Are you intending that two terrified creatures need to block the same creature?
1/24/2013: Other creatures assigned to attack alongside Ember Beast don’t have to attack the same player or planeswalker. Other creatures assigned to block alongside Ember Beast don’t have to block the same creature as Ember Beast.
The all creatures version is functionally just:
Target player can't block this turn unless he or she blocks with two or more creatures.
That art could work pretty well as a Lorwyn/Shadowmoor elf.
Regarding the reworded ultimate, it should let the player choose how many cards to exile in case there are any that the player can't or doesn't want to cast.
An opponent chooses hand or graveyard. Exile any number of cards you own from the chosen zone. You may cast those cards without paying their mana costs this turn.
Do it need to be so explicitly tied to being blocked or unblocked? How about trying out "Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, [effect]." ? That is an ability that players are already comfortable with and other than trample and Lone Wolf-like abilities (or maybe any 0 power creatures like Guiltfeeder), that has the same larger-scale desired mechanical interactions between the two abilities.
Whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay R. If you do, create a token that's a copy of that creature. That token gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
What is wrong with citing Flameshadow Conjuring for figuring out how to word this? I wasn't in any way suggesting that it should be an enchantment, if that was somehow your concern. I'm just looking at the wording of the token creation, haste, and exile. Heat Shimmer gives the exile as an ability to the token, which WotC tested a little, but is now fairly irregular formating.
9/15/2013: If either the sacrificed creature or the target creature card leaves the graveyard before the delayed triggered ability resolves during your next upkeep, it won’t return.
9/15/2013: However, if the sacrificed creature is put into another public zone instead of the graveyard, perhaps because it’s your commander or because of another replacement effect, it will return to the battlefield from the zone it went to.
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. Create a token that's a copy of that creature. That creature and the token gain haste until end of turn. Exile the token at the beginning of the next end step.
The problem with your version is if you have any kind of power boost, like a +1/+1 counter or Glorious Anthem, then its power keeps raising itself because of layers.
Layers don't loop like that though. The real problem (I think) with that previous version would be when there are multiple alpha creatures each one could have different values. The alpha creature with the oldest time stamp would use the highest power among non-alpha creatures, then if that creature's power is raised in layers 7c, 7d, or 7e the alpha creature with the next time stamp would use that new number, continuing for each subsequent time stamped alpha creature.
That card has completely gone under my radar. I didn't know proto-Serene Master existed. Although, power exchange seems to be the very opposite what green would do. I would use that ability in every other color before I would place it in green. Also, that seems to have some serious memory issues (if the exchange is permanent).
Riptide Mangler doesn't change other creatures, it just makes its own base power equal to the calculated power of any creature. You just have one number you have to remember for itself. The main problem with Riptide Mangler is that it can target itself, which because of layers means you can raise its power with Auras, Equipment, or +1/+1 counters, and then you can repeatedly activate targeting itself to set its previous final calculated power as its new base power.
Land copying currently pretty much limited to lands themselves (Vesuva, Thespian's Stage) which makes sense. Creating a bunch of various land token copies would get out of hand very quickly (memory issues).
Actually, I made this card before, inspired by cards like Sakashima the Impostor that make copies except remember some previous characteristic.
Stone Sentinel1GG Creature - Elemental (R)
Vigilance
You may have CARDNAME enter the battlefield as a copy of any land on the battlefield, except it’s a 3/3 green Elemental creature in addition to its other colors and types and it has vigilance.
3/3
Mox Agate0
Artifact
When Mox Agate enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay 1. T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Yeah, that is too good since it can pay its own cost. I wonder about one small little change though.
Bismuth Pendant0 Artifact (R)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay C. T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Still pretty close to Lotus Petal at its worst, so probably still too good. Although, that idea could go towards a land like Rupture Spire, but enter untapped.
Bismuth Peaks Land (C)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay C. T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
And even if you did try to apply both, they are two replacement effects trying to affect the same permanent, so that permanent's controller chooses which order to apply them. Mechanically I'm not sure exactly. Either:
1) You make one choice, then the second choice overwrites the first choice.
2) You make one choice, then the second ability is no longer there to be applied.
Functionally though, it doesn't really matter either way. The player just chooses any creature to copy like with Clone. It only ever enters as a copy of one creature. It doesn't enter, then suddenly change. You don't need to call over a judge because your opponent doesn't know the intricacies of how the two replacement effects interact.
Add Spitting Image to that list. Copying creatures is at least close enough to green that color-pie-bleeding hybrid cards can get access to Clone effects. Otherwise I agree that green should usually be limited to copying your own stuff like Cackling Counterpart. (Blue is still fine copying anybody's stuff though.)
Spontaneous Reproduction - With a "you control" restriction, this could work really well in green.
Surging Birth - This feels a bit awkward. Like maybe it should be red-green and give both the creature and the token +2/+2 and haste until end of turn. Either way, it should also be a "creature you control".
Forest Lake Seer - This is dangerous since it can abuse deck stacking and leaves the card on top of your library allowing you can activate it during your opponent's turn, then again during your upkeep if you hit something really juicy.
Original Self - Should just be worded like Miming Slime.
Wurminize - Huge colorbleed. However, make that "noncreature spell" and an Ooze or Elemental token for better flavor and it might be acceptable enough for a special non-standard-legal product like a commander set where colorbleeds appear to be more acceptable.
Mitotic Imitator - This is probably too good with enter/leave triggers, plus the "smaller" tokens actually get bigger with anything that enters with +1/+1 counters. You could get a similar flavor by working like Body Double or Ritual of the Returned.
You wouldn't be able to use Paradise Mantle's ability like that in that scenario because you can only activate mana abilities while you have priority or while you are paying costs. The problem with the Equipment bouncing around all of the selected creatures (which I don't think it would) would just be triggered abilities when Equipment becomes attached or unattached (like Stitcher's Graft or some future Equipment version of Bramble Elemental) or state based triggers based on a creature's P/T or abilities (like Student of Elements).
Attach any number of target Equipment you control to any number of target creatures you control.
How is this ambiguous?
You can choose different numbers of targets for Equipment and creatures. It can still make some sense if you choose more Equipment than creatures, but it gets awkward if you choose more creatures than Equipment.
1/24/2013: Other creatures assigned to attack alongside Ember Beast don’t have to attack the same player or planeswalker. Other creatures assigned to block alongside Ember Beast don’t have to block the same creature as Ember Beast.
The all creatures version is functionally just:
Target player can't block this turn unless he or she blocks with two or more creatures.
Regarding the reworded ultimate, it should let the player choose how many cards to exile in case there are any that the player can't or doesn't want to cast.
Or you could just cast the cards right away during the resolution of the ability like Jace, Architect of Thought and Chandra Ablaze.
What is wrong with citing Flameshadow Conjuring for figuring out how to word this? I wasn't in any way suggesting that it should be an enchantment, if that was somehow your concern. I'm just looking at the wording of the token creation, haste, and exile. Heat Shimmer gives the exile as an ability to the token, which WotC tested a little, but is now fairly irregular formating.
9/15/2013: However, if the sacrificed creature is put into another public zone instead of the graveyard, perhaps because it’s your commander or because of another replacement effect, it will return to the battlefield from the zone it went to.
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. Create a token that's a copy of that creature. That creature and the token gain haste until end of turn. Exile the token at the beginning of the next end step.
Layers don't loop like that though. The real problem (I think) with that previous version would be when there are multiple alpha creatures each one could have different values. The alpha creature with the oldest time stamp would use the highest power among non-alpha creatures, then if that creature's power is raised in layers 7c, 7d, or 7e the alpha creature with the next time stamp would use that new number, continuing for each subsequent time stamped alpha creature.
Actually, I made this card before, inspired by cards like Sakashima the Impostor that make copies except remember some previous characteristic.
Creature - Elemental (R)
Vigilance
You may have CARDNAME enter the battlefield as a copy of any land on the battlefield, except it’s a 3/3 green Elemental creature in addition to its other colors and types and it has vigilance.
3/3
Yeah, that is too good since it can pay its own cost. I wonder about one small little change though.
Artifact (R)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay C.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Still pretty close to Lotus Petal at its worst, so probably still too good. Although, that idea could go towards a land like Rupture Spire, but enter untapped.
Land (C)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay C.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
1) You make one choice, then the second choice overwrites the first choice.
2) You make one choice, then the second ability is no longer there to be applied.
Functionally though, it doesn't really matter either way. The player just chooses any creature to copy like with Clone. It only ever enters as a copy of one creature. It doesn't enter, then suddenly change. You don't need to call over a judge because your opponent doesn't know the intricacies of how the two replacement effects interact.
Aether Conduit 0
Artifact (U)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you get EE (two energy counters).
It fuels energy cards and the cards that care about you controlling artifacts.
Spontaneous Reproduction - With a "you control" restriction, this could work really well in green.
Surging Birth - This feels a bit awkward. Like maybe it should be red-green and give both the creature and the token +2/+2 and haste until end of turn. Either way, it should also be a "creature you control".
Forest Lake Seer - This is dangerous since it can abuse deck stacking and leaves the card on top of your library allowing you can activate it during your opponent's turn, then again during your upkeep if you hit something really juicy.
Original Self - Should just be worded like Miming Slime.
Primal Mimic - Seems like this should follow the example of Quicksilver Gargantuan. Otherwise it shouldn't be copying; it should just create a token like Broken Visage/Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet/Ritual of the Returned. I'm also reminded of Riptide Mangler as another option that could work well in green, although if you go that direction Riptide Mangler should have had a targeting restriction "another target creature".
Wurminize - Huge colorbleed. However, make that "noncreature spell" and an Ooze or Elemental token for better flavor and it might be acceptable enough for a special non-standard-legal product like a commander set where colorbleeds appear to be more acceptable.
Mitotic Imitator - This is probably too good with enter/leave triggers, plus the "smaller" tokens actually get bigger with anything that enters with +1/+1 counters. You could get a similar flavor by working like Body Double or Ritual of the Returned.
Stealth (This creature can't be blocked unless all creatures attacking the same player or planeswalkers that player controls are blocked.)
You can choose different numbers of targets for Equipment and creatures. It can still make some sense if you choose more Equipment than creatures, but it gets awkward if you choose more creatures than Equipment.