tombspawn slayer - i don't like this, feels too much like the typical custom multicolor card cliche of "2 different completely unrelated things that these colors do stapled onto each other". unwieldy
chains of command - lose the S. seems fine otherwise, possible memory issues?
witch doctor - oh i had a similar design to this still forming for a set with cycling themes, the trigger was "Whenever a player draws a card, ~ deals 1 damage to each opponent.". the second ability might be being too cute though
ensaring orb - don't put a memory test on a removal spell please. also, enchantments aren't / shouldn't be orbs, despite
dispersing orb existing.
necrophidian - cool card, i think i've designed this same card before, it's obvious but that also means it fits well
skaab violator - does ruinator even work? idk how i feel here
gravetiller - good design. it's "too strong" in a positive flashy way, keep an eye on the power level.
ghostbind - memory issues with a non-flashy card? no thanks
stalwart hunter - idk
implacable assault - i'm not sure that being countered is really the issue w playing token generators, i would find another upside. also for ease of use i would try to match the creature type of the tokens to other cards you have? i can't think of anything relevant that makes 1/1 white warriors
I don't know what to think of your critique on Tombspawn Slayer. Stapling together abilities is a major technique to build gold cards, you even like Necrophidian a few cards down, which uses that very same schtick. When abilities of different colors come together in a multicolor card, it can create something bigger than the parts. A famous example would be
Recoil. Anyway, I disagree completely on the unrelatedness and unwieldiness of the 2 different abilities on this card. Yes, it's essentially a
Galepowder Mage with haste, which might not be the most original "tweak", but besides doing the usual Galepowder tricks, haste means it can also act as a pseudo-
Goblin Heelcutter, clearing out a blocker in a surprise attack, which is something Galepowder Mage could never do on its own.
Also, but unrelated to your feedback, it's hard enough to do hybrid cards right (i.e. without overstepping the color wheel boundaries), and this doesn't feel out of place in either
or
. I'm always happy when a hybrid card feels appropriately hybrid.
Chains of Command is actually the pun, there's multiple chains in the art as well.
Also, I see no memory problem. Of course you have to remember that, but effects like these are pretty common, see
Frost Titan,
Dungeon Geists,
Sleep, etc.
Witch Doctor is meant to complement a control strategy, which loves the looter effect. Making it "target player" to go with the
Underworld Dreams effect is a nice little tweak that is indeed nothing more than cute, but occasionally will be useful.
Ensnaring Orb... Yeah. It's just a
Numbing Dose, but I see what you mean. Didn't know what else to call it. Anyway, I'm fine with swapping this out for something better. I'll think about it.
Necrophidian... Yeah, it's nice when just stapling together two unrelated abilities creates a nice little card
I actually tested Skaab Violator before I switched to WRUBG, and it plays really well in Sultai. It's easy enough to dump stuff in your graveyard, and a 6/5 trample puts some serious pressure on your opponent. I was pleasantly surprised!
I had Gravetiller at 1/1, but that would mean it's always wrong to play this on turn 2. I want people to be able to play this on turn 2 as well. So, I deliberately pushed the card. Definitely will check if it doesn't become to annoying.
Ghostbind creates a minor memory issue yeah, but there's multiple cards that create precedent.
Aquitect's Will,
Necromantic Selection,
Rise from the Grave. In this case I run a
constellation theme in Naya colors, which means the rider is relevant for the
deck, and reanimation spells in general are just good in
. Is it really "not splashy" though? There really aren't too many ways to
Zombify creatures, artifacts, enchantments,
and planeswalkers, let alone at four mana! Maybe I should use a counter though, much like
Arbiter of the Ideal does.
Yeah, a resounding meh is not the reaction I want, I admit Stalwart Hunter is rather meh, apart from the flavor text. I like the flavor text
As for Implacable Assault, making three tokens at instant speed at only three mana is very powerful. I don't think it needs a lot of upside, and the "can't be countered" clause is both a good hybrid fit, and useful against control decks. It's an instant, which is good with prowess and
Young Pyromancer in Jeskai colors, and it makes warriors because I am planning to support that tribe in Abzan colors (in lieu of humans). There's a decent amount of warrior tribal support cards that are simply good (or at least passable) on their own, which is exactly what I want from a tribe. Also:
They all seem really cool and well thought out. Not too sure on power level as it is too hard to tell without playing the cube.
The only critiques I have are is that Ensnaring Orb seems a little boring to carry the shard theme. Maybe it could be a mini
Suffocating Blast or something?
The other is that Stalwart Hunter doesn't really feel white. I feel it needs to have some sort of restriction, like the creature needs to have large power/toughness or be attacking/blocking. These obviously make the card worse but nothing that a couple of cost tweaks or a toughness increase can't fix.
Personally love Tombspawn Slayer, card looks exactly like something I would love to play (I'm a big fan of
Galepowder Mage). It would drag me into the Jeskai shard easily.
Lol, diametrically opposed views on Tombspawn Slayer, check.
Ensnaring Orb out. I'll try some replacements. Stalwart Hunter receives another meh, so that needs to be better as well. I was just thinking that the Hunter is terrible for NWO board states as well, but oh well? I could make it activate only any time you could cast a sorcery I guess? Maybe that's not even a bad idea. It makes the board state less complex, and it means there are more choices involved on when to activate the ability.