given the right flavor treatment, I wouldn't mind seeing elves be !
Plenty of fiction has elves as capricious, impulsive being who have difficulty seeing other people's point of view. Or as passionate warriors. Indeed, looking at cards already printed, including multicolour, B and W have more elves than U and R, to my somewhat surprise.
Bats certainly make sense in W, there's nothing actually very B about bats other than "night" and "churchyards". But it's nice for MTG to have a split in what animals appear in each colour.
Yeah, already gets birds, this seems like a perfectly fine bird.
Also, considering the reference cards, this could easily be a 2/2 ( gets better creatures than ), probably also a 3/1 or a 1/3, since that's the same stats just reordered.
I don't think it would break any formats to make this a 3/2 or a 2/3, either, but it could definitely be a bit pushed... But, well, they've been pushing the Hell out of weenies last time I checked!
I do like this flavor, though... but if you're looking for a colony card, why not just reflavor a Plague Rat variant?
Honestly, this card might make more sense as a bird, but I really like the flavor of this card... it's not really rules-problematic to make colorshifted creatures, it just messes with established flavor on most plaes...
Thing is though, I find it silly to insist that on some planes, bats couldn't be ! Hell, given the right flavor treatment, I wouldn't mind seeing elves be !
Mechanically, however, it's difficult to do this with more established tribes, since they more or less have a mechanical identity! Bats are, like, tertiary creature types, though, so this doesn't feel nonbat, except that it's not in the colors we usually see.
For a 1-off card, I don't mind it.
Even if you keep it as a bat, this should at least be 2/2 (if you don't want to duplicate the warden into from , maybe add a stat point?)
Mercadia resembles Renaissance /
Medieval era Europe / Persia.
Your issue may be Sphinx in our present-day world mythos is almost extinct, thus hard to relate or feel attachment. MTG is the rare major fantasy creator to revive Sphinx into pop culture. Although it seems not to wild success. Definitely no comparison to Angel dragon demon. At least Hydra has a unique mechanic. Yet Sphinx feels like any other generic flyer.
Speaking of which is the over representation of flying among iconic types. Such that blue being a primary color for flying becomes moot and less special. If red and black icons didn't get flying, then Sphinx would stand out a lot more.
The setting is set in what is primarily intended to be an analogue of Italy. My main inspiration was a memory of a scene from the Count of Monte Cristo and what I remember of the Italy pavillion at Epcot. There's a reason I said arts and carnivale and not Italy in my description. That is to say, the arts in general are the basis and not whether or not those arts appear in Italian culture.
Hmmm - yes, I guess there's only so many places you can fit sphinxes in and fit the theme. Although their existing both in Grecian myth and Egyptian myth does help somewhat there.
Trying to suggest a localised alternaive for this set - it's theme is... Unclear. Italian maybe? I'd say we've not had a megic setting picking up on that part of the mediteranian yet; but we've had "Guild city with carnivals" which probably is the serial numbers having been filed off.
I wouldn't have an issue with this being a roc - some kind of bird of omens maybe?
I think it's just a personal hatred. For some reason, I find sphinxes feeling forced in a lot of settings. I don't know why, as none of the other iconics particularly bother me. Thinking on it, all planes sphinxes show up are fine with me. Maybe I think there are too many sphinxes having appeared in such a short time. I guess I just don't like sphinxes for some reason.
I like djinn, leviathan, and even kraken all more than sphinx. Djinn I would say are about as restricted flavor=feelwise as sphinx should be, and djinn are the only other ones that feel innately flying (though a few leviathans have flying, it's not a consistent feature of theirs). Honestly, I'd rather have monstrously-sized birds over sphinx.
Hmm. Seems like this could be quite good in multiplayer - but really naff in 2-player, where at least one time in three it'll gain you no life.
Maybe it could be improved and simplified by "Exile a card from the top of each players deck for each creature you control that died this turn. Gain life equal to the CMC of cards exiled this way"? That way it's really good if you sacrifice everything. Maybe too good, though. (Sacrifice 10 creatures, cast 4 of this...)
Also slight typo in the text - You've got a redundant 'each' there.
2020-07-31 02:22:56:
Sorrow
created the card Elegy
given the right flavor treatment, I wouldn't mind seeing elves be
!
Plenty of fiction has elves as capricious, impulsive being who have difficulty seeing other people's point of view. Or as passionate warriors. Indeed, looking at cards already printed, including multicolour, B and W have more elves than U and R, to my somewhat surprise.
Bats certainly make sense in W, there's nothing actually very B about bats other than "night" and "churchyards". But it's nice for MTG to have a split in what animals appear in each colour.
Yeah,
already gets birds, this seems like a perfectly fine bird.
Also, considering the reference cards, this could easily be a 2/2 (
gets better creatures than 
), probably also a 3/1 or a 1/3, since that's the same stats just reordered.
I don't think it would break any formats to make this a 3/2 or a 2/3, either, but it could definitely be a bit pushed... But, well, they've been pushing the Hell out of
weenies last time I checked!
I do like this flavor, though... but if you're looking for a
colony card, why not just reflavor a Plague Rat variant?
Honestly, this card might make more sense as a bird, but I really like the flavor of this card... it's not really rules-problematic to make colorshifted creatures, it just messes with established flavor on most plaes...
Thing is though, I find it silly to insist that on some planes, bats couldn't be
! Hell, given the right flavor treatment, I wouldn't mind seeing elves be 
!
Mechanically, however, it's difficult to do this with more established tribes, since they more or less have a mechanical identity! Bats are, like, tertiary creature types, though, so this doesn't feel nonbat, except that it's not in the colors we usually see.
For a 1-off card, I don't mind it.
Even if you keep it as a bat, this should at least be 2/2 (if you don't want to duplicate the warden into
from 
, maybe add a stat point?)
Awkward color-shifted comparison to Warden of Evos Isl (Watcher of the Spheres related perhaps).
Shaved
off of the cost
Clan Defiance is another similar card but Branching is spot on. The cost and the awkward targeting requirements remind me of Decimate.
Yeah, this is Branching Bolt except forcing you to have both targets, but costing more rather than less.
Seems overcosted then. Interesting flavour though - swearing blue enough to cause birds to plummet onto their heads?
Well, I didn't intend for the player to be able to only hit one target, so I guess.
... Is it intended functionality that this can't be cast unless you target both a creature with flying and one without?
Mercadia resembles Renaissance / Medieval era Europe / Persia.
Your issue may be Sphinx in our present-day world mythos is almost extinct, thus hard to relate or feel attachment. MTG is the rare major fantasy creator to revive Sphinx into pop culture. Although it seems not to wild success. Definitely no comparison to Angel dragon demon. At least Hydra has a unique mechanic. Yet Sphinx feels like any other generic flyer.
Speaking of which is the over representation of flying among iconic types. Such that blue being a primary color for flying becomes moot and less special. If red and black icons didn't get flying, then Sphinx would stand out a lot more.
The setting is set in what is primarily intended to be an analogue of Italy. My main inspiration was a memory of a scene from the Count of Monte Cristo and what I remember of the Italy pavillion at Epcot. There's a reason I said arts and carnivale and not Italy in my description. That is to say, the arts in general are the basis and not whether or not those arts appear in Italian culture.
Fiora is Renaissance Italy, although it hasn't appeared in a premier set
Hmmm - yes, I guess there's only so many places you can fit sphinxes in and fit the theme. Although their existing both in Grecian myth and Egyptian myth does help somewhat there.
Trying to suggest a localised alternaive for this set - it's theme is... Unclear. Italian maybe? I'd say we've not had a megic setting picking up on that part of the mediteranian yet; but we've had "Guild city with carnivals" which probably is the serial numbers having been filed off.
I wouldn't have an issue with this being a roc - some kind of bird of omens maybe?
I think it's just a personal hatred. For some reason, I find sphinxes feeling forced in a lot of settings. I don't know why, as none of the other iconics particularly bother me. Thinking on it, all planes sphinxes show up are fine with me. Maybe I think there are too many sphinxes having appeared in such a short time. I guess I just don't like sphinxes for some reason.
I like djinn, leviathan, and even kraken all more than sphinx. Djinn I would say are about as restricted flavor=feelwise as sphinx should be, and djinn are the only other ones that feel innately flying (though a few leviathans have flying, it's not a consistent feature of theirs). Honestly, I'd rather have monstrously-sized birds over sphinx.
Yet weirdly I have no problem with manticore.
What's wrong with Sphinx? What's your idea of iconic blue creature?
Not related to this at all, but I've never liked Sphinxes as blue's iconic creature. This card's type is an act of reluctant conformance.
Fixed type, also moved from sorcery to instant
Hmm. Seems like this could be quite good in multiplayer - but really naff in 2-player, where at least one time in three it'll gain you no life.
Maybe it could be improved and simplified by "Exile a card from the top of each players deck for each creature you control that died this turn. Gain life equal to the CMC of cards exiled this way"? That way it's really good if you sacrifice everything. Maybe too good, though. (Sacrifice 10 creatures, cast 4 of this...)
Also slight typo in the text - You've got a redundant 'each' there.