Cool Card Design of the Day2/26/2013 - Everybody wants to block Stealer of Secrets, but nobody wants to block Slate Street Ruffian. What if we married the two to make a blue creature that your opponents don't want to block?
I kind of waffled between whether it should be an Illusion or a Faerie. Splitting the difference is not what Creative would do.
We'd have a card that we might as well write "Phantom of the Loch is unblockable" on?
ReplyDeleteWhat if it were green?
DeleteIf I'm facing an unblockable creature, an entire avenue of interaction is closed to me. A creature like Phantom of the Loch gives me options. Not great options, but options. I always prefer "You can do X, but it will cost you," to "You cannot do X."
DeleteI think this is a direction that either becomes the norm for saboteur effects or is heavily mined as a theme of a set. It's not really unblockable in practice. Players will have to block and hopefully kill the creature to keep the effect a one-off. And if both players have the trigger... well that could be very interesting. I would love to see Specters switch to this trigger.
ReplyDeleteIt already exists on several cards:
ReplyDelete- Chambered Nautilus
- Drelnoch
- Saprazzan Heir
- Slith Strider
I think it would be better off on green creatures or possibly red ones since it's effectively a punisher mechanic. Realistically it fits into green's current color pie but I think it would be a much more interesting mechanic in red.
I particularly like the idea of using this ability in green because its a new type of evasion the color needs, fits the color pie, and combos well with "must block" effects. It might be better as "Whenever ~ deals damage to a creature" so that it also combos with fight.
ReplyDeleteMaybe one trigger is red, while the other is green:
ReplyDeleteAngry Recruiter 2R
When Angry Recruiter becomes blocked, you may put a creature card with power 2 or less from your hand onto the battlefield.
2/2
Scholar of Blows 2G
Whenever ~ deals damage to a creature, draw a card.
2/2
Despite the blue precedent, I agree would be good to see more of in green. Rot Wolf was fun and powerful, and plays very similarly. As a bonus, it turns your giant growths into 2-for-1s when your opponent tries to block and trade.
ReplyDeleteIf its the "blocked" trigger rather than the damage trigger, you could even rip the Giant Growth you need to keep your dog alive.
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