I think we can argue that it is a text-changing ability when we are replacing all of the text with another pre-defined text.
AS mentioned, I think it's needed here for coherence of replacing all the text at once, whereas otherwise, the confusion will exist towards the potential for replacing each spell ability a card has with an instance of "draw a card"—which we don't want.
I am maybe just out of touch with Wizards using the term "they" as acceptable context. That's a clean application.
If you write it that way, it comes out to [that player scrys 2] which just seems awkward.
I've amended the text with a small adaptation that I think it necessary to prevent confusion of replacing multiple lines of spell abilities with multiple "draw a card" instances, which is not the intention. We want to replace all the spell abilities text with a single "draw a card".
Neural Necklace2 Artifact
You may replace all spell ability text of instant and sorcery spells you cast and/or copy with “Draw a card.”. Dreamers dare to push the envelope. And where you draw that line is, of course, the art; what decides a good artist from a bad artist.
Not sure if this needs to read "ability text" or not. I instantly feel that if we don't, we'll get jabs about it replacing the flavor text also, and cards no longer having any flavor text, so it is legal to read the flavor-text off or not. It's very difficult to do a chain draw type of effect, as they get out of hand almost instantly, but that's what I wanted to do here. It was inspired by the name first, which randomly popped into my head. I had thought about doing this effect for activated abilities with tap in their cost (except mana abilities—or maybe just except mana abilities of lands). That would be very dynamic and interactive. But again, I think this gets out of hand too easily, and starts quickly creating anti-climatic environments. Blood tokens, Food tokens, and Powerstones get enhanced tremendously. The potential certainly is there, but it's just not as responsible as it wants to be I fear. I question if it preserves enough challenge. It's easy to argue either way.
Neural Decay Enchantment
If a player would draw a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, they scry 2 instead. "I wanted to believe my experiences in life had made me a prime specimen. But now I see, as the end draws nearer, I've lost so much functionality in how desensitized I have become."
—Barrin
This was the first effect I came up with for Neural Necklace, which was secondly tagged as [Genosha Slave Collar]. Lol at X-Men 97' Secret Lair. I felt as an artifact it might be open source for its own good, so I changed it to an enchantment for contrast. The effectiveness is certainly here, but I think this would want/need a Deus Ex Machina ability to bring it full-circle. Give the tri-color spread, the ability to pitch this to several different Alt Cast spells, Force of Will, Force of Despair, Fury, serves as critical potential that should be taken into considered as balancing elements against any additional effects.
I can't blame you for not liking the ramp. It's an overzealous bit of potential that we know will create new Ubers and enhance existing ones.
I understand the circumstance of colored Ward. It was the entire basis of the design, and the thought that it could be done in some stylish way. I'm still on the fence about the two +1/+1 counters. Damage prevention is that kind of special corner case effect where it should be reasonable. Standard/Limited is where it will shine the best. Getting out of those waters and it gets more obscure to play off an opponent's resources. Even so, with the colored ward it does seem a little off-center with hefty two counters a piece. Very powerful one-two combo with Swans of Bryn Argoll. Not that there's anything wrong with that—it's not infinite or anything. In the event of blending down the abilities, I would put the counter at one, the cost reducer stays the same, and bump the scry up to 3, cause that's the only balanced option.
Noble Lancer1W Creature — Human Knight
Disarm (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, detach all cards attached to that creature. It permanently loses up to one of its colors and/or all instances of a keyword of your choice.)
As long an opponent owns a card in exile, you may play an additional Plains during each of your turns.
2/2
This concept revolved around wanting to bridge on card advantage for white, that instantly cascaded into something that would be cool with another prominent potential for white I reflected on for this regarding another custom card, Sign of the Cross. It's not quite a Bowmasters, but I think it almost wants to be.
Grand Arbiter of the Cross1WW Creature — Human Cleric Knight
Ward W
Once each turn, whenever a source you control prevents any amount of damage, you may choose one —
• Scry 2
• Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
• The next white spell you cast this turn costs 2 less to cast.
2/2
The design broke off from the Lancer where I had thought to add the Ward ability in exactly as it is here. It didn't fit in with the Lancer, but I had said to myself it's something you would see on a design like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV; while probably adding U to the Ward alongside white for fair flexibility. I had first envisioned an ability like, "Whenever a source you control prevents any amount of damage, you may put that many +1/+1 counters on target creature. If you do, remove all counters from that creature at end of turn." for this one; while another design I had going in parallel hosted a split effect by removing a shield counter from a creature you control. It would be great if only shield counters were more pronounced, but since they're not, I felt the best thing to do was blend the two lines together; and that's how we've come here. I do feel like the two +1/+1 counters risky powerful, but for damage prevention as an effect, maybe not enough for it to be broken. I had tinkered with making this Legendary, but that also I dialed back on so I could prevent this in it raw form, cause I do like it a lot exactly as it is, and wouldn't mind the ability stacking in multiples.
To balance it, I had considered a 1, 2, 3 cascade between the effects. That would be a single +1/+1 counter, then the other two effects in succession, but a dilemma situation appears where both Scry 3 and "the next white spell you cast this turn costs 3 less to cast" becomes incredibly polarizing.
Being able to look at your opponent's hand all the time is kinda anti-climatic. Very powerful effect, worth everything you've put into it, even though most people would struggle to run it in place of removal; but being able to do it all the time puts a heavy reducer on the fun of the effect. That's my only concern here.
Stylish Scion is definitely going the distance to be a great common. It would probably be one more color-heavy though if printed.
Necropolis Gallery Show has amazing flavor and puts a showcase on some advanced potential. I see why you limited it to creatures only, and that's great style, but I also agree that it might struggle more than it wants to in this form. It might want to be able to exile cards from "any number of graveyards" in the least. I think there might be ways to make it more interactive even. I would ditch the X and make it a graveyard wrath probably for CMC 4 with the same effect. It just removes all creatures (and maybe all planeswalkers) from all graveyards and then gives you that many statues. Hard to get something more fluid and attractive than that.
Whenever a land leaves the battlefield, its controller mills a card, then puts that card face-down on
the battlefield as a basic land with, "Tap, Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity".
Here's a brush up on the wording composure, but you do want a type if you're making it basic.
even "with all basic land types" would be acceptable and dynamic.
Being able to fetch things like Mox and Lotus, then Brainstorm them into your hand for a single mana (and a non-effectual additional cost of exiling graveyard assets) holds tremendous power. That's how it would be broken.
Ideally, for cards to be "good", we want them to be "fun", and the fun factors lie in providing interactivity and preserving the aspect of challenge (especially for the caster). We want to dare to challenge ourselves and do more with less. That's what takes our victories and makes them earned, not given.
I think Cyclone is mostly okay, but it does have a pretty big bonus catch when you consider cards like Careful Study that will super boost "cards you've drawn beyond the first" very affordably.
History Marches On I fear is nuts for what it allows. You can just swap stack you deck with any number of powerful artifacts. For a single mana, I think this would let you do a single card maybe, or something like a kicker potential but it's capped at three maximum; the cost from there being subjective.
This last one could also be a Dark Corsair (or another adjective for dark). Cloaking a card is probably fine. Although selective discard like this gets out of control quickly. At this cost, it wants to set good boundaries/limitations. It would be a little interesting if it could also (alternatively) plot a card from your own hand (with like CMC 1 or less). Maybe even limit the CMC range across the board and then allow it to do either.
Mental FastingUR Enchantment
If you would begin your draw step, you may skip that step instead. If you do, create a Treasure token. Let go of the mind and let the body take control.
Just a simple effect. It was inspired by the time-seal effect I had mentioned about giving libraries stun-counters, and what in essence one of those might be worth. It pair well with the accessory draws from both colors, especially red pseudo draw. But you have to splash for it in either color, which I think is healthy for the aspect of challenge it creates. Also kinda neat how it works with things like Savor the Moment, Second Chance, and Last Chance.
It's pretty much a softened version of that. And when you look at that on the card, it wouldn't seem as overzealous.
AS mentioned, I think it's needed here for coherence of replacing all the text at once, whereas otherwise, the confusion will exist towards the potential for replacing each spell ability a card has with an instance of "draw a card"—which we don't want.
I am maybe just out of touch with Wizards using the term "they" as acceptable context. That's a clean application.
If it worked with Rebound that would be even crazier.
I've amended the text with a small adaptation that I think it necessary to prevent confusion of replacing multiple lines of spell abilities with multiple "draw a card" instances, which is not the intention. We want to replace all the spell abilities text with a single "draw a card".
Artifact
You may replace all spell ability text of instant and sorcery spells you cast and/or copy with “Draw a card.”.
Dreamers dare to push the envelope. And where you draw that line is, of course, the art; what decides a good artist from a bad artist.
Not sure if this needs to read "ability text" or not. I instantly feel that if we don't, we'll get jabs about it replacing the flavor text also, and cards no longer having any flavor text, so it is legal to read the flavor-text off or not. It's very difficult to do a chain draw type of effect, as they get out of hand almost instantly, but that's what I wanted to do here. It was inspired by the name first, which randomly popped into my head. I had thought about doing this effect for activated abilities with tap in their cost (except mana abilities—or maybe just except mana abilities of lands). That would be very dynamic and interactive. But again, I think this gets out of hand too easily, and starts quickly creating anti-climatic environments. Blood tokens, Food tokens, and Powerstones get enhanced tremendously. The potential certainly is there, but it's just not as responsible as it wants to be I fear. I question if it preserves enough challenge. It's easy to argue either way.
Neural Decay
Enchantment
If a player would draw a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, they scry 2 instead.
"I wanted to believe my experiences in life had made me a prime specimen. But now I see, as the end draws nearer, I've lost so much functionality in how desensitized I have become."
—Barrin
This was the first effect I came up with for Neural Necklace, which was secondly tagged as [Genosha Slave Collar]. Lol at X-Men 97' Secret Lair. I felt as an artifact it might be open source for its own good, so I changed it to an enchantment for contrast. The effectiveness is certainly here, but I think this would want/need a Deus Ex Machina ability to bring it full-circle. Give the tri-color spread, the ability to pitch this to several different Alt Cast spells, Force of Will, Force of Despair, Fury, serves as critical potential that should be taken into considered as balancing elements against any additional effects.
I understand the circumstance of colored Ward. It was the entire basis of the design, and the thought that it could be done in some stylish way. I'm still on the fence about the two +1/+1 counters. Damage prevention is that kind of special corner case effect where it should be reasonable. Standard/Limited is where it will shine the best. Getting out of those waters and it gets more obscure to play off an opponent's resources. Even so, with the colored ward it does seem a little off-center with hefty two counters a piece. Very powerful one-two combo with Swans of Bryn Argoll. Not that there's anything wrong with that—it's not infinite or anything. In the event of blending down the abilities, I would put the counter at one, the cost reducer stays the same, and bump the scry up to 3, cause that's the only balanced option.
Creature — Human Knight
Disarm (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, detach all cards attached to that creature. It permanently loses up to one of its colors and/or all instances of a keyword of your choice.)
As long an opponent owns a card in exile, you may play an additional Plains during each of your turns.
2/2
This concept revolved around wanting to bridge on card advantage for white, that instantly cascaded into something that would be cool with another prominent potential for white I reflected on for this regarding another custom card, Sign of the Cross. It's not quite a Bowmasters, but I think it almost wants to be.
Grand Arbiter of the Cross 1WW
Creature — Human Cleric Knight
Ward W
Once each turn, whenever a source you control prevents any amount of damage, you may choose one —
• Scry 2
• Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
• The next white spell you cast this turn costs 2 less to cast.
2/2
The design broke off from the Lancer where I had thought to add the Ward ability in exactly as it is here. It didn't fit in with the Lancer, but I had said to myself it's something you would see on a design like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV; while probably adding U to the Ward alongside white for fair flexibility. I had first envisioned an ability like, "Whenever a source you control prevents any amount of damage, you may put that many +1/+1 counters on target creature. If you do, remove all counters from that creature at end of turn." for this one; while another design I had going in parallel hosted a split effect by removing a shield counter from a creature you control. It would be great if only shield counters were more pronounced, but since they're not, I felt the best thing to do was blend the two lines together; and that's how we've come here. I do feel like the two +1/+1 counters risky powerful, but for damage prevention as an effect, maybe not enough for it to be broken. I had tinkered with making this Legendary, but that also I dialed back on so I could prevent this in it raw form, cause I do like it a lot exactly as it is, and wouldn't mind the ability stacking in multiples.
To balance it, I had considered a 1, 2, 3 cascade between the effects. That would be a single +1/+1 counter, then the other two effects in succession, but a dilemma situation appears where both Scry 3 and "the next white spell you cast this turn costs 3 less to cast" becomes incredibly polarizing.
Stylish Scion is definitely going the distance to be a great common. It would probably be one more color-heavy though if printed.
Necropolis Gallery Show has amazing flavor and puts a showcase on some advanced potential. I see why you limited it to creatures only, and that's great style, but I also agree that it might struggle more than it wants to in this form. It might want to be able to exile cards from "any number of graveyards" in the least. I think there might be ways to make it more interactive even. I would ditch the X and make it a graveyard wrath probably for CMC 4 with the same effect. It just removes all creatures (and maybe all planeswalkers) from all graveyards and then gives you that many statues. Hard to get something more fluid and attractive than that.
This has no significant restriction that it allows you to stack your deck with multiple power cards.
Requiring cards from your graveyard isn't worth enough. It's like trading nothing almost for what you're getting.
the battlefield as a basic land with, "Tap, Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity".
Here's a brush up on the wording composure, but you do want a type if you're making it basic.
even "with all basic land types" would be acceptable and dynamic.
Ideally, for cards to be "good", we want them to be "fun", and the fun factors lie in providing interactivity and preserving the aspect of challenge (especially for the caster). We want to dare to challenge ourselves and do more with less. That's what takes our victories and makes them earned, not given.
In Savor the Moment, you skip the untap step and not the entire upkeep, thus you get a draw step still.
I was thinking about giving this a Deus Ex Machina, but it would have to be something very light such as,
Psychometry (As you cast this spell, you may shuffle a card from your hand into your library, then draw a card.)
History Marches On I fear is nuts for what it allows. You can just swap stack you deck with any number of powerful artifacts. For a single mana, I think this would let you do a single card maybe, or something like a kicker potential but it's capped at three maximum; the cost from there being subjective.
This last one could also be a Dark Corsair (or another adjective for dark). Cloaking a card is probably fine. Although selective discard like this gets out of control quickly. At this cost, it wants to set good boundaries/limitations. It would be a little interesting if it could also (alternatively) plot a card from your own hand (with like CMC 1 or less). Maybe even limit the CMC range across the board and then allow it to do either.
Enchantment
If you would begin your draw step, you may skip that step instead. If you do, create a Treasure token.
Let go of the mind and let the body take control.
Just a simple effect. It was inspired by the time-seal effect I had mentioned about giving libraries stun-counters, and what in essence one of those might be worth. It pair well with the accessory draws from both colors, especially red pseudo draw. But you have to splash for it in either color, which I think is healthy for the aspect of challenge it creates. Also kinda neat how it works with things like Savor the Moment, Second Chance, and Last Chance.
I think the mechanic is cool for what it's dealing with, and the interactivity of it is cool. Essence of the wild has proven this.
I do think that the application is very limited and many of these create broken or anti-climatic scenarios.