Adragrand, Rebel Warleader 2WR
Legendary Creature - Kor Rebel Soldier
First Strike, vigilance
Whenever Adragrand attacks, reveal the top card of your library until you reveal a creature card with a power of 2. Put that creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking, and the rest onto the bottom of your library in a random order. Then, at the end of combat, sacrifice that creature unless it has a toughness of 2.
2/2
I swear I wrote something for Trinicube. Must have accidentally deleted it.
To quickly recap my thoughts on the card, to me it falls in between Bashur and Mana Cleanse. It’s an enabler that’s probably broken, but it’s got a certain cool factor that makes me want to try cool things with it. I do like the safety valves on it, as ETB tapped keeps it from being abused right away, and the life loss puts a cap on the number of activations unless you find a way to circumvent it. Protection from CMC 3 feels tacked on though, and will rarely be relevant since you’d typically like to pop the cube as soon as you untap with it. I’d rank this a little below Stones from the Tabernacle, which was my runner up.
It took me a few reads over to understand what implosion is doing, and to be honest I think that the card is way too complex for what it wants to be doing. Tracking total damage prevented and comparing it to CMC feels weird. I also don’t see any red in this, if I were to give it a second colour it would probably be black.
In short: too much complexity for two little payoff.
Mass Amplification
4RR
Instant - Rare
Copy target spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copies.
Storm
I’m not quite clear what the nature of the second line of Jedissa’s ability is. As is, it looks like it is tied to the ETB ability, and while I don’t think it’s the intention, it’s dangerous for me to assume that and I could see how somebody could interpret it differently from me. If it’s supposed to be a static ability, it should be on a different line and read ‘As long as you Control more permanents than any opponent, other permanents you control are indestructible’.
As for the card itself, I think that it’s a bit too pushed. For 6 mana this is almost always 8 power of lifeline across 5 bodies, plus the biggest body is evasive and makes your smaller bodies indestructible.
Blanket indestructibility is also confusing, and there is a reason we see it less often than blanket hexproof. For example, Blasphemous Act still kills everything, as does a well timed combat trick, but Wrath of God still only kills one creature.
I also think that blanket indestructibility is quite dangerous. Unlike hexproof, where you at least have the option of blocking the creature, blanket indestructibility means that you can just protect Jedissa and ride your other creatures to victory.
In short, I think it’s undercosted at 6. The card is powerful, remarkably easy to ‘turn on’, and way too often will make games just resolve around it.
Edit: also, there’s no way that this card would be a rare and not a mythic, it takes over limited games too completely.
Anyways, on to a card
Call of the Hollow WU
Enchantment (Rare)
If a creature token entering the battlefield causes the triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
Borborygmos REALLY Enraged
5RRGG
Legendary Creature - Cyclops
Trample
When Borborygmos REALLY Enraged deals combat damage to a player, you may throw any number of permanents you control onto the table from a distance of at least 3 ft (1m). Destroy each permanent thrown this way, and each permanent that is both touching one of the thrown permanents when it stops moving and shares at least one card type with it.
7/7
Edit: Thought of a more fun version.
Borborygmos, the Strongest
4RRGG
Legendary Creature - Cyclops
Trample
When Borborygmos enters the battlefield, you may challenge target opponent to an arm wrestle. If you win, Borborygmos gains protection from Non-Creatures that player controls. If that opponent wins, exile Borborygmos (a player must be physically able to arm wrestle to be a legal target).
8/7
I’m not sold on Unstable (the mechanic). It sounds like just having ‘at the beginning of your upkeep’ trigger but with extra steps. Yeah, it does trigger ‘when something else ETB’s’ and cast triggers, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the extra complexity.
As for the card itself. It’s broken. 2 life a turn for free ramp is way too effecient, especially since any deck that runs his will he trying to kill you before the life loss is relevant. Storm in particular loves this card, since it is a ramp card early that continues to contribute to the decks storm count. Probably leads to a T2 kill in storm in modern and makes legacy storm more consistent.
I’m any case:
Mechanic: Frost Counters (when a permanent with 1 or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it).
Frost counters are a new type of counter with innate rules meaning. They create a replacement effect whenever a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, which causes a counter to be removed instead of that permanent untapping.
Blood Frost
1UR
Enchantment
When a non-basic land is tapped for any amount of mana, put that many frost counters plus one onto it. (When a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it.
).
1. I think that the power level difference between the two ‘modes’ is too large. Gaining 1 life a turn is a lot less impactful than getting an extra mana.
2. This might be a little too good with lands with two land types, such as Temple Garden. While getting 1 life a turn isn’t great on its own, getting 1 life and 1 mana for a 1 CMC enchantment is quite strong.
Run and Hide URG
Sorcery - Rare
Reveal your hand. Target opponent chooses a permanent card from your hand, then you choose a different permanent card from your hand. Each player puts the chosen card onto the battlefield under their control. ”Reinstating show and tell was a bad idea” - Naban, Dean of Iteration
I wish this just created a 1/1 Thopter instead of an Ornithopter (a more common token which is a bit less complex) with the numbers on the pump ability changed to match, and that the timing restriction on when you can activate the ability was removed. It would then be a strong but fair card in limited and likely standard as well.
Treasures Taken
4UUBB
Sorcery
Search target opponent’s library for up to 4 cards with different names and reveal them. That opponent then chooses 2 of those cards and shuffles them into their library. You may cast the remaining cards without paying their mana cost.
Regarding Burse stark, and Odric, the answer is ‘No’. This is because Odric’s ability triggers at the beginning of Combat step (before declare attacks) and Burse’s doesn’t trigger until after he has been decclared as an attacker.
1
2WR
Legendary Creature - Kor Rebel Soldier
First Strike, vigilance
Whenever Adragrand attacks, reveal the top card of your library until you reveal a creature card with a power of 2. Put that creature onto the battlefield tapped and attacking, and the rest onto the bottom of your library in a random order. Then, at the end of combat, sacrifice that creature unless it has a toughness of 2.
2/2
IIW: Coloured artifacts
1
I swear I wrote something for Trinicube. Must have accidentally deleted it.
To quickly recap my thoughts on the card, to me it falls in between Bashur and Mana Cleanse. It’s an enabler that’s probably broken, but it’s got a certain cool factor that makes me want to try cool things with it. I do like the safety valves on it, as ETB tapped keeps it from being abused right away, and the life loss puts a cap on the number of activations unless you find a way to circumvent it. Protection from CMC 3 feels tacked on though, and will rarely be relevant since you’d typically like to pop the cube as soon as you untap with it. I’d rank this a little below Stones from the Tabernacle, which was my runner up.
1
In short: too much complexity for two little payoff.
Mass Amplification
4RR
Instant - Rare
Copy target spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copies.
Storm
1
As for the card itself, I think that it’s a bit too pushed. For 6 mana this is almost always 8 power of lifeline across 5 bodies, plus the biggest body is evasive and makes your smaller bodies indestructible.
Blanket indestructibility is also confusing, and there is a reason we see it less often than blanket hexproof. For example, Blasphemous Act still kills everything, as does a well timed combat trick, but Wrath of God still only kills one creature.
I also think that blanket indestructibility is quite dangerous. Unlike hexproof, where you at least have the option of blocking the creature, blanket indestructibility means that you can just protect Jedissa and ride your other creatures to victory.
In short, I think it’s undercosted at 6. The card is powerful, remarkably easy to ‘turn on’, and way too often will make games just resolve around it.
Edit: also, there’s no way that this card would be a rare and not a mythic, it takes over limited games too completely.
Anyways, on to a card
Call of the Hollow
WU
Enchantment (Rare)
If a creature token entering the battlefield causes the triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
1
5RRGG
Legendary Creature - Cyclops
Trample
When Borborygmos REALLY Enraged deals combat damage to a player, you may throw any number of permanents you control onto the table from a distance of at least 3 ft (1m). Destroy each permanent thrown this way, and each permanent that is both touching one of the thrown permanents when it stops moving and shares at least one card type with it.
7/7
Edit: Thought of a more fun version.
Borborygmos, the Strongest
4RRGG
Legendary Creature - Cyclops
Trample
When Borborygmos enters the battlefield, you may challenge target opponent to an arm wrestle. If you win, Borborygmos gains protection from Non-Creatures that player controls. If that opponent wins, exile Borborygmos (a player must be physically able to arm wrestle to be a legal target).
8/7
IIW: CMC of 3.
1
3BBBB
Enchantment
Whenever a non-demon creature you control dies, create a 6/6 black demon creature token with Flying and Trample.
1
As for the card itself. It’s broken. 2 life a turn for free ramp is way too effecient, especially since any deck that runs his will he trying to kill you before the life loss is relevant. Storm in particular loves this card, since it is a ramp card early that continues to contribute to the decks storm count. Probably leads to a T2 kill in storm in modern and makes legacy storm more consistent.
I’m any case:
Mechanic: Frost Counters (when a permanent with 1 or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it).
Frost counters are a new type of counter with innate rules meaning. They create a replacement effect whenever a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, which causes a counter to be removed instead of that permanent untapping.
Blood Frost
1UR
Enchantment
When a non-basic land is tapped for any amount of mana, put that many frost counters plus one onto it. (When a permanent with one or more frost counters on it would become untapped, instead remove a frost counter from it.
).
3
1. I think that the power level difference between the two ‘modes’ is too large. Gaining 1 life a turn is a lot less impactful than getting an extra mana.
2. This might be a little too good with lands with two land types, such as Temple Garden. While getting 1 life a turn isn’t great on its own, getting 1 life and 1 mana for a 1 CMC enchantment is quite strong.
Run and Hide
URG
Sorcery - Rare
Reveal your hand. Target opponent chooses a permanent card from your hand, then you choose a different permanent card from your hand. Each player puts the chosen card onto the battlefield under their control.
”Reinstating show and tell was a bad idea” - Naban, Dean of Iteration
1
Treasures Taken
4UUBB
Sorcery
Search target opponent’s library for up to 4 cards with different names and reveal them. That opponent then chooses 2 of those cards and shuffles them into their library. You may cast the remaining cards without paying their mana cost.
1