One of the balancing elements here is to leave the 0 placement open to lands, so that the casting player will have to sacrifice a land for each passing.
This is to prevent players from being able to play around it too easily as noted by rowanalpha.
I don't disagree with the XX cost, after the eyes adjust it adds some fiery depth to the concept.
Interesting you bring that up, because I was concerned over the flavor text a bit that it references time in white, although time is legendarily relative to blue.
I had thought to maybe change it from [time] to [suffering].
But maybe it's not so bad to let another color speak on something arguably universal.
Wrath of AgesXX2WW Sorcery
Each player exiles a permanent he or she controls of each converted mana cost from 0 to 20. Repeat this process X times. Suffering tears away from the preciousness of life.
Alt Flavor Text
I had much time to ponder over this. And I'm afraid I will not have enough time yet to find closure of it.
Alt Flavor Text II
Time is the greatest destroyer of life. The bindings of all things eventually tear away, like the death of a cell, and fade into nothing. Nothing survives. Not a memory or a concern.
I was looking back on Crusade for Balance, and after realizing I had forgot to include "minus 1" clause so that it doesn't repeat at the singular cost, I went into thinking of what it might have wanted to be instead. The original range was 0 to 10, but I didn't think it was right to exclude reach of the Eldrazi.
Can't really speak on the suit as it is, because hyper-accelerating sacrifice like this is going to create polarizing games.
We shouldn't be so desperate for power that we disinvite challenge and the fun of it.
However, it does give me an interesting idea of what if this effect was able to have creatures deal damage from the grave.
What would be like, [whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, each creature card in that player's graveyard deals 1 damage to him or her.]
with a limiter; [up to three target creature cards in that player's graveyard each deal 1 damage to him or her.]
in its rawest form; [if a creature card in that player's graveyard shares a type with that permanent, that creature card deals 1 damage to that player.]
abridged; [This ability triggers only once each turn.]
simplest form would be: [whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, if that player has any creature cards in his or her graveyard, that player loses 1 life]
Entropy Crisis1U Instant
Choose one —
• Counter target creature spell with only one colored mana symbol in its mana cost.
• Counter target noncreature spell with more than one colored mana symbol in its mana cost. Let us dream not to be greater than the greatest gift we are given.
Paradoxical counterspell that wants to provide flexibility from Negate based around an interesting common factor, where many prominent creature spells will have only a single mana symbol in their mana cost, while most prominent noncreature spells tend to have more than one.
I wish there was a way to make this more interactive with the cost or something, but this is pretty much all the room there is for what we're doing.
The current wording will only place one stun counter on a land if a creature died.
If it's supposed to be all of them, it would be something like; "For each creature that died this way, its controller puts a stun counter on a land he or she controls." If you don't want to let them stack stun counters on the same land, add the clause "Players can't place more than one counter on each land this way."
I think the effect is incredibly punishing. It's a total upscale on Infest, and even given the duality of it, there's plenty of potential for abuse. I think some would argue that it's going to slow games down too much to be fun also.
If I had to suggest something alternative, maybe a stun counter for the library, so that each player who had a creature die this way skips their next draw step instead.
I also think the first recommendation you would see for this is to make the body 2/2 here and switch the token over to a 1/1. This would be so that the creature has more suriveability, which you want for best potential make use of the effect
I would suggest you could make the token a 1/2 and that would calm some people, given the suit becomes less swingy.
Reboot(G/U) Instant
Turn target nonland permanent face down as a 2/2 creature. Its controller may pay or flip a coin. If that player does, or wins the flip, they may turn that permanent face up, then put a +1/+1 counter and a shield counter on it if it's a creature. Let's start again. I will return you to the light. I wish only for you to be true and pure again.
Lore Card
Do you honestly believe this miracle will rebirth us in a new glorious light—and not only see us remain in the basics of our old shameful shadows?
Was looking for another alternative extension type removal effect from Beast Within and Rapid Hybridization. Originally, only working with a coin-flip for suspense and pseudo-security of the effect working as removal, the lack of reliability lead me to adapt the alternative cost addition. This symbol by my usage stands for 2 or 2 life. Now, just a 2 cost would have been fine, right? Then the potential to flip a coin adds interactivity and incentive for players that can't afford it. Excellent. But utilizing the phyrexian mana symbol allows this spell to also work as a pseudo-shock in Stompy decks; where very large creatures will still be able offset the +1/+1 counter or shield counters gained; and the loss of life becomes a tactical edge for closing the gap on your opponent and finishing them off.
I think Village would be "draw two cards, then discard a card" if printed/printable.
Same tone in which I had to dial back an ability of mine, Dogma, which allows a player to Coerce you first.
Orange-clad Chevalier needs to say both "permanents and cards with the chosen name" in order to work while a card is on the battlefield as exists as a permanent instead of a card.
Favored Servant is quite a grab-bag. Kinda impartial on it. I think the most that's fair for 4 with haste is a 4/3 (or less) and not a 5/4.
I don't like Nobles being part black, since the term noble is supposed to signify purity of honor and dignity (sanctity). I think the colors should be switched to Blue White; then the citizen should be Green White, and the peasant should be Black White. I understand some "nobles" are "ignobles", but it should use that term instead then.
Creating a clue token on repeat for life gain is going to be very anti-climatic. Surveil by itself is pretty powerful. If you wanted to overclock this a bit, there's not much room to work with.
Creating a food token on the peasant is kind of polarizing. For the cost, this one could be the clue token, but would require a bump to Collect Evidence 3 so that it's not just infinitely cycling 2 mana removals.
Smoke Suspicions is a try-hard alternative removal. A lot of steps were taken to help balance it out I see, but I'm still not certain it's aggressive enough that players would be inspired to play it. It's a happy-go-lucky upper-hand spell, which can quickly get out of hand in competitive play.
Signet would be way more interesting if it cost 0 and enabled a quick mana fix or two, before you can only use the cantrip. That would make it way more exciting and free-flowing. Changing the concept from a signet to something like a passport would be in hand next.
Baron Sengir the Pitch Black3BBB Legendary Creature — Vampire
Flash
Flying, first strike, shroud BBB: Regenerate Baron Sengir the Pitch Black. "We all have origins—some much darker than others; imbued in blood, sweat, and tears. The desperate clawing from the grave to the top of the world."
4/4
I know I've reprised this once before, but I honestly can't stand the previous reprise. It finally got me to thinking that this version would have probably been alright if it were simply a 4/4 instead, then also becoming a better throwback to the classic Sengir Vampire.
I was thinking about adding a Undermine, styled "can't be countered unless" ability instead of flash. But keeping it simple helps to preserve the pure fighter/combat essence that this design was originally intended to capture.
This is to prevent players from being able to play around it too easily as noted by rowanalpha.
I don't disagree with the XX cost, after the eyes adjust it adds some fiery depth to the concept.
I had thought to maybe change it from [time] to [suffering].
But maybe it's not so bad to let another color speak on something arguably universal.
Sorcery
Each player exiles a permanent he or she controls of each converted mana cost from 0 to 20. Repeat this process X times.
Suffering tears away from the preciousness of life.
Alt Flavor Text
I had much time to ponder over this. And I'm afraid I will not have enough time yet to find closure of it.
Alt Flavor Text II
Time is the greatest destroyer of life. The bindings of all things eventually tear away, like the death of a cell, and fade into nothing. Nothing survives. Not a memory or a concern.
I was looking back on Crusade for Balance, and after realizing I had forgot to include "minus 1" clause so that it doesn't repeat at the singular cost, I went into thinking of what it might have wanted to be instead. The original range was 0 to 10, but I didn't think it was right to exclude reach of the Eldrazi.
We shouldn't be so desperate for power that we disinvite challenge and the fun of it.
However, it does give me an interesting idea of what if this effect was able to have creatures deal damage from the grave.
What would be like, [whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, each creature card in that player's graveyard deals 1 damage to him or her.]
with a limiter; [up to three target creature cards in that player's graveyard each deal 1 damage to him or her.]
in its rawest form; [if a creature card in that player's graveyard shares a type with that permanent, that creature card deals 1 damage to that player.]
abridged; [This ability triggers only once each turn.]
simplest form would be: [whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, if that player has any creature cards in his or her graveyard, that player loses 1 life]
Instant
Choose one —
• Counter target creature spell with only one colored mana symbol in its mana cost.
• Counter target noncreature spell with more than one colored mana symbol in its mana cost.
Let us dream not to be greater than the greatest gift we are given.
Paradoxical counterspell that wants to provide flexibility from Negate based around an interesting common factor, where many prominent creature spells will have only a single mana symbol in their mana cost, while most prominent noncreature spells tend to have more than one.
I wish there was a way to make this more interactive with the cost or something, but this is pretty much all the room there is for what we're doing.
Lots more potential for this with Mirror Box.
The effect is punishing, and there are creative ways around it (such as Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth).
But if the intention is mass expanding Desert subtype lands, maybe what really wanted to be done here was that:
Each land is a Desert in addition to its other types and has " : Add C to your mana pool."
If it's supposed to be all of them, it would be something like; "For each creature that died this way, its controller puts a stun counter on a land he or she controls." If you don't want to let them stack stun counters on the same land, add the clause "Players can't place more than one counter on each land this way."
I think the effect is incredibly punishing. It's a total upscale on Infest, and even given the duality of it, there's plenty of potential for abuse. I think some would argue that it's going to slow games down too much to be fun also.
If I had to suggest something alternative, maybe a stun counter for the library, so that each player who had a creature die this way skips their next draw step instead.
I would suggest you could make the token a 1/2 and that would calm some people, given the suit becomes less swingy.
The potential doesn't really bother me.
I would only question if it's "too easy" and not preserving enough challenge.
Instant
Turn target nonland permanent face down as a 2/2 creature. Its controller may pay or flip a coin. If that player does, or wins the flip, they may turn that permanent face up, then put a +1/+1 counter and a shield counter on it if it's a creature.
Let's start again. I will return you to the light. I wish only for you to be true and pure again.
Lore Card
Do you honestly believe this miracle will rebirth us in a new glorious light—and not only see us remain in the basics of our old shameful shadows?
Was looking for another alternative extension type removal effect from Beast Within and Rapid Hybridization. Originally, only working with a coin-flip for suspense and pseudo-security of the effect working as removal, the lack of reliability lead me to adapt the alternative cost addition. This symbol by my usage stands for 2 or 2 life. Now, just a 2 cost would have been fine, right? Then the potential to flip a coin adds interactivity and incentive for players that can't afford it. Excellent. But utilizing the phyrexian mana symbol allows this spell to also work as a pseudo-shock in Stompy decks; where very large creatures will still be able offset the +1/+1 counter or shield counters gained; and the loss of life becomes a tactical edge for closing the gap on your opponent and finishing them off.
Same tone in which I had to dial back an ability of mine, Dogma, which allows a player to Coerce you first.
Orange-clad Chevalier needs to say both "permanents and cards with the chosen name" in order to work while a card is on the battlefield as exists as a permanent instead of a card.
Favored Servant is quite a grab-bag. Kinda impartial on it. I think the most that's fair for 4 with haste is a 4/3 (or less) and not a 5/4.
There seems to be a fad of this lately. Everyone wants to trail draw their deck these days.
Turning every effect into Shadowmage Infiltrator is exciting, but not necessarily climatic.
Creating a clue token on repeat for life gain is going to be very anti-climatic. Surveil by itself is pretty powerful. If you wanted to overclock this a bit, there's not much room to work with.
Creating a food token on the peasant is kind of polarizing. For the cost, this one could be the clue token, but would require a bump to Collect Evidence 3 so that it's not just infinitely cycling 2 mana removals.
Smoke Suspicions is a try-hard alternative removal. A lot of steps were taken to help balance it out I see, but I'm still not certain it's aggressive enough that players would be inspired to play it. It's a happy-go-lucky upper-hand spell, which can quickly get out of hand in competitive play.
Signet would be way more interesting if it cost 0 and enabled a quick mana fix or two, before you can only use the cantrip. That would make it way more exciting and free-flowing. Changing the concept from a signet to something like a passport would be in hand next.
Legendary Creature — Vampire
Flash
Flying, first strike, shroud
BBB: Regenerate Baron Sengir the Pitch Black.
"We all have origins—some much darker than others; imbued in blood, sweat, and tears. The desperate clawing from the grave to the top of the world."
4/4
I know I've reprised this once before, but I honestly can't stand the previous reprise. It finally got me to thinking that this version would have probably been alright if it were simply a 4/4 instead, then also becoming a better throwback to the classic Sengir Vampire.
I was thinking about adding a Undermine, styled "can't be countered unless" ability instead of flash. But keeping it simple helps to preserve the pure fighter/combat essence that this design was originally intended to capture.