Arcanis the Grand Illusionist4UU Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
Changeling
Ward 3
If a creature would be returned to its owner's hand or library from the battlefield, you may summon a creature token that's a copy of that creature first except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and has defender.
3/5
Lore Card
It is fabled that in his youth Arcanis used an incredibly arcane magic to spy on Volrath, where he observed and decided to keep some of his darkest techniques for himself.
This ability is a remainder hash, carried over from the original cascade that became Magician Frog. Yes, for a time Magician Frog was going to be a legendary. I honestly didn't want this concept to fall so high on the mana curve, but for the adaptations that were made there was really no other option.
Lotus Oasis Legendary Land
The next land of your choice that would enter the battlefield tapped under your control this game enters the battlefield untapped instead. 1, : Add two mana of any single color to your mana pool.
Ten Thousand Blossoms Orchard Legendary Land
As long as Ten Thousand Blossoms Orchard is untapped, legendary lands you control are indestructible.
: You gain 1 life.
Tap another legendary land: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
This pair of lands was originally created alongside the unique Archetype finishers. They seemed boring, overpowered, and lacking any real enrapturing fantasy—so I decided at the time not to post them. And I wasn't ever going to either.
Mysterious Jungle Land
: Add C to your mana pool. 1, : Add RG or UU to your mana pool. Such a place is sure to hold secrets of pain—as equally as secrets of life.
Furthermore, I think it would probably be best to do both lands still, but do the enemy color pairs for the sac land.
River City Ravine Land 1, , Sacrifice River City Ravine: Add 1RU or 1BB to your mana pool. Life in this city moves so fast, but the moment you stop you risk it ending.
//
Aethergrounds Land
When Aethergrounds enters the battlefield, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. You lose 2 life.
, Sacrifice Aethergrounds: Search your library for a land card with a mana ability that can produce only a single colorless mana and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Just etching out a universal fetch would be better by all considerations, since such a thing goes on to have even greater potential still. By blending the aspects of Shocklands and Fetchlands, we can create something that's exactly on the curve, and doesn't fall behind the competitive race lines, but instead shares specialty application with other fetches.
Okay, so had this idea for tri-filters that was a tangent off a concept land name, Lotus Temple. I had considered this as a name for the Lotus Heaven land above, but then said it sounds like something that would be the name of psuedo-legendary land (in the style of Jungle Shrine). I etched out a tri-filter, that produces a pair of allied colors, or produces two of that allied colors enemy color. This in turn creates a fully complete enemy color shard, making the cycle of five entirely self-sufficient for what would otherwise require ten land card. Not to say you can't do this backward for another set of five. Looking at the concept, it seemed a little bland, and decided to add something to really push the envelope and make the design pop. The resulting product would then require a blank land with nothing but that single ability to pull off. I also had considered that to push this concept further that they could use a unique land type, such as Temple or something, which would clear way to later introduce a fetch land for that special type.
Arcanis, Why is this a replacement effect when a normal triggered ability would accomplish the goal? And why are you changing the wording for creating tokens to summon?
Heavenly spiral, you have failed to word this activated ability as an activated ability and thrown in a bunch of extra text for some reason. "0: The next land that would enter the battlefield tapped under your control enters untapped instead. Activate this ability only once per game."
Lotus Heaven, this is a neat design. Functional, powerful, but not overbearing. One of your better designs. Though I would suggest haven over heaven.
Tri-filter type 1, another good design. Though it's a better five-card cycle than a ten-card cycle.
Tri-filter type 2, Lands that sacrifice for a boost of mana aren't a good design. They are either broken or worthless. There's not much of a middle ground.
Arcanis 2.01UU Legendary Creature — Wizard
Flash t, Return Arcanis 2.0 to its owner's hand: Whenever another creature is returned to its owner's hand this turn, create a token that's a copy of that creature except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
2/3
LORE CARD "Duuude, Arcanis could do all kinds of *****. They were, like, omnipotent." "Word."
- Kamahl & Chainer, 30 for 30: The Pit
I do believe we covered this is the Magician Frog thread. It's most proper to word the ability like this for coherence, because it's much clearer to describe the course of events as they're transpiring, rather than run people along and then attempt to redirect them back to a previous step of operations to describe the resolution of the effect. Of course, it's not beyond to simply use [When/Whenever] following that "would be" (replacement context) follows after. It's just unorthodox and begins to get more convoluted I think, rather than doing it this way. It's easier to include "If" into the triggered ability composure, than it is to explain "would be" as apart of triggered ability context. Just...in my opinion.
Nothing wrong with Heavenly Spirals ability worded as it is. This is once again, the best way to do this, and it provides context and composure that makes the design exciting and pop for the unique and dynamic qualities.
Haven is a more monotone term for this concept. It was originally named Lotus Dream. We are painting the picture of an otherworldly realm. It's not simply an oasis or sanctuary among the basic assiah.
I personally think that the sacrifice lands are good design. They create aspect of challenge (costing/losing a land play) and are interactive (providing perpetual risky boosts). I do understand the nature of utility, that they cannot be used so freely, and will often (for sanity) be opted out in lieu of true dual lands of any kind. So like, I know how useful and useless filter lands can be. But once again, the idea here was to perfect on the design of filter lands by extending their utility with a type, then providing a fetch land later for that type; or possibly something in the style of, "any land with a mana ability that can only produce a single colorless mana" otherwise.
I don't know what the story you're telling is, but Arcanis stealing Volrath's magic to become a shapeshifter seems unlikely when Volrath died on a different continent 100 years before Arcanis appears (not as a shapeshifter/illusionist).
I'll concede Arcanis' past is unknown, but also that's the point of the character. Filling in the blanks in such a weird way, as you'd put it, doesn't pop.
Also describing his magic as "incredibly arcane" in the flavour text is pretty clunky. Like, 'dude named "Arcanis" has arcane magic? No duh...'
The actual card is okay? Niche, but most of your designs are. And a reasonable enough combo with the original Arcanis the Omnipotent if you have a spare 9UUUUUUU.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Did you think to kill me? There's no flesh and blood within this cloak to kill. There is only an idea. Ideas are bulletproof." - V, V for Vendetta. Alan Moore
The concept isn't to ruin the mystery of the character, but when you a paint a new picture, it's not out of whack to share a tiny bit that helps explain it.
Let people have their crumbs man. You can still paint the character as a mystery in whole. It becomes a suspense building element.
The concept isn't to ruin the mystery of the character, but when you a paint a new picture, it's not out of whack to share a tiny bit that helps explain it.
Let people have their crumbs man. You can still paint the character as a mystery in whole. It becomes a suspense building element.
Arcanis, There is an established way of doing things. Unless you can articulate a valid reason to buck this don't. Personal belief on ascetics isn't a valid reason.
Spiral, Again, there is an established way of doing something. Inventing hybrid abilities that only work because you say so doesn't fly.
Lotus, this is 90% subjective so I'll back off after saying heaven has a divine connotation which feels off for this design.
Sacing filter lands. What do you mean a type? We're these meant to be mountains? Regardless, they offer no challenge outside of limited. You play these to ramp 2 mana a turn until you hit the required amount and go all in. There is no other play pattern. Also your definition of interactive "(providing perpetual risky boosts)" is so far off from the actual definition that I question whether we are speaking the same language.
There is established means of ingenuity and improvisation. That's really what we have here. It's not defying the established way—it's redefining the pathway.
A type of their own. A new nonbasic land type. It's not really necessary, but was a concept. Just etching out a universal fetch would be better by all considerations, since such a thing goes on to have even greater potential still. By blending the aspects of Shocklands and Fetchlands, we can create something that's exactly on the curve, and doesn't fall behind the competitive race lines, but instead shares specialty application with other fetches.
Aethergrounds Land
When Aethergrounds enters the battlefield, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. You lose 2 life.
, Sacrifice Aethergrounds: Search your library for a land card with a mana ability that can produce only a single colorless mana and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Furthermore, I think it would probably be best to do both lands still, but do the enemy color pairs for the sac land.
River City Ravine Land 1, , Sacrifice River City Ravine: Add 1RU or 1BB to your mana pool.
Arcanis, There is an established way of doing things. Unless you can articulate a valid reason to buck this don't. Personal belief on ascetics isn't a valid reason.
I've got to second this, but I doubt it'll make a difference.
What do you mean a type? We're these meant to be mountains?
That's actually a cool idea! Maybe something like:
Coffee Filter Canyon Land - Plains (t: Add W.) W, t, Pay 1 life: Add BB, BR, or RR.
Actually, and my lips are a little loose here, but I respect what you're going for Reap. Language is the music of evolution, afterall. We really should take you less as a pissing contest and more a springboard for our own ideas. Like,"summon". Its not just about interpretation, it's about definitive authority - which we're all after - and you have the temerity to leave it in our hands with just the instructions. I'm well sorry to have offended you before. Crumbs, my friend, scatter them thick.
I forgot how to answer how it's suspense building.
Because you're revealing a little backstory about the character, which casts a little light but still leaves you guessing as a whole. It leaves people wanting more, but you can just include little bits like this from time to time and the character remains a mystery in whole, while stimulating the interest that people have towards the character.
I forgot how to answer how it's suspense building.
Because you're revealing a little backstory about the character, which casts a little light but still leaves you guessing as a whole. It leaves people wanting more, but you can just include little bits like this from time to time and the character remains a mystery in whole, while stimulating the interest that people have towards the character.
I'm not against filling in characters' backstories. I think it can add a lot to our understanding of them. Heck, WotC is doing it right now with The Brothers' War.
I just think if you're going to do backstory, it's got to fit in with what you already know about the character. So, saying something like "Arcanis has travelled all over Dominaria using his magic", I can buy. We don't know how old he is, so maybe he could've been around 100 years before his first 'official' appearance - there's plenty of long-lived characters around and he's supposed to be omnipotent, so why not? But why tie him to Volrath and why talk about shapeshifting? Neither make sense for what his first card does.
I think if you really want to make him a changeling, there's a route. He's in the same block as all the Mistform stuff. And we never learn who/what created Mistform Ultimus, I don't think. So, maybe at some point (pre-Karona) he decides he's learned everything he can in the pits, and puts his knowledge of fighting many different types of creatures together into creating the Ultimus. And then he decides the only way to truly become omnipotent is to transform his own body using his knowledge of Mistform magic. That would fit with the line, "He has journeyed where none have been before."
Or, if you really want to do time travel, why not show him as a boy at pre-destruction Tolaria? Maybe he gets into a fight with another student and loses badly. They call him 'Arcanis the Impotent' and he swears he'll become more powerful than they can ever realise. He fights in the pits because beating other people and showing he's stronger and smarter than them is getting revenge for that loss - proving he's no longer 'impotent', but 'omnipotent'. A bit of a black motivation, tbh, but whatever.
I'm spitballing there, because I don't really care about the character. I just think there's better stuff you can do with him than tying him to Volrath, whose thing was always pretending to be other people to trick them - not really applicable to being a pit fighter - and not the same thing as becoming all creature types.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Did you think to kill me? There's no flesh and blood within this cloak to kill. There is only an idea. Ideas are bulletproof." - V, V for Vendetta. Alan Moore
Right, nothing wrong with that. That would be like other details in the suspense building cascade.
Saying that we are "tying him to Volrath" is kinda exaggerating. It's a loose relativity at best, and it creates more suspense when you involve powerful, interesting, or dynamic characters. I could see a bigger question being that it chumps Volrath being he was spied on and didn't know it. Suggesting that Volrath was supposed to be one of those characters that had achieved omniscience. You could always double back and say that Volrath knew, but allowed it in anticipation that it would seed the darkness in Arcanis's heart. And then this further goes to explain where Arcanis might have sharpened his own omnipotence from.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
Changeling
Ward 3
If a creature would be returned to its owner's hand or library from the battlefield, you may summon a creature token that's a copy of that creature first except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and has defender.
3/5
Lore Card
It is fabled that in his youth Arcanis used an incredibly arcane magic to spy on Volrath, where he observed and decided to keep some of his darkest techniques for himself.
This ability is a remainder hash, carried over from the original cascade that became Magician Frog. Yes, for a time Magician Frog was going to be a legendary. I honestly didn't want this concept to fall so high on the mana curve, but for the adaptations that were made there was really no other option.
Lotus Oasis
Legendary Land
The next land of your choice that would enter the battlefield tapped under your control this game enters the battlefield untapped instead.
1, : Add two mana of any single color to your mana pool.
Ten Thousand Blossoms Orchard
Legendary Land
As long as Ten Thousand Blossoms Orchard is untapped, legendary lands you control are indestructible.
: You gain 1 life.
Tap another legendary land: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
This pair of lands was originally created alongside the unique Archetype finishers. They seemed boring, overpowered, and lacking any real enrapturing fantasy—so I decided at the time not to post them. And I wasn't ever going to either.
Mysterious Jungle
Land
: Add C to your mana pool.
1, : Add RG or UU to your mana pool.
Such a place is sure to hold secrets of pain—as equally as secrets of life.
River City Ravine
Land
1, , Sacrifice River City Ravine: Add 1RU or 1BB to your mana pool.
Life in this city moves so fast, but the moment you stop you risk it ending.
//
Aethergrounds
Land
When Aethergrounds enters the battlefield, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. You lose 2 life.
, Sacrifice Aethergrounds: Search your library for a land card with a mana ability that can produce only a single colorless mana and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Okay, so had this idea for tri-filters that was a tangent off a concept land name, Lotus Temple. I had considered this as a name for the Lotus Heaven land above, but then said it sounds like something that would be the name of psuedo-legendary land (in the style of Jungle Shrine). I etched out a tri-filter, that produces a pair of allied colors, or produces two of that allied colors enemy color. This in turn creates a fully complete enemy color shard, making the cycle of five entirely self-sufficient for what would otherwise require ten land card. Not to say you can't do this backward for another set of five. Looking at the concept, it seemed a little bland, and decided to add something to really push the envelope and make the design pop. The resulting product would then require a blank land with nothing but that single ability to pull off. I also had considered that to push this concept further that they could use a unique land type, such as Temple or something, which would clear way to later introduce a fetch land for that special type.
Heavenly spiral, you have failed to word this activated ability as an activated ability and thrown in a bunch of extra text for some reason. "0: The next land that would enter the battlefield tapped under your control enters untapped instead. Activate this ability only once per game."
Lotus Heaven, this is a neat design. Functional, powerful, but not overbearing. One of your better designs. Though I would suggest haven over heaven.
Tri-filter type 1, another good design. Though it's a better five-card cycle than a ten-card cycle.
Tri-filter type 2, Lands that sacrifice for a boost of mana aren't a good design. They are either broken or worthless. There's not much of a middle ground.
Arcanis 2.0 1UU
Legendary Creature — Wizard
Flash
t, Return Arcanis 2.0 to its owner's hand: Whenever another creature is returned to its owner's hand this turn, create a token that's a copy of that creature except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
2/3
LORE CARD
"Duuude, Arcanis could do all kinds of *****. They were, like, omnipotent."
"Word."
- Kamahl & Chainer, 30 for 30: The Pit
Coffee Filter Canyon
Land
1, t: Add BR or WW.
Nothing wrong with Heavenly Spirals ability worded as it is. This is once again, the best way to do this, and it provides context and composure that makes the design exciting and pop for the unique and dynamic qualities.
Haven is a more monotone term for this concept. It was originally named Lotus Dream. We are painting the picture of an otherworldly realm. It's not simply an oasis or sanctuary among the basic assiah.
I personally think that the sacrifice lands are good design. They create aspect of challenge (costing/losing a land play) and are interactive (providing perpetual risky boosts). I do understand the nature of utility, that they cannot be used so freely, and will often (for sanity) be opted out in lieu of true dual lands of any kind. So like, I know how useful and useless filter lands can be. But once again, the idea here was to perfect on the design of filter lands by extending their utility with a type, then providing a fetch land later for that type; or possibly something in the style of, "any land with a mana ability that can only produce a single colorless mana" otherwise.
I'll concede Arcanis' past is unknown, but also that's the point of the character. Filling in the blanks in such a weird way, as you'd put it, doesn't pop.
Also describing his magic as "incredibly arcane" in the flavour text is pretty clunky. Like, 'dude named "Arcanis" has arcane magic? No duh...'
The actual card is okay? Niche, but most of your designs are. And a reasonable enough combo with the original Arcanis the Omnipotent if you have a spare 9UUUUUUU.
Let people have their crumbs man. You can still paint the character as a mystery in whole. It becomes a suspense building element.
I'm curious how you're building suspense?
Spiral, Again, there is an established way of doing something. Inventing hybrid abilities that only work because you say so doesn't fly.
Lotus, this is 90% subjective so I'll back off after saying heaven has a divine connotation which feels off for this design.
Sacing filter lands. What do you mean a type? We're these meant to be mountains? Regardless, they offer no challenge outside of limited. You play these to ramp 2 mana a turn until you hit the required amount and go all in. There is no other play pattern. Also your definition of interactive "(providing perpetual risky boosts)" is so far off from the actual definition that I question whether we are speaking the same language.
A type of their own. A new nonbasic land type. It's not really necessary, but was a concept. Just etching out a universal fetch would be better by all considerations, since such a thing goes on to have even greater potential still. By blending the aspects of Shocklands and Fetchlands, we can create something that's exactly on the curve, and doesn't fall behind the competitive race lines, but instead shares specialty application with other fetches.
Aethergrounds
Land
When Aethergrounds enters the battlefield, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. You lose 2 life.
, Sacrifice Aethergrounds: Search your library for a land card with a mana ability that can produce only a single colorless mana and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Furthermore, I think it would probably be best to do both lands still, but do the enemy color pairs for the sac land.
River City Ravine
Land
1, , Sacrifice River City Ravine: Add 1RU or 1BB to your mana pool.
I've got to second this, but I doubt it'll make a difference.
That's actually a cool idea! Maybe something like:
Coffee Filter Canyon
Land - Plains
(t: Add W.)
W, t, Pay 1 life: Add BB, BR, or RR.
Because you're revealing a little backstory about the character, which casts a little light but still leaves you guessing as a whole. It leaves people wanting more, but you can just include little bits like this from time to time and the character remains a mystery in whole, while stimulating the interest that people have towards the character.
I'm not against filling in characters' backstories. I think it can add a lot to our understanding of them. Heck, WotC is doing it right now with The Brothers' War.
I just think if you're going to do backstory, it's got to fit in with what you already know about the character. So, saying something like "Arcanis has travelled all over Dominaria using his magic", I can buy. We don't know how old he is, so maybe he could've been around 100 years before his first 'official' appearance - there's plenty of long-lived characters around and he's supposed to be omnipotent, so why not? But why tie him to Volrath and why talk about shapeshifting? Neither make sense for what his first card does.
I think if you really want to make him a changeling, there's a route. He's in the same block as all the Mistform stuff. And we never learn who/what created Mistform Ultimus, I don't think. So, maybe at some point (pre-Karona) he decides he's learned everything he can in the pits, and puts his knowledge of fighting many different types of creatures together into creating the Ultimus. And then he decides the only way to truly become omnipotent is to transform his own body using his knowledge of Mistform magic. That would fit with the line, "He has journeyed where none have been before."
Or, if you really want to do time travel, why not show him as a boy at pre-destruction Tolaria? Maybe he gets into a fight with another student and loses badly. They call him 'Arcanis the Impotent' and he swears he'll become more powerful than they can ever realise. He fights in the pits because beating other people and showing he's stronger and smarter than them is getting revenge for that loss - proving he's no longer 'impotent', but 'omnipotent'. A bit of a black motivation, tbh, but whatever.
I'm spitballing there, because I don't really care about the character. I just think there's better stuff you can do with him than tying him to Volrath, whose thing was always pretending to be other people to trick them - not really applicable to being a pit fighter - and not the same thing as becoming all creature types.
Saying that we are "tying him to Volrath" is kinda exaggerating. It's a loose relativity at best, and it creates more suspense when you involve powerful, interesting, or dynamic characters. I could see a bigger question being that it chumps Volrath being he was spied on and didn't know it. Suggesting that Volrath was supposed to be one of those characters that had achieved omniscience. You could always double back and say that Volrath knew, but allowed it in anticipation that it would seed the darkness in Arcanis's heart. And then this further goes to explain where Arcanis might have sharpened his own omnipotence from.