Silly String: Recent Activity

Mechanics

Recent updates to Silly String: (Generated at 2024-04-20 04:32:33)

2013-08-11 04:32:20: jmgariepy commented on Tel-Jilad Lakeside Residence

At common, too, eh? I don't know. You're right that it doesn't matter if the card is silver-borderd. But it will be frustrating for a lot players who's play group wouldn't allow them to use it... which should be the majority of them. Why print great cards that players can't play?
Now if this card said "Your opponent may treat this land as if it were an artifact" I think we'd be in business. All the down-side of artifact lands, with no upside. And since it's an un-set, the pseudo-rules language would be fine.
2013-08-10 16:12:44: manofperson commented on Tel-Jilad Lakeside Residence

Is Prime Realestate a new land type?
2013-02-15 17:30:57: Alex commented on Valley Wastes

"Mountain Lair" would be such an awesome type for a land to have. It needs to happen!
2013-02-15 15:56:12: Sorrow commented on Valley Wastes

The dual lands everyone forgot about.
2013-02-15 15:55:58: Sorrow created the card Valley Wastes
2013-01-27 06:07:10: jmgariepy commented on Sword of Epic Rage

[Edit: My apologies Sorrow. Sometimes I just start typing and forget to stop. By the time I got down to the end of my comment (which I had to abruptly stop myself from continuing), I realized that I was writing an article. Most of what's here has more to do with the subject of drawbacks on Magic cards... a subject that I do find interesting, so you got me talking. Feel free to disregard anything in there. I won't be insulted.]

You know, I do like this card, but it does such a great job showing why we don't use cards with drawbacks as much anymore. Some players will never play it, because they wouldn't want the bad stuff to happen, no matter what the good stuff is. Some players will just get a +5/+0 doublestrike on the cheap, because their opponent doesn't play red. In the end, most everyone will be unhappy with it.
That said, this iteration is at least flavorful. I give a lot of points for flavor... it helps give players a reason for why we're doing what we're doing. I like the idea behind cursed artifacts... it's a tough bugger to crack, I know.
The three biggest problems I see with this card right now is:
The ability can only be activated with red mana. That means this card is unfair to 60% of all magic players. The fact that it's fair in the meta-game means nothing to two people who always play by themselves around a kitchen table, one who always plays green and the other who always play blue.
This stops being an equipment when you activate the curse. That's a huge disapointment. To the other 40% of the decks this plays against, this card might as well read "Looks cool, but all your opponent has to do to shut it off is pay , so don't bother."
Too Swingy even when it is fair. I could just block your 7/2 double striker with a 1/1, activate this, then swing on my turn with my team. You'll probably lose. If I couldn't block on my turn, you probably auto-won with your 7/2 double striker. Story cards like this... you want a sense of interaction when playing them. This is "Let's flip a coin and see if I win."
I think the reason why these problems are all adding up is because you're trying to design a rare, and rare cursed equipment is going to come with all this baggage that makes them exciting (like Phyrexian Negator), but not fun to play. Miss your target and you end up with cards that are not fun to play, and are actively bad (Morinfen, for example). The line between the two is tragically difficult to find.

There's certainly plenty of room for goofy and cursed. Roughly everything with the word 'Jinxed' in it is fun (most recently, Jinxed Idol) even when it isn't neccessarily good. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of room for effecient with a drawback, too. An uncommon that's slightly better than a common, but can be turned against you, but you have an escape clause is great.