This week we are going to imagine Ludevic!
He has not yet been spoiled, so let us see if we can find a way to make the quintessential legendary stitcher alchemist come to life!
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| by homoseptimus |
Each Artisan is allowed one submission, but can update it any number of times based on feedback. Please include the rarity! It is an important part of evaluating a card.
Therefore, Artisans, I wish you good stitching!
I believe the entire set is public now, and it looks like Ludvic didn't get his own card, but that doesn't make this challenge any less fun or valid.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Ludevic {2}{U}{U}
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature-Human Wizard (m)
Whenever a creature you control transforms, emerges, or is sacrificed, put a hatchling counter on CARDNAME. Then, if there are three or more hatchling counters on it, remove all of them and transform it.
2/4
Ludevic's Ideal
Creature-Eldrazi Lizard
Trample
Whenever CARDNAME deals damage to a creature or player, draw a card.
12/14
It's funny - the drawing a card on damage is great in game (and I assume meant to draw two if a creature blocks and tramples over to the player?) but it reads like such an insignificant reward once you've flipped a 12/14 trampler, especially on a mythic.
DeletePerhaps drawing a bunch of cards at once instead of a few over a long amount of time?
"Whenever CARDNAME deals damage to a player, draw that many cards"? On a 12 power trampler it could be fun, and ideally represents a mad rush of knowledge. (Risk of milling yourself insane as flavorful drawback?)
DeleteAgreed. Going with pasteur's suggestion.
DeleteLove the use of hatchling counters here! Also feels like this card could be in the set, which is cool.
DeleteLudevic the Stitcher
ReplyDelete4UB
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
UB, T, Exile target creature card from a graveyard: Target creature gets +X/+Y, where X is equal to the exiled card's power and Y is equal to the exiled card's toughness. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
4/4
"Do you need a hand?"
Pretty great flavor.
DeleteIf this couldn't target itself, could be 1 or maaaybe 2 less.
While I like the X and Y, my fear is that it would be awkward to track indefinitely. Maybe just X +1/+1 counters for the sake of tracking complexity, though not as big a deal at Mythic. I like it not targeting itself and I agree that you could drop it to 5 pretty safely if you did.
DeleteI figure that much like Phyrexian Ingester, you would just exile the creature "underneath" the creature you pumped. The only way you then have memory issues is if someone uses Pull from Eternity et al., which appear rarely enough that I feel OK with it.
DeleteAgree that it should not target itself, and happy to drop it to 5.
Updated:
Ludevic the Stitcher
3UB
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
UB, T, Exile target creature card from a graveyard: Another target creature gets +X/+Y, where X is equal to the exiled card's power and Y is equal to the exiled card's toughness. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
4/4
"Do you need a hand?"
Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist 2UU
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Exile X creature cards from your graveyard, T: Choose one —
* Look at the top X cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
* Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control. It becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types.
* Untap X target creatures you control.
2/3
The first ability fuels the cost for a long time, but I suppose "T: Draw a card" is fine on a 2UU rare.
DeleteThe counters ability is a hell of an on-board trick. Fine on a rare? Even a rare with so much text?
Otherwise, sweet.
Upped the cost and concentrated more power into the individual cards exiled.
DeleteLudevic, Necro-Alchemist 4UU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Exile a creature card with power X or greater from your graveyard, T: Choose one —
* Look at the top X cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
* Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control. It becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types.
* Untap X target creatures.
2/4
The non-Zombie>Zombie thing is because I wanted to reference Zombies in some way but not make him too similar to Geralf.
Ludevic of Ulm UB
ReplyDeleteLeg. Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Sacrifice a permanent, T: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X was that permanent’s mana worth.
Remove X counters from target creature, T: Return target permanent with mana worth X from your graveyard to the battlefield.
1/2
Why does he sacrifice and resurrect enchantments?
DeleteWhy does he resurrect lands for free?
Otherwise, cool.
On-board trick cool at mythic? Probably?
Resurrecting lands for free seems safer than adding "X minus one" math. As much as Green has distinct flavor meanings on Innistrad, I can't in good conscience keep this card in just U/B. New costs, + making only the first half an on-board trick.
DeleteLudevic of Ulm 2U
Leg. Creature - Human Wizard (M)
G, Sacrifice a permanent, T: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X was that permanent’s mana worth.
B, Remove X counters from target creature, T: Return target permanent with mana worth X from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
1/2
Does this still look fun?
Why permanents and not just creatures?
DeleteLudavic, the Mad 1BUG
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard
T, Exile any number of creature cards from your graveyard: Transform Ludavic and put X +1/+1 counters on Ludavic where X is sum of the converted mana cost of creatures sacrificed this way.
FT: The voices have become one voice, and now I will become one flesh.
2/4
Ludavic, Amalgam of the Damned
(BGU) Legendary Creature - Eldrazi
If a creature card in exile has flying, Ludavic also has flying. The same is true for lifelink, haste, indestructible, and trample.
Whenever a creature would die, exile it instead and put a +1/+1 counter on Ludavic.
FT: "Marvelous!" - Geralf
5/5
Mythic rare on both sides. I guess the eldrazi side could be an eldrazi ooze?
DeleteIs it possible to submit art for the flip side?
Deletesure
DeleteI can tap Ludavic with no cards in my graveyard and get a 5/5 that grows whenever creatures die. Is that okay for 1GUB?
DeleteIs exiling a three-drop for an 8/8 (potentially with indestructible) okay for 1GUB?
Haste seems both a stretch, and entirely useless here.
minor: Face A exiles from graveyard but references sacrifices.
Should the back side be colorless (as all Eldrazi DFCs are in EMN)?
DeleteI love that Ludevic has moved on to experimenting on himself. Needs more keywords though. (ref. Cairn Wanderer, Soulflayer)
Should definitely be colorless. I think a 5/5 for 1bug that etbs tapped is fine. Haste was definitly something I included without thinking. I'd drop it for hexproof. I'm concerned about the number of lines on the card and wanted to drop the number of abilities it picks up to a few high impact ones instead of going full on Cairn Wanderer.
DeleteThe second line on the front face should be "creatures exiled this way."
Ludevic, Mad Visionary 2UU
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
1U, T, Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the exiled card’s power. That creature becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types.
If a card exiled with Ludevic has first strike, Zombie creatures you control have first strike. The same is true for flying, deathtouch, double strike, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, prowess, reach, skulk, trample, and vigilance.
3/4
You and Jenesis both turn a living creature into a zombie. Not sure how I feel about that. ...But maybe for gothic-horror gone cosmic, that's the response we want?
DeleteShould Ludevic care about all those keywords?
Ludevic, the Creative {3}{U}{B}
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Whenever a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it. If you do, draw a card.
3/3
actually... he's gotta be a *little* more sane. probably works as (R) now, too.
DeleteLudevic, the Creative {3}{U}{B}
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Whenever one or more creature cards are put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile them. If you do, draw a card.
3/3
Simple but exciting. (Good fix.)
DeleteLudevic, Mad Genius {2}{U}{B}{R}
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, choose one —
• Put two 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens onto the battlefield.
• Draw a card for each Zombie you control, then discard two cards.
• Ludevic deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
2/5
I'm glad that others here also see some {R} in Ludevic!
DeleteWasn't expecting to see Lightning Bolt as the bad mode. Very mythic and very UBR.
DeleteWhy is the blue mode the only tribal one, and so very very bad for a spellslinger deck that doesn't care about combat?
DeleteLudevic, Mad Scientist UUUU
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may put a 2/2 zombie creature token onto the battlefield.
1/5
Designed for very narrow usage with the monoblue prison deck to allow it to pick up zombies as it works toward the eventual rising from the tides.
Sorry, but while I love the prison archetype and wish that that was a card, I'm changing it to:
DeleteLudivec, Mad Scientist 3UB
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
T, Sacrifice a creature: Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
1U, T: Exile a creature from your graveyard and put +1/+1 counters equal to that creature's power onto target creature.
1/6
Ludivec is not necessarily a zombie person as much as a general mad scientist. (See Ludivec's Abomination). Therefore, I show him turning normal creatures into huge abominations.
Why does the ability that doesn't cost you on-board presence (often) do more?
DeleteLudevic, Necro-Alchemist 2UBR
ReplyDeleteLegendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
{b}, Play with Ludevic revealed in your hand or command zone: Exile a creature card from a graveyard.
When Ludevic enters the battlefield, put a blue Zombie Chimera creature token onto the battlefield with power equal to the total power of cards exiled with Ludevic, toughness equal to the total toughness of cards exiled with Ludevic, and one of flying, menace, haste, lifelink, or trample, chosen at random.
1/1
What does that first ability mean? Having a permanent "B: Counter target reanimation effect" in the command zone seems like it shuts down way too many strategies to be fun in a casual social format.
DeleteThat's a great point -- I hadn't thought about that. Open to suggestions, but I'll think about how to fix.
DeleteThis is super complicated. Can you get it down to its unique essence?
DeleteI like "big token with random from this list of keywords", but you don't want multiples, because memory issues come up quickly. This also is super complicated, but maybe:
DeleteWhen CARDNAME enters the battlefield, put a 4/4 blue Zombie token onto the battlefield.
Exile a creature card from a graveyard: Choose one at random –
• Zombie creatures gain +2/+0 and haste until end of turn.
• Zombie creatures gain -1/-1 and flying until end of turn.
• Zombie creatures gain +0/+2 and menace until end of turn.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks for the suggestions!
Delete"Unique essence": I'd like Ludevic to make a big, weird token, different each time, representing his latest creation. Maybe this would be better as a sorcery, but that wouldn't fit the challenge.
(I also like the idea of Ludevic working for a while and then revealing his creation, which was what that first ability was trying to convey, but I guess it wasn't very clear.)
Interestingly, I don't see a simpler way to get this effect -- MTG rules aren't very good at creating asymmetrical tokens. My updated version isn't a lot simpler, but the simplifications I could come up with really lost the feel of the card for me, and in this case it seemed worth it to prioritize flavor over elegance (though obviously that's a judgement call).
Updated version:
Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist 3UBR
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
When Ludevic enters the battlefield, exile three target creature cards from graveyards. Put a blue Zombie Chimera creature token onto the battlefield with power equal to the total power of cards exiled this way, toughness equal to the total toughness of cards exiled this way, and one of flying, menace, lifelink, or trample, chosen at random.
1/1
I think this compares favorably in complexity to Soul Separator (http://mythicspoiler.com/emn/cards/soulseparator.html) and similar cards.
My guess is that this is more suited to rare than mythic -- it just doesn't seem epic enough to justify mythic -- though I'd love to hear if folks think otherwise.
Is there more information on who Ludevic is? I liked the red interpretation, but I tried to form a picture based only on the cards.
ReplyDeleteI could only find Ludevic's Abomination (blue) and another blue card, so I felt impelled to make a blue card, but preferably one with the feel of "building a zombie over time" (because blue zombies are a big part of what mad scientists do on Innistrad), and maybe with transforming. And maybe some black (because zombies) although I agree flavour-wise red might be better.
I ended up with:
Stitcher Ludevic 3U
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (Rare)
2/4
{X}{U}, {T}: Exile target creature card from your graveyard. Put a token that's a copy of it onto the battlefield except it's a zombie in addition to its other types. You may transform it.
At the beginning of each player's end step, you may pay {X}{B} and exile X creature cards from your graveyard. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on target zombie.
The only other info I can think of is that some of the teasers that went out before Eldritch Moon included peer-admiration letters between Geralf and Ludevic.
DeleteRather than exile and make a token, can we just put that card OTB? Especially since you can't transform tokens.
Curious that one ability taps and the other doesn't.
Thank you.
DeleteDoh, I shouldn't have forgotten that. And that's all good criticism, but leads to putting back all the problems I was trying to get away from (reanimation is not blue, too wordy, no instant speed pump, ability to combo both abilities...)
I guess I can try everything else the same but the text box as:
{X}{U}, {T}: Return target creature card with converted mana cost X from your graveyard to the battlefield. It's a zombie in addition to its other types.
{X}{B}, {T}, exile X target creature cards from your graveyard: Put X +1/+1 counters on target zombie.
I'd wondered about something that returned a creature as 0/0, but got +1/+1 counters from other creature cards exiled, to give more flavour of "build a thing" but it didn't quite fit.