Don't have much as I'm not overly familiar with Izzet mill, but I can see you can drop the Mind Sculpt as it's easily the weakest card in the deck. I'd strongly suggest dropping another set of cards and play 4 Karn and 2 Ensnaring Bridge. You also need some counters to be able to survive bombs that do manage to get played before they are decked. I hope some of this helps.
Agreed with all of your points. I'm still wondering if you'd rate this as modern playable, or too OP for Modern? Those land cyclers in LotR probably won't see modern play as the main cards cost way too much. This card being better than those nudges it to playable as those really aren't. Right direction.
Causing blow outs against a very specific board state is what a good portion of Magic is all about. Using Leyline of Sanctity against heavy discard decks and burn decks. Using Wrath's against creature based decks. Silence or taxes against combo decks, etc.
I appreciate the feedback. I'm looking for a fog effect that is modern power level. Most fogs fall way short in that.
As you both have said it's great in combat against opposing creature decks. That's where a fig effect should be at it's best. I don't think it's OP when you consider how much has to go right. You have to be playing dudes. They have to be playing dudes. They can't remove dudes in response. They can't be playing sweepers. Combo decks would make this card effectively a forest tutor card. Etc.
Everything in mind does it still seem OP? I understand I didn't state what power level I was looking for originally. Thanks.
Also isn't the new Lord of the Rings land cyclers the same as this one?
Undiscovered Frontiers G
Instant
Prevent all damage any number of target creatures would deal this turn. Also prevent all damage that would be dealt to those targeted creatures.
Forestcycling 1
Basically it's never useless due to the cycle effect and also fogs only certain creatures. If a creature is "fogged" it won't deal or receive damage. That feels very thematic.
Lastly it can prevent damage from noncombat sources also. If it's lost in the fog then it can't be damaged even by burn effects. That feels thematic also.
Thoughts?
That's exactly correct. It's trying to imitate uncommons from the early days of Magic. Edit: Apparently those cards were commons. That's crazy because I opened a ton of those packs back in the day and they seemed like uncommons. Maybe common 1 or 3??? Whichever was more rare than the others.
Order of Embereth RR
Creature - Human Knight
Hexproof from Blue RR: +1/+0 and Order of Embereth gets firststrike until end of turn. If Order of Embereth has firststrike already it gets doublestrike instead.
2/1
Too busted or right on par with current MTG cards? If pushed slightly do you still think it would be safe to print?
Laquatus is playable because it was reprinted in masters 25 in 2018
Is that what you believe?
To be modern playable it has to fit into exactly the definition I gave above. Standard legal set from 8th edition to current or in Modern Horizons 1 or Modern Horizons 2. Nothing else matters.
utopia sprawl seems sketchy in a 3 color deck though especially with GG requirements.
Great suggestions! I like Blade of the Oni better than Quill in Modern. You need every card to have an impact on the board. Being able to put it into play at EoT for a surprise attacker or then "equip" can be a big difference.
I'm considering Lion Sash in here for white cards.
Also strongly considering taking out the Sprawls for more action cards. The idea of them right now is to boost to 3 mana turn 2. That way I can play a SFM or Professor to grab the card to pay for evoke. This way I build board presence and only delay the Scamming to turn 2 rather than even further.
Man I like Sculler. I just wonder if it's good enough as a stand alone threat in today's Modern.
Have you had any problems with enough cards for Evoking grief?
That's a great question. It's not designed to Evoke him out turn 1 like traditional scam decks, but given the correct draw it's probably correct to do so. It's possible the numbers of cards should be tweaked to allow this more often though. This deck is kinda designed to win a battle if attrition more than the triple discard turn 1. I'm not discounting the effectiveness of that plan. Will have to see which is better.
Since you mentioned it I'll be looking to see what's the best Black equipment card to be able to search up with SFM also. Just adding 1 will give 5 addition black cards effectively. Counting 1 for the card and 4 for the SFMs. Right now the Professors already do learn Inkling Summoning to help balance that.
Working on the manabase and SB now. This deck can do some disgusting things.
Turn 1 Utopia Sprawl into Turn 2 Professor getting Inkling Summoning. Then cast Grief or Solitude off of the Summoning and then Ephemerate it.
Also you can play Chittering Rats then Ephemerate it to make them put back 3 cards on top of their library. Yes, I know Chittering Rats sucks, in general, and isn't normally Modern playable. Power level wise. But in this particular deck it's unbelievable.
There's also going to be games where you cast Rats and your opponent will be like well I need to kill it so Ragavan can attack. They Unholy Heat or Bolt it. You respond with Undying Evil. Now Rats comes back as a 3/3, is too large for Rags to attack into, caused them to put a card from their hand on top of their deck, and wasted a removal spell targeting it. They basically lost at this point unless they were way ahead already.
But this deck has a beautiful lock it can and will put on the opponent. It goes like this. Have Rats and Witness on the battlefield. During your opponent's draw after they are empty handed you cast Ephemerate targeting the Rats. As long as it's not an Instant or has Flash the card will simply be put back on top of their deck... Effectively making them skip the draw. Then on your upkeep Ephemerate is cast from exile. You target Witness. Getting Ephemerate back. The opponent is locked out of the game from that point on.
The deck has the Complement of Grief and Thoughtseize to help ensure the game goes long. Combining this with a STM package makes it very strong. Worst case scenario is why you play Solitude.
This section is for Modern playable decks. Several of the cards listed aren't modern playable.
In case you are wondering Modern is all standard edition sets from 8th edition to current. With the exception of Modern Horizons and Modern Horizons 2. Jet Medallion and the Champion are cards not in that card pool. There are others also, but yeah that's a start.
The main mechanic of a set I've been designing for years now. Adayum is like generating mana, but the mana acts a little differently. It's composed of 2 or more colors.
Dreglight Timbers (C)
Land
Dreglight Timbers enters the battlefield tapped and you lose 1 life. T: add a. This mana is both B and G mana.
The uncommon lands enter the battlefield untapped. Are fetchable, but allow your opponent to scry 1 when they enter and are a little slower than shocklands.
Eerie Hallows (U)
Land - Forest
When Eerie Hallows enters the battlefield your opponents may scry 1. GT: add 1a. This a mana is both B and G
Mana produced by these lands can pay for either color in a mana cost.
So if you were casting a spell that costs BG you could pay for either the Black or the Green with either. Pretty basic. BUT where this stands out is in the cards in the set.
Decaying Growth 1a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with G create a 2/1 Green fungus creature token.
If a was paid with B put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
This feature is fantastic for limited as both "cards" are somewhat playable. More the green side, but a really decent card if you can manage to produce the Adayum mana to fully power the spell.
The set is designed so each color pair has a common and an uncommon land to produce this mana. The rare land also exists so it's possible to have 12 lands in a 2 color deck that do this as well as a few green creatures and 2 artifacts. If you wanted to design your deck around this mechanic it's totally possible.
Adayumite Core (R)
Legendary Land
At the beginning of your upkeep you may tap an untapped permanent you control. If you do not you lose 1 life, sacrifice Adayumite Core, and draw a card. T: add a. This mana is WUBRG mana. (All colors)
A few more cards from the set.
Adayum Dispersal 1Ua (U)
Instant
If a was paid with U counter target noncreature spell.
If a was paid with W tap target creature, put a stun counter on it and gain 2 life.
Keeper of the Furnace RBa (U)
Creature - Goblin Zombie
Firststrike
If a was paid with B put a +1/+1 counter on Keeper of the Furnace and target player loses 2 life.
If a was paid with R put a +1/+1 counter on Keeper of the Furnace and it deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
1/1
Beastial Carnage a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with R target creature gets +1/+1 and Firststrike until end of turn.
If a was paid with G target creature gets +1/+1 and Trample until end of turn.
The lands are purposely designed to be slow and have a slight drawback. Adayum spells are quite powerful so they are designed to play catch-up for proper balancing. Also the spells are designed to be slightly suboptimal if you can't produce the Adayum mana needed. That way they are passable, not completely unplayable, if you don't get the producers needed. This is heavily designed for limited play. Probably would be able to enter standard and possibly pioneer or modern with the right deck build but not be a dominant force.
Adayum Helix a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with W you gain 2 life.
If a was paid with R Adayum Helix deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
Story wise Adayum (ã dāy ūm) is the force that holds a broken plane together. The plane was shattered like so many when Urza actived the Sylex. The plane consists of floating lands around a fiery core. The lands, or floating continents, frequently smash into one another. When this happens a strange mana is shot off. Like a spark from a flint. Over the years the tribes on these lands have tried to tether lands together. The advanced people use iron cables to do this. The more primitive tribes use vines and ropes. The dark tribes use negative energy. The holy use spirit bindings. They do this to actively try to prevent these collisions from taking place. This has benefits. First it stops cities from being crushed in these collisions. Sometimes the impact could ricochet the smaller floating island in an unpredictable way. A peace loving tribe could find themselves coming closer and closer to an unholy land filled with devils and the undead for instance. In the worst case scenario the people of a smaller continent could find themselves floating off into space. In between the core and the floating lands is a thick heavy mist. It's nearly a fluid made up of water and pure mana. This keeps the intense heat of the core from baking everyone on the lands as well as being a breeding ground for leviathans and other large unnatural creations. On the most outer continents there are frozen glaciers hiding ancient secrets beneath impenetrable ice sheets. No one here knows what force shattered their once peaceful realm. The only choice left is to try to survive in these dark times. The very same Adayum mana that holds the plane somewhere intact is also responsible for holding the unhallowed spirits to this realm. Hope is nearly lost to all who dwell here.
Recently however one of the lands holding a frozen glacier drifted down. As the ice began to melt the people found tablets and clay cylinders describing machinations that could alter the entire plane. Many have visions of the world being whole again. Releasing the Adayum mana and once again belonging. That's where this story begins.
I'm not going to pretend that I've play tested this in the slightest. I like what it could do. Not sure if it's competitive or not though. In theory it should be the best deck in modern since it has the key component to several top decks. Lol
Just to run through what you can do with this deck.
Off of any fetchland and a shock land you can cast Leyline Binding or Fire//Ice turn 2.
Every Cascade card will hit Rhinos.
It has the one card win combo in Scapeshift.
I'm using Titan rather than the demon because you can win the turn you play creativity. Especially if done for 2.
Teferi protects and allows Demonic to act as Outburst 5-7.
The early rhinos can keep the opponent busy for Creative combo to catch them.
Some games you'll play an EOT Outburst then fetch a mine and Creative a Titan. Then every land you play after that will be able to Bolt something.
It has Dead/Gone, Fire//Ice, Teferi, and Binding for early protection.
I also enjoyed the read. But I think you did a few things wrong. #1 equip should be endurance A+. They will probably always have equips in every set or block and there is no way they will ever run out of ideas for the keyword. #2 Banding should have been #1. I mean come on man.
Causing blow outs against a very specific board state is what a good portion of Magic is all about. Using Leyline of Sanctity against heavy discard decks and burn decks. Using Wrath's against creature based decks. Silence or taxes against combo decks, etc.
As you both have said it's great in combat against opposing creature decks. That's where a fig effect should be at it's best. I don't think it's OP when you consider how much has to go right. You have to be playing dudes. They have to be playing dudes. They can't remove dudes in response. They can't be playing sweepers. Combo decks would make this card effectively a forest tutor card. Etc.
Everything in mind does it still seem OP? I understand I didn't state what power level I was looking for originally. Thanks.
Also isn't the new Lord of the Rings land cyclers the same as this one?
Instant
Prevent all damage any number of target creatures would deal this turn. Also prevent all damage that would be dealt to those targeted creatures.
Forestcycling 1
Basically it's never useless due to the cycle effect and also fogs only certain creatures. If a creature is "fogged" it won't deal or receive damage. That feels very thematic.
Lastly it can prevent damage from noncombat sources also. If it's lost in the fog then it can't be damaged even by burn effects. That feels thematic also.
Thoughts?
It's intended to be an update to Order of the Ebon Hand, and Leitbur from Fallen Empires. But power creeped a little bit due to how creatures are now.
Creature - Human Knight
Hexproof from Blue
RR: +1/+0 and Order of Embereth gets firststrike until end of turn. If Order of Embereth has firststrike already it gets doublestrike instead.
2/1
Too busted or right on par with current MTG cards? If pushed slightly do you still think it would be safe to print?
Is that what you believe?
To be modern playable it has to fit into exactly the definition I gave above. Standard legal set from 8th edition to current or in Modern Horizons 1 or Modern Horizons 2. Nothing else matters.
Great suggestions! I like Blade of the Oni better than Quill in Modern. You need every card to have an impact on the board. Being able to put it into play at EoT for a surprise attacker or then "equip" can be a big difference.
I'm considering Lion Sash in here for white cards.
Also strongly considering taking out the Sprawls for more action cards. The idea of them right now is to boost to 3 mana turn 2. That way I can play a SFM or Professor to grab the card to pay for evoke. This way I build board presence and only delay the Scamming to turn 2 rather than even further.
Man I like Sculler. I just wonder if it's good enough as a stand alone threat in today's Modern.
Since you mentioned it I'll be looking to see what's the best Black equipment card to be able to search up with SFM also. Just adding 1 will give 5 addition black cards effectively. Counting 1 for the card and 4 for the SFMs. Right now the Professors already do learn Inkling Summoning to help balance that.
4 Solitude
4 StoneForge Mystic
2 Chittering Rats
2 Eternal Witness
2 Professor of Symbology
3 Thoughtseize
4 Utopia Sprawl
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Blade of the Oni
1 Kaldra Compleat
1 Batterskull
4 Ephemerate
2 Undying Evil
1 Malakir Rebirth
Working on the manabase and SB now. This deck can do some disgusting things.
Turn 1 Utopia Sprawl into Turn 2 Professor getting Inkling Summoning. Then cast Grief or Solitude off of the Summoning and then Ephemerate it.
Also you can play Chittering Rats then Ephemerate it to make them put back 3 cards on top of their library. Yes, I know Chittering Rats sucks, in general, and isn't normally Modern playable. Power level wise. But in this particular deck it's unbelievable.
There's also going to be games where you cast Rats and your opponent will be like well I need to kill it so Ragavan can attack. They Unholy Heat or Bolt it. You respond with Undying Evil. Now Rats comes back as a 3/3, is too large for Rags to attack into, caused them to put a card from their hand on top of their deck, and wasted a removal spell targeting it. They basically lost at this point unless they were way ahead already.
But this deck has a beautiful lock it can and will put on the opponent. It goes like this. Have Rats and Witness on the battlefield. During your opponent's draw after they are empty handed you cast Ephemerate targeting the Rats. As long as it's not an Instant or has Flash the card will simply be put back on top of their deck... Effectively making them skip the draw. Then on your upkeep Ephemerate is cast from exile. You target Witness. Getting Ephemerate back. The opponent is locked out of the game from that point on.
The deck has the Complement of Grief and Thoughtseize to help ensure the game goes long. Combining this with a STM package makes it very strong. Worst case scenario is why you play Solitude.
In case you are wondering Modern is all standard edition sets from 8th edition to current. With the exception of Modern Horizons and Modern Horizons 2. Jet Medallion and the Champion are cards not in that card pool. There are others also, but yeah that's a start.
Dreglight Timbers (C)
Land
Dreglight Timbers enters the battlefield tapped and you lose 1 life.
T: add a. This mana is both B and G mana.
The uncommon lands enter the battlefield untapped. Are fetchable, but allow your opponent to scry 1 when they enter and are a little slower than shocklands.
Eerie Hallows (U)
Land - Forest
When Eerie Hallows enters the battlefield your opponents may scry 1.
GT: add 1a. This a mana is both B and G
Mana produced by these lands can pay for either color in a mana cost.
So if you were casting a spell that costs BG you could pay for either the Black or the Green with either. Pretty basic. BUT where this stands out is in the cards in the set.
Decaying Growth 1a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with G create a 2/1 Green fungus creature token.
If a was paid with B put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
This feature is fantastic for limited as both "cards" are somewhat playable. More the green side, but a really decent card if you can manage to produce the Adayum mana to fully power the spell.
The set is designed so each color pair has a common and an uncommon land to produce this mana. The rare land also exists so it's possible to have 12 lands in a 2 color deck that do this as well as a few green creatures and 2 artifacts. If you wanted to design your deck around this mechanic it's totally possible.
Adayumite Core (R)
Legendary Land
At the beginning of your upkeep you may tap an untapped permanent you control. If you do not you lose 1 life, sacrifice Adayumite Core, and draw a card.
T: add a. This mana is WUBRG mana. (All colors)
A few more cards from the set.
Adayum Dispersal 1Ua (U)
Instant
If a was paid with U counter target noncreature spell.
If a was paid with W tap target creature, put a stun counter on it and gain 2 life.
Keeper of the Furnace RBa (U)
Creature - Goblin Zombie
Firststrike
If a was paid with B put a +1/+1 counter on Keeper of the Furnace and target player loses 2 life.
If a was paid with R put a +1/+1 counter on Keeper of the Furnace and it deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
1/1
Beastial Carnage a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with R target creature gets +1/+1 and Firststrike until end of turn.
If a was paid with G target creature gets +1/+1 and Trample until end of turn.
The lands are purposely designed to be slow and have a slight drawback. Adayum spells are quite powerful so they are designed to play catch-up for proper balancing. Also the spells are designed to be slightly suboptimal if you can't produce the Adayum mana needed. That way they are passable, not completely unplayable, if you don't get the producers needed. This is heavily designed for limited play. Probably would be able to enter standard and possibly pioneer or modern with the right deck build but not be a dominant force.
Adayum Helix a (C)
Instant
If a was paid with W you gain 2 life.
If a was paid with R Adayum Helix deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
Story wise Adayum (ã dāy ūm) is the force that holds a broken plane together. The plane was shattered like so many when Urza actived the Sylex. The plane consists of floating lands around a fiery core. The lands, or floating continents, frequently smash into one another. When this happens a strange mana is shot off. Like a spark from a flint. Over the years the tribes on these lands have tried to tether lands together. The advanced people use iron cables to do this. The more primitive tribes use vines and ropes. The dark tribes use negative energy. The holy use spirit bindings. They do this to actively try to prevent these collisions from taking place. This has benefits. First it stops cities from being crushed in these collisions. Sometimes the impact could ricochet the smaller floating island in an unpredictable way. A peace loving tribe could find themselves coming closer and closer to an unholy land filled with devils and the undead for instance. In the worst case scenario the people of a smaller continent could find themselves floating off into space. In between the core and the floating lands is a thick heavy mist. It's nearly a fluid made up of water and pure mana. This keeps the intense heat of the core from baking everyone on the lands as well as being a breeding ground for leviathans and other large unnatural creations. On the most outer continents there are frozen glaciers hiding ancient secrets beneath impenetrable ice sheets. No one here knows what force shattered their once peaceful realm. The only choice left is to try to survive in these dark times. The very same Adayum mana that holds the plane somewhere intact is also responsible for holding the unhallowed spirits to this realm. Hope is nearly lost to all who dwell here.
Recently however one of the lands holding a frozen glacier drifted down. As the ice began to melt the people found tablets and clay cylinders describing machinations that could alter the entire plane. Many have visions of the world being whole again. Releasing the Adayum mana and once again belonging. That's where this story begins.
🤣 😂 🤣 😂
3 Primeval Titan
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
3 Crashing Footfalls
2 Scapeshift
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
4 Fire // Ice
3 Leyline Binding
1 Dead // Gone
4 Violent Outburst
2 Demonic Dread
1 Ardent Plea
2 Raugrin Triome
1 Jetmir's Garden
1 Xander's Lounge
1 Ketria Triome
1 Savai Triome
2 Stomping Ground
2 Valakut, The Molten Pinnacle
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Blood Crypt
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Flooded Strand
1 Temple Garden
I'm not going to pretend that I've play tested this in the slightest. I like what it could do. Not sure if it's competitive or not though. In theory it should be the best deck in modern since it has the key component to several top decks. Lol
Just to run through what you can do with this deck.
Off of any fetchland and a shock land you can cast Leyline Binding or Fire//Ice turn 2.
Every Cascade card will hit Rhinos.
It has the one card win combo in Scapeshift.
I'm using Titan rather than the demon because you can win the turn you play creativity. Especially if done for 2.
Teferi protects and allows Demonic to act as Outburst 5-7.
The early rhinos can keep the opponent busy for Creative combo to catch them.
Some games you'll play an EOT Outburst then fetch a mine and Creative a Titan. Then every land you play after that will be able to Bolt something.
It has Dead/Gone, Fire//Ice, Teferi, and Binding for early protection.