Cool Card Design of the Day8/7/2013 - Timmy doesn't care for deck-thinning effects, and Johnny may not be interested in a one-time effect like this. Spike, on the other hand, is always looking for incremental advantage and improving the consistency of his draws is on his list.
That said, I don't expect Tales of Wandering is efficient enough—even with the life-gain rider—to catch Spike's interest. In formats where you can combo with cards like Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds, Tales could potentially have a home, but even with added purpose, it's pretty expensive, especially for the bigger formats.
So why didn't I make it bigger or cheaper? Symmetry.
Is that a good enough reason? Maybe not. We could argue that we need bad cards, but is Tales of Wandering the type of bad card we need?
I don't know if Mana Severance would be reprinted at {1}{U} today, but surely you could print a card that sifts out just three cards for {G}. Removing the life clause would make that card cleaner too. I like the story of the first version better, but it's not crazy to argue that a card as spikey/melviny as this shouldn't be as concerned with resonance.
Tales of Wandering XG
ReplyDeleteSearch your library for up to X land cards and put them into your graveyard. Shuffle your library.
Gain X life.
"Life is a journey, not a destination".
You could tie the life gained to the number of cards you did mill; it's an (uncommon) stream of life that shores you up in Limited but makes you weaker to mill.
I like the second one, it is the type of card that is ineffective in most constructed formats but for legacy... for legacy, at one mana it probably would be a major boon to one of the most grossly expensive decks available (the most expensive) landstill/43 land. it has it's niche there.
ReplyDeletealternately I might, for one mana, put it down to one land and add a cantrip.
The effect on its own doesn't seem worth a card to Spikes. My attempt to make it appeal to Johnny.
ReplyDeleteBurial Ground {G}
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may search your library for a land card and put it into your graveyard. Shuffle your library afterwards.
Get it? You bury your fallen creatures under dirt.
I would be interested to see a draft environment in which this wasn't a guaranteed last pick.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'd want to play in that draft environment.
DeleteCommon terravores aren't entirely ruled out by NWO.
Delete