Yuk the new version is an abomination compared to the first version.
The first version was reading interesting and familiar and fun. A very clean and clever design. This version will maybe not be read by some people at the drafting table because it’s too wordy.
Also it’s just another card. There are no similarities so it might as well not be Ella. What was going through your head when you decided to change everything about the card including what type of card it is and how aggressive it is but still kept the art and name? I mean please look at the art and tell me that’s a 6/6 flying haste demon of overpowered aggressiveness. That lady.
I am almost lost for words. Where is Onde and what have you done with them?
There are all placeholder artworks, names, and creature types. I currently am out of credit on my Midjourney account, so creating appropriate art will have to wait for a few days. If flavor is all you are lost for words over, you need not fear. Though, still, don't you think you are being a bit... dramatic? Anyway, I will explain my train of thought.
I didn't think the first version was particularly clever, as it was simply
Academy Manufactor with +1/+1 and a connected channel ability. The problem with that design, in regards to my cube, is that it isn't really supported in Temur. There simply isn't a high enough density of effects to reallly push this design over the edge, though to be fair, there are a handful of cards that can trigger this multiple times. Still, it wasn't an ideal fit for my cube, so I went looking for something more fitting!
While there aren't enough clues, food, and treasures in Temur colors to warrant an
Academy Manufactor clone, there are plenty of tokens to be found, so token synergy is something I can appreciate. I already run
Esika's Chariot, and I was thinking of expanding on that theme slightly with something like
Chitterspitter and/or
Combine Chrysalis. Another theme is ramp, meaning Temur likes to cast big spells. I recently created a dinosaur custom that cared for mana value 6+ cards, and also added
Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty. This new mana cost makes for a card that can be cast for cheap, but also triggers those two cards, because its mana value is actually 6, and work well with the ramp package. Now, I could make give the new "Ella" a static power and toughness, but isn't it more exciting for the ramp deck if you could build a bigger "Ella" by spending more mana on it?
How would you feel about the design if it had an appropriate name, creature type, and artwork? How would you feel about the play pattern if the power and toughness were static (meaning you don't get rewarded for ramping, but the textbox is shorter)? And also, is this design
really too wordy? Honest question, because while I realize that it uses a lot of words, I don't think the card is particularly hard to understand, provided you know what clue tokens, food tokens, and treasure tokens do (and my players do). For example, it has just as many lines as
Lassoed by the Law, only one more than
Hollow Marauder, the same amount as
Great Train Heist or
Assimilation Aegis. In other words, I consider 9 lines to be about the maximum you can put on a card, and this is right at that edge, but not over it in my opinion. I'm curious to hear your opinion.
. I like the design though!
