Interesting thing to note is that Addendum is a cast trigger a la cascade and the eldrazi. So even if the spell is countered, the addendum is still enforced. In the instance of the timetwister, pushing a busted permanent like Teferi through countermagic sounds pretty good.
That isn't how Emergency Powers works at all. All of the Addendum parts are part of the spell's resolution. There is no trigger anywhere in the text for the "put a permanent with CMC <= 7 into play" part of the card; it's a second effect to the spell that you get for casting it during your main phase.
For it to function like Cascade and the Eldrazi, the text would have to be something like this:
Each player shuffles his or her hand and graveyard into their library, then draws seven cards. Exile Emergency Powers. Addendum -- When you cast this spell, if you cast it during your main phase, you may put a permanent card with converted mana cost 7 or less onto the battlefield.
Do you get 2 counters from Thoughtbound Phantasm if you surveil 2 or do you have to play surveil spells twice in order for it to work?
Short answer - play surveil spells twice.
Longer answer - The reason it's twice has to do with the fact that you're doing one action, which in this case is through manipulating the top two cards of your library. The number is telling you how big the action is; you do it all in one go, rather than do the top card of your library two times.
With that said, if a card comes out that says, "Surveil #, then surveil #", then that would get you two counters because you're doing two different surveil actions.
Can you stack Mentor? If a 3/3 with Mentor and this guy attacks do you get to make himself 3/3 with the ability to mentor a 2/2?
Basically, you could choose to get a 3/3 token, or a 2/2 token and a 3/3 Warboss:
- Create the 1/1 goblin.
- Two mentors attack, two triggers
o The 3/3 can target the token or the Warboss
o The Warboss can only target the token.
Assuming the mentors survive, you'd end up making 3/3 tokens that have haste and must attack on the following turns (the Warboss would be a 3/3 and so the other 3/3 mentor has to target the token now).
She's the cure for Incurable Ogre somehow ending up in your Limited pool. (By which I mean I hate playing X/1's that are vanilla or french vanilla without evasion.) Being able to send in your high-power, one-toughness critters without worry is spicy. It won't take long for those to end the game.
Is it just me, or is Black moving away from "player loses life" effects to just ordinary damage-dealing effects? Why now? I thought the un-preventability of Black life loss was supposed to set it apart from Red direct damage. This isn't the only card that does it...Belzenlok and other card drawing spells are now damaging the controller instead of causing the controller to lose life.
The short answer is "yes" to moving to damage from life loss. This isn't a 100%-of-the-time kind of change.
If you do a search on Maro's Tumblr for "life loss" you'll see some of the most recent Q&A about the idea in general, for more comprehensive explanation.
Saga rarities are really messing with my intuition. I didn't think History of Benalia would be mythic ever, even though it's "4/4" for three and "8/6" (or more) for three on one turn. Fall of the Thran seemed more mythic to me due to the Armageddon effect.
I swear, Teferi looks a different age in every of his depictions. Also, I've been wondering about the Opt art since the spanish promos were spoiled. Could it be that his planeswalker version is actually going to be "old Teferi" (in that he'll have to choose whether he wants to stay young or get his spark back, but age)?
The regular version of the Zhalfirin Void looks absolutely gorgeous, nice visual reference to Teferi's Protection.
Oh, and I absolutely want a playmat with that map.
RE: Bolded.
I think he got his spark back due to Radha. She's not a planeswalker in the set (only Legendary Creature) even though she had the same potential that Venser did.
This set looks awesome. I love the legendary sorceries. I'm happy they called kicker "kicker" and not something else like strive. They said there would be a legendary card in each pack - is that a legendary slot in the pack? Something else?
At least one per pack, similar to how Innistrad's blocks have done guaranteed DFC slots in each pack.
Also this still stacks. I'm not certain about what point you are making bolding two problems and solving only one. That said, I have suggested a version similar to this before when we were still discussing blue-red options (for instants/sorceries since prowess did not yet exist as a precedence).
SecretInfiltrator covered most of my points, but now that I'm home from work (and not losing my mind) I can answer myself:
Prowess stacking.
The issue I perceive here is largely born of the matter of "how many noncreature spells did you cast this turn?" Generally speaking, this will be somewhat easy to track, but what Maro posted about with regards to the issues with prowess, is that the ability for allowing multiple noncreature spells to really boost a creature -- without factoring in the effects of those noncreature spells -- can really warp Limited. Multiple creatures can get bigger from one spell, to name one example, and it rapidly increases the board complexity if multiple noncreature spells are being fired off by the controller of the creatures with prowess. This is largely due to the fact that prowess can repeatedly trigger as it is now. It's part of the reason we are seeing so few prowess creatures outside of Tarkir block.* Changing it to a static +1/+1 yes/no greatly reduces the "board math" for what a creature will end up at, but more importantly it means that Set and Play Design can better influence just how big a Prowess creature can potentially get, by limiting how many instances of prowess it can stack up.
In addition, they could also put in cards explicitly to grant the higher power/toughness (by bestowing more instances of prowess), if they want to give it a little nudge. Right now, they can't, because they have to assume that a given creature with prowess can easily get large due to repeatable triggers. In Constructed, this isn't a difficult thing to accomplish (hi Flood of Recollection!). Sometimes, even in Limited this isn't hard. Imagine if prowess had existed back in Rise of the Eldrazi and/or in Innistrad block, with the Surreal Memoir and Spider Spawning archetypes existing in Limited. How can they possibly balance prowess around any of that? Cards like Monastery Swiftspear basically becomes an alternate win condition for those archetypes in addition to the archetype's function itself. Putting a limit on it allows them to better determine where a creature with prowess exists power wise. Right now, the balancing metric is: "This can potentially be +1/+1 to +5/+5 on any turn." Again, without factoring in the effects of those noncreature spells. And that's just for a french vanilla common.
Preserving most of the functionality.
Most of this was touched on already. Turn it on with a noncreature spell, same as always. It just becomes a matter of how high the creature is allowed to grow. I've already touched on that point, so I'll leave it at that and paste random stuff that kind of illustrates the point of what they could do after, especially if they want to make creatures that get bigger:
EXAMPLE CARDS
Cloudstrike Seeker (Common)
1U
Creature - Djinn Monk
1/1
Flying, prowess (This creature gets +1/+1 if you casted a noncreature spell this turn.)
Noble of the Sky (Uncommon?)
3UU
Creature - Elemental
3/3
Flying
Noble of the Sky has prowess for each other creature with flying you control.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
Lore Acquirer (Uncommon)
1UU
Creature - Human Rogue
2/2
Prowess
Whenever Lore Acquirer deals combat damage to a player, draw a card. Then, discard a card unless you casted a noncreature spell this turn.
Spellfire Elemental (Rare)
3RR
Creature - Elemental
3/3
Spellfire Elemental has prowess for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard. (It gets +1/+1 for each of those cards in your graveyard if you casted a noncreature spell this turn.)
2R, Exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard: Spellfire Elemental deals 2 damage to target player.
PS - I would also like to remind everyone that lifelink stacked with itself (multiple triggers) once upon a time, back in Future Sight through Alara Reborn. It had similar issues for being swingy before it became a static ability.
I really like how neat and tidy Harvest the Fruit is. One could argue that this makes the game less interactive, since the new version means you can't Shock a Swiftspear before it becomes a 2/3. Your version is definitely easier to remember though, which is a good thing for an evergreen mechanic.
It also simplifies sequencing of effects, if for example you want to Anger of the Gods before you play your Swiftspear. This is a good thing or bad thing depending on who you ask.
The more I think about it, though, the more I think Harvest the Fruit would not be a sorcery. Blue doesn't get creature pump on spells (for +N/+N) pretty much ever. The way that spell is worded is basically a blue version of "Creature you control get +1/+1 until end of turn." That ain't gonna really fly. I think it would have to be an enchantment in order to not be a color break, along these lines:
Harvest the Fruit (Rare)
2U
Enchantment
Creatures you control have prowess. (They get +1/+1 if you casted a noncreature spell this turn. Instances of prowess are cumulative.)
On a Higher Level (Common)
1U
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying and prowess.
For it to function like Cascade and the Eldrazi, the text would have to be something like this:
Each player shuffles his or her hand and graveyard into their library, then draws seven cards. Exile Emergency Powers.
Addendum -- When you cast this spell, if you cast it during your main phase, you may put a permanent card with converted mana cost 7 or less onto the battlefield.
Longer answer - The reason it's twice has to do with the fact that you're doing one action, which in this case is through manipulating the top two cards of your library. The number is telling you how big the action is; you do it all in one go, rather than do the top card of your library two times.
With that said, if a card comes out that says, "Surveil #, then surveil #", then that would get you two counters because you're doing two different surveil actions.
I dunno about anyone else, but a 9/3 legendary vanilla was not something I thought would be on the menu. Its power stat is crazy for 5 mana.
If you do a search on Maro's Tumblr for "life loss" you'll see some of the most recent Q&A about the idea in general, for more comprehensive explanation.
I think he got his spark back due to Radha. She's not a planeswalker in the set (only Legendary Creature) even though she had the same potential that Venser did.
Prowess stacking.
The issue I perceive here is largely born of the matter of "how many noncreature spells did you cast this turn?" Generally speaking, this will be somewhat easy to track, but what Maro posted about with regards to the issues with prowess, is that the ability for allowing multiple noncreature spells to really boost a creature -- without factoring in the effects of those noncreature spells -- can really warp Limited. Multiple creatures can get bigger from one spell, to name one example, and it rapidly increases the board complexity if multiple noncreature spells are being fired off by the controller of the creatures with prowess. This is largely due to the fact that prowess can repeatedly trigger as it is now. It's part of the reason we are seeing so few prowess creatures outside of Tarkir block.* Changing it to a static +1/+1 yes/no greatly reduces the "board math" for what a creature will end up at, but more importantly it means that Set and Play Design can better influence just how big a Prowess creature can potentially get, by limiting how many instances of prowess it can stack up.
In addition, they could also put in cards explicitly to grant the higher power/toughness (by bestowing more instances of prowess), if they want to give it a little nudge. Right now, they can't, because they have to assume that a given creature with prowess can easily get large due to repeatable triggers. In Constructed, this isn't a difficult thing to accomplish (hi Flood of Recollection!). Sometimes, even in Limited this isn't hard. Imagine if prowess had existed back in Rise of the Eldrazi and/or in Innistrad block, with the Surreal Memoir and Spider Spawning archetypes existing in Limited. How can they possibly balance prowess around any of that? Cards like Monastery Swiftspear basically becomes an alternate win condition for those archetypes in addition to the archetype's function itself. Putting a limit on it allows them to better determine where a creature with prowess exists power wise. Right now, the balancing metric is: "This can potentially be +1/+1 to +5/+5 on any turn." Again, without factoring in the effects of those noncreature spells. And that's just for a french vanilla common.
Preserving most of the functionality.
Most of this was touched on already. Turn it on with a noncreature spell, same as always. It just becomes a matter of how high the creature is allowed to grow. I've already touched on that point, so I'll leave it at that and paste random stuff that kind of illustrates the point of what they could do after, especially if they want to make creatures that get bigger:
EXAMPLE CARDS
Cloudstrike Seeker (Common)
1U
Creature - Djinn Monk
1/1
Flying, prowess (This creature gets +1/+1 if you casted a noncreature spell this turn.)
Noble of the Sky (Uncommon?)
3UU
Creature - Elemental
3/3
Flying
Noble of the Sky has prowess for each other creature with flying you control.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
Lore Acquirer (Uncommon)
1UU
Creature - Human Rogue
2/2
Prowess
Whenever Lore Acquirer deals combat damage to a player, draw a card. Then, discard a card unless you casted a noncreature spell this turn.
Spellfire Elemental (Rare)
3RR
Creature - Elemental
3/3
Spellfire Elemental has prowess for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard. (It gets +1/+1 for each of those cards in your graveyard if you casted a noncreature spell this turn.)
2R, Exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard: Spellfire Elemental deals 2 damage to target player.
PS - I would also like to remind everyone that lifelink stacked with itself (multiple triggers) once upon a time, back in Future Sight through Alara Reborn. It had similar issues for being swingy before it became a static ability.
* Prowess Card Count
- Khans of Tarkir Block: 18 (Khans of Tarkir = 10; Fate Reforged = 8; Dragons of Tarkir = 0)
- Magic Origins: 4
- Kaladesh Block: 1 (Kaladesh = 1; Aether Revolt = 0)
- Amonkhet Block: 5 (Amonkhet = 2; Hour of Devastation = 3)
- Ixalan Block: Zero
Shouldn't there be more than this for an evergreen mechanic that encourages a creature to turn sideways?
Harvest the Fruit (Rare)
2U
Enchantment
Creatures you control have prowess. (They get +1/+1 if you casted a noncreature spell this turn. Instances of prowess are cumulative.)
On a Higher Level (Common)
1U
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying and prowess.