Conversation: Recent Activity
| Conversation: Cardlist | Visual spoiler | Export | Booster | Comments | Search | Recent activity |
| Mechanics |
Recent updates to Conversation: (Generated at 2025-09-03 01:48:22)
| Conversation: Cardlist | Visual spoiler | Export | Booster | Comments | Search | Recent activity |
| Mechanics |
Recent updates to Conversation: (Generated at 2025-09-03 01:48:22)
I've never played in a sliver mirror match. My instinct is that it doesn't give a lot of benefit over the slivers playing the same way as they do against most other decks, but is harder to remember, so wizards' change seems reasonable. But if that's actually important to the play of slivers, then it might be wrong.
I'm rather surprised by the humanoid art too, but it looks good, so I don't have a strong preference either way.
ETA: I forgot to say, I'm excited to see them. I played intermittently during time spiral, but entirely casually, and I never really played a sliver deck. I'm excited to see what they look like when they're in standard.
ETA2: Wow, I've always found it really hard not to say "silver creatures".
I doubt that making slivers only affect your stuff is catering to newbies. New players either wouldn't notice the difference, or prefer the game to get as explosive as possible. Really, that's a move courting experienced players... especially the Spikes (not tourney Spike... just regular old Spike) who hates to get blown out because of choices he has no control over (i.e. playing slivers, but my opponent happens to have a few slivers and he's feeding off of my abilities in a way that I had no control over when I built my deck.)
Is that a good idea? Maybe? I don't know. I assume Wizards sees that Slivers will probably still be a thing 20 years in the future. If that's the case, they should fix them now. I don't really feel they need fixing. Why not just make a different creature type? Let the players decide which they like better? Ah well.
Doug Beyer has explained the rationale on his blog: Slivers Evolved. I understand the reason for the changes; doesn't mean I fully agree. The mechanical change makes sense. A visual extension is also legitimate, but Magic doesn't need another humanoid race, especially not at the cost of a classic nonhumanoid.
its like giving snakes mammaries and legs. aka cop out to cater to the newbes.
What do you mean, they "are already complete?" I do find it bizarre that they are humanoid, but I suppose that must be he difference between Slivers from Rath and Slivers from Thune.
I can't say I like that they "dumbed down" Slivers by making them only affect your Slivers, but I do appreciate how much better it will feel to play them this way.
slivers are by definitions part of a whole. these slivers are already complete, and human?. i swear wotc is making dumber decisions by the set.
I'm excited to play with Slivers. I wasn't around for their original reign, but I expect it to be fun. The "you control" clause will probably make them play better, but it seems wrong somehow. The new art style is very weird. It's interesting, but Slivers already had a defined look: the sickle arm, the chitinous faceplate, the sinuous body tentacle. These new Slivers are more like biomech warriors or Phyrexians. Some still have the sickle or faceplate, but they no longer form a unified whole.
What are your thoughts on the return of Slivers in M14? Do you like or dislike that they now apply their abilities only to your slivers? What do you think of the visual redesign?
re: Aether Influence
I think it's narrow enough that +1/+1 would be fine.
Example commons
Ember Hound
Creature - Animal
Aether Influence, Trample
1/1
Elemental Bird
Creature Bird
Aether Influence, Flying
0/1
Aether Influence - Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery ~ gets your choice of +1/+0 or +0/+1 until end of turn.
Feel U/R and good for common.
Not a keyword and L2i0n0k7 already said it, but Frostburn Weird.
High flying, just like flying, except:
1. can only be blocked by other creatures with flying and high flying (not reach).
2. can't block creatures without flying or high flying.
3. spells that affect flying can also affect high flying (e.g. Hurricane also hurts high flying.)
4. mostly occurs in blue, white, and red
///////////////
Pathmaker:
1. creatures with different power than this creature can't block it.
///////////////
Powershift:
1. whenever this creature attacks or blocks, you may switch its power and toughness until end of turn.
///////////////
Possibility:
Shift {N} ({N}: This creature gets your choice of +1/-1 or -1/+1 UEOT.)
Although really, I don't see the point of keywording this. It's just a suggestion.
My thoughts on this depends on whether you want a keyword mechanic, or a mechanical identity. For example, I think it would be cool to see blue/red have a lot of power and toughness switchers in one set. That's not really a keyword, but people would start to notice it if done in abundance.
Alternatively, p/t setting could be kind of neat. That's kind of every color's keyword ability, but blue is number one, and if you chose one static 'reddish' creature that the creatures kept turning into "Target creature becomes a 4/1 red and blue elemental until end of turn.// When this creature attacks, it becomes a 4/1 red and blue elemental until end of turn.// All creatures opponents control become 4/1 red and blue elementals until end of turn" it would start to feel blue/red.
Also, I think you could get some mileage on 'hurts to target and to block'. So something along these lines:
Creature - Illsusion
Whenever this creature is blocked or targeted by a spell or ability an opponent controls, you may draw a card.
2/2
Same deal on the red cards, but they deal damage, or maybe sacrifice permanents or something. Again, not really a keyword. More a mechanical identity. Though, I admit that that last ability borders on evasion.
not evergreen, but discount for each instant or sorcery you cast this turn. where black has delve and green/white has convoke.
Depreciate (This spell costs
less to cast for each instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn.)
it doesn't have to go on instants or sorceries. you can put it on creatures and enchantments, too.
We're looking for an evergreen keyword that could appear on a
creature? Well, if looting were keyworded, it would be a good fit. The Alluring Siren/Heckling Fiends ability fits in both colors, as does forced blocking, but I'm not sure how the first might be keyworded, and the second is too similar to provoke.
Perhaps something like "Evade (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, return it to your hand.)" Or the opposite, "Glare (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, return the blocking creature to its owner's hand.)" The second stretches the pie more because of the red bounce. The first can be justified in red by things like Archwing Dragon or possibly Norin the Wary. I think people would view it as a draw back, though.
Honestly, coming up with a new evergreen mechanic is very difficult, because what's been established works so well already.
Taunt (At the beginning of each opponent's combat, target creature that player controls attacks if able.)
I do appreciate Blood Scrivener, especially as a reference to both Dark Confidant and Hellbent.
I mean, I really enjoy the set. It is super complex, which I could see being a problem for newer players, but it's cool for me lol. And yeah, I mean there are a few duds but c'mon, there are duds in every set. OG Ravnica had Bloodletter Quill and Zephyr Spirit and Cyclopean Snare and just about every Radiance card was purely poopy. There are some really awesomely designed cards in here though!
Deadbridge Chant: I cannot design splashy enchantments for the life of me, and this one seems awesome.
Split cards: I personally always hated them (I dislike most mechanics that mess with the frames), but most of these make my inner Melvin squeal in delight.
Blood Scrivener is a cool fixed Bob. Plasm Capture is new Mana Drain. Progenitor Mimic should have been done years ago. And some of the legends are wimpy, but all serve purposes in at least casual decks, and guys like Varolz and Ruric Thar are awesome buildarounds.
And also with keeping rarities constant.
Actually, there are 11 mythic rares, because of Maze's End. I believe that it has to do with how the cards are printed, though.
I'm sad that Armadillo Cloak was replaced by Unflinching Courage. I realise that the cloak had a bit of a silly name, but it's one of the cards from before I started playing that really stood out to me as really beautiful, and the new name is just rather generic.
About the guild champions, I've not seen all of them, but assuming people are right that they're less awesome than they might be, I don't understand (i) why rare cards have to be less awesome -- we've definitely had sub-par mythics before, surely it's ok if we have some fun rares for once? (ii) why the number of mythics is so constrained to be exactly 10, not 11.
They really screwed that up, IMO. Especially with her art clearing depicting that token.
Oh, and in case anyone missed it: here's the story of why some of the maze runners are so overcosted.
I didn't notice that about Simic until you pointed it out, Alex, but it's true. I think it says something about the other guilds that Simic is still more interesting than them.
Scion of Vitu-Ghazi is "if cast from your hand" in order to prevent the easy infinite combos with Cackling Counterpart, Séance, Progenitor Mimic etc.
I was rather pleased to see Obzedat's Aid as well, especially since the Generator has been generating that effect for quite some time. I thought it'd cost 4 (by comparison with Zombify/Breath of Life/Argivian Restoration), but I guess 5 makes some amount of sense.
Zhur-Taa Druid is just awesome, isn't it? I love it.
Tithe Drinker is one of my favourite cards in the set. Such good value Extort. I like the Extort lord too, especially in conjunction with Crypt Ghast.
The Simic cards are rather one-note (both in Gatecrash and Dragon's Maze). Yes, you can convert +1/+1 counters into drawing cards. We get it. Seriously, how many Simic cards do that one way or another? About six?
Of course, this all happens with pretty much every set, so Maro and others probably prepared her well...
and 
, to me. And it's so useful!
To help quell my own negativity, I've decided to make a list of cards from the set that I like.
Scion of Vitu-Ghazi is nice. I don't understand their "if you cast it from your hand" logic. Even if it didn't have that, would it really compare to Thragtusk? No.
Wake the Reflections is so pleasingly simple.
Bane Alley Blackguard isn't exactly exciting, but it does provide some interesting implications for us custom designers. Namely, that black will be getting more creatures with higher toughness than power.
Hired Torturer is a great top-down design, even if it's not a great card.
Pontiff of Blight is nice to see because it was expected.
I'm extremely excited for Possibility Storm because it means I can have a variant of my Knowledge Pool/Curse of Exhaustion deck back in Standard for a while. Yay!
I really like Blaze Commando. I feel like Boros got a huge portion of the cool stuff in this block. I'm also excited by Boros Battleshaper, even though it costs seven mana. I'm way more excited by this than by Emmara Tandris.
Council of the Absolute looks like a card I would design. Therefore, it has my approval... except for the "other than a creature" clause. I'm really tired of Wizard's huge push for creatures to be so much more powerful.
I love Dragonshift.
I like Gleam of Battle alright, but damn, does it need to cost less.
Jelenn Sphinx may be one of my favorite designs in the set. I LOVE the combination of vigilance with this ability. It's so pleasing.
Legion's Initiative is another cool Boros card. Clearly someone on the design team at Wizards loves Boros (and clearly, none of them love Dimir).
Obzedat's Aid is really neat. I want to build decks around it.
Plasm Capture and Progenitor Mimic are great. I think Progenitor Mimic may actually be my favorite card in the set.
I like Ral Zarek, and I hope I pull one at the prerelease.
Render Silent is beautiful.
I wish that Emmara Tandris was Trostani's Summoner. That card is so much better than her.
Zhur-Taa Druid is great. It's such a perfect fusion of