Cool Card Design of the Day12/17/2012 - I think the inspiration for this design was probably, "What kind of Tutor can we get for four mana? What's an effect worth 1 less than Diabolic Tutor?" The only other possibility I can imagine is that I was thinking about how all the good black cards cost 4 and how cute it would be to have an efficient way to tutor them up.
All I'm saying is, if this was a top-down design, lock me up immediately.
EDIT: I'm adding both the Instant version that stays true to the original idea and the cleaner version, both with more precise templating:
Forceful Tutor?
ReplyDeleteIf we go with Evan's suggestion, Lazy Tutor or Cheap Tutor.
DeleteFour-ceful tutor?
DeleteI'd throw an "or less" on this one, or else I could see it be really confusing to new players when they expect it to do something it doesn't. Otherwise, nice simple design.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I think you're right.
DeleteGetting CMC 4- is still enough worse than any card to warrant the lower cost (though 1BB might be better then).
If it were more important to keep the joke, it should probably an instant, but it's never more important to keep the joke.
I also think it's cute as-is in a "This is my turn 3. Guess what I'm playing turn 4" kind of way.
ReplyDelete~@hamiltonianurst
Right? And while it's a different thing entirely, I also like the way the instant version plays: "End of your turn, tutor for Damnation/Korlash/Etc. My turn, play it. "
DeleteWaaay back in the day, there was RGB Scapeshift playing Dimir House Guard in extended. T3 Transmute into your choice of T4 Scapeshift, BBE, or Cranial Extraction was such a cool play.
ReplyDelete"4 or less" might very well be broken (or at least, breakable). Then again, I love Beseech the Queen, and it hasn't done anything troublesome, so...
THAT might be where I got the idea. "What if Transmute were just a card?" Crazy how many possible paths could lead to this card, and how even its originator can't remember which was taken.
DeleteMy guess is that "4 or less" isn't broken, but is Very Good.
Ian (@Kirblar024) tells me of a Brendan (@hamiltonianhurst) design that wouldn't appeal to everyone, but I love it:
ReplyDeleteDystopic Tutor 2B
Sorcery
Search your library for a card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
An opponent names a nonland card. Reveal your hand and discard each card with that name.
It could potentially be 1B or BB, though that's pushing it. It could also have Flashback or something like that.
I love the mind game there, but it's a very spikey thing and I wouldn't expect everyone to enjoy it.
Well, that's going in every black EDH deck ever.
DeleteTangentially, I think tutors should be sorceries unless there's a very specific need for them to be instants.
ReplyDeleteI think that stands for everything.
DeleteI do take it you don't think the cuteness of "At the end of your third turn, I get a card; My fourth turn, I play said card" justifies HT2.
It's not just cute, it's also incredibly powerful in draw-go control.
DeleteYeah, not worth it. Keeping Cancel (or whatever) open on turn 3 seems pretty good.
DeleteNo disagreement that it would be Very Good.
DeleteThis gives me an idea:
DeleteBloodsucking Tutor 2B
Instant
Search your library for a card with converted mana cost X, where X is the amount of life target player lost this turn. Reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.