Not sure but this seems like the right place to start a discussion on custom formats
This is supposed to be more of a flavorful format than a competitve one but it's basically derived from the brawl format that completely flopped.
I call it "Rivalry" but the name isn't set in stone and i'm open to all suggestions.
The restrictions on color, copies (1 of each), and deck size(59 + 1 commander) are carried over but instead of the standard only restriction I'm replacing it with a Set/Block restriction. You can choose any cards ever printed but they all have to be from the same set. This includes commander sets too and in the case of partner commanders you have 58 cards in the deck. If you choose a commander that was printed in multiple sets you have to pick one of them, not both. For example Kaalia of the Vast was printed in the original commander set and commander anthology volume 1. You would be allowed to use cards from any of the commander decks from CMD or CMA but you have to pick one of the sets to use cards from. Following the same example, if my Kaalia deck has Alliance of Arms from the original commander set, I wouldn't be allowed to use Altar's Reap from the anthology but I could use Akroma's Vengeance because it was printed in both.
In terms of flavor it's pitting 2 sets against eachother in an interplanar battle. I'm also considering broadening the restriction to a plane instead of a set but this heavily favors planes we've returned to like Ravnica and Innistrad
As for the format itself, it gives new players who only have cards from 1 or 2 sets a gateway to commander, it gives older players a new format with interesting restrictions where they have a reason to use some older cards they have that don't really fit in modern or commander, and it doesn't have the issue of cards rotating out with standard so your deck will always be legal and you won't have to worry about players abusing interactions with cards across sets because that's not allowed.
Some other points about the format are that you can play your favorite set and prove to your friends how awesome it is, but seeing your opponents' commanders tells you a lot more about their deck because of the smaller card pool they're allowed to choose from. You also don't have to deal with broken/ game-winning combos as much because they tend to use require cards across multiple sets. And it's fairly simple to get a Rival deck because you can just buy a commander deck and remove 40 cards and you're done...
So what do you think about my format? Any ideas or suggestions for rules or a name?
Some obvious ones are Doubling Season, Parallel Lives and Anointed Procession.
A good creature for this is Anointer Priest. It gains you 1 life for each token you make and when it dies you can make it a token (it triggers itself too) and if by some stroke of luck you embalm 4 copies of it with 4 of each doubling enchanment on the field you make 16384 copies of it and over 4 instances you gain 4096x4096 + 4096x4096x2 + 4096x4096x3 + 4096x4096x4 = 4096x4096x10 = 167,772,160 life
Another enchanment that makes tokens is Sandwurm Convergence. It makes a 5/5 green wurm at each of your end steps and stops your opponent from hitting you with flyers (your biggest weakness). Tendershoot Dryad and Verdant Force both make 1/1 saprolings on everyone's upkeep and the tendershoot gives them +2/+2 if you have 10 things on the field. Trostani, Selesnya's Voice is great because you make huge tokens but the populate only makes one token each turn. In a token based deck it'd be better to have 100 1/1's than 1 100/100.
I'd say get rid of trostani and Watchwolf for the annointer priests, trade out the Growing Ranks for anointed procession or any of the encahntments I listed up top, at least 1 Advent of the Wurm for sandwurm convergence, get rid of Grove of the Guardian for some lands that don't die, Tolsimir Wolfblood would be your power card (giving your tokens +1/+1 and making a token) instead of Trostani or the Greatwurm.
But those are just my opinions on how token decks should run. You don't have to conform to my beliefs.
Now for the part you asked for: Back to Nature is a green instant for 2 mana destroy all enchantments Cleansing Nova is a white sorcery for 5 that destroys all artifacts and enchantments OR all creatures Settle the Wreckage is a white instant for 4 that exiles all attacking creatures target player controls and they may search for that many basics onto the field tapped. I'd definitely replace the conclave tribunal with this one. Same mana cost but its an instant that permanently exiles things Calming Verse destroys all enchantments you don't control but you have to tap all your lands Whirlwind destroys all flying creatures, which again is your biggest weakness
I'd reccomend removing the Growing Ranks because poplate is a weak mechanic unfortunately. Luckily Convoke is broken with tokens. Mentor of the Meek will be a huge help for card draw. Making a ton of tokens for cheap and then drawing off of them will really boost card draws. I'd replace the lockets
**an extra tokens creature is Polyraptor, a 5/5 dinosaur that copies itself whenever it takes damage. THE TOKENS MAKE MORE TOKENS THAT MAKE TOKENS!!! WTF!?
*Sorry this was so long*
Something I haven't seen suggested yet, it's an 8 drop 6/5 in green that grants all your ccreatures hexproof while also removing hexproof from all your opponents' creatures. Archetype of Endurance. Pair that with Prowling Serpopard which protects your creatures from being countered, the only thing they can do to get rid of your creatures is to get rid of everything
add some white or green for Doubling Season or Anointed Procession to go infinite: put a -1/-1 on your insect which then makes 2 insects (doubled) and because an insect went to the graveyard with a -1/-1 counter on it you put another -1/-1 counter on an insect, rinse and repeat
Spam warming issued (strategy advice).
Question asked, question answered. With two strategy advice posts receiving a warning in a row, this one more visible, I doubt someone would add to this, but I'm going to lock it just in case, like I probably should have done yesterday.
-MadMage
If my oponent uses Incendiary Flow to kill my Doomed Dissenter the death trigger does not activate which is the normal ruling, however they had a Soul-Scar Mage on the battlefield which changes that damage to -1/-1 counters. Wouldn't that mean the spell did not cause damage to my creature so the death trigger would still activate?
This is supposed to be more of a flavorful format than a competitve one but it's basically derived from the brawl format that completely flopped.
I call it "Rivalry" but the name isn't set in stone and i'm open to all suggestions.
The restrictions on color, copies (1 of each), and deck size(59 + 1 commander) are carried over but instead of the standard only restriction I'm replacing it with a Set/Block restriction. You can choose any cards ever printed but they all have to be from the same set. This includes commander sets too and in the case of partner commanders you have 58 cards in the deck. If you choose a commander that was printed in multiple sets you have to pick one of them, not both. For example Kaalia of the Vast was printed in the original commander set and commander anthology volume 1. You would be allowed to use cards from any of the commander decks from CMD or CMA but you have to pick one of the sets to use cards from. Following the same example, if my Kaalia deck has Alliance of Arms from the original commander set, I wouldn't be allowed to use Altar's Reap from the anthology but I could use Akroma's Vengeance because it was printed in both.
In terms of flavor it's pitting 2 sets against eachother in an interplanar battle. I'm also considering broadening the restriction to a plane instead of a set but this heavily favors planes we've returned to like Ravnica and Innistrad
As for the format itself, it gives new players who only have cards from 1 or 2 sets a gateway to commander, it gives older players a new format with interesting restrictions where they have a reason to use some older cards they have that don't really fit in modern or commander, and it doesn't have the issue of cards rotating out with standard so your deck will always be legal and you won't have to worry about players abusing interactions with cards across sets because that's not allowed.
Some other points about the format are that you can play your favorite set and prove to your friends how awesome it is, but seeing your opponents' commanders tells you a lot more about their deck because of the smaller card pool they're allowed to choose from. You also don't have to deal with broken/ game-winning combos as much because they tend to use require cards across multiple sets. And it's fairly simple to get a Rival deck because you can just buy a commander deck and remove 40 cards and you're done...
So what do you think about my format? Any ideas or suggestions for rules or a name?
A good creature for this is Anointer Priest. It gains you 1 life for each token you make and when it dies you can make it a token (it triggers itself too) and if by some stroke of luck you embalm 4 copies of it with 4 of each doubling enchanment on the field you make 16384 copies of it and over 4 instances you gain 4096x4096 + 4096x4096x2 + 4096x4096x3 + 4096x4096x4 = 4096x4096x10 = 167,772,160 life
Another enchanment that makes tokens is Sandwurm Convergence. It makes a 5/5 green wurm at each of your end steps and stops your opponent from hitting you with flyers (your biggest weakness). Tendershoot Dryad and Verdant Force both make 1/1 saprolings on everyone's upkeep and the tendershoot gives them +2/+2 if you have 10 things on the field.
Trostani, Selesnya's Voice is great because you make huge tokens but the populate only makes one token each turn. In a token based deck it'd be better to have 100 1/1's than 1 100/100.
I'd say get rid of trostani and Watchwolf for the annointer priests, trade out the Growing Ranks for anointed procession or any of the encahntments I listed up top, at least 1 Advent of the Wurm for sandwurm convergence, get rid of Grove of the Guardian for some lands that don't die, Tolsimir Wolfblood would be your power card (giving your tokens +1/+1 and making a token) instead of Trostani or the Greatwurm.
But those are just my opinions on how token decks should run. You don't have to conform to my beliefs.
Now for the part you asked for:
Back to Nature is a green instant for 2 mana destroy all enchantments
Cleansing Nova is a white sorcery for 5 that destroys all artifacts and enchantments OR all creatures
Settle the Wreckage is a white instant for 4 that exiles all attacking creatures target player controls and they may search for that many basics onto the field tapped. I'd definitely replace the conclave tribunal with this one. Same mana cost but its an instant that permanently exiles things
Calming Verse destroys all enchantments you don't control but you have to tap all your lands
Whirlwind destroys all flying creatures, which again is your biggest weakness
I'd reccomend removing the Growing Ranks because poplate is a weak mechanic unfortunately. Luckily Convoke is broken with tokens.
Mentor of the Meek will be a huge help for card draw. Making a ton of tokens for cheap and then drawing off of them will really boost card draws. I'd replace the lockets
**an extra tokens creature is Polyraptor, a 5/5 dinosaur that copies itself whenever it takes damage. THE TOKENS MAKE MORE TOKENS THAT MAKE TOKENS!!! WTF!?
*Sorry this was so long*
Spam warming issued (strategy advice).
Question asked, question answered. With two strategy advice posts receiving a warning in a row, this one more visible, I doubt someone would add to this, but I'm going to lock it just in case, like I probably should have done yesterday.
-MadMage