2-for-1s at Common? Not on my watch!

Also, straight up cantripping removal is pretty rare these days, even if this isn't targeted. Off-hand, the closest things I can think of are Sever the Bloodline (pseudo-cantrip through flashback), Resounding Silence, and Slice in Twain/Instill Infection.

­Second Thoughts was very close to this, and cost 1 more. I don't agree with the prohibition on 2-for-1s at common (I mean, I don't think Divination or Mind Rot are going away any time soon). I think given this lets the player choose the attacker to sacrifice, that's enough of a downgrade on Second Thoughts to make this okay.

I consider removal-oriented 2-for-1s to be a bit different than a Divination or Mind Rot. You have to consider the other qualities of Card Advantage, in that eliminating an on-board permanent involves not only that trade of physical resource (a card for a card) but also some quantity of tempo and mana found in the difference in mana cost between what your opponent paid to cast the spell vs. what you paid to kill it.

This is probably fine in the long run, especially since Verdicts/Edicts tend to suck, so really I just wanted to address that cantrips aren't quite something that you can casually implement.

The next logical questions then are:

1) what should it cost if it's not a cantrip, and

2) is there a rider effect other than cantrip you'd try on it?

Well, if you were keep it a cantrip, you probably want to assume this cost is ok for the time being, then adjust it according to it's efficiency. Like, if there is ultimately a lot of token-creation or many creatures with poor combat skills but powerful activated abilities, this could potentially be fine at 2W even.

But to think of another rider, I would ask: how does a cantrip convey the present flavor of atonement? Is there some effect that could convey that better?

Presumably, the creature had atoned for its sin by virtue of being sacrificed. Perhaps it could create a 1/1 spirit token? Wouldn't be so crazy, considering Parasitic Implant.

You know, I think they've been removing the two-for-one cantrips at common for other reasons entirely. Zac Hill in Bringing Flashback Back infers that card advantage isn't necessarily broken, so much as not sexy. New player don't understand why being up a card is so important, don't appreciate how powerful those kind of cards are, don't play with them, and consequently lose to old hands. That being the case, cards that grant card advantage are often moved out of the common slot, so that new players don't see them as much. He also points to old environments that used to be tit-for-tat play style as opposed to new environments which focus on big-monster-swing.

Personally, I love card advantage, and the type of games I enjoy most are back and forth until someone gains the underhand. But, I get where RnD is coming from. I'd encourage the occasional card advantage card, because I'd be frustrated if I couldn't play with them, but I suppose you have to be careful to not overdo it.

I think that in working out the concept for the card, I saw the opportunity to play up the politics of Debronia's story. As much as I'm building up to a grand conspiracy – SOR is about the suspicions, signs, and accusations that something stinks in Denmark – I also want to show that the government is at least pushing back against Marrick's rebels. Act of Atonement is, for me, a way of showing someone givin up the fight and turning over knowledge from one side to the other. Sort of a "turning State's Evidence".

Perhaps one of the bigger flaws here is the naming of the card.

Still, I feel it remains that white needs a common removal card along the lines of Rebuke or Smite the Monstrous. The challenges I'm facing are that I want something that feels new and right for the vibe of the set, and that I already have too much life-gain in common white (so that's not an option for creating a rider).

While I like Houlding's idea of a token creature, it's once again card advantage, and doesn't really evoke so much of the "one person falling on their sword and confessing" as it does "one person falling on their sword and another joining the fray".

Looking back, maybe the current card would have made more sense named "Dying Confession".

This is an idea that might be better suited to a higher rarity, but as an expression of political machinations or an interrogation gone awry, you might want to a try a take on the not-quite-good Browbeat cycle from Judgment.

Something like:

Act of Atonement
­
Instant
Draw two cards unless target creature's controller sacrifices it.

I'm not sure if they avoid targeted sacrifice due to the somewhat awkward rules behind sacrifice or if it's just a flavor thing, but the above seems functional.

Hey, don't knock Browbeat. That card has never done wrong for me.

Not knocking it, just saying Book Burning, Molten Influence, and whatever else is in that cycle of quasi-colorshifts aren't exactly playable in most contexts.

There were a couple that worked really nicely in aggressive burn decks. Ironically, Book Burning was not one of them.

I used to run a deck with Lavaborn Muses, Hippies, and other discard nastiness backed up with straight-up cheap burn. Browbeat was the kind of card that either accelerated your draws into the finisher cards or sealed the deal by itself. No downside.

Oh, man. I know we're going off topic here, but I used to love my Blazing Salvo deck featuring a large number of "punisher" cards. The deck had a Mirari in it, and one of my favorite plays was casting Breaking Point, doubling it and demanding a payment of 12 life to keep the creatures on the board. Then, if my opponent payed the cost, doing it again next turn.

There is a naming problem here and it's a little bigger: given what this set is about, 'atonement' doesn't really work with what this card does.

If it read: "sacrifice a creature, target opponent sacrifices two attacking creatures" then an easy argument could be made for a disgraced soldier sacrificing him/her self to make right.

As it currently reads mechanically, this could reflect more espionage, (your creature dies to my better information) and might work with a name like 'Tactical Blunder'.

Could this card have some sort of evidence trigger associated with it that would cause the card drawing?

Okay, Act of Atonement has become this. My only real concern now is whether this give white a removal triDck too early in the game. On the other hand, it seems like the perfect way to open up holes for a fast little-white-guys strategy.

Hmm. Somewhere between Condemn and Wing Shards. Pretty awesome, but yet not as good as Condemn. Might just about be fairly costed.

As a white-flavored Diabolic Edict this seems fine. Like Edicts, it probably won't ever be as good as the caster wants it to be, but occasionally someone will just run their best guy into it in the late game and you'll be happy.

Thumbs up!