The article spoiling Tomik hints at something coming soon that will make it more relevant, "specifically with it being a legendary creature." Not sure what format that hint is referring to, or how soon we'll find out what it is, but apparently this card is one to keep an eye on.
Ya know, I started a thread a while back about a cycle of guildmages that was functionally very different from what we've seen before. Each of which had one mana-producing ability and one activated utility ability.
I got quite a lot of pushback about them being too different and colors outside of green not being allowed to produce mana.
I wonder why people seem much more accepting of these designs.
I was going to assume that this set wouldn't have any dual lands, but it looks like there will be enough multicolored cards that mana-fixing lands will be sorely missed. I'm talking cards like Nicol Bolas, Dragon God and Deathsprout. We know of one fixing land in Interplanar Beacon, but that's specifically for planeswalkers. It seems unlikely that the set can function well without a cycle of duals.
I think it's likely we'll probably get a cycle of common or uncommon taplands, like in the core set. That said, it would be cool to do what Dragon's Maze did and bring back Shocklands specifically for the basic land slot.
Follow up to my last thread about a single God Army legend.
It looks like each of the dead gods is gonna get a card, so naturally I wanted to try my hand at designing them.
As these cards will represent the elite four of the Dreadhorde, I felt it was fitting to incorporate Amass in some way on each.
Before I get into it, I should note that the cmc of each card can adjust as needed. These are just wild guesses. They will all end up costing quite a bit, as I'm dropping the combat conditions.
God-Eternal Oketra4WB
Legendary Creature - God (M)
3/6
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Double strike 1W: This turn, you may amass as though you didn't control an Army. 1B Amass 1.
Oketra is usually about going wide, so it seems fitting to give her a unique twist on the Amass ability. She also keeps her stats and signature keyword, as the rest will do. Indestructible is replaced with "you may cast from your graveyard."
God-Eternal Kefnet5UB
Legendary Creature - God (M)
5/5
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Flying
At the beginning of your end step, if you have fewer cards in hand than the player with the most cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference. UB, Discard a card: Amass 1.
Kefnet's all about having lots of cards and this at least makes sure you always have the most.
God-Eternal Bontu5BR
Legendary Creature - God (M)
4/6
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Menace
Whenever another creature you control dies, each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. 2BR: Amass 1.
I'm least happy with this design so far. Bontu isn't red, but in the interest of having all colors represented, I decided that she could pick up the color in Hazoret's absence. Bontu is all about your stuff dying, so a Grave Pact effect seemed like the best way to capitalize in a way that feels extra cruel, as a corrupted zombie god should. I just personally hate playing against Grave Pact effects myself, so I feel kinda dirty designing one. It also doesn't feel super red to me, but that's not a major problem.
God-Eternal Rhonas4BG
Legendary Creature - God (M)
5/5
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Deathtouch 2BG: Amass 1. Then, you may have each other creature you control with power 5 or greater deal damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker.
Rhonas, my favorite design, is all about having big creatures. Amass gives us a perfect vehicle to get there.
There's a piece of art in the rumor mill which depicts Bolas atop his citadel along with four figures that look suspiciously like the four gods killed on Amonkhet: Oketra, Kefnet, Bontu, and Rhonas.
Here's my speculation as to what we'll get to represent them:
The Dread Gods4UBR
Legendary Creature - God Army (M)
0/4
Double strike, flying, menace, deathtouch
When ~ enters the battlefield, amass 4. (Put four +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. If you don't control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
When ~ dies, return it from your graveyard to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
Rather than have an individual card per god, why not use them all on a single card as the Amass mechanic legend? Proliferate is getting its own legend after all.
Or to save card slots all 4 on one UBR Amass centered card.
This makes the most sense to me. We have a proliferate legend, so an Amass legend would be expected, and it would make sense for that legend to be an Army creature representing a group of the biggest, baddest Eternals there are: the dead gods.
As for colors, idk. Grixis seems like the best fit.
Mainly, there is the question of how aggressive and how large the set's threats are. A set with multiple aggressively costed N/4 creatures will want a more aggressively costed -4/-4 removal spell, for example.
Rarity also matters. A higher number of the aformentioned threats at common will encourage the removal to be common as well.
Also depends on the other removal in the set. Red will usually take care of the smaller creatures. I think that in a set with Lightning Strike, for example, will be more comfortable with black removal that gives -4/-4 or -5/-5. Similarly, if there's other black removal already in the set at a certain mana cost, that pushes -N/-N removal away from that spot. For example, you're less likely to see Murder alongside Ob Nixilis's Cruelty, for example.
As for speed, I think it depends on how significant the hasty or flashy threats in the set are. Riot, for example, is the kind of mechanic that would push one toward using more instant-speed removal.
As for my personal preference, I like sets that have more aggressive threats, so I would not want to go above 3 mana for a -4/-4 spell. I would also be partial to instant-speed, but it really depends on the context. I will say that Ob Nixilis's Cruelty is surprisingly efficient. I wouldn't have expected a -5/-5 effect at instant with upside to be only 3 mana and only one black symbol.
Not sure what format that hint is referring to, or how soon we'll find out what it is, but apparently this card is one to keep an eye on.It's just Mobilized District
"...you gain 3 life and you may have that creature fight up to one target..."
-->>
"...you gain 3 life and that creature fights up to one target..."
Basically a non-functional change, but the correct version is the one that will be in boosters.
I got quite a lot of pushback about them being too different and colors outside of green not being allowed to produce mana.
I wonder why people seem much more accepting of these designs.
Anyway, the new version seems good to me.
I think it's likely we'll probably get a cycle of common or uncommon taplands, like in the core set. That said, it would be cool to do what Dragon's Maze did and bring back Shocklands specifically for the basic land slot.
What do you guys think?
It looks like each of the dead gods is gonna get a card, so naturally I wanted to try my hand at designing them.
As these cards will represent the elite four of the Dreadhorde, I felt it was fitting to incorporate Amass in some way on each.
Before I get into it, I should note that the cmc of each card can adjust as needed. These are just wild guesses. They will all end up costing quite a bit, as I'm dropping the combat conditions.
God-Eternal Oketra 4WB
Legendary Creature - God (M)
3/6
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Double strike
1W: This turn, you may amass as though you didn't control an Army.
1B Amass 1.
Oketra is usually about going wide, so it seems fitting to give her a unique twist on the Amass ability. She also keeps her stats and signature keyword, as the rest will do. Indestructible is replaced with "you may cast from your graveyard."
God-Eternal Kefnet 5UB
Legendary Creature - God (M)
5/5
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Flying
At the beginning of your end step, if you have fewer cards in hand than the player with the most cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
UB, Discard a card: Amass 1.
Kefnet's all about having lots of cards and this at least makes sure you always have the most.
God-Eternal Bontu 5BR
Legendary Creature - God (M)
4/6
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Menace
Whenever another creature you control dies, each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker.
2BR: Amass 1.
I'm least happy with this design so far. Bontu isn't red, but in the interest of having all colors represented, I decided that she could pick up the color in Hazoret's absence. Bontu is all about your stuff dying, so a Grave Pact effect seemed like the best way to capitalize in a way that feels extra cruel, as a corrupted zombie god should. I just personally hate playing against Grave Pact effects myself, so I feel kinda dirty designing one. It also doesn't feel super red to me, but that's not a major problem.
God-Eternal Rhonas 4BG
Legendary Creature - God (M)
5/5
You may cast ~ from your graveyard.
Deathtouch
2BG: Amass 1. Then, you may have each other creature you control with power 5 or greater deal damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker.
Rhonas, my favorite design, is all about having big creatures. Amass gives us a perfect vehicle to get there.
Here's my speculation as to what we'll get to represent them:
The Dread Gods 4UBR
Legendary Creature - God Army (M)
0/4
Double strike, flying, menace, deathtouch
When ~ enters the battlefield, amass 4. (Put four +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. If you don't control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
When ~ dies, return it from your graveyard to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
Rather than have an individual card per god, why not use them all on a single card as the Amass mechanic legend? Proliferate is getting its own legend after all.
As for colors, idk. Grixis seems like the best fit.
Man, I'm getting Brisela vibes.
Mainly, there is the question of how aggressive and how large the set's threats are. A set with multiple aggressively costed N/4 creatures will want a more aggressively costed -4/-4 removal spell, for example.
Rarity also matters. A higher number of the aformentioned threats at common will encourage the removal to be common as well.
Also depends on the other removal in the set. Red will usually take care of the smaller creatures. I think that in a set with Lightning Strike, for example, will be more comfortable with black removal that gives -4/-4 or -5/-5. Similarly, if there's other black removal already in the set at a certain mana cost, that pushes -N/-N removal away from that spot. For example, you're less likely to see Murder alongside Ob Nixilis's Cruelty, for example.
As for speed, I think it depends on how significant the hasty or flashy threats in the set are. Riot, for example, is the kind of mechanic that would push one toward using more instant-speed removal.
As for my personal preference, I like sets that have more aggressive threats, so I would not want to go above 3 mana for a -4/-4 spell. I would also be partial to instant-speed, but it really depends on the context. I will say that Ob Nixilis's Cruelty is surprisingly efficient. I wouldn't have expected a -5/-5 effect at instant with upside to be only 3 mana and only one black symbol.