M13 Party with Top Down (2)

It's been two weeks since I made the call for top-down submissions and the activity has leveled off so it's time to identify the best. What follows is my list of cards that stood out to me as fun, flavorful and appropriate (at least potentially) for a core set. Click for full-size.

Inspiring Angel's pretty straight-forward. I tried to word this more succinctly, but it became either ambiguous or complicated. If you can find better wording, let me know.

Cyclops Noble is the result of many insightful comments from part one. I like the idea that he never looks at those beneath him. The simplest execution was "can't block or be blocked by creatures with power 1" and that may well prove to be the correct implementation, but I thought I'd try the Skarrgan Pit-Skulk wording.

Pack Mule is one of Trevor's. It's cute and just makes a lot of sense. I doubt we'll have enough equipment to justify it in Magic 2013, but otherwise it seems very core set -ariffic. Ironic that it does what Squire should have.

I had proposed the ability to steal an opponent's creature in black with the drawback that they got it back when it 'died,' but Trevor reversed it and that just makes so much more sense. False Demise in black? Don't mind if I do. Could probably cost 3B or 1BB.

Reckless Summoning was originally green but upon further reflection, it seems more red, given the randomness. It could really probably go either way. It's a different kind of card advantage for either color and I think they need that. I do worry about the cascade solution where players only play four cards it can possibly find.

Trevor went through a number of iterations of his lair land cycle and I must applaud his adaptability and perseverance. While many of these may have a place somewhere in Magic, I doubt Magic 2013 has room for more than one. I greedily nabbed the most exciting of the bunch (it has the word 'dragon' in the name). Not 100% sure it makes perfect sense as a land though.

This is a neat idea from Chah. Took me a while to really get it. The execution is actually a bit backwards from the flavor, but the same is true of the werewolf day/night triggers in Innistrad. Is it day because someone cast a lot of spells or did someone cast a lot of spells because it's day? Close enough. Same here. Chah had it always go third-from-the-top which is faster to execute, but I was concerned about it feeling like a drawback because it effectively costs you your third draw, and this feels more flavorful because who knows how long it will be lost?

Trevor offered up Mordenspindle as a black-green legendary spider and maybe she deserves to be saved for a set where that's an option. I thought she was cool enough to steal and convert to core set as mono-green (though black would work too). I like that removing Legendary nerfs the Kokusho, the Evening Star trick.

Something tells me Chah wasn't thinking of David Bowie, the Goblin King from Labyrinth, but I couldn't resist. His death inciting a little mob is a cool idea. It could be applied to other tribes, but I don't think this ability makes any more sense in another tribe than for Goblins.

Pasteur's Brute sure is eager. I tried to talk him down from making it fight every creature anyone plays, including your own, but I must say this sounds like my kind of fun. Made it a minotaur because, don't we need more minotaurs? Kinda want to make it 3/3 but then we have to charge more too. Hmm.

Charging Bull had haste at one point and while that wasn't necessary, it seemed reasonable. It also got "can't be blocked by more than one creature" at another point, which is a green ability that prevents our super Ashmouth Hound ability from getting too awesome. I like it as is. Nice one, Nich.

TK Push originally read "Tap or untap target nonland permanent. If it’s a creature, it gains flying until end of turn." It feels weird to give a creature flying and tap it so I proposed the current wording as an alternative.

I notice a tendency among many designers to target permanents more than creatures, presumably to maximize options and functionality. Sometimes that works and sometimes it's just clunky. Ultimately, I couldn't figure out how telekinesis could prevent a mage from drawing mana from a land she's bonded to.

Willing Recruit (whose name would almost certainly have to change since it has nothing to do with Unwilling Recruit) is just a simplified Kor Outfitter. It's clean and makes a good bit of flavor sense. I'd love to put this in a set with Sword in the Stone. Sadly, I think Willing Recruit—like Pack Mule—is unlikely to make the cut in Magic 2013 since we have no plans to make common equipment. So far. If that does change, we've got two good (if conflicting) options to support such a choice.

Spellsealed Gargoyle is a great idea. You have to crack the seal to wake it. It was submitted as a 6 mana 9/9, but I think it will feel like more of a deal to get a good bomb for cheap than an unstoppable bomb for "full price." Come to think of it, probably makes more sense without indestructible: It would be hard to break the stone coating on an indestructible stone statue, wouldn't it?

You've got my opinion, but we all know that's not perfect. Now I want yours. Are some of these not flavorful enough to make the cut? (Remember, none of these are guaranteed to be used—but we're sure going to try to use them). What did I miss? I know for a fact I didn't list every solid design: some were great, but not top-down; a bunch were awesome but won't work in a core set; and some are inspired ideas that still need a lot more work. But if 9/10 dentists think a card I missed is worth inclusion, it is. Take one last look through the submissions and let your voice be heard.

Scroll down to "Top-Down Design Submissions" on the wiki and check it out.