Unending Malice - I get the Rancor reference, but this feels very red to me. The name doesn't help.
Veracious Paladin - Nothing really wrong here, but Vigilance/Flash don't mesh too well because they're each useless when you're using the other one. Vigilance won't help you the turn you flash something in since you won't be attacking, and flash doesn't help you at all after the turn it's played.
Crystal Drake - Feels a bit strange to me for two reasons. One, blue doesn't go in much for the entirely colored mana costs, especially on creatures. That's a characteristic most seen on black or green. Probably okay if it somehow fits your theme, but I wouldn't do it otherwise. Two, a 3/3 body for three, while probably not too overpowerfully undercosted, is kinda counter to blue's normal subpar creatures.
To the Rescue - Definitely undercosted. People will often attack for 10+ damage, and producing that many tokens for three mana will swing the game from almost lost to all but won. Also creates unfun board states where people refrain from attacking in fear of one of these.
Bugsauce - Reach and attacking abilities feel bad together. When I cast it, I always feel a bit bad because I've wasted one of the abilities. Also possibly a bit undercosted, (compare Unnatural Predation and Snare the Skies) though I doubt it would break anything.
NAME - Definitely an upgrade to Gravedigger, but that was never all that scary, so should be fine. (I think.) Could potentially be very good, though, so playtesting is probably a good idea.
TITLE - Not all that great by modern standards, but perfectly printable. Not every card can be a winner.
Wall of Horns - For some reason, the color on this seems off to me. It falls within black territory, but I a bit strange looking at it.
What about
"Each player secretly chooses a number, then all players (simultaneously?) reveal their numbers and lose life equal to the number they chose. Then, if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life. "
Two "thens" in a row, which sounds a bit clunky, but would it at least work?
Also, re-examining the card, I guess it does make more sense in black, but my mind immediately went to red I guess because Goblin Game is a pretty ingrained part of my sense of the color pie. Could it be reworded to deal damage?
"Each player secretly chooses a number, then all players reveal their numbers and ~ deals damage to each player equal to the number they chose. Then, if any player has more life than all other players, ~ deals 5 damage to that player. "
It's getting more and more clunky, but I think it's still pretty understandable...
This is a card I've been trying to make play well:
Insert Name Here1RRR Sorcery(R)
Each player simultaneously loses any amount of life, then if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life.
It creates a lot of very interesting situations, especially when players are at different life totals, but I'm not sure if the current wording works. (and I have a feeling it doesn't) The main issue I see with it is finding a way for both players to reveal their number at the same time, (casual games should just be able to say it at the same time, and competitive games where it matters more should have some kind of paper on hand, but I feel like the method might need to be spelled out on the card)
This is a card I've been trying to make play well:
Name1RRR Sorcery(R)
Each player simultaneously loses any amount of life, then if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life.
It creates a lot of very interesting situations, especially when players are at different life totals, but I'm not sure if the current wording works. (and I have a feeling it doesn't) The main issue I see with it is finding a way for both players to reveal their number at the same time, (casual games should just be able to say it at the same time, and competitive games where it matters more should have some kind of paper on hand, but I feel like the method might need to be spelled out on the card)
Infatuation doesn't really fit Narcissus flavor at all... I like the card, but wish they hadn't wasted a good opportunity for flavor wins like Chained to the Rocks or Hundred-Handed One.
It seems to me like hybrid mana would just count normally. Besides the fact that it's pretty broken, hybrid works as an this or that kind of deal. With monocolor devotion, you can choose each symbol to count towards one of its colors, but when you're counting both, it seems like each symbol would still only count as one of its colors. We'll probably just have to wait until we get confirmation from Wizards, though.
Here's a Selesnya Aggro deck I just cooked up yesterday, pretty similar (except budget, obviously) to the one Craig Wescoe plays. I see there's already a GW Aggro deck listed here, but the lists are pretty different, so I decided to post it.
Background:
I wanted to see if I could adapt a competitive decklist to fit this challenge, and GW Aggro seemed like a good place to start. Working off of a couple of competitive lists I found, I tweaked the deck a bunch and ended up with this:
How it Works:
This is a pretty standard GW list. You have a low-medium curve, can put early pressure on opponents, and have efficient creatures that can stomp over the opponent even in the later game. It speaks for itself, really. There's a good bit of token love in there: Rootborn Defenses is a sweet board wipe counter that often nets you a 3/3 centaur or even a tramply wurm as a bonus. In fact, if you play Rootborn Defenses in response to a Supreme Verdict with any token on the board, you're usually about to win. Advent of the Wurm is, of course, awesome, and Scion of Vitu-Ghazi kicks ass. (and for cheap!) It plays pretty much like the competitive version, (though it misses Voice of Resurgence a bit) and wins pretty consistently.
Sideboard:
As with any competitive deck, the sideboard here plays a huge role. Here are the main decks I can imagine facing:
Mono Black Devotion
The best way to beat mono-black is to put a lot of pressure on the board quickly. I would bring in 2 Brave the Elements to protect our early aggression, and take out 2 Rootborn Defenses, which usually aren't worth it against mono-black. Post-board, T2 Pack Rat is brutal, so you can bring in Pithing Needle if you're worried about that.
Mono Red
There are two mono-red decks, really; there are the fast ones, with a very low curve, and the devotion-ish deck with Stormbreath Dragon and some other fatties. For both of them, the best path to success is usually a large Fanatic of Mogis, so you want enough life-gain to get out of fanatic range. Bring in 1 Centaur Healer, 1 Last Breath, and 2 Unflinching Courage, and take out 2 Rootborn Defenses and 2 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi against the fast deck, and 2 Rootborn Defenses and 2 Banisher Priest against the slower one. The Scion is just too slow, they don't have enough wipes for Rootborn Defenses to matter, and Banisher Priest is too easily killed. The Last Breath is to deal with problematic creatures like Firefist Striker.
Mono Blue
This matchup is tricky. Master of Waves is death for this deck. You must kill it, or you will lose. No other options. To that end, I side in 2 Banisher Priest and 2 Last Breath, strictly for killing Master of Waves and Thassa. I take out 2 Druid's Deliverance and 2 Rootborn Defenses.
Esper Control
They rely fairly heavily on their sweepers, so don't overextend and keep mana up for Rootborn Defenses. Add 3 Rootborn Defenses and take out 2 Druid's Deliverance and 1 Selesnya Charm. You can also take out a few more Charms for Pithing Needles to help with Elspeth, Sun's Champion, or possibly Jace, Architect of Thought.
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 11 / 11 / 10 / 4 / 2 / 0
AVERAGE CMC: 2.28
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $9.98
REMAINING BUDGET: $0.02 (really squeezed out every last cent)
There's always at least one walker in each set, and never more than 5 walkers in a block. (Alara doesn't count, they were still figuring out their system then) There are three walkers in Theros, so we already basically knew this.
A six mana enchantment that doesn't effect the board the turn it's played and requires you to have multiple creatures with high power to function efficiently isn't gonna fly.
He didn't blind Polyphemus's cave to escape Polyphemus, though...
Veracious Paladin - Nothing really wrong here, but Vigilance/Flash don't mesh too well because they're each useless when you're using the other one. Vigilance won't help you the turn you flash something in since you won't be attacking, and flash doesn't help you at all after the turn it's played.
Crystal Drake - Feels a bit strange to me for two reasons. One, blue doesn't go in much for the entirely colored mana costs, especially on creatures. That's a characteristic most seen on black or green. Probably okay if it somehow fits your theme, but I wouldn't do it otherwise. Two, a 3/3 body for three, while probably not too overpowerfully undercosted, is kinda counter to blue's normal subpar creatures.
To the Rescue - Definitely undercosted. People will often attack for 10+ damage, and producing that many tokens for three mana will swing the game from almost lost to all but won. Also creates unfun board states where people refrain from attacking in fear of one of these.
Bugsauce - Reach and attacking abilities feel bad together. When I cast it, I always feel a bit bad because I've wasted one of the abilities. Also possibly a bit undercosted, (compare Unnatural Predation and Snare the Skies) though I doubt it would break anything.
NAME - Definitely an upgrade to Gravedigger, but that was never all that scary, so should be fine. (I think.) Could potentially be very good, though, so playtesting is probably a good idea.
TITLE - Not all that great by modern standards, but perfectly printable. Not every card can be a winner.
Wall of Horns - For some reason, the color on this seems off to me. It falls within black territory, but I a bit strange looking at it.
"Each player secretly chooses a number, then all players (simultaneously?) reveal their numbers and lose life equal to the number they chose. Then, if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life. "
Two "thens" in a row, which sounds a bit clunky, but would it at least work?
Also, re-examining the card, I guess it does make more sense in black, but my mind immediately went to red I guess because Goblin Game is a pretty ingrained part of my sense of the color pie. Could it be reworded to deal damage?
"Each player secretly chooses a number, then all players reveal their numbers and ~ deals damage to each player equal to the number they chose. Then, if any player has more life than all other players, ~ deals 5 damage to that player. "
It's getting more and more clunky, but I think it's still pretty understandable...
Sorcery (R)
Each player simultaneously loses any amount of life, then if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life.
Any suggestions?
Name1RRR
Sorcery (R)
Each player simultaneously loses any amount of life, then if any player has more life than all other players, that player loses 5 life.
Any suggestions?
Or even of Innistrad.
I like these.
Background:
I wanted to see if I could adapt a competitive decklist to fit this challenge, and GW Aggro seemed like a good place to start. Working off of a couple of competitive lists I found, I tweaked the deck a bunch and ended up with this:
The Decklist:
TIMESTAMP: 1/6/14 @ 7:24 pm
4 Dryad Miltant
4 Boros Elite
3 Judge's Familiar
3 Precinct Captain
4 Frontline Medic
2 Banisher Priest
2 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
4 Call of the Conclave
4 Alive // Well
1 Rootborn Defenses
2 Druid's Deliverance
4 Selesnya Charm
5 Forest
13 Plains
4 Selesnya Guildgate
2 Unflinching Courage
1 Rootborn Defenses
2 Banisher Priest
3 Last Breath
2 Brave the Elements
2 Pithing Needle
How it Works:
This is a pretty standard GW list. You have a low-medium curve, can put early pressure on opponents, and have efficient creatures that can stomp over the opponent even in the later game. It speaks for itself, really. There's a good bit of token love in there: Rootborn Defenses is a sweet board wipe counter that often nets you a 3/3 centaur or even a tramply wurm as a bonus. In fact, if you play Rootborn Defenses in response to a Supreme Verdict with any token on the board, you're usually about to win. Advent of the Wurm is, of course, awesome, and Scion of Vitu-Ghazi kicks ass. (and for cheap!) It plays pretty much like the competitive version, (though it misses Voice of Resurgence a bit) and wins pretty consistently.
Sideboard:
As with any competitive deck, the sideboard here plays a huge role. Here are the main decks I can imagine facing:
Mono Black Devotion
The best way to beat mono-black is to put a lot of pressure on the board quickly. I would bring in 2 Brave the Elements to protect our early aggression, and take out 2 Rootborn Defenses, which usually aren't worth it against mono-black. Post-board, T2 Pack Rat is brutal, so you can bring in Pithing Needle if you're worried about that.
Mono Red
There are two mono-red decks, really; there are the fast ones, with a very low curve, and the devotion-ish deck with Stormbreath Dragon and some other fatties. For both of them, the best path to success is usually a large Fanatic of Mogis, so you want enough life-gain to get out of fanatic range. Bring in 1 Centaur Healer, 1 Last Breath, and 2 Unflinching Courage, and take out 2 Rootborn Defenses and 2 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi against the fast deck, and 2 Rootborn Defenses and 2 Banisher Priest against the slower one. The Scion is just too slow, they don't have enough wipes for Rootborn Defenses to matter, and Banisher Priest is too easily killed. The Last Breath is to deal with problematic creatures like Firefist Striker.
Mono Blue
This matchup is tricky. Master of Waves is death for this deck. You must kill it, or you will lose. No other options. To that end, I side in 2 Banisher Priest and 2 Last Breath, strictly for killing Master of Waves and Thassa. I take out 2 Druid's Deliverance and 2 Rootborn Defenses.
Esper Control
They rely fairly heavily on their sweepers, so don't overextend and keep mana up for Rootborn Defenses. Add 3 Rootborn Defenses and take out 2 Druid's Deliverance and 1 Selesnya Charm. You can also take out a few more Charms for Pithing Needles to help with Elspeth, Sun's Champion, or possibly Jace, Architect of Thought.
CURVE (0-1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6+): 11 / 11 / 10 / 4 / 2 / 0
AVERAGE CMC: 2.28
TYPE: BDC10 ($10.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $9.98
REMAINING BUDGET: $0.02 (really squeezed out every last cent)