New Mirrodin: Recent Activity
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| Mechanics | Skeleton |
Recent updates to New Mirrodin: (Generated at 2025-05-01 03:09:10)
| New Mirrodin: Cardlist | Visual spoiler | Export | Booster | Comments | Search | Recent activity |
| Mechanics | Skeleton |
Recent updates to New Mirrodin: (Generated at 2025-05-01 03:09:10)
A third take on (Denval, Leonin Cleric and Denval, Leonin Cleric ii, and tough choices. I like this idea, but the flavor's a bit off, since it looks like Deval is causing disaster to happen. Hmmm... maybe flash and indestructibility to divied creatures? But how often would that matter?
Oh, I almost designed a broken card, as well. I thought about using:
You may gain 1 life whenever a permanent enters the battlefield.
Sacrifice a permanent: Exile target permanent, then return it to the battlefield.
It lets you play a war of attrition, sacrificing your stuff to hold back the enemy. Then I remembered that my set was full of artifacts that came into play and put a copy of themselves into play. Very easy to accomplish infinite life. Whoops.
That's a fair analysis. I design on days I work, so I'll take a third crack at this tomorrow.
I haven't thought through the details, but it feels like it ought to be possible to provide effects that are powerful and/or make for good/fun gameplay while still having the potential to force you to make tough choices about what to sacrifice. In other words, just because this attempt at the card didn't end up looking much fun to play (I'm assuming nobody's actually played with it yet), doesn't mean every future version will. Try to find another version that keeps the bits that worked here but makes a card that's more fun in-game.
Yeah... that was intentional, though I'm not sure if it was wise. I like the idea of Denval being powerful, but, if things aren't going well for your village, forcing you down a series of tough choices. That might mean, however, that I designed a card for no one, since players don't like that. Spike would probably like it if the card wasn't all about blocking...
It's tricky. I think both this card and Denval, Leonin Cleric will stick around in the two white Mythic slots for a little while. In the interum, I'll have to decide which is better for the set: Mythics that sell the personalities of the characters, or Mythics that make people happy when they play them.
Yowch. Given that it's not optional, as the opponent I'd happily throw a Saproling or Glory Seeker at this guy to force you to sac something. He needs to be played with some kind of card draw or token-making or recursion to offset the sacrifices he forces on you every turn.
A second pass at Denval. This time we're focusing on the hard choices of being a leader. His ability comes with a lot of options, though, and however you slice it, your opponents should have a hard time attacking.
The last ability is curious. I'm hoping that a combination of flavor and white's fondness for fairness will mask the Innocent Blood on Denval's hands... though, I have to admit, it might not work. I don't know. I do like how it makes Denval a bit grittier, though. The card should feel off-putting... though, I fear it may just look 'incorrect'.
Well, that was silly, yes. Changed the card so it now returns everything into play, tapped. Though, now that I think of it, that doesn't really solve the problem. You can now activate this card during your opponent's upkeep, shutting him off for the rest of the game. That doesn't seem right. Hmm... I think the ability just needs to say "non-land". That means we have to go with Dude's plan. Reducing cost as well to
.
Huh. I thought I'd have to cut the flavor text, but I guess that looks fine.
The only way this ability isn't self-perpetuating is if some of the mana is provided by rituals, or non-haste creatures.
Or ETB tapped lands. But good point that it often will be infinite.
Permanents come back untapped, so if you have at least 12 mana worth of lands, this is a trivial loop that would work even if it just gained 1 life each time instead of 12+. Plus you can do it during someone else's turn (so all their creatures are summoning sick and/or removed from combat), and at 13 it becomes unlimited mana for all players.
The only way this ability isn't self-perpetuating is if some of the mana is provided by rituals, or non-haste creatures.
That looks less clunky? the enchantment clause only takes up the word 'non-enchantments'. I can see a number of reasons why a player/designer would prefer to not have the non-enchantment clause there, but, in my mind, a lack of elegance isn't one of them. Makes your Melvin-sense tingle, though? Sure, I can buy that.
I certainly could use reminder text instead of non-enchantment... that's a reasonable option. Let's see what some of the other designers think around here. I should point out that reminder text will bump out flavor text. These things happen.
The enchantment clause looks clunky. What if he returned all permanents, but you included reminder text "Auras with nothing to enchant remain exiled"?
"Under owner's control" added.
First pass at Denval. I don't think I captured him as best I could, so I'm going to take another pass later (I kind of like the idea of Denval having the words "Choose One" on him somewhere... forcing him to make decisions. We'll see if I can put that together tomorrow.)
The card to the left came about in an attempt to show a normal Leonin Elder who has stepped up from his duties. Now he's responsible for all permanents, not just artifacts, and with great exertion, can do momentous things. (I was going to make it a death trigger, but Denval doesn't die, so far, in the plot. ETB would make his base cost far too much. The ability itself roughly reads "Gain 20 life" before dealing with the flickering after-math).
After making the card, I realized that I'd have a 'Warp World doesn't quite work with auras' sort of problem. It took me a little while, but then I realized that not returning the enchantments looks like I'm giving Denval a bonus Cleanfall, while sweeping the awkward rules complication behind the sofa.