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CardName: Chief of the Formless Cost: 2UU Type: Creature - Shapeshifter Lord Pow/Tgh: 2/3 Rules Text: Shapeshifter spells cost you up to {2} less to cast. Activated abilities of Shapeshifters you control and of creatures you control which are copying a creature cost up to {2} less to activate. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Multiverse Design Challenge Rare

Chief of the Formless
{2}{u}{u}
 
 R 
Creature – Shapeshifter Lord
Shapeshifter spells cost you up to {2} less to cast.
Activated abilities of Shapeshifters you control and of creatures you control which are copying a creature cost up to {2} less to activate.
2/3
Created on 16 Aug 2011 by Alex

History: [-]

2011-08-16 10:34:27: Alex created the card Chief of the Formless

Created for Challenge # 008.

I have a Shapeshifter tribal deck. I believe a fondness for Shapeshifters is one sign of a true Johnny :) The tricky thing about making Shapeshifter tribal cards is that half the printed Shapeshifters copy something else (and so don't have type Shapeshifter on the battlefield), but the others don't.

The rules of this effect haven't been explored before, but I think it ought to be fairly straightforward. Any creature which had nonzero activity during layer 1 of the continuous effect layers will count.

The mechanical consequences are kinda awesome. I don't actually have any specific combos in mind, but given that even the simple Clone lets you get massive discounts on any activated ability, I'm sure there are some awesome ones.

A shapeshifter lord is a great idea. It's funny that it makes so much sense, and yet is the only shapeshifter printed that doesn't change its own characteristics in any way :)

The combos are probably fun but not degenerate, since you'd normally need this, clone, and something for it to copy for it to be most powerful.

Although just this and Chameleon Colossus is pretty good. And it makes Morphling, Torchling and Thornling a lot more convenient, but isn't broken because most of the abilities require coloured mana. (It would be ridiculous if Greater Morphling were legal, but it isn't.)

I considered making the abilities one coloured mana cheaper instead. That would be rather absurd with the *lings though.

You're right that it's a pity it doesn't have a shapeshifting ability itself. Perhaps this guy actually shouldn't be a Shapeshifter himself, but should be like Lord of the Unreal or Balthor the Stout, a lord for a tribe that's not his own.

Sorry, I may have been misleading; I thought it was worth noting, but on balance I think you were right the first time on both counts :) Reducing by one coloured mana would sometimes be more interesting, but as you say, much more likely to be broken. And I thought it was interesting that he didn't have a self-shfiting ability, but I think it was right that he's a shapeshifter. After all, Shapeshifters obviously can look like non-shapeshifters :)

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