tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post8284317827884530376..comments2024-03-11T02:32:15.295-04:00Comments on Goblin Artisans: Weekend Art Challenge Review 031513—SephirothUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-63765421652703972572013-03-20T07:42:59.964-04:002013-03-20T07:42:59.964-04:00http://tinyurl.com/clntfdmhttp://tinyurl.com/clntfdmA.Charantonishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14764287128554364197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-27035116115507351942013-03-20T07:40:40.443-04:002013-03-20T07:40:40.443-04:00Although the alternative is also interestingAlthough the alternative is also interestingA.Charantonishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14764287128554364197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-87938035752015722072013-03-20T04:10:33.429-04:002013-03-20T04:10:33.429-04:00Your control, sorry, forgot to state that.Your control, sorry, forgot to state that.A.Charantonishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14764287128554364197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-54320389270052178242013-03-19T14:59:52.539-04:002013-03-19T14:59:52.539-04:00On Seht, the planeswalker, a few things.
1. I agr...On Seht, the planeswalker, a few things.<br /><br />1. I agree that it shouldn't have the nonplaneswalker clause on the -2, it seems unnecessary.<br />2. Her +2 is really good at protecting her, provided you have creatures, that's awesome, it looks strong.<br />3. Her ultimate doesn't seem to fit on the card. She protects your creatures and makes it hard for them to die. She rewards you for building up an army to protect her by protecting them. Eventually, if she ultimates, she gives your entire army to your opponent, AND she gives herself to your opponent! Maybe this was just a costing problem or maybe it was intentional but you NEED her to get hit by some damage to get her loyalty to be an even number so that the -8 can wipe her off the board. If you don't, she -8s and gives herself and all of your army that she's been protecting to your opponent. <br />4. It feels kind of like the first ability is meant to be the 'white' one, the second ability is meant to be the 'black' one and then the last one was kind of added on to add chaos for the 'red' portion of her casting cost.Hevaenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16354353334585116017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-40142628474740872782013-03-19T13:37:55.420-04:002013-03-19T13:37:55.420-04:00Must've come in after I started the review.
W...Must've come in after I started the review.<br /><br />When you return creatures to the battlefield, do they do under their owner's control, or yours?Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-49524924487670039782013-03-19T11:07:10.637-04:002013-03-19T11:07:10.637-04:00Don't shy away from making powerful cards, dud...Don't shy away from making powerful cards, dude! In Rise of the Eldrazi, a 3BB legendary creature (Drana) is a 4/4 flyer with repeatable removal that doesn't require a tap, and no drawbacks. Your 3BB legendary creature is strictly worse than Ajani's Sunstriker until the beginning of your next turn, at which point you have to harm your own creatures to make her not suck. <br /><br />For that much investment (as well as giving your opponent a turn to get rid of her before she starts doing her dirty work), why not make her upkeep ability really good? "Target player sacrifices a creature. If he or she does, put two +1/+1 counters on CARDNAME." Or something like that. <br /><br />And absolutely, her base stats should be 3/3 or even 4/4. A 3CC legendary rare creature is a bomb. She should end the game in a few turns if your opponent can't deal with her.<br /><br />Be bold!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17647677781801914930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-23715027574665766252013-03-19T05:37:45.579-04:002013-03-19T05:37:45.579-04:00I also felt Oraba middle ability might be better w...I also felt Oraba middle ability might be better withour the graveyard focus, as any format with focus on graveyard (like Ankh) will undoubtedly get at least one piece of graveyard hate which will render a graveyard focused planeswalker useless. If your opponent slams down a Leyline of the Void out of their opening hand, Oraba becomes essentially a dead card.Antny223https://www.blogger.com/profile/15428604357908431118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-70155616239182838702013-03-19T05:29:21.786-04:002013-03-19T05:29:21.786-04:00Isn't there a problem though that giving after...Isn't there a problem though that giving afterlife to creature directly stops me dealing with them? For example if you have 4 creatures on board to my two and you have a 2-2 split between shadow and non shadow. If you have given the non-shadow creature afterlife and then next turn I sweep the board, you still only lose creatures that had shadow and now I have the remaining two creature with shadow to deal with, leaving you with all upside. Given any creature afterlife should be constantly netting card advantage by letting them continue to attack after death, so the first ability is probably the real damage here rather than the ultimate (which is unnecessary if your opponent isn't playing shadow and hard to reach if they are).Antny223https://www.blogger.com/profile/15428604357908431118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-12135903833011039722013-03-19T04:20:39.659-04:002013-03-19T04:20:39.659-04:00On Kerl, the Bloodworship
Thanks for the feedback...On Kerl, the Bloodworship<br /><br />Thanks for the feedback! About the non-square power and toughness - I wanted to make her a 2/2, but I realized that if I started her out as such, at best, she will swing as a 4/4, then as a 6/6; with lifelink! I got scared of such swings in life totals, so I preferred to go with 1/2. (then 3 power, 5 power, etc.) <br /><br />Perhaps a 0/2 would have been better if I was going to break away from going with square stats. It's a bit of an increase in flavor since she only gets her power from blood and blood alone.bradleyrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05284973109981113059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-32759713072814465792013-03-19T00:44:25.753-04:002013-03-19T00:44:25.753-04:00I primarily play casual formats, so I was aware of...I primarily play casual formats, so I was aware of Seti's impact on formats without shadow.<br /><br />Seti is to Green, what Worship is to Red. Not every color should be able to handle every card directly. But like Worship, this card isn't unbeatable. When I designed it, I was careful to make it vulnerable. Seti doesn't do anything for you unless you have creatures. Really, nothing. So the way to get around her is a pretty easy.Nich Graysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08686832423418814443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-67373825591725771042013-03-18T23:12:07.389-04:002013-03-18T23:12:07.389-04:00Seti's first ability is deeply problematic in ...Seti's first ability is deeply problematic in eternal formats such as the kitchen table. (I.e., most games people play.) It prevents the vast majority of creatures from attacking it, which is the primary way of eliminating planeswalkers.HavelockVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698268009797139251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-84261962923686589492013-03-18T22:39:38.458-04:002013-03-18T22:39:38.458-04:00Maybe. But it's really not much of something w...Maybe. But it's really not much of something we've seen. Dark Realms and Memory Adept certainly set themselves up, but beyond they still have pretty distinct abilities for different game plans. I'm just not seeing that your walkers really have the kind of choices involved with the rest. You don't want a planeswalker to just be able to "go on autopilot", you want to have both abilities be tempting and represent a pretty real opportunity cost to using one ability over another. <br /><br />It's less of a question of niche designs. That's fine. Liliana of the DR isn't a problem because because she focuses swamps. It's more because 90% of the time, all she does is tutor for lands. That's partially because her other abilities are so weak, but it's also because that's basically ALL she does. Nissa, Koth, Jace MA? They all have at least a few options, even if they are focused. <br /><br />Seti feels a bit too much like just a straight Afterlife lord. Oraba is better, but it's a rare point where you'll need to actually choose between the abilitiesWobbleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11494097707732649864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-87657292053588178112013-03-18T21:31:24.036-04:002013-03-18T21:31:24.036-04:00Not only that, but WotC understands that they need...Not only that, but WotC understands that they need to preserve design space for planewalkers and maintain each one's identity. So these niche designs are going to continue.Nich Graysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08686832423418814443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-82304570748963246442013-03-18T21:23:41.369-04:002013-03-18T21:23:41.369-04:00There are basically two types of walkers: precisio...There are basically two types of walkers: precision tools that go only in a very specific deck archetype (Jace, Memory Adept, Nissa Revane, Koth of the Hammer, etc.) and swiss-army-knives that can go in almost any deck that runs their colors (Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Liliana of the Veil, Garruk, Primal Hunter, etc.) <br /><br />Oraba was designed to go in dredge and/or reanimator decks. Even if you have a black deck, if it's not centered around those themes, you're not going to want to run her. Maybe those kinds of decks aren't the ones you like to play. That's okay! I don't think every walker needs to get every player excited.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17647677781801914930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-62972365647422883052013-03-18T19:59:01.387-04:002013-03-18T19:59:01.387-04:00There's only so much you can do with the casti...There's only so much you can do with the casting cost without requiring a more thorough redesign. There's a fine balance that needs to be observed when tying the power of a variable effect to board development (as opposed to mere mana requirements). Each additional colorless mana would so dramatically dilute the power of this design, regardless of whether it says "or equal", that I think that would be a last resort for development.<br /><br />At 1BR it's likely still good (or better), but 2BR is basically "meh" in an era of Loxodon Smiters, Dreg Manglers, and Hellhole Flailers.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-86775990152909383362013-03-18T19:46:38.615-04:002013-03-18T19:46:38.615-04:00I wanted to point out that it is optional, too, bu...I wanted to point out that it is optional, too, but I don't think it should be on a BR card. I actually like the design a lot better as a mandatory trigger.Lobster667https://www.blogger.com/profile/10284696704195275723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-28382805264944696532013-03-18T19:35:53.666-04:002013-03-18T19:35:53.666-04:00On Planeswalkers:
Oraba in interesting, but the v...On Planeswalkers:<br /><br />Oraba in interesting, but the very thing you liked, was an aspect I bristled at. While it might make sense to have 3 super synergistic abilities, most planeswalkers display a wide range of skills. That helps them be more dynamic and less narrow. Look at Liliana of the Dark Realms vs her other two iterations. Dark Realms just cares about one thing: swamps. That narrow focus really limits her to one style of deck vs the flexibility of the other two. There's certainly a place for a few such walkers, but those designs aren't as exciting to me.<br /><br />Seti has a similarly narrow focus, but also does something that only Garruk has ever really done before: she uses a block keyword. Granted, Shadow has been used before, but these characters are really trying to get beyond their blocks as much as they can. That's one of the reasons why the "guilded" walkers of RTR don't have watermarks. Garruk is the exception to this with his transformations, but even then he wasn't a werewolf and the keyword was such that it didn't have a super plane specific flavor.<br /><br />On Seht: there are a few problems here I was never really happy with the fixes on. <br />The first was the gains protection clause. Leaving it up until your next turn is an awkward solution, especially in multiplayer games. <br /><br />The "non-planeswalker" clause was really less for balance reasons, and more for flavor. The idea was that as a god, Seht demanded sacrifices. But she's not about to sacrifice herself to herself. <br /><br />Her "redness" comes partially from the "fickle"ness of the character: she chooses different colors, different card types and even different sides. The +2/-2 abilities ideally make it that if she uses her ultimate, your opponent gains control of her as well. Exchanging all permanents also felt very red to me (Like Twist Allegiance, or Tibalt's ultimate), even though the life exchange was black. You also get a bit of the Red from being able to use the protection ability to prevent your opponent from blocking and the "everybody sacs" feel of crack the earth. Those abilities have also been seen in white, so it provided some nice overlap. <br /><br />Her +2 was also a reference to Seht's Tiger, for what it's worth. I'm not sure how I feel about Humanoid and Nonhumanoid cats in the same set, but it's something to think about if Seht's Tiger is a "preprint" for Ankh Theb.Wobbleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11494097707732649864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-35039077528194778892013-03-18T19:22:12.059-04:002013-03-18T19:22:12.059-04:00Just based on the amount of work these challenges ...Just based on the amount of work these challenges require, I don't begrudge you multiple designs. I like it better when you have one official design, and others that are riffs on the submitted final products.<br /><br />I think there are themes//mechancics//creature types that almost require gold cards in some capacity. Life and death as a theme speaks to Black and Green, so why not have a card that is both black and green? Power-centered Religion speak to white and black, so why not have a card that is both white and black? I'd assumed that strong enemy colored themes would exclude ally color pairings, but the set could have both. Like how Innistrad block was mostly ally colored, with some enemy color splashes.<br /><br />I like Soul counters. They reminds me of the Spellcraft counters I suggested (Set Design Unanswered Question #5). It's a cool mechanic for Tablets of Law, or a non-creature spells. We'll have a lot of other creatures mechanics to use in this set. But maybe that's the point of the new Divine supertype - to show that this cards deals in Soul counters. That way you can use the mechanic on all sorts of different types.<br /><br />The "have more lands than an opponent" mechanic on Culler of Duat is good. It feels like something we'd find in Frontier.<br /><br />Crimson Sky hints at a mono color matters theme, but as I noted above, it feels to me that Ankh-Theb wants to support two color decks.<br /><br />Gifts of Lady Bastet would be an awesome Tablet of Law, and hints at a cycle. Instead of being free or colorless, what if each Tablet of Law represented a god in ascendency who's rule is the law of the land? Casting a new one overthrows the previous one. Yep, I've just decribed World enchantments:<br /><br />orbo, Sky Charioteer's Rule<br />3UR<br />World Enchantment<br />(Whenever a world enchantment enters the battlefield, all others are put into their owner's graveyard.)<br />Creatures with First strike gain double strike.<br />Creatures with flying are unblockable.<br /><br />Priestess of Bast's revere mechanic plays well in a set with a lot of token makers. Priestess of the Waning Moon's Human Offering doesn't. Depending on how we choose to implement the set's slaves determines which mechanic is worth a spin. Either way, I can't see either of these mechanics on a lot of cards, or at common. Our main creature mechanic needs to exist at common easily. *cough*afterlife*cough*<br /><br />The first Ritual of Breath Stealing is not safe. The last thing we want is another mechanic that can be abused just by self milling. I'd like it if you had to play fair with it, IE cast all your spells. The second version is good, but I wish it didn't pull us into a graveyard matters direction. Also, I don't think it's NWO compliant, because you have to be on the lookout for cards in your opponent's graveyard all the time. I imagine their will be Arcane instants. It's not like flashback where you only need to pay attention until spells in the yard get used up. These spells stay there for endless use. I still think something like my Arcane vigor keyword (Set Design Unanswered Questions #4) is safer, but still a fun mechanic to play with. <br /><br />Arcane vigor N (When you cast this spell, if there are at least N Arcane cards in your graveyard, return one at random to your hand.)<br /><br />Seti, Death Broker's +1 ability is a permanent granting of Afterlife, so it can play defensively too. I'm not sure if that's something we want to force player's to track, but I saw Tezzeret made artifacts 5/5 creatures permanently, so I took a shot. I really want to playtest Afterlife. It looks fun, and is very flavorful.Nich Graysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08686832423418814443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-11276538108474583742013-03-18T18:15:43.565-04:002013-03-18T18:15:43.565-04:00You're right. That 'may' keeps you fro...You're right. That 'may' keeps you from having to kill your own creatures.<br /><br />Can you not solve the "less than or equal" power problem by increasing the cost of Culler of Duat?Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-51664401860881725022013-03-18T18:14:21.955-04:002013-03-18T18:14:21.955-04:00Sorry about that Jules. Fixed.Sorry about that Jules. Fixed.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-88470417477987210762013-03-18T17:50:17.566-04:002013-03-18T17:50:17.566-04:00Jay, two things about Culler of Duat:
1. Its trig...Jay, two things about Culler of Duat:<br /><br />1. Its trigger is a "may", so you don't have to kill your own thing.<br /><br />2. It was originally "less than or equal" per expectations, but that's definitely too strong. There needs to be some wiggle-room such that Red and Green's larger early drops can curve out of Culler's range, while White and Blue's defensive creatures will be forever doomed.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-28278620942106397672013-03-18T16:38:23.380-04:002013-03-18T16:38:23.380-04:00First off, my submission was left out (I assume ac...First off, my submission was left out (I assume accidentally, which is understandable given the 103 comments on the post.) Here it is:<br /><br />Hireh, Death's Daughter 3BB<br />Legendary Creature-Zombie Cat Wizard (M)<br />Usurp (Whenever another creature dies you may pay X, where X is its power. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on Hireh.)<br />B, Sacrifice another creature: Destroy target creature.<br />3/3<br /><br /><br /><br />As for Recite, each version has some danger, but I think the second one is closer to printable.<br /><br />The version that copies itself for each Arcane card could VERY easily be the next Storm. What's to stop you from just running through your deck until you can cast this one for 20? Reach Through Mists, Peer Through Depths, Sift Through Sands and Ideas Unbound already exist.<br /><br />The second version is definitely at risk for repetitive gameplay a la Retrace, and it's kind of awkward that, like Splice, cheap spells need to cost more to recite and expensive spells should cost less to recite because of varying opportunity costs.<br /><br />That said, I think this is actually a much better mechanic than Splice in that it doesn't discourage you from playing spells before you have things to do with them. What's more, it scales so that you have more effects to use at the same time that you have more mana instead of not having anything left when you get lots of mana like Splice. I definitely want to try Recite Arcane [COST].Juleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13784920130399590671noreply@blogger.com