I think I know what you're aiming for flavorwise, but I don't know that this is quite top-down enough, presuming that's your intent. You're sending mixed messages in a sense, as the card name suggests something along the lines of "investigative journalist's ID card", but the abilities suggest "war photographer's instincts to avoid being shot by local militants".

Part of the problem I suppose is that you want to design an equipment that represents objectivity and noncombatant, while still possessing combat-relevant attributes. A severely challenging concept.

I'm actually okay with that, and the way you put it at the end there is a really good way to describe it. I figure that there has to be a number of reporters covering Marrick's fight for answers as it's a big story. Some will even be able to get close to and gain the trust of the General and his men. As far as getting close to the action goes, I think this is a fine way to show it.

Yeah, it means that sometimes the journalist will be part of the fray, but making cards that incentivize sidelining a creature is antithetical to the game.

Well, one thought I had that would take on a whole new meaning in Soradyne, is if this were simply the Ghostly Possession clause:

"Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by equipped creature."

In any other set that ability is almost worthless, more traditionally considered as awful removal (Muzzle) than something you would willfully apply to your own creatures. But in Soradyne, it would be an excellent (yet subtle) Feint-facilitator, because who blocks the creature that can neither deal nor be dealt combat damage?

It's an interesting idea, but I suspect exactly the opposite would happen; that creature instantly becomes an awesome blocker and never swings again, thereby completely nullifying the untap trick.

That's a possibility, but I don't know that it would be problematic, as the creature would still be vulnerable to all removal and anti-blocking spells. Cho-Manno they would be not.

I was just trying to conceptualize a way of portraying "objective observer" without using P/T affecting attributes, as it always irks me when you see bonuses that aren't clearly being granted by anything. (i.e. Credentials aren't a form of armor.)

The media gets more powerful and influential when things are happening around it.

In the long view of the set/block, the plan is to bring in Serix Thames in D47 to sort of be a "champion" among the reporters (scouts, and yeah, I have to debug some stuff regarding that). At that point, the media goes very much on the offensive, in a take-no-prisoners push for transparency on the part of the government and the Soradyne Corporation.

I know that this may not entirely resolve what you're questioning, but it's what I've got for now.

Okay, hopefully a simple name adjustment will fix the flavor issue.