Cool Card Design of the Day10/16/2013 - Some cards are great in multiples (particularly cheap threats), but many cards become redundant. Even those cheap threats might become dead draws late in the game. Avant Savant aims to alleviate these problems for you with a free (but conditional) card selection effect.
Interesting, a utility version of Sphinx of the Chimes: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253594
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if you can do something like "Discard a card that shares a name with one in your graveyard: draw a card" or "Exile a card in your hand and a card in your graveyard that shares a name with it: draw a card" to differentiate from the blue effect.
Exactly, except you can discard lands.
DeleteYour variants are definitely interesting too.
Oh, I didn't think too much of the lack of nonland clause in Avant Savant. That actually seems very red, but makes me worry a bit about the power level
DeleteDefinitely interesting idea.
ReplyDeleteIt seems it doesn't deal in any way with the problems of proving which card you drew, along with the fact that it may rarely make a difference if you discard the cards immediately or not. Why not just make it "1, discard two cards with the same name: draw two cards".
In fact, you're right, it's SO useful with land cards, it would be an interesting card if it said "discard two basic land cards with the same name: draw two cards" and didn't work on any other cards at all.
Agreed. I had rationalizations for the trigger, but they're just not worth the awkwardness. Hadn't thought of focusing on just lands, but that would work exactly as well in RDW (but not in some mythical red control deck).
DeleteWhat about:
ReplyDelete"Sacrifice a permanent and discard a card with the same name: draw two cards."
A little more general and less potentially combo-ish. Also distinguishes this more from Sphinx of the Chimes.
Obsolescence 1BB
DeleteEnchantment (M)
"At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a nonland permanent and discard a card. If you discard a card with the same name as the permanent you sacrificed in this way, draw four cards, otherwise draw one card."