Improving cards...

  • Thread starter Cateran Emperor
  • Start date
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Cateran Emperor

Guest
It strikes me very often when I look at a card that "this could have been great if...". Finally, I've decided to try and do something with all that. So let's try and fix cards that we think are underpowered. Don't worry about making cards better than existing effects. I'll start a new thread eventually about cards that make no sense why they do this or some such thing (I still have a huge problem with Disenchant destroying artifacts...)

Kavu Climber (Invasion)
3GG
Creature - Kavu
Trample
When Kavu Climber comes into play, draw a card.
4/3

Why this is better: just looking at them, how can a creature have a power greater than 3 and not trample? They're normally huge! This doesn't make him overpowered really, as he still has the same toughness that allows you to Rage him.

Vile Consumption (Invasion)
1BU
Enchantment
During each player's upkeep, that player pays one life for each creature they control or sacrifices that creature.

Why this is better: it works in multiples now, so 3 in play means an upkeep of 3 life. Can be an effective life loss method now.

Abyssal Horror
1BB
Creature - Horror
Flying, Echo.
When Abyssal Horror comes into play, each opponent discards a card at random from their hand, then chooses and discards a card.
2/1

Why this is better: the inherent problem with the horror was that when you could cast it your opponent's hand was empty, or they had a hand full of counters. It's a waste usually. This is a bit more reasonable, maybe too good (I haven't tested it).

Pale Moon
1U
Instant
Choose basic or nonbasic lands. Until end of turn, all lands of that type produce colorless mana at end of turn instead of their normal mana.
Draw a card.

Give it a try, it's actually draws you in when you see more blatantly stupid things on some cards.
 
D

DÛke

Guest
...Emp, I especially like the Abyssal Horror...I think it's good, and it for sure would have been played. I think it's a bit too powerful though. I think the casting cost should be increased to "2BB".

I think Pale Moon is still not that great...I would rather use Waste Land or Dust Bowl to annoy my opponent's non-Basic lands instead. Heck, Mana Short could stop all lands at once. Your version is way better than the original, though...I still doubt it being played.

Good job.
 
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Cateran Emperor

Guest
Abyssal Horror is rather powerful, first turn Ritual, Horror is rather good. Pale Moon, though, well let's keep going with it.

Pale Moon
2U
Instant
Choose basic or nonbasic lands. Until end of turn, all lands of that type produce colorless mana at end of turn instead of their normal mana.
Draw a card.
During your upkeep, if Pale Moon is in your graveyard, you may return Pale Moon to your hand, then discard a card unless any opponent controls a red or green permanent.

Perhaps making it recursive would help? Now you have a partial lock on your opponent, and a near total one against an opponent who uses too many or too few nonbasic lands. Could be too good in extended though...
 
D

DÛke

Guest
...version of Pale Moon. Yes, it is too good in extended. At this point, not having the "...draw a card", wouldn't drop the playability of the card THAT much, since, in extended, it could really be annoying.

I also like the way it could harm basic lands too...it gives it a nice touch, and playability in T2, since basic lands are common in that environment.

A card I always wanted to fix is Parallax Nexus. It's good, believe me; I've played it. Combined with Rackling and Avatar of Will, not only does it burn a hole in the opponent's mind, disabling him or her from playing freely for few turns, but with Rackling, you'd also deal damage, and with Avatar of Will, you most likely get a 5/6 Flier for UU, which is a great deal. One thing though, I always thought that it'd be better off with 6 Fading counters. It fades too quickly, and the advantage it gives is the worst off of Parallax Wave and Parallax Tide. I would even rather have Nexus cost 3B, or 2BB and have it contain 7 Fading counters. What do you think?
 
K

K9Archmage

Guest
HOw about this?

common cause 3ww
enchantment

all creatures in which there are other creatures in play that are the same color are +2/+2


There. Kinda confusing
 
C

Cateran Emperor

Guest
Nexus is the sorely overlooked little brother of Wave and Tide. It rules in B/U with Recoil (now an auto Twister!)

Parallax Nexus
1BB
Enchantment
Fading 5
Remove a fading counter from Parallax Nexus: Remove from the game a random card in target opponent's hand. Play this ability only on your own turn.
When Parallax Nexus leaves play, return all cards removed from the game with Parallax Nexus to their owners's hands.

I really think discard spells should be Instants BUT should only be played on your own turn. It makes them far more useful in response to a card drawing spell and such at the end of your turn.

Specter's Wail
1BB
Instant
Play Specter's Wail only on your own turn.
Target player discards a card at random from his hand. At the end of that player's turn, you may return a black card from your graveyard to your hand.

Discard should never be one for one or worse unless you choose the card (Unmask). That's why Specter's Wail isn't used by anyone. Similarly, discard should never be a large mana cost without discarding multiple cards(Persecute), hence the reason no one plays Coercion.
 
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Istanbul

Guest
Hey, don't dis Coercion. The ability to go digging into your opponent's hand and choose any card you don't want them to have, and still be within first-turn Ritual range, is some good.
 
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Cateran Emperor

Guest
I'd much rather use Extortion, it helps keep the balance a bit better. Depletion lands are some good.
 
D

DÛke

Guest
...just got 3x Extortion in the mail, which I happily paid $3 for...all of them, not each. Is Extortion REALLY that bad? I think it's good, and that's why I bought it.

With Dark Ritual and the depletion land, you could really play Extortion 2nd or 3rd turn, especially on 3rd turn. I've played it, and I've done it. Do you know how powerful it is to look at opponent's hand, on the second turn, in THIS slow environment, and be able to choose ANY 2 cards? It's really amazing; in fact, it could ruin a game for an opponent. I usualy use Unmask with Extortion, just incase I wont get a Ritual out, I would play an early Unmask using the Extortion for the ACC.

Yes, Emp, Nexus is very under-rated. It combines very well with Avatar of Will (we all know that), and with Rackling. Now, with Nexus, Recoil could become a 3 mana, instantanous Desert Twister. Not bad at all.

I like the new Nexus, Emp...pretty good.

How about Mind Swords? Fix it. :)
 
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Cateran Emperor

Guest
Most certainly can do.

Mind Swords
1BB
Sorcery
As an additional cost to play Mind Swords, sacrifice a creature
You may remove two cards in your hand from the game instead of paying Mind Swords' casting cost. If you do, you may choose to not sacrifice a creature.
Target opponent chooses and removes two cards in their hand from the game.

This one is tricky. I'm actually considering making this card have kicker, it's seriously asking for it. If I do, it'll look like this:

Mind Swords
2B
Sorcery
Kicker: Sacrifice a creature.
If you paid the kicker cost, target opponent removes two cards in their hand from the game.
If you didn't pay the kicker cost, remove two cards in your hand from the game, then target opponent removes two cards in his hand from the game.

Better?
 
T

Thallid Ice Cream Man

Guest
Shelkin Brownie
1G
2/2
Creatures lose banding and bands-with-other.

There, fixed.

Also:

Great Wall
2WW
Enchantment
Creatures without flying can be blocked.

Sorrow's Path
Land
Comes into play tapped.
TAP: Add 1 colorless mana to your mana pool.
TAP: During the next combat phase this turn, you choose which attacking creatures are blocked by which creatures controlled by defending player. Each creature that could be blocked must be blocked by no less than one creature.

Does this make sense?
 
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