What's bothering me about it is that the name font literally isn't in the right place (see attached). IF this is the real image, which I doubt, then Wiz needs to work on their QA...
So I see with the last judgings that, all of a sudden, there's so many problems with my cards that I'm placed 4-6 points below where all the other judges put me, conveniently giving the win to someone else by a quarter point. Nice! Not even subtle about it.
OpalizeW
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature loses all abilities and types and is a colorless artifact with “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.” "Ah, the iridescent look... it really suits you, dear."
- Sydri
Oblivion Pact1B
Instant (R)
Exile the top three cards of your library, then put a face-up exiled card you own into your hand. The fool gambles. The cheater rigs the dice. But the true winner already knows what the roll will be.
Raging Pugilist2R
Creature - Human Barbarian (U)
Trample
Whenever Raging Pugilist blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, the power of both creatures becomes the highest power among creatures on the battlefield until end of turn. "The arena of manhood permits no weakness! Come on, show me what you're made of, beastie!"
2/2
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. If you do, that player discards that card, then draws a card. Otherwise, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
There are fringe cases like Loxodon Smiter where this would be worse, but that's just how it is sometimes.
Cloud Atlas6
Legendary Artifact (M)
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay 1. If you do, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the remaining cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. "What wouldn't I give now for a never-changing map of the ever-constant ineffable? To possess, as it were, an atlas of clouds."
— Timothy Cavendish
Ooh, not bad. They feel roughly at the same power level except for the Mardu charm, which seems weaker (all three modes affect primarily the creature board - not that that's a bad thing, for this wedge). Abzan is my favorite of those, it's doing things the wedge loves to do, and doing them pretty respectably. (Standard pauper enchantress with Nyx Weaver?)
Surprised not to see a specifically Naturalize effect amongst these, but this block DOES feel like it's going to be overwhelmingly creature-based - just a feeling.
Unrelated: do you have a decklist up somewhere for your Ashing control commander deck? I'm all over red control and I'd like to see it.
Visionspore Undead1GUB
Creature - Fungus Zombie (R)
Deathtouch
When Visionspore Undead enters the battlefield, search your library and/or graveyard for up to two cards with different names and reveal them. An opponent chooses one. Put the chosen card into your graveyard, then shuffle your library and put the remaining card on top of it.
2/2
Since the tradition seems to be creatures, I'll pick my favorite two-drop:
Soul of PraxisUU
Creature - Avatar (R)
Exile all instant and sorcery spells as as they resolve.
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell from his or her hand, he or she copies it for each card with the same name exiled with Soul of Praxis. That player may choose new targets for the copies.
1/2
I don't think it's powerful enough to be nerfed, especially since it wouldn't be Super Competitive in standard - since it would let the opponent get copies of their spells as well.
So I gather that my Omen mechanic isn't hitting the mark. Any suggestions? I know it's sloppy as all get-out but I'm seeking to improve it. Not great at designing mechanics here.
For reference, the cards -
Vedalken Silverseer1UU
Creature - Vedalken Wizard (R) Omen — Whenever a nontoken artifact enters the battlefield, reveal the top card of your library. If it shares a type with that permanent, put a token onto the battlefield that’s a copy of that artifact. “In our quicksilver chambers, a billion echoes of light coalesce to guide our studies towards creating the perfect mechanical being.”
1/2
Scarring Augury1R
Instant (C)
Scarring Augury deals 3 damage to target creature. Omen - When that creature dies this turn, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card, you may draw a card, then discard a card.
Sanguine Haruspex1BB
Creature — Vampire Shaman (R) Omen — At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal any number of cards from your hand, then reveal the top card of your library. If that card shares a type with a card revealed from your hand this way, put it into your hand and you lose 1 life. “For but a trivial price, I can make your future become your present...”
2/2
I've been following the progress of this mechanic and when I read the template I pointed at the screen and said "THATS IT!" This is definitely the one to go with. It's really cool, and it makes great sense.
First ability - why not something that just supports artifacts? "Artifact creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain _ until end of turn" or some such, like Sarkhan Vol; or "Tap an untapped artifact you control. If you do, you may tap or untap target permanent" if you want to suit the control route? Turn your artifacts into Icy Manipulator (though this ability probably needs beefed up to be competitive).
I like it in Esper colors, and it reminds me of the Dominaria legendary dragons that way.
Schizophrenia4UR
Creature - Incarnation (M)
At the beginning of each upkeep, put a token onto the battlefield that’s a copy of target permanent. It gains hexproof and haste. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step.
5/3
Hello reptile enthusiast here to inform you that, in fact, tortoises Are turtles :u ! Turtles are anything in the order Chelonii, which includes superfamily Testudiniae, the tortoises. Same as how even numbers are whole numbers because it's a subgroup of whole numbers.
ANYWAY CARDS
The commons are all quite nice and playable, even if Threshold is kinda retired because of what DashPrague brought up. The tribe's mechanics show up successfully at common, check.
I'm fine with the 4-mana res spell because we've seen it before in Modern with Vigor Mortis. Looks good.
Ancestral Watcher does feel kind of odd. Hexproof to graveyard should be fine in these colors, how about that instead?
Stigias Acolyte is a great lord, and the self-limiting of the Threshold trigger keeps him from being too crazy.
I don't think Acolyte of Perpetuity is doing a thing this tribe wants to be doing. They want things to be IN the graveyard, counter to this guy.
Ancestral Channeler, I don't think fits in these colors either. What about a Seance style effect? That card would be much more playable on legs.
Menios is nutso, he's like a super troll. I suppose there aren't any problems with the wording, if you use a Can't? Looks alright to me.
Sanguine Haruspex1BB
Creature — Vampire Shaman (R) Omen — At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal any number of cards from your hand, then reveal the top card of your library. If that card shares a type with a card revealed from your hand this way, put it into your hand and you lose 1 life. “For but a trivial price, I can make your future become your present...”
2/2
Favorite card ever is Repercussion because it's just such an interesting red effect that we don't see that much anymore (shh nobody saw the satyr rare from BTG). One of my favorite decks I ever built was mono red creatureless burn for the casual field at my college. Had a moment in a multiplayer game where I used that, two Quest for Pure Flame and a Chain Reaction to deal 160 damage to each player for each creature they controlled. Fond memories.
Opalize W
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature loses all abilities and types and is a colorless artifact with “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
"Ah, the iridescent look... it really suits you, dear."
- Sydri
Oblivion Pact 1B
Instant (R)
Exile the top three cards of your library, then put a face-up exiled card you own into your hand.
The fool gambles. The cheater rigs the dice. But the true winner already knows what the roll will be.
Raging Pugilist 2R
Creature - Human Barbarian (U)
Trample
Whenever Raging Pugilist blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, the power of both creatures becomes the highest power among creatures on the battlefield until end of turn.
"The arena of manhood permits no weakness! Come on, show me what you're made of, beastie!"
2/2
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. If you do, that player discards that card, then draws a card. Otherwise, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
There are fringe cases like Loxodon Smiter where this would be worse, but that's just how it is sometimes.
Cloud Atlas 6
Legendary Artifact (M)
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay 1. If you do, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the remaining cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
"What wouldn't I give now for a never-changing map of the ever-constant ineffable? To possess, as it were, an atlas of clouds."
— Timothy Cavendish
Surprised not to see a specifically Naturalize effect amongst these, but this block DOES feel like it's going to be overwhelmingly creature-based - just a feeling.
Unrelated: do you have a decklist up somewhere for your Ashing control commander deck? I'm all over red control and I'd like to see it.
Visionspore Undead 1GUB
Creature - Fungus Zombie (R)
Deathtouch
When Visionspore Undead enters the battlefield, search your library and/or graveyard for up to two cards with different names and reveal them. An opponent chooses one. Put the chosen card into your graveyard, then shuffle your library and put the remaining card on top of it.
2/2
Soul of Praxis UU
Creature - Avatar (R)
Exile all instant and sorcery spells as as they resolve.
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell from his or her hand, he or she copies it for each card with the same name exiled with Soul of Praxis. That player may choose new targets for the copies.
1/2
I don't think it's powerful enough to be nerfed, especially since it wouldn't be Super Competitive in standard - since it would let the opponent get copies of their spells as well.
For reference, the cards -
Creature - Vedalken Wizard (R)
Omen — Whenever a nontoken artifact enters the battlefield, reveal the top card of your library. If it shares a type with that permanent, put a token onto the battlefield that’s a copy of that artifact.
“In our quicksilver chambers, a billion echoes of light coalesce to guide our studies towards creating the perfect mechanical being.”
1/2
Scarring Augury 1R
Instant (C)
Scarring Augury deals 3 damage to target creature.
Omen - When that creature dies this turn, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card, you may draw a card, then discard a card.
Sanguine Haruspex 1BB
Creature — Vampire Shaman (R)
Omen — At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal any number of cards from your hand, then reveal the top card of your library. If that card shares a type with a card revealed from your hand this way, put it into your hand and you lose 1 life.
“For but a trivial price, I can make your future become your present...”
2/2
First ability - why not something that just supports artifacts? "Artifact creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain _ until end of turn" or some such, like Sarkhan Vol; or "Tap an untapped artifact you control. If you do, you may tap or untap target permanent" if you want to suit the control route? Turn your artifacts into Icy Manipulator (though this ability probably needs beefed up to be competitive).
I like it in Esper colors, and it reminds me of the Dominaria legendary dragons that way.
Schizophrenia 4UR
Creature - Incarnation (M)
At the beginning of each upkeep, put a token onto the battlefield that’s a copy of target permanent. It gains hexproof and haste. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step.
5/3
ANYWAY CARDS
The commons are all quite nice and playable, even if Threshold is kinda retired because of what DashPrague brought up. The tribe's mechanics show up successfully at common, check.
I'm fine with the 4-mana res spell because we've seen it before in Modern with Vigor Mortis. Looks good.
Ancestral Watcher does feel kind of odd. Hexproof to graveyard should be fine in these colors, how about that instead?
Stigias Acolyte is a great lord, and the self-limiting of the Threshold trigger keeps him from being too crazy.
I don't think Acolyte of Perpetuity is doing a thing this tribe wants to be doing. They want things to be IN the graveyard, counter to this guy.
Ancestral Channeler, I don't think fits in these colors either. What about a Seance style effect? That card would be much more playable on legs.
Menios is nutso, he's like a super troll. I suppose there aren't any problems with the wording, if you use a Can't? Looks alright to me.
Sanguine Haruspex 1BB
Creature — Vampire Shaman (R)
Omen — At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal any number of cards from your hand, then reveal the top card of your library. If that card shares a type with a card revealed from your hand this way, put it into your hand and you lose 1 life.
“For but a trivial price, I can make your future become your present...”
2/2