Weekend Art ChallengeLet's try two new things this week. First, I'm going to give you a better environment to design for. Context is vital to a good design, so naming the plane this card is meant for might help us design to that set's needs.
Secondly, I'm going to offer an additional service for those interested. If you'd like me to give you feedback on your design before the official review, submit your entry before Sunday afternoon and note that desire explicitly in your comment. I will respond with my initial thoughts as I'm able and you will have the opportunity to revise your design once before the final review. I'm doing this because the only thing better than getting design feedback is being able to act on it and get even more feedback. Iteration is good design.
Click to see this weekend's art and requirements.
This week, the plane/set is Frontier. While you'd be right to point out that world isn't fully defined, we also didn't have all the information about Gatecrash when we designed cards for that. Basically, as long as your card strongly evokes the Western genre, you're doing alright. If it happens to have or compliment one of the mechanics we've been talking about for the set, well that can't hurt.
This card in particular must be blue. Bonus points if it has a final printed name falling alphabetically between School Marm and Twister.
Shadowhand Dealer
ReplyDelete3UU
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
2/3
1UU, T: Each player discards his or her hand, then draws five cards.
Shootout — When Shadowhand Dealer ETBs, you may discard any number of cards. For each card discarded this way, return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74271
ReplyDeleteThe challenge here, I think, is to evoke the feel of a card-player without talking about cards, hands, libraries, etc. - because the flavor of the Magic game is that your cards are not actual cards, but merely representative of your knowledge of spells.
ReplyDeleteSteamboat Gambler
ReplyDelete2U
Creature - Human Rogue (U)
1/1
{T}: Showdown with an opponent. If you win, return the discard card to your hand. (You each draw a card, then discard a card. You win if you discard the nonland card with the lowest converted mana cost.)
Preliminary feedback welcome (but not necessary).
Great name. The effect is clever. Far too clever for common as you know, but uncommon might work. Making showdown an every turn thing might turn it into busy work rather than a special event. Particularly with a version that focuses on lowest/highest CMC, even if Gambler doesn't net you 0.5+ cards each turn, he will tangibly skew the average CMC of the game up or down, respectively.
DeleteInstead of regaining the discarded card, consider simply drawing a card. First, its the same goal (card advantage) but in the much more normal, simple way. Second, it makes you go through your own deck faster, which means there's some chance you might deck yourself—a hazard of working with a gambler. Third, If you get back the card that won you the last duel, you'll use it to win every duel thereafter until your opponent both draws and chooses to discard his own CMC 1 card.
If you don't go that way, you can at least polish the wording of "return the discard card" to "return the card you discard in the showdown."
Thank you!
DeleteFWIW, I started with "Draw a card" as the obvious answer to "what does blue get when it wins", but to me it looked surprisingly complicated having two "draw a card" effects consecutively.
I also considered "gain a gold counter", another suggested mechanic for frontier. Especially since looting every turn was quite interesting by itself, even without any inherent reward. But again, the card seemed to be doing too much.
So this was my attempted simplification. Although now you point it out, returning the card is indeed likely to make the duels very repetitive. But drawing a card has the same problem to a lesser extent.
I also considered milling, maybe I should go back to that, even though it didn't quite fit the flavour.
Surefire Accomplice (Rare)
ReplyDeleteU
Creature - Human
1/1
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exile the top card of your library face down.
3UU, T: Exile all cards from your hand face down. Put all other cards you own exiled with cards named Surefire Accomplice into your hand.
Why gamble when you can simply win?
For correct templating, the second sentence of the activated ability should have "...with creatures named Surefire Accomplice..." Can you accept the submission with that language, please?
DeleteSure. Explicitly not "…by Surefire Accomplice", right?
DeleteRight. If you've got multiple in play you can swap your hand for all the cards they've pooled.
DeleteStraight Flush
ReplyDelete1UU
Instant - Uncommon
Take all of target player's gold.
Draw a card.
~"Read 'em and weep."~
Preliminary feedback would be great. I came up with the idea thinking about Mana Drain-esque effects, though this being so narrow I feel like it almost has to cantrip. Not sure about that though; I can envision
Straight Flush
U
Instant - Uncommon
Take all of target player's gold.
~"Read 'em and weep."~
as well.
The latter is better. If you were taking just one gold, the reward is low enough that you need to offset the risk of getting nothing. Straight Flush puts you all-in. Sometimes you'll steal 3 or 4 gold for a 6-8 mana swing in your favor. In order to offset that, sometimes it's just dead in your hand.
DeleteIt's also interesting whether this should be instant or not. In either case, your opponent will only be able to respond and spend his gold first with an instant of his own. But a sorcery gives him the chance to use his own gold on his turn, where an instant can snatch it away if he doesn't spend it literally right after he gains it.
Also, what is to prevent the opponent from just putting the mana in his reserve, and let it dissipate afterwards, netting you nothing?
Deletefading: The impression that I had of gold was that you could spend it as colorless mana or life, but that it wasn't "spendable" just on nothing. If that was the case, then it obviously wouldn't work.
DeleteI think it could be a sorcery, but it feels flavorwise more like an instant. You're snatching away your opponent's resources by tricking him into playing into your unexpected straight flush - that seems snappier than sorcery speed to me.
Jay - I think you're right that when it works, it's powerful enough that the extra card is sort of gravy. Do you think it should cost UU to mirror Mana Drain?
I was assuming the gold counters that would live next to this card can only be spent to pay/reduce mana costs.
DeleteSnappier than a sorcery, eh? I would argue that Poker is a turn-based game and thus nothing is particularly snappy, but certainly an amazing play could be surprising.
Mirroring Mana Drain seems like a nice place to start. Development would determine how undercosted that is or isn't.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOkay, better idea.
DeleteSkillful Grifter 2U
Creature - Human Rogue (U)
Whenever you clash, draw a card. Then, discard a card unless you won the clash. (This ability triggers after the clash ends.)
1/3
Tranquil Dealer
ReplyDelete1U
Creature - Human Wizard (U)
Whenever you win a duel, tap target creature an opponent controls. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
1/2
"They fold their hand or they fold in half - either way he always wins."
My idea of duel currently (and certainly subject to change): Keyword action. "Each player exiles the top card of his or her library. You win if they share a card type."
I would love feedback of any sort.
I love that the card works regardless of which version of duel is used. The effect is both very blue and fits the flavor of the card; I'm not sure how the trigger plays into that flavor.
DeleteConsider "Whenever you duel, tap target creature…" First, this gives you a good reason to duel whether you win or not and winning is already being rewarded by the effect that started the duel. Second, I feel like the flavor is now that the target is betting on the outcome of the match and the dealer (now a bookie, I guess) is keeping him busy losing money to the house.
I don't know that's better, but it should be considered.
What benefits does your version of duel offer over Clash?
Updated submission:
DeleteTricky Dealer
1U
Creature - Human Wizard (U)
Whenever you duel, tap target creature an opponent controls. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
1/2
"They fold their hand or they fold in half - either way he always wins."
I agree with your feedback that the trigger wasn't quite there. So I changed it to when you duel, with the flavor of a dealer that stacks the deck consistently beating his tablemates. Whenever he plays a game against them, he always seems to win. And when things don't go his way? That's when the special blue deck comes out and oh boy I'm getting sleepy and zzzzzzzzzzz. I'm iffy on the name actually, but whatever.
I was also considering making it an enchantment called "Stack the Deck", but the art is way too creature to resist.
On duel:
As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of a keyword (or keyword action) for dueling or clashing or shooting or however we phrase it. I think with the introduction of the "fight" mechanic, we can hit some flavorful cards that represent dueling.
But I know the possibility is there, and in the interest of satisfying the group this is my version. It is more streamlined and less fiddly than clash - the cards get revealed without having to worry about the "top of bottom of library" stuff. It avoids the winner-loses-the-game by checking for types instead of CMC. In limited, lands and creatures provide enough of a chance to hit that we can put swingy outcomes on the cards. In constructed it'll be more difficult, but that's a development problem.
I haven't playtested it at all, so this is all conjecture.
I was just trying to make a cool card guys. :D
Spellwild Gambler (U)
ReplyDelete2U
Creature - Human Rogue
Spells that target ~ have "Draw a card."
2/2
Hee! I love that. What potential, and what risk.
DeleteAll In Andy 2UU [R]
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Rogue Wizard
When All in Andy enters the battlefield, reveal your hand. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard. Draw cards equal to the number of cards in the discarded pile.
2/3
Thaumaturge Gambler (rare)
ReplyDelete1UU
Creature - Human Wizard
Discard an instant or sorcery card: Change the target of target spell with a single target.
"Think I'm bluffing? Go ahead and try me."
2/2
This is super cool.
DeleteSeconded.
DeleteThis is also Red
DeleteMasterfully executed!
DeleteTelepathic Cardsharp 2U
ReplyDeleteCreature-Human Wizard U
When Telepathic Cardsharp enters the battlefield, choose an opponent. That player plays with their hand revealed.
2/2
This guy is a glorified Telepathic Spys, but I really like how strong he is with several of the proposed mechanics from the other thread. Especially Chah's Spellshot and my version of High Stakes. I'd love feedback.
Even though the last Telepathy effect was printed almost four years ago—because removing suspense limits the fun of the game—I think a card like this could be justified in the right set. This level of reveal would be more justifiable at rare, though then you'd need a more exciting body.
DeleteCardsharp turns off your opponents Spellshot since they won't have any unrevealed cards to reveal, but I'm not seeing how it interacts with High Stakes.
Like +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, I imagine that permanent reveals and indefinite reveals are mutually exclusive within a given set. Imagine that I have used spellshot, permanently revealing two of the cards from my hand. You then play Telepathic Cardsharp and I'm not able to kill it until 6 turns later. How do I know which of my cards to unreveal?
Of course, we're not committed to permanent reveals, so I would give this design the benefit of the doubt as existing in a set with no such thing.
Another option:
When Telepathic Cardsharp enters the battlefield, target opponent permanently reveals each card in his or her hand.
In addition to solving the above conflict, this version also limits how much suspense is lost when you play Cardsharp because at least the opponent's new draws will be hidden.
I was thinking of Telepathy in M10, but Gitaxian Probe was more recent. Still, that was included because it's invasive.
DeleteSkilled Trickster 3U
ReplyDeleteCreature - Human Rogue (Uncommon)
If you would draw a card, instead look at the top two cards of your library, exile one of them, then draw a card.
2/2
Basically, a looter that doesn't filter cards you drew already, but works well with Showdown or Duel effects that say "You and target opponent each draw a card, then..."
I would like feedback.
DeleteI know a lot of blue mages who would be quite happy to play this in any Limited environment. Its slightly worse than it would be with T:Loot in the abstract (because you can't pitch useless cards you've already drawn) unless you're also playing Divination or similar at which point its significantly better.
DeleteThe combo with Showdown effects is awesome.
The only thing I'd even consider tweaking is what to do with the other card. Exile is a clean solution and shorter than "put one into your graveyard". Both mean that you're burning through your deck pretty quickly, and I like that danger.
Another option is to put both cards back on top in any order, but without a way to mill yourself, its the worst Top effect ever. You could put the other card on the bottom of your library. We lose the risk, but we also make casual players happy about "losing" one of their two best cards.
Unless the set has cards you can play from exile, I'd lean toward putting them into your graveyard just for consistency with similar cards in the game.
Sleevin' an Ace XUU
ReplyDeleteInstant (R)
Draw X cards, then place a card from your hand on top of your library.
"Gandry would have been an amazing cheat, if only he could have found a way to manipulate the deck without all lights"
Silent Trickster 1U
ReplyDeleteCreature - Spirit Rogue (R)
When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls. If you do, that permanent's activated abilities can't be activated as long as you control ~.
3UU: Exile ~, then return it to the battlefield.
2/2
I'd love to get feedback on this by the way.
DeleteI love the typeline. While the main ability doesn't often do as much as the text it requires, it's very cool and justifiably blue (white would be easier).
Delete1U for a 2/2 is almost unheard of. There are 9 such cards in Magic and they all have drawbacks. It sure won't break the game and if it's going to happen, rare is the place. That said, UU or 2/1 seems more appropriate given the flavor.
The second ability takes Silent Trickster from 6 lines to 8, and while it clearly has uses, I think it detracts from the card more than it adds. Make me use Cloudshift to reset my Trickster.
I do wonder about a version that steals the targets abilities rather than shuts them off, but I'm not claiming that's better.
I'm having a lot of trouble with this one.
ReplyDeleteThe big thematic problem is that he's a blue gambler. Blue does not like to gamble; gambling is mostly red (impulsiveness, chaos) with a tinge of black (the higher the risk, the higher the reward.) Blue likes to be in control of its fate. It doesn't want to leave things to chance.
Okay, so we can make the guy about manipulating luck. That's in-flavor, right? The problem there is with the art itself. Since he's holding a hand of playing cards, the player can't help but make the connection between the figure in the art and the game she's playing right now. So to make the card about card manipulation is even worse because now you're taking a concept that is supposed to be abstract (Magic cards represent spells but they aren't actually cards in the game universe) and making it concrete (this guy in the game universe fiddles with your cards.) I think that's just as egregious of an error as the color pie bleed.
I see only two real options here:
1) Claim Frontier has a subtheme with an element of random chance to it (i.e. coin-flipping) and make this card about manipulating that randomness (i.e. changing the results of flips.) However I don't think this is wise - Magic already has a *lot* of variance simply by each player having randomly shuffled decks; making another source of randomness a major set theme is probably a mistake.
2) Make the creature multicolored, probably red/blue, so he can actually gamble himself. The problem here is that the art doesn't really lend itself to a red card.
Thoughts?
You think too much. Let's play.
DeleteThere's no problem with this spell treating your cards like cards. They don't have to have only one meaning and even in recent years a player's hand has taken on different meanings for different cards. Sounds like this is really pulling the Vorthos out of you. But don't worry about it. The game's flavor has lots of wiggle room.
Frontier could also be the first black-bordered meta-Magic set, where characters are slowly gaining awareness that they exist inside a card game. There are loads of possibilities!
DeleteBut really though, for gamblers, I would imagine that the guy who puts everything on black is certainly pretty red; the guy who stacks the deck is equally blue.
Okay, I think I figured out how a blue gambler would work. Blue seems like it'd be willing to gamble if it gets to decide the odds.
DeleteSoul-Eyed Cardsharp (rare)
1UU
Creature - Human Wizard
X, {T}: Flip X coins. Each time you win a flip, tap target permanent.
1/3
Feedback is fine.
DeleteYou don't this art could be red? I was torn whether to insist it was red or blue (or black). Went with blue because we've been missing that color a bit more so far.
DeleteIs your intention for Soul-Eyed Cardsharp to target exactly one permanent, but to flip more coins to increase the chance of successfully tapping it? I like that idea. My only concern is the hassle of flipping ~8 coins when a player has nothing else to do with their mana, but as long as there are no "whenever you flip a coin" triggers elsewhere, players can just stop after the first success.
If the intention was to target multiple permanents, then we'd template that more like "Each time you win a flip, choose a target permanent to tap." In that case, I would specify creatures or at least non-land permanents so you can't just deny your opponent large amounts of mana every turn.
Without the blue energy this artwork could easily be red; as it is it's rare these days to see red cards featuring blue magic in the artwork. Black and white are both possibilities. Green is a significant stretch.
DeleteMy intention was actually for the controller to be able to choose in her head how many permanents she wanted to tap and then decide how much mana to "gamble" to make that happen. I think your concern about mana denial is worth accounting for and adding a nonland clause doesn't harm the utility of this card too much.
If you're only able to tap one permanent with this ability, it's definitely not a rare effect (Gideon's Lawkeeper, anyone?) but I don't think we want this much coin-flipping outside of rare.
Soul-Eyed Cardsharp (rare)
1UU
Creature - Human Wizard
X, {T}: Flip up to X coins. Each time you win a flip, choose target nonland permanent, then tap it.
1/3
The Winner Takes All 6UR
ReplyDeleteSorcery (M)
Each player shuffles his or her library, then exiles face down the top six cards of his or her library. Then each player simultaneosly reveals one of his or her exiled cards. The player who reveals the card with the higher converted mana cost, may look at the other cards exiled with ~ at any time and play them for the rest of the game. If there is a tie, the players that tied repeat this process.
Feedback Appreciated.
The cost here seems really steep for a card that has a very random chance of giving a bunch of free card advantage to your opponent. I'm also not sure you want this to be mythic.
DeleteSo the initial reveal is completely random? I'm not sure this is blue at all.
DeleteTen is a LOT of cards to gain. Granted, the spell costs 8 and will require impressive Johnny-meddling to give you a better than 60% chance of winning, but given that one of you and your opponent will get those cards is a TWENTY card swing.
Also, it's weird that no one can use the two exiled cards that were revealed to determine the winner.
For a card named Winner Takes All, I'd want to see some bidding or some bluffing like Pain's Reward, Isperia the Inscrutible or Liar's Pendulum.
Six-card Stud 2UU
ReplyDeleteCreature - Human Outlaw (Rare)
Doubletap (Whenever this creature would become tapped, if it is the first time this turn, untap it)
Whenever CARDNAME becomes tapped, you may discard any number of cards and then draw that many cards.
2/2
doubletap is my idea of a mechanic representing how everyone in the frontier is on their toes, and able to shoot fast and often (like a trigger finger another cool example:
Hurloon Vagabond 2RR
Creature - Minotaur Outlaw
Doubletap
T: deal 1 damage to target creature / player
2/2
Doubletap sounds cool, and has a 'cheating the odds' feel when paired with tap abilities. Is it intended to act as pseudo-vigilance?
DeleteYes! It can represent a "cheating" feel, or the "vigialnce" part is more representing how they are always ready to act quickly, or a "quick draw" feel. Also when paired with a pinger, its like a "shootout" feel.
DeleteDoubletap is a great name for a Western mechanic that lets you tap a creature twice. One concern is that it could become hard to remember what you've tapped just once after a big combat or something (and that enables cheating too). The other is that this is actually Tripletap as worded: Tap it once on your turn, then twice on your opponent's turn.
DeleteConsider:
Doubletap (Whenever ~ becomes tapped, if there's no wary marker on it, untap it and put a wary marker on it. As ~ untaps during your untap step, remove each wary counter from it.)
or:
Doubletap (Whenever ~ is tapped to activate an ability, copy that ability.)
Now, for Six-Card Stud specifically, it's not clear why the redraw ability is triggered. It fires once when you attack, but you're probably not doing a lot of attacking with your 4cc 2/2 utility creature.
There's also no internal way to tap it a second time. You could argue that you want a combo to get full value out of this, but then what is Doubletap doing for us? I could just Twiddle a normal creature.
Finally, the ability to redraw any number is made less awesome by the prospect of getting to do it multiple times (once you find a way to do that).
In terms of flavor, seven-card stud seems the better choice given Magic's hand limit. Also, stud poker is the one where you don't redraw cards and since that's what this guy is all about, that's contradictory. Using 'stud' as a pun was nice, though.
I honestly dont know anything about stud poker, thats an oversight on my part. should have googled it haha. the name was inspired when i was watching tv. i see what you are saying about triple tap. and the "wary" counter was something i considered as well, but i wanted to avoid constantly creating a "bookkeeping" scenario where the player was adding and removing counters every single turn. the reason i made his ability triggered, was that i assumed that in an environment with doubletap, there would be more than the usual amount of creature enchantments that granted creatures tap abilities, and therefore you could put one on this guy and cause him to enter the value-zone.
Deletehow about this:
Seven-card Stud 2UU
Creature - Human Outlaw (Rare)
Doubletap (Whenever CARDNAME attacks, you may untap it)
Whenever CARDNAME becomes tapped, if you have less than seven cards in your hand, you may draw cards until you have seven.
2/2
making attacking a requirement inspires interaction. this is pseudo vigialnce and so a little bit of a bleed. if the creature is equipped with this:
Quick-Fire Reflex 1R
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Enchanted creature has:
"T: deal 1 damage to target creature or player"
Then there is even more incentive / value (most likely at the cost of the creature. this also can be used to represent the fact that the creatures in the frontier are quick to act with the possibility of personal gain (at the risk of personal, well-being)
Clairvoyant Gamble 2URR
ReplyDeleteSorcery Rare
Reveal your hand, then exile all cards face down. Choose one of them and return it to your hand. Target opponent names a card. Reveal your hand. If the named card is not in your hand, he takes damage equal to three times the cards that you exiled with Clairvoyant Gamble.
(you can see and shuffle the face down cards at any time)
[Quit or double? Don't worry if you have no more money left: you can bet your life.]
Any templating feedback (because this feels clunky as it is) is welcome.
Exile all cards face-down? You're mad!
DeleteI'm guessing you meant all the cards in your hand. I'd template it like this:
Target opponent looks at your hand. Then, exile each card in your hand but one. That opponent names a card and you reveal the card you kept. If it's not the card he or she named, that opponent takes three damage for each card exiled this way.
That said, I'm not sure how blue the mind-game aspect makes Clairvoyant Gamble. The cost (pitching cards) and effect (dealing damage) are both very red.
"Exile all cards face-down? I'm guessing you meant all the cards in your hand."
DeleteHeavens no! I meant all magic cards ever printed. We gather them all together and exile them to the Kergelen islands near the Arctic, never to be seen again. THEN your opponet can look at them, you choose one of them and he takes damage equal to 3 times the number of magic cards ever printed :p
It is true that the blue should be removed from the cost since it is a remenent of the previous version of the spell, where you played the same game only with the cards of your opponent but he got his cards back.
I had also considered a grixis version of this where you saw his hand, then played the mini game, and if you won, exiled cards his hand and dealt damage to him.
Gambit 2RR
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature- Mutant Rogue (R)
R, discard a card at target creature or player: Gambit deals 3 damage to any creature or player that card hits.
3/2
"In response to Gambit's ability, I tape all my cards to the wall." I would love this in Unglued though
DeletePlaying to the judge, I see.
DeleteI'm not sure we want to promote players throwing things at each other, though. Lawsuits are bad.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDidn't read the blue requirement!
DeleteThe Dealer U
Creature - Human (U)
T: Draw a card, then discard two cards.
"Eat your betting money but don’t bet your eating money."
1/1
A one drop looter, the gambling theme comes from the card disadvantage incurred from attempting to improve card quality.
Reminds me of Bazaar of Baghdad...
DeleteAce in the Hole U
ReplyDeleteInstant (Uncommon)
Untap up to X lands you control, where X the converted mana cost of target spell you don't control.
This card allows you to feign weakness while really having countermagic (or other answers) ready to deal with whatever your opponent's planning, playing up the bluffs and reads aspect of gameplay that Magic shares with poker. That said, it still shouldn't be free even if that wouldn't lead to power-level issues because then nobody can ever feel safe casting a spell.
Oh, and feedback would be greatly appreciated!
DeleteI could even see this effect as U/R hybrid, given red's fast mana abilities
DeleteI have trouble imagining players running this in Limited or even Standard (short of a combo deck), but it seems like it could be big in Legacy or Modern.
DeleteI think its clean and makes sense, and agree that it should cost a card. Apart from the name, I'm not sure I'm getting the Western vibe.
In my mind the Western connection was that casting this card makes you feel like you've just successfully bluffed your opponent in a poker game, but no, it certainly doesn't drive to the heart of why the Western genre has fans.
DeleteStraight Flush 2UU
ReplyDeleteSorcery (R)
Draw five cards, then reveal your hand. If you reveal at least five cards of the same color and of converted mana costs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, take another turn after this one. Otherwise, discard five cards.
Feedback is appreciated. My worry is that the effect is either too hard or too easy to trigger, removing the suspense, but I'm not sure which way it falls.
This should be Red i think
DeleteWoah. So you either get five cards AND a free turn or else you 'just' loot five times. Seems good. I'm not sure a spell that only said Draw Five, Discard Five wouldn't cost 2UU.
DeleteCost aside (let Dev fix it), this card is exciting and will nail the theme for some players (others will be bothered by the fourth-wall).
Given the CC cost, I'm not sure the Flush part is really helping, though I admit that "Straight" would be a terrible name by itself. How bummed will a player be who has a 2-6 straight but doesn't win the effect?
We'd have to test to see, but my guess is that a player who isn't desperate will hold this card until he has the straight in hand before casting it. Because drawing five cards and getting a free turn is That Good.
Honestly, the turn feels extraneous. Being up five cards is a great prize and doesn't add any new concepts to the text.
I think this could be argued as red and/or blue.
DeleteFull House 2UR
DeleteSorcery (R)
Each player draws five cards, then discards five cards. If you discarded more card types than any other player in this way, instead put those cards into your hand.
This went through a couple more iterations. I started out by letting everyone play, since as noted looting 5 is reasonable by itself. At that point, making your opponents have a flush didn't seem fair, but just a straight felt lackluster. This version seems like it has better gameplay-- it makes you diversify your deck, and asks your opponent whether they're willing to toss away things like artifacts or enchantments they might need to try to keep you off the most card types.
Turn of the Cards 2UU
ReplyDeleteSorcery (Rare)
Exile the top five cards of your library. Each player draws two cards. Then each player reveals two cards from his or her hand. For each player, if there are five nonland cards each with a different mana cost among the exiled cards and his or her revealed cards, he or she takes an extra turn after this one.
Note 1: This is a simulation of Texas Hold 'Em. Because each player gets to draw two cards during this spell's effect, and the fact that you would be the only one getting an extra turn is left to chance, this makes it all right to lower the cost of what would be Time Warp's five mana cost to this four mana cost.
Note 2: "Turn of the Cards" refers to chance or fate/luck, and the reward for winning this simulation of Texas Hold 'Em is getting an extra turn. Boom.
Shady Dealer 1U
ReplyDeleteCreature - Human Gambler
T: Draw a card from the bottom of your library, then put a card in your hand on top of your library.
1/1
It would be useful in a set that utilizes a "put cards on the bottom of your library" mechanic.