Cool Card Design of the Day12/6/2017 - Here's a six-mana rare that does nothing on its own. Also, it lets you counter more than one spell and is therefore completely broken, like Counterbalance and Forbid.
Obviously you want to play Master's Journal in a deck full of instants, preferably instants that draw you cards and/or untap your lands. You also kind of want them to be expensive, or even better, have X in the mana cost so you can play some early as well as late. You also don't really want to play cards that only counter spells. Maybe this isn't broken? It's probably still broken.
I think it's fine. It really wants to go in a ramp deck, and ramp spells are almost all sorcery-speed. So are the sweepers that ramping control decks usually prefer to play. There are enough serious deck-building constraints here that I think it could be balanced.
ReplyDeleteCounterbalance and Forbid can easily be active on turn 2 or 3, which is another thing entirely.
I would totally stick this in a Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir Commander deck, though.
DeleteThis should give your spells flash.
ReplyDeleteHah. Yes, that's a very blue card. I agree, it's hard to be sure it's broken when it takes building your deck round it, 6 mana and usually a whole other turn to do anything. But I agree "don't let your opponent do anything" cards are usually broken :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what I want to pair this with. I guess spells with kicker or buyback that increase their cost, but also help you ramp and scry?
Kicker and buyback increase total cost, not cmc.
DeleteDoh! Oops, never mind :(
DeleteIt's an extremely natural mistake. Enough that we need to design around it.
DeleteIs it broken? Is probably the wrong question. Is it fun to play with and against? Is a good question.
ReplyDeleteThe deck building constraints would make it fun to play with in multiplayer I think - basically a race of whether you have enough high CMC spells that they can overwhelm or not - and one where the caster could run out of resources first maybe.
In one on one, top decking.. this would feel like game over, but without the pleasure of ending the game.
A stronger card:
Crazed Counters 4UU
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a spell, you may counter target spell with a lower converted mana cost. If you do, that spell's controller puts the top X cards of his or her library into the graveyard, where X is the converted mana cost of your spell.
I'm also wondering about a version that draws them cards:
DeleteSuicidal Counters 3UU
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a spell, you may counter target spell with a lower converted mana cost. If you do, each player draws X cards, where X is the converted mana cost of your spell.
I like Crazed Counters.
DeleteThe card drawing from Suicidal Counters helps its controller much more because it helps ensure they've got a big instant to cast over top of their opponent's action.
(Though I feel like baiting things out with small spells might be fun-ish).
Free Half-Counters 3UU
DeleteEnchantment (rare)
Whenever you cast a spell, you may counter target spell with a lower converted mana cost. If you do, that spell's controller draws a card.
This removes the card advantage.