MTG Salvation

Usually sets go up on gatherer Tuesday or Wednesday before prerelease.

Too heavy a focus on Linear mechanics, like Devotion, tends to make standard dull. With linear strategies, deck building becomes more on-rails. Allies and colorless-matters are both fairly linear strategies, so it'll be interesting to see how the new set affects standard deck building.

Didn't see these posted.

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/alexullman-091515-fertile-fields-battle-for-zendikar-cycle-preview/

Lots of people say Temple of m'Lady purposely even though they know the correct pronunciation. Just like people say "Magic Oranges" instead of Magic Origins.

I don't really see too many people mispronouncing card names other than proper names like Alesha (not Alicia).

Paragoyf is incredibly narrow. The only time its power will be anything other than zero and actually matter is when you play fight spells and Fling spells. It can never attack or block profitably. A more interesting, functional design could be to make its power thrice the number of spells cast this turn. It punishes your opponent's tricks while also making your own more potent.

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Starvation 1BB
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
At the beginning of enchanted creature’s controller’s upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature, then its controller loses life equal to the number of -1/-1 counters on enchanted creature.

Zip! G
Instant
Until end of turn, you may cast creature spells as though they had flash.
Draw a card.

Next:
Obsession
Lamentation
Homecoming

The way Words of War is templated makes it unclear. Is it meant to only be case after blockers are declared? With the current wording, it will give all attacking creatures double strike and only give a power boost to those that have been blocked. If that's the intention, it could be made clearer: "Attacking creatures gain double strike until end of turn. Each attacking creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each creature blocking it."

If the intention is for only blocked creatures to get double strike, then it could be templated like this: "Blocked creatures gain double strike until end of turn. Each attacking creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each creature blocking it."

In either case, I think making the bonus a trigger leads to better gameplay: "Until end of turn, attacking creatures gain double strike and 'Whenever this becomes blocked by a creature, Rabid Wolverines gets +1/+0 until end of turn'." Having to cast it before blockers are declared forces the defender to make interesting decisions about how to block and this way it can still be used after blockers are declared to give your creatures an edge and get extra damage through.

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Druisilla, Natute’s Might 2GGU
Legendary Creature - Merfolk Druid
When Druisilla, Natute’s Might enters the battlefield distribute three +1/+1 counters among one, two, or three target creatures.
At the beginning of your upkeep, Proliferate.
1/3

Hypnotic Drone 5
Artifact Creature - Construct
Defender, Flying
Whenever Hypnotic Drone blocks a creature, gain control of that creature at end of combat for as long as you control Hypnotic Drone.
0/4

Next:
Nuclear Option
Angelic Choir
Deafening Silence

Fertile Growth seems a little too cute. It's using a mechanic in an unintuitive way to no real benefit. Most of the time, it's either a bad version of Crop Rotation or an overpriced, instant speed Sylvan Scrying. The few situations where you already have an animated land and can therefore cast it for cheaper don't seem worth the headache it would cause for players.

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Rally the Ranks 4W
Instant
Converge — Put two X/X white Soldier Ally creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is the number of colors of mana spent to cast Rally the Ranks.

Quote from jace19 »

look at the scry lands, are they good? no, not really. but they do something new, something that is not just mixing and matching bits of old designs, they are NEW.

Buh? New Benalia + Coastal Tower = Temple of Enlightenment

Scourge of Artifice 1G
Creature - Elemental
Protection from Artifacts and Enchantments
Scourge of Artifice gets +1/+1 for each artifact your opponents control.
Scourge of Artifice gets +1/+1 for each enchantment your opponents control.
2/2

Next: 2UB

Celestial Tutor 2WW
Enchantment Creature - Spirit
Other enchantment creatures you control get +1/+1.
2WW, Sacrifice Celestial Tutor: Search your library for an enchantment card, reveal it and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
2/3

Next:
Omnipresence
Pass the Torch
Agent of Chaos

Desperate Tactician is a solid design, but I'm not sure how much I like it in white. White's weakness is supposed to be a lack of card flow, this subverts that. I think if it cost WU, WB or even even had a payment of U on the trigger I'd be okay with it.

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Magnetic Master UR
Creature - Human Artificer
Prowess
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may attach an equipment you control to target creature you control.
2/2

Captured Sprite UB
Creature - Faerie Rogue
Flying
When Captured Sprite enters the battlefield, draw a card then discard a card.
At the beginning of the end step, if you control no other creatures, return Captured Sprite to its owner’s hand.
2/1

Next:
Kin-Tree Defiler
Akroan Crusade
Simic Research Assistant

Quote from Draw_Gone »

You did not add a rarity, but this seems uncommon for sure, probably could be a rare since it can easily dominate the early turns in limited: for 3 mana this wins a fight vs anything less than a 4/5, that is huge. But being a vampire it should have flying, no? But adding flying to an already pretty efficient creature starts to get a bit too powerfull. Finally, I'm not a rules genius, but the wording is wierd: shouldn;t it be read as "if a creature would be dealt damage by HoS"... otherwise, this ability spills over to ALL creature, including your opponents.

I don't typically bother with rarity when designing individual cards. Rarity is very much a function of the limited environment, but individual cards don't have an environment that they're a part of. That said, Herald of Suffering would likely be a rare. The effect is meant to be global and symmetrical. The idea is to turn your burn spells into shrink spells. Making your Lightning Bolt into a Last Gasp, for example.

Also, less than half of the currently printed vampires have flying.

Voyage into the Future seems okay, but I might recommend changing it from "instant or sorcery" to "noncreature, nonland card." Exiling makes sense, because if it were discard it would make storm decks even stronger. I also might make the exiling a kicker-style effect, that way if you have no other cards in hand you can just cycle Voyage.

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Scavenger Fungus 2BG
Creature - Plant Zombie
B, Sacrifice a creature: Scavenger Fungus gets +X/+X until end of turn where X is the sacrificed creature’s power.
1G, Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Put a +1/+1 counter on Scavenger Fungus.
2/3