Despite the fact that UW is the most defensive color combination in the game, it has a principally offensive signature keyword in flying, and blue doesn't really get white's premiere defensive keyword, vigilance (every blue card with vigilance predates the color pie, is from planar chaos, or needs white or green mana). In light of that, I came up with this:
Sentry(Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, if this creature is untapped, untap target creature you control.
Keen-Eyed Guard1W Creature - Human Soldier
Sentry
1/3
Servant of the Open Eye1WW Creature - Human Knight
Sentry, Vigilance
2/4
Lookout Maestro3U Creature - Siren Pirate
Flying, Sentry
At the beginning of each of your opponents' combat steps, you may have target creature that player controls attack you this turn if able.
2/3
Sleepy GuardsmanWU Creature - Human Soldier
Sentry
At the beginning of each opponents' end step, tap Sleepy Guardsman if it did not block this turn. It doesn't untap during your next untap step.
3/5
Open Eye Skyknight5WU Creature - Human Knight
Flying, Sentry, Vigilance
Whenever a nontoken creature you control blocks, create a 1/1 white and blue knight token with sentry.
4/5
Well, it's certainly an interesting compliment to Vigilance, but does it fill enough of a need to warrant keywording, let alone evergreening?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Well, it's certainly an interesting compliment to Vigilance, but does it fill enough of a need to warrant keywording, let alone evergreening?
I never said it should be evergreen, since that turns this discussion into a whole 'nother ball game. Besides, being a triggered ability with an intervening-if clause makes it really complex (and easy to forget) by evergreen standards, and set mechanics can get away with more complexity.
I decided to make it a keyword because it actually has a fair bit of synergy with tap/untap shenanigans, and it lets you spam tap abilities even when you're not untapping creatures to block with them. Just having one or two creatures with the ability wouldn't be as interesting, anyways.
Besides, being a triggered ability with an intervening-if clause makes it really complex (and easy to forget) by evergreen standards, and set mechanics can get away with more complexity.
You could consider dropping the intervening if clause since it makes the mechanic more complex and harder to remember. Simply saying "Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, untap target creature you control" is more intuitive and works better.
The biggest problem with this mechanic though is that it flat-out discourages attacking since the opponent might have to guess which creature you'll untap in response.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Sentry (Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, if this creature is untapped, untap target creature you control.)
While I like your original concept, I think that it can be refined in a way that doesn't break combat. First off the definition for sentry is off for your ability your creating more of a rally ability, not a defensive ability.
Sentry (Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, you may untap ~, if you do it must block this turn.) *Fixed* or Sentry (~ may block even if it's already tapped, if it does it doesn't untap during it's controllers next untap step.)
The first one creates unique choices for your opponents attack, knowing you have additional blockers in the wait, the second creates choices for you, if you want to save one to swing with, or use it to protect you from potentially lethal damage.
Remember, complexity doesn't have to come from something being complex.
Ehh, I feel like this new version is just worse-vigilance and fails on a complexity and flavor level in comparison to that keyword.
I deliberately avoided giving Sentry creatures the ability to untap themselves for this exact reason. Vigilance is a Selesnya defensive keyword, while Sentry is its Azorious counterpart. I want them to be close enough to have synergy with one another while avoiding stepping on each other's toes.
Yeah, I find your version appealing because it's different from vigilance and in some cases stronger. That along with its trickiness (blue creatures with abilities with un-abilityworded inspired?) makes it feel good for its color slot and appropriate for a guild keyword.
It's like I said, his ability doesn't fit the definition of the word, call it Rally, or Empower and I can get behind it. Personally, I like the raw ability, but I don't like the name for it.
It's like I said, his ability doesn't fit the definition of the word, call it Rally, or Empower and I can get behind it. Personally, I like the raw ability, but I don't like the name for it.
My ability isn't named after the action performed by the creature, it's named after the creature's job. The flavor is that sentries are on guard duty, and they alert your other creatures whenever they see incoming threats. The name works fine.
It's kind of a sentry's job to act as a living alarm system. I think it's a fine word.
What I'd like to see now is more cards that interact with sentry. Also probably don't put vigilance and sentry on the same card, that's needlessly cutesy.
Sentry (Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, if this creature is untapped, untap target creature you control.
Keen-Eyed Guard 1W
Creature - Human Soldier
Sentry
1/3
Servant of the Open Eye 1WW
Creature - Human Knight
Sentry, Vigilance
2/4
Tower Seer U
Creature - Human Wizard
Sentry
2, : Scry 1
0/1
Lookout Maestro 3U
Creature - Siren Pirate
Flying, Sentry
At the beginning of each of your opponents' combat steps, you may have target creature that player controls attack you this turn if able.
2/3
Sleepy Guardsman WU
Creature - Human Soldier
Sentry
At the beginning of each opponents' end step, tap Sleepy Guardsman if it did not block this turn. It doesn't untap during your next untap step.
3/5
Open Eye Skyknight 5WU
Creature - Human Knight
Flying, Sentry, Vigilance
Whenever a nontoken creature you control blocks, create a 1/1 white and blue knight token with sentry.
4/5
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I never said it should be evergreen, since that turns this discussion into a whole 'nother ball game. Besides, being a triggered ability with an intervening-if clause makes it really complex (and easy to forget) by evergreen standards, and set mechanics can get away with more complexity.
I decided to make it a keyword because it actually has a fair bit of synergy with tap/untap shenanigans, and it lets you spam tap abilities even when you're not untapping creatures to block with them. Just having one or two creatures with the ability wouldn't be as interesting, anyways.
Correct. The comparison to Vigilance just seemed to imply that evergreen status was intended.
You could consider dropping the intervening if clause since it makes the mechanic more complex and harder to remember. Simply saying "Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, untap target creature you control" is more intuitive and works better.
The biggest problem with this mechanic though is that it flat-out discourages attacking since the opponent might have to guess which creature you'll untap in response.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
While I like your original concept, I think that it can be refined in a way that doesn't break combat. First off the definition for sentry is off for your ability your creating more of a rally ability, not a defensive ability.
Sentry (Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, you may untap ~, if you do it must block this turn.) *Fixed* or Sentry (~ may block even if it's already tapped, if it does it doesn't untap during it's controllers next untap step.)
The first one creates unique choices for your opponents attack, knowing you have additional blockers in the wait, the second creates choices for you, if you want to save one to swing with, or use it to protect you from potentially lethal damage.
Remember, complexity doesn't have to come from something being complex.
Behind the eyes of truth, is a world of illustions.
Dragon Riderof a Mist Dragonn anyway with the Dragon Riders Clan.
I deliberately avoided giving Sentry creatures the ability to untap themselves for this exact reason. Vigilance is a Selesnya defensive keyword, while Sentry is its Azorious counterpart. I want them to be close enough to have synergy with one another while avoiding stepping on each other's toes.
Behind the eyes of truth, is a world of illustions.
Dragon Riderof a Mist Dragonn anyway with the Dragon Riders Clan.
My ability isn't named after the action performed by the creature, it's named after the creature's job. The flavor is that sentries are on guard duty, and they alert your other creatures whenever they see incoming threats. The name works fine.
As per Merriam Webster -
Definition of sentry
plural sentries
:guard, watch; especially :a soldier standing guard at a point of passage (such as a gate)
What you are describing is an action of alerting other guards, and that is fine, but sentry is the wrong word for what you are describing.
Behind the eyes of truth, is a world of illustions.
Dragon Riderof a Mist Dragonn anyway with the Dragon Riders Clan.
...well now you're just being pedantic. The word seems fine to me.
What I'd like to see now is more cards that interact with sentry. Also probably don't put vigilance and sentry on the same card, that's needlessly cutesy.
Behind the eyes of truth, is a world of illustions.
Dragon Riderof a Mist Dragonn anyway with the Dragon Riders Clan.
I'm using a noun as a noun. Get over it.