Congratulations to Ikeda for designing this month's card of the month: Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies
Ilyss, Whisperer of LiesUUUU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard MR
When Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies enters the battlefield, plot 5. (Exile the top five cards of your library face down. You may look at them at any time.) T, Reveal a plotted nonland card: Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost. If you do, you may cast the plotted card without paying its mana cost, then plot 3. “Why must I study the science of truth when I hold far more interest in the art of deception?”
3/4
Artist: Jian Guo
This card was the winning design of the September MCC. The effect has some grokkability issues, but in a nutshell it is Ninjutsu for spells. The card is wonderfully balanced, innovative, and looks like it would be incredibly fun to play.
Honorable Mention: Blinking Spirit
Battle Bolt :1mana::symr:
Sorcery (C)
Spellcharge
Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If Battle Bolt's spellcharge cost wasn't paid, exile it spellcharging a creature you control.
Spellcharge [cost] (You may exile this from your hand spellcharging a creature you control any time you could cast a sorcery. Whenever the spellcharged creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast this for its spellcharge cost.)
Spellcharge is poorly worded. You would only be able to cast it once and then the Spellcharge is done, it needs to copy it and then cast the copy.
I believe Spellcharge is meant to work this way; you'll get to play a spell for a reduced cost if you are able to have a specific creature deal combat damage to a player. In this case, Battle Bolt is a potential 3cc spell dealing 4 damage, but only if you are able to also deal combat damage as well.
Two sort of confusing mechanics, but well done, and nice to see Ikeda get some recognition. You could drop the flavor text on Ilyss to save space, maybe that was for the round requirement. Credit is also due to Jimmy Groove, I believe, for designing the original Plot mechanic.
The ninjutsued spell has to cost more than the new spell, so it seems fair to me. I don't even think the card is particularly strong, but it is pretty cool.
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Regarding Stoneforge Mystic
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This guy, would either eat up several turns worth of mana to get a slow permanent that relies on your already have some board presence (after wasting said mana), or dies without generating any advantage.
Spellcharge is poorly worded. You would only be able to cast it once and then the Spellcharge is done, it needs to copy it and then cast the copy.
I agree with this. The woding is poor. It has to do with the explaination of how the card is exiled from your hand. There is a conflict in that the spell wants to do 2 damage and then exile itself, both things cannot happen at the same time. Also the creature that has an active Spellcharge on it will cause the ability to fail because the Spellcharge part of the ability is still in the copy. And you could technically spellchage another creature with it. It would be better to separate the abilities and on grant the damage part.
Battle Bolt :1mana::symr:
Sorcery (C)
Spellcharge
Spellcharge [cost] (You may exile this from your hand spellcharging a creature you control any time you could cast a sorcery. Whenever the spellcharged creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast this for its spellcharge cost.)
Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Basically you are imprinting a creature with the damage clause. The cost for the first use is the same as the mana cost as the original spell, but you run the risk of lossing your creature to gain continual benefit from the Spellcharge. Also are you limited to one activation or many activations.
for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.
for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.
Quad blue is pretty hard to get, she has to live a turn, and you have to plot into something useful. Doesn't seem too strong to me. Complete Johnny card. And returning the spell will counter it.
for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.
how do you know it's broken if you don't know what half the spell does, lol.
No, the card is pretty much busted. As long as you have an instant or flash card, basically everything turns into gas. Not to mention your original spell comes back to your hand. Crazy card advantage, it quickly becomes tutoring. It's the most rediculous form of cascade. It would be an auto-include in my edh deck and maybe even replace teferi as a general because of the CA it creates.
Hey, that's my plot mechanic. Spiffy. A bit more confusing than I'd like to see it, but nice that it has gotten attention; I've got a set where that's a key player.
No, the card is pretty much busted. As long as you have an instant or flash card, basically everything turns into gas. Not to mention your original spell comes back to your hand. Crazy card advantage, it quickly becomes tutoring. It's the most rediculous form of cascade. It would be an auto-include in my edh deck and maybe even replace teferi as a general because of the CA it creates.
You can even combine it with cascade very well!
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So here I am
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
I don't see the problem with the blue card. You pay 4 for a spell and then instead you essentially counter that spell and play something cheaper that was plotted. So you're basically paying 4 for a spell that costs 3 or less. The advantage is that you eat your deck so you're tutoring up more and more spells but the disadvantage is that you have to pay more for all your spells (and thus have a variety of costs)
Sure it works well with Cascade and sort of for storm. You could play some mana accel then Mind's Desire and return the original to your hand, play a plotted card that costs less (brain freeze or Tendrils of Agony I guess or turnabout since you want to use this ability again AND untap your lands) then play Mind's Desire again to storm again...
But that's a lot of cards in a combo deck and kind the only thing it'd be played in. Cascading is great but...are you really concerned that you paid 4 for a 3 CC spell ruturned the 4 CC spell to your hand and cast a 3 CC cascade spell to get out a 2 or less spell?
Wouldn't that be the best case scenario? Comes into play, plot 5. Next turn play a 5CC cascade spell. Cascade. Play that spell. Return either the cascaded spell or the 5CC cascade to your hand and play something you plotted with Cascade. Cascade.
Erm...I don't think that's broken but it's a very good situation to be in for a combo deck relying on Cascade and this guy to win you the game.
Spellcharge: So...you play the spell and if you DIDN'T use the Spellcharge cost...you attach it to a creature for a benefit (in a haunting sort of way). Or is it you can get the effect cheaper at R or you can get both effects by just playing it normally?
Agreed, although this isn't even close to Ikeda's best work, in my opinion.
Also good to see Blinking Spirit here, and good to see a common card in a CotM thread. I'm a fan of the way Blinking Sprit's mechanic would play, but not a fan of the way the card is written. "If __ wasn't paid" is initially confusing, as highlighted by blue in the above post.
Here's what the card does:
It's in your hand. You have two options.
1) You cast it for 1R and shock something. Then you exile it pseudo-imprinted on a creature you control. Then you attack with that creature and it somehow gets through to damage your opponent. You pay R and shock something again. The spell resolves and is put into your graveyard.
2) You exile it for 0 pseudo-imprinted on a creature you control. Then you attack with that creature and it somehow gets through to damage your opponent. You pay R and shock something. The spell resolves and is put into your graveyard.
It's truly an excellent limited mechanic, but it is really complicated to understand at first.
Ugh, these seem like fun cards, but I can't get past how unsatisfyingly hard they are to get. Ilyss in particular: there's the plot effect, the bouncing a spell on the stack effect, the cmc check, the free play, the plot 3 more.. too many steps, its like illusionary mask and scroll rack had a baby.
I think there's a really fun idea there, just needs a cleaner execution.
Plot is like imprint, but the plotted cards are hidden from everyone but you, and everything that plots shares a common pool. So if you have three different cards with Plot 3, then you plot 9 cards total, and each one can use them for their abilities. And when you reveal a plotted card, it isn't plotted anymore.
The idea is that it creates a pool of cards that can be used to generate variable effects.
Plot is like imprint, but the plotted cards are hidden from everyone but you, and everything that plots shares a common pool.
Keywording plotting seems unnecessary in this case. Being able to mix and match what each card has plotted seems like a large increase in complexity for a small increase in power; why not just exile the cards face down and allow the controller to look at them?
I also feel like being able to get three more cards every time you activate her would be pretty degenerate, UUUU or not. As you currently have it phrased, if you're not playing a spell she has the ability: T,reveal a plotted nonland card: Plot 3. I'd rather see you exile seven and never get any more or something. As has been pointed out, the ability to activate cascade and evade all countermagic is really strong. However, the mechanic is also really cool.
What about traps? Cast archive trap for 0, return it for a plotted card with converted manacost 5 or less, plot three. You can keep doing that, cause you can still cast archive trap for 0 O.o (that IS sick, isn't it?)
Keywording plotting seems unnecessary in this case. Being able to mix and match what each card has plotted seems like a large increase in complexity for a small increase in power;
I think it has exactly the opposite effect. In a set where plotting is a strong mechanical theme, it's way easier to have one stack of exiled face-down cards that all plot-based cards can share than it is to keep track of which exiled cards are linked to with which permanents. It also saves a significant amount of space in the text box.
What about traps? Cast archive trap for 0, return it for a plotted card with converted manacost 5 or less, plot three. You can keep doing that, cause you can still cast archive trap for 0 O.o (that IS sick, isn't it?)
Lol... yeah casting Archive Trap for 0, returning it to your hand to cast a plotted Archive Trap for free, and then replaying the original for 0 is pretty sick. But a 2-card combo that makes milling a viable win condition is a-ok by me.
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I think it has exactly the opposite effect. In a set where plotting is a strong mechanical theme, it's way easier to have one stack of exiled face-down cards that all plot-based cards can share than it is to keep track of which exiled cards are linked to with which permanents. It also saves a significant amount of space in the text box.
Lol... yeah casting Archive Trap for 0, returning it to your hand to cast a plotted Archive Trap for free, and then replaying the original for 0 is pretty sick. But a 2-card combo that makes milling a viable win condition is a-ok by me.
The win isn't neccesary milling, it's just your archive trap that makes all your spell free., though, yes, you'll probably kill by milling. You could do it with a different trap card too though, but I don't know by heart which ones have a trap cost of 0
What's wrong with milling?
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So here I am
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
"Grokkability issues" doesn't even begin to cover it for me... I'm all slant-faced right now trying to figure out what the fark Ilyss is even supposed to do. You Ninjitsu your own spells back to your hand so you get to use an effect that's like a weird bastardized hybrid between Dream Halls and Uba Mask? Basically?
It's cool, and I dare say pretty overpowered, but whoever designed this must be a huge fan of cards like Ice Cauldron and Illusionary Mask... you know. The whole "wall of text" effect.
Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies UUUU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard MR
When Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies enters the battlefield, plot 5. (Exile the top five cards of your library face down. You may look at them at any time.)
T, Reveal a plotted nonland card: Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost. If you do, you may cast the plotted card without paying its mana cost, then plot 3.
“Why must I study the science of truth when I hold far more interest in the art of deception?”
3/4
Artist: Jian Guo
This card was the winning design of the September MCC. The effect has some grokkability issues, but in a nutshell it is Ninjutsu for spells. The card is wonderfully balanced, innovative, and looks like it would be incredibly fun to play.
Honorable Mention: Blinking Spirit
Battle Bolt :1mana::symr:
Sorcery (C)
Spellcharge
Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If Battle Bolt's spellcharge cost wasn't paid, exile it spellcharging a creature you control.
Current New Favorite Person™: Mallory Archer
She knows why.
Trade binder.
I believe Spellcharge is meant to work this way; you'll get to play a spell for a reduced cost if you are able to have a specific creature deal combat damage to a player. In this case, Battle Bolt is a potential 3cc spell dealing 4 damage, but only if you are able to also deal combat damage as well.
Isn't it too good? It seems a bit powerful to me...
A random cascade card, let the cascade trigger, then ninjutsu the spell
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
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http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4e0ab040511b7989424707
Rules Advisor as of 4/23/10
Regarding Stoneforge Mystic
I agree with this. The woding is poor. It has to do with the explaination of how the card is exiled from your hand. There is a conflict in that the spell wants to do 2 damage and then exile itself, both things cannot happen at the same time. Also the creature that has an active Spellcharge on it will cause the ability to fail because the Spellcharge part of the ability is still in the copy. And you could technically spellchage another creature with it. It would be better to separate the abilities and on grant the damage part.
Battle Bolt :1mana::symr:
Sorcery (C)
Spellcharge
Spellcharge [cost] (You may exile this from your hand spellcharging a creature you control any time you could cast a sorcery. Whenever the spellcharged creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast this for its spellcharge cost.)
Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Basically you are imprinting a creature with the damage clause. The cost for the first use is the same as the mana cost as the original spell, but you run the risk of lossing your creature to gain continual benefit from the Spellcharge. Also are you limited to one activation or many activations.
Quad blue is pretty hard to get, she has to live a turn, and you have to plot into something useful. Doesn't seem too strong to me. Complete Johnny card. And returning the spell will counter it.
how do you know it's broken if you don't know what half the spell does, lol.
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Member of Team Revolution
You can even combine it with cascade very well!
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
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Sure it works well with Cascade and sort of for storm. You could play some mana accel then Mind's Desire and return the original to your hand, play a plotted card that costs less (brain freeze or Tendrils of Agony I guess or turnabout since you want to use this ability again AND untap your lands) then play Mind's Desire again to storm again...
But that's a lot of cards in a combo deck and kind the only thing it'd be played in. Cascading is great but...are you really concerned that you paid 4 for a 3 CC spell ruturned the 4 CC spell to your hand and cast a 3 CC cascade spell to get out a 2 or less spell?
Wouldn't that be the best case scenario? Comes into play, plot 5. Next turn play a 5CC cascade spell. Cascade. Play that spell. Return either the cascaded spell or the 5CC cascade to your hand and play something you plotted with Cascade. Cascade.
Erm...I don't think that's broken but it's a very good situation to be in for a combo deck relying on Cascade and this guy to win you the game.
Spellcharge: So...you play the spell and if you DIDN'T use the Spellcharge cost...you attach it to a creature for a benefit (in a haunting sort of way). Or is it you can get the effect cheaper at R or you can get both effects by just playing it normally?
Agreed, although this isn't even close to Ikeda's best work, in my opinion.
Also good to see Blinking Spirit here, and good to see a common card in a CotM thread. I'm a fan of the way Blinking Sprit's mechanic would play, but not a fan of the way the card is written. "If __ wasn't paid" is initially confusing, as highlighted by blue in the above post.
Here's what the card does:
It's in your hand. You have two options.
1) You cast it for 1R and shock something. Then you exile it pseudo-imprinted on a creature you control. Then you attack with that creature and it somehow gets through to damage your opponent. You pay R and shock something again. The spell resolves and is put into your graveyard.
2) You exile it for 0 pseudo-imprinted on a creature you control. Then you attack with that creature and it somehow gets through to damage your opponent. You pay R and shock something. The spell resolves and is put into your graveyard.
It's truly an excellent limited mechanic, but it is really complicated to understand at first.
I think there's a really fun idea there, just needs a cleaner execution.
EDH:
Zur, The Enchanter
Modern:
Burn
Legacy:
Cheeri0s
Burn
The idea is that it creates a pool of cards that can be used to generate variable effects.
Keywording plotting seems unnecessary in this case. Being able to mix and match what each card has plotted seems like a large increase in complexity for a small increase in power; why not just exile the cards face down and allow the controller to look at them?
I also feel like being able to get three more cards every time you activate her would be pretty degenerate, UUUU or not. As you currently have it phrased, if you're not playing a spell she has the ability: T,reveal a plotted nonland card: Plot 3. I'd rather see you exile seven and never get any more or something. As has been pointed out, the ability to activate cascade and evade all countermagic is really strong. However, the mechanic is also really cool.
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
-
http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4e0ab040511b7989424707
I think it has exactly the opposite effect. In a set where plotting is a strong mechanical theme, it's way easier to have one stack of exiled face-down cards that all plot-based cards can share than it is to keep track of which exiled cards are linked to with which permanents. It also saves a significant amount of space in the text box.
Lol... yeah casting Archive Trap for 0, returning it to your hand to cast a plotted Archive Trap for free, and then replaying the original for 0 is pretty sick. But a 2-card combo that makes milling a viable win condition is a-ok by me.
Current New Favorite Person™: Mallory Archer
She knows why.
The win isn't neccesary milling, it's just your archive trap that makes all your spell free., though, yes, you'll probably kill by milling. You could do it with a different trap card too though, but I don't know by heart which ones have a trap cost of 0
What's wrong with milling?
Your cry I hear
I'll catch you
And I'll catch your tears
-
http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4e0ab040511b7989424707
It's cool, and I dare say pretty overpowered, but whoever designed this must be a huge fan of cards like Ice Cauldron and Illusionary Mask... you know. The whole "wall of text" effect.