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original name: Wolverine Cloak

I had decided to try out several variants of approaching multicolor including this card. Looking back this approach was far to mechanical.

With or without the swamp affinity, this is still a mono- card that grants lifelink. Hardly justifiable. Toxic Mold fares much better regards to color pie.

Evasion and damage is something that is seen on artifacts (for example) from time to time so cards like Dross Golem and Flame Javelin, eh, work in a way. Lifelink though - not so much.

It seems the guys on that thread expressed this pretty clearly as well.

So you use what appears on artifacts as a reference?

This is literally a riff on Loxodon Warhammer and co. Butcher's Cleaver and Basilisk Collar are other examples for generic mana costs giving out lifelink. We had a creature and Vehicle each with access to lifelink for generic mana as well in the most recent block.

None of those even had something like affinity for Swamps to support the idea that the cards are tinged in color. Have you taken those into account?

Warhammer has been since been "replaced" by Behemoth Sledge as far as I know. Cleaver is like, uh, human tribal? Flavor justified? Idk.

­Basilisk Collar is a harder case... I don't see any mention of it being a color break/bend either... Although Gorgon's Head was printed recently...

And nobody mention Batterskull, Wurmcoil Engine or any of those vile cards.

BUT, still, you have to remember there is this weird thing in which artifacts are allowed to all kind of stuff that monocolors aren't allowed to do which I've been ranting about for a while and was not so long ago acknowledged by WotC themselves. I can't find the article at the moment's notice, but the thing was a dude couldn't get a card passed as a mono- so he resubmitted it as a colorless artifact and it got a pass. This is a major flaw in WotC's color pie principles that they ought to fix and we ought to acknowledge.

Have you checked out the two artifacts with lifelink in Kaladesh as well? You could spend a lot of effort on arguing those away and all I will have to do is wait for the next example to get released.

Well, what do you say if I acknowledge that "major flaw" by saying that a card that is easier to play with access to black mana gets access to core abilities of that color and otherwise is more restricted.

This means Vault Skirge is color justified even if you don't strictly have to pay the black mana (though there should be a rat's tail of development notes to this as well on the correct use of phyrexian mana); Batterskull would be more color appropriate costing ; Wormcoil Engine would satisfy the color pie by costing with affinity for Swamps.

See? I bring order to the system and a fix to that "major flaw".

This is reprehensible. I will not subject myself to this heresy no longer!

Sad!

I don't think you can have a red card giving lifelink, the closest you get is Scourge of the Nobilis, and it still needs white creatures.

examples for generic mana costs giving out lifelink

Red card != Colorless card. The pie's goals isn't just to limit what effects each color/deck has access to, but also to give each color a unique identity.

a card that is easier to play with access to black mana gets access to core abilities of that color

I disagree. I don't think something like "Kill Spell Sorcery Destroy target creature." should ever be printed because, again, it blurs the distinction between colors identities.

@Tahazzar: o.ô

@kaeufr: I agree on the spell you propose. I plan on using this only to create color bends, no color pie breaks.

As you can see the card in question does not remove one of the defining weaknesses of the color. No enchantment removal, no removal of a creature indiscriminate of size.

If you widen the scope and argue about cards I have no interest in making that does not help anyone.

I plan on using this only to create color bends

Bend implies a similar/weaker effect in that color, but red doesn't get lifegain in any way.

card in question does not remove one of the defining weaknesses of the color

It's easy to argue that no lifegain is one of red's weaknesses.

BTW, I'd look into Flash Conscription (and the Shrieking Grotesque cycle in general) for "tinted" cards ideas.

Now that is an argument I can see - since lifelink would give red a longterm gameplan.

But this would on the other hand mean that deathtouch in lifelinks place would be okay, right?