Though your Long Range design is going to stall even harder than the Crossbow Infantry implementation, especially if it's on a bunch of one-drops, since they can effortlessly chump anything without trample or this new keyword.
I think it should only apply while attacking, and as mentioned should factor in reach. e.g. "Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to this by blocking creatures without reach."
That way it can attack safely (i.e. from a distance), but isn't some bizarrely unstoppable force on the defense even if it's just a 1/1.
It also doesn't feel like it belongs in all five colors. I would make it primarily white.
I'm glad you saw the reasoning for black on your own. That said, siteing mindclaw and talent as reasons for red and blue is like saying white should get boomerang because it gets Narrow Escape. The effects look similar but are radically different.
That's not a fair comparison. How white and blue use (or don't use, in white's case) bounce is well-established.
Conversely, the Spell Martyr effect doesn't really exist exactly, and the actual closest effect is older than the modern color pie. You're calling it discard and control of a player (clearly black), I'm calling it theft of an instant or sorcery and/or self-sacrifice (instant/sorcery theft being clearly red/blue, self-sacrifice being clearly white). Since no actual discard is happening, and the only choice being made for the player is targeting, from my perspective yours isn't a strong argument for black.
Mindclaw Shaman's existence shows that red can take an instant or sorcery out of someone's hand and cast it, which is the closest existing effect, ignoring very old cards that didn't follow the color pie. Black can't force people to cast spells. The closest existing effect in a recent card that allows black to do so is taking over their whole turn, which is a far greater appeal to superficially similar effects than the relation of Spell Martyr to what Mindclaw Shaman does.
one of the things i tell my group a lot, and no one has bothered yet, is to pack jester's cap effects. one of those will generally neuter my ability to win pretty hard.
Generally in 100-card decks this isn't a good use of a card, since most decks have at least 4 ways to win and cap effects don't generate card advantage and have no immediate result on the board state. If you're going to run a narrow hate card then it's probably better to run something more immediate.
That is very good advice. More generally, understand why card advantage is good and you should never say "eh, they already have a bunch of cards" unless not paying that 1 is the difference between winning this turn or not.
Even better advice: play artifact/enchantment removal, and immediately blow up Rhystic Study every single time you can. While paying the 1.
It's a safe bet that someone who's running Rhystic is someone that you don't want to give cards to.
You stealing the opponents cards is indeed blue and red, but controlling the opponent is firmly in black. Worst Fears
Worst Fears goes a lot farther than just controlling a single instant or sorcery from their hand. To me that seems like saying "Counter target blue instant spell." couldn't be red because countering spells is firmly blue.
EDIT: Or rather, I guess you're saying blue could counter target blue instant spell. Which seems appropriate. I guess the spell martyr effect could be black, but it definitely doesn't need to be, and seems less likely than it being other colors. At the least I would raise an eyebrow if I saw it in monoblack, as opposed to UB or RB
Agreed, I think "target attacking or blocking creature" works well enough here. Or perhaps rename it to something like "Arrow of Retribution" and change it to "target creature that has dealt damage this turn".
You could give Flagelant lifelink instead of its first ability. That'd leave room for lifelink reminder text, and be a clever way to introduce new players to lifelink with noncombat damage.
Speaking of, Orselter's text should read "gets +2/+2 and has lifelink and hexproof from black".
As a monocolor aficionado, I love the 'Purity' mechanic.
Word of Command and Standard Bearer (especially Word of Command) are both very old cards. Ideally you would draw from something more recent, like the Mizzium Meddler you'd listed.
Mindclaw Shaman and a few other similar cards suggest that forcing opponents to cast instants/sorceries is mostly red, although cards like Talent of the Telepath come close in blue. Captured by the Consulate suggests that target-martyrdom as per Standard Bearer is still within white's colors, though Mizzium Meddler suggests blue can also do it. It's probably not monoblue though, since you don't outright steal the spell most of the time. Red can also change targets of spells as of reasonably recent cards.
So I would say any two of white, red, or blue. I would lean towards red being one of the colors so that you can include haste and benefit from combat tricks as previously suggested. Flash could also let you do so, but that'd effectively amount to instant-speed discard which tends to be a no-go.
I mean, they can have abilities like flashback or cycling, but I don't think that's what you're trying to copy here. You're trying to, for example, copy the "Lightning bolt deals 3 damage to any target" part of Lightning Bolt, correct?
That's not an ability. The comprehensive rules do define what an ability is. You should read them.
But in summary, there are activated, triggered, and static abilities. Instant and sorcery spells first and foremost have text that describes game actions to perform, but these are not 'abilities' in game terms.
Hrm, rather it seems I should read them. I learned something new, at least.
Regardless, you are conflating spell abilities with activated abilities when, historically and practically, it is easier to just create a copy of the spell.
Also, I think using imprint makes it tacky and lack-luster.
HugSeal's design is precisely in line with how Magic has historically used the 'imprint' keyword. It clarifies things for the player when including like abilities among other permanents in a set.
If printed outside the set it probably wouldn't use the 'imprint' term, but the wording would be identical and use of the word wouldn't really qualify as 'tacky' or 'lack-luster'. Those words would be better used to describe a card that haphazardly executes an idea with disregard for good form.
Note that the effects do happen in the order printed on the card. So it wouldn't work if they were printed on the other way around. It's simply that the spell all happens before any triggered abilities are allowed to resolve which is why you don't normally notice. You would give the creature a -1/-1 if you used Guile instead of Progenitus, since Guile's effect is a triggered ability rather than a replacement effect.
For example a card that said...
Choose two -
Destroy all creatures.
Counter all spells and triggered abilities.
Destroy all artifacts.
Would stop a Core Prowler's proliferate trigger if you pick the 1st and 2nd mode, but not if you pick the 2nd and 3rd mode.
I have no issue with wishes using a wishboard. But the one time outside of a wishboard I agreed to allow wishes (they said it was a wish deck focusing on Research into Hedron Alignment, which sounded interesting) I ended up sitting through them perusing a giant stack of cards they brought with them.
Worse, the giant stack included lots of basic lands and other cards that were neither Hedron Alignment, nor a card that the wish in question could actually fetch. It was in fact miserable.
When I played a game in my LGS that allowed a wish board, I basically just used it to hide my (not-yet-banned) Emrakul from Bribery effects. I figured if I can afford 15 mana then I can probably also afford 17 mana. Which is... not particularly unfair (or at least, not moreso than emmy is by default), but also sort of a boring way to use a wish card.
The only other good use I can think of for a wish is running narrowhatecards, which is about as fun as Iona herself. They also tend to disproportionately screw over monocolor decks, which are probably the least tryhard decks at the table unless maybe they're monoblue.
Otherwise you're probably better off just playing a charm or something if you're really that desperate for options.
Spells don't have abilities, for starters. They only have text.
HugSeal's version works, but as stated already an off-color counterspell is sketchy. Not of This World was a stretch, and only defends permanents you control. You'd probably want this to be an enchantment (or colored artifact) with a one-time use.
Magic Suspension Field 2UU
Enchantment
Flash
When ~ enters the battlefield, exile target instant or sorcery spell. U, sacrifice ~: You may cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Anger Ball 2
Artifact Creature - Ball R, sacrifice Anger Ball: Anger Ball deals 2 damage to any target.
1/2
I would also change Guardian Ball to blue and have it only grant hexproof. Mostly because the 'Magician' in 'Star Magician' makes it feel weird that he's in Naya colors.
I do really enjoy parasitic mechanics on commanders (and desperately want to build a Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith deck). I think this is a good take on a fairly common RPG trope.
Also worth noting, these are only the conflicts we can come up with. There are 4000+ creatures in magic with an ability of some sort.
You've proposed rules changes to solve only some of the consequences of your card. You would need a rules change for every possible confusing interaction. At that point you're making total fiats and have defeated the entire purpose of creating a magic card (that is, creating something that works within an existing framework).
Avra, Relentless Crusader feels like it should either cost 5, only work for your creatures, or only damage the player who is attacking/who you are attacking.
Weiss the Pure, my gut instinct is that he'll just end up as an abusive combo commander who enables a whole bunch of infinites. E.g. when combined with Pearl Medallion (which you were going to play anyways) and Kor Skyfisher. Or a hypothetical Whitemane Lion-type card that costs WW instead. Or Cloudstone Curio.
Stoic Guardian seems a bit strong. Lodestone Golem has a deckbuilding constraint and doesn't additionally help your spells in any way.
Karmic Reward as-worded doesn't refund auras that fall off of a creature; 'destroyed' is distinct from going to your graveyard as a state-based effect for not being attached to anything.
I think Floura is fine casting all of the spells she's exiled, but is a bit much with haste. No comparable creatures in other colors come bundled with haste (even Etali, who is a big red dino). Either lose the haste, or limit the spells she copies to those she's exiled during this casting (i.e. "exiled with Floura" instead of "exiled with a doom counter").
All the rest look really good. Twist of Fate is probably my favorite, although it is going to confuse a lot of new players whether it should count itself. Maybe rephrase to "each other card in your hand".
Though your Long Range design is going to stall even harder than the Crossbow Infantry implementation, especially if it's on a bunch of one-drops, since they can effortlessly chump anything without trample or this new keyword.
I think it should only apply while attacking, and as mentioned should factor in reach. e.g. "Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to this by blocking creatures without reach."
That way it can attack safely (i.e. from a distance), but isn't some bizarrely unstoppable force on the defense even if it's just a 1/1.
It also doesn't feel like it belongs in all five colors. I would make it primarily white.
Conversely, the Spell Martyr effect doesn't really exist exactly, and the actual closest effect is older than the modern color pie. You're calling it discard and control of a player (clearly black), I'm calling it theft of an instant or sorcery and/or self-sacrifice (instant/sorcery theft being clearly red/blue, self-sacrifice being clearly white). Since no actual discard is happening, and the only choice being made for the player is targeting, from my perspective yours isn't a strong argument for black.
Mindclaw Shaman's existence shows that red can take an instant or sorcery out of someone's hand and cast it, which is the closest existing effect, ignoring very old cards that didn't follow the color pie. Black can't force people to cast spells. The closest existing effect in a recent card that allows black to do so is taking over their whole turn, which is a far greater appeal to superficially similar effects than the relation of Spell Martyr to what Mindclaw Shaman does.
That is very good advice. More generally, understand why card advantage is good and you should never say "eh, they already have a bunch of cards" unless not paying that 1 is the difference between winning this turn or not.
Even better advice: play artifact/enchantment removal, and immediately blow up Rhystic Study every single time you can. While paying the 1.
It's a safe bet that someone who's running Rhystic is someone that you don't want to give cards to.
EDIT: Or rather, I guess you're saying blue could counter target blue instant spell. Which seems appropriate. I guess the spell martyr effect could be black, but it definitely doesn't need to be, and seems less likely than it being other colors. At the least I would raise an eyebrow if I saw it in monoblack, as opposed to UB or RB
You could give Flagelant lifelink instead of its first ability. That'd leave room for lifelink reminder text, and be a clever way to introduce new players to lifelink with noncombat damage.
Speaking of, Orselter's text should read "gets +2/+2 and has lifelink and hexproof from black".
As a monocolor aficionado, I love the 'Purity' mechanic.
Mindclaw Shaman and a few other similar cards suggest that forcing opponents to cast instants/sorceries is mostly red, although cards like Talent of the Telepath come close in blue. Captured by the Consulate suggests that target-martyrdom as per Standard Bearer is still within white's colors, though Mizzium Meddler suggests blue can also do it. It's probably not monoblue though, since you don't outright steal the spell most of the time. Red can also change targets of spells as of reasonably recent cards.
So I would say any two of white, red, or blue. I would lean towards red being one of the colors so that you can include haste and benefit from combat tricks as previously suggested. Flash could also let you do so, but that'd effectively amount to instant-speed discard which tends to be a no-go.
... positive?
I mean, they can have abilities like flashback or cycling, but I don't think that's what you're trying to copy here. You're trying to, for example, copy the "Lightning bolt deals 3 damage to any target" part of Lightning Bolt, correct?
That's not an ability. The comprehensive rules do define what an ability is. You should read them.
But in summary, there are activated, triggered, and static abilities. Instant and sorcery spells first and foremost have text that describes game actions to perform, but these are not 'abilities' in game terms.
Hrm, rather it seems I should read them. I learned something new, at least.
Regardless, you are conflating spell abilities with activated abilities when, historically and practically, it is easier to just create a copy of the spell.
HugSeal's design is precisely in line with how Magic has historically used the 'imprint' keyword. It clarifies things for the player when including like abilities among other permanents in a set.
If printed outside the set it probably wouldn't use the 'imprint' term, but the wording would be identical and use of the word wouldn't really qualify as 'tacky' or 'lack-luster'. Those words would be better used to describe a card that haphazardly executes an idea with disregard for good form.
Also as mentioned before it needs to be "target creature an opponent controls".
For example a card that said...
Choose two -
Would stop a Core Prowler's proliferate trigger if you pick the 1st and 2nd mode, but not if you pick the 2nd and 3rd mode.
Worse, the giant stack included lots of basic lands and other cards that were neither Hedron Alignment, nor a card that the wish in question could actually fetch. It was in fact miserable.
When I played a game in my LGS that allowed a wish board, I basically just used it to hide my (not-yet-banned) Emrakul from Bribery effects. I figured if I can afford 15 mana then I can probably also afford 17 mana. Which is... not particularly unfair (or at least, not moreso than emmy is by default), but also sort of a boring way to use a wish card.
The only other good use I can think of for a wish is running narrow hate cards, which is about as fun as Iona herself. They also tend to disproportionately screw over monocolor decks, which are probably the least tryhard decks at the table unless maybe they're monoblue.
Otherwise you're probably better off just playing a charm or something if you're really that desperate for options.
HugSeal's version works, but as stated already an off-color counterspell is sketchy. Not of This World was a stretch, and only defends permanents you control. You'd probably want this to be an enchantment (or colored artifact) with a one-time use.
Magic Suspension Field 2UU
Enchantment
Flash
When ~ enters the battlefield, exile target instant or sorcery spell.
U, sacrifice ~: You may cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Anger Ball 2
Artifact Creature - Ball
R, sacrifice Anger Ball: Anger Ball deals 2 damage to any target.
1/2
I would also change Guardian Ball to blue and have it only grant hexproof. Mostly because the 'Magician' in 'Star Magician' makes it feel weird that he's in Naya colors.
I do really enjoy parasitic mechanics on commanders (and desperately want to build a Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith deck). I think this is a good take on a fairly common RPG trope.
You've proposed rules changes to solve only some of the consequences of your card. You would need a rules change for every possible confusing interaction. At that point you're making total fiats and have defeated the entire purpose of creating a magic card (that is, creating something that works within an existing framework).
Weiss the Pure, my gut instinct is that he'll just end up as an abusive combo commander who enables a whole bunch of infinites. E.g. when combined with Pearl Medallion (which you were going to play anyways) and Kor Skyfisher. Or a hypothetical Whitemane Lion-type card that costs WW instead. Or Cloudstone Curio.
Stoic Guardian seems a bit strong. Lodestone Golem has a deckbuilding constraint and doesn't additionally help your spells in any way.
Karmic Reward as-worded doesn't refund auras that fall off of a creature; 'destroyed' is distinct from going to your graveyard as a state-based effect for not being attached to anything.
I think Floura is fine casting all of the spells she's exiled, but is a bit much with haste. No comparable creatures in other colors come bundled with haste (even Etali, who is a big red dino). Either lose the haste, or limit the spells she copies to those she's exiled during this casting (i.e. "exiled with Floura" instead of "exiled with a doom counter").
All the rest look really good. Twist of Fate is probably my favorite, although it is going to confuse a lot of new players whether it should count itself. Maybe rephrase to "each other card in your hand".