General Riptidelab mostly-custom cube attempt #1

Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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Let's be real here: you add more complexity by making changes to an existing card. I don't think it's super relevant to the discussion, but anybody who would play this would be familiar with normal Magic. Reprints give them a foothold. I expect 0 players to be like "why is there an enchantment creature in your set?".
 
anotak

anotak

To me it is more about it being potentially misleading when they open pack 1 and see that and think there will be more.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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I would agree with you 100% if we were talking about creating a custom card and randomly making it an enchantment creature for no reason.

I don't know, I never open Shardless Agent or that 2W Phyrexian Mana guy and assume there's an artifact theme in said cube (nor do I assume there is an enchantment theme in a cube if I see Courser). I also don't imagine anyone is going into the set completely blind, and presumably the rest of the pack (and whoever is organizing said draft) should clue them in. I totally agree about the underlying idea (Ash Zealot in RTR is mildly jarring) but I really don't think this is an area where players would be misled.

Lastly, I also think it's important that by taking "good stuff" cards players are naturally guided into some of the set's synergies.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
anotak said:
To me it is more about it being potentially misleading when they open pack 1 and see that and think there will be more.
Click to expand...

I feel this way about things like slivers or entomb.

Courser is fine on it's own in a way most of these misleading cards aren't, so I don't think it sends a signal to your drafters.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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The main difference is in rules text. I don't assume a set has a Goblin subtheme just because I see a creature with subtype Goblin. I assume it when I see Goblin Grenade or a card that says "Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1".
 
anotak

anotak

this isn't a subtype though, the only time enchantment creatures have been done is an enchantment theme context. its weird
this is a pretty narrow thing to get stuck on though.

we can think about how enchantment creatures or some kind can fit into the the larger thing somehow maybe. enchantment lands? that's scary somehow. an small enchantment subtheme like what either ravnica could fit in somehow, and just include some enchantment creatures and then it is less out of balance
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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I say we table this discussion for now because it's kind of distracting. If you want to make a custom card that is Courser sans Enchantment type, cool. I'd just run Courser for player familiarity, and out cubes would play identically. I am not against the idea of an enchantment subtheme, but I'd want more justification than "it makes courser fit better".

Let's talk about other things:
Hindsight, Enchantment: {1}{U}{U}
Play with the bottom of your library revealed.
Pay {1} : You may play cards from the bottom of your library until end of turn.

Swamp
When <cardname> enters the battlefield you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.

Mountain
When <cardname> enters the battlefield, target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.

Plains
When <cardname> enters the battlefield, something something. 1 damage prevention? These should be effects that work at instant and sorcery speed.

Island
When <cardname> enters the battlefield, target creature gains flying until end of turn. Or Scry 1? I have a question of whether these should be combat tricks or just positive benefits that affect you. Should your opponent need to play differently based on what fetchlands you have uncracked? Seems cool. "He has a Polluted Delta open, what should I do?"

Forest
When <cardname> enters the battlefield, do something green. Trample?
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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Experimental Kudzu, Creature - Plant, {G}, 0/1
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Experimental Kudzu.

Reflecting Birds, Creature - Bird, {G}, 0/1 Flying
{T}: Add to your mana pool one mana of any type that a land you control could produce.
 
anotak

anotak

here's some relevant past card designs of mine
anotak said:
Surreal Meadow
Land — Plains
Surreal Meadow enters the battlefield tapped.
When Surreal Meadow enters the battlefield, exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under your control.
Click to expand...
anotak said:
Echoing Woodland
Land — Forest
({T}: Add {G} to your mana pool)
Echoing Woodland enters the battlefield tapped.
When Echoing Woodland enters the battlefield, put target land card from your graveyard into your hand
Click to expand...
this one comes with hybrid baggage and some other stuff but it does play well with "top of library" and lands themes:
Scrying Grove
Land
Scrying Grove enters the battlefield tapped.
{T}: Add {G} or {U} to your mana pool.
{1}{G/U}, {T}: Look at the top card of your library. If that card is a land, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.
Click to expand...
 
anotak

anotak

thoughts on these weirdnesses

idea 1: can landfall be an interesting drawback somehow?
idea 1.5: ok this one isn't REALLY a drawback
Freaky Drake {2}{U}
Creature — Drake
Flying
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, return Freaky Drake to its owner’s hand.
4/3

idea 2: ok this is probably too johnny/spike but "exactly X lands"
Riptide Looter {1}{U}
Creature — Merfolk Rogue
{T}: Draw a card, and then unless you have exactly two lands, discard a card.
1/1

idea 3: enchantment lands? enchantments don't tap. this is probably broken in an uninteresting way
BAD IDEAS 2014
Enchantment Land
White spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
 
anotak

anotak

Lucre said:
Omg these are pretty hilarious. What would this blue deck look like lol.
Click to expand...
i don't know exactly. i guess like a low-curve tempo deck.

i think the landfall bouncy guy has potential, i don't really know about the other two but i'd love to hear some thoughts on it. the goofy enchantment landy thing has synergy with the other two kind of
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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{2}{B}, Drawback Demon, Flying, 5/3.
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Drawback Demon gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
anotak said:
Freaky Drake {2}{U}
Creature — Drake
Flying
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, return Freaky Drake to its owner’s hand.
4/3
Click to expand...

I like the idea of uncracked fetches serving as protection in a way that isn't only Steppe Lynx dodges Pyroclasm.
 
Kuldahar

Kuldahar

From the "Print this Wizards" thread:
Lucre said:
World Wielder {1}{G}
Creature - Elf Wizard (U)
When World Wielder enters the battlefield, return a land you control to your hand then search your library for a plains, island, swamp, mountain or forest card and put it into play tapped.
1/1
clear.png
clear.png
clear.png
Click to expand...

This card would definitely help landfall and landstorm.

Landstorm looks like it could have some interesting design space:

Surge of Nature {G}{1}
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Landstorm


I would also consider making Steppe Lynx a boros hybrid 1 drop, so red can use landfall aggro more effectively.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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Landstorm is an interesting mechanic because the "base" value is calibrated to 2 (the original + one copy) but the card needs to be "not broken" at X = 3 or 4.

{2}{U} Landivination, Sorcery
Draw a card. Landstorm.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

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Staff member
{1}{R}, Lark Lightning, Instant
Lark Lightning does 1 damage to target creature or player.
Landstorm.

{R}, Rimpulse, Sorcery
Exile the top card of your library. You may play that card until end of turn.
Landstorm.

Maybe that's dumb because you have to already play your land for the turn to make it better, then you can't play lands off the top.

{R}{G}, Grimpulse, Sorcery
Exile the top card of your library. You may cast that card until end of turn. Put any lands revealed this way onto the battlefield.
Landstorm.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
{G}{B}, Emtombloam, Sorcery
Search your library for a land card and put it into your graveyard. Then shuffle your library.
Return up to two (three?) land cards from your graveyard to your hand.
 
Kuldahar

Kuldahar

Hmm I think Grimpulse should be limited to 1 extra land that turn. If you play it on turn 2 and you have already played a land, and cracked a fetch land, you have 3 copies of that spell. If your library just happens to have 3 land cards on top, you have 5 landfall triggers, and just ramped yourself up to 5 lands on turn 2. Then you can play another copy (assuming more than 1 in the cube lol), or another landstorm spell with 5 copies. And they may be fetch lands, which you can crack for more landfall triggers!

Uh I think you can see where I am going with this.

Lark Lightning seems sweet though.
 
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