See Challenge # 142.

Imagine magic had a different evolution. Hmmm.

So lets emphasise the completely lapsed 'trading' part of the trading-card-game. Originally it was envisaged that Ante would circulate cards among your friends; and that was expanded to sealed-league format.

Other old mechanics to consider are banding and "creature type matters" - Magic went the other way, of having mechanics (with reminder text) but I don't see why we couldn't have creature types (with reminder text) instead.

The game also had very distinct ideas of "cards you own" and "cards you control" - it's still there, in useless appendage to cope with Control Magic and similar; but it used to be very clear that ownership of cards could change.

Of course, the pie would be different too - birds were green; so green got flying. (Also Scryb Sprites)

So; let's have a variant on the blue wall that steals creatures. A green bird-wall can fly; and magpies steal things. Like, say, souls.

This is a very nice little risk card. Sure; you can always bypass it, but do you really want to trade (in the literal sense) your bigass stompy thing with it? Trample is the way to counter this wall. Or Lightning bolt.

And if murmurations aren't magical; I don't know what is.

Heeee.

Nice! A card that's powerful against Shivan Dragon, but vulnerable to Hill Giant.

Well not quite - both the dragon and the giant can bull into it and destroy it. But if you're on low life... well, they can bypass it and probably win the game; and they're much happier to do that with a giant than a shivan.

Yeah, I was also going to add, this is mostly less good than a 0/3 flying defender, and 3G is expensive for that (unless you have a lot of faith in your ability to bluff your opponent into making the wrong choice). This should probably be overpowered for its cost if it has a "opponent may choose to bypass it" some of the time.

True; but this is how Alpha advanced. Historically; creatures are overcosted :)

But yeah, you're right, the cost of this is high.

Oh, good point. Yes, if creatures are SUPPOSED to be underpowered, this is more plausible :)

But even in alpha, this has less P/T than Giant Spider at common, Dragon Whelp, Phantom Monster and Wall of Swords at uncommon, and Roc of Kher Ridges at rare, PLUS it's defender, PLUS its rare, PLUS it has a drawback.

Oh, heh. Sometimes Vitenka, I read into what I think you intend as opposed to what you actually wrote. I just assumed the choice was "I now own this card and it may pass, or it is removed from combat."

You say "Drawback" Alpha says "Opportunity" :)