Friday, October 5, 2012

CCDD 100512—Sage Elminster

Cool Card Design of the Day
10/5/2012 - It's been a busy week, but I'd like to post at least one official CCDD, so here's a quicky.


10 comments:

  1. A few thoughts. When you’ve got seven cards each turn, being able to protect this guy doesn’t seem like it needs to be on the card. I prefer the player have to draw answers. Why is it legendary. Wouldn’t any activation after the first one draw zero cards? Or are you worried about player’s casting instants in between the triggers. If that’s the case, you could have it trigger at end of turn rather than the draw step. That way they have to take a risk of not casting anything all turn and then not hitting any instants to abuse the triggers. Also, if you’re going to make it legendary, it’s got to compare favorably with Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, which it doesn’t quite do as is. I’d like it better as a non-legendary creature that multiple players could play in a Commander game. Although then the hexproof ability would need to cost more than just a card you drew for free.

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  2. I'd feel really, really iffy about playing a 7-mana 1/1 that doesn't have any impact until at least your next turn. This is incredibly fragile. I'd think he'd need to be 0/4 or 0/5 before I'd consider playing him.

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  3. There's a weird thing here where if you have say, 10 cards in your hand, you'll draw 3 cards. With Paradox Haze type of effects, you'd then immediately draw and additional 6 cards. It might be kooky, it might be a bit too weird.

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  4. I agree with Nich. The bizarre hexproof activation seems most like frittery busywork, with only a slight impact before his main ability fires.

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  5. I don't know what you guys are talking about. The hexproof ability and card draw ability are interwoven. Hexproof makes sure that it survives so that you can draw, and the card draw allows you to discard a card. If you have several useless cards in hand, you can "loot" them using the discard cost.

    This kind of "It's often too late, but if it isn't, I win." type of card isn't my favorite kind of card, but I think the idea of refilling to 7 and the combination of that with a discard-requiring ability is brilliant.

    Some other things you could do:
    Mind-releasing Morphling 3UU
    3/3
    At the end of each player's draw step, if that player has less than 7 cards in hand, he or she draws cards until he or she has 7 cards.
    Discard a card: (some ability)
    Discard a card: (some ability)

    Or,
    Underworld Tutor 2BBB
    3/3
    At the end of your draw step, if the number of cards in your hand is less than 7, draw cards equal to the difference. You lose 1 life for each card drawn in that way.
    When ~ dies, discard your hand. Return ~ to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the end step.

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  6. I actually really like Underworld Tutor. I understand the "end of draw step" terminology, but it looks poor to me. Perhaps "Skip your draw step." and "At the beginning of your upkeep"?

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    Replies
    1. Ha, yeah, I'm a little surprised that Chah and Jay have seemingly never seen Damia, Sage of Stone.

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  7. Replies
    1. Let it never be said that the Goblin Artisans commentariat fails to provide feedback.

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