Remember that the plane on the other side of the Dwarven Gate is the original home of Ulgrotha's dwarves. For that plane to be Innistrad, Dwarves would need to be among its inhabitants, of which we've seen no evidence.
Unless they all left or mostly left with the rest being killed off.
Well this is a major disappointment, I was hopping for something else. Now it feels like it will have a bad balance like Odyssey, Onslaught, or SOM blocks.
Ghosts are W/U. Well, they actually show up in all five colors but they’re concentrated in white and blue. What tribe is left for white and green? Talk amongst yourselves. I will say that it will make a lot of sense when you hear it.
So it is something that will make a lot of sense, I still think it's insects.
These follow exactly the same principle as those, except replacing over-the-curve stats with additional effects when they enter or leave the battlefield.
No, they don't that 's the whole point of them, when you play something like Phantasmal Dragon and Phantasmal Beast all you are doing is playing a big creature that can easily die having done nothing. The point of these is that they will give the player some benefit even if they end up dying.
An Illusion creature that encourages you to kill it yourself might be okay as a one-off but as the standard implementation it doesn't make much sense to me.
The point is not to kill it yourself, but rather to make best use of the given drawback. most of the cards I posted would suck if all you did was target them yourself.
I disagree with k-rad that these could never be printed at common. I think the basic "when this comes into play or dies" effect could easily be printed as a minor theme of a set. It's sort of a blue version of haunt that fits with the illusion theme.
The only ones that I think are problematic are the "at the beginning of the next combat phase" ones. I think that's a lot of words for a complication that doesn't need to be there. It also makes the fact that they have flash a little less relevant, since if you play them in combat they don't trigger, so you could have just played them in your second main phase.
Removing that wording would make it more likely the death trigger would be wasted, but it would make them more useful when you played them, and make it a more valid option for their controller to target and destroy them him/herself.
I do think the commons are a shade too powerful, though. I'd make Weakening Phastasm 2U for a 2/2, and make Winged Phastasm give target creature flying instead of all creatures you control flying (though I might also make it a 3/3). It depends a lot on what set they are in and how many targetting effects they are likely to run into.
I also thing Replacer Phantasm deserves a more awesome name considering how awesome the effect is.
Yeah I got rid of the whole "at the beginning of the next combat phase" thing because it really did over-complicate the cards. I simply wanted them to be useful even if they got killed, the way they are now they can easily be offed at end of turn for no real secondary effect.
When I designed Weakening Phantasm I was trying to make an illusion that worked in a similar fashion as the others, but would cost 2. I still think it's okay though Turn the Tide isn't super powerful or anything and this does less than that unless it is killed immediately. With Winged Phantasm I really don't like the "jump" effect or targeting with these creatures that's why I did it like that. Really though they don't all need a dying trigger so maybe that one is better without it.
As for Replacer Phantasm I had in my mind the idea of an illusionist planeswalker replacing people with illusions via Replacer Phantasm. I'm starting to think it would have been more flavorful if it made them illusions as well.
A comma goes between the trigger condition and the effect.
Replacer Phantasm is really, really cool. The rest is a mishmash of random effects, sometimes stamped on an overly complicated delayed triggered ability that would never see the light of day at common.
Okay added commas and got rid of the delayed trigger. However I wouldn't say that the effects are random since I designed them all to give card advantage because they can die easily.
Recently the resurfacing of illusions that die when targeted in M12 has got me thinking, "God this is awful, but is there anyway it could have been better?" and so I have come up with my own ideas on how to make improvements these types of illusions:
Spy Phantasm 1UU
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flying
Whenever Spy Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, draw a card.
Whenever Spy Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
2/2
Weakening Phantasm UU
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flash
Whenever Weakening Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, all creatures your opponents control get -1/-0 until end of turn.
Whenever Weakening Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
2/1
Winged Phantasm 3U
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flying
Whenever Winged phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, all creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.
Whenever Winged Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
3/1
AEther Phantasm 2UU
Creature - Illusion [U]
Whenever AEther Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, return target creature to it's owner's hand.
Whenever AEther Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
3/3
Diminishing Phantasm 1UU
Creature - Illusion [U]
Flash
Whenever Diminishing Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, target creature becomes a 1/1 until end of turn.
Whenever Diminishing Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
1/1
Mindweaver Phantasm 3UU
Creature - Illusion [R]
Mindweaver Phantasm is unblockable
Whenever Mindweaver Phantasm enters the battlefield, put a dream counter on target creature. You gain control of that creature for as long as it has a dream counter on it.
Whenever Mindweaver Phantasm or a creature with a dream counter become the target of a spell or ability sacrifice Mindweaver Phantasm and all creatures with dream counters on them are sacrificed.
3/1
Replacer Phantasm 3UU
Creature - Illusion [R]
At the beginning of your upkeep put an illusion counter on target creature.
Whenever Replacer Phantasm or a creature with a dream counter becomes the target of a spell or ability sacrifice Replacer Phantasm and all creatures with illusion counters on them are sacrificed.
4/4
Nightmare Phantasm 5UU
Creature - Nightmare Illusion [M]
Flying
When Nightmare Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, draw cards equal to half the number of Islands you control rounded down.
Whenever Nightmare Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
Nightmare Phantasm's power and toughness are equal to the number of Islands you control.
*/*
How about:
Reflourish 1GG
Sorcery
Reflourish can't be countered by blue or black spells or abilities.
Exile all instant or sorcery cards in target players graveyard that are blue or black. Put a 1/1 Saproling onto the battlefield for each card exiled this way.
I'd rather it tapped for U and EtBt. Also wish it cost UUU instead of 2UU to discard, since that would make it better in certain decks, but harder to splash in most decks, and would also give you incentive to play it as a land in decks that aren't heavy blue instead of hoarding several in your hand.
WotC has stated they don't want to make MUC only counters. There is no way they're going to make a UUU hard to counter, counterspell.
Unless they all left or mostly left with the rest being killed off.
Isn't he a human when he's a human lord?
He has, he said it was spirits.
So it is something that will make a lot of sense, I still think it's insects.
Then it's just a difference in opinion then to me cards like Phantasmal Dragon are bad design and shouldn't be printed.
No, they don't that 's the whole point of them, when you play something like Phantasmal Dragon and Phantasmal Beast all you are doing is playing a big creature that can easily die having done nothing. The point of these is that they will give the player some benefit even if they end up dying.
The point is not to kill it yourself, but rather to make best use of the given drawback. most of the cards I posted would suck if all you did was target them yourself.
That's exactly why I designed them that way.
Yeah I got rid of the whole "at the beginning of the next combat phase" thing because it really did over-complicate the cards. I simply wanted them to be useful even if they got killed, the way they are now they can easily be offed at end of turn for no real secondary effect.
When I designed Weakening Phantasm I was trying to make an illusion that worked in a similar fashion as the others, but would cost 2. I still think it's okay though Turn the Tide isn't super powerful or anything and this does less than that unless it is killed immediately. With Winged Phantasm I really don't like the "jump" effect or targeting with these creatures that's why I did it like that. Really though they don't all need a dying trigger so maybe that one is better without it.
As for Replacer Phantasm I had in my mind the idea of an illusionist planeswalker replacing people with illusions via Replacer Phantasm. I'm starting to think it would have been more flavorful if it made them illusions as well.
Spy Phantasm 1UU
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flying
Whenever Spy Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, draw a card.
Whenever Spy Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
2/2
Weakening Phantasm UU
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flash
Whenever Weakening Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, all creatures your opponents control get -1/-0 until end of turn.
Whenever Weakening Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
2/1
Winged Phantasm 3U
Creature - Illusion [C]
Flying
Whenever Winged phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, all creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.
Whenever Winged Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
3/1
AEther Phantasm 2UU
Creature - Illusion [U]
Whenever AEther Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, return target creature to it's owner's hand.
Whenever AEther Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
3/3
Diminishing Phantasm 1UU
Creature - Illusion [U]
Flash
Whenever Diminishing Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, target creature becomes a 1/1 until end of turn.
Whenever Diminishing Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
1/1
Mindweaver Phantasm 3UU
Creature - Illusion [R]
Mindweaver Phantasm is unblockable
Whenever Mindweaver Phantasm enters the battlefield, put a dream counter on target creature. You gain control of that creature for as long as it has a dream counter on it.
Whenever Mindweaver Phantasm or a creature with a dream counter become the target of a spell or ability sacrifice Mindweaver Phantasm and all creatures with dream counters on them are sacrificed.
3/1
Replacer Phantasm 3UU
Creature - Illusion [R]
At the beginning of your upkeep put an illusion counter on target creature.
Whenever Replacer Phantasm or a creature with a dream counter becomes the target of a spell or ability sacrifice Replacer Phantasm and all creatures with illusion counters on them are sacrificed.
4/4
Nightmare Phantasm 5UU
Creature - Nightmare Illusion [M]
Flying
When Nightmare Phantasm enters the battlefield or dies, draw cards equal to half the number of Islands you control rounded down.
Whenever Nightmare Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
Nightmare Phantasm's power and toughness are equal to the number of Islands you control.
*/*
Feedback would be appreciated.
1 Bosh, Iron Golem
2 Child of Alara
3 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
4 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Kozilek, Butcher of truth
6 Kresh the Bloodbraided
7 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
8 Progenitus
9 Rafiq of the Many
10 Sharuum the Hegemon
11 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
12 "The New legend"
13 Thraximundar
14 Uril, the Miststalker
15 Xiahou dun, the One-Eyed
Reflourish 1GG
Sorcery
Reflourish can't be countered by blue or black spells or abilities.
Exile all instant or sorcery cards in target players graveyard that are blue or black. Put a 1/1 Saproling onto the battlefield for each card exiled this way.
So, I'm thinking maybe tap for blue with pain and tap sacrifice pay 2UU for counter.