in the early game where you can use the fateseal to keep them from drawing what you KNOW they will need, so the counter becomes a meaningful choice for your opponent. Late game it still has less utility, not unlike how Force Spike is much weaker once mana bases are established. Force Spike, though, can still counter their game-winner if they tap out for it.
Now your card would likely see play and might actually be a little strong for its cost. You're welcome.
Then to answer, since context clues are apparently lost on you. You constantly overvalue Fateseal. On this specific card, fateseal is worthless because no matter the value you put on it, it won't matter.
This form makes it interesting and balanced. I'd like to remind that typically, you don't want a soft control like this. Although, fateseal does make it tempting as a backup. Still, you want to run hard control (Flashfreeze). Curbing that something that gets through becomes reliant on other resources, that you probably won't be running, or otherwise will cost you board-state securities (you can't afford to lose). Why would you put yourself in that spot? Who is the one that can't play strategy card games really?
In reality, I've only overstated fateseal once; in a spell named Clairvoyant Cognition (costing UUU), which had a mode to scry 3 then fateseal 3. Once. And I acknowledge this. I wanted the design to have epic pop and Timmy appeal on selecting that option alone. The spell allowed you to choose two modes if you paid UUUU. Which is so overbearing it almost wants to suggest balance. But in reality, even fateseal 2 on that spell would be overbearing. To be honest, I've never finalized any of my project blocks. It was my intention to one day, but I used them as a proxy, so it wasn't in the initial schematic to do so. Let's not take the face value of anything for full value.
Sorcery
Each nonbasic land becomes an Island until the end of your next turn.
There's a thin line between brave and stupid, and the physics will often tell you where that is best.
Alt. Flavor Text 1
There's a thin line between brave and naive—and the physics will often tell you where that is first—if not also last.
Although I kind of loathe tracing over my Duel at Sunset design.