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Recent updates to LibraryPlane: (Generated at 2025-09-01 06:35:53)
How about "The first time this permanent is targeted by a spell or ability each turn..."
I added an 'activate this ability only once each turn' to the metaphysic mechanics. This is to prevent infinite combos with cards like shuko. The only trouble is that this sentence doesn't seem to work here, since atomistic metaphysic (as well as the others) isn't an activated abilities as far as I can tell. It may be a triggered ability, I'm not certain. But if it is, I have no idea whether a sentence like 'trigger this ability only once each turn' or 'this ability can be triggered only once each turn' is meaningful.
I've adjusted the metaphysic mechanic to prevent infinity combos. Unwavering Skeptic and atomistic metaphysic still synergize, but not enough to be terribly frightening.
Also, M12 spoilers have updated the precedent on this ability: Merfolk Mesmerist. It has Vedalken Entrancer's activation cost, but is costed more efficiently.
On top of that, I've been thinking of changing the Skeptic's ability to 'all graveyards', since that sells the flavour better, and helps out whatever reanimation stuff I plan on fitting into Black. Maybe if I do that, I can add an activation cost without feeling like I'm weakening the card.
Atomistic Metaphysic is a wierd and interesting mechanic. It's also a little broken with any card that says "
: Target creature..." which there have been a few of in the past (A popular deck that was called "Life" was full of them). I wouldn't suggest 1CC targeting activations, either...
But, if the card itself doesn't do something that doesn't break the game if tapped infinitely, then it should be fine. Morselhoarder, Sinking Feeling and Power of Fire were all printed in Shadowmoor. When combined, they deal an infinite amount of damage to everything... but they are three subpar cards, otherwise (Sinking Feeling is espescially bad). The Shadowmoor team, at first, fought hard to not make 'broken combos' with the untap ability in block, but eventually realised that broken untap combos are what people will want to do. Why wouldn't they want to give people the tools to make the decks they want to play?
It's a dangerous game... and it mostly involves messing with the numbers. But three card combos in limited are probably fine, assuming they don't consist of first to fifth card picks.
Cool, that's reassuring. This is the only mill common I have planned (offensive mill anyway; I reserve the right to print some self-mill in black).
That said, if I decide to keep Swarm of Monads (and I'm not certain I want to, especially inasmuch as it looks like a couple of them could untap one another ad infinitum after being hermetic studyd) that 'atomistic metaphysic' mechanic can make this more dangerous. Is that cause enough for worry?
Entrancer wasn't very powerful because the Dimir guild was flush with milling cards. While it was only a side project of one of four guilds in Ravnica, too many good cards that mill would be much too strong in limited, so the power of common millers needed to be carefully watched. While this card is (in my opinion) very good, if this was the only common miller, I'd call it okay. Many players will take one just for a good defender, having no interest in milling the opponent, so the mill player shouldn't be able to stock pile on them (though I could see someone drafting them early, intending to become the mill player if he sees a lot more, or just using it as a good blocker if he doesn't...)
Thanks for pointing out that card. Now I suspect that this isn't properly costed; losing the ability to attack isn't a meaningful drawback in this case.
Well at least the card concept is in place. I'll tweak the numbers once I get to the play testing stage.
Similar to Vedalken Entrancer. Gains cheaper activation of the ability and a point of power, but loses the ability to attack.
In its set, it did a few things; like it could frustrate an attempt to cast Fleetfoot Panther to save a white 3/3, for example. Similarly the Niveous Wisps cycle were put in a set with lots of "colour-matters" cards.
Picture added - this one just didn't work out, it's supposed to be a guy knocking down a pillar
Wow, singe is a cute card. I'm not sure I mean that in a good way.
Alright. I've come to the conclusion that my intentions for the card where mislaid (that is, it was a mistake to want the discard to be a necessary part of the counter). This way is a lot cleaner, and I think the flavour is (somewhat) accessible, whereas before the flavour was clumsy.
Academy Rector seems to be quite a bit more confusing than I realized. This figures, as it's one of the combo boogeymen that made me give up the game in the first place.
Cool, thanks for clearing it up.
This is reminiscent of Darkest Hour. There's no reason for that to be rare these days.
See also Sinister Strength and Singe for some "incidental" turning things black.
Yes, your interpretation is precisely correct. It'd just counter a spell without forcing you to cycle a card, if you have no cards left in hand when this resolves.
BTW, the key thing about the "if you do" on Academy Rector is that if AR is no longer in the graveyard by the time the trigger resolves, you can't exile it, and thus you don't get to tutor. This applies in cases like Cremate, but also Undertaker, and token copies of the Rector from things like Spitting Image, since the tokens cease to exist before you can exile them.
The way that you can fail to find something if you search is a red herring; that's not what the "if you do" is referring to.
Yeah, it'll do exactly the same. I'm not sure why Plagiarize was templated like that; probably just to make it very clearly spelled out.
I just realized I'm still confused. Is it possible to cast this version of the card if it's the only card you have in your hand? Would you successfully counter the spell, and then nothing would happen?
If that's the case then it misses out on some of the flavour I was looking for. Then again, that flavour was obscure to begin with. Also, I'd like to try out this 'all-upside' style of design.
updated card to match jmgariepy's idea
Thanks for clearing up Academy Rector for me. I was beginning to suspect there was more going on there than a simple 'if you do' rule.
I'd rather make a strictly worse dismiss than a in-many-situations-strictly better cancel, especially given that I want curves up to 7 mana to be viable in this set. So I'm going to change it to what you suggested. Thanks for the help.
I like the idea of a colour-matters block. But the plan for this set is to focus on Black alone (like you said, a 'black makes things black' minor mechanic). The purpose of the mechanic is to represent an aspect of Black's solipsism. I'm reusing evil presence and a lot of swampwalk for the same reason.
I'm planning on making a crowd of cinders aura at common. Adding a 'this creature is black' clause to that aura seems like a great idea. Now I just need to think up a name for it.
Academy Rector, and any other card that searches your library for a card, does not force you to find the card you are looking for. This is because your opponent can't prove that you do or don't have the card you are looking for in your deck (in the case of Academy Rector, you may have just looked through your library and found out that you don't have any enchantments in your deck).
If the card operated the other way, where you had to fetch a card out of your library whether you want to or not, and you were in a tournament, things would get sticky. Let's say you didn't have an enchantment left in your deck. You look through your library, don't find one and declare you don't get one. Your opponent doesn't believe you, but what can he do besides constantly waste a judge's time? Better to let the player 'cheat' and have the option of not finding a card.
As far as the card is concerned, I think it's considerably better than Cancel. A cancel that allows you to get a free loot is pretty awesome. If it was me, though, I'd get rid of the "If you do" condition, then put it back so that it says "Counter target spell. Discard a card, then draw a card if a card was discarded this way.", then increase the cost of the card by 1. The card looks more all-upside that way.
The truth is, that while Camuth points out that you may not draw a card because the base spell may not be countered, it would be a rare situation where the spell you're countering, for some reason, can't be countered.