Sets BNG Spoilers

[CML]

It's that time of year again, Cubers and Cubettes -- Christmas for Magic players, except it's more like Hanukkah because it happens a lot and it's an intellectual game we're talking about and we have to buy our own presents, except that it's more like Kwanzaa because it's looked upon as a joke by the rest of society.

For reference, here's the only page of Salvation you'll ever need: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/born-of-the-gods-spoiler.html

Kiora, the Crashing Wave: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=149940&d=1387947984 -- You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I enjoyed the blatant J-pop fan-service in AVR a little more.

Pain Seer:

-- Wadds, this might help solve your Black two-drop problem (also, the 'untap' mechanic, like the rest of this block, is a blatant ripoff of Eventide -- see Wake Thrasher).

Dire Flames: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=150552&stc=1&d=1389386473 -- I'm including this mainly so CT draws up a version that goes to the nug asap.

Ephara, God of the Polis: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=150745&d=1389589390 -- totally sweet, though I'd like a few other U/W cards to be devoted to before I slotted in a theme with Plumeveil and Godhead of Awe and friends.

Temples: the UW one seems more thematic than Nimbus Maze, not sure if GW or BR want cipt-lands (and this suggests I should cut one other Temple too, maybe)

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Ephara is totally sweet and unique, but I'm not sure if the white/blue decks my cube makes will hit 5 mana symbols in play. Fun with Augury adept too.

I'm not sure I care about Pain Seer, its not different enough from Confidant for me to not think "why not another Confidant?"

Kiora is definitely card that I will play or not play depending on my mood.

No sweet bestows yet either, but I'm glad its in the set because I really want a decent red one.

 

[Lucre]

Big Crazy Fire
Enchantment (R)
Flash
When Big Crazy Fire enters the battlefield it deals 5 damage to target creature or player, if it came into play during your turn scry 2.

 

[Goldenpineapple]

In case anyone misses it hybrid mana symbols will only be counted once per two-color god (and potentially other cards); it simply checks each symbol if it's either color. Hybrid just says "yes" and gets counted, so super-hybrid cheaties won't be happening.

As far as spoilers so far I'm not excited about pain seer but the mild difference of being able to not kill yourself with it is nice, in addition to the toughness. Worth being active the turn after cast, and able to function without attacking? Eh. I'll probably still try it to see how people value their opponent getting a bob trigger over getting hit harder by something else. Expecting him to do work with mogis's marauder in particular in standard.

 

[Laz]

I still have no idea how devotion to more than one colour works. I saw the Ephara (which I keep reading as Ephera) preview and wanted some sort of clarification. Do both your devotion to white and your devotion to blue have to add up to 7? Obviously not, the card would never become a creature then.
Sum of devotion to white and devotion to blue? Well in that case, the card comes alive solely from Plumeveil...

Is it something like this??? (Sorry, pseudo-code is easiest for me to express this)

boolean isCreature()
    count = 0
    for each ManaSymbol m in PermanentsYouControl {
      if( m = Blue || m = White )
            count++
    }
    if( count >= 7 )
        return true
    else
        return false

That isn't intuitive in the slightest...

 

[Jason Waddell]

I'm not sure that Pain Seer is actually good. Maybe with Opposition...

In case anyone misses it hybrid mana symbols will only be counted once per two-color god (and potentially other cards); it simply checks each symbol if it's either color. Hybrid just says "yes" and gets counted, so super-hybrid cheaties won't be happening.

Ah, thanks, I was going to ask.

 

[CML]

I still have no idea how devotion to more than one colour works. I saw the Ephara (which I keep reading as Ephera) preview and wanted some sort of clarification. Do both your devotion to white and your devotion to blue have to add up to 7? Obviously not, the card would never become a creature then.
Sum of devotion to white and devotion to blue? Well in that case, the card comes alive solely from Plumeveil...

Is it something like this??? (Sorry, pseudo-code is easiest for me to express this)

boolean isCreature()
    count = 0
    for each ManaSymbol m in PermanentsYouControl {
      if( m = Blue || m = White )
            count++
    }
    if( count >= 7 )
        return true
    else
        return false

That isn't intuitive in the slightest...

each U, W, or U/W symbol counts once. they'll each count themselves and start with 2. (it makes sense to me but i do wish they'd found a more elegant way to word it, so goes legal language though)

 

[Laz]

each U, W, or U/W symbol counts once. they'll each count themselves and start with 2. (it makes sense to me but i do wish they'd found a more elegant way to word it, so goes legal language though)

Ah, so what I represented with pseudo-code then (which was something of an exaggeration of the unintuitive nature, I will admit).

Where does this 'hybrid symbols only count as 1' ruling come from?

 

[CML]

Hybrid mana symbols such as

count toward both their colors but aren't counted twice.

 

[James Stevenson]

I like Pain Seer and Temple of Enlightenment, not anything else. Tribute could be quite an interesting, but I'll wait for some more examples. These are not the greatest cards in the world.
Is it really weird to preemptively card tag this post? Like, who cares. I wonder if this could be coded to fetch spoilers.

 

[Jason Waddell]

I kinda like the Nessian Devastator:
~Nessian Devastator

Creature — Hydra

Tribute 6 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may put 6 +1/+1 counter on it.)
When ~ enters the battlefield, if its tribute wasn't paid, you may have ~ fight another target creature.
#129/165 6/6

 

[James Stevenson]

I do too, actually (still thinking about some +1/+1 counter theme), but it still feels like they can choose the side that doesn't hurt them too much. It's true that both side can hurt a lot though, so maybe it's good.

 

[Dom Harvey]

I don't think I would put a 4GG 12/12 in my Cube.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

I'm really unexcited about all these spoilers with the possible exception of kiora. I think CML is right, there's a definite whiff of eventide about the mechanics. I hope they get a bit more exciting. I wonder if the Demi gods will have weapons?

 

[Jonas]

Caring about other things getting untapped and using untapping as part of the payment seems a bit different then caring about when the card itself gets untapped, I think. Also, speculation ahoy on the pain seer, pre-order at 14Euros and up over at MKM.

 

[Jason Waddell]

I dunno, after being so utterly unimpressed with their last Dark Confidant variant, I'm really not expecting much here. Drawing a card during your first upkeep with Confidant and being able to keep him out of combat provides most of the value. There are very few creatures Pain Seer doesn't trade with (or outright lose to).

 

[marwatt]

springleaf drum is in the set aswell btw

 

[Jason Waddell]

springleaf drum is in the set aswell btw

Now I'm imagining some alternate-universe version of MTGS where you can include two copies of a card in your cube so long as they have different set symbols. I mean, what is really the difference between:

and

"Sweet, now our cubes can have two Mind Sculptors!"

 

[Chris Taylor]

Now I'm imagining some alternate-universe version of MTGS where you can include two copies of a card in your cube so long as they have different set symbols. I mean, what is really the difference between:

and

"Sweet, now our cubes can have two Mind Sculptors!"

But not proxies, because that would be an abominations!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chris Taylor]

Also does it worry anyone that one of the keywords in this set is the punisher mechanic? (Browbeat/Vexing Devil/Blazing Salvo etc)

 

[Jason Waddell]

I don't think it's impossible to design cards that offer interesting punisher dynamics.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I don't think it's impossible to design cards that offer interesting punisher dynamics.

Neither do I, but I do find it quite hard for them to be good

 

[Changling Bob]

A stack of +1/+1 counters makes for a better punishment than raw damage to the face, I think.

E: By better punishment I mean the choice is less clear cut.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Check the red common 3/3 for 5: It does both!

 

[Changling Bob]

Oh sure; I mean it's probably better to go '3 +1/+1 counters on this dude or thing' rather than '5 to the face or thing', as either 5 to the face or thing is worse, but three +1/+1 counters is a threat for the rest of the game.