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CardName: Spikemage Cost: {1}{U} Type: Creature - Human Wizard Pow/Tgh: 1/1 Rules Text: At the start of your upkeep, put a charge counter on Spikemage. {U},{T}: Counter target spell that costs X, where X is the number of time counters on Spikemage. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: My Universe, My Rules Uncommon

Spikemage
{1}{u}
 
 U 
Creature – Human Wizard
At the start of your upkeep, put a charge counter on Spikemage.
{u},{t}: Counter target spell that costs X, where X is the number of time counters on Spikemage.
1/1
Updated on 13 Sep 2019 by Vitenka

Code:

History: [-]

2012-11-08 17:41:16: Vitenka created the card Spikemage

A second hyperspace influenced card.

Probably ought to sac for its ability.

Utterly terrifying with, say, Followed Footsteps so the whole idea probably needs a rethink.

Except it only counters spells that cost exactly X, and you don't control what X is, so it shouldn't be that had to play around.

Although the way it's worded now, it can only counter 0-drops.

That was my thinking, and why I didn't make it sac.

But the prospect of a deck dedicated to casting this, then cloning it every turn, or with some counter moving-around ability, is a pretty terrifying lockdown.

Still, maybe it's ok. It starts off a few turns behind "highest casting cost" and you have to work relatively hard to keep it up.

The screams when someone finally gets to more mana than you have time counters on your biggest one; and you use Force Spike instead will be heard for miles around.

I like the card. But I got to admit it has a couple of frustrating components. One is that it's really easy to work around (though, it could be pretty funny when combined with instant speed proliferate...). I get the feeling that many people would play the card, and feel bad because they never counter anything with it, yet they have to keep an island and this untapped. It could even be the clutch card that stopped a three casting cost card at the exact right time, but owner of the Spikemage will never see his Spikemage work. He only sees when it doesn't work.

The other problem is that it keeps accumulating counters well after the point where it doesn't matter anymore. It goes to six... well, that's unlikely, but I better increase it by one. Now seven. Now eight. Once it gets to the elevensies-plus it doesn't seem to matter... but what if my opponent draws a fireball, and Spikemage is on the exact casting cost it would take to kill me? Guess I got to keep pushing this dork up...

Well, also, it's not optional ;)

Yeah, it's a card you have to be clever with to get any use at all from; but the times you do get it to work will be recounted for weeks afterwards, so I'm not really too upset with that. Combined with the silent winning of games because it holds your opponent off for a turn (and you usually will see those, when the 3-drop gets cast a turn later than it would have been really useful) I think it's probably a reasonable niche card.

Maybe make the ability sac after all, with some kind of "When this leaves play, draw a card" or similar recompense? then a player can blow it up once it's no longer useful.

I'd say "It might as well sac, since it's only realistically going to do its job once, on a rare occasion", but, geez, that stops people from living the dream. Could you imagine countering an opponent's spell with a Twiddle? Also, how come I never thought to combine Twiddle with Disruptive Student. "Force Spike your spell?" "What?"

Sacrifice does have the advantage of not having to keep putting more counters on it. And also makes it more interactive - an opponent might try to provoke you into using it, rather than just waiting it out.

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