The most easily noticed differences, other than the mana cost, are as follows: Reflect Damage doesn't prevent the damage in the first place, so i think it would still work even if Leyline of Punishment is in play; also Reflect Damage doesn't change the source of the damage, while Deflecting Palm becomes the source of damage. This might be germane if, for instance, Player 1 targets Player 2 with the spell Corrupt, and player 1 controls a Circle of Protection: Black. In this case, player 1 could use the COP:B to prevent the damage if player 2 attempts to use Reflect Damage because the source of the damage is still a black spell, while the COP:B tactic would be ineffective against against Deflecting Palm because in that case the damage is now coming from a red and white source.
Another thing that makes Deflecting Palm more utile is that it can be used well ahead of time, before the intended damage source is even declared. Helpful if one is forced to discard early.
Combined with the increased CMC, it's easy to therefore simply claim that Deflecting Palm is unquestionably better.
However, i would like to point out that Deflecting Palm only protects against damage aimed at the caster. Reflect Damage can redirect ANY damage.
What about a REALLY new format? Instead of just changing which sets are in/out and that kind of "in-the-box" design thinking, with apologies for the cliche, i even made myself cringe, but what about an entirely different way to construct?
Picture this: Cards from 6th ed on allowed (i picked this as the cutoff because it's when the Reserved List ended, but it could be changed, i'm just trying to toss some feces in the general direction of the wall to see if anything sticks); it follows general constructed concepts but with some very significant differences: only 3 of any given card can be in any given deck; deck size minimum is 75 cards (and maybe even set a maximum?); and the format has both banned AND restricted lists. It could potentially (though these might not be a good ideas, please bear in mind i'm just spitballing here) be spiced up by disallowing cards with CMC under 1 or 2 or 3 and/or CMC over 9 or 10?
Any feedback? I'm never afraid to hear that my idea is terrible and would never work, though it'd be nice to also hear why not...
I'm sure there's a combo that duplicates the effect that's based around Pariah / Pariah's Shield. Can't recall the combo card though. I know Cho-Manno, Revolutionary is the classic combo card there, but it's not doing exactly what you're looking for.
As for countering and/or duplicating effects, i think the posters above neglected Fork, Twincast, and Spelljack, probably among others.
Depending on what kind of price you can land it for, the original Zendikar boxes can be great to crack too
My friends and i have two different draft cracking methodologies: one is where one person pays for the box outright, and after we're all done for the day, all the cards belong to that individual. The other methodology is where every participant splits the costs evenly, and walks away with the cards they drafted. The second method is a bit more competitive and much less in the spirit of "pure" fun, though it is still fun, at least the great majority of the time. I highly recommend the first method for cracking Zendikar is you want to have a little extra fun by drafting it as you crack it.
There are a lot of resources available for standing up to bullies. I strongly advise you to search them out. If the first few you come across seem a bit too pollyanna for your specific situation, it's probably because they ARE too pollyanna, and you should keep looking for advice better suited to your specific dilemma. Refuse to give or loan ANYthing belonging to you to anyone else, even your friends who are also friends with your tormentors. Stop spending money at the store managed by the individual who encourages and involves himself in your bullying.
I mention the particular line of action in this paragraph ONLY as a last resort. I'm an older person and while this wasn't exactly permitted in my day, it's practically taboo today, but it IS still effective. If the previous advice fails, and someone takes or tries to take something of your by force, act tame but suddenly and without warning get violent - i mean LOSE it. Hurt them. You will have to face consequences for those actions, but those bullies will have a whole new level of respect for you afterwards.
Ah, i pulled out my own Revised Plateaus and now that i understand what to look for, i can actually see the difference myself. I have one with the break on the upper left and three with the break on the bottom left. I'm kinda surprised i never noticed it myself, i got a decent amount of use from these years ago. I doubt that it counts as a misprint but i'm certainly no expert. Maybe the folks over at the card authentication area of this site could help?
Those all look like white borders. Usually a black border on a Plateau would indicate that it's an Alpha or Beta printing. The only differences i saw from that photo is that two of the cards look like they got some sun, or perhaps caught a little more flash glare during the photography process. Sorry i couldn't offer more help, maybe somebody else will notice something i didn't.
The guy who gave me my first ~130 Magic cards was sorta like that. Not quite as sweet, and he had a mildly acerbic sense of humour, but he was always careful not to offend with it. He always tried to help the players in our casual group, as well as slightly more competitive players at the local and regional tourneys that he's attend occasionally. Win or lose, he always had a kind word about others' decks, play styles, and even less blatant things like using variant artwork. His advice was generally sound, too. He played with an open and fun style, which made his infrequent bluffs especially effective. He was a joy to all.
After i'd playing for several months and was reaching the point of having different decks constructed for use against varying numbers of opponents, and i had also built a deck specifically for the purpose of dueling against him, as he had long been considered the best duelist of our group, though he rarely won at the 3-5 player tables and never at 6+. One night he called me as he was getting out of work and asked if i'd like him to come over and play a few hands. "It'll be just you and i again," i informed him, "and i gotta warn you that i've built a deck specifically for dueling with you." He took it as a compliment, which frankly was how it was intended.
He hadn't planned to stay long, but after dropping the first 6 hands he declared himself determined to win at least a single hand, if not a match, before leaving. It's worth mentioning that he nothing but great things to say about both the construction of the deck and my skillful handling of it. He tried sideboarding almost ad nauseum. He tried taking the draw. He tried everything he could think of, with all 3 of his decks, all against my one. In spite of his frustration he was a perfect gentleman and nothing but magnanimous in defeat. "I've created a MONSTER!" he grinned. After 40 straight losses, he decided enough was enough and we both had to get up early for work the next day. He vowed vengeance. He looked me in the eye, shook my hand, offered congratulations, said "has the student surpassed the master? It looks likely, but i'm not ready to give up the ghost just yet! See you tomorrow!"
We remained good friends for several years after that, until he moved to Washington State somewhat unexpectedly with a really wonderful woman. But after that night, he never dueled against me again. Considering what a great sport he'd been about it all, and that our friendship meant more to me than the game, i never again broached the subject. I still think it's odd.
But that guy was awesome. He brightened up any table he sat at to play. He played for the pure joy of it, and he was a solid player in all aspects, with the possible exception of having difficulty with that kind of losing streak, but to be fair, i think that would mess with most peoples's heads. I never expected it to that to him, i was just trying to field a competitive deck.
There was a guy who played briefly with a casual group of players, myself included, who would frequently play what he called his, "thief deck." It was a deck that sometimes switched control of permanents frequently, using things like Avarice Totem (frequently combo'd with Bronze Bombshell), and more often outright gained control of other players's permanents a la Annex, Dominating Licid, Control Magic, and many more based around that theme.
It was often extremely difficult to get the cards back from him at the end of any given hand. As annoying as the deck was, we eventually realized that the goal of the deck wasn't to win hands, but rather to actually steal cards. Eventually he was told he couldn't play that deck anymore, and after he was caught stealing even after the deck was banned, there was a physical altercation and he was cast out from the group forever more. What a dickbag.
Part of protection from (characteristic) is that damage dealt to it by any source with the given characteristic is prevented.
In this case, that characteristic is everything, so damage from everything to the Progenitus is prevented.
Ok and since destroying a creature is essentially doing enough damage to it to kill it does that mean Wrath of God would not destroy Progenitus either? I'm thoroughly confused.
No, a destroy effect isn't the same thing as damage. They're different mechanics. They work similarly in play in most cases, but protection is a good example of how they differ, as long as the destroy effect isn't targeted.
I think the proposition outlined in the OP sounds an awful lot like EDH/Commander, though obviously without the Highlander and Leader components.
I've mentioned elsewhere that i think Wizards is looking at creating a non-rotating format that starts at Origins and moves forward from there. An earlier poster in this thread mentioned BFZ, which is pretty close, only one set away from my own prediction. I'm not saying that it's written in stone at this point, just that i think it's a goal that R&D is trying to keep in mind. I could see WotC calling the format Contemporary.
I don't see Wizards rolling out multiple sets for different formats at exactly the same time, as Colt speculated above in saying that product for the new format would be released when Standard rotates. They don't like to do multiple releases at exactly the same time.
Not sure why the Gatherer link isn't working, i'd advise you to search creature type "Angel" at Gatherer, but here's a CK list anyway, just to have a working link to a comprehensive list, i'm not recommending CK as a specific vendor, but they do have a nice search engine:
I used to play against a guy who had a pretty fun casual Angel deck. He had a lot of big expensive (mana expensive) Angels in it, and relied on Belbe's Portals and sometimes Urza's Incubators to help pump out the fatties.
Another thing that makes Deflecting Palm more utile is that it can be used well ahead of time, before the intended damage source is even declared. Helpful if one is forced to discard early.
Combined with the increased CMC, it's easy to therefore simply claim that Deflecting Palm is unquestionably better.
However, i would like to point out that Deflecting Palm only protects against damage aimed at the caster. Reflect Damage can redirect ANY damage.
Picture this: Cards from 6th ed on allowed (i picked this as the cutoff because it's when the Reserved List ended, but it could be changed, i'm just trying to toss some feces in the general direction of the wall to see if anything sticks); it follows general constructed concepts but with some very significant differences: only 3 of any given card can be in any given deck; deck size minimum is 75 cards (and maybe even set a maximum?); and the format has both banned AND restricted lists. It could potentially (though these might not be a good ideas, please bear in mind i'm just spitballing here) be spiced up by disallowing cards with CMC under 1 or 2 or 3 and/or CMC over 9 or 10?
Any feedback? I'm never afraid to hear that my idea is terrible and would never work, though it'd be nice to also hear why not...
Apologies for the double post.
ETA: Another great thing about both Deflecting Palm and Reflect Damage is that neither targets.
As for countering and/or duplicating effects, i think the posters above neglected Fork, Twincast, and Spelljack, probably among others.
My friends and i have two different draft cracking methodologies: one is where one person pays for the box outright, and after we're all done for the day, all the cards belong to that individual. The other methodology is where every participant splits the costs evenly, and walks away with the cards they drafted. The second method is a bit more competitive and much less in the spirit of "pure" fun, though it is still fun, at least the great majority of the time. I highly recommend the first method for cracking Zendikar is you want to have a little extra fun by drafting it as you crack it.
I mention the particular line of action in this paragraph ONLY as a last resort. I'm an older person and while this wasn't exactly permitted in my day, it's practically taboo today, but it IS still effective. If the previous advice fails, and someone takes or tries to take something of your by force, act tame but suddenly and without warning get violent - i mean LOSE it. Hurt them. You will have to face consequences for those actions, but those bullies will have a whole new level of respect for you afterwards.
After i'd playing for several months and was reaching the point of having different decks constructed for use against varying numbers of opponents, and i had also built a deck specifically for the purpose of dueling against him, as he had long been considered the best duelist of our group, though he rarely won at the 3-5 player tables and never at 6+. One night he called me as he was getting out of work and asked if i'd like him to come over and play a few hands. "It'll be just you and i again," i informed him, "and i gotta warn you that i've built a deck specifically for dueling with you." He took it as a compliment, which frankly was how it was intended.
He hadn't planned to stay long, but after dropping the first 6 hands he declared himself determined to win at least a single hand, if not a match, before leaving. It's worth mentioning that he nothing but great things to say about both the construction of the deck and my skillful handling of it. He tried sideboarding almost ad nauseum. He tried taking the draw. He tried everything he could think of, with all 3 of his decks, all against my one. In spite of his frustration he was a perfect gentleman and nothing but magnanimous in defeat. "I've created a MONSTER!" he grinned. After 40 straight losses, he decided enough was enough and we both had to get up early for work the next day. He vowed vengeance. He looked me in the eye, shook my hand, offered congratulations, said "has the student surpassed the master? It looks likely, but i'm not ready to give up the ghost just yet! See you tomorrow!"
We remained good friends for several years after that, until he moved to Washington State somewhat unexpectedly with a really wonderful woman. But after that night, he never dueled against me again. Considering what a great sport he'd been about it all, and that our friendship meant more to me than the game, i never again broached the subject. I still think it's odd.
But that guy was awesome. He brightened up any table he sat at to play. He played for the pure joy of it, and he was a solid player in all aspects, with the possible exception of having difficulty with that kind of losing streak, but to be fair, i think that would mess with most peoples's heads. I never expected it to that to him, i was just trying to field a competitive deck.
It was often extremely difficult to get the cards back from him at the end of any given hand. As annoying as the deck was, we eventually realized that the goal of the deck wasn't to win hands, but rather to actually steal cards. Eventually he was told he couldn't play that deck anymore, and after he was caught stealing even after the deck was banned, there was a physical altercation and he was cast out from the group forever more. What a dickbag.
That is awesome to know. Thank you!
And silver-bordered cards, you say? People say the rules are exceedingly long now...
No, a destroy effect isn't the same thing as damage. They're different mechanics. They work similarly in play in most cases, but protection is a good example of how they differ, as long as the destroy effect isn't targeted.
I've mentioned elsewhere that i think Wizards is looking at creating a non-rotating format that starts at Origins and moves forward from there. An earlier poster in this thread mentioned BFZ, which is pretty close, only one set away from my own prediction. I'm not saying that it's written in stone at this point, just that i think it's a goal that R&D is trying to keep in mind. I could see WotC calling the format Contemporary.
I don't see Wizards rolling out multiple sets for different formats at exactly the same time, as Colt speculated above in saying that product for the new format would be released when Standard rotates. They don't like to do multiple releases at exactly the same time.
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&type= [%22Creature%22]&subtype=+[%22Angel%22]
Not sure why the Gatherer link isn't working, i'd advise you to search creature type "Angel" at Gatherer, but here's a CK list anyway, just to have a working link to a comprehensive list, i'm not recommending CK as a specific vendor, but they do have a nice search engine:
https://www.cardkingdom.com/catalog/view/?filter[sort]=most_popular&filter[search]=mtg_advanced&filter[tab]=&filter[name]=&filter[category_id]=0&filter[multi][0]=1&filter[type_mode]=any&filter[type_cr]=Creature&filter[type_key]=&filter[type_key]=Angel&filter[pow1]=&filter[pow2]=&filter[tuf1]=&filter[tuf2]=&filter[concast1]=&filter[concast2]=&filter[price_op]=&filter[price]=&filter[key_text1]=&filter[manaprod_select]=any
I used to play against a guy who had a pretty fun casual Angel deck. He had a lot of big expensive (mana expensive) Angels in it, and relied on Belbe's Portals and sometimes Urza's Incubators to help pump out the fatties.