Cool Card Design of the Day6/6/2013 - In the realm of Unsummon and Boomerang, where you're severing another planeswalkers tether to something she's summoned, what if you could also replace the memory/idea of that something in their mind? Curiosity's Call borrows from Vendilion Clique to make that happen.
You could print that effect by itself if you costed it right, but for some reason I was compelled to give the affected player a choice when I originally designed Curiosity's Call. Thematically, this spell instills deep curiosity, at which point the target goes on a long hike and shares some of what it learns with its controller, or demands that your own curiosity be sated, and the creature lets loose a couple juicy details you can use against its controller.
Here's the simpler, stronger, less interesting version:
While these are neat and flavorful, I don't like the idea of blue getting effectively permanent removal for creatures on the battlefield. If you change the order of the effects (draw first, then move the creature) you can put the creature on top or down 2 or 3 cards and it would make the effect much more in line with what blue gets for removal (see Time Ebb).
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Alternatives
DeleteTake a Hike - 1UU
Instant
Put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library. That player may shuffle his or her library.
Longer Time Ebb -3U
Sorcery
Put target creature into it's owner's library third from the top.
Most of the variations on this effect seem too much like white cards, like Condem, Oust, or Oblation. I could see Longer Time Ebb as an area of white/blue overlap.
DeleteI'd be down for "shuffle target creature into its owner's library" (as a non-repeatable effect); only went with "bottom of the library" to match the existing blue template of Vendilion Clique.
DeleteI'm totally fine with shifting Oust from white to blue. And by 'fine' I mean blue needs and justifies that effect more than white.
I think Oust effects would be fine in Blue as delaying magic. "shuffle target creature into its owner's library" is just straight-up removal, which Blue doesn't need
DeleteExcept sending creatures deep into their owner's libraries or even shuffling them in is often just as strong as killing them and sometimes stronger. Blue has always meant to have the worse removal for threats on the field as it's primary philosophy is dealing with threats before they enter the field, through milling, countermagic, etc.
DeleteI agree - Take a Hike is going to often be better than Murder.
DeleteVendilion Clique itself has something of a black ability, doesn't it? Similar to Head Games or discard?
Instead of putting it all on one spell, maybe something like:
ReplyDeleteCyclemage Apprentice - 2U
Creature - Human Wizard
Whenever a creature would be returned to its owner's hand, instead put it on the bottom of its owner's library. That player draws a card.
2/2
Could be interesting in a set alongside ninjutsu or gating mechanics.
Neat. Play it with tokens and Cloudstone Curio.
DeleteCuriosity's Call: Giving an opponent a choice between a bad thing and a good thing happening to them or a good thing happening to you strikes me as a tad inelegant. Why not just "bad thing happens to you, or good thing happens to me?"
ReplyDeleteCuriosity's Call
2UU
Sorcery
Choose target permanent an opponent controls. That permanent's controller may put it on the bottom of his or her library. If he or she doesn't, you may draw four cards.
The punisher mechanic is one of the coolest things Red has. Blue has plenty of other toys it doesn't even play with.
Delete2UR, same card above?
Delete