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Original Card: Dry Spell ­

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• No longer deals damage to you, or your creatures.
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• Damage to creatures became -1/-0. Damage to opponent now loss of life.
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Edit: Note that in the following conversation, Dry Spell started off as a one-sided Rain of Embers.

I wasn't sure what to do with this card at first. Logic tells me that Dry Spell could cost ... it just doesn't. But still costs too much. I figure this is close to fair. Possibly an uncommon, though. I marked it in the skeleton.

Also, annoys me how close this sits to Evaporate (Homelands Restored version: Evaporate. I didn't really want to turn Evaporate into a one-sided Pyroclasm, but...

It's not very black though. What about -1/-1 and lose 1 life?

Creatures get -1/-1, each player loses 1 life?

­Festergloom suggests that's doable. Kinda good, though.

Could do that. Dealing damage is within black's color pie, even if it doesn't do it to often. But, it makes sense if I want to pull this card further away from Evaporate.

Causes an odd crossover problem with Nausea, as well. This is some weird territory. Festergloom and Nausea would infer this must cost , minimum. Infest and Drown in Sorrow would beg to differ. I know those guys are uncommons, but I don't think that means this can't be common. I know it means this is a likely candidate for uncommon, though...

Nah. Nausea is just overcosted. Cf Electrickery.

-1/-1 is more powerful than 1 damage, though.

Funny how tricky the minutiae can be. I've been thinking of making this -0/-1 if it matters, Link. Still better than one damage, but it won't do anything if you got a Hill Giant and I got a Hill Giant and I want to attack.

Switched over to -0/-1 and lose one life. Feels a teensy bit messier that way. Ah, well.

I actually really like "-0/-1" it feels appropriate to the flavour.