i like this design.

based off panglacial wurm

Lol @ flavor text

This seems balanced actually. well done.

Remember Druid's Familiar? Seriously, why hasn't wizards done more of this yet?

I know right? This is something they should capitalize on! it could be really fun!

"As you're searching your library for a creature card, you may put ~ from your library onto the battlefield." I think.

Wizards doesn't do this because it's extremely easy to break, as with this card. This puts up to twelve tramping power onto the battlefield turn one in any format where Green Sun's Zenith is legal.

What if this replaced the search instead? "If you would search your library for a creature card while ~ is in your library, you may instead find ~ and put it onto the battlefield." Or something.

One thing I agree with that you said is this should NOT be able to fetch more than one copy.

So maybe add a 'one total copy of ~' clause?

That's more how I read it, and i think is balanced for limited surely, as it's a rare, and you probably can't get more than two, any more would be insane luck (talking about a full drafting set ofc.)

In constructed, this is a nice bonus, but i don't think broken, especially since wizards hasn't printed much of this.

Wizards already prints super powerful deck archtypes, like turn 1 infect and turn 1 mill and etc.

Honestly this is just cool design space, but I guess it would be hard to balance if you don't plan for it and what format it goes into.

Honestly this might be really strong in standard, and could probably see play in modern with a similar assortment of cards, but it's not gonna make or break a deck, even if you have all sorts of communes and viviens.

Edit: actually i dont really know if green gets a ton of searching, they usually do looking and i guess the new vivien exiles cards for later?

Green has traditionally done the most searching, for lands, at the lowest rarity level. They've moved away from that, I think, in order to cut down on physical "loading screens."

Green certainly gets landsearch; and creature-search at higher rarities is fine.

This ability is kinda interesting; as is the proposed "You thought I was searching for a land? Hahah no. I'ts a rhino." But as pointed out, very hard to balance. Maybe it should just say "from outside the game" to cut down on the physical delay of searching?

The other obvious ways to balance the "Search for 4 of" issue would be to make it much smaller, and/or to make it search to hand rather than into play.

Another ability this suggests as maybe interesting would be search-haste. That is; it doesn't help you find it - you still need to use up your searching for it, but it does put it right into play when you do. Something like "Whenever ~ is revealed, you may have it ETB"?
Again, though; that's bypassing mana cost so very hard to balance.

There are lots of ways to do it, actually. now that i think of it there are at least a dozen.

I mean:

Activation cost or not

Replaces search or not

Hand or battlefield

Limit copies or nah

When this triggers? (search, revealed, looked at)

Also the idea of physical loading screens is solid gemstone

Edit: i guess the biggest point is how to balance it?

I feel like it should be as strong as it reasonably could be w/o breaking the game one way or another

I think that means OTB no cost, except limiting the copies, or perhaps more simply replacing the search.

Yeah your evolving wilds just became a 4/4 permanent man land for the cost of 0 :)

that's great, but seems okay.

Reasonably, it can't be this large, be free, and be balanced. It would have to be a much smaller creature.

Note that this is limited to searching for creature cards, so searching for Evolving Wilds doesn't activate this.

Reasonably, it can't be this large, be free, and be balanced. It would have to be a much smaller creature.

Note that this is limited to searching for creature cards, so searching for Evolving Wilds doesn't activate this.

Yeah good point. It's limiting to limit the p/t. so maybe it's best to replace the search. Probably for a small cost as well.

Maybe: Whenever you search your library for a creature card, you may pay . If you do, search your library for ~ instead and put it OTB, then shuffle.

I think the cost is neat because that feels like a possible mechanic

ie:

Finders Keepers - Cost (Whenever you search your library for a card that shares a permanent type, you may pay Cost. When you do, search for ~ instead and put it OTB, then shuffle.)

I think the card would be balanced if it was limited to one copy, since getting 16 power off a single Worldly Tutor is stupid broken. However big 4/4s might be, the clause to put it on the board is something you have to work for at least a little. I think the idea of making it cost mana eliminates the flavor of a reinforcement (tell me if im wrong) and i don't know how the stack interacts with tutoring and triggers and shuffling and all that. (maybe it makes sense i dont know). I want the card to be pushed, but being able to fetch 4 of them is a mistake. How do i write it so that it limits it to one copy?

Also, finders keepers sounds like an awesome mechanic! The name makes me think of playing your opponents spells though haha.

EDIT: Fixed card link

I'd try: "Whenever you search your library, put up to one copy of Reinforcement Rhino OTB"

Wurms: um; I'm not really seeing why you would ever pay the cost with that wording? I mean - I'm searching for a creature. This is a creature. Can't I just find this creature? Instead of finding some other creature and then paying to find this one instead?

Froggy's gives you it in addition to. Which is worth paying for.

I also accidentally changed your wording, go with this instead please:

"Whenever you search your library for a creature card, put up to one copy of ~ OTB"