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CardName: Mystic Sturgeon Cost: {3}{U} Type: Creature - Fish Pow/Tgh: 3/3 Rules Text: Algebra 4 (When you cast this spell you may reveal two cards from your hand or that you control on the battlefield whose total converted mana cost equals 4 and put them onto the bottom of their owners' libraries. If you do, draw two cards.) Mystic Sturgeon enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if you performed algebra. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Deshub Common

Mystic Sturgeon
{3}{u}
 
 C 
Creature – Fish
Algebra 4 (When you cast this spell you may reveal two cards from your hand or that you control on the battlefield whose total converted mana cost equals 4 and put them onto the bottom of their owners' libraries. If you do, draw two cards.)

Mystic Sturgeon enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if you performed algebra.
3/3
Updated on 28 Nov 2018 by Sorrow

History: [-]

2017-01-08 05:15:45: Sorrow created the card Mystic Sturgeon

Is algebra meant to be a "trap" mechanic? As in "This is here to trick you, because using it is a terrible idea"?

Sacrifice two cards; to get +1/+1 is a terrible exchange rate. Why would you ever do that? Maybe if it was sneakily a madness enabler; or the set massively rewards youfor stuff in graveyard?

If this had flash then MAYBE you could use it to get some benefit from stuff about to die anyway; though even then it's gonna be a rare cnjunction of events.

Make it +6/+6 and I would consider using it (and would then ask why it's in blue). As it is... just no.

That was my feeling at Fatal Depression. There's virtually no buff to a creature that would be worth giving yourself 3-for-1 card disadvantage for; and certainly none that are viable at common.

What was your aim when designing the algebra mechanic? Maybe we can salvage something from it if you explain what you were trying for.

I tried to interpret algebra as a mechanic.

I guess I could reduce it to being one card shuffled into the library as opposed to two, but I still don't you would be fans of that.

If you just want it to perform mathematical operations on cards, then an obvious fix is to add "then draw two cards". Or just make you reveal cards from hand or control cards on the battlefield with the relevant CMC without shuffling them away. That's more repetitive, but it reduces shuffling which is generally worth doing.

Exile from graveyard?

Drawing two to replace what was shuffled in alleviates the downside and has the closest feel to what I want.

Going from that I suppose algebra could be reworked just to put those two cards on the bottom instead of shuffling them in, just to avoid shuffling.

"When you cast this spell you may reveal two cards from your hand or that you control on the battlefield whose total converted mana cost equals 4 and put them onto the bottom of their owner's libraries. If you do, draw two cards."

I'm not sure if the ability can remain in white now, and should be shifted from being centered in blue to being centered in black (it feels like algebra could be fit into red now).

Exile from graveyard feels too upsidey for a non-graveyard or exile-focused set.

Alternately; just make the upside much more potent. Using up cards to get effects is a thing you do with every spell you cast. So you just need to make a spell good enough that it's worth three cards. (a 4/4 critter aint).

But the downside of that is you really can't fit much in at common.

@Vitenka: I don't think that's a good idea. Anything worth three cards is probably not the kind of thing you want repeatedly showing up at common.

2017-01-10 11:16:46: Sorrow edited Mystic Sturgeon
2018-11-28 15:57:21: Sorrow edited Mystic Sturgeon:

Missing the opening parenthesis

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