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Recent updates to Multiverse Design Challenge: (Generated at 2025-05-17 14:36:48)
Cobbled together Thoughtlink, Doran's Disdain and Mana from Heaven.
For Challenge # 017 and replaces Healing Salve from Alpha, and defacto replaces Dark Ritual. Since this challenge was about what Magic could have been, I thought I'd throw this out there. The color pie was just developing back in Alpha, and if something sounded appropriate for it's color, then it was tossed in that color. Removing the rest of the history of Magic, this seems appropriate to me. A minor sacrifice of mana to God, resulting in an abundance.
The ramifications on the rest of the game would have been very far reaching. Getting Serra Angel online on turn 3? Playing Land Tax on turn one, then sitting with this and an Armageddon in hand? Also, one of the main reasons why Dark Ritual was considered such a bad card was its interaction with Hypnotic Specter. Back then, fast combo decks were considered perfectly fair, but early specter control removed your ability to play, and was no fun. I wonder if people would have been so down on Mana from Heaven if the best one could pull out on round one was Savannah Lion and White Knight with follow up Crusade, or the comparatively embarrassing Thunder Spirit on round 1.
For Challenge # 017 and replaces any number of unused rares. This is a partial answer to Fairies, knocking back their game a full turn, since that deck loved to flash creatures in response to your spells, or you could use this spell to save another spell from being countered... and potentially be recast in the same turn.
I'm probably tilting at windmills if I thought this card would put the Treefolk deck in the number one spot. But it could have warped the format into making Elves the deck to beat.
Also, also: sorry about "play" v. "cast". I'm just trying to make these spells look like they belong in their correct Magic Timeline.
For Challenge # 017. I was brainstorming for ways to "fix" the Mirrodin/Onslaught block. That mess was ruled by Affinity and Goblins, and their main strength was playing most of their spells up front (along with a resilient end game strategy... you know... for turn 4). This card is meant to replace Thoughtcast. I'm perfectly aware that it is probably better than Thoughtcast in the affinity deck, but it dumps terribly on those two superfast decks as well. After your opponent throws 4 useless artifacts on the table on round one, you've got a good shot to dig to your Wrath of God and your acceleration fast enough to stop them.
Admittedly, though, this card is probably too good to see print. It probably would have cost
to be anything close to fair... but Mirrodin wasn't a very fair environment...
For example, Odyssey block had Firebolt as a one-mana red spell with the iconic red effect of direct damage; Obsessive Search as a one-mana blue spell with the iconic blue effect of drawing a card; and so on. They also have block-specific keyword mechanics.
What would Magic have been like if Odyssey's one-mana burn spell wasn't Firebolt but was Geistflame instead? Probably not that different. But I'm sure someone could come up with a burn spell for
that feels iconic for Odyblock but would have made more difference at the time. That's what this challenge is about: just slightly altered histories, seen through the lens of one-mana noncreature spells.
"Magic's past" doesn't have to be particularly long ago; you could do Zendikar, Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad blocks if you want. But the cards must be all of different colours (including 1 artifact if you want), each with mechanical elements that tie it to one particular set or block, but that weren't actually printed in those blocks.
Hmmm... doesn't his creature side have to be his front face, so that you can use his resurrection ability?
Not sure how good these are...Tired again, so that might affect the quality of the work. Mental Horror Corrupted Dwarf Angry Elves
Finally figured out mine... Argent Priest Ertek Deolater Haddragh Cleric Urk Monk Targan Shaman
Heh heh. I rather like this stupid little card. I can just imagine clearing the board while my opponent is at 3, then transforming Squee and watching my opponent's eyes go wide.
Fair enough.
As for the design - I fear a planeswalker transforming into a non-planeswalker would confuse a few too many people. The loyalty counters need to stay on him as a creature, although they don't do anything there. Burning him as a creature can't remove loyalty counters, but if he flips in response (due to Moonmist + Imagecrafter, say) then the burn spell will have an illegal target. Actually, that's an awesome interaction, so I'm all for it :P
You can enclose the loyalty symbols in square brackets to get the funky arrows. As for transform cards, I guess I'll get there eventually, but not in the next couple of weeks.
Added Squee, the Squee. If you're an immortal goblin, you'd figure that someday you'd turn into a planeswalker. At least occasionally...