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  • posted a message on Flip Card Idea
    Wizards people have stated that there's a reason flip cards don't unflip. At some point after flipping and unflipping 3-4 times, you'll forget which way to untap it. It would get confusing and lead to problems.


    Well, if you are kinda "dumb" maybe. Ofcourse everyone can tell if a card is "tapped" or not, no matter how often you flip it, it is still tapped.

    And in the end you should tap cards all in the same direction, not randomly in another (which is especially important with flip cards, and overall annoying if peops dont).

    So its not really a "problem" at all, especially as you dont need to make cards that flip like crazy, and in worst case use some counters to say if its flipped or unflipped.


    In the end i liked the Artwork of Flip cards, as they really give a picture of how the creature "evolves" unlike Kicker cards (Figure of Destiny has a artwork that shows its evolution too, but its more like everything at the same time).


    For flip you have plenty of design, starting with lands that flip to another color or creatures that transform into something "evil" (like the creatures that left a "black" token, in the end peops used to just take the card with an "counter" to indicate its the shadow part).

    Even some spells might be fun, so spells that "flip" on the stack into something (maybe even an Instant that becomes a creature, like a reversed Erayo).


    Ideas are like this:

    Holy Land
    Land
    T: Add W to your manapool.
    Whenever you cast an black spell, flip ~.
    ===========
    Unholy Land
    Land
    T: Add B to your manapool.
    Whenever you cast an white spell, unflip ~.

    You can make a big cycle of them, making lands that actual have the flip (maybe cards that trigger for flips/unflips).


    Razor Spider 4G
    Creature - Spider
    Reach
    When ~ is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return it to play flipped.
    3/4
    ============
    Undead Razor Spider
    Creature - Spider
    Reach, Deathtouch
    B: Regenerate ~.
    3/4


    Soldier of Fate W
    Creature - Human, Soldier
    At the end of turn, if you have 5 or less life, flip ~.
    1/1
    ============
    Soldier of Glory
    Creature - Spirit, Soldier
    First Strike, Lifelink
    3/3


    For my taste it plays out a lot more fun, as the creature really "changes", which is a lot more flavour than the use of +1/+1 counters, or changing the cards types and give it abilities, in addition that the artwork expresses the changed card.


    Enforce Fate 4U
    Instant
    Flip or unflip target permanent.


    Mindblast 3R
    Instant
    ~ deals 2 damage to target player for each flipped permanent you control.

    *Kind of powerfull with a big cycle of the flip lands and a bigger theme of flip cards.


    So in the end you can use flip in many situations, and its a great ability in the end (and common, if you can't remember if your card is tapped or untapped, use some counters or your human brain).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Would this card ever see the light of day?
    That would for sure give problems with "Animal Protection".
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Hard counters for two
    Quote from AdoniS
    Just a little nitpick, but you shoud add "you may play ~ from exile" if you want this to really do something on its own.


    Ofcourse i should ^^.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Alpha rares.
    Avenging Seraph :4mana::symw::symw:
    Creature — Angel Warrior (R)
    Flying
    Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
    When CARDNAME is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put CARDNAME on top of its owner’s library.
    4/5

    Powerwise i would upgrade it, as they put Serra Angel in "uncommon" and Lightning Bolt in the set (which makes any 3 thoughness scream for death, especially if Essence Drain and such will come too).

    So with the upgrade to 4/5 size i think its something that really is playable and Rare worthy.


    First-Pride Torchbearers :3mana::symw::symw:
    Creature — Cat Mystic Knight (R)
    First Strike
    :symw::symw:, :symtap:: Choose one — Destroy target permanent if it’s black; or counter target spell if it’s black.
    3/3

    I would go for a "Mystic Knight" so it really stays the Paladin and just gets the added punish against black.
    Powerwise i would say its "ok".


    Heavenly Choir 3:symw::symw:
    Creature — Angel Spirit (R)
    Flying
    Whenever another creature you control enters the battlefield or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you gain life equal to that creature’s toughness.
    1/5

    As you allready have a 4WW rare, its better to have another cost.
    As its mainly an "Enchantment" becomming a creature and the card itself favour high thoughness, it seems just logic that the card should be more a "wall" like size.

    Callow Emissary :3mana::symw:
    Creature — Human Advisor (R)
    Whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, it doesnt untap during its controllers next untap step.
    2/4

    Seems to be "way" to strong to lock a player. It will trigger for each creature that damages, so attack with 2 and they have to pay 2 mana or dont untap, so they will never be able to pay the mana again (as you keep putting more creatures to increase the tax).

    Thats for sure too much, especially as hitting the enemie doesnt seem to be white to force th tax.

    It would work better if you look that the creatures hit "you" and than force them to stay tapped (like Aurafication).

    As 3W should give some usefull blocking size, i choose to go with 2/4, the card might even be "Uncommon", as it looks kinda strange that all your cards here are "rares", unless you plan a set with only rares (would be fun somehow xD).


    Rhox Champion :5mana::symw::symw:
    Creature — Rhino Soldier (U)
    First strike
    Whenever CARDNAME attacks, if you control a green permanent, CARDNAME gains trample until end of turn.
    5/8

    This is 100% an Uncommon as its a horrible rare. Its the kind of "fattie" you play in Limited and be happy with it, in constructed its only junk.


    Cross the Streams :2mana::symu:
    Sorcery (R)
    Kicker :symu::symu: (You may pay an additional :symu::symu: as you cast this spell.)
    After this phase, there your choice of an additional untap step, upkeep step, combat phase, or main phase. If the kicker cost was paid, take an extra turn after this one instead.

    As "kicker" is not intuitive and not really an smart ability for a core set, as its an mechanic to give "expensive" cards an cheaper way to play them, core sets keep the card simpel.

    And the card is kind of insane anyway. You get an extra combat for 2U mana? come on thats too cheap, and getting an extra main phase has "what" effect?
    So in the end theirs only the combat that makes it insane, the others are crap most the time.

    An Time Warp is allready a good rare for a core set, so just stick with it (they did Time Stretch, but thats just the more expensive and pretty much unplayable sorcery, unless you get ways to abuse it "somehow").


    Look to Windward :xmana::symu:
    Instant (R)
    Put the top X cards of your library into your hand, then exile your library.

    Well this is not just "johnny" its incredible overpowered, as i would even play it for a singel blue with X=0 just to get my library exiled (using this for sets that actual use the exile zone to play cards, or set cards up with Research and such).

    All in all its a card thats way to strong as an X version:

    Look to Windward 1:symu::symu::symu:
    Sorcery (R)
    Put the top seven cards of your library into your hand, and exile the rest of your library.

    This card needs you to either win with the cards "right off" or use something to refill your library (which is allready done with things that shuffle graveyard cards back, so you get them over and over), so the card isnt obvisious nuts, but you can build a deck around it to abuse its effect. So believe it or not, even Leveler gets "tech" if you have mechanics that use the Exile zone.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Hard counters for two
    Warning Counter :symu::symu:
    Instant
    You can't play Warning Counter from your hand.
    At the beginning of your upkeep, if Warning Counter is in your hand, you may exile it. As long as remains exiled, you may play it.
    Counter target spell.

    I think nothing can "trigger" in your hand as its a hidden zone, and beside this its still a Counterspell as i just exile it if i have it, and keep in mind thats its an insane strong Forbidd, as i just have to "exile" it from my grave to get it again and again (and thats not hard at all).

    So to get this card "fair" look at this:

    Recurring Forbidd 1UU
    Instant
    You can play ~ only from exile.
    Cycling 3
    When you cycle ~, exile it.
    Counter target spell that is played from a players hand.

    This way, you get the draw from cycling, and set up your Forbidd counterwall. A powerfull tool for any controll deck to keep a counterwall up.

    The drawback to counter only spells played from the hand should give it enough interaction with spells ala Suspend, Madness, Flashback so players can still interact with the game.

    It might be a great card for Delve like themes (like a set i do, so i just take this card).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Tribal Interaction
    Proof of Clansmanship :1mana::symg:
    Sorcery
    Reveal a creature or tribal card in your hand. Reveal the top 4 cards of your library. Put all cards among them that share a creature type with the revealed card into your hand. Put the rest to the bottom of your library.

    Well, its actual a brutal strong card draw, as you will more or less get at least an Impulse, and as its best draw "4" cards, which is more or less "game" allready.
    I just assume this card highly in "Elves" as thats the only deck that really abuses it (with Eyeblights Ending and all the Tribal spells, together with your bunch of creatures).
    Especially strong with Changeling spells, if your deck has some random cards that are not the tribal (like a Cloudtresher in your elves deck), which again Elves does best with Chameleon Collosus.

    In the end it might work better as a Tutor instead of revealing the top 4, so you reveal an Elf to tutor for another, like a E.Recall just for Tribal.

    Specialized Armory :1mana::symw:
    Sorcery
    Choose a creature you control. Search your library for an equipment card that shares a creature type with that creature and equip it to that creature. Then shuffle your library.

    Theirs not really much "tribal" Equipments and most likely not to come that much, but in the end its a card that forces tribal Equipments to be "bad", as big ones would make it pretty unfair.

    Rememberance of Home white mana
    Instant
    Reveal any number of creature cards in your hand. For each creature card revealed this way, creatures you control that share a creature type with that creature card get +0/+2 until end of turn.

    Well, somehow i instantly got this card as "Doran" friendly. I want to play Doran with 2 more random critters, than give them a +0/+8 to wreck my opponent (well +0/+6 or even +0/+4 is allready enough than).

    Anything else, its just the random protection against Mass Burn Removal or Infest, which is most the time crap on spells (as theirs Anthemn and the like that do the job better).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Twilight's Fall — Shadji, Calisto’s Archmage
    the card is unprintable as it is, get your Activation of Ajani Armageddon and you win the game, getting the insane token of Ajani Avatar token, the planeswalkers are ALL better than Jace (as the only reason for the mill is in decks that really "win" with it).


    Anything else, you might get a random extra activation, hopefully of an allready good effect.


    Shadji, Calisto’s Archmage 4:symu::symu:
    Legendary Creature — Djinn Wizard
    Grandeur — Discard another card named Shadji, Calisto’s Archmage: You may play an activated ability of a spell or permanent you control without paying its costs. (X is 0.)
    5/6

    Being a 1/1 for a singel blue is incredible junk, and the only reason is to combo with this cards Grandeur, which is a bad design point to start with.

    Being a "djinn" it might be a lot bigger, so the Grandeur really kicks in.

    In the end its "grandeur" and this ability has a lot of problems, as it forces the player to run 4 of the legend, and its overall very random.

    It might work better if its just an High Wizard that eats other wizards to get an "copy" of an activation.

    Shadji, Calisto’s Archmage 2:symu::symu:
    Legendary Creature — Djinn Wizard
    Flying
    :symu:, Discard an Wizard or Djinn from your hand: Copy an triggered or activated ability.
    3/4

    Allready strong creature with a usefull ability to get more out of your cards.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Back to Basics
    Banish :1mana::symu:
    Instant (U)
    Return target creature to it's owner's hand. That creature's controller can't play creature spells this turn.

    Good bounce, as it helps to give you speed, bouncing the create and make it impossible to replay it. But that might be really needed, as bounce lost a lot of its power with the "no damage stack" change, which might be reason enough to lower its cost to 1U (as bounce can need a push to be still usefull).

    Anticipate blue mana
    Instant (C)
    Counter the next spell casted this turn.

    Well i see it as a hard counter against Suspend and the like, and thats what it actual does best. The "played" might now be "casted".

    In a set that uses Suspend like mechanics its a pretty usefull card.


    Denied the Skies :2mana::symu::symu::symu:
    Enchantment
    Blue creatures have flying.
    Nonblue creatures lose flying.
    Uncommon

    Well, this is something i would put on a creature as it works like "your creatures are unblockable", like Deepchannel Mentor, which was even a lot better due to Hybrid, and just a singel blue to splash for it, in addition it just gave "you" the advantage.

    Sandstorm Drake :1mana::symu::symu:
    Creature - Drake (C)
    Flash, flying
    When Sandstorm Drake comes into play, return a blue creature to it’s owner’s hand.
    2/2

    Quite powered for a common, as a 2/2 flyer flash is allready good, with the bounce ability you can wreck blue opponents, or use it as a Rescue creature in combat (even if that is worser with the no dmg stack change).

    Infinite Flame :xmana::symr::symr:
    Sorcery
    Infinite Flame deals X damage to target creature or player.
    Untap up to X Mountains.
    Uncommon

    Well, its very strong, and X burn is best Rare for limited play. The untap part makes it more powerfull as a combo option, play it with Heartbeat of Spring and such shoot damage, use the untap for "more" mana and shoot another.
    In the end, its dangerous to untap lands, it might work better if you simply have something to get it back (something that "infinited" implies), like if you have X=5 you get buyback for it (on library or something) to shoot again.

    Swamp Teeth :1mana::symb:
    Instant
    As an additional cost to play Sand Teeth, pay X life.
    Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn.
    Uncommon

    Well, sounds like hard removal, with 5 life you should be able to kill pretty much everything. In the end its like killing a creature and than lose life equal to its thoughness.

    Depths of Vetera :1mana::symb::symb::symb:
    Sorcery
    Each player discards a card then returns a creature card from his or her graveyard to play.
    Uncommon

    Well, its Exhume more expensive, with the added discard (which is mainly drawback as Exhume can be one sided).

    Might work allready at 3B Zombify cost, anything else just makes it less splashable and overall worser as it allready is.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on how to cost this effect?
    In the end its an effect i would use for "black" as its on the line of discard, preventing the draw, and it actual works a lot better in black.

    Deny Dreams 3BB
    Enchantment
    If a player would draw a card, that player loses 1 life instead.
    Whenever a player has no cards in hand, sacrifice ~.

    Quite simpel, it forces the draw to become life lose, which is allready quite usefull for black and its a card to lock a player if your discard made them stuck on as less cards as possible.

    Possessed Portal is an card that locks a lot harder, as it will kill absolute everything they have, and you can easy keep it up for yourself if you can create tokens to sacrifice (or Goblin Welder actions), and its still far far away from a "good" card, as LockDown decks must be fast to win, anything else is worthless against beatdown and control might have answers to your threads anyway.

    With the life lose it plays like Underworld Dreams, just with the added advantage to eat the card (which makes it actual playable).

    To offer a way out of the Lock, i like to use the Pestilence like part, just look for the part the card wants to lock and remove it when this part no longer exists.
    You still can play the card together with Land Destruction and more lock cards to build your own P.Portal .
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Joshyex's card shop
    Strike should be an Enchantment - Aura and better as Black/Red (as it does a Soul Fire like job).

    Dark Strike 1BR
    Enchantment - Aura
    Enchant creature
    Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, sacrifice a creature. If you do, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player.

    Like an "super" first strike it will hit its victim before it can hit back. As the manacost makes it slower, i thought it would work better if it eats another creatures life (sacrifice) to get the extra attack (which should look for its power for this reason).

    So in the end it plays like "doublestrike" with a faster hit than first strike damage.
    A little side effect is that you can enchant your opponents creature and force the sacrifice if its the only creature, so its more flexible overall.



    Blaze of Heat 1RR
    Instant
    ~ deals 3 damage to target creature.
    When this creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield this turn, its controller sacrifices a non-basic land.

    It might allready work as this. You get removal with 3 damage and if that kills the target, you punish them for non-basics too.
    Its important to keep in mind that Lightning Bolt gets a reprint in m10, so 3 damage is actual worth a singel red mana (yes even WotC seems to think thats "fair", as drunken as they might be), and the land destruction is connected to killing the creature AND only to non-basics, so its allready quite fair at 1RR.

    Overall its a kind of card that can see play in formats that encourages players to run a lot of non-basics, and even Extended shifted to more basics because of the giant amount of hate against non-basics (counting Bloodmoon and all the mainly red hate).


    Tera, Lord of the Abyss is just "wayyyyyy" to overcosted as its 10 mana for a 5/5 flyer that has no effect at all, so say you can keep it alive, than you will search for a demon, and you are still not happy as you have not Auto-Win by now, and a 10 mana card should be powerfull enough to win.

    Even worser is the fact that you have 2 Tap abilities, and the second is ALLWAYS the superior and theirs no reason at all to make 2/2 tokens with a 10 mana creature.

    A concept could be to give this card something to reduce its giant manacost, Demon / Imp Offering or something, Delve, whatever.
    Skip the 2/2 ability and why not give it an Abyss ability for non-demons, its the Lord of the Abyss after all so it should have some kind of "Abyss" like effect.


    So my Tera concept:

    Lord of the Abyss 7BBB
    Legendary Creature - Demon
    Flying
    When ~ enters the battlefield from your hand, destroy each non-demon creatures. For each creature destroyed this way, search your library for a demon creature card and put it onto the battlefield.
    8/8

    This way it will just clear the board and unleash hell against your enemies. The "from hand" protects against silly reanimation tricks, but "if" this guy resolves you really should win the game with it and the expensive Demons you are going to search.




    Necrotic Overlord 3BB
    Creature - Zombie, Wizard
    3B, T: Destroy target creature. Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control, its black and a Zombie in addition to its other colors and creature types.
    3/4

    Sounds more flavourwise as it kills a creature to reanimate another as a Undead, activation cost is flavoured with Zombify.
    As a new standard i try to push every creature to survive a Lightning Bolt if its more expensive than 3 mana, anything else is just auto bad.



    So overall, some nice ideas, but they look more like cards that are tracked together without a real concept or flavour in mind.
    Even more important is to see how they play out, and against a Constructed field, as each card should at least have a reason to exist for "some" deck (like your Lord of the Abyss screams for a Demon tribal).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on afternoon musing - White direct damage that's not top-down.
    I think white would balance it that they gain life to be equal to that player, not drain from them (as draining is very black).

    Theirs this giant that allready does the job to put all player back on the player with the most life, its just too expensive (would be more than playable for 2WW as a 3/3 for example).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Hate Card
    Should be black.

    Borg the Xenophobic 2BB
    Legendary Creature - Demon
    As ~ enters the battlefield each player chooses a creature type.
    Creatures of the chosen creature types get -1/-1.
    4/4

    I would push it even this far, as its a giant hate card for black on the line of plague, but being a creature adds drawbacks allready, and being Legendary prevents multiple copies too.
    So its for sure great against token decks, but overall you get efficient fatties, and more than enough removal.

    A small add on is that each player chooses a creature type, so they can go for "demon" to shrink this guy to 3/3 (making it a target for lightning bolt and such), and the most important is that it becomes big in Multiplayer, where everyone can choose a type to hate someone with it (but not everyone, making it not a -1/-1 for every creature).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Would this card ever see the light of day?
    If you want to limit it to some types, it might really end better if it just lets the user choose say "3" creature types, thats allready enough.

    A funny thing could be to create "Changelings" in the zoo, that are simply everything:

    Changeling Factory 1G
    Tribal Enchantment - Shapeshifter
    Changeling
    2G: Put a 1/1 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling onto the battlefield.
    Hi George. Hi George. Hi George. Hi George. Hi George. ...

    Goes along the line of Mirror Entity, as it simply forces more changelings into play (instead of changing things to changelings).
    It can produce any creature type you want, so for the big ones it might be even a really playable card as it is.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Patron of the Library (40)
    Well the card is packed together with a lot of things, so it might be the best to split the card with all its ideas into different cards:


    Avatar of the Library 12UUUU
    Creature - Avatar
    You may exile any number of cards from the top of your library as you cast this spell. It costs 1 less to cast for each card exiled this way.
    If ~ would be dealt damage, exile that many cards from the top of your library instead.
    If ~ would deal damage to an player, exile that many cards of that players library instead.
    12/12

    So its a 12/12 for just 4 blue mana, for sure a giant "defender", but should be no real problem in Constructed formats. Its still a way to have a expensive creature for cheap mana, and use it to mill the opponent.


    Animated Library 4UUUU
    Enchantment - Aura
    Enchant library you own with 1 or more cards in it
    Your library counts as a creature with power and thoughness equal to the number of cards in it.
    If it would be dealt damage, exile that many cards from the top of your library instead.
    If it would leave the battlefield, exile the top ten cards of your library instead.

    *Well its more an "UN" card, as its so extrem, in the end the library plays like a creature, it just can't leave its spot, it just becomes smaller and smaller tills its gone.
    If the library ends with 0 thoughness, it will force you to mill your library.

    Very strange card, which might need a giant rulez entry, like Time Stop, Mindslaver and its friends with super special effects (and mainly UN like effects).
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
  • posted a message on Fun with clash...
    Keep in mind that winning the clash isnt really luck in Constructed, especially if the gain gets huge.

    Cutting it down to "draw 2" might work in your Ancestral Recall version, but even that is pretty strong allready.
    Posted in: Custom Card Creation
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