Nikoltoras, the All-King2UBR
Legendary Artifact Creature - Dragon God
Indestructible, Flying
As long as you don't control another blue permanent, another black permanent and another red permanent, Nikoltoras isn't a creature. 3: Nikoltoras deals 3 damage to target opponent unless that opponent sacrifices a creature or discards a card. 6, T: Exile Nikoltoras, then return it to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. Activate only if an opponent has either less than 5 life, no creatures on the battlefield or no cards in hand.
7/7
-------- Nicol Bolas, Deified Tyrant -
Planeswaker - Bolas
+3: Nicol Bolas, Deified Tyrant deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If a creature is dealt damage this way, that target can't attack or block until your next turn. If a player is dealt damage this way, that player discards a card.
-2: Gain control of up to one target creature, up to one target artifact and up to one target land. Untap those targets. They gain haste. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.
-11: Exile target opponent's hand and graveyard, then exile all creatures that opponent controls. This turn, you may cast any number of exiled cards without paying their mana costs.
{5}
Next: A Commander that supports either Cycling or Scrying.
Aetherforgery1UU
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature or artifact
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may pay 1. If you do, create a token that's a copy of the enchanted permanent. Exile that token during your opponent's next end step.
Well, that's the weirdest mechanic I've ever seen. It even beats that Starfall thing I did a while back.
Watcher of the Eons4
Artifact Creature - Gargolye (C)
Defender
Timestrike (When an opponent takes an extra turn, this card loses defender and swaps its power and toughness)
As long as Watcher of the Eons' power is 4 or greater, it has flying.
2/4
Waker of the Ageless5GG
Creature - Human Shaman (U)
Defender, Timestrike
When Waker of the Ageless enters the battlefield, create a 7/7 green Elder Giant creature token with reach. If you do, target opponent takes an extra turn after this one. That player skips the untap step of that turn.
1/2
Timeslitter Mantis3UB
Creature - Insect Horror (R)
Defender, Flying, Timestrike
When Timeslitter Mantis enters the battlefield, you may take an extra turn after this one. If you do, target opponent takes an extra turn after that turn.
Timeslitter Mantis has deathtouch and hexproof during extra turns.
3/4
Next: Adjust X (You may cast this spell by paying its adjust cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of one color word with another color of your choice)
Sarkhan, Dragonheart3RRR
Planeswalker - Sarkhan
+1: Destroy up to one target creature, artifact or land you control. If you do, create a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying.
-X: Choose target creature an opponent controls, then send the top X cards of your library to the graveyard. Sarkhan deals X damage to that target, where X is the combined converted mana cost of all cards sent this way plus two. X can't be zero.
-5: If you do not control a Narset planeswalker card, you may put a Narset planeswalker card from your deck or hand into the battlefield. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it afterwards.
{6}
Narset, Dragonmind4WU
Planeswalker - Narset
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token with flying and "Whenever this creature dies, draw a card".
-2: Search your library for an instant, sorcery, artifact or enchantment card, add it to your hand, then shuffle your library. If you do, place a card in your hand in the top of your library.
-5: If you do not control a Sarkhan planeswalker card, you may put a Sarkhan planeswalker card from your deck or hand into the battlefield. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it afterwards.
{6}
I'm not giving up the opportunity of making a duo out of the only known Planeswalker couple (well... kind of).
Next: A Planeswalker that cares about Enchantments.
Thoughtslit1(U/B)
Instant
Look at the top six cards of target opponent's library. You may send one of them to the graveyard. Return the rest to the bottom of the library in a random order.
Draw a card. "Stealing thoughts require a steady hand and pinpoint precision. Thankfully, it's always amusing when I make a mistake." — Strava, Dimir mage
Arteza, Angel of the Hunt3GR
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flying
When Arteza, Angel of the Hunt enters the battlefield or attacks, put a hunt counter on a target creature an opponent controls.
Whenever a creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature with a hunt counter, that creature gets +5/+5 and trample until end of turn. 1WB: Target creature with a hunt counter gets -2/-2 and another target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
4/4
Thryvel, End to All
Legendary Land
Cards in each player's graveyard are treated as if they were in the turn player's graveyard. (For example, if a card would instruct you to target a card in your graveyard and you are the turn player, you may choose a card in an opponent's graveyard.) T: Add C to your mana pool.
This is one hell of an WTF card. Can't even think on the rulings nightmare that would be.
Bloodcrazed Flayer2R
Creature - Devil (C) Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 1. If you do, Bloodcrazed Flayer deals 1 damage to target player.
3/1
Demonic OfferingsB
Instant (C)
As an additonal cost to cast Demonic Offerings, sacrifice a creature. Pain - If you lost life this turn, you gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's power, then draw two cards. Otherwise draw two cards, then you lose 2 life.
Sadistic Aristocrat1WB
Creature - Vampire Advisor (U)
When Sadistic Aristocrat enters the battlefield, you lose 1 life and draw a card. Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 2. If you do, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/3
Ilirias Adjudicator3WWW
Creature - Angel (R)
Flying, Lifelink Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 3. If you do, destroy target tapped creature.
3/5
Next: Settle (You may pair this card to a land you control for as long as you control both of them. The settled land gains this card's activated abilities.)
Settle is a keyword action, like Investigate.
Four colors is hard to justify flavorfully and colorpie-wise. Period. Some interpretations are harder than others, but I don't honestly expect any of these to make much sense from a flavor perspective. Non-green being all about artifacts is the only thing I've heard so far that really makes any amount of flavor sense to me as four colors and even that is more mechanical than flavorful. I do agree that they should shy away from crazy costs, though, for gameplay reasons. The (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U) example would be okish if a bit odd, but using four different hybrid symbols would just be a headache (and it would look terrible on a card, for that matter).
The problem is, four-color Hybrid is specifically stated to not be designed the same way as four-color Multicolor. A WRLightning Helix is fine, while a (R/W) is not, as it specifically gives White direct damage and Red lifegain. Thus, a good design for the (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U) example would be an effect that is allowed in all four duo-color combinations on their own (aka. an effect that would have to be fine in WG, WU, BGandBU), which is a major herculean task. Artifact destruction? Sorry, UB doesn't get that. Milling? Pretty iffy on GW. Countering spells? Not in BG you won't.
"But hey, it still can be done!", you say. Sure, but if you're going to do something that fans wanted for a long time, would you do it so poorly?
Straight-up WUBG is far easier, because adding more colors allows you to have more freedom, however, it comes at the cost of being quite difficult to give a real identity since there are so many colors fighting to do something flavorful in the combination. Still, "not having its own identity" is still pretty tame compared to "flat-out murdering the color pie".
I'm not sure if that specific guideline applies here.
That seems more of a concern for limited than a format full of (arguably) the most enfranchised players in MtG.
I agree that four different hybrid symbols in the cost would look bad.
However, I could see them using two different hybrid symbols (ie- (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U)) as an earlier poster suggested,
as this allows one to build a deck for them using two, three, or four colors.
Even enfranchised players need to check their mana. Having to pause to check if I have enough mana and check possible mana combinations to cast a crazy cost every turn is not fun, enfranchised or not. Having to do so whenever an opponent tries to do the same is not fun either. Casting spells without having the required mana is often a mistake that plagues even the pros sometimes.
The (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U) is plausible. I would not enjoy it, and still seems hard to justify flavorfully and colorpie-wise, but it is plausible. Stil, I kinda expect these costs in some of the extra cards of the deck, not the main Commanders.
If there's 4 commanders, I hope for something like:
1: (R/W)(2/G)(2/U) type casting cost. This one can drop colors but the commander costs 1 more for each color dropped.
4: Entirely hybrid casting cost like (U/R)(B/G)(U/B)(R/G)
Eugh, please oh god no. MaRo already mentioned that the duo-hybrid cards (ex. (W/B)U) in Alara block were already confusing for players and caused unecessary complexity, and you want to do that times four? I always see these ugly messes of casting costs in CaC threads and always want to throw up whenever I see them and imagine myself playing with a table full of six and reading it out loud and everyone checking out the card and my lands to make sure I paid the right mana costs for this god-awful unholy abomination of a cost.
Every Commander product always had two Commanders. I hope for one with the real 4-color cost (I mean, if you're going to do something fans wanted for like 10 years, do it right) and one with the baby-Khans solution (aka. 4-color identity instead of a straight 4-color card).
A Tibalt planeswalker or a Tribal planeswalker? Not that it matters, since you didn't followed the previous poster's criteria, but if it's the first one, I'll humor you a bit.
Chromium, Planeswalker4WUUB
Planeswalker - Chromium
+3: Scry 3, then look at the top card of your library. If it is a noncreature, nonland card with converted mana cost 3 or less, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.
-2: Exile target nonland permanent. If that permanent was tapped, draw a card.
-9: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 2 life, then you gain 2 life and draw a card", then take an extra turn after this one.
{5}
Tibalt, Agony's HeraldBR
Planeswalker - Tibalt
+1: You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw X cards and lose X life, where X is the number of cards discarded.
-2: Tibalt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If a player is dealt damage this way, that player can't gain life until your next turn.
-6: Tibalt deals 3 damage to target player, then that player loses life equal to the amount of life he or she lost this turn.
{2}
Next: A Planeswalker that only has symmetrical effects (aka. affects everyone)
Is it just me, or Night Market Lookout is one of the most pushed one-drop commons we had in years? 1/1 that drains 1 whenever it swings? It's pretty much a Thornbow Archer that lacks the mirror match drawback and drains instead of just dealing, at the cost of a single point of toughness. And that card was really not bad at all in Origins. Not to mention the massive Vehicle synergy.
Veteran Motorist also seems pretty solid. 3/1 for WR with a scry 2 stapled on is already gravy, but the bonus on Vehicle crewing just pushes it over the top. Seems Standard playable if Vehicles become a thing.
Also note the lack of Regeneration in Kaladesh. In fact, Black just got a card that gives creatures Indestructible, which seems like a huge color pie shift. Is Regeneration officially out of evergreen territory?
Overall, plenty of cool stuff. I'm likin' it a lot.
Yeah, the card seems alright. Playing a second copy of these is a massive beatdown - Put a copy with the counters and one with the Servos, and that's fifteen damage out of the ability alone when the three token dies. Seems absolutely hilarious with Clone abilities or blinking, though the cost is really a tad too prohibitive. Just wish it was "each opponent" for Commander playability, but I guess it would be a bit too much in games where you could run 4-ofs.
Definitely not a card that can win the game by itself, but a fun design and a cool Johnny card that might see some play in quite a few kitchen tables.
NAME, Arena RingleaderBRGW
Legendary Creature - Human Warrior
Creatures you control have haste.
At the beginning of each combat on your turn, choose Duel or Brawl.
* Duel - No more than one creature may attack this combat and no more than one creature may block this combat.
* Brawl - All creatures attack or block this combat if able.
4/3
This one is the best version IMO. However, I also like Lucan6029's suggestion above to make the card more impactful by adding a "lingering" effect that affects all combats until your next turn. My biggest gripe with this is how vulnerable it is. Since it's mandatory and it has haste, I would almost always go with Duel due to how likely it is that my opponent will just trade with the Ringleader once I call a Brawl, and unless I manage to give the Leader Deaththouch, my opponent will just multiblock him and he won't be doing much before dying. Either way, it means that it will either slow the game a lot or not have much of an impact.
Making it so that the Ringleader has a T ability or the ability to sit out of the Brawls would be much better.
Legendary Artifact Creature - Dragon God
Indestructible, Flying
As long as you don't control another blue permanent, another black permanent and another red permanent, Nikoltoras isn't a creature.
3: Nikoltoras deals 3 damage to target opponent unless that opponent sacrifices a creature or discards a card.
6, T: Exile Nikoltoras, then return it to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. Activate only if an opponent has either less than 5 life, no creatures on the battlefield or no cards in hand.
7/7
--------
Nicol Bolas, Deified Tyrant -
Planeswaker - Bolas
+3: Nicol Bolas, Deified Tyrant deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If a creature is dealt damage this way, that target can't attack or block until your next turn. If a player is dealt damage this way, that player discards a card.
-2: Gain control of up to one target creature, up to one target artifact and up to one target land. Untap those targets. They gain haste. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.
-11: Exile target opponent's hand and graveyard, then exile all creatures that opponent controls. This turn, you may cast any number of exiled cards without paying their mana costs.
{5}
Next: A Commander that supports either Cycling or Scrying.
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature or artifact
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may pay 1. If you do, create a token that's a copy of the enchanted permanent. Exile that token during your opponent's next end step.
Next: Ashling the Pilgrim
Watcher of the Eons 4
Artifact Creature - Gargolye (C)
Defender
Timestrike (When an opponent takes an extra turn, this card loses defender and swaps its power and toughness)
As long as Watcher of the Eons' power is 4 or greater, it has flying.
2/4
Waker of the Ageless 5GG
Creature - Human Shaman (U)
Defender, Timestrike
When Waker of the Ageless enters the battlefield, create a 7/7 green Elder Giant creature token with reach. If you do, target opponent takes an extra turn after this one. That player skips the untap step of that turn.
1/2
Timeslitter Mantis 3UB
Creature - Insect Horror (R)
Defender, Flying, Timestrike
When Timeslitter Mantis enters the battlefield, you may take an extra turn after this one. If you do, target opponent takes an extra turn after that turn.
Timeslitter Mantis has deathtouch and hexproof during extra turns.
3/4
Next: Adjust X (You may cast this spell by paying its adjust cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of one color word with another color of your choice)
Planeswalker - Sarkhan
+1: Destroy up to one target creature, artifact or land you control. If you do, create a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying.
-X: Choose target creature an opponent controls, then send the top X cards of your library to the graveyard. Sarkhan deals X damage to that target, where X is the combined converted mana cost of all cards sent this way plus two. X can't be zero.
-5: If you do not control a Narset planeswalker card, you may put a Narset planeswalker card from your deck or hand into the battlefield. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it afterwards.
{6}
Narset, Dragonmind 4WU
Planeswalker - Narset
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token with flying and "Whenever this creature dies, draw a card".
-2: Search your library for an instant, sorcery, artifact or enchantment card, add it to your hand, then shuffle your library. If you do, place a card in your hand in the top of your library.
-5: If you do not control a Sarkhan planeswalker card, you may put a Sarkhan planeswalker card from your deck or hand into the battlefield. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it afterwards.
{6}
I'm not giving up the opportunity of making a duo out of the only known Planeswalker couple (well... kind of).
Next: A Planeswalker that cares about Enchantments.
Instant
Look at the top six cards of target opponent's library. You may send one of them to the graveyard. Return the rest to the bottom of the library in a random order.
Draw a card.
"Stealing thoughts require a steady hand and pinpoint precision. Thankfully, it's always amusing when I make a mistake." — Strava, Dimir mage
Next: The Unspeakable
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flying
When Arteza, Angel of the Hunt enters the battlefield or attacks, put a hunt counter on a target creature an opponent controls.
Whenever a creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature with a hunt counter, that creature gets +5/+5 and trample until end of turn.
1WB: Target creature with a hunt counter gets -2/-2 and another target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
4/4
Next: A Commander based on a Norse God
Legendary Land
Cards in each player's graveyard are treated as if they were in the turn player's graveyard. (For example, if a card would instruct you to target a card in your graveyard and you are the turn player, you may choose a card in an opponent's graveyard.)
T: Add C to your mana pool.
This is one hell of an WTF card. Can't even think on the rulings nightmare that would be.
Next: Vela the Night-Clad
Creature - Devil (C)
Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 1. If you do, Bloodcrazed Flayer deals 1 damage to target player.
3/1
Demonic Offerings B
Instant (C)
As an additonal cost to cast Demonic Offerings, sacrifice a creature.
Pain - If you lost life this turn, you gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's power, then draw two cards. Otherwise draw two cards, then you lose 2 life.
Sadistic Aristocrat 1WB
Creature - Vampire Advisor (U)
When Sadistic Aristocrat enters the battlefield, you lose 1 life and draw a card.
Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 2. If you do, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/3
Ilirias Adjudicator 3WWW
Creature - Angel (R)
Flying, Lifelink
Pain - Whenever you lose life, you may pay 3. If you do, destroy target tapped creature.
3/5
Next: Settle (You may pair this card to a land you control for as long as you control both of them. The settled land gains this card's activated abilities.)
Settle is a keyword action, like Investigate.
The problem is, four-color Hybrid is specifically stated to not be designed the same way as four-color Multicolor. A WR Lightning Helix is fine, while a (R/W) is not, as it specifically gives White direct damage and Red lifegain. Thus, a good design for the (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U) example would be an effect that is allowed in all four duo-color combinations on their own (aka. an effect that would have to be fine in WG, WU, BG and BU), which is a major herculean task. Artifact destruction? Sorry, UB doesn't get that. Milling? Pretty iffy on GW. Countering spells? Not in BG you won't.
"But hey, it still can be done!", you say. Sure, but if you're going to do something that fans wanted for a long time, would you do it so poorly?
Straight-up WUBG is far easier, because adding more colors allows you to have more freedom, however, it comes at the cost of being quite difficult to give a real identity since there are so many colors fighting to do something flavorful in the combination. Still, "not having its own identity" is still pretty tame compared to "flat-out murdering the color pie".
Even enfranchised players need to check their mana. Having to pause to check if I have enough mana and check possible mana combinations to cast a crazy cost every turn is not fun, enfranchised or not. Having to do so whenever an opponent tries to do the same is not fun either. Casting spells without having the required mana is often a mistake that plagues even the pros sometimes.
The (W/B)(W/B)(G/U)(G/U) is plausible. I would not enjoy it, and still seems hard to justify flavorfully and colorpie-wise, but it is plausible. Stil, I kinda expect these costs in some of the extra cards of the deck, not the main Commanders.
Eugh, please oh god no. MaRo already mentioned that the duo-hybrid cards (ex. (W/B)U) in Alara block were already confusing for players and caused unecessary complexity, and you want to do that times four? I always see these ugly messes of casting costs in CaC threads and always want to throw up whenever I see them and imagine myself playing with a table full of six and reading it out loud and everyone checking out the card and my lands to make sure I paid the right mana costs for this god-awful unholy abomination of a cost.
Every Commander product always had two Commanders. I hope for one with the real 4-color cost (I mean, if you're going to do something fans wanted for like 10 years, do it right) and one with the baby-Khans solution (aka. 4-color identity instead of a straight 4-color card).
No idea on reprints though.
A Tibalt planeswalker or a Tribal planeswalker? Not that it matters, since you didn't followed the previous poster's criteria, but if it's the first one, I'll humor you a bit.
Chromium, Planeswalker 4WUUB
Planeswalker - Chromium
+3: Scry 3, then look at the top card of your library. If it is a noncreature, nonland card with converted mana cost 3 or less, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.
-2: Exile target nonland permanent. If that permanent was tapped, draw a card.
-9: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 2 life, then you gain 2 life and draw a card", then take an extra turn after this one.
{5}
Tibalt, Agony's Herald BR
Planeswalker - Tibalt
+1: You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw X cards and lose X life, where X is the number of cards discarded.
-2: Tibalt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If a player is dealt damage this way, that player can't gain life until your next turn.
-6: Tibalt deals 3 damage to target player, then that player loses life equal to the amount of life he or she lost this turn.
{2}
Next: A Planeswalker that only has symmetrical effects (aka. affects everyone)
Veteran Motorist also seems pretty solid. 3/1 for WR with a scry 2 stapled on is already gravy, but the bonus on Vehicle crewing just pushes it over the top. Seems Standard playable if Vehicles become a thing.
Also note the lack of Regeneration in Kaladesh. In fact, Black just got a card that gives creatures Indestructible, which seems like a huge color pie shift. Is Regeneration officially out of evergreen territory?
Overall, plenty of cool stuff. I'm likin' it a lot.
Definitely not a card that can win the game by itself, but a fun design and a cool Johnny card that might see some play in quite a few kitchen tables.
This one is the best version IMO. However, I also like Lucan6029's suggestion above to make the card more impactful by adding a "lingering" effect that affects all combats until your next turn. My biggest gripe with this is how vulnerable it is. Since it's mandatory and it has haste, I would almost always go with Duel due to how likely it is that my opponent will just trade with the Ringleader once I call a Brawl, and unless I manage to give the Leader Deaththouch, my opponent will just multiblock him and he won't be doing much before dying. Either way, it means that it will either slow the game a lot or not have much of an impact.
Making it so that the Ringleader has a T ability or the ability to sit out of the Brawls would be much better.