Cool Card Design of the Day
This design went through nine iterations before I found an effect fitting of the title, unique, and interesting.
First there was the common creature that returned to your hand if it died at the same time as 2+ other creatures. Then there was the mythic reminiscent of Snapcaster Mage, in that it was a 2cc 2/1 with card advantage and abusability; that had a thin line between broken and boring, so I moved on. I simplified that design by focusing on rewarding you for getting multiple of your creatures killed at once; that was even more All or Nothing. I tried making a (random)
gravedigger that you could cast for free when you 2+ creatures died, and that was fine, I guess. I varied that by reducing the cost by the number of creatures in your graveyard, but that's Molderhulk. I made a sorcery
Woodland Sleuth. I made a random
Raise Dead that recurred whenever a massacre happened; that was too repetitive. I accidentally made
Bloodcrazed Paladin with a random
Raise Dead. I really liked the idea of getting counters a lot of deaths and I was sure recurring at least one creature was necessary, so I made the above. The cost is pretty questionable—and the last tweak—but I feel like WBB and 2BB are both appropriate costs for this.
Feels like it could maybe cost less? Undying evil only costs B, and that is basically the starting effect for this. Needing to hold up this card is pretty rough, and even if it's coming back with >3 counters, you're probably pretty behind on the board.
ReplyDeleteI buy that
DeleteOh, interesting. Yeah, I like this, although I don't know what the best combination of cost and effect to make it usable but not too strong is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the name could be something evoking the "lone survivor becomes scary badass later in the story" trope more directly?
Would having a creature with a "4: Return me from graveyard to play if I died this turn. With a +1/+1 counter on for each other creature that died this turn." work?
Or what about Instant "Return target creature card that died this turn to the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on. Costs 1 less to cast for each other creature that died this turn"?
The latter idea appeals.
DeleteI wish they made the 2 generic or 1 color mana symbols evergreen. They aren't that complicated and I *think they don't have special color philosophy like hybrid mana does. Would be useful for balancing. Do new evergreen mana symbols make sense?
ReplyDeleteHybrid makes sense as evergreen. Twobrid is too complex, though, both visually and because it makes the card's CMC less intuitive.
Delete