Cool Card Design of the Day11/16/2017 - Reciprocating Arch came from thinking about alternatives to treasure tokens that could help you cast spells without the added cost that accelerating your mana necessitates. This idea begat 3 bonus cards.
So for an up-front cost of {2} (and a card), you can play two Mantis Riders on turn 3. Or a Day of Judgment followed by a Vengevine. Reciprocating Arch nets you mana, but doesn't let you play a five-mana creature on turn three or four.
There's an argument for that being okay as an artifact, but it fits perfectly in red. Red is happy to exchange cards for a one-time mana boost, and this way we don't have to worry about breaking the game by accelerating into a three- or five-drop on the first turn.
As the rare version, Infinite Echoes has some of its own quirks, like letting you cast your whole hand if you can line up the mana costs but requiring you to spend your +2 mana the same turn. Both these cards so far intentionally require matching CMCs rather less-than-or-equal to keep maximizing them a very intentional act of deck-building on the player's part.
Reciprocate Mana uses the same free-mana-without-acceleration technology but with actual mana. There are a shocking number of possible templates for these effects. This card doesn't combo with mana rocks like the first two did, but can give you a lot of mana later in the game that you can do anything you want with, except for buying something bigger than you can afford already.
Lava Surge is the least weird looking card to flow from this same idea. It's a traditional ritual except that its mana cost means it's usually useless, but if you've already cast another spell (and thus spent mana, presumably), it's a red Dark Ritual. Memnite makes that as dangerous as DR, but now you've spent two cards to get two mana, which is probably fine everywhere but Storm.
All three of the red cards are unprintable in Modern-legal sets due to storm, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteWizards would be fools to cut off multiple veins of design just because of decks preying on old mistakes. They'd seriously be better off banning storm in Modern.
DeleteThe way I see it, the storm mechanic itself isn't the problem-- there are plenty of other ways to win if you can "go off" with a sequence of spells that nets cards and mana. And several of the cards here make "going off" a lot easier.
DeleteReciprocate Mana is arguably better than High Tide, which sees Legacy play. Lava Surge is usually a red Dark Ritual in most decks that want it-- again very Legacy relevant. Infinite Echoes is less broken than I initially read it to be (I thought you could ritual and then use the ritual mana to cast it), but it still seems too easy to abuse on turn 2 or 3 in a deck with rituals and cheap card draw.
Yeah Infinite Echoes with Cathartic Reunion, Tormenting Voice, Manamorphose, etc etc would definitely be a thing.
DeleteI do agree that “ban Storm” is probably something to do sooner rather than later.
Probably still too strong, but quirkier and less /immediately/ broken than Infinite Echoes (just imagine it's Genesis Wave math):
DeleteResonant Echoes R
Instant
Choose target spell you control.
This turn, you can cast a number of spells equal to that spell's converted mana cost that each have the same converted mana cost as the chosen spell without paying their mana costs.
Seems like we need something opposite from what we've got now in supplemental products, where the cards can't be played in Standard but can be played in Vintage. Designs like these could be totally safe in Standard if we didn't have to worry about, y'know, every card ever printed.
DeleteI like Reciprocating Arch, but it says "restrict the types" to me. This could have more colors for commander, but I could see this in a preconstructed deck, esp. say, one with soulshift and a bunch of 6-drop spirits.
ReplyDeleteKeeper of the Arch 2G
Legendary Creature - Spirit Shaman
When a creature you control enters the battlefield, you may reveal another creature card from your hand with the same converted mana cost. If you do, sacrifice CARDNAME and put that creature onto the battlefield.
3/2
Yeah, I like this, although I don't think you'd need to sacrifice it. Just avoid totally off:
DeleteKeeper of the Twins 2G
Creature - Spirit Shaman
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may reveal another creature card from your hand with the same converted mana cost. If you do, put that creature card onto the battlefield.
3/2
Harder to use, but arguably neater:
DeleteKeeper of the Twins 2G
Creature - Spirit Shaman (mythic)
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may cast any number of spells with the same name this turn without paying their mana costs.
3/2
Reciprocating Arch and Infinite Echoes are quite cool. Infinite Echoes is probably too strong even with just infinite divinations though. I think I'd like the Arch better as a colored enchantment and stick with that.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see some interactive cards in these ramp and storm decks.
ReplyDeleteBottled Mana 1R
Enchantment
Whenever a player casts a spell, add a charge counter to CARDNAME. Then, if it has four or more counters on it, sacrifice CARDNAME and add RRRRR to your mana pool.
The idea being that your opponent can make you "waste" the mana on their turn.
That's real neat.
Delete