Actually, in companion style decks like Obosh, the Preypiercer it buffs against a lot of low cost removal for favorable things like Vexing Devil and Adamaro, First to Desire. Although interesting the splash that has to be made for this. And that's of course very dynamic. One doesn't have to be limited by Obosh or Companion to build a deck around the same schematics either, or even run more creative things in those decks where this buff makes that more possible.
Sanctum of the Sky1W Enchantment
Creature spells with flying cost 1 less to cast.
Creatures with flying get +0/+1 as long as they're untapped. You can take away the wings, but you can never take away the will to fly.
Very simple utility enchantment for flying creatures. A dream effect we've seen before, but I think this application is more balanced and intuitive than the likes of Watcher of the Spheres or Warden of Evos Isle. The second effect was originally when attacking or blocking, but not only is that not really as useful for evasive creatures, it lacks a solid explanation and connection to flavor.
Quantum Equilibrium1 Enchantment
Spells and abilities from sources can't target other sources with a converted mana cost exactly 1 greater or exactly 1 less than its own converted mana cost. If you can't see the details, the big picture is irrelevant.
Alt Flavor Text
When the equilibrium breaks, it engages entanglement. The ions become entangled—and are dragged down, or repelled, or dissipated.
This is the counterpart of Quantum Entanglement. This effect is more generalized on the interaction relations of particles and atoms based on their mass and charge. The other way around would obviously be too restrictive, we can't go there. And I had also contemplated an odd and even counterbalance, but that not only was that insane to word out coherently, it would break the game even worse than than the inverse effect of what we have here. I think an even odd quantum interaction could exist, if it simply increased or reduced the cost of spells and abilities instead.
I think it would be, 'you may only grant permanence during your turn'.
Other than that, it's fine. Simple way to get more interactivity out of an card by turning it into a repeater.
I actually think Rowan's method is more out of the way. It doesn't carry the same presence, it's not as fluid (adding flash like that looks tacky), and it doesn't read as easily.
As for this effect, it's a little under-stimulating for me personally. Not as creative or interactive as I would desire. Maybe if it was Forked Bolt, only you have to choose two different targets, that would help a bit.
The think all the synergy is here for a great card.
Definitely room in any deck to splash some token generating spells alongside your removal and draw.
The only innovation that comes to mind is if this spell had the storybook frame, placing the +1/+1 counter effect there, and then giving it flashback so that multiple copies will trigger off Battle cry for your active legend.
I wouldn't say it's always going to be for you outcome. If it was you peek 7 your opponent, that would pretty much ensure you're revealing something important. I'm sure how it's a flavor failure either, when it represents transparency for the generation of mana. That's a big industry standard.
I think peek would be well-received by the players, since it breeds interactivity allowing them to peek at other player's hands.
On the venue of Telepathy, not much actually changes. And that effect hardly breaks the game. It does remove the suspense element, although that's usually only beneficial to player's with (or who gain) the advantage at the moment. If implemented correctly, the appearance of the peek effect would be few and far enough between plays for it to overly disrupt anything.
I also think that adding the peek effect to the design, specifically that it allows you to target multiple players at a time, would suggest to increase costs of standard effects by 1. If I had to adapt this, I would try to change my approach and application of standard effects to keep the cost down.
Prismatic Cultivator could increase the utility of the mana effect if it had you peek cards from your hand to add mana. Essentially transforming it into a Neo-Elves of Deep Shadow. That one-time effect is going to be abysmal.
I wish it was a more interactive type of card advantage. I can't say draw a card for -1 is balanced either. Careful Study effect might be.
Silence token is kinda neat. It would be interesting to see that go into other colors like white, but obviously not the Olympic discus one can just throw around by any means. Because of its domain influence, the application is extremely limited, and distribution would have to be extremely limited as well. Kinda so much so, we couldn't even really make it a token type. Once again, a more interactive, restrictive, or limited form of disruption (such as Divert) might be more applicable.
Solid-state Sentinel2WW Creature — Angel
Flying
Entangler (This creature can block any number of creatures.)
Enforcer 3 (You may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to another attacking or blocking creature. Only half this damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
2/5
Here's a super beater that evolved from originally wanting to place the effect below onto a creature. The playtest name was Donowall. I looked at it and questioned if I would really play it, which I definitely could, but the application here just quartered the potential of the effect so unjustly that I couldn't bear it. What I really started urging for was a super combatant. Something you just look at, and for the firepower just can't help for the stimulation of it wanting to play. That's how it evolved into the current form. I would imagine the anti-face of this design would be Solid-state Kiddie.
Since the technical p/t gain from Enforcer is only perpetual, I feel it's like the Righteousness of Jareth, Leonine Titan and thus fine for the cost. Interactivity still exists where the creature can be dealt direct damage, or split damage between enough creatures (or then burn spells). Deathspells are open and Deathtouch capability is still there if the creature has enough power. First strike gets nerfed a bit (which I personally think is cool). So it all comes out pretty balanced to me. Perpetual combat 4/7 for 4 about right on with a more perpetual combat 11/14 for 6.
Enclosed Quarters2 Artifact
Whenever one or more creatures block, the power of each creature they're blocking becomes equal to the blocking creature of their controller's choice.
Had to switch this over to an artifact because it was a little feel-bad really that the effect speaks on quantum physics, and although the relationship should be there, doesn't denote a more generalized effect of physics interaction. The effect wants to be on a similar line as Crawlspace with a more dynamic interaction.
Originally, I had thought for a moment to put the on a stick, and it became integrated into the angel above, but then it became distasteful to me, because the effect is very intuitive for other colors, but there's not enough incentive to run it in those colors at the elevated cost. This takes fun away from the game as a whole by removing availability (interactivity) from those colors.
It could get a flavor boost if it was based on something like Marvel Secret Wars.
I honestly feel like School of Hard Knocks will only see abuse. It only benefits dramatically powerful creatures. In rare cases, Emerge Unscathed and the like offer combo material. I just can't unsee the most prominent use will be to further very powerful creatures on chump blocking. It's not bad, it's just kinda meh for me. Only way to fix the abuse would be to limit the power/toughness it can +1/+1 creatures till.
It's not total mill protection, it's only permanent cards.
As for the copy function, there really isn't a specific purpose other than to give you an additional copy of a card, which I felt helped add to the wow factor of what it's doing; but it's not really necessary either for what else it does (Gaea's Blessing your permanents). If it does use this function though, it does need to exile itself (rather than sacrifice) to prevent recurrence abuses.
Survival Scroll2 Legendary Artifact Imprint — If a permanent or permanent card you own would be put into your graveyard from anywhere or exiled by another effect, you may exile it imprinted on Survival Scroll instead. X : Put a permanent card imprinted on Survival Scroll with converted mana cost X or less onto the battlefield. Then shuffle all other cards imprinted on it into your library. Exile Survival Scroll.
Flowing straight from the survival scroll. Cut that bird off. Next caller. I wanted originally for this to not be legendary, so you can run multiple survival scrolls at the same time, but it turns out that wasn't feasible for the more important dynamics this cards needs to accommodate for to prevent it from being too slow for reasonable play. With that said, the copy ability originally tapped also; and the entire ability was centered around only being able to copy the card if the number of imprinted cards was equal to or less than the CMC of the desired card. Nice bonus here with how this checks against mill and discard; and also works with effects like March of Reckless Joy to let you keep one of those cards. I think it checks pretty much all the boxes to live up to the hype it should have for the concept it's based around.
Survival Scroll2 Legendary Artifact Imprint — If a permanent or permanent card you own would be put into your graveyard from anywhere or exiled by another effect, you may exile it imprinted on Survival Scroll instead. X : Survival Scroll becomes a copy of any permanent card imprinted on it with converted mana cost X or less. Treat this as it just entered the battlefield. Then shuffle all cards that were imprinted on Survival Scroll into your library.
I think where this logic fails is that cost and effect are really subjective to the card you are playing. Why no one will play Clash of Titans is because they can play Threaten for two less and essentially get the same thing. So like, when we're designing, we do have to consider the third dimensional aspect, and what alike effects can be achieved, and what their effective costs are. This one becomes the middle ground between the two. We can achieve virtually the same thing for one less, but for selection we are paying one more.
Imagine why we've never heard Phyresis was a mistake. Between that and Glistening Oil, I wouldn't be surprised if this exact effect wasn't pondered over at some time and skipped on due to timidness. I honestly just don't see it. Killing a small creature is like one mana, and debuffing another is two or three.At this point, in this form, everything seems there to me. This is also, in the sense you even use it on an opponent's creature and not one of your own.
What logic are you using to conclude that? If you attach this to a creature an opponent controls, you're giving that creature infect (a dangerous liability against you). If you attach it to a lesser creature, to fight a larger creature, only the lesser creature dies. Even if the larger creature is weakened, it's not directly removed as a usable resource. If you attach it to a greater creature to fight a lesser creature, the lesser creature dies, but you have a greater creature with infect as a threat against you. Over turns, this greater creature might be able to devour their whole team of lesser creatures—yet at the mana cost of that—it only hopes to be a worthy expense. If the creatures are equal, it only becomes a more systematic Dead Ringers. That would just be Clash of Titans, but I think we can agree that card looks to be dead in the water and is useless at its cost. I will supplement this could cost one more somewhere, at most.
Addressing the name issue for Photomancy, I think the artifact token will need a name itself, but I should be able to brush up the wording a little more from here so that it's less ambiguous between [the effect of the ability] and not [the activation cost] of the ability (when it says 'in the text of the ability'). This should be do-able by supplementing [in the text of those abilities' effects]. Also, I think maybe [you may replace any names in their ability text with "target creature"]; as 'ability text' is how said text is referenced by in the comp rules.
Enchantment
Creature spells with flying cost 1 less to cast.
Creatures with flying get +0/+1 as long as they're untapped.
You can take away the wings, but you can never take away the will to fly.
Very simple utility enchantment for flying creatures. A dream effect we've seen before, but I think this application is more balanced and intuitive than the likes of Watcher of the Spheres or Warden of Evos Isle. The second effect was originally when attacking or blocking, but not only is that not really as useful for evasive creatures, it lacks a solid explanation and connection to flavor.
Quantum Equilibrium 1
Enchantment
Spells and abilities from sources can't target other sources with a converted mana cost exactly 1 greater or exactly 1 less than its own converted mana cost.
If you can't see the details, the big picture is irrelevant.
Alt Flavor Text
When the equilibrium breaks, it engages entanglement. The ions become entangled—and are dragged down, or repelled, or dissipated.
This is the counterpart of Quantum Entanglement. This effect is more generalized on the interaction relations of particles and atoms based on their mass and charge. The other way around would obviously be too restrictive, we can't go there. And I had also contemplated an odd and even counterbalance, but that not only was that insane to word out coherently, it would break the game even worse than than the inverse effect of what we have here. I think an even odd quantum interaction could exist, if it simply increased or reduced the cost of spells and abilities instead.
Other than that, it's fine. Simple way to get more interactivity out of an card by turning it into a repeater.
I actually think Rowan's method is more out of the way. It doesn't carry the same presence, it's not as fluid (adding flash like that looks tacky), and it doesn't read as easily.
As for this effect, it's a little under-stimulating for me personally. Not as creative or interactive as I would desire. Maybe if it was Forked Bolt, only you have to choose two different targets, that would help a bit.
Definitely room in any deck to splash some token generating spells alongside your removal and draw.
The only innovation that comes to mind is if this spell had the storybook frame, placing the +1/+1 counter effect there, and then giving it flashback so that multiple copies will trigger off Battle cry for your active legend.
On the venue of Telepathy, not much actually changes. And that effect hardly breaks the game. It does remove the suspense element, although that's usually only beneficial to player's with (or who gain) the advantage at the moment. If implemented correctly, the appearance of the peek effect would be few and far enough between plays for it to overly disrupt anything.
I also think that adding the peek effect to the design, specifically that it allows you to target multiple players at a time, would suggest to increase costs of standard effects by 1. If I had to adapt this, I would try to change my approach and application of standard effects to keep the cost down.
Prismatic Cultivator could increase the utility of the mana effect if it had you peek cards from your hand to add mana. Essentially transforming it into a Neo-Elves of Deep Shadow. That one-time effect is going to be abysmal.
I wish it was a more interactive type of card advantage. I can't say draw a card for -1 is balanced either. Careful Study effect might be.
Silence token is kinda neat. It would be interesting to see that go into other colors like white, but obviously not the Olympic discus one can just throw around by any means. Because of its domain influence, the application is extremely limited, and distribution would have to be extremely limited as well. Kinda so much so, we couldn't even really make it a token type. Once again, a more interactive, restrictive, or limited form of disruption (such as Divert) might be more applicable.
Creature — Angel
Flying
Entangler (This creature can block any number of creatures.)
Enforcer 3 (You may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to another attacking or blocking creature. Only half this damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
2/5
Here's a super beater that evolved from originally wanting to place the effect below onto a creature. The playtest name was Donowall. I looked at it and questioned if I would really play it, which I definitely could, but the application here just quartered the potential of the effect so unjustly that I couldn't bear it. What I really started urging for was a super combatant. Something you just look at, and for the firepower just can't help for the stimulation of it wanting to play. That's how it evolved into the current form. I would imagine the anti-face of this design would be Solid-state Kiddie.
I would totally run this alongside Punisher Angel.
Since the technical p/t gain from Enforcer is only perpetual, I feel it's like the Righteousness of Jareth, Leonine Titan and thus fine for the cost. Interactivity still exists where the creature can be dealt direct damage, or split damage between enough creatures (or then burn spells). Deathspells are open and Deathtouch capability is still there if the creature has enough power. First strike gets nerfed a bit (which I personally think is cool). So it all comes out pretty balanced to me. Perpetual combat 4/7 for 4 about right on with a more perpetual combat 11/14 for 6.
Enclosed Quarters 2
Artifact
Whenever one or more creatures block, the power of each creature they're blocking becomes equal to the blocking creature of their controller's choice.
Had to switch this over to an artifact because it was a little feel-bad really that the effect speaks on quantum physics, and although the relationship should be there, doesn't denote a more generalized effect of physics interaction. The effect wants to be on a similar line as Crawlspace with a more dynamic interaction.
Originally, I had thought for a moment to put the on a stick, and it became integrated into the angel above, but then it became distasteful to me, because the effect is very intuitive for other colors, but there's not enough incentive to run it in those colors at the elevated cost. This takes fun away from the game as a whole by removing availability (interactivity) from those colors.
It's kind of in the vein of Tempting Wurm meets Dramatic Entrance.
It could get a flavor boost if it was based on something like Marvel Secret Wars.
I honestly feel like School of Hard Knocks will only see abuse. It only benefits dramatically powerful creatures. In rare cases, Emerge Unscathed and the like offer combo material. I just can't unsee the most prominent use will be to further very powerful creatures on chump blocking. It's not bad, it's just kinda meh for me. Only way to fix the abuse would be to limit the power/toughness it can +1/+1 creatures till.
As for the copy function, there really isn't a specific purpose other than to give you an additional copy of a card, which I felt helped add to the wow factor of what it's doing; but it's not really necessary either for what else it does (Gaea's Blessing your permanents). If it does use this function though, it does need to exile itself (rather than sacrifice) to prevent recurrence abuses.
Legendary Artifact
Imprint — If a permanent or permanent card you own would be put into your graveyard from anywhere or exiled by another effect, you may exile it imprinted on Survival Scroll instead.
X : Put a permanent card imprinted on Survival Scroll with converted mana cost X or less onto the battlefield. Then shuffle all other cards imprinted on it into your library. Exile Survival Scroll.
Flowing straight from the survival scroll. Cut that bird off. Next caller. I wanted originally for this to not be legendary, so you can run multiple survival scrolls at the same time, but it turns out that wasn't feasible for the more important dynamics this cards needs to accommodate for to prevent it from being too slow for reasonable play. With that said, the copy ability originally tapped also; and the entire ability was centered around only being able to copy the card if the number of imprinted cards was equal to or less than the CMC of the desired card. Nice bonus here with how this checks against mill and discard; and also works with effects like March of Reckless Joy to let you keep one of those cards. I think it checks pretty much all the boxes to live up to the hype it should have for the concept it's based around.
Legendary Artifact
Imprint — If a permanent or permanent card you own would be put into your graveyard from anywhere or exiled by another effect, you may exile it imprinted on Survival Scroll instead.
X : Survival Scroll becomes a copy of any permanent card imprinted on it with converted mana cost X or less. Treat this as it just entered the battlefield. Then shuffle all cards that were imprinted on Survival Scroll into your library.
Addressing the name issue for Photomancy, I think the artifact token will need a name itself, but I should be able to brush up the wording a little more from here so that it's less ambiguous between [the effect of the ability] and not [the activation cost] of the ability (when it says 'in the text of the ability'). This should be do-able by supplementing [in the text of those abilities' effects]. Also, I think maybe [you may replace any names in their ability text with "target creature"]; as 'ability text' is how said text is referenced by in the comp rules.