Homelands Restored: Recent Activity
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| Skeleton |
Recent updates to Homelands Restored: (Generated at 2025-08-07 21:36:19)
| Homelands Restored: Cardlist | Visual spoiler | Export | Booster | Comments | Search | Recent activity |
| Skeleton |
Recent updates to Homelands Restored: (Generated at 2025-08-07 21:36:19)
Originally, I regenerated this guy when he attacked. Then after posting, I realized that that was a really stupid thing for a common to do, so I rescinded the entry. For a small amount of time the ferrets gained indestructible on the attack, but I couldn't help thinking that that would make a perfectly fine card without the second ability, so I scaled back.
I don't like how these creatures get the ability when they're blocking... but for simplicity's sake, it seemed necessary. The good news is now Labyrinth Minotaur is now getting the same ability when it attacks. Gives/takes.
I mentioned before in Irini Sengir that I wanted to sneak a few more multi-colored cards into the set. I don't want to force it, though. It makes sense in my mind to give it to Granny, though, since the base card and my extrapolation on it were so boring (the original card gives -1/-1 until end of turn. I changed that to a counter. Ho hum.) Granny is full of unlife. Every quote by her in this set ends in an exclamation mark. I figured this semi-random ability would make things more exciting, and does a good job expressing her capricious nature.
Oh, I like it. Spike can sideboard it, Johnny can build around it.
I got an idea. Maybe something like this:
Whenever a green and/or white enchantment enters the battlefield, each opponent loses 2 life.
Still a hoser, but now it's also a build around me card. I did toy with the idea of 1 life for any enchantment and 1 life for green and 1 life for white (for a potential total 3 life per G/W enchantment) but that's probably veering too far from the original.
Mostly, I'm just not a fan of color hoses, especially at rare. A person should always be excited to play their rares... though, that may never happen with Irini anyway. She sure is a Spike.
Though, to be honest, color hosing is likely where she's heading. I can only 'fix' so much of a card before they become unrecognizable. I just haven't given up on finding the niche with this card yet.
As an aside, this card ended up multi-colored kind of by accident. I was reaching for something that doesn't exist anymore. But I am looking to make a few more rares multi. I figure if cards like Truce and Reveka, Wizard Savant are getting the multicolored treatment, then, ideally, I'd like to see one of each color combination pop up (though, that may prove too ambitious a goal.) I probably shouldn't force Irini to jump through that hoop unless it's a natural choice, though.
And Magus of the Tabernacle.
How about making this monoblack with "Whenever a player casts a green or white enchantment spell, that player loses [some, maybe 5] life"? Seems closer to the original card, closer to the modern colour pie, and clearer in that it's a black hoser for
rather than a 
hoser for 
.
There's also Kataki, War's Wage.
Hmm, yeah, I can see your point. Cards like Relic Bane don't tend to give the controller a choice... they just lose 2 life. I'm still not sold that the controller can't have the choice, though.
I just took a look through the cards of Modern that include the words "pay or sacrifice". As expected (and discounting cards with upkeep costs) White is in charge but only has two cards: Spelltithe Enforcer and Soul Tithe. Black comes in second with one card: Indulgent Tormentor. Obviously, the Tormentor deals with creatures, and Irini with enchantments. I only brought that up because I could see how someone could argue "Black doesn't give you the option. It just kills you." At least that part isn't true.
Hmm... this is tricky. I could argue that Black/Blue can't force you to sacrifice that enchantment... but if I upped the life loss to 30 life, then it's obvious that's what's going on. More weirdness: I could switch this card to be Black/Red and change the life loss to damage and claim I was just exploiting the punisher mechanic. I wouldn't. Irini isn't flavored that way. It's just an observation.
It's a shame I can't just make the card Black/White, since it's hosing white. Hmm...
Well, I guess the best way to solve the disagreement is to just cut the second line since it never was a part of the card anyway. That means, though, that's I'm back at square one with this card and need to find another way to make it relevant. Ah well. I'm sure I can think of something else... just not tonight.
I said before that this isn't within the modern color pie. The first ability is pretty much okay, but the sacrifice ability doesn't feel right at all to me.
Some questions: Is it important for this creature to say "Enchantments your opponents control"? Does the fact that this card is rare exclude it from NWO shenanigans? If changing the card to only affect your opponent also caused the casting cost and power/toughness up one peg (probably
and 3/3) would that be a deal breaker for you? Did Pete Venters base his portraiture of Irini Sengir on a blow-up doll?
Added Dude and Link's suggestions, so the card now feels like a black and blue answer to enchantments. I also removed the reference to black and blue in the second line, so now this is more a hose for all enchantments, but hurts green and white a little more. I much prefer Elephant Grassing to a straight hose, yes.
Also, set this back to 4 mana. I feel bad for Enchantress decks that ram themselves against this card, but them's the breaks I guess. Irini won't win you the game if your opponent is just playing a couple Mind Controls, but at least she's helping in some way.
That's a questionable set of changes, I know. Many people don't like banding, and 'Bands with others' is a messy mess mess. But now that Guard is a little cleaner, I figured we could use it without being embarrassed (and I do like how guard can allow other abilities to be tacked on... in this case first strike.) And I'm not sure, but I think Heart Wolf was trying to be a cleaner version of banding. At least that's the argument I heard Wizards make for Kjeldoran Elite Guard.
In the process, I moved Heart Wolf over to white. Maybe red can have Dwarf Guard, who knows? But it's bound to spur a lot less argument if guard hangs out with the great white.