(U/B) is :symbu: or :symub: and the same is true for the other 9 hybrid symbols with their two colors in for the last 2 leters of the code. ((2/B) and co are :sym2b:)
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B) T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
You can also use [cardimg][/cardimg] tags to post a picture of the card directly.
And you can use the same '|' trick with cardimg tags as well. You don't even have to write anything between the tags in that case.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
i ask cause i really liked this Memory Lapse, and it´s so rare for me to prefer a new version of an old card that I really wanted to mention it. (not that it's amazing, it could be better, but among the vast pool of insipid new art we usually get, it stands out a little little bit)
edit: altough, to be fair, the Mirage one has quite a lot of flair, but it doesn't mesh well with the abhorrent new border (oh Blue, you were the one to suffer the most...)
because Green decks should be able to play white and red cards as though they were green cards?
If Druid of the Anima, Birds of Paradise, Utopia Tree, etc don't do what you want... its because you want to turn infinite green or colorless mana into red or white... and I don't see that as an improvement to modern. But then I don't play Modern competitively all that much, so what do I know.
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(U/B) is :symbu: or :symub: and the same is true for the other 9 hybrid symbols with their two colors in for the last 2 leters of the code. ((2/B) and co are :sym2b:)
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B) T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
I'd also kind of like there to be a mono blue 2 drop draw creature, since blue is supposed to be better at draw than white or green, maybe something like:
Levitating Bookshelf1U Creature - Wall
Defender
Flying
When Levitating Bookshelf enters the battlefield, draw a card. 0/4
Adding flying to the Omens/Blossoms setup so it can block other flyers and get evasion in decks that can turn walls into attackers, and since flying is in blue's color pie.
I'd kinda like for something _like_ containment priest. But perhaps something that isn't human type, so maybe something like:
Containment Eye1W Creature - Hommunculus
Flash
If a nontoken creature would enter the battlefield and it wasn't cast, exile it instead. 1/3
The flash and ability needs to stay the same, and probably the mana cost too, but the p/t and creature type can be different, to avoid powering up some of the modern tribal decks like spirits and humans. Using a less tribal heavy creature type like hommunculus, avatar, or kor seems like a good idea.
Not all of them are needed of course, and many might not have much chance of real modern playability, but a number could easily fill in holes in modern's card pool in terms of what various colors or things to do involve, and some could be seriously helpful for some decks or sideboards.
I'd also kinda like to see a variant on Swords to Plowshares, but I think it's a bit too strong, however, I think white's 2 drop removal space is a bit lacking in Modern, so I could easily see something in that mana space working, something along the lines of:
Sabers to Latershares1W Instant
Exile target creature. It's controller gains life equal to it's converted mana cost.
I thought using CMC rather than power might be a nice variant to set it distinct for the lifegain, as well as making it stronger against most tokens type stuff, but I think some decks would be willing to pay life and 1 extra mana rather than give an opponent a basic land due to Path to Exile, while others might want them both for 5-8 pieces of modern viable white removal.
Some other things I'd like to see in the format include:
1 drop blue and 1 drop white prowess creatures of similar level of playability to Monastery Swiftspear, likely involving flying for blue, but I'm not sure what would work best for white.
A just blue 1 drop hexproof creature, along the lines of Slippery Bogle, and Gladecover Scout, for potential for replacing gladecover in a non-green bogles deck or creating a bant boggles deck with more critters or something. Not sure if it should be a merfolk or some other type that is more rarely seen, like crab or turtle or octopus or something.
Some kind of thing inspired by mother of runes, but perhaps using something more like a combination of hexproof and indestructible, rather than protection, maybe with an extra or two to make it closer in power level to protection, but as a mono-white 2 drop, rather than a 1 drop, to make it a bit more reasonable and let it have a better base body than MoR.
Mono-White's version of Reclamation Sage, perhaps with a harder mana cost like 1WW in exchange for some extras, like being a 1/4 vigilance or something.
Mono-Red's variation on this sort of thing, but only against artifacts, it should probably still be a 3 drop, since artifacts are often also creatures, and getting rid of artifacts is often treated as slightly more intensive mana cost wise than enchantments, so it probably shouldn't just be a variant on War Priest of Thune except red and artifacts rather than white and enchantments, but being higher cmc than that and not as flexible as reclaimation sage or the above noted white thing means perhaps it should get something extra, like:
Smeltsinger1RR Creature - Dwarf Rogue
Haste, Menace
When Smeltsinger enters the battlefield, you may destroy target artifact. 2/3
Might also be nice to have a mono-blue thing that can draw two cards at instant speed for 3 cmc, rather than being trapped in esper for esper charm for that kind of effect. Maybe a 1UU mana cost with no alternate modes like esper charm has would be fair?
I'd also like to see some lower cmc blue non-artifact cards that generate artifact tokens for a possible sort of Shape Anew deck as a cute variant to polymorph decks.
I'd like to see something for 0 turn countering, something along the lines of:
PrepardnessU Instant
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 1 or less.
You may cast Prepardness without paying it's mana cost if you don't control any lands. If you do, lands you play enter the battlefield tapped and can't be untapped until your next end step.
This would be more fair than something like Mental Misstep, since it still costs you your first turn's mana, and can only be cast for 'free' before you've played any lands (unless something weird is going on like land destruction/sacrifice), but can still let some decks do potentially crutial counters of opponent on the play turn 1 counterspelling, such as if you care a lot about keeping your hand secret and your opponent is playing Thoughtseize, or against a turn 1 Faithless Looting in game 2 vs. Phoenix when you feel unlucky and they didn't mulligan.
I'd also like to see cards to complete searching for 3 cmc of various card types, finishing the 'cycle' of Fabricate, Idyllic Tutor, and Call the Gatewatch. I think 2G for creature searching, since creatures and summoning themes tend to be a green thing more than other colors in this context typically, 2B for sorcery searching, since the slow spellcasting of elaborate spells in powerful rituals (not MtG rituals) seems a very black thing, ironically, I could see this one also being an instant, since searching for cards is already in black's color pie, or mabye being dropped to 1B mana cost, and finally instant spells 'rapid cast battle magic' would be 2R. Perhaps names like Summoner's Tutor, Spellcaster's Tutor, and Battlemage's Tutor?
Some more non-basic hate and grave hate in various colors, especially ones that don't have it outside of artifacts as much for modern viable levels, including forms that fit into various types of modern decks, doing their things alongside incidental hate, similar to how Destructive Revelry plays into burn or aggro strategies while still being effective hate against artifacts and/or enchantments. This stuff would be low cmc stuff, and more focused along the ways their colors do it, unlike various artifacts used for similar purposes, since a lot of the graveyard combo is fast, and tron can potentially come online in turn 3 for the opponent, which is when you are at 2 cmc if you were on the draw. It doesn't have to destroy the lands for nonbasic land hate, it could do things like Stensia Innkeeper or a single target rather than board version of From the Ashes or a Spreading Seas type effect or various other sorts of options. Grave-hate similarly doesn't have to exile, it could put things shuffled or onto the bottom of libraries, or make graveyards inaccessible in various ways. The main idea here is to fill out more options for different decks and archetypes and color combinations and make the hate cards fit more smoothly into their strategies than some of the more generic options we currently have like Relic of Progenitus. Some of the weaker effects like Stensia Innkeeper tapdown type nonbasic hate could be set up to have stronger side-benefits to the normal strategy or work against more opposing strategies through multiple options or something.
I'd kinda like a Vindicate effect at a modern playable CMC. I think it could work more fairly in modern with a harder mana cost, like WBR which would avoid it slotting straight into some kind of BGx midrange decks as easily so long as it doesn't have both b and g in it's mana cost. Another possibility is going up to 4 cmc and getting a worthwhile extra, like drawing a card or gaining a bit of life and causing the opponent to lose a bit of life. I don't think Vindicate itself is necessarily the best choice for Modern, it's a bit too flexible for something that can also destroy lands, and 2 colors including white and black are a bit too easy to fit into various decks for a 3 cmc version of the effect.
I'd also like to see more stuff that goes into white weenie in white, more stuff that goes into generic tempo decks in blue, more quirky sideboard stuff in red like we've started seeing with stuff like Harsh Mentor and Blood Sun, more interesting potent 'early' (lower cmc than usual) or somewhat off-color stuff for a life payment or creature sacrifice in black, and more hasty stompy creatures or hatebears in green.
I's also like to see more ways to interact with the stack outside of blue, like green and white giving certain things temporary hexproof, red perhaps creating a sort of punisher type effect where they can cancel what they are doing or take damage, green countering abilities, perhaps repeatably (in contrast to blue countering spells), and maybe black and red being able to turn spells on the stack into their advantage, perhaps by dealing damage or creating tokens under their own control related to the opponent's spell's cmc. Maybe black could 'counter' a non-zombie, non-spirit opponent's creature spell and cause the opponent to just get a spirit token with the abilities of the countered creature + flying while the black player gets a zombie token with the p/t of the countered creature? Maybe black and red could be allowed to counter enchantments, even if they can't remove existing ones, and black counter artifacts?
I'd also like to see more things like Aura Barbs, but lower cmc, for red against enchantments and black against enchantments and/or artifacts. Things that penalize an opponent for having permanents that the colors involved can't get rid of in a relatively strong way that could make decent sideboard cards in mono-colored decks.
Edit:
I'd also like to see something in blue for creature removal-ish effect for Modern, something like this, somewhat inspired by Reality Shift:
False Reflector1U Instant
Exile target creature. It's controller creates a 2/4 blue illusion creature token with flying and defender.
It would give the opponent a nice defensive creature, letting the blue deck stall well, but thoroughly getting rid of the removed creature, and do it at the right timing in the game for Modern, and be particularly effective for control decks that eventually play creatures with stats at least 4/3 or that don't rely on creature based finishers. It gives such a relatively generous token because the removal is out of blue's color pie, but the polymorph-ish effect is within it, as is illusions and flying, and can even be used on your own creatures to make a more defensive version in a pinch if the situation calls for it like hexproof opposing creatures. But since the token has defender, it avoids hurting as many decks trying to play it as some similar cards like Reality Shift or Pongify. Since it exiles the original, it's also more of a flavor hit for me for these kind of effects than things like Pongify, since it's weird when something that is transformed can also be reanimated from the graveyard or something weird like that.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
1-mana and 2-mana land destruction? Seriously? Just imagine how "fun" it'll be when you get hit by T1 Encroach, T2 Sinkhole and then T3 Lili or Stone Rain. That's exactly the kind of hardcore mana denial WOTC doesn't want to see around with good reason.
because Green decks should be able to play white and red cards as though they were green cards?
If Druid of the Anima, Birds of Paradise, Utopia Tree, etc don't do what you want... its because you want to turn infinite green or colorless mana into red or white... and I don't see that as an improvement to modern. But then I don't play Modern competitively all that much, so what do I know.
So sue me for wanting Elfball to be a thing again.
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
1-mana and 2-mana land destruction? Seriously? Just imagine how "fun" it'll be when you get hit by T1 Encroach, T2 Sinkhole and then T3 Lili or Stone Rain. That's exactly the kind of hardcore mana denial WOTC doesn't want to see around with good reason.
There is a vocal minority that wants land destruction back at 3 cmc.
Everyone likes different aspects of the game.
That said. I hope they leave two mana land destruction in legacy.
1-mana and 2-mana land destruction? Seriously? Just imagine how "fun" it'll be when you get hit by T1 Encroach, T2 Sinkhole and then T3 Lili or Stone Rain. That's exactly the kind of hardcore mana denial WOTC doesn't want to see around with good reason.
There is a vocal minority that wants land destruction back at 3 cmc.
Everyone likes different aspects of the game.
That said. I hope they leave two mana land destruction in legacy.
I have no problem with three mana land destruction. But I like the non-red variants to cost at least two colored. Reprint Winter's Grasp and Choking Sands.
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
Cabal Coffers and Rishadan Port to float the value as people jump on the two lands to brew for modern. Containment Priest literally needs a printing for modern to act as a hard counter to some strategies, Mother of Runes would help push edict effects up in value and probably boost Maelstrom pulse in cost. Also she'd make my legacy D&T viable in modern which would be happy days.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Cabal Coffers and Rishadan Port to float the value as people jump on the two lands to brew for modern. Containment Priest literally needs a printing for modern to act as a hard counter to some strategies, Mother of Runes would help push edict effects up in value and probably boost Maelstrom pulse in cost. Also she'd make my legacy D&T viable in modern which would be happy days.
I'm right there with you on Coffers and Port; they would be great fits for Modern (powerful, but don't slot directly into top-tier decks), and the value would be great for them. Priest would be perfect, but I'm skeptical about anything that was in UMA getting reprinted again so soon. Mom's probably a little too risky though, and if Modern D&T is already getting Port, that's already a huge boon to the deck.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
One of the biggest problems in Modern is that decks often lack the tools to properly interact with the unfair linear decks of the format without going to their sideboards first. Rishadan Port is a powerful disruptive element that plays best in mono or two-colored fair decks. It breathes new life into Aether Vial, while creating tension with the crazy mana bases that Aether Vial decks play. It’s iconic, a flashy rare, and jawdropping.
The fact that Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin play well both with and against it is a nice plus too, as it limits how oppressive the Port can be. I'm primarily a Gx Tron player, and I'd still be happy to have Port in the format.
Dust Bowl would probably be okay as well, though it makes Tron (more) disgusting against anything trying to go long, at the very least.
(U/B) is :symbu: or :symub: and the same is true for the other 9 hybrid symbols with their two colors in for the last 2 leters of the code. ((2/B) and co are :sym2b:)
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B) T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
Restore sounds absolutely busted with fetchlands, T1 fetchland, T2 land, Restore said fetchland, ramp, thin your deck, enjoy. I doubt they'd like to put that in Modern.
Grip of Phyresis on the other hand sounds really fun in Limited, especially after your opponent has paid the Equip cost like a chump, I'd love to do that:D
because Green decks should be able to play white and red cards as though they were green cards?
If Druid of the Anima, Birds of Paradise, Utopia Tree, etc don't do what you want... its because you want to turn infinite green or colorless mana into red or white... and I don't see that as an improvement to modern. But then I don't play Modern competitively all that much, so what do I know.
If you want to turn infinte green into other colors just use orochi leafcaller
Restore sounds absolutely busted with fetchlands, T1 fetchland, T2 land, Restore said fetchland, ramp, thin your deck, enjoy. I doubt they'd like to put that in Modern.
So... a farseek that costs 1 life?
Seems fine.
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(U/B) is :symbu: or :symub: and the same is true for the other 9 hybrid symbols with their two colors in for the last 2 leters of the code. ((2/B) and co are :sym2b:)
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B) T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
Stoic Builder is Restore with a 2/3 body stapled on for 1, and he's Modern legal, so...yeah. EDIT: Nevermind, Stoic Builder returns the land card to your hand, not the battlefield.
I think DFC tech could make for some neat takes on classic characters.
Karn, Legacy Guardian C
> Karn Ascended
Ertai, Peerless Mage U
> Ertai Compleat
Crovax Forlorn B
> Crovax, Cursed Evincar
Tahngarth R
> Tahngarth Mutated
Maybe they can pay homage to certain classic cards, too?
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Most people covered these in other posts, but I would like to see a reprint of old Extended favorites to revive some of those decks, even if they wouldn't be competitive in today's meta:
I would also love to see other random tribal cards, like Contested Cliffs, etc.
I think the problem is, as fun as these would be, they don't really add a ton of value to packs -- so you either need to throw the people a few bones in the way of high-powered reprints, or put all of the value in the new cards.
If I recall correctly Maro said, that the Council of Colors has overseen the complete set, so we can rule out something like Sylvan Library or Swords etc.
I think we will most likely not see any reprints or new cards, that could easily be in a Standard Set (like the enemy colored cycling lands). I doubt we will see anything, that obviously goes straight into the unfair/non-interactive decks in the Format. I expect them to print mostly three things: 1.) Interactive spells 2.) Hate cards like the M19 ones, but much more powerful or modal 3.) Tribal support.
The two cards shown, seem a bit like they might want to push BW Tokens or something similar, so maybe they will push more strategies, that are not that good or not problematic.
Easy inclusions for me (either reprint, slightly better worded or in modern design like an Astral Slide, that only triggers when you cycle something):
you use a pipe... '|' character, and the expansion name
Memory Lapse is what you get from [card]Memory Lapse|Homelands[/card].
edit: You can even get fancy with it... M.Lapse Best Art! is what you get from [card=Memory Lapse|Homelands]M.Lapse Best Art![/card].
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B)
T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
And you can use the same '|' trick with cardimg tags as well. You don't even have to write anything between the tags in that case.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
i ask cause i really liked this Memory Lapse, and it´s so rare for me to prefer a new version of an old card that I really wanted to mention it. (not that it's amazing, it could be better, but among the vast pool of insipid new art we usually get, it stands out a little little bit)
edit: altough, to be fair, the Mirage one has quite a lot of flair, but it doesn't mesh well with the abhorrent new border (oh Blue, you were the one to suffer the most...)
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
If Druid of the Anima, Birds of Paradise, Utopia Tree, etc don't do what you want... its because you want to turn infinite green or colorless mana into red or white... and I don't see that as an improvement to modern. But then I don't play Modern competitively all that much, so what do I know.
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B)
T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
Spell Smother UU
Instant
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 3 or less.
Also reprints of various things, including some color alternates of existing in modern things, like:
Force Spike (Mana Tithe)
Wall of Blossoms (Wall of Omens)
I'd also kind of like there to be a mono blue 2 drop draw creature, since blue is supposed to be better at draw than white or green, maybe something like:
Levitating Bookshelf 1U
Creature - Wall
Defender
Flying
When Levitating Bookshelf enters the battlefield, draw a card.
0/4
Adding flying to the Omens/Blossoms setup so it can block other flyers and get evasion in decks that can turn walls into attackers, and since flying is in blue's color pie.
I'd kinda like for something _like_ containment priest. But perhaps something that isn't human type, so maybe something like:
Containment Eye 1W
Creature - Hommunculus
Flash
If a nontoken creature would enter the battlefield and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.
1/3
The flash and ability needs to stay the same, and probably the mana cost too, but the p/t and creature type can be different, to avoid powering up some of the modern tribal decks like spirits and humans. Using a less tribal heavy creature type like hommunculus, avatar, or kor seems like a good idea.
Here are some more cards I'd like to see:
Innocent Blood
Undermine
Diabolic Edict
Tribute to the Wild
Impulse
From the Ashes
Angel of Finality
Stranglehold
Crawlspace
Bind
Skyshroud Elite
Wild Growth
Flametongue Kavu
Skyshroud War Beast
Lobotomy
Not all of them are needed of course, and many might not have much chance of real modern playability, but a number could easily fill in holes in modern's card pool in terms of what various colors or things to do involve, and some could be seriously helpful for some decks or sideboards.
I'd also kinda like to see a variant on Swords to Plowshares, but I think it's a bit too strong, however, I think white's 2 drop removal space is a bit lacking in Modern, so I could easily see something in that mana space working, something along the lines of:
Sabers to Latershares 1W
Instant
Exile target creature. It's controller gains life equal to it's converted mana cost.
I thought using CMC rather than power might be a nice variant to set it distinct for the lifegain, as well as making it stronger against most tokens type stuff, but I think some decks would be willing to pay life and 1 extra mana rather than give an opponent a basic land due to Path to Exile, while others might want them both for 5-8 pieces of modern viable white removal.
Some other things I'd like to see in the format include:
1 drop blue and 1 drop white prowess creatures of similar level of playability to Monastery Swiftspear, likely involving flying for blue, but I'm not sure what would work best for white.
A just blue 1 drop hexproof creature, along the lines of Slippery Bogle, and Gladecover Scout, for potential for replacing gladecover in a non-green bogles deck or creating a bant boggles deck with more critters or something. Not sure if it should be a merfolk or some other type that is more rarely seen, like crab or turtle or octopus or something.
Some kind of thing inspired by mother of runes, but perhaps using something more like a combination of hexproof and indestructible, rather than protection, maybe with an extra or two to make it closer in power level to protection, but as a mono-white 2 drop, rather than a 1 drop, to make it a bit more reasonable and let it have a better base body than MoR.
Mono-White's version of Reclamation Sage, perhaps with a harder mana cost like 1WW in exchange for some extras, like being a 1/4 vigilance or something.
Mono-Red's variation on this sort of thing, but only against artifacts, it should probably still be a 3 drop, since artifacts are often also creatures, and getting rid of artifacts is often treated as slightly more intensive mana cost wise than enchantments, so it probably shouldn't just be a variant on War Priest of Thune except red and artifacts rather than white and enchantments, but being higher cmc than that and not as flexible as reclaimation sage or the above noted white thing means perhaps it should get something extra, like:
Smeltsinger 1RR
Creature - Dwarf Rogue
Haste, Menace
When Smeltsinger enters the battlefield, you may destroy target artifact.
2/3
Might also be nice to have a mono-blue thing that can draw two cards at instant speed for 3 cmc, rather than being trapped in esper for esper charm for that kind of effect. Maybe a 1UU mana cost with no alternate modes like esper charm has would be fair?
I'd also like to see some lower cmc blue non-artifact cards that generate artifact tokens for a possible sort of Shape Anew deck as a cute variant to polymorph decks.
I'd like to see something for 0 turn countering, something along the lines of:
Prepardness U
Instant
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 1 or less.
You may cast Prepardness without paying it's mana cost if you don't control any lands. If you do, lands you play enter the battlefield tapped and can't be untapped until your next end step.
This would be more fair than something like Mental Misstep, since it still costs you your first turn's mana, and can only be cast for 'free' before you've played any lands (unless something weird is going on like land destruction/sacrifice), but can still let some decks do potentially crutial counters of opponent on the play turn 1 counterspelling, such as if you care a lot about keeping your hand secret and your opponent is playing Thoughtseize, or against a turn 1 Faithless Looting in game 2 vs. Phoenix when you feel unlucky and they didn't mulligan.
I'd also like to see cards to complete searching for 3 cmc of various card types, finishing the 'cycle' of Fabricate, Idyllic Tutor, and Call the Gatewatch. I think 2G for creature searching, since creatures and summoning themes tend to be a green thing more than other colors in this context typically, 2B for sorcery searching, since the slow spellcasting of elaborate spells in powerful rituals (not MtG rituals) seems a very black thing, ironically, I could see this one also being an instant, since searching for cards is already in black's color pie, or mabye being dropped to 1B mana cost, and finally instant spells 'rapid cast battle magic' would be 2R. Perhaps names like Summoner's Tutor, Spellcaster's Tutor, and Battlemage's Tutor?
Some more non-basic hate and grave hate in various colors, especially ones that don't have it outside of artifacts as much for modern viable levels, including forms that fit into various types of modern decks, doing their things alongside incidental hate, similar to how Destructive Revelry plays into burn or aggro strategies while still being effective hate against artifacts and/or enchantments. This stuff would be low cmc stuff, and more focused along the ways their colors do it, unlike various artifacts used for similar purposes, since a lot of the graveyard combo is fast, and tron can potentially come online in turn 3 for the opponent, which is when you are at 2 cmc if you were on the draw. It doesn't have to destroy the lands for nonbasic land hate, it could do things like Stensia Innkeeper or a single target rather than board version of From the Ashes or a Spreading Seas type effect or various other sorts of options. Grave-hate similarly doesn't have to exile, it could put things shuffled or onto the bottom of libraries, or make graveyards inaccessible in various ways. The main idea here is to fill out more options for different decks and archetypes and color combinations and make the hate cards fit more smoothly into their strategies than some of the more generic options we currently have like Relic of Progenitus. Some of the weaker effects like Stensia Innkeeper tapdown type nonbasic hate could be set up to have stronger side-benefits to the normal strategy or work against more opposing strategies through multiple options or something.
I'd kinda like a Vindicate effect at a modern playable CMC. I think it could work more fairly in modern with a harder mana cost, like WBR which would avoid it slotting straight into some kind of BGx midrange decks as easily so long as it doesn't have both b and g in it's mana cost. Another possibility is going up to 4 cmc and getting a worthwhile extra, like drawing a card or gaining a bit of life and causing the opponent to lose a bit of life. I don't think Vindicate itself is necessarily the best choice for Modern, it's a bit too flexible for something that can also destroy lands, and 2 colors including white and black are a bit too easy to fit into various decks for a 3 cmc version of the effect.
I'd also like to see more stuff that goes into white weenie in white, more stuff that goes into generic tempo decks in blue, more quirky sideboard stuff in red like we've started seeing with stuff like Harsh Mentor and Blood Sun, more interesting potent 'early' (lower cmc than usual) or somewhat off-color stuff for a life payment or creature sacrifice in black, and more hasty stompy creatures or hatebears in green.
I's also like to see more ways to interact with the stack outside of blue, like green and white giving certain things temporary hexproof, red perhaps creating a sort of punisher type effect where they can cancel what they are doing or take damage, green countering abilities, perhaps repeatably (in contrast to blue countering spells), and maybe black and red being able to turn spells on the stack into their advantage, perhaps by dealing damage or creating tokens under their own control related to the opponent's spell's cmc. Maybe black could 'counter' a non-zombie, non-spirit opponent's creature spell and cause the opponent to just get a spirit token with the abilities of the countered creature + flying while the black player gets a zombie token with the p/t of the countered creature? Maybe black and red could be allowed to counter enchantments, even if they can't remove existing ones, and black counter artifacts?
I'd also like to see more things like Aura Barbs, but lower cmc, for red against enchantments and black against enchantments and/or artifacts. Things that penalize an opponent for having permanents that the colors involved can't get rid of in a relatively strong way that could make decent sideboard cards in mono-colored decks.
Edit:
I'd also like to see something in blue for creature removal-ish effect for Modern, something like this, somewhat inspired by
Reality Shift:
False Reflector 1U
Instant
Exile target creature. It's controller creates a 2/4 blue illusion creature token with flying and defender.
It would give the opponent a nice defensive creature, letting the blue deck stall well, but thoroughly getting rid of the removed creature, and do it at the right timing in the game for Modern, and be particularly effective for control decks that eventually play creatures with stats at least 4/3 or that don't rely on creature based finishers. It gives such a relatively generous token because the removal is out of blue's color pie, but the polymorph-ish effect is within it, as is illusions and flying, and can even be used on your own creatures to make a more defensive version in a pinch if the situation calls for it like hexproof opposing creatures. But since the token has defender, it avoids hurting as many decks trying to play it as some similar cards like Reality Shift or Pongify. Since it exiles the original, it's also more of a flavor hit for me for these kind of effects than things like Pongify, since it's weird when something that is transformed can also be reanimated from the graveyard or something weird like that.
as for reprints:
Dark Ritual way to strong i suppose
Cabal Ritual
Hymn to Tourach
Sinkhole
Encroach
innocent blood
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
1-mana and 2-mana land destruction? Seriously? Just imagine how "fun" it'll be when you get hit by T1 Encroach, T2 Sinkhole and then T3 Lili or Stone Rain. That's exactly the kind of hardcore mana denial WOTC doesn't want to see around with good reason.
So sue me for wanting Elfball to be a thing again.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
There is a vocal minority that wants land destruction back at 3 cmc.
Everyone likes different aspects of the game.
That said. I hope they leave two mana land destruction in legacy.
I have no problem with three mana land destruction. But I like the non-red variants to cost at least two colored. Reprint Winter's Grasp and Choking Sands.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
They have been very big on keeping the LD to 3 or having stipulations on them.
The reasoning is it can make games unfun for players as it can keep them from actually interacting and playing the game.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
The fact that Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin play well both with and against it is a nice plus too, as it limits how oppressive the Port can be. I'm primarily a Gx Tron player, and I'd still be happy to have Port in the format.
Dust Bowl would probably be okay as well, though it makes Tron (more) disgusting against anything trying to go long, at the very least.
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B)
T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
Grip of Phyresis on the other hand sounds really fun in Limited, especially after your opponent has paid the Equip cost like a chump, I'd love to do that:D
If you want to turn infinte green into other colors just use orochi leafcaller
So... a farseek that costs 1 life?
Seems fine.
Alternatively {UB} or {2B} in [mana] tags are (U/B) or (2/B)
T is :symtap: and T will give T in [mana] tags
Stoic Builder is Restore with a 2/3 body stapled on for 1, and he's Modern legal, so...yeah.EDIT: Nevermind, Stoic Builder returns the land card to your hand, not the battlefield.I think DFC tech could make for some neat takes on classic characters.
> Karn Ascended
Ertai, Peerless Mage U
> Ertai Compleat
Crovax Forlorn B
> Crovax, Cursed Evincar
Tahngarth R
> Tahngarth Mutated
Maybe they can pay homage to certain classic cards, too?
> Vale of Lotuses
Gaea's Bounty G
> Cradle of Gaea
Serra's Sanctity W
> Sanctum of Serra
Academy Plans U
> Academy of Tolaria
And maybe a couple of new cards to complete the cycle:
> Vault of Phyrexia (B for each creature card in your graveyard)
Shivan Refinery R
> Furnace of Shiv (R for each artifact card in your graveyard)
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Threshold:
Nimble Mongoose
Werebear
U/G Madness:
Basking Rootwalla
Wild Mongrel
Arrogant Wurm
Genesis
Careful Study (with Looting ban?)
Deep Analysis (too powerful?)
Circular Logic
Psychatog:
Accumulated Knowledge
Psychatog
Upheaval (probably no chance)
R/G Fires:
Fires of Yavimaya
Blastoderm
Saproling Burst
Astral Slide:
Astral Slide
Lightning Rift
Solar Blast
Lay Waste
Exalted Angel
Onslaught cycling lands
I think some of the "classic" tribal archetypes could use a shot in the arm, as well:
Zombies:
Unholy Grotto
Plaguebearer
Putrid Imp
Gempalm Polluter (this whole cycle, really)
Zombie Trailblazer
Vengeful Dead
Grave Defiler
Gravespawn Sovereign
Unmask
Soldiers/WW:
Deftblade Elite
Flickering Ward
Unified Strike
Catapult Squad
Cho-Manno's Blessing
Standard Bearer
Daru Warchief
Enlistment Officer
Inspiring Commander
Elves:
Wirewood Lodge
Birchlore Rangers
Fyndhorn Elves
Quirion Ranger
Wirewood Symbiote
Seeker of Skybreak
Elvish Guidance
Wirewood Channeler
Goblins:
Goblin Burrows
Brightstone Ritual
Gempalm Incinerator
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Beetleback Chief
Goblin Ringleader
Goblin Settler
Wizards:
Riptide Laboratory (probably too powerful)
Counterspell
Information Dealer
Aphetto Grifter
Arcane Artisan
Gempalm Sorcerer
Patron Wizard
Spellseeker
I would also love to see other random tribal cards, like Contested Cliffs, etc.
I think the problem is, as fun as these would be, they don't really add a ton of value to packs -- so you either need to throw the people a few bones in the way of high-powered reprints, or put all of the value in the new cards.
I think we will most likely not see any reprints or new cards, that could easily be in a Standard Set (like the enemy colored cycling lands). I doubt we will see anything, that obviously goes straight into the unfair/non-interactive decks in the Format. I expect them to print mostly three things: 1.) Interactive spells 2.) Hate cards like the M19 ones, but much more powerful or modal 3.) Tribal support.
The two cards shown, seem a bit like they might want to push BW Tokens or something similar, so maybe they will push more strategies, that are not that good or not problematic.
Easy inclusions for me (either reprint, slightly better worded or in modern design like an Astral Slide, that only triggers when you cycle something):
1.) Innocent Blood
2.) Counterspell
3.) Containment Priest
4.) Mono colored Cycling lands and support.
5.) Goblins, Elves, Merfolk and Faeries support.
I for myself would love Vindicate and Council's Judgment in the format or two slightly tweaked versions of them.