MTG Salvation

There are a lot of factors to consider.

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.

Hi guys,

I made a counter app for my buddy, and he suggested I share it with the community! It’s free and has some unique features that we haven't seen in the app stores yet. The most unique feature is that its session based: users host/join sessions to keep track of vitals across multiple devices. It allows unlimited devices to be connected and is cross-platform supported!

App Store listing:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magic-commander-counter/id1450538726#?platform=iphone

Google Play Store listing:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.ionic.magic.commander.counter

Or search the stores yourself for "Magic Commander Counter," and look for the green icon.

Why online? My buddy requested this feature to be more strategic when he's checking vitals. When checking vitals on pen/paper, or traditional counter apps, his opponents could see who he was checking. Also, traditional counter apps starve for screen space because they want the device to be shared for the entire group. The session format allows individual users to decide what to display, and it allows the device to take advantage of more screen space!

The app has several features that you guys should check out! I believe it's the most flexible and non-prescriptive counter app out there. It has tablet support, and all mobile devices have landscape and portrait modes. I hope to make it even better after I gain some insight into how people use it. So please, if you try it out, post some feedback/suggestions. I'm accepting feature requests, and your ideas are extremely valuable.

Quote from Brownpaws1 »

Hi, I am very new here and just joined a couple days ago. I posted a deck in Modern and put it into the

DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards

thing, but it came up as if their were no cards in there, did I do something wrong? Also is this in the wrong place?

I responded to your other thread but there were a couple things wrong with the lines in your deck tags. If you look at your other thread, you will see how to get your deck to format correctly.

Also, check out this thread on tags in general:

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/community-forums/community-discussion/576824-the-mtg-salvation-tag-explanation-thread

Quote from Simplysublime »

I think I will change it to exile

Use Magic Set Editor to make your cards. The software is designed to be very accurate to actual cards but recognizable as fake cards. You will have to use card sleeves no matter what you do.

So the thread is back on track!!!

Thanks @Feyd for restoring it.

Quote from saneatali »

Thinking Man's Troll 2UU
Creature - Troll Advisor
U: The next time ~ would die this turn, instead put it on top of its owner's library.
3/3

Good catch. But does it have to say “The next time...”? Couldn’t it just say “If Card Name would die this turn, instead...”?

How about

"Whenever X would die, instead, put it into your library 2nd (or 3rd) from the top."

I think that captures the "slowly regrowing" ability."

Another precursor would be Wayward Soul.

Maybe the ability given by Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, could be flavored as a sort of "Kill me quickly / with overwhelming force, or I'll just grow back and you'll have to try again"? Unlike persist/undying/regen/indestructible/etc., that's actually clearly part of blue's color pie, and it's not necessarily too overpowered to boot.

The bigger issue might be the impact on the set as a whole: 1) It's not a particularly compelling ability, since you can't really build around it; 2) You'd probably want to include more incidental abilities that target that you can combine with others to kill the trolls (more Forge Devil and Cinder Pyromancer), plus things like Diabolic Edict, and 3) Even then, giving a whole subset of the set an ability that invalidates lots of traditional removal might be dangerous.

In general, though, frankly I'm concerned about your very premise. Looking for a regen-type ability seems to lean towards defensive abilities, and if you're not careful then that seems like it implies 1 and 3 no matter what the specifics of the mechanic are.

Also, in general you're looking for a creature mechanic in blue, which is tricky. Maybe level up? That's primarily blue, and you could stretch it as the idea of trolls getting tougher as they age. Or maybe a level-up variant that removes counters when they take damage? It'd be hard to make sure it's not frustrating to play against.