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CardName: Endbringer Hellion Cost: {4}{R}{R}{R} Type: Creature - Hellion Pow/Tgh: 10/4 Rules Text: Trample, haste At the beginning of your end step, you lose the game. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: LibraryPlane Rare

Endbringer Hellion
{4}{r}{r}{r}
 
 R 
Creature – Hellion
Trample, haste
At the beginning of your end step, you lose the game.
10/4
Updated on 18 Feb 2016 by Putnam

Code: RR01

History: [-]

2011-06-27 01:25:55: Putnam created the card Endbringer Hellion

I was hoping to finish the blue and black commons before moving to the other colours, but I misplaced the paper I had this one drawn up on, so I decided to post it while it was fresh in my memory.

Probably too powerful, but I wanted to make sure red got an extremely aggressive card so that it'll stay fearsome in the late game. Also, I'd always found it odd how rarely dragons show up in tournaments, so here's one that would see competitive play. That said, I'm probably going to lower the power and/or up the mana cost.

That makes one powerful flying blocker, but I get the impression you aren't interested in that. Are you sure this shouldn't say "At the beginning of your end step, you lose the game"?

2011-06-27 02:02:27: Putnam edited Endbringer Hellion:

changed at jmgariepy's suggesetion

Good point. It reads more impressive this way too, like an atomic ball lightning.

Wow. That is indeed atomic.

I fear it is a bit too powerful. If you removed flying (and changed the creature type accordingly), though, I think it might be printable. That way the red deck needs to burn out all your blockers, not just the flying blockers. It's undeniably scary even without flying, and would probably attract some tournament attention, but, well, there has to be some rare to get Timmy and Spike excited.

Hmm that's also a good point.

Ultimately I want to see big creatures fighting one another, a king kong vs T-Rex kind of thing. Flying lets this guy ignore the red zone (kind of like annihilator made eldrazi effective whether they were blocked or not) which amounts to missing an opportunity to please timmy (or at any rate, my notion of timmy).

I kind of had my heart set on making this guy a dragon, but I suppose it would work as a wurm. I'll take a day to see how I like the adjustment.

I can understand the desire to see creatures fight. But I fear this isn't the creature to do it with. I mean, a red deck will only cast this if (a) it'll win them the game or (b) it's guaranteed to die in combat. In case (a) they'll be burning away all the blockers they possibly can, and in case (b) they'll need to burn away any blockers with power 0-3. (Funny how this would actually be a much safer card if it had toughness 1 or 2!)

Mind you, the flavour of a giant suicidal dragon barrelling out of nowhere at your head is pretty awesome.

Earlier I was thinking that I wanted to preserve (b) as a viable use of this card. Now I think it's best just to focus on (a).

One way to accomplish this is to make it indestructible (which would require adjusting the numbers). But that means it won't die to burn (and most removal [forgot what indestructible did for a second there]). Alternatively, 'prevent all damage dealt to ~ by creatures'. But that's inelegant...

Why not just Protection from Creatures, much more elegant than 'prevent all damage dealt to ~ by creatures' still dies to burn/spot removal but solves the chump blocking issue. And then it would feel kinda Mythic. I mean what is your opponent supposed to do? here is a MASSIVE threat barreling at his head (thanks for imagery Alex) he has 3 options (a) If he thinks he can take the blow and survive to end of turn (because he knows there will be some burn to back this beast up), he can do so and win (Green can Fog, White can gain life, etc). (b) If he can't survive the blow he has to use spot removal to deal with it and the game continues (I'm including bounce and counterspelling here). (c) Scoop.

Inspired by Alex's comment about a giant suicidal dragon, why not rename it Endbringer Dragon?

Suggest Trample. This card only seems fair when something can go wrong. And it makes it a touch more like a super Ball Lightning. Also, Hellions are much cooler than Wurms.

Alright, two days later and I've finally decided. I think jmgariepy has the right idea: this card should just be Ball Lightning+.

This means getting rid of flying, and replacing it with trample.

Sorry for the mixed signals in my last couple comments; I didn't have a clear picture of where I wanted this card to go (or maybe it's more accurate to say I just had the wrong picture). There's a part of me that still wants to go with Camruth's suggestion. But then the card is too strong to see print.

As to the name and type, I'll acknowledge 'Eye to the End' is pretty pretentious (and this set is already overflowing with pretentiousness :D). I think I'll take your advise Camruth and call it Endbringer X. As to what X is, jmgariepy is likely right that Hellions > Wurms, so I'll try that. I'm not all that familiar with the flavour of hellions though. Do they have a mythological basis, or did Magic make them up?

2011-06-29 22:21:14: Putnam edited Endbringer Hellion:

thanks for the suggestions Alex, Camruth, and jmgariepy

Wait a minute! It's still too powerful. I'm going to add an extra mana to the casting cost.

2011-06-29 22:22:53: Putnam edited Endbringer Hellion

The word "hellion" just means a troublemaker or rowdy kid. Hellions as the worms-with-tentacles are a Magic invention - see here.

I like the hellion version!

Did you see the magic 2012 http://www.google.com/search?q=sundial+of+the+infinite which would make quite a ridiculous combo with the "at the beginning of your next end step" (although I don't think it's too good, and even if it is, I don't think it's worth changing your set to keep up with newly released cards).

Thanks for clearing that up Alex.

And Jack V, now that's a cool card. I'm happy there's such a clean way to get around Endbringer Hellion's drawback.

(But because I'm unpleasant, I do have this minor complaint: since the sundial is concerned with ending [i.e. limiting, placing boundaries] the turn, shouldn't it be sundial of the finite? Then again, that'd make a stupid name...)

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