Thursday, April 27, 2017

CCDD 042717—Curvebell

Cool Card Design of the Day
4/26/2017 - I wanted to make a card that would both reward players for playing on curve and help them to do so. It's pretty wordy, but I like what it does.


Ideally, you play this on turn 1, a bear on turn 2, and so on until you can't keep curving, at which point Curvebell cracks and fetches you the next card on your curve. Even just by itself, you play Curvebell, put a counter on it (casting it earns you the first one), and wait a turn to search up a 2cc card. That's strong enough, I'd consider replacing search with reveal-until, but I don't really want to add more words...

Hmm. In a set that's already using cascade, this version is both more elegant and executes more faithfully on the original idea of keeping your curve:


EDIT: Rather than add the charge counter on one side of the 'if' and simulate it on the other, it's clearer to just always add the charge counter:
At the beginning of your end step, put a charge counter on Curvebell. If you cast a spell this turn with converted mana cost greater than or equal to the number of charge counters on it, sacrifice Curvebell and cascade X, where X is that number.

14 comments:

  1. Bellcurve G
    Enchantment (R)
    X, Exile Bellcurve: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a green creature card with converted casting cost equal to X. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in random order. Activate only as a sorcery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This doesn't challenge you to try to curve out, but otherwise does meet my goal, and is pretty cool on its own.

      Delete
  2. Bellcurve G
    Enchantment (R)
    At the begging of your end step, you may pay X and exile Bellcurve. If you dO search your library for a green creature card with converted casting cost equal to X. Put that card onto battlefield and shuffle your library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bellcurve G
      Enchantment (R)
      At the beginning of your end step, tap all untapped lands you control. If you tap any lands this way, sacrifice Bellcurve and reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a green creature card with converted casting cost equal to the number of lands you tapped this way. Put that card onto battlefield and shuffle your library.

      Delete
  3. Junko Curvebell
    1
    Artifact - Mythic Rare
    At the beginning of your end step, put a charge counter on CARDNAME. If you didn't cast a spell with converted mana cost equal to the number of charge counters on CARDNAME this turn, draw a card for each charge counter on CARDNAME, then sacrifice it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoops, misremembered Temple Bell as Junkyo Bell, ignore the name!

      Delete
    2. With the power to get multiple cards, this might need to cost more than {1}, but I dig it otherwise. Rewards staying on curve, and helps (less directly) by drawing you cards that might be playable on curve too.

      Delete
  4. Part pun, part trying to figure out how to do this without charge counters:

    Curvival of the Fittest {1}{G}
    Enchantment (R)
    {G}, Discard a creature card: Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost less than or equal to the number of different converted mana costs among creature cards you own on the battlefield or in your graveyard, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

    Strictly worse, so it's not ever going to be printed; maybe someone else can think of something better to do with the "number of different CMCs" tech?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brain Escapes Jar {X}{U}{U}
      Creature -- Zombie (U)
      Brain Escapes Jar enters the battlefield with two times X +1/+1 counters on it. X can't be greater than the number of different converted mana costs among instants and sorceries in your graveyard.
      0/0

      Delete
    2. As a 5-mana 6/6 with 3 instants/sorceries, this feels strong for constructed, but I couldn't figure out how to balance it so it can still be built around in limited. If self-mill is possible, the 2x multiplier makes it really scary since you don't need to pay a fair price for those counters. (Maybe more justifiable in green or green-black, counting creature cards in graveyard?)

      Attempt #2:
      Brain Escapes Jar {X}{U}
      Creature -- Zombie (U)
      Flying
      Brain Escapes Jar enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it. X can't be greater than the number of different converted mana costs among instants and sorceries in your graveyard.
      0/0

      I'd be interested if folks have feedback on costing -- I'm still uncertain.

      Delete
    3. I think the first is fine - Arbor Colossus hardly saw play and this is harder to build around.

      Delete
    4. Try to eliminate variables:

      Brain Escapes Jar {3}{U}
      Creature -- Zombie (U)
      Flying
      Brain Escapes Jar enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it where X is the number of different converted mana costs among instants and sorceries in your graveyard.
      0/0

      Delete
    5. This is nice and clean! It opens the card up more to self-milling abuse instead and de-emphasizes ramping, but that's probably fun.

      Delete
  5. This reminds me of an old CC design, translated to Magic it would be:

    Wordly Curve G
    Sorcery - (R)

    Search your library for a creature card with CMC one greater than the number of lands you control. Put that creature on top of your deck.

    ReplyDelete