Mashup: the Gathering Workbench: Recent Activity
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Recent updates to Mashup: the Gathering Workbench: (Generated at 2025-07-06 19:48:58)
Random Generator gave me Avoid Fate and Howling Mine. I was looking forward to getting a Mine or one of its clones, but Avoid Fate wasn't exactly the sort of card I thought I'd be mashing it up with. "Counter target spell that targets a permanent you control, then everyone draws a card?" doesn't sound very exciting. I thought of using the Mine's "needs to be untapped to work" with a "Tap: Avoid Fate" ability, but either it was degenerate, or no fun, or didn't really look like the two cards. I like this version, but it is a pity that Reparations already popped up. They're probably going to fight for space.
Random Generator gave me Imperial Recruiter and Withering Gaze. I love these Portal3K cards... I wish the random button gave me more. This one is kind of odd. Why is red tutoring for creatures, and why would red want their power to be small? I assume it's a bit of Goblin Matron and Dwarven Warriors influence, but even then, you would have thought someone would have said "Dude, red doesn't do that." in the development meeting.
Here it gets matched with Withering Gaze, and I tried to make a blue response to seeing a boatload of giant green creatures on its way, by fetching out a bunch of tricksy smaller creatures to handle them. Probably broken. But, I suppose, only when a perfect storm comes up, so I'm okay with it for now.
It's what I suspected. It just seems odd that the Oracle wording removed the bit about tapping your opponents lands. Granted, this probably would convince more people that it operates the way they expect it to. I think when I see that the wording is changed so much, though, my mind flips into "What here is new", then finds the new thing, even if it doesn't exist.
Drain Power's Oracle wording says:
> Target player activates a mana ability of each land he or she controls. Then put all mana from that player's mana pool into yours.
So the opponent is the one playing the activated abilities of their Plains and suchlike. Once they're done playing mana abilities, then you put (note "put" as in "you put", not "puts" as in "that player puts") all mana from their pool into yours.
Does that clarify?
I know, its funny. I personally like my version better, but I like Jack's idea for what it is. While mine makes an interesting one shot, I think Jack is on to a whole cycle of cards that have
costs that do more if you pay more 
. Cool idea, and probably one that Wizards hasn't thought of yet.
It is a little hard to say, but Skeleton Shard does a good job of showing that the ability isn't too broken when you can pay
. I think 
is balanced, but then I fear it wouldn't be played.
I do find it odd myself. In the end, I'm going to be coming back to a few of these cards and deciding how many of these little rules can be broken. I think I've already got a "Likes an Ally and an Enemy" card somewhere in set (though, I could be making that up). If there's something close to a cycle, I'll keep it in the end. If this card sticks out by itself, I'll probably switch it to green.
There. Drain Power arguments aside, this gets the point across without having to decide what that card is really doing right now.
This card. This Drain Power, I do not understand. Because, if I am to read the Oracle wording literally, right now, it is telling me that I am activating all of my opponents lands. It isn't telling me that that opponent is paying all costs for this activation, it's just saying that the lands are activating.
That might be too literal an interpretation, and it may not be what is happening right now. Either way, I can resolve this by making more obvious what I want.
edited. Also switched the order so the shorter phrase "pay 4 life" comes up first.
Hm. Add mana to your mana pool when it empties from theirs? That might be a whole card concept somewhere, although a rules-fiddly one.
Jack's first suggestion is very similar to Tidewalker, although there's something to be said for making a green version of that.
But this card as it is definitely makes me tap my lip (to invoke JMS, who helped define the archetypical Johnny).
Hmm, yes. Powerful, but impressively straightforward. The only analogue I can think of is Skeleton Shard, and that was specific to artifact creatures.
The activation cost may be a bit low; hard to say. I might prefer
for safety, but see how it goes.
Mad. Particularly odd in that it's a blue card with links to black (its ally) and red (its enemy). You could make the bounce-creature ability affiliated with green rather than black if you decide you care about that.
Mmm... I think this design has serious problems actually. The opponent can just tap all their lands in the end-of-combat step to avoid you getting the mana. Or the combat damage step, or the declare blockers step... mana disappears a bit too frequently for that to be worked around easily.
Last ability is phrased confusingly. I assume it's meant to be either "draw then put back" or "draw then pay 4 life"? Might need to be "Draw a card, then either put... or pay...". Pity you can't use the "Choose one" wording, but the choice needs to be made in resolution, after the draw happens.
You know, that's an interesting suggestion, and I know this is a sideways look at getting a large creature. As it stands, Green mana doesn't make this creature better, it just makes it cheaper, which was kind of my point. I also like the idea that, to get the most bang for your buck, you've really got to play with the mana you're using to put this thing into play. Unfortunately, while I think that's cool, I think you're right that player expectation will say "Hey, I'm paying a lot of Green here! I should be getting a bonus for that!"
Let's see if anyone else has an opinion on this thing. I'd be more than happy to more it to your method, but I'm not sure who cares more about this sort of creature, Johnny or Timmy.