Back in Mercadian Masques, we were introduced to Spellshapers, creatures with activated abilities that require discarding cards as part of their cost. This concept was later brought back in Time Spiral block, this time focusing more on creatures that produced creature tokens with specific names, often referencing existing or soon to be existing creature cards.
SOI saw the return of Madness, a mechanic that allows you to cast a card upon discarding it. Now would be a good time for the Spellshaper ability to return. Might we see it in Eldritch Moon as an in-block enabler, or perhaps in Kaladesh, most likely as a source of artifact tokens?
Worth noting is that we've already seen a few Spellshapery discard costs in SOI, like Stern Constable and Call the Bloodline. Perhaps this is setting up for EMN having dedicated Spellshaper abilities?
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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.
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With the Kaladesh people using raw aether power instead of mana as we know it, I think that the spellshaper mechanic could be one of the ways of representing it on cards (converting a raw source in your hand into desired and defined effect). Would do for a cross-block synergy as well.
Not sure about EMN, though. I think we will just see more madness enablers in the vein of Ravenous Bloodseeker, Stern Constable or Call. Not spellshapers by creature type.
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Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
In EM, "something" is coming. One way I could see representing that, and the struggle to hold that something at bay is by having spells with a delayed cost. Echo cards required you to pay them 2 times to keep them. To make something like that feel like you are keeping something at bay, it could instead be a pay this cost at next upkeep or your opponent gets something. For instance, a 1 mana creature card that bounces a target creature but if you don't pay the "keep at bay" cost during your next upkeep, your opponent gets to play a creature from their hand without paying it's mana cost. A 1 mana draw spell would be something like, Draw 2 cards. At the beginning of your next upkeep pay 1U or target opponent draws 3 cards. Anyway, I think I've made my point. It would certainly represent the forces of Innistrad trying to keep a big bad danger away. I just think that would fit the flavor of the set a little more than spellshapers.
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RIP Batman guy. I hope somebody picks up the slack now that you are gone. Sick children need their Batman.
In EM, "something" is coming. One way I could see representing that, and the struggle to hold that something at bay is by having spells with a delayed cost. Echo cards required you to pay them 2 times to keep them. To make something like that feel like you are keeping something at bay, it could instead be a pay this cost at next upkeep or your opponent gets something. For instance, a 1 mana creature card that bounces a target creature but if you don't pay the "keep at bay" cost during your next upkeep, your opponent gets to play a creature from their hand without paying it's mana cost. A 1 mana draw spell would be something like, Draw 2 cards. At the beginning of your next upkeep pay 1U or target opponent draws 3 cards. Anyway, I think I've made my point. It would certainly represent the forces of Innistrad trying to keep a big bad danger away. I just think that would fit the flavor of the set a little more than spellshapers.
That would also not enable madness or delirium or set up any cross-block synergy if done in Kaladesh. Which was the original point.
I certainly wouldn't mind seeing a cycle or two. Maybe an uncommon and a rare cycle? I'd like to see Undertaker come back most of all; that card pulls it's weight in my cube and in my casual decks and I've long awaited its return.
SOI saw the return of Madness, a mechanic that allows you to cast a card upon discarding it. Now would be a good time for the Spellshaper ability to return. Might we see it in Eldritch Moon as an in-block enabler, or perhaps in Kaladesh, most likely as a source of artifact tokens?
Worth noting is that we've already seen a few Spellshapery discard costs in SOI, like Stern Constable and Call the Bloodline. Perhaps this is setting up for EMN having dedicated Spellshaper abilities?
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.
Not sure about EMN, though. I think we will just see more madness enablers in the vein of Ravenous Bloodseeker, Stern Constable or Call. Not spellshapers by creature type.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
RIP Batman guy. I hope somebody picks up the slack now that you are gone. Sick children need their Batman.
That would also not enable madness or delirium or set up any cross-block synergy if done in Kaladesh. Which was the original point.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
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Innistrad - The Darkest Night
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