Being multicolor makes this interesting. On the one hand, you can pretty much ensure that every Unroot Memory opened in the draft will go to the same person. On the other hand, you are greatly limited in your pool of potential support cards, both by being locked into a single two-color pair and by the fact that white tends to have aggressive creatures.
"Mill has worked in draft before" is a pretty optimstic view of things, I think. Almost never has this kind of card contributed to a reliable mill archetype in any draft format, and when it has, it is something incredibly difficult that newer players certainly shouldn't be drafting (like the very delicate Mind Sculpt + Archeomancer deck).
My comment wasn't a knock against the design at all, merely a comment that it combines two things that newer players significantly overrate.
Yeah, I really like the design (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with designing cards new players will overrate, I just thought it was cute they were on the same card).
With the flavor text, it feels a bit too explicitly evil to be UW. If I were to try to flavor this in UW, I'd go with a Thought Police angle. Still, your flavor text was too good not to share!
I think Dimir mill was a pretty mainstream choice in triple-Ravnica. I won a couple of drafts with it (and I don't play many drafts). Not so much in Gatecrash, of course.
I love the card. Why did you decide to go WU rather than UB? Black can gain life, especially when it seems like it's draining something to gain it. And mill strategies like this are most often in UB.
I don't have a strong answer. I think I started musing how to make straight life gain (which is most always white) more relevant, landed on the 'combo' with mill and never re-examined. While white-blue is surely fine, I agree blue-black would be better here.
Cool Card Design of the Day
Man, new players are going to cry when the experienced player in the shop tells them they are never supposed to put this in their deck.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's necessarily true. Mill has worked in draft before, and with this at common I could easily see mill being good enough.
DeleteBeing multicolor makes this interesting. On the one hand, you can pretty much ensure that every Unroot Memory opened in the draft will go to the same person. On the other hand, you are greatly limited in your pool of potential support cards, both by being locked into a single two-color pair and by the fact that white tends to have aggressive creatures.
Delete"Mill has worked in draft before" is a pretty optimstic view of things, I think. Almost never has this kind of card contributed to a reliable mill archetype in any draft format, and when it has, it is something incredibly difficult that newer players certainly shouldn't be drafting (like the very delicate Mind Sculpt + Archeomancer deck).
DeleteMy comment wasn't a knock against the design at all, merely a comment that it combines two things that newer players significantly overrate.
There have been distinct mill archetypes in draft, but no they've never been reliable. That would be miserable. The point is that they're quirky.
DeleteWill new players go down that road without Johnny intentions and lose because of it? Yup. That's part of learning the game.
Putting two things new players overrate together let's us kill two birds with one stone.
Yeah, I really like the design (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with designing cards new players will overrate, I just thought it was cute they were on the same card).
DeleteWith the flavor text, it feels a bit too explicitly evil to be UW. If I were to try to flavor this in UW, I'd go with a Thought Police angle. Still, your flavor text was too good not to share!
I think Dimir mill was a pretty mainstream choice in triple-Ravnica. I won a couple of drafts with it (and I don't play many drafts). Not so much in Gatecrash, of course.
DeleteGiven that art and flavor text, I could seriously see this in monoblack.
ReplyDeleteTotally. Funny how that works.
DeleteI love the card. Why did you decide to go WU rather than UB? Black can gain life, especially when it seems like it's draining something to gain it. And mill strategies like this are most often in UB.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a strong answer. I think I started musing how to make straight life gain (which is most always white) more relevant, landed on the 'combo' with mill and never re-examined. While white-blue is surely fine, I agree blue-black would be better here.
DeleteIndeed, Psychic Drain is the X-spell version of this, and was one of a few pretty handy uncommons for the triple-Ravnica mill draft deck.
Delete