Cool Card Design of the Day5/16/2011 - There are fair arguments for Lessons of Battle to be black (profiting from death), green (predation) or white (battle experience), but I like it in red (where it also represents battle experience) because I feel like white "war" cards should revolve around tactics and formations while red "war" cards should revolve around brute strength, passion and vengeance.
This type of spell—sort of a one-turn enchantment—is less common but certainly not unheard of. Overrun is similar, as is Master Warcraft, in that they set up new global conditions for combat this turn only.
It's fascinating how much of a difference being an instant would make on a card like Lessons of Battle: As a sorcery, it's more of a sideways evasion card, but as an instant it would be a trap-like permanent buff.
Note that while this is primarily meant to affect combat, you can also use it to great effect with your Lightning Bolts, Pyroclasms and Prodigal Pyromancers.
It'd feel more red to me if it was limited to creatures put into a graveyard during combat; it makes less sense when "Lessons of Battle" lets you take advantage of, say, sacrificing Eldrazi Spawn during your main phase.
ReplyDeleteNice idea. While there's been creatures that care about creature death, it hasn't been done as a one-shot effect before.
ReplyDeleteI wish this was an instant. I understand that there's a strategic implication to casting it before combat to affect how the opponent blocks (while you're holding a burn spell in hand for surprises), but sometimes it might turn into a weaker "creatures can't block" spell.
If it's going to be sorcery speed, it could be more playable if it's an ETB effect on a creature. But I haven't tried it so maybe it is playable anyways.
Another way is to make it count creatures put into a graveyard this turn, like Fresh Meat.
Do like.
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